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Crop and weed stem classification with convolutional long short-term memory networks
No full textThis study applies deep learning neural networks to the problem of identifying crop and weed stem origin points in images. An autonomous weeding robot drives through a field, taking overhead images as it drives over the crop row. A sample of images, with weed and crop labels added by an operator, is used to train a neural network. The trained neural network determines the locations of weed stem emergence points, then a mechanical picking arm travels to the location of the weed and pulls it from the ground. The sequential nature of the image data over time raises the question of whether learning sequential features in addition to local features of the data could improve weed classification. This thesis offers an investigation into the utility of convolutional long short-term memory layers for classifying crop and weed stem origins from a sequence of two images and introduces a novel weed/crop confusion matrix for evaluating model performance
Canadian climate change policy: a commitment to environmental securitization and its effects on the Athabasca oil sands
No full textHow is the federal government's climate change policy of environmental securitization affecting the production abilities of the Athabasca oil sands in Fort McMurray, Alberta? Canada's federal government has made it clear that climate change is an immediate threat that must be dealt with now as the future depends on it. Since becoming Prime Minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has taken great strides to secure the environment against the potential damages of climate change. From declaring a national climate emergency, to implementing a carbon tax, the federal government has made climate change a significant priority. However, this is having a devastating effect on the oil sands. Historically, the oil sands have been relied on by Canada to ensure national prosperity, yet that may no longer be the case. Securitization deals
with combating extreme phenomenon's deemed immediate threats or emergencies by the state, and therefore, requiring solutions "beyond politics". This thesis argues that by affirming there is only one (universal) solution to combating climate change that is achieved through suspending the process of democratic deliberation, Canada not only undermines and taints their system of democracy, it illustrates an attitude of willful ignorance by purposefully overlooking key considerations necessary for forming enlightened policy. The Justin Trudeau federal government has engaged in a climate change policy that values speed and efficiency over the norms, principles, and values represented within a democratic system of governance. A position that diminishes the legitimacy of a democratic system, and a commitment to responsible governance
Reputational punishment of environmental violations in Canada
No full textThis thesis examines to what extent market-imposed sanctions, i.e. "reputational penalties", impose significant costs on firms that violate environmental regulations in Canada. Determining the presence and size of reputational penalties is important for policy implications as it can be used to determine whether legal fines are adequately punishing firms that violate environmental regulations and, in combination with market-imposed sanctions, become a sufficient deterrent of corporate behavior causing negative externalities on the environment.
The empirical method used to determine the changes in public attitudes following an environmental violation is the standard event study methodology. The dependent variable is the abnormal returns on shares of the
company, or the difference between the security's expected return and its actual return. The event for this study was the release of the enforcement notification (i.e. the notification of the fine that the firm has to pay).
After applying inclusion criteria 28 cases of environmental violations between 2010-2019 were noted.
The results suggest that there is some negative reputational effect on the day of the notification. However, the results also suggest that there may be a positive effect of the event for higher fines. This, somewhat unexpected result from a theoretical point of view, may be the result of the fine being smaller than expected by the market or, alternatively, that the market appreciates that uncertainty is removed, along with the risk
of a drawn out and costly legal case. Based on the results, the legal penalties in Canada appear to be too low and failing to impose the intended and adequate cost on the firm. Therefore, the main policy recommendation is to increase the explicit costs imposed on firms that violate environmental regulations
The future of audit in the age of blockchain
No full textBlockchain is a highly sophisticated form of mathematics and technology, most popular for its decentralized, public, and immutable digital ledger. In 2008, blockchain was introduced to the world as the technology behind the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Today, there are hundreds of other applications for the technology, particularly in areas like financial services and supply chain management. Key accounting industry players are currently preparing for the mainstream adoption of blockchain in the assurance practice. This research study seeks to expand on existing literature, by examining how blockchain will modify the audit process and the auditor's roles and responsibilities. Further, it will explore ways auditors may gain confidence over the blockchain ecosystem. This study interviewed two accounting professionals with extensive backgrounds in audit and/or blockchain. Interviewees were asked several questions to gain insight into their understanding of the technology and its potential impact on the audit world. Additionally, 18 articles published by Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs) and accounting bodies were used in the text mining portion of this study. Text mining helped the researcher to identify prevalent opinions throughout the articles and establish a working theory. After coding the articles, nine broad themes were established: audit technology, data, system, transactions, process, business, information, services and network. The most interesting finding from the data was that where existing literature praised blockchain for making absolute assurance possible, interviewees were not as optimistic. Both participants agreed that the technology enables auditors to provide a higher quality report but maintained that absolute assurance over financial statements remains out-of-reach. This thesis provides evidence that many of the auditor's responsibilities will become automated through blockchain, with the focus being shifted to areas that require professional judgement and skepticism
Characterisation of volatile compounds released from the epidermal microbiome of green frogs (Rana clamitans) infected with hepatozoon blood parasites
No full textPrevious studies found that Culex territans mosquitoes prefer to feed on green frogs (Rana clamitans) with high infections of Hepatozoon blood parasites, compared to those with low infections or those that were
uninfected, and that mosquitoes were more attracted to certain species of cultured bacteria isolated from the skin of green frogs. Our working hypothesis was that differential communities of bacteria on the skin of
frogs with high infections produced volatile compounds that are attractive to mosquitoes that vector this parasite. The first objective was to isolate culturable bacteria from the skin of green frogs at three different
Hepatozoon infection levels (uninfected (0%), low (1.5%), and identify them using 16S small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (SSU rRNA) sequences. Significant differences in the number of culturable bacteria per frog were not found between the infection levels. Frogs featured bacteria that were restricted mostly to their infection level, and infected frogs featured more pathogenic bacteria than uninfected frogs. The second objective was to determine the diversity and abundance of volatile compound from whole frogs and bacteria using dynamic headspace and solid phase microextraction (SPME), that were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Significant differences were found when comparing volatiles produced from frogs at each infection level, with a higher abundance and diversity of volatiles from
infected frogs than uninfected frogs. The third objective was to record neurophysiological responses of C. territans to volatiles from whole frogs using gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD).
