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Elemental composition and antibacterial efficacy of Moringa oleifera and Zingiber officinale root powders against E. coli
Get PDFShortage of clean drinking water is a serious problem faced by the world at present times, with water borne diseases claiming 5 million deaths globally each year. Many methods are available to treat contaminated drinking water; however, cultural, economic, and social factors often impair implementation of these methods, particularly in developing countries. Moringa and ginger root powders appear to offer a promising alternative to treat contaminated drinking water. This study examines the nutrient composition of Moringa and ginger roots and determine their antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli). After growing Moringa and ginger plants in a greenhouse for seven months and three years respectively, their roots were harvested, dried, powdered and analysed for their chemical composition using ICP-MS and Elemental analysis. The most abundant metal found in both the root powders was potassium, while calcium, magnesium, sulphur, sodium, and phosphorus were other elements present in high amounts. However, the concentration of these metals in Moringa and ginger root powders varied significantly. The abundance of essential elements in the two root powders justifies their use as a point-of-use water treatment method. For both Moringa and ginger root powders, 1400 mg/L concentration was determined to be the most effective concentration as it
reduced E. coli in contaminated water by 88.66% and 62.63% respectively. The combination of the two root powders appeared to have a synergistic effect on E. coli as Moringa and ginger root powders combined in 1:1 ratio reduced bacterial counts by 94.78% when added to the contaminated water at 2000 mg/L
The effects of high tempo and slow tempo music on reaction time
Get PDFOur study aims to determine if slow tempo or high tempo music has an effect on one’s reaction time. Reaction time is an important skill in day to day activities such as driving, playing sports, or even in school. The objective of this study was to determine differences in reaction time scores between slow tempo music, high tempo music and no music. The purpose is to determine which is the most beneficial for improving reaction time skills. It was identified in the study that students displayed quicker reaction times when listening to low tempo music. However, it was also discovered that students demonstrated better accuracy when listening to high tempo music. We hypothesized that this may have occurred because with the second group high tempo music was done after low tempo music which means students had time to get used to the test after the low tempo trial. For future studies who have more time it would be beneficial to test music trials on separate days to avoid the chance of participants becoming familiar with the test. As well it would be beneficial for future studies to test how listening to low and high tempo music before the test can affect reaction time. This poster was presented at the Douglas College Student Research Day 2022 on April 15, 2022.Not peer reviewedStudent Research Day Poster (2022
The Success of the German Greens and Failure of Their American Cousins
Get PDFThis paper explores the varied reasons for the success of the Green Party in Germany and the continued failure of environmentally conscious parties in the United States. The explanations for these contrasting levels of success are found in their differing political cultures, opposing electoral systems, and the distinctive roles that interest groups play in each nation. Germany’s political culture is clearly more welcoming to political parties outside the typical framework. The United States’ two-party political system, unlike Germany’s mixed-member proportional representation electoral system, results in a homogenization of political ideas, leaving little room for any third party. In contrast to Germany, the role that interest groups can play in America has made it virtually impossible for any kind of environmentally conscious political movement to gain traction at any level of government.Peer reviewe
In Process
Get PDFThis thesis document outlines several bodies of work that exist along a continuum of ongoing material process. In thinking through different sets of work, I seek to find through lines and consider past ways of making and thinking. In so doing, I hope to reaffirm to the reader, and to myself, the importance of patience, of attending and responding to one’s surroundings while knowing that the movement of process will be towards ever more resonant forms of making.VeneerMaterialProces
Revolutionary Foundations in Cultural Production and Nonabyssal Praxis
Get PDFThe writing presented in this paper attempts to break down the broad structures within which I exist. I would like to preface the document by stating that I see the writing and art presented in this paper as steps in a broader effort to gain agency and dignity for my community in South Africa and comrades around the world. I hope to examine the complexities of oppression experienced by and perpetuated within subaltern communities. It is imperative that we orient such discussions away from symptomatic issues such as race relations and reductive identity politics, focusing instead on deeper systemic problems such as class disparity and the lasting effects of our colonial past. I wish to first establish a foundational understanding of the violence experienced by colonised peoples and explore the means by which the global South has resisted coloniality and subjugation. It is my duty to honour my heritage and culture in my work and to refocus the discourse of art and culture born under these oppressive structures to reflect value systems that lead to a culture of protest and resistance. To evidence my work with cultures and cultural products without first recognising their rejection from these oppressive institutions would not allow for an honest understanding of their context and value and would only further their consumption as inferior entities. I aim to celebrate my culture outside the purview of the western institution and to utilise cultural resistance to said systems as the underpinnings of my own production. As Paulo Freire models, the fight for freedom as pursued by the oppressed is in part to save the oppressor who can no longer save themselves (Freire 18). Such efforts, though limited by their context, may present a starting point for honest discourse and potential internal shifts both systemically and individually. I thank you for giving me your time and recognise our interaction here as praxis, latent with the potential for change.Global SouthRevolutionResistancePrint MediaVisual ArtsPraxi
