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3D X-ray fluorescence imaging of insect pests and analysis in a virtual reality environment
Get PDFX-ray fluorescence imaging (XFI) is a sensitive technique for obtaining the elemental composition of samples with 2D spatial resolution. By combining whole-body histology, XFI, and custom software tools, we demonstrate that 3D elemental composition of cutworm and lygus insect pests may be obtained through the reconstruction of tissue sections. This improvement enables use of the high sensitivity of an XFI beamline for 3D spatial elemental analysis, which would otherwise not be achieved using other less sensitive 3D analytical techniques. It is further demonstrated that the 3D reconstructed insect pests can be loaded in virtual reality (VR) software, for enriched and expedited visualization, data processing, and analysis.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Ex Situ Hyperspectral Sensing and Machine Learning for Tailings Characterization
Get PDFUnderstanding tailings properties at high spatial resolutions is needed for many geotechnical analyses. While tailings properties can be characterized using undisturbed samples and in situ tests, the current methods face limitations regarding adequate spatial resolution and comprehensive property assessment. This study explores the use of hyperspectral sensing and convolutional neural networks for the simultaneous prediction of twelve tailings properties, including percent sand, silt, clay, fines content, solids content, gravimetric moisture content, volumetric moisture content, saturation, void ratio, porosity, total density, and dry density. Tailings from a precious metal mine were used to prepare samples with diverse properties and hyperspectral data were captured. The tailings-hyperspectral dataset was then split into training and testing subsets, a convolutional neural network was optimized and trained, and the model’s performance was assessed using the testing data. The prediction of particle size distribution metrics and moisture metrics have root mean squared errors below 8% with coefficients of determinations above 0.95. Predictions of void ratio, porosity, total density, and dry density have poorer performance than other properties. However, density predictions have lower errors for samples with high saturation. Results shows promise for the rapid characterization of tailings properties using hyperspectral data.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
AAC Spike Canada Western Red Spring Wheat
Get PDFAAC Spike (PT4002), a hollow-stemmed, awned and high yielding spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar, was tested in the northern Canadian Prairies growing conditions. AAC Spike was 6% higher yielding than Carberry and yields similar to AAC Brandon in the Parkland Wheat registration trials (Parkland C) (2020-2022). AAC Spike matured 2 days earlier than Carberry. AAC Spike was 7cm shorter than AAC Brandon and 8cm shorter than Carberry. The test weight of AAC Spike was similar to AAC Brandon and 1000-kernel weight similar to Parata. The grain protein content of AAC Spike was 0.6% lower than Carberry. AAC Spike expressed moderately resistant reaction to Fusarium head blight (FHB; Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) and common bunt [Tilletia caries (DC) Tul. C. Tul.]. AAC Spike was resistant to prevalent races of leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Erikss.), stem rust (Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. E. Henn) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis Westend). AAC Spike was susceptible to orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM) (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin). AAC Spike was classified by the Canadian Grain Commission within the Canada Western Red Spring wheat class and was registered as a cultivar with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Making AI Tutors Empathetic and Conscious: A Needs-Driven Pathway to Synthetic Machine Consciousness
Get PDFAs large language model (LLM) tutors evolve from scripted helpers into adaptive educational partners, their capacity for self-regulation, ethical decision-making, and internal monitoring will become increasingly critical. This paper introduces the Needs-Driven Consciousness Framework (NDCF) as a novel, integrative architecture that combines Dennett’s multiple drafts model, Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis, and Tulving’s tripartite memory system into a unified motivational design for synthetic consciousness. The NDCF defines three core regulators, specifically Survive (system stability and safety), Thrive (autonomy, competence, relatedness), and Excel (creativity, ethical reasoning, long-term purpose). In addition, there is a proposed supervisory Protect layer that detects value drift and overrides unsafe behaviours. The core regulators compute internal need satisfaction states and urgency gradients, feeding into a softmax-based control system for context-sensitive action selection. The framework proposes measurable internal signals (e.g., utility gradients, conflict intensity Ω), behavioural signatures (e.g., metacognitive prompts, pedagogical shifts), and three falsifiable predictions for educational AI testbeds. By embedding these layered needs directly into AI governance, the NDCF offers (i) a psychologically and biologically grounded model of emergent machine consciousness, (ii) a practical approach to building empathetic, self-regulating AI tutors, and (iii) a testable platform for comparing competing consciousness theories through implementation. Ultimately, the NDCF provides a path toward the development of AI tutors that are capable of transparent reasoning, dynamic adaptation, and meaningful human-like relationships, while maintaining safety, ethical coherence, and long-term alignment with human well-being
