1722 research outputs found
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Automated Deep Neural Network Approach for Detection of Epileptic Seizures
Get PDFIn this thesis, I focus on exploiting electroencephalography (EEG) signals for early seizure diagnosis in patients. This process is based on a powerful deep learning algorithm for times series data called Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network. Since manual and visual inspection (detection) of epileptic seizure through the electroencephalography (EEG) signal by expert neurologists is time-consuming, work-intensive and error-prone and it might take a couple hours for experts to analyze a single patient record and to do recognition when immediate action is needed to be taken. This thesis proposes a reliable automatic seizure/non-seizure classification method that could facilitate the identification process of characteristic epileptic patterns, such as pre-ictal spikes, seizures and determination of seizure frequency, seizure type, etc. In order to recognize epileptic seizure accurately, the proposed model exploits the temporal dependencies in the EEG data. Experiments on clinical data present that this method achieves a high seizure prediction accuracy and maintains reliable performance. This thesis also finds the most efficient lengths of EEG recording for highest accuracies of different classification in the automated seizure detection realm. It could help non-experts to predict the seizure more comprehensively and bring awareness to patients and caregivers of upcoming seizures, enhancing the daily lives of patients against unpredictable occurrence of seizures.Master of Science in Applied Computer Scienc
Shaping Post-Christendom Spiritual Practice in the United Church of Canada One Prayer Shawl at a Time
Get PDFAlthough shawls have been fashioned in one way or another for hundreds of years, this research is focused around the special shawl-making of the relatively new Christian prayer shawl ministry that has developed in North America over the last two decades and, specifically, in the United Church of Canada. This thesis is a qualitative research study of six such prayer shawl ministries within southern Ontario. My interviews with prayer shawl groups for this research has led me to conclude that this ministry is significant in three vital ways: (1) personally, this ministry often mediates a life transition of the crafter and the recipient, (2) theologically, prayer shawls are tacitly understood to be blessing, sacramental, and a spiritual practice, and (3) culturally, this ministry provides a flexible and non-threatening form of outreach in a post-Christian setting.Master of Arts in Spiritual Disciplines and Ministry Practice
ka pamihiwehk mino pimatisiwin: kichi ininiw ahkosowinow kakiskaocik ahkosowinow HIV (Promoting mino pimatisiwin: Urban Aboriginal Women Living with HIV)
Get PDFThis research projects examine the impact of HIV among urban Aboriginal women living with HIV in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Despite the antiretroviral tereatment and HIV prevention strategies, new HIV positive cases for urban Abvoriginal women are increasing. Previous studies have failed to address the disparities of urban Aboriginal women living with HIV. Attempting to understand the lived experiences of urban Aboriginal women living with HIV, Indigenous methodologies, storytelling and talking circles were used for data collection. Incorporating the natural law of respect, the women in this project are acknowledged as the experts or knowledge keepers of HIV. This project is a way of reclaiming traditional knowledge. To reclaim our tradition, we need to decolonize ourselves, our thoughts of where we came from, who we are and where we are going. Stating our identity, as women, mothers and grandmothers, we can pick up our medicine bundles. In doing this, we establish our traditional resposibilities as iskewewak (women) in caring for our people through the achimo (story) of the seven sacred teachings. This research project is like digging up ancestral roots of knowledge or reclaiming our achimowak (stories), ka is kisiskenitamen (ways of knowing), ka is totaman (ways of doing),ekwa ka is itastasiwin (ways of being). We are the agents of change, the shapeshifters creating a paradigm shift in research. This is my medicine story.Fisher River Health AuthorityMaster of Arts in Indigenous Governanc
Quantifying biological responses of catch-and-release angling in understudied fish species and practices