Ionic liquids and a commercial anionic surfactant in demulsifying crude oil in water emulsion
Get PDFCrude oily wastewaters generate widely in industries and marine oil spill operations. Crude oily wastewaters contain stable oil in water emulsion (O/W), and their treatment has been challenging. Crude oil has toxic compounds for humans and the environment, and effective treatment requires meeting environmental regulations. This dissertation aimed to investigate effective and environmentally friendly demulsifiers (commercial anionic surfactant and ionic liquids) in demulsifying stable O/W emulsions. Firstly, the O/W emulsification process by ultrasonic homogenization was conducted to optimize the processing parameters and determine the required energy to generate stable emulsion, which is applicable for enhancing crude oil demulsification. The optimum condition to generate stable emulsion was at a power level of 76–80 W, sonication time of 16 min, water salinity of 15 g/L NaCl, and pH of 8.3, which required 60−70 kJ energy. Secondly, the commercial anionic surfactant showed high efficiency (99%) in demulsifying O/W emulsion at the concentration of 900 mg/L in a short shaking time (15 min) at room temperature (25 °C). It could reduce the total extractable petroleum hydrocarbons in the separated water to <10 mg/L without gravity separation and achieve promising demulsification performance at high salinity (36 g/L) and various fresh and weathered oil concentrations. Thirdly, ionic liquid with hydroxyl functional groups on the side chains effectively demulsified O/W emulsion (92%) stabilized by natural emulsifiers (e.g., asphaltenes) at a low concentration (25 mg/L) and room temperature without settling. Hence, the hydroxyl functional group is a suitable substitution for the alkyl group on the ionic liquids side chains to reduce ionic liquid toxicity. It was also found that its potency was highly affected by the emulsion type (stabilized by natural emulsifiers+Tween 20), in which demulsification efficiency reached 61% at the ionic liquid concentration of 50 mg/L and the demulsification temperature of 50 °C at 90 min gravity separation settling time. This indicated the synergistic interaction of natural emulsifiers and Tween 20 and the formation of thicker film at the oilwater interface, which affected the ionic liquid performance. Finally, comparing the performance of three ammonium-based ionic liquids with a distinct side chain (alkyl, ester, and amide) in demulsifying O/W emulsion, it was found that ionic liquid’s side chain and hydrophilicity greatly influenced their performance in the demulsifying O/W emulsion. Substitution of the hydrophobic alkyl group with the hydrophilic amide or ester groups to reduce ionic liquid toxicity improved the ionic liquid potency in the demulsifying emulsion. Ionic liquid with the amide group on the side chain resulted in the highest demulsification efficiency (94%) compared to ionic liquids with the ester (91%) and alkyl (88%) groups at the ionic liquid concentration of 25 mg/L and settling time of 15 min at room temperature, indicating the superiority of the amide group in the demulsifying O/W emulsion
Top of the World Ranch: An addictions treatment centre
Get PDFMental Health affects one in five people in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2022), many of whom will seek treatment at a residential center with support for those recovering from addiction. This paper presents my Graduate Practicum Report completed at an Addictions treatment center, the Top of the World Ranch (TWR), located in the East Kootenays of British Columbia. The practicum was focused on addictions, mental health, and counselling modalities as they apply to the context of addiction, with the goal of applying skills and modalities studied in the course work of my MSW preceding this final practicum. After reviewing mainstream and holistic modalities like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), shinrin yoku, visualization, and meditation, I assembled a strong set of tools to offer value at an addiction treatment center with a focus on trauma informed practice. Key learnings in this report include the usage of art therapy and visualization as effective tools in recovery from addiction. I also found a meaningful way to integrate music into my personal therapeutic approach. Additionally, I found programs that involved visualization and meditation to be both an enjoyable way of working and extraordinarily helpful for clients’ recovery process. My practicum at the TWR was one of the most important learning experiences of my life that will inform all that I do moving forward in my career as a counsellor and social worker
Green Gold
Get PDF“What does it mean to be here?” This was the initial research question of this thesis. Over the course of my MFA, I have lived in two countries: Canada (my birthplace) and Mexico. But the question of belonging is more than merely geographical. What began with a focus on questioning what it meant to belong in either country developed into an understanding of how knowledge creation develops in my practice. Through an iterative collaborative process with henequén fibre, I came closer to understanding childhood influences on my practice and politics in modes of making. With common Mexican materials, I began to learn and respect the unpredictable ecologies of plants and objects. This thesis is my attempt to make sense of our world through the social, corporeal, and sculptural components in my practice. It is a journey that will begin over and over again, and is led by my curiosity in the question: How have we been made?Material experimentationKnowledge-creationHenequén fibreBotanicalsSculptureProcess-oriented practiceBelongingMéxic
A "sleeping beauty" to be awakened: Lawn tennis tourism in Niagara-on-the-Lake, c.1880-1920
No full textPresented at the Douglas College Research Cafe, January 20, 2022