Assessing marine mammal presence in and near the FORCE Lease Area during winter and early spring – addressing baseline data gaps and sensor performance

The collection of baseline data on marine mammal use of tidal energy sites prior to Tidal In stream Energy Conversion (TISEC) deployments is considered vital in any subsequent post-deployment assessment of changes in marine mammal activity levels or spatial use. The proposed project involves the deployment of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) devices (hydrophones) for an […]

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Cannabis and Death-Anxiety

In partnership with True North Clinical Research, two studies are proposed to examine the moderating effect of using cannabis on anxiety in response to death-thoughts. In Study 1, participants will be randomly assigned to consume cannabis either before or after thinking about death. Self-reported affect will be assessed to determine if cannabis helps reduce death-anxiety. […]

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Connecting ecological dots through striped bass diets by using DNA barcoding and stable isotopes

Striped bass invaded Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador in August 2017 and were identified to feed on Atlantic salmon and capelin; two important fishes to NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC). This project aims to sample striped bass in Labrador to identify what it is consuming. We will combine traditional stomach content morphological identification with a new approach […]

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Quantification and Improvement of Juvenile American Eel Passage Through Fishways and Wetland Water Control Infrastructure.

The American Eel is a species of significant ecological, social and commercial value and a species of conservation concern in part due to reduced habitat connectivity to both freshwater habitat as juveniles, commonly known as glass eels or elvers. During the proposed research period the intern will work to quantify passage of elvers through existing […]

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Development of Novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Estrogen, a sex hormone in women plays a key role in the proliferation of cancer cells especially in post-menopausal women. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like tamoxifen and raloxifene are the most efficient drugs for treatment of breast cancer. These drugs bind to estrogen receptors […]

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Predictive Analytics for Charitable giving

Machine learning in the charitable sector is only beginning to be used successfully. Fundmetric Inc has applied various machine learning algorithms to predict donor behaviour, such as who will become a major ($10,000+) donor and which lapsed donors will return if stewarded correctly. There is ample opportunity for research in this domain, including building a […]

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An Examination of Social Space in Rural Nova Scotian Municipalities

This research project will apply a theoretical analysis of social space in rural areas in Nova Scotia in order to examine how municipalities design space, and how citizens interact with and within it. Much of the existing literature in the field focuses on social space in urban areas, like populated downtown areas of cities. This […]

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Multiple impacts of anthropogenic obstructions on the migrations of fishes

Ducks Unlimited Canada operates multiple fishways slated for replacement throughout Nova Scotia. Recent fishway passage studies on alewife indicate that identifying problem areas for fish passage, and altering fishway design accordingly, greatly increases fish passage. To assess fish passage at fishways, movements of fish will be monitored using passive integrated transponder tags and antenna systems. […]

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Acoustic detection of fish presence and depth distribution at the FORCE tidal energy test site in the Bay of Fundy: assessing risk of interaction with tidal turbines

Tidal energy turbines are a new renewable energy technology that will be demonstrated at the FORCE test site in the Bay of Fundy. The potential negative effects of these turbines on fish are of high concern to industry, regulators, fishers, and other stakeholders. This research will use sonars attached to sensor platforms deployed on the […]

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