Get PDFMany catch-and-release angling events involve air exposure and exhaustive exercise that elicit a physiological stress response, and depending on a variety of factors, delayed mortality is a possible outcome. There have been ample studies in this area, however, significant gaps exist in the literature for species that are targeted by more specialized anglers, such as freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens). I quantified physiological and reflex responses in freshwater drum following angling, across seasons. Once a fish was on the line, the fight duration and time exposed to air were varied to account for differences in angler skill level (fight time range: 5 s to 2 min; air exposure range: 20 s to 3 min). Location and severity of injury were determined, blood biopsies were taken to quantify physiological stress, and reflex impairment was assessed. Thirtyone percent of fish captured were deeply hooked in the esophagus tissue. Freshwater drum experienced a disruption in homeostasis as blood glucose, plasma cortisol and plasma lactate increased significantly from baseline values following angling. Additionally, seasonal differences were observed for blood glucose and plasma cortisol as higher values were observed in the summer when compared to the spring. The ‘orientation’ reflex was the most frequently impaired (29 % of fish lacked this reflex), but impairment did not differ seasonally. Because freshwater drum have the largest latitudinal range of any North American freshwater fish and are being targeted more frequently by anglers as of late, it is important to fill this knowledge gap regarding their responses to angling events to develop best practices for anglers to promote conservation. The wide distribution of freshwater drum may also make them a candidate model species for addressing the convergence between assessing the impacts of catch-and-release angling and other environmental issues facing freshwater fishes, such as climate change.NSERC CGS-MMaster of Science in Bioscience, Technology, and Public Polic
3-D Image Analysis via Jacobi Moments with GPU-Accelerated Algorithms
Get PDFThis research has developed a parallel algorithm to compute 3-Dimensional Jacobi moments with high efficiency and accuracy. The algorithm was implemented in CUDA C. Our developing progress was in the order of Legendre moments, Gegenbauer moments, and Jacobi moments investigated on the 2-D image. Then, we extended research from 2-D to 3-D image. To verify the algorithm’s performance, we have implemented image reconstruction from higher orders up to 500 on testing image sized at 512×512×512. The experiment was deployed on Nvidia Tesla V100, which restrained computational time within 400 milliseconds, and the PSNR value of reconstructed image reached up to 53.6382.Master of Science in Applied Computer Scienc
Cattle manure loadings and legacy effects on copper and zinc availability under rainfed and irrigated conditions
Get PDFLong-term cattle manure applications build up nutrient pools and can lead to trace element enrichments in soils. The objectives of this study were to evaluate copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) loadings in the soil during continuous annual cattle manure applications and determine the time required for soil to return to its pre-manure available Cu and Zn levels after manure is discontinued. The manure application rates were 0, 30, 60, and 90 Mg·ha−1 for rainfed and 0, 60, 120, and 180 Mg·ha−1 (wet weight) for irrigated plots. Although manure was applied for 45 yr in some plots, applications were terminated in one subset of treatments after 14 yr and in another subset after 30 yr to study legacy effects after 31 and 15 yr, respectively. Soil samples were collected in the fall of 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 and analyzed for available Cu and Zn. Crops were grown in all years continuously with Cu and Zn concentrations measured in both silage and grains harvested. The regression model developed using data collected suggests long legacy effects with recovery time to pre-manure levels ranging from 10 to 20 yr for Cu and 23 to 41 yr for Zn at irrigated and 10–24 for Cu and 21–32 yr for Zn under rainfed, respectively. Long-term applications of cattle manure could lead to accumulation of Cu and Zn, creating long-lasting legacy effects in soils with the increased environmental risk of leaching to groundwater."Funding for this research was provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (J-000251)."https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjss-2020-012
Nano-oxides immobilize cadmium, lead, and zinc in mine spoils and contaminated soils facilitating plant growth
Get PDFNanoparticles with high reactivity can be applied as amendments to remediate soil metal contaminations by immobilizing toxic elements. Nano-oxides of Fe have been studied but Al and Ti nano-oxides have not been tested for their remediation capacity of toxic metals. The potential of synthesized iron (Fe-O), aluminum (Al-O), and titanium (Ti-O) nano-oxides for stabilizing Cd, Pb, and Zn in mine spoil (Chat) and contaminated soil was compared using adsorption studies and a greenhouse experiment. Chat and soil were amended with nanooxides at two rates (25 and 50 g·kg−1) and a pot experiment was conducted with sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). Leachates were collected twice per week from plant emergence to harvest at maturity and metals were compared against an unamended control. Chat was contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Zn at 84, 1583, and 