McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ最新文献

{"title":"Micro-Urban Heat Islands in the City of Montreal","authors":"Samuel Aucoin, Alex Briand, Béatrice Duval, Z. Qudsi","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.178","url":null,"abstract":"Heat within a city is not evenly distributed, giving rise to regions of relatively warm and cold temperatures. Regions of very high heat are referred to as micro-urban heat islands (MUHIs) and can be severe enough to harm human health. Despite MUHIs being an important factor in urban health, they are extremely underresearched. In this study we mapped the locations of MUHIs on the island of Montréal and compared them with the locations of vegetation on three clear, sunny days: August 10th, 2021; July 6th, 2020; and June 20th, 2020 using Landsat 8 thermal images with 30 m resolution. We compared two criteria for MUHIs and quantified their composition based on unsupervised classification done on ENVI 5.6.1, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculations. Our results show that MUHIs are mainly associated with the presence of asphalt and concrete, and the absence of dense vegetation. The presence of these materials is not, however, a strong predictor of the formation of MUHIs in themselves. Though variability in unsupervised classifications between images introduces uncertainty in MUHI composition, these results suggest that increasing dense vegetation coverage in Montréal could prevent MUHI development during the summer.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47269887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Differing Host Cutaneous Microbiome and Immune Responses Contributing to Chytridiomycosis Susceptibility in Amphibians","authors":"Connie Corbin","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.181","url":null,"abstract":"Chytridiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a fungal pathogen affecting the skin of amphibians. Chytridiomycosis is differentially affecting amphibian species and populations across the world, causing severe declines and extinctions. It is spread by contact or zoospores travelling in water sources. It is not yet fully understood why susceptibility is so variable. Understanding differing susceptibility is crucial for realising any successful conservation efforts. Multiple factors appear responsible for the differing susceptibility. The two factors being examined in this literature review are ineffective immune responses and the limitations of the cutaneous microbiome. Relevant papers’ significance and limitations are discussed with their provenance and objectivity taken into consideration. The immune system of amphibians comprises innate and acquired defences. The innate immune system has been found to be counterproductive in some cases, much like how an allergic reaction in humans can be detrimental to health. An adaptive immune response has yet to be confirmed in previously exposed individuals. The cutaneous microbiome plays an initial role in the defence against harmful zoospores by making the environment unsuitable or by producing deadly secretions; this consequently prevents colonization by the zoospores. Differing levels of secretions have been measured in response to disease. Most amphibian immune systems and microbiomes are not adapted to deal with chytridiomycosis, and the fungi are adapted to exploit this weakness. There are many difficulties in studying this disease, such as recreating a natural habitat in laboratory conditions, which is vital to get accurate microbiome data. The variety of species and global spread of this disease is incredibly wide ranging with many factors to consider. Many studies are only focused on one aspect of the disease, so a holistic and global approach would be more beneficial.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44319009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial distribution and socioeconomic differences between urban farms' production and distribution points in Chicago, IL","authors":"Emmanuelle Melis, E. Armitage, Yuxin Ma, Amelia Weiss, Brian E. Robinson","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.177","url":null,"abstract":"Urban farming remains popular as a potential sustainable replacement or supplement for traditional agricultural models, but little comprehensive research has been done regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of this food production and distribution model. Using the City of Chicago as a case study, this research seeks to understand where urban commercial farms are located and whether there exists a significant disparity between the social demographics of the neighbourhoods where these farms produce crops compared to where their goods are sold. The distribution of urban farm and sale points was determined by geocoding the location of all production (farms) and distribution points (sale points) for commercial urban farming companies in Chicago, then calculating spatial statistics and calculating the mean centers, standard distance, and standard deviational ellipses (SDE) for each. These were then overlaid onto choropleth maps containing socioeconomic indicator data derived from the US 2016 census. These socioeconomic indicators — median annual household income, mean home value, and percent racialized minority population — were analysed to determine if a correlation exists between each socioeconomic indicator and the location of farm and sale points. Findings reveal statistically-significant differences in the socioeconomic indicators of census tracts of farm versus sale point locations, showing a skewness in distribution of farm locations towards areas of lower socioeconomic status versus a skewness in distribution of sale point locations towards areas of higher socioeconomic status. The results suggest that, while farms are more likely to be located in marginalized neighbourhoods in Chicago, most produce grown by these farms is sold in more privileged areas.