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A fully secure approach to privacy-preserving machine learning for satellite image classification
No full textThis thesis explores the concept of a fully secure privacy-preserving machine learning image classification system for satellite images. The proposed approach combines two unique areas of research: Homomorphic Encryption (HE) and supervised Machine Learning (ML). While current state of the art research has shown high levels of accuracy when using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) in combination with HE, no current work is fully secure. Using homomorphic encryption adds several unique constraints, some that can be overcome and some that cannot. For example, HE only supports a limited number of mathematical operations. This restriction influences many ML algorithms, such as CNN, where certain layers are removed during the prediction stage as the math is not supported. The work presented here combines the CKKS homomorphic encryption scheme with Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to achieve a fully secure image classification system. The SVM model is trained using unencrypted images before both the images and ML model are encrypted with CKKS encryption scheme. Once fully encrypted using 128-BIT AES equivalent encryption, the data can be uploaded to the cloud for secure predictions. The ciphertext-to-ciphertext mathematics are complex, but the cloud provides immense resources allowing for efficient predictions. Preliminary results show that fully secure ciphertext-to-ciphertext image classification is possible at a rate of roughly 30,000 images per hour. At this rate, the proposed system retains an accuracy of 87%, matching the results of the unencrypted system. This demonstrates that by using CKKS homomorphic encryption and SVM machine learning it is possible to create a fully secure privacy-preserving image classification system.</p
Developing a molecular method to detect brain worm infections in white-tailed deer
No full textIn general, the causal agent of parasitic infections can be identified in a variety of ways. Two of the many ways include visually, through the aid of microscopy, or using a molecular technique such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Visual techniques are typically less expensive in terms of materials but may be more time consuming and sometimes less accurate compared to genetic techniques. White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, are hosts to the brainworm, Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, a parasitic nematode found primarily in or on the meninges. In this study, white-tail deer heads obtained by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables were dissected and examined for P. tenuis. From these heads, 35 DNA samples were extracted from 11 different positively infected meninges samples. In addition, DNA samples were extracted from 8 individual P. tenuis specimens that were removed from deer heads. Attempts were made to amplify one nuclear-encoded gene, ITS-2, and one mitochondrial-encoded gene, Cox1, from the extracted DNA. The objective of this project was to optimize a PCR-based molecular protocol to determine if P. tenuis could be detected in DNA extracted from meninges. A PCR-based molecular assay to detect the presence of P. tenuis could be more efficient and cost-effective than manually searching deer brains for brain worm. In my attempts to amplify P. tenuis DNA in the meninges I found that PCR could not be used to detect brain worm infection in white-tailed deer because none of the amplified products except for the P. tenuis-positive control samples produced a PCR band.</p
Too much or too little? A dyadic analysis of comfort with public displays of affection
No full textFrequent engagement in affectionate touch (e.g., holding hands) between relational partners is associated with better relational well-being. However, individuals in same-sex and gender diverse relationships tend to be less comfortable with public displays of affection than those in mixed-sex relationships. Furthermore, some individuals, regardless of relationship type, report that their own level of comfort with public affection sharing differs from that of their partner. Generally, couple-level differences are associated with poorer relational well-being for the dyad, but no prior research has investigated how similarities and differences in comfort with affection sharing in private and public locations predict relational well-being for those in same-sex, mixed-sex, and gender diverse relationships. As such, the current study utilized data collected from an online self-report survey to examine these associations on both the individual (n = 2,143) and dyadic (n = 87) levels using regression and multilevel analyses. Generally, support was found for the hypotheses that greater participant, and greater perceived partner, comfort with affection sharing predict better relational well-being in both private and public locations. Several interactions emerged, showing that the combination of the two partners’ comfort levels mattered, and that there were slight variations in the patterns for those in same-sex and mixed-sex relationships. Overall, though, results were more similar than different across locations and groups. Few significant effects were found when actual comfort with affection sharing was considered. Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of perceptions in relationships.Keywords: public displays of affection, comfort with affection sharing, couple-level differences, 2SLGBTQIA+, relational well-being</p
