Machine learning model has potential to be developed into an accessible and cost-effective tool
University of Alberta researchers have trained a machine learning model to identify people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with 80 per cent accuracy by analyzing the text those people wrote. The model could one day serve as an accessible and inexpensive screening tool to support health professionals in detecting and diagnosing PTSD or other mental health…
Analysis tool could help companies decide which innovations are worth the investment
Environmental reclamation is necessary, but sometimes it’s expensive for industry. What materials work best? Which ones are worth the investment? University of Alberta researchers are inching closer to answering those pressing questions through a project that looks at two reclamation materials with commercial potential: chicken feathers and biochar, a blackened byproduct created from waste like cow…
Evidence suggests laser-based fusion energy could actually be a viable
A beam of protons painlessly penetrates human tissue until it terminates inside a cancer tumour, where each particle deposits a micro-explosion of radiation energy. The beam is precisely calibrated, targeting only the tumour and leaving surrounding tissue unharmed. Called “proton therapy,” this revolutionary medical treatment is just one application of a relatively new technology using…
Algorithm scans pathology, radiology reports for information to aid researchers in improving outcomes
Every time you enter a phrase or a sentence into Google search, algorithms kick in using a technique called natural language processing to understand what you really want to know and then find you an answer. Now University of Alberta researchers will use a similar approach to develop a computer program that can “read” doctors’…
Understanding how the brain forms real-world memories has been elusive
When you think of a vivid personal memory, you don’t merely recall the bare facts of what happened – you remember additional details like the emotions you felt, perhaps where you were standing when things unfolded, scents and sounds in the air. “Memories play such a key component in shaping who we are,” said Peggy St.…
Any gains in competition are more than outweighed by higher spectrum costs
Last December, the federal government launched a consultation for the auction of the 3800 MHz spectrum to help foster the effective deployment of 5G wireless telecommunications. As in previous auctions, the plan is to set aside a significant part of the available spectrum for smaller players, which the main wireless telecom providers are prohibited from…
Innovation will depend as much on social factors as technological ones
Increasingly, urban dwellers are looking for new and more sustainable ways to move around their cities. Technologies like autonomous vehicles and electric scooters may be top of mind for urban planners, but social and cultural factors may be just as important in helping Canadian cities prepare for the future, according to a co-author of a…
Risk calculator pinpoints suitable patients for guided biopsies that improves the current standard of care
A new risk calculator developed by a University of Alberta researcher and collaborators in the United States could reduce the number of unnecessary and invasive biopsies for prostate cancer. Adam Kinnaird, a surgeon and assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, said the tool is available online for free, requires only conventional clinical data paired with…
Engineering projects explore three ways to turn a component of bitumen into carbon fibre
Carbon fibre is strong, light and resistant to corrosion, making it ideal for composites used in various products. Think of wheelchairs, bikes, buses, construction materials and more. Unfortunately, it’s expensive to produce. That’s a problem three researchers in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Engineering – Cagri Ayranci, Kevin Hodder and Zhi Li – are trying to solve by…
The most complex scientific spacecraft ever built reaches its destination a million miles away
As the James Webb Space Telescope reaches its destination, a million miles from Earth, University of Alberta space historian Robert Smith will be watching almost as closely as scientists in NASA’s control room. Smith has staked his career on documenting every phase of the Webb and Hubble telescopes over the past four decades and is recognized as the on-the-scene historian…
University of Alberta researchers have trained a machine learning model to identify people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with 80 per cent accuracy by analyzing the text those people wrote. The model could one day serve as an accessible and inexpensive screening tool to support health professionals in detecting and diagnosing PTSD or other mental health…
