Scholarship@Western

Craib, Jordon Leigh James

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
A Philosophical Analysis of Difficulty 
Jordon Leigh James Craib 
Western University, jcraib@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Craib, Jordon Leigh James, "A Philosophical Analysis of Difficulty" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 450. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/450 
Life is often difficult: much of what we do, endure, or choose is difficult, hard, or challenging.
Cultural narratives, technological advancements, and socioeconomic trends support mixed evaluations of
the value of difficulty in our lives. On the one hand, we rejoice at the prospect that advancements in AI
and robotics could alleviate much of the hardship we endure in our labour; on the other, we feel
satisfaction after a hard day’s work, and often strive to be challenged in our projects. Despite its
prevalence in our lives, difficulty has not received an extended treatment in philosophy. I aim to correct
this omission by providing a critical philosophical analysis of difficulty. My research examines what
difficulty is (as well as cognate notions such as hardship, challenge, and adversity), whether it makes our
lives go better or worse, and how it affects our responsibilities to one another, other species, and the
planet.


English

A Philosophical Analysis of Difficulty

Lei, Yongqin

Odegaard, Fredrik

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Probabilistic Price Promotion 
Yongqin Lei 
Western University, ylei73@uwo.ca 
Fredrik Odegaard 
Western University, fodegaard@ivey.uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Lei, Yongqin and Odegaard, Fredrik, "Probabilistic Price Promotion" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 488. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/488 
Yongqin Lei 
 
Imagine instead of paying $2 for a double-double at Tim Hortons, your paying price is rather 
determined by drawing a lottery, which could be much lower than $2 if you are lucky! 
Compared to the fixed $2, would you be more likely to buy the coffee if its price depends on 
your luck? What if I also tell you that for any final price determined through the lottery, you 
have no obligations to purchase at such price, and can simply work away if you don’t like the 
price?  
 
My research studies the optimal design of this kind of probabilistic pricing from a retailer’s 
perspective. In particular, how many lottery outcomes should the retailer offer, and what should 
be the corresponding probabilities to receive each different lottery outcome? My study also 
answers when is it more profitable to offer probabilistic pricing than a traditional fixed price.  


Probabilistic Price Promotion

Mayhew, Alex

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Technological Forecasting: An Information Science Perspective 
on the Future of AI 
Alex Mayhew 
Western University, amayhew@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Mayhew, Alex, "Technological Forecasting: An Information Science Perspective on the Future of AI" 
(2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 492. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/492 
Technological Forecasting: An Information Science Perspective on the Future of AI
Alex Mayhew
PhD Candidate, Library and Information Studies
Faculty of Information and Media Studies
Wayne Gretzky said: “Don’t skate to where the puck is, skate to where it will be.” Recent
developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have led thousands of scientists and industry leaders
to call for a pause in development. Other experts say this is fear mongering. Technological
forecasting is the effort to create robust predictions about emerging transformative technologies
like AI. The key to forecasting is to never stop asking: What happens next?
AI development trendlines are revealed by combining several factors: development
agendas of AI labs, surveys of AI experts, and the growth of funding, data, and processing
power. We are not close to the final development in AI. Some researchers claim AI will be the
next climate change or global pandemic. Forecasting implores us to take this possibility
seriously. Strategic planning and future-forward policy development needs to take into account
where AI will be, not just where it currently is.


Technological Forecasting: An Information Science Perspective on the Future of AI

Rodriguez Mata, Pilar C, Miss

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Activism in Social Media: a study of Hispanic cyberfeminism 
Pilar C. Rodriguez Mata Miss 
Western University, prodri6@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Rodriguez Mata, Pilar C. Miss, "Activism in Social Media: a study of Hispanic cyberfeminism" (2023). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
494. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/494 
Western University  
Scholarship@Western  
 
Activism in Social Media: a study of Hispanic cyberfeminism  
Sixty percent of the global population uses social media, with the average user dedicating two 
hours and 24 minutes daily to these platforms. This widespread usage sparks numerous issues and 
debates, ranging from calls for social media abolition to envisioning a world made possible only 
through its existence. Activists of all kinds have discovered new avenues in social media, 
expanding the scope of protests beyond the streets and allowing messages to reach farther and 
faster than ever before. While this creates endless opportunities, it also invites significant dangers, 
turning activism into a game of telephone where trolls and allies alike can propagate 
misinformation. My research aims to unravel the trajectory of gender activism messages, shedding 
light on cyberfeminism in Hispanic countries. In my study, I question how feminism unfolds in the 
age of digitalization, specifically in the hispanosphere, examining the unique window into this 
realm that social media platforms provide. 
Word Count: 150 