Breaking the shell: exploring the impacts of bisphenol-A and its 'safe alternatives' on chick embryonic development
No full textBisphenol-A (BPA) is used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics and is one of the highest production volume chemicals in the world. BPA has a ubiquitous distribution throughout our environment leading to unavoidable exposure and risks to human and environmental health. Health risks associated with BPA have been recognized globally since the start of the 21st century, which led to the FDA banning usage of BPA in the manufacturing of certain plastic products. This ban, however, led to the emergence of ‘safe’ BPA alternatives, including bisphenol-S (BPS) and bisphenol-F (BPF). These substitutes are chemically analogous to BPA, suggesting that they may pose similar adverse effects as are produced by BPA. In this thesis, I asked if BPA disrupts development in a dose-dependent manner, and if BPS and BPF exhibit disruptive effects that are similar to BPA. To investigate these questions, I injected white Leghorn chick eggs at 24 h of incubation and allowed them to develop until 72 h to observe the impacts of bisphenols on neurulation in early embryonic development. I also used chick embryos as a developmental model to investigate the potential of Cyrene as a solvent in bisphenol research. I found that Cyrene appears to affect development or interact with BPA, thus, further exploration of its chemical behaviour as a solvent is required before consideration for use in developmental research. Major findings include: increasing BPA exposure has increasing disruptive effects on chick development, including smaller blastodiscs and delays in embryonic growth, and BPS and BPF produce adverse effects on development that are similar to those caused by BPA. BPS and BPF are not ‘safe’ alternatives and should be considered for manufacturing restrictions similar to those in place for BPA.</p
Evaluating the within-task priming effects of a death-thought-accessibility word-fragment measure
No full textThe death-thought accessibility (DTA) hypothesis is a core hypothesis within terror management theory (TMT) that claims that if psychological anxiety-buffering defenses are threatened, death-thoughts become more accessible to conscious awareness. Measures of DTA typically utilize implicit techniques designed to be non-intrusive, yet insightful to the unconscious state, such as a lexical decision or word-fragment task. However, recent research has suggested that simply attempting to measure the implicit nature of death-thoughts may prime the accessibility of those thoughts. The potential priming effects of a DTA word-fragment task were assessed in a sample of undergraduate students. By computing the association of completing a word-fragment in a death-related manner with the serial position of a target-fragment within the word-fragment task, the exact nature of priming effects in a word-fragment measure examining death-thought accessibility was examined by a multiple logistic regression analysis. The primary hypothesis stated that the likelihood of completing a word-fragment with a death-related word would be reduced if the previous fragment was completed with a death-related word. A positive slope was depicted by the results of the regression analysis, indicating that as participants moved through the word-fragment task, they became more inclined to complete a target fragment in a death-related manner than they were at the beginning of the task. Specifically, with each passing target, the odds of participants completing the target with a death-response increased by 20%.Keywords: terror-management theory, death-thought accessibility, priming effect, word-fragment, target-fragment, multiple logistic regression analysis</p
Exploring the relationship of various dietary interventions on typical behaviours associated with individuals with autism
No full textGeneral health benefits of healthy eating are well known amongst the general population. Dietary interventions are commonly used for weight loss, fostering healthier lifestyles, or disease management for typically developing individuals (Riaz-Rajoka et al., 2017). Their potential impact for individuals with autism goes beyond the general health benefits (Fraguas et al., 2019). Dietary interventions are being used by individuals with autism as an alternative therapy to combat aggressive behaviours, stereotypical behaviours, and repetitive actions that are associated with autism (Fraguas et al., 2019). The rise of alternative therapies and the inclusion of nutritional interventions are far more frequent now than ever before (Monterio et al., 2021). With a multitude of possible alternative dietary interventions researched, the purpose of this project was to observe current and previous dietary interventions and assess their relationship with the behaviour of individuals with autism who attend Autism Ontario summer camp. Data collection involved interviews of parents and camp staff workers, observations and field notes, and analysis of participants’ food logs. A case study was used with an interpretivist approach. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and presented five themes: (a) sources of behaviour, (b) changes in child’s behaviour, (c) sources of education, (d) parental buy-in, and (e) dietary barriers. The results align with previous research regarding the impact food consumption has on the behaviours of individuals with autism. In conjunction, environmental and individual factors impact one's ability to maintain a dietary intervention and limits a potential relationship between diet and behaviours to be identified. The results from this study can be used as an educational tool for camp staff to adapt food programming at Autism Ontario summer camps.</p