6154 mg·kg−1, and soil at 15, 1260, and 3082 mg·kg−1, respectively. Adsorption conformed to the Langmuir linear isotherm and adsorption maxima of metals were in the order of Al-O > Ti-O ≥ Fe-O. Nano-oxides reduced Cd concentration by 28% (Fe-O) to 87% (Ti-O) and Zn concentration by 14% (Fe-O) to 85% (Al-O) in plant tissues compared with unamended Chat. Nano-oxides significantly reduced Cd, Pb, and Zn in leachates and available Cd and Zn in Chat/soil relative to the respective unamended controls. Nano-oxides can be used to remediate heavy metal contaminated Chat and soil and facilitate plant growth under proper nutrient supplements. Nano-oxides of Al-O and Ti-O remediated metals more effectively than Fe-O."We thank the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University for providing the facilities and materials to conduct this research. Contribution No. 21-074-J from Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The first author received the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Fellowship and wishes to acknowledge the CIES, USA Fulbright Program for funding the visit to KSU."https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjss-2020-012
Planning for Teacher Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Adaptive Regulation to Promote Resilience
Get PDFIncreased job demands coupled with insufficient resources, typically result in job strain which can lead to burnout. However, in a series of studies conducted with Canadian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings indicated that not all teachers were experiencing this phenomenon. Whereas some teachers struggled to keep up with demands which surpassed their job and personal resources, others remarkably experienced achievement and growth. This article features a discussion of a multi-system approach of adaptive regulation proposed to maintain and enhance resilience, notably in response to the diversity of teacher experiences reported in the Canadian studies. While previous literature has discussed the construct of adaptive regulation in mitigating burnout and promoting resilience, it has not been considered for efforts aimed at teacher recovery from a pandemic.http://riverapublications.com/article/planning-for-teacher-recovery-from-the-covid-19-pandemic-adaptive-regulation-to-promote-resilienc
More than Talking Heads?!? How do administrative tribunals hear from the public? A report prepared for the Consumers’ Association of Canada – Manitoba Branch
Get PDFConsumers and the general public want a say in the decisions which affect them. However, access to meaningful engagement in regulatory decisions is uneven across jurisdictions, as well as across types of tribunals. Scholarship on this subject describes meaningful participation as that which is open to all, is based on reliable data, ensures transparency and accountability, ensures early & ongoing engagement, has potential for participant funding, and is based on the principles of natural justice. But what happens in actual practice? The purpose of this research was to explore how consumers have and can be involved in the decisions which affect them. Specifically, this research: (i) examined how different tribunals implement statutory requirements for public engagement across Canada (ii) explored methods, dynamics, and nature of public engagement programs and, (iii) identified tools for engaging the public
Gain, Loss, and Change: The Impact of Condos on Winnipeg Neighbourhoods
Get PDFSince their introduction the late 1960s, condominiums have become a significant feature of Winnipeg’s housing market. Condominiums in Winnipeg however, present particular characteristics compared to other Canadian cities – especially the high number of units converted from previous apartments, the small share condos represent of the overall housing market, and the low percentage of condos that are rented out. Previous research has identified the high number of rental units converted to condos citywide, and raised concern about the impact on affordable rental housing. This project developed a new comprehensive database to explore in-depth the impact of condo units on Winnipeg neighbourhoods. The result provides a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of condos on Winnipeg neighbourhoods. With this database we set out to answer the following research questions:
● What is the spatial and temporal distribution of condominiums in Winnipeg?
● How does the distribution of new purpose-built condominiums differ from condominiums converted from other uses?
● Which neighbourhoods have been most affected and how has the housing stock in that neighbourhood changed?
● What effect have conversions had on the availability and affordability of the affordable rental stock in these neighbourhoods?
The key themes emerging from this study are the loss of affordable rental housing, but a concurrent gain in affordable homeownership options. Additionally, the impacts of condos show very strong differences amongst neighbourhoods – in market effects, on rentals, and on demographic