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49098096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overblown? Analyzing Wind Speed in the Hurricane Warning Response System","authors":"Killian Abellon, Amelia Murphy, Anika Anderson","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.171","url":null,"abstract":"The role of wind speed in determining the impacts of hurricanes is examined via statistical analysis of Cate- gory 2-5 hurricanes that made landfall in the U.S. Atlantic basin coastline, including Puerto Rico’s coast, from 1970-2020. The results indicate a positive yet statistically insignificant correlation between wind speed and hurricane deaths, cost of damages and federally obligated recovery aid. Other factors, such as storm surge, rainfall, and inland inundation, may be more strongly correlated with these impacts. The results are contextualized by a wealth of literature pointing to the role of social, political, and economic factors in determining the destructiveness of hurricanes. Finally, alternative indices to the popular Saffir-Simpson hurricane hazard scale – which relies on wind speed – are examined. As climate change advances and hurricanes become in- creasingly frequent and severe, more comprehensive hazard-rating scales may provide the basis for a more effective warning-response system, ultimately bolstering the resilience of coastal areas.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43638544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying the Albedo of the Montreal Island and its Potential for Increase","authors":"Elena Frie, Saskia Gilmer, Bryan Buraga, Kevin Franceschini","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.175","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanization has changed the Earth’s surface, resulting in the urban heat island effect. There has been a recent focus on increasing urban albedo as a strategy to mitigate this phenomenon. Studies on Montreal’s albedo have primarily looked at the impact of albedo manipulations upon the urban heat island effect. However, the current albedo of the island, broken down by land use type, has yet to be quantified. Therefore, previous studies often rely on generalized urban albedo and land use estimates that have not been proven to be generalizable to Montreal. This study attempted to quantify the current albedo of the Island of Montreal through urban land use categorization. The findings were then used to estimate albedo increase under different roof replacement scenarios. Data sets for building footprints, vegetation, and roadways were incomplete in Montreal, requiring the combination of several sources to obtain representative data for analysis. This study found the albedo of Montreal island to be 0.19 ± 0.057. Further, the hypothetical roof change scenarios then aligned with a 0.1 albedo increase, which is the albedo change used in current urban heat island effect mitigation literature. Using the albedo increase potential that resulted from the three scenarios tested here, future research should explore further estimation of the associated surface and air temperature decrease.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47457105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Whole Cell Biosensors for Usability in On-site Detection of Two Major Classes of Antibiotics in Agricultural Soil and Water","authors":"Jennifer Jiang, Yunmu Xiao","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.182","url":null,"abstract":"Human health is heavily influenced by the environment. In recent years, the contamination of soil and water by antibiotics has become a major public health issue. This is because of the selective pressure from antibiotics in the environment that results in the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A major contributor to the emergence of antibiotic resistance is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the agriculture and medical industry, followed by insufficient antibiotic-removal treatment of wastewater from these industries, resulting in the antibiotic accumulation in the environment. Limiting the use of antibiotics must be followed by extensive surveillance to track antibiotic residue levels in agricultural soil and water samples. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of whole cell biosensors to monitor levels of antibiotics in agricultural samples; this is because whole cell biosensors are portable, cheaper, and simpler to operate and interpret compared to traditional methods of antibiotic detection. This review article compares the potential of existing β-lactam and tetracycline whole cell biosensors for on-site analysis of agricultural soil and water samples based on practicality, performance, robustness, and range of detection. Despite the lack of data regarding the performance of these biosensors under varying pH and temperature conditions, this review weighs the benefits and drawbacks of each biosensor to determine a promising candidate for use in on-site detection of β-lactams and tetracyclines. Of the β-lactam biosensors examined, only a Bacillus subtilis-based biosensor was able to detect β-lactams in water samples with high sensitivity and specificity while producing a strong and stable signal. However, this biosensor was not tested in soil samples, has a relatively long response time, and requires a spectrophotometer to view the signal. Engineering the reporter gene to produce a colorimetric signal will increase its potential in on-site detection. Of the tetracycline biosensors examined, a compact paper strip biosensor was found to be sensitive and highly practical when tested in both soil and water samples. Thus, we determined it to be the best candidate for on-site detection. This biosensor, however, also suffers from relatively lengthy response times. The realization of these biosensors as tools for antibiotic surveillance depends on further experimentation using on-site samples.