Artificial Intelligence and Police Decision Making Processes

On November 26, 2020, Chief Constable Adam Palmer of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) presented Artificial Intelligence and Police Decision Making Processes at the 2020 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a group panel for questions & answers. Main discussion topics included the integration of data and information sharing systems between BC policing services at all levels, the integration of geospatial technologies into policing in BC, the benefits of introducing better business analytics into policing, and better policing for situations involving mental health issues

Effects of Compost on Prairie Seedling Establishment and Seed Production

Compost is a commonly used soil amendment in horticultural and agricultural practices that is generally known to improve soil conditions and plant growth. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the application of compost to prairie production plots as a method to improve seedling establishment and growth and the seed production of established plants. We evaluated the effect of compost depth and tillage on the survivorship, growth, reproduction and ecophysiology of several prairie plant species commonly used in restoration. Results were mixed; for some species, transplants in compost–amended plots incurred lower survivorship and reduced growth compared to control plots. When compost was used for transplants, improved growth and reproduction were observed more often if compost was tilled into the soil. No benefit from compost was observed for flower and seed production in established prairie species. Compost can be useful in promoting better growth in prairie plots, but its application can produce negative outcomes under certain conditions

Hip joint kinetics during the barbell hip thrust

The barbell hip thrust is thought to overload the hip extensors near full extension. The aim of this study was to quantify the hip joint kinetics of a full repetition of the barbell hip thrust. Seven participants performed 3x3x70% 1RM barbell hip thrusts, during which external force (1000 Hz) and full body kinematics (250 Hz) were captured. Inverse dynamic analysis revealed a double peak in the hip extensor moment through the repetition, with maximum hip extensor moment (3.13 ± 0.48 Nm/kg) occurring early in the movement, when the hip joint was close to 90° flexion. Despite the changes in magnitude of hip extensor moment during the repetition, the moment remained extensor dominant throughout, which provided some support for the force vector theory and the previous suggestion that the hip thrust effectively overloads the hip extensors near full extension

COMPARISON OF THE BILATERAL AND UNILATERAL BARBELL HIP THRUST

The purpose of this study was to quantify the kinetics and kinematics of the unilateral (UL) barbell hip thrust and compare UL biomechanics with the bilateral (BL) barbell hip thrust. Ten resistance trained males performed three sets of three repetitions UL and BL at 10 repetition maximum intensity. The biomechanics of each lift were analysed using 3D motion capture and force plates that were floor mounted and instrumented in to a bespoke rig. Joint kinetics and kinematics were calculated in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes. It was concluded that UL loaded the hip joint to a greater extent than the BL across all three planes. The current study offers novel insight to the biomechanical demand of the unilateral hip thrust and has implications for exercise selection within the physical preparation of athletes

Gene-Drug Interactions and the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

The evolution of antibiotic resistance is shaped by interactions between genes, the chemical environment, and an antibiotic's mechanism of action. This thesis explores these interactions with experiments, theory, and analysis, seeking a mechanistic understanding of how different interactions between genes and drugs can enhance or constrain the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Chapter 1 investigates the effects of the chemical decay of an antibiotic. Tetracycline resistant and sensitive bacteria were grown competitively in the presence of tetracycline and its decay products. Antibiotic decay did not only remove selection for resistance, but long-lived decay products favored tetracycline sensitivity by inducing costly drug efflux pumps in the resistant strain. Selection against resistance by antibiotic-related compounds may contribute to the coexistence of drug-sensitive and resistant bacteria in nature. Chapter 2 investigates how genetic interactions can favor particular combinations of resistance-conferring mutations. All possible combinations of a set of trimethoprim resistance-conferring mutations in the drug's target gene were constructed and phenotyped. Incompatibilities between mutations arose in a high-order, not pairwise, manner. One mutation was found to induce this ruggedness and create a multi-peaked adaptive landscape. Chapters 1 and 2 observed that non-optimal expression of a drug resistance gene or a drug's target could compromise antibiotic resistance. Chapter 3 broadly characterizes non-optimal gene expression under antibiotic treatment, using a functional genetic screen to identify over one hundred pathways to antibiotic resistance through positive and negative changes in gene expression. Genes with the potential to confer antibiotic resistance were found to often go unused during antibiotic stress. The optimization of gene expression for drug-free growth was found to cause non-optimal expression under drug treatment, creating a situation where regulatory mutations can confer resistance by correcting errors in gene expression. Chapter 4 investigates whether it is beneficial to up-regulate the genes encoding antibiotic targets when they are inhibited. Drug target genes were quantitatively over-expressed, and drug resistance was found to not always increase, but alternatively to remain unchanged or even decrease. These diverse effects were explained by simple models that consider toxicity arising from gene over-expression, and mechanisms of drug action in which drugs induce harmful enzymatic reactions