Activism in Social Media: a study of Hispanic cyberfeminism

Salmani, Babac

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Machine-Based Algorithm for Adjusting Activity Targets to 
Increase Physical Activity and Sustain User Engagement Among 
Sprout Users 
Babac Salmani 
bsalmani@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Salmani, Babac, "Machine-Based Algorithm for Adjusting Activity Targets to Increase Physical Activity and 
Sustain User Engagement Among Sprout Users" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 525. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/525 
Physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such 
as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers (WHO, 2022). Despite these benefits, 
physical inactivity remains a public health challenge (Guthold et al., 2018). In response, 
smartphone apps incorporating step-tracking technology have emerged as a promising tool for 
promoting physical activity and improving health outcomes (Carter et al., 2018). This 12-week 
retrospective, quasi-experimental study uses a machine learning algorithm to provide users 
with personalized daily step count goals. Thus, the primary objective is to measure the daily 
physical activity changes among Sprout app users. Additionally, we aim to analyze app 
engagement differences between groups during the intervention period. Moreover, we seek to 
enhance the design and implementation of mHealth apps by studying the effectiveness of 
adaptive goals in promoting adoption and increasing physical activity among users. 
 


Machine-Based Algorithm for Adjusting Activity Targets to Increase Physical Activity and Sustain User Engagement Among Sprout Users

Marinho, Pedro

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Long-term effects of adolescent cannabis use and its interaction 
with schizophrenia 
Pedro Marinho 
Western University, pmarinh@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Marinho, Pedro, "Long-term effects of adolescent cannabis use and its interaction with schizophrenia" 
(2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 532. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/532 
Long-term effects of adolescent cannabis use and its interaction with schizophrenia 
As cannabis legalization becomes more widespread, there is a great availability of cannabis products, 
devices, and roots of administration. For instance, there has been an increase in cannabis vaping 
consumption among adolescents. Adolescence is a critical stage for brain development, and it is during 
this period where most drug experimentation starts. Due to the vulnerability of the adolescent brain, 
despite its proposed therapeutical effects, cannabis use may present detrimental consequences. Along 
with that, cannabis consumption is a contributing factor for psychiatric vulnerability and up to 83% of 
patients with schizophrenia use cannabis. In my project, I investigate the intersection between cannabis, 
adolescence, and the development of schizophrenia. Specifically, I investigate the long-term 
neurobiological consequences of adolescent cannabis use in the adult brain. It will allow for the 
development of therapeutics to treat cannabis-induced detrimental effects, and to develop prevention 
strategies to reduce the harm of cannabis consumption in vulnerable individuals.  


Long-term effects of adolescent cannabis use and its interaction with schizophrenia

Gao, Chen Jun

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Finding Drug Targets in the Liver to Treat Non-Alcoholic Fatty 
Liver Diseases 
Chen Jun Gao 
Western University, cgao52@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Gao, Chen Jun, "Finding Drug Targets in the Liver to Treat Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases" (2023). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
535. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/535 
 
The liver is the most metabolically complex organ in our body. Although the liver has 
regenerative abilities, it is vulnerable to a variety of diseases. Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases 
(NAFLD) are caused by the build-up of fat in the liver in people who drink little alcohol. Over 
20% of Canadians are affected by this disease and that number is predicted to increase over the 
next decade. Unfortunately, there are currently no targeted therapies for NAFLD. The only 
treatment option for end-stage liver diseases is organ transplantation, and yet the need for organs 
greatly exceeds the supply. In collaboration with the University Hospital, my research focuses on 
examining liver biopsy samples from patients with NAFLD and finding novel therapeutic 
targets. To date, I have identified a group of proteins in the liver called protease-activated 
receptors that could potentially attenuate inflammatory responses and offer protective effects for 
patients with NAFLD.  


Finding Drug Targets in the Liver to Treat Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases

Two Inuit from the Northwest Territories are opening package sent by Women\u27s Auxillary. Lead Investigator: C. Cody Barteet (cbarteet@uwo.ca) Photograph: Anahi Gonzalezhttps://ir.lib.uwo.ca/y_williams_stainedglass_on_london_stjohnevangelist/1005/thumbnail.jp

Williams, Yvonne

Detail, People\u27s of Northwest TerritoriesTerritories Receiving Women\u27s Auxillary\u27s Packages, from Priscilla Window or Women\u27s Auxiliary Memorial Window

Inscription: IN LOVING MEMORY OF / ALICE AND HARRY COLE / PRESENTED BY DAUGHTER MRS. P.C. EDWARDS & FAMILY. Location: West nave wall, 4th window pair from Sanctuary. Lead investigator: C. Cody Barteet (cbarteet@uwo.ca). Photograph: C. Cody Barteethttps://ir.lib.uwo.ca/williammeikle_stainedglass_on_southampton_stpauls/1010/thumbnail.jp

Detail, Inscription from Cole Memorial Window

https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/anglican_interiors/1255/thumbnail.jp

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