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Estimating grape yield on the vine from multiple images
No full textEstimating grape yield prior to harvest is important to commercial vineyard operations. Many critical vineyard and winery decisions depend on knowing the volume of grapes to be processed while they are still hanging on the vine. The current method of yield estimation is time consuming, and depending on the experience of the viticulturist, varies in accuracy from 75-90%. This paper lays the groundwork for the development of an application to estimate grape yields based on a multiple task learning (MTL) convolutional neural network (CNN) approach that uses images captured
by inexpensive smartphones secured in a simple tripod arrangement. The CNN models developed for this research use MTL transfer from autoencoders to achieve 85% and 82% accuracy from image data captured six (6) and sixteen (16) days prior to harvest, respectively
How power changes: a comparison of field structure from the Jimmy Carter primary to the Bill Clinton primary
No full textThis project investigates how the power structure of the political field of the United States has changed over the last 50 years. What is clear is the ways to obtain power in the Democratic Party have changed. This thesis uses the theory of Pierre Bourdieu to explain the shift in power dynamics. It compares the
presidential primary won by Jimmy Carter (1976) to the primary won by Bill Clinton (1992). This project looks at 388 New York Times articles and compares what factors commentators viewed as leading to success. Focus is given to the habitus of commentators as an indicator of larger structural changes within the field. This project shows how the political field has transformed from favouring social capital to favouring economic and symbolic capital
An applied paleolimnological assessment of the impacts of hydroelectric reservoir development, watershed disturbance and anadromous fish (Alosa pseudoharengus) visitation on productivity in Gaspereau Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada
No full textThe impacts of landscape disruption and watercourse manipulation on productivity in an upland hydroelectric reservoir, Gaspereau Lake, in Nova Scotia were investigated using lake sediment and historical records. Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) are an anadromous species that are a significant biomass contributor in Gaspereau Lake, the effect of watershed disturbance on their contribution to lake productivity was also investigated. An influx of C and N accompanied by a subtle increase in chlorophyll a in the early 1900s corresponded to watershed and water level disturbance caused by logging. A productivity response to hydroelectric development and damming occurred considerably after these activities, increasing chlorophyll a accompanied by declining
δ13C likely indicate the release of oxidation of the soil organic matter associated with lake level rise.
Assessing the contribution of alewife to productivity in Gaspereau Lake is complicated by a fragmented historical record of visitation as well as the naturally mesotrophic conditions. The lake sediment geochemical record from a nearby reference lake, Black River Lake, that receives no alewife was used as a comparator. Alewife preferentially accumulate Sr during marine residency, allowing the utility of Sr to be assessed as a geochemical indicator of alewife residency. Higher Sr concentrations and a sharp decline in Sr associated with hydroelectric development in Gaspereau Lake compared to Black River Lake indicate that Sr may vary with alewife residency. The inverse relationship of Sr to Ti concentrations may also reflect a biogenic source for much of the Sr preserved in the Gaspereau Lake sediment core.
The results of this study have shown that the lake sediment bulk geochemical record in both Gaspereau Lake and Black River Lake records the timing and magnitude of productivity and landscape stability changes associated with logging and hydroelectric development from the late 1800s until Present. However, the variability in these records indicates that unique reaction of seemingly similar environments. This research also emphasizes the complexity of decoupling indicators of autochthonous and allochthonous productivity when integrating nutrient influx from external vectors such as alewife.
