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Louisville Weekly Journal, March 3, 1841
Get PDFAn issue of the Louisville Weekly Journal containing an article on the front page titled “Destruction of the Niagara Falls”. The article is noted to be a hoax at the bottom. The article is purported to be out of the office of the Advertiser, Buffalo, New York on February 14. The article begins “We hasten to announce to our readers and to the world an event in its nature at once the most stupendous and sublime that has ever been recorded in the annals of the wonderful. The Falls of Niagara—the unmatched phenomenon of nature, the centralization of power, grandeur and beauty…IS NO MORE.” The back page contains various illustrated advertisements including some for runaway slaves
On a Mission for Brock: Recollecting a Visit to Guernsey in 1968
Get PDFA related memory of the author's, Julia Gibson Matthews, visit to the Isle of Guernsey in May 1968 as a representative of Brock University.
Julia hand delivered a core sample of the Niagara Escarpment to Bailiff, Sir William Arnold, on behalf of her father, James Gibson, Brock University’s President. During her visit, she also visited a government library to research the death of Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights and met other dignitaries to Guernsey.A related memory of the author's, Julia Gibson Matthews, visit to the Isle of Guernsey in May 1968 as a representative of Brock University
Investigating Neuromodulatory Mechanisms of Cotransmitter Proctolin in Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction
Get PDFProctolin is a neuropeptide that induces or increases muscle contraction in nearly all arthropods. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, proctolin is released onto skeletal muscles as a cotransmitter with the excitatory neurotransmitter, L-glutamate (Glu). This thesis examines mechanisms of action through which proctolin modulates contractions of Drosophila muscles.
Chapter 1 includes a literature review of neuromodulation, cotransmitters, neurohormones and effects of proctolin, and it gives a rationale for the scientific questions addressed in subsequent chapters. Previous work showed that increasing neural activity reduces the threshold and EC50 values for proctolin’s ability to increase nerve-evoked contractions. Chapter 2 provides evidence that this activity-dependence cannot be attributed solely to an increase in Glu release with increasing neural activity. Proctolin potentiates contractions elicited by directly applying Glu to larval muscles but does not consistently shift EC50 values. Effects of proctolin and Glu on contraction are supra-additive but do not appear to be synergistic.
Chapter 3 demonstrates that proctolin increases calcium-induced fluorescence in muscle cytoplasm by itself and enhances calcium signals elicited by Glu. The effect of proctolin is blocked by nifedipine, an inhibitor of voltage-gated, L-type calcium channels in the plasma membrane, suggesting a role for calcium influx. Proctolin failed to increase calcium-induced fluorescence changes induced by caffeine in calcium-free saline, suggesting that proctolin may not act directly on ryanodine receptors (RyRs) that release calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) into the cytosol.
Chapter 4 examines a hypothesis in which activating the proctolin receptor inhibits calmodulin, since calcium-calmodulin complexes are reported to inhibit RyRs at high calcium concentrations, limiting calcium release from the SR. A calmodulin inhibitor, W7, mimicks some but not all effects of proctolin, suggesting that although calmodulin inhibition may contribute to proctolin’s effects, other mechanisms must be involved. Data are presented implicating the possible involvement of protein kinase C (PKC), the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and the plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA), which normally removes calcium from the cytosol.
This thesis adds to our understanding of how cotransmission of proctolin with Glu modulates muscle performance in Drosophila, and it suggests an experimental framework for investigating effects of cotransmitters generally
The Influence of Affect on Cognitive Breadth
Get PDFAffect plays a critical role in how broadly one processes and thinks about information.
Breadth of cognition is shown to relate to, and be influenced by, affect that varies in valence
(negative and positive), arousal (high/activated and low/deactivated) and motivational intensity
(approach and withdrawal). While extensive work has shown support for the influence of affect
on breadth of attention (attentional breadth), there is less research on affect and breadth of
thought (conceptual breadth). The present dissertation investigates: 1) the relationship between
various measures of conceptual breadth, 2) how individual differences in naturally occurring
affect relate to conceptual breadth, 3) how anticipating and experiencing gains and losses
influence conceptual breadth, 4) how differences in trait behavioral approach (BAS) and
inhibition (BIS) relate to conceptual breadth in a monetary incentive paradigm, and 5) how
individual differences in affect relate to filtering of irrelevant information.
In Study 1, three varied conceptual breadth tasks appropriately estimated a conceptual
breadth latent variable. Individual differences in naturally occurring affect were shown to relate
to the common conceptual breadth variability where those who had low arousal positive affect
showed greater conceptual breadth. In Study 2 conceptual breadth scores did not differ when
anticipating gains and losses versus experiencing gains and losses. However, BAS, but not BIS,
modulated the effect of large incentives on cognitive categorization where those low in BAS had
higher conceptual breath following large losses and those high in BAS had larger conceptual
breadth following large gains. In Study 3, individual differences in naturally occurring positive
affect did not relate to the tendency to bind irrelevant and relevant information into memory
(hyper-binding) in a meaningful way across four studies, However, hyper-binding was found in
all studies including age groups where hyper-binding has not typically been shown before.
Evidence from the current dissertation supports the significant role of affect in conceptual
breadth, whether affect is naturally occurring or influenced by incentives, and provides evidence
that individual differences in affect do not underlie individual differences in hyper-binding
The Press, Volume 13, Issue 8, November 4, 1976
No full textThe Press, Volume 13, Issue 8, includes: BUSU fundamental problems: consequences of $8000 loss; BUSU VP Bruce Robert resigns, protest against T-Jay Waldock “assuming too much power”; Eat your Essays; BUSU Prez T-Jay hires volunteer assistant; The War Against Rape; Earp on differential fees: new computer at Brock; International students
The Role of Digital Technology in Supporting English Language Learners: Balancing Engagement and Access in Secondary Schools
Get PDFThis study explores the impact of digital technology on the engagement and learning
experiences of English language learners (ELLs) in secondary classrooms. Through interviews
and focus group discussions with three ELLs, the research identifies key themes in how
students use technology for research, language assistance, and overall learning support. The
findings suggest that digital tools such as smartphones, online dictionaries, and translation apps
play a vital role in helping ELLs navigate linguistic challenges and engage with academic
content. Students rely on these tools to independently clarify unfamiliar terms, conduct
research, and overcome language barriers. Additionally, the study highlights that while ELLs
value technology, they express a preference for balanced integration, with both traditional and
digital methods supporting their learning. As schools increasingly move toward restricting
personal mobile devices, the findings raise concerns about how such policies may hinder ELLs'
access to essential language support tools. The study advocates for a more inclusive approach
to technology integration that considers the specific needs of ELLs and leverages personal
devices to foster engagement and academic success
The Press, Volume 7, Issue 16, January 13, 1971
No full textThe Press, Volume 7, Issue 16 includes: Winter Carnival: Phase III of Project '70 brings about the annual Winter Carnival, a presentation by Richard Needham, a Variety Show, film screenings and theatre shows, War Games, and numerous musical presentations, notably Perth Country Conspiracy and Syrinx; The Art of Trucking: Satirical feature exploring trucking from both a philosophical and psychological perspective; Sour Grapes II: Frank Reynolds is voted in as Business Manager of BUSAC on a vote of