Nebulous, nebulous: a pneumatological approach to the postmodern condition
No full textThe purpose of this thesis is to provide a model of ministry approach that Christian clergy and laity may apply when engaging individuals influenced by postmodernism. The model neither assumes postmodern ideation is orthodox, nor suggests modes of ministry to postmoderns, rather it offers an approach to ministry generated by genuine respect and informed response to postmodern doubts and suspicions of Christianity. “Nebulous, Nebulous: A Pneumatological Approach to the Postmodern Condition,” assesses the significant influence postmodernism has had on Western society in general and the Christian Church in particular, and accordingly presents a method of dialogue for ministers engaging individuals influenced by postmodernism— the postmodern condition. The thesis compares modern and postmodern religious approaches to the epistemological doubt-certainty gap— the knowledge-seeking space created between a question and its hypothetical resolution. Whereas moderns attempt to build a bridge of reason above the gap, from the plateau of doubt to the plateau of certainty, satisfying modern skepticism through proven fact, the thesis suggests ministry to postmoderns must occur within the gap where postmodern suspicions insist that they must abide amid the tension of doubt and certainty. The model of ministry approach presented is dialogical and counter intuitive via the introduction and application of the Postmodern-Pneumatological Dialectical Prism (PPDP). Anticipating postmodern critique to the answering of postmodern condition influenced spiritual questions, the model responds proactively, de-catechizing modern doctrinal constructs and destabilizing modern conceptions of the divine through engagement with nebulous postmodern and pneumatological elements. This streaming process leads to the creation of an intellectual space sensitive and informed to postmodern ethics and hermeneutics, where ministry may occur.</p
Toys and outcomes: narratives of care within early learning and elementary educator practices
No full textThe aim of this study was to examine how early educators make meaning of and enact an ethic of care in inclusive learning environments. A narrative inquiry methodology was employed to generate data through interviews, focus group discussions, journal entries, and artifact collection with four Pre-Primary educators and three Primary teachers in one rural centre for education in Nova Scotia. Three major themes emerged from the data. These include the impact of relationships with children, responsibilities for promoting learning, and professional connections and boundaries. The findings inform discussions related to power, and how early educators’ understandings of child development and learning through inclusive practices emerge. Systemic change in the areas of prioritizing caring, recognizing children’s agency, and acknowledging the vast and diverse learning that occurs in early childhood can help to improve early learning experiences in Canadian schools.</p
Behavioural responses of red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) to brood parasitism
No full textThe objective of my thesis was to identify whether hosts respond to conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) through discriminatory placement of parasitic eggs and via changes to incubation behaviour. Using albumen to identify parasitic eggs and data loggers to track incubation activity, I investigated host behaviour in colonial Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) in Kouchibouguac National Park, NB. For 17 clutches were sampled for albumen, hosts did not position parasitic eggs (nI=I50) along the periphery of the clutch more than expected by chance. Average length of the incubation period was 32I±I3 days (nI=I16 hatched nests), and spending ~84% of the incubation period on their nest. Incubation period length and constancy did not change with clutch size; however, the incubation period and recess duration declined as the season progressed. My results do not indicate that Red-breasted Mergansers discriminate against parasite eggs or alter their incubation behaviour in response to CBP.</p
Al-Jazeera and Qatari foreign policy: a study in the context of the Libyan conflict
No full textThis thesis focuses on the relationship between Al-Jazeera, a popular Qatari state media corporation, and Qatari foreign policy. It includes a discussion and analysis of how Al-Jazeera English’s articles may reflect the Qatari regime’s foreign policy during the Libyan conflict. Literature on Al-Jazeera often praises the role of Al-Jazeera in developing the Arab Public Sphere. The development of the Arab Public Sphere and new Arab media before the Arab Spring has been covered extensively by scholars in the past. Yet, the motivations of new Arab Media have not been properly understood. In this thesis I argue that Al-Jazeera displayed strong favouritism toward Islamist factions during the Libyan Uprising, the brief period of relative peace during the interim National Transitional Council (NTC), and the subsequent Libyan Civil War. All of this reflects the foreign policy objectives of the Qatari regime.</p