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Feature Story: Support for the people of Ukraine
No full textThese are indeed trying times for humanity.
As we continue to navigate the latest stages of the global pandemic and determine what it means to live in the context of COVID-19, we find ourselves subject to a constant stream of other negative news, including: the escalating costs of food, housing, and transportation; what many perceive as the increasing polarization of our society; and now, war in Eastern Europe.Staffn
Feature Story: U of R establishes Accommodations Test Centre in the late Brad Hornung's name
No full textThe legacy of alumnus Brad Hornung lives on at the University of Regina through the new Accommodations Test Centre, which has been renamed in his honour.
Hornung's family made the announcement at a special event attended by members of the University and wider community on Friday morning.
"Following Brad's death, we had to decide what to do with the funds remaining in the Brad Hornung Foundation,"Leanne Wright, Brad Hornung's sister, said.
"Considering this money was provided to Brad by the wonderful people of Regina and Saskatchewan - and considering both Brad's educational journey and love of athletics - we thought a perfect fit would be to establish some things that would continue Brad's legacy at the University of Regina."Staffn
Feature Story: 11 interesting courses to take this Spring/Summer semester
No full textHave you wanted to learn the basics of another language, or perhaps make wood-fired ceramics under the guidance of a visiting wood-firing expert? From entrepreneurship to criminological theories and video game music, we've put together a list of just some of the interesting courses you can take at the U of R in your Spring/Summer semester!Staffn
Life history traits of Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) in Saskatchewan, Canada: Age, growth, and reproduction on an advancing invasion front
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology, University of Regina. ix, 92 p.The Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) is one of the most invasive fish species in Europe, and it was recently discovered in North America in Western Canada. Our knowledge of basic life history parameters, such as growth rate and mode of reproduction for Prussian carp in their new invasive range, is currently limited. In addition, Prussian carp were only recently discovered in Saskatchewan, but how long have they been in the province, and the stage of invasion is uncertain. Prussian carp can use two modes of reproduction: (1) gonochoristic, involving males and females; and (2) gynogenesis, whereby populations consist of only triploid females that steal sperm from other fish species. Newly introduced populations of Prussian carp tend to be all female and triploid, but their ploidy and mating system in Canada has not been determined. In addition, when and where spawning occurs in newly colonized waterways is completely unknown. Given these important knowledge gaps in fundamental aspects of Prussian carp biology, I focused on describing the life history traits of Prussian carp in Saskatchewan using a mixture of field and lab approaches. I found that Prussian carp in Saskatchewan are slow growing compared to other invasive populations worldwide, and take up to 2x as long to reach sexual maturity. The oldest fish I collected in Saskatchewan was 16 years old in Lake Diefenbaker, and 13 years old in Stockwell Lake, indicating that Prussian carp have been established in the province for many years and were undetected. Similar to well established populations in other parts of the world, Saskatchewan Prussian carp had mixed ploidies with diploid (2n), triploid (3n), and tetraploid (4n) individuals intermixed. In Lake Diefenbaker only female fish were detected, but males were present in Stockwell Lake in low quantities (0.14:1; M:F). Emergence of young of the year Prussian carp in Lake Diefenbaker began in early July and continued through August; however, most spawning in this area likely occurred during mid-June. The timing of spawning and habitat use by juvenile Prussian carp overlaps with that of a variety of native sucker and shiner species. My findings suggest that Prussian carp are well established in Saskatchewan and are likely in the invasive spread phase of invasion. They pose an immediate threat to native biota in Canada locally in Saskatchewan, and via dispersal and colonization of other locations.Studentye
Feature Story: Taking U of R Esports to the next level
No full textProfessional Esports has become a billion dollar industry and events across the world have been selling out stadiums and offering up millions of dollars in prizes to professional gamers. While the prizes at the University of Regina’s Esports events aren’t quite in the millions (yet), U of R Intramurals has plenty of opportunities for students to get involved with Esports.Staffn
When perceiving is creating: visual art and eye-tracking technology
No full textA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. v, 40 p.What do we look at when viewing works of art? There is little research on this topic and most of it has occurred outside of the lab and with indirect measures. The present study focused on art gazing while using an eye-tracking device to answer a series of questions related to art viewing, art perception, art knowledge, and art interest. We asked 15 participants to view eight paintings by well-known artists (e.g., Picasso and van Gogh) while their eye movements were collected, and we assessed their art interest and art knowledge via questionnaires. Heat maps for the eight paintings were produced and demonstrated clear differences in gaze patterns depending on painting type (e.g., realist vs. abstract, landscape vs. portrait). For example, in realistic paintings, such as the portraits presented, the focal points are clear and strong. In the abstract paintings, like the geometric ones presented, the focal points are dispersed and softer. Correlational analyses demonstrated that participants with higher art interest and art knowledge were more likely to spend more time looking at the paintings but did not differ from others with lower interest and knowledge in which paintings were preferred. Instead, participants showed clear preferences for realistic paintings over modern abstract paintings. This preliminary data suggests that we look at art differently depending on the type of painting and that our knowledge and interest in art also influence our looking behaviour. As we continue with this research, we will further our investigation into areas of interest in landscape paintings to determine which area is gazed at the most: foreground, midground, or background.Studentn
The cyclotomic eigenvalue and character value problems for association schemes
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics, University of Regina. vi, 124 p.The central focus of this dissertation is an answer to the cyclotomic eigenvalue question (CEQ) for commutative association schemes. This question, which was posed by Simon Norton at Oberwolfach in 1980, asks whether all entries of the character table of a commutative association scheme lie in a cyclotomic extension of the rational numbers.