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45928337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential for use of Spent Substrate of Pleurotus Mushrooms Grown on Urban Waste as Feed for Dairy Cattle","authors":"Liesl Van Wyk","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.179","url":null,"abstract":"Mushroom wastes are available in high volumes, with 5 million tons of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) being disposed of globally every year. Due to this high availability, various forms of SMS have been researched for their use as alternative animal feeds. Additionally, experimental techniques can be used to grow certain mushroom species, such as oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) on various lignocellulosic waste materials. Therefore, the SMS from Pleurotus sp. grown on these waste materials may offer a promising conversion from a waste material to a low-cost, nutritionally sufficient feed. However, little research has been done to determine if feeds from Pleurotus SMS specifically grown on urban waste substrates offer the same benefits. Given rising awareness on circularity and urban self-sufficiency, growing mushrooms on urban waste is a promising solution which should be investigated. This paper assesses the feasibility of using SMS from golden oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) grown on urban waste as dairy cattle feed, comparing substrate ratios to determine which would result in the most desirable protein and fiber contents. SMS from three experimental substrates of cardboard and spent coffee grounds (SCG) were compared to traditional dairy cattle feeds. Treatments 2 and 3 were found to be suitable for use as additives to traditional feeds in small replacement amounts. However, both treatments also had high fiber content, which may affect practicality of use as feeds.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44089167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coastal Sea-Ice Break-Up Events in Beringia","authors":"Samuel Aucoin, B. Tremblay, R. Newton","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.172","url":null,"abstract":"We quantify changes in break‐up events of landfast ice in the transition from a perennial to a seasonal sea ice cover in the Arctic. A break‐up event is defined as a time when coastal sea ice concentration drops below 95% after a minimum period of 10 days of stable ice conditions. To this end we analyze output diagnostics from the Community Earth System Model (Version 1) – Large Ensemble from 1920 to 2080, focusing on six coastal communities of Alaska, Chukotka, and the Kamtchatka Peninsula: Utqiaġvik, Point Hope, Gambell, Novoye Chaplino, Sireniki, and Pakhachi. Model results generally agree with the satellite record with open water formation along the coastline associated with sustained offshore winds, although the sensitivity of CESM1‐LE is higher than that of observations due to the absence of a landfast ice parameterization in CESM1‐ LE. Specifically, we see a linear relationship between the magnitude of the opening and offshore surface wind stresses integrated over the 10 days prior to the opening event, (p‐value < 0.01). While the break‐up event frequency increases (5.53 × 10−5 events/day/year for Utqiagvik) in the 21st century due to the thin- ning, or weakening, of the landfast ice cover, the total number of winter break‐up events decreases due to a shortening of the winter season (mean of ‐5.3 days/decade).","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48941002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tuning Aptamer-Switching for Biosensing Malarial Proteins","authors":"Maxine Forder, M. McKeague","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.176","url":null,"abstract":"Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a protozoan transmitted through mosquito bites. Early diagnosis is essential to start treatment and prevent further transmission. However, current diagnostic methods are expensive, time consuming, and lack the portability required for efficient testing. Emerging methods that are faster and more portable include specialized biosensors called aptasensors. This study compared a range of complementary probes against malaria-binding aptamers to develop an aptamer-switch based platform. One candidate showed a promising increase in fluorescence upon incubating with a malaria target protein. This work has the potential to be incorporated into an aptasensor for rapid detection of malaria infections.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41299503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing Early Public Response to COVID-19-Related Restrictions in New York City Using Spatial Analysis of Urban Mobility Data","authors":"Emily Chen","doi":"10.26443/msurj.v17i1.174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/msurj.v17i1.174","url":null,"abstract":"The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the United States initiated shelter-in-place policies that significantly impacted human mobility and daily routines starting in March 2020. Prior literature has examined the differences in lockdown policy efficacy and compliance with government orders1-6, as well as the effect of mobility changes on case counts7-12. However, less attention has been placed on the connection between mobility and socio-demographics after the onset of COVID-19 within a city’s borders. This paper focused on how human mobility patterns in New York City during the first three months of the pandemic differed based on socio-demographic factors like age, household income, and method of transportation to work. A secondary analysis determined if the four measurements of mobility used, namely distance traveled from home, home dwell time, non-home dwell time, and percentage time home, yielded significantly different findings. A mobility ratio representing the change in mobility between the first two weeks of February and April 2020 was created using aggregated and anonymized cellphone mobility data from SafeGraph. A Global Moran’s Index was calculated for each mobility ratio to test for the presence of spatial autocorrelation, and then two spatial lag models were applied to account for the existence of autocorrelation. That there existed significant differences in mobility patterns based on socio-demographics reinforced the need for physical distancing policies that acknowledge the demographic diversity present not only between but also within cities.","PeriodicalId":91927,"journal":{"name":"McGill Science undergraduate research journal : MSURJ","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45788017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}