Genomic Analysis of Alternaria alternata, the Causal Agent of Black Spot Disease in Korla Fragrant Pears (Pyrus sinkiangensis Yü) in China
Get PDFAlternaria alternata is a pathogenic fungus that adversely affects fruit crops and causes substantial economic loss. A specific strain of A. alternata (A923) was successfully isolated and identified from Korla fragrant pears (Pyrus sinkiangensis Yü). The ability of this strain to induce black spot disease in pears was verified. A combination of Illumina and PacBio Sequel sequencing was used to obtain the genome sequence for understanding the A923 strain. The assembly process revealed that the genome consists of 36,070,468 bp (36.07 Mb). Consequently, the analysis primarily focused on the genes associated with pathogenicity. These findings revealed the presence of 794 CAZymes, including 119 glycosyltransferases, 26 polysaccharide lyases, 153 carbohydrate esterases, 161 auxiliary activities, 19 carbohydrate-binding modules, and 316 glycoside hydrolases. A Database of Fungal Virulence Factors identified 1258 genes in strain A923. CUTI_ALTBR, a member of the cutinase family, is responsible for catalyzing the hydrolysis of cutin, a polyester that forms the structure of the plant cuticle. This enzymatic activity allows the pathogenic fungi to breach the cuticular barrier during the initial stages of infection. Cytochrome P450 family analysis successfully annotated 11,458 genes (97.63%). The results obtained in this study provide a useful resource for further investigation of this pathogen and its pathosystem.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Characteristics of Oligo-Recurrence and Treatment Selection in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Get PDFRecent advances in technology and pharmacologic agents have significantly improved both local and systemic therapies, making the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) more effective and less invasive. However, recurrence after radical resection remains a major clinical challenge. Among the various recurrence patterns, oligo-recurrence—particularly metachronous oligo-recurrence, characterized by a limited number of metastatic lesions appearing after a disease-free interval—has gained attention due to its potential for long-term survival and even cure through local therapy. Concurrently, systemic treatments have advanced with the development of molecularly targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Numerous studies have demonstrated their clinical efficacy, resulting in significant improvements in patient prognosis. Therefore, selecting an appropriate treatment strategy for recurrent NSCLC involves a broad spectrum of therapeutic options, including targeted therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and conventional chemotherapy. Treatment decisions are particularly complex in cases of oligo-recurrence, where local therapy is feasible, making it challenging to choose the best approach from the available options. This narrative review summarizes current evidence from retrospective and ongoing prospective trials and discusses the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies for oligo-recurrent NSCLC
Our Canadian Joan : the unveiled history of the Joan of Arc monument in Quebec City
Get PDFThis research paper was completed and submitted at Nipissing University, and is made freely accessible through the University of Toronto’s TSpace repositoryThis research paper explores the history behind the installation of the Joan of Arc Monument in Quebec City’s Battlefields Park. The monument’s donation and placement in 1938 sparked debate among civic leaders, cultural organizations, and the public, revealing deep-seated tensions surrounding identity, memory, and the politics of public space in Quebec. Drawing on extensive archival material, this study reconstructs the monument’s reception and situates it within the broader socio-political landscape of 1930s Quebec. Through a combination of art historical, semiotic, and historical analysis, the paper examines how the monument became a symbolic battleground for competing visions of Quebec’s past. It interrogates the ways in which Joan of Arc’s image was mobilized to articulate differing narratives of cultural identity, gender roles, and resistance to outside influence. The study also considers how elite actors, including members of the National Battlefields Commission, sought to reconcile these tensions by framing the monument as a unifying symbol of Quebec’s bicultural heritage. Engaging with key historiographical debates on commemorative landscapes, imperial relations, gendered nationalism, and cultural memory, this research positions the Joan of Arc monument as a critical site of ideological negotiation. It argues that the statue served not only as a visual tribute to heroism but also as a strategic intervention in the shaping of Quebec’s collective identity during a period of profound transformation. In doing so, the paper contributes a previously overlooked case study to the scholarship on Quebec public history and underscores the enduring power of commemorative monuments to reflect and reshape the narratives of the communities they inhabit