Although C. territans have strong responses to standard compounds (e.g., ethanol, acetoin, and geosmin), responses to volatiles from frogs could not be recorded due to experimental challenges
Shame and forgiveness: spiritual concepts needed to be carefully Considered in a ministry's response to early life Trauma
No full textAn extensive review of secular ideas about shame, trauma, and forgiveness was conducted. It was found that there was an element absent from these philosophies. As shame and forgiveness are understood as spiritual concepts, a richer understanding would require a thorough study of theological and biblical viewpoints. Shame has been a part of every human's life since the Fall of Humankind. The role of shame in the effects of trauma is of interest in this paper.
Research shows that early trauma compounded with poor coping skills creates a "perfect storm" for shame to grow and control a person's emotions. The effects, through their lives, are evident in loss of emotional control and trust.
A church or other Christian organization, wanting to have an effective ministry to the wounded needs training in trauma-informed practices in order to do no harm when dealing with those in their care.
A training tool was designed to show training participants how to be more effective when walking alongside these wounded people. Care and hospitality are proven to be key factors in effective ministry. Building an accepting relationship allows the participants to start a safe conversation and begin a fulfilling ministry
Mapping horse mussel biogenic habitat in the Bay of Fundy
No full textDense aggregations of horse mussels exist in the Bay of Fundy and are thought to be associated with high biodiversity compared to surrounding habitats. Previous research has found correlations between these aggregations (often referred to as reefs) and long narrow flow-parallel bedform features, but theories on the origin of these features vary. This study takes a multi-method approach using supervised and unsupervised classification methods to determine the distribution of these habitats and to assess broad-scale biophysical patterns and associated community assemblages of the horse mussel habitat and surrounding areas. MaxEnt was used to map habitat suitability at multiple scales in the area surrounding the flow parallel bedforms. Habitat suitability was best measured at 10 meters and not all flow parallel bedforms were found to be suitable habitat. These findings suggest, in contrast to previous studies, that not all bedforms contain horse mussel reefs. Seafloor images were compared to multibeam echosounder layers to further investigate community patterns and biodiversity. Overall community patterns shifted gradually across the Bay of Fundy and communities on and off the bedforms were found to be not discrete. Further analyses of the bedforms and surrounding areas suggested the abundance of horse mussels was significantly higher on the bedforms yet no significant differences in biodiversity were found. These findings will ultimately facilitate decisions
around marine spatial planning, protection and monitoring of these areas
The role of stereotype vulnerability, belongingness, life satisfaction and utility value on university students' commitment to their academic major
No full textThe degree to which women expect, perceive, and are influenced by negative stereotypes pertaining to their abilities or interests acts as a barrier to them entering and persisting in science, technology, engineering, and math (i.e., STEM) fields. In this study, the impact of stereotype vulnerability on different aspects of university students' commitment to their academic major (i.e., personal identity versus obligation and perceived costs) was examined along with the potential mediating effects of belongingness, life satisfaction, and utility value. Canadian undergraduate students (N= 496) enrolled in a range of academic majors (i.e., physical sciences [pSTEM], life sciences [lsSTEM] and non-STEM) were surveyed. Results indicate that women were more vulnerable to stereotypes than men, particularly in pSTEM. Moreover, women's vulnerability to stereotypes served as an antecedent to reduced belongingness, a devaluing of their major, and reduced life satisfaction, all of which predicted lower levels of identity-based academic commitment. Findings underscore the importance of dispelling negative cultural stereotypes about women's abilities, particularly within pSTEM fields, as a way of encouraging women to persist in these fields
Misplaced trust: the politics of cryptography from privacy to blockchains
No full textCryptography is an increasingly prevalent means of securing communication, information, and transmissions. Its politics, however, have been rarely considered. This thesis remedies that in three ways. First, it maps the discourse of cryptography through the conventional opposition of privacy and security. Comparing two debates in American politics, it argues that encryption technologies correspond with a shift from disciplinary monitoring to the mass surveillance of governmentality. Second, this thesis considers how cryptography mediates relationships. Examining cryptographic mechanisms themselves, it argues that encryption processes intermingle disparate epistemic orders to political effect. They enact a distinction between those who can and cannot read a message, disposing actors to treat those in the latter category as adversaries. Third, it extends these findings to blockchain technologies. Situating those at the intersection of the security practices and technologies that define cryptography, it
suggests they constitute a novel dispositif which protocologically produces knowledge to control contingent engagements
Sigmatropic rearrangements via the use of heteroallenes (ketenimine & keteniminium salts)
No full textThis thesisis split into two distinct sections each section corresponding to different heteroallenes (ketenimines and keteniminium salts).
In the first section, diverse strategies were used to synthesize ketenimines. Although they are difficult to isolate because of their reactivity; their synthesis was successfully achieved. The idea was to use these highly reactive ketenimines to facilitate Claisen rearrangements, and expand
a rearrangement that normally involves ketenes. This route eventually brought us to another heteroallene source: keteniminium salts.
The second section deals with the chemistry of the activation of amides. This chemistry is applied to the generation of a keteniminium salt. Recent works have shown their potential in sigmatropic rearrangements. These works have shown that keteniminium salts could undergo sigmatropic rearrangements with allylic ethers. The idea was to build on this body of work and to further develop the versatility of the method