In this thesis, we consider the cyclotomic eigenvalue question for objects that generalize the notion of association schemes. The objects in question are standard integral table algebras with integral multiplicities (SITAwIMs). Our main results show the eigenvalues of SITAwIMs of rank 4 and nonsymmetric ones of rank 5 are cyclotomic. This implies that the CEQ is affirmative for association schemes of rank 4 and nonsymmetric association schemes of rank 5. Moreover, for rank 5 symmetric SITAwIMs we give several examples that have noncyclotomic eigenvalues, and show the parameters for many of these examples satisfy all known parameter requirements for association schemes.
Next, we provide an algorithm for computing fusions of a based algebra (A;B). We apply this algorithm to three problems: (1) computing fusion lattices for association schemes,of order up to 30; (2) realizing association schemes with transitive automorphism groups; (3) producing small examples of non-Schurian association schemes with noncyclotomic eigenvalues. We give an example of a group of order 96 for which two of its Schurian association scheme quotients have non-Schurian fusions with noncyclotomic eigenvalues. The latter is of interest to the open question asking whether association schemes with transitive automorphism groups can have noncyclotomic character values.Studentye
A self-organizing map artificial neural network to improve k-means algorithm classification in different cancer types
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science in Industrial Systems Engineering, University of Regina. ix, 80 p.In this thesis, the performance of a specific artificial neural network is introduced. The name of this ANN is Self-Organizing Map artificial neural network (SOM). At first, the performance and accuracy of K-Means algorithm in classification and clustering a complex input data (similarity and dependence) is investigated. Then, the mentioned performance is compared with the performance of SOM ANN in clustering mentioned input data. The performance of K-Means algorithm is presented by acquisitive data and related simulations.
The main aim of this thesis, is introducing an appropriate method in order to clustering input data precisely. So, at first the weakness of K-Means algorithm is shown. For this purpose, the procedure that this algorithm uses to clustering data is presented. It is shown that in this way, different input data which lots of them are similar, are classified in wrong clusters. The performance of SOM ANN is presented by inspiration from human brain in clustering data. At first, the performance of brain and different circumstances of human body is analyzed. This performance is formulized and based on this formulation accurate clustering is introduced.
After first identifications and formulations, the method of training of this type of artificial neural network is presented in MATLAB software. The performance of SOM ANN is used to clustering 4 different types of cancers. Blood, Lung Carcinoid, Intestine and Salivary glands are classified. The input data is two real symptoms related to 1000 patients. Based on the claim of a doctor (source of real data), the types of these 1000 patients are classified by using the performance of SOM ANN and K-Means algorithm. The mentioned data has been recorded by data acquisition system. The results are compared by showing simulations and by showing different samples.
This dissertation consists of 5 chapter. In chapter 1, an introduction about artificial neural network and its feature in clustering data is given. In chapter 2, literature review is presented. In this chapter, the superiority of this research is compared with other researches. In chapter 2 different other type of clustering is introduced and compared with introduced method in this thesis briefly.
In chapter 3, different types of artificial network are presented and their functions are introduced. In this chapter, the formulation related to SOM artificial neural network is presented.