Validation of a high-resolution proximity map of nuclear bodies by microscopy and BioID
Get PDFThe spatial organization of biological processes is a hallmark of all cells. The eukaryotic cell nucleus harbors several substructures called nuclear bodies (NBs), biomolecular condensates that are thought to be formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). In addition to the formation of microscopically-visible NBs, phase separation has been recently recognized to regulate gene expression, including transcription. The assembly and regulation of these structures are important for understanding disease states, and it has increasingly been recognized that some types of cancer-driving gene fusions induce aberrant LLPS. Our laboratory has employed a proximity-dependent biotinylation (BioID) approach to define the association of proteins into distinct nuclear bodies. Essentially, by tagging 146 “baits” that localize to different nuclear bodies and performing BioID on each of them, our lab generated a rich dataset that enabled the categorization of 1816 proteins into multiple potential NBs. I sought to provide a better understanding of two microscopically visible NBs, nuclear speckles and paraspeckles, by validating candidates of these structures using immunofluorescence (co-localization with their respective NB markers). I further assessed by reciprocal BioID of 20 candidates the capture of prey proteins consistent with a NB localization. Out of 33 tested candidates, 20/24 paraspeckle candidates (9 of which have been validated by the Archa Fox lab) and 9/9 nuclear speckle candidates showed clear evidence of association with their respective bodies by either colocalization, BioID, or both. Our validation experiments therefore confirm the quality of the proximity map of nuclear bodies in human cells, and enable the dissemination of this important resource for the exploration of nuclear bodies in human cells.M.Sc
Hitchhiking with Momma : living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) -- a collection of truths
Get PDFThis dissertation was completed and submitted at Nipissing University, and is made freely accessible through the University of Toronto’s TSpace repositoryThis narrative inquiry explores the experiences of a woman likely living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Using intersectionality as a critical social theoretical lens, her daughter travels back in time with her mom to reexamine what it was like living with a disability while navigating her roles as a woman, daughter, wife, mother, and friend. Everyday conversations elicit stories that are recorded as they travelled across Canada to revisit places from the past and work through their memories. Stories centering on addiction, mental illness, suicide, self-harm, criminal legal involvement, abuse, and violence are revisited with new understanding, along with narratives of strength, resilience, and resistance. A research story of healing is sewn together along the way.Ph.D
Chloroplast capture creates cryptic lineages with differential geographic patterns in Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Ericaceae)
Get PDFArctostaphylos uva-ursi inhabits circumboreal, alpine, and immediate coastal habitats while the center of diversity of Arctostaphylos is largely restricted to Mediterranean climates of the California Floristic Province. To discover its relationship to other Arctostaphylos species and to determine if patterns of variation exist across its circumboreal range, we sampled A. uva-ursi extensively and sequenced ITS and a chloroplast locus, rpl32-trnL. In the cpDNA tree and haplotype network, A. uva-ursi samples appear within two distinct lineages corresponding with different, broad geographic regions, suggesting that one lineage originated via chloroplast capture. Thus, A. uva-ursi contains a phylogenetically typical lineage and a cryptic, chloroplast captured lineage. Both lineages are widespread, but the lineage with the captured chloroplast is principally on the west coast of North America and dominates our collections from Europe, while the other lineage dominates eastern and northern North America, with some samples in Europe as well. The dominance of the west coast lineage in Europe suggests Beringia as a principal, but not exclusive dispersal path. Reproduction between these two lineages may be responsible for the tetraploid populations found throughout the distribution of the species.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author