Depoliticized by design: tracing the colonial roots of conservation violence
No full textThe protection of biodiversity through conservation is presented as both urgent and apolitical. Violence inflicted on humans and nonhumans in the name of conservation is considered a necessary means to an end. This thesis argues that conservation is a perpetuation of colonial violence underpinned by the ideologies of mastery and purity. This argument is important, because it changes the narrative of conservation from being something scientific and apolitical, to something colonial and violent. To do this, the thesis uses a postcolonial theoretical lens to examine theories of depoliticization and contends that scientization, commodification, and securitization work together to obscure the colonial ideologies that inform conservation concepts and policy. To expose these obscured ideologies, this thesis creates a visualization that investigates the colonial roots and depoliticization of several normative concepts in conservation. It suggests that in order to begin decolonizing conservation, the enduring colonial legacy must be confronted. Additionally, embracing a politics of plurality can be a step towards dismantling, reinventing, and creating concepts that do not validate and perpetuate colonial violence
Estimating apple yield using video images and deep learning
No full textOur research uses low-cost video, computational vision techniques, and deep learning methodologies to estimate apple yield while the apples are still on the tree. We captured a video of the Sweet Tango apple variety at Pomona Farms, Canard, Nova Scotia from both sides of an orchard row. A convolutional neural network (CNN) based on the YOLOV3 architecture is trained to detect apples in the sequence of video images. The tracking of each detected apple is done using a Kalman filter. The Hungarian algorithm, inclusive of motion and appearance information is used to solve the association problem between the previously tracked and the newly detected apples. The count is derived using this tracking information, and the average size is determined by using each apple's bounding box information from the detection module. The experiments show that the proposed framework performs best using daylight video images combined with transfer learning and data augmentation techniques. The final predictive model for apple detection has an AP (average precision) score of 90.72, the tracking model has an MT (mostly tracked) score of 36.09, and the system counts apples with an F1-score of 94.97%. We generate a video that shows the distinction between the apples that are being tracked to those that are counted by a change in the color of the bounding box surrounding the apple. Additionally, we developed proof-of-concept methods to (1) avoid double counting from videos captured on both sides of the row and to (2) better estimate the size of each apple
Determinants of house prices in Nova Scotia during the 2010-2020 period
No full textThis study seeks to examine the factors that affected real house prices in Nova Scotia in the last decade (2010 to 2020) using Nova Scotia census data from Statistics Canada along with parcel sales history and residential dwelling characteristics data from Datazone's Nova Scotia property and municipal datasets. Hedonic price model theory is applied to house sale prices for Census Divisions in Nova Scotia over the decade 2010 to 2020 and the datasets were analyzed using Ordinary Least Square regression technique to estimate the factors that influenced house prices in the province during the time period under consideration. The results of the study showed that the main factors that affected the real price of houses in Nova Scotia during 2010 to 2020 were: location; sale date; building size; the number of bathrooms in a house; availability of a garage; availability of a finished basement; the construction quality of a house; if a house was detached, multi-unit, or multi-parcel; population; unemployment rate; housing supply; the percentage of the housing supply that is occupied; and the percentage of tenants living in subsidized housing. The number of bedrooms in a house and the percentage of the province's population that is Aboriginal were other factors that were revealed to have affected the real price of houses in Nova Scotia. This study is valuable as the understanding of the factors that affect house prices is essential to policy makers in their devising of policies relating to the housing market, especially given the overall rise in house prices and the well-publicized issue of housing affordability in the province
Basil essential oils to develop novel green formulations for managing ticks (Ixodidae spp.)
No full textTicks, such as blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) are vectors of several pathogens that negatively impact animal and human health. In recent years due to global warming, the threat of disease transmission has risen significantly, resulting in an increased demand for environmentally safe, tick repellent and acaricidal products. Natural products, such as essential oils and inert rock dust, are prospective alternatives to manage these pests. Basil (Ocimum basilicum, L.) has been reported to have promising pest repellent activity. I have extracted essential oils from different basil varieties through hydrodistillation and I have characterized the chemical composition of the oils through GC-MS. Basil essential oils were tested for long-term repellent activity towards nymphs of blacklegged ticks using horizontal bioassays at different concentrations. In addition, I combined basil essential oils with an inert material (i.e., granite rock dust) with known insecticidal properties to assess acaricidal activities against adult ticks. Among the tested basil varieties, Jolina essential oils (at the concentration of 15% v/v) repelled 96% of tested ticks up to 2 hours post-treatment. In acaricidal tests, the combination of essential oils from Aroma2 var. at
concentration of 10% w/w with rock dust resulted in 100% tick mortality after only 24 hrs post-exposure. In the effort to protect essential oils and enhance their bioactivity, I have encapsulated a mix of extracted basil essential oils in equal ratio through nanoemulsification followed by spray-drying. The obtained powder provided a stable product with an encapsulation efficiency approximately equal to 100%. The use of essential oils alone, and in combination with rock dust, and the possibility to enhance essential oil properties through nanoencapsulation represent an innovative and environmentally-friendly approach to manage ticks and the spread of vector-borne diseases
Exploring reasons for previously returning to violent relationships prior to pursuing civil protection order among female intimate partner violence victims
No full textThis study explored reasons why female intimate partner violence (IPV) victims seeking a protection order returned previously to a violent relationship and examined whether those reasons coincided with Domestic Violence -Civil Protection Order (DV-CPO) drop-out. Legal files closed between 2013 and 2019 from female IPV victims (N=404) who filed a DV-CPO petition in Franklin County, Ohio were analyzed using a mixed methods approach involving thematic analysis and t-tests. Reasons for returning previously to a violent relationship were captured by 17 themes identified in the data, including children, family, or parenting, batterer remorse, and emotional attachment. Number of times leaving or returning to a violent relationship did not impact final DV-CPO completion
.Results suggest female IPV victims return to violent relationships for reasons not previously reported in IPV literature, including shared housing, retrieval of belongings, and pets
The impact of humans and nonhumans on the biological conservation of the North Atlantic right whale (NARW) along the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada and the Gulf of Maine
No full textThis thesis investigates biodiversity that includes ecosystems and nonhuman species that preserve one another. Assessment of the biodiversity of marine areas in Canada and the United States
(U.S.) report major impacts on economic, social, and political success (Office of the Auditor General Canada 2012). The application of bio conservation theory allows for a collective analysis of the severe decrease in biodiversity that affects human and nonhuman populations (Takacs 2020, 43). The objective of this thesis is to examine the concepts of conservation and sustainability included
in the biopolitical struggle of the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) (Eubalanena glacialis). Conservation efforts further relate to the current debate about the role of science in policy that includes biophysical and sociocultural variables. The concept of nature is also relevant to contemporary interactions and representations of the NARW that include the development of media technologies, scientific institutions, or transnational activist networks (Blok 2007, 75). This thesis thus questions how the preservation of the NARW is impacted by human and nonhuman tensions that are represented by political and scientific bodies and tools that monitor the whales along the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada and the Gulf of Maine. The conservation of both at-risk species and their habitats in these gulf waterways has been identified as a crucial factor for conservation biodiversity. The severe decrease in the NARW population is due to entanglements, vessel strikes, and
diminished access to food sources, and each of these necessitates government action and investigation by scientific bodies. The depletion of the NARW population establishes concern for scientific bodies, government, and legal action to address issues of bioconservation that includes entanglements and ship-strikes. This thesis argues that the success of conservation policies involves
cultural, economic, institutional, and social features of human societies.
Exploring dance pedogogy: creating an adapted curriculum
No full textDance is a popular form of physical activity for individuals with disabilities as it can be adapted to meet individualized needs, while promoting benefits in one's motor, affective and cognitive domains.
Currently, there is no consistency in competency for all learners in dance settings, and therefore, wide variability of instruction across programs. The purpose of this research was to evaluate existing adapted dance literature to aid in the creation of a formal adapted dance curriculum. The pedagogical methods of adapted dance were investigated by interviewing dance instructors experienced in teaching adapted dance. A thematic analysis of the interview data revealed six themes which guided the curriculum's content including: (a) structure and consistency; (b) classroom components; (c) instructional methods;(d) individual abilities and needs and (e) progress assessment. Data collected through document analysis procedures guided the structural components for inclusion in the curriculum. Combining data collected through these two processes, a curriculum was created for use in adapted dance environments. The curriculum is based on the loco motor fundamental movement skills and includes eight session outlines with skill breakdowns, progressions, and gradients. The curriculum also provides a suggested lesson plan flow, routine development guide, and means for assessment. Once the development process was complete, validity was sought by distributing the curriculum to experts in the field of dance, education and occupational therapy for review. Each expert deemed the curriculum as a useful resource and recommended for it to be implemented. The findings from this study both identify and provide a hopeful solution to the need for greater structure and consistency in adapted dance programming. Future applications of this research are for the curriculum to be: (a) implemented into adapted dance programs; and
(b) assessed based on its functionality