In chapter 4, the performance of k-Means algorithm is analyzed first. The problem considered in this thesis is Unsupervised Learning problem. The disadvantages and losses of k-Means algorithm is investigated in the following and one sample is presented. Based on mentioned problem, SOM artificial neural network is introduced as an accurate and developed method for clustering data based on feedforward backpropagation method. Based on the function of SOM, in here, two symptoms of four different types of cancers related to 1000 patients is processed. The first step is explanation of algorithms and artificial neural networks in which use unsupervised learning paradigm. At first supervised learning artificial neural networks and their function are elucidated. Then the evaluation of difference between two mentioned types of ANN makes it possible that in different functions, which one is more appropriate to use. The relationship between classification and these methods is explained further.
In chapter 5, the conclusion and appendix are presented.Studentye
Genomic and experimental insights into the ecology and evolution of transferable genetic elements
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology, University of Regina. xix, 287 p.Bacteria have dynamic genomes that allow them to adapt and survive almost anywhere on Earth. This genetic flexibility is facilitated by mobile DNA elements, which can transfer within or between genomes independently of cell lineages and drive bacterial evolution. Mobile genetic elements influence many aspects of bacterial life by encoding and transferring antimicrobial resistance genes, pathogenicity factors, and toxin-antitoxin modules. Plasmids, integrons, and genomic islands are several types of mobile DNA elements that can carry beneficial genes which help host cells adapt to new environments or provide new ecological functions. However, much is still unknown about how mobile genetic elements persist in the environment, how they mediate cell survival, and how they impact interactions in bacterial communities. In this thesis, genomic and experimental techniques were used to investigate the ecology and evolution of mobile genetic elements at three different scales: genes, species, and ecosystems.
At the gene level, I performed a literature review to determine how the main processes of horizontal gene transfer (conjugation, transduction, and natural transformation) impact antimicrobial resistance gene transmission in clinical environments.
Conjugation of antimicrobial resistance gene-encoding plasmids does occur within clinics and patients, but there is less evidence for transduction and transformation. This may be due to low transfer rates or difficulty detecting the transfer of core genes with key mutations that provide resistance. In another project, I used comparative genomics to assess the evolutionary history of the Salmonella pathogenicity island SPI-1, which encodes a type three secretion system for invasion of mammalian intestinal cells and is remarkably conserved across the Salmonella genus. I defined the multiple genomic islands that comprise the mosaic structure of SPI-1, with some islands having arrived in the Salmonella clade earlier than others. Related pathogenicity islands possess homologs to SPI- 1 transcriptional regulator hilA, but are missing homologs to hilD and hilC; the high nucleotide identity between hilD and hilC suggests they may be paralogs.
To assess how mobile genetic elements impact communities at the species level, I designed a synthetic multi-species community wherein only Escherichia coli can access a carbon source and Salmonella enterica must rely on cross-feeding to survive while simultaneously killing the E. coli with a plasmid-encoded colicin toxin. Despite relying on cross-feeding to survive, S. enterica consistently emerged as the dominant community member. Experimental results and mathematical modeling confirmed that the colicin liberates nutrients through cell lysis and benefits the colicin-producing population, which had not been previously described for this type of toxin.
At the ecosystem level, I attempted to isolate all of the plasmids (“plasmidome”) from surface water of agricultural ponds (dugouts) to determine how the gene content changes over time using long-read DNA sequencing. However, ongoing technical difficulties caused by environmental contaminants resulted in limited DNA sequencing data and interference in enzymatic reactions during library preparation. Nevertheless, additional insights into these ecosystems were possible through 16S rRNA bacterial community profiling and qPCR of select antimicrobial resistance genes and mobile elements. Antimicrobial resistance genes are detectable and persist over time in dugouts, and regression modeling demonstrated that their abundance was explained by the abundance of the mobile integrin integrase intI1 and cattle presence.
Altogether, these diverse projects have contributed new knowledge on the transmission, persistence, and ecological impact of mobile genetic elements at multiple scales (gene, species, ecosystem) by using experimental techniques and high-throughput sequencing technologies.Studentye
Feature Story: University of Regina signs new agreement with Chinese University
No full textThe University of Regina has signed an Articulation Program agreement with Liaoning Petrochemical University (LNPU) in China which will enable international students to complete the final year of their LNPU bachelor's degree at the University of Regina, and give them the opportunity to complete their master's degree at the University of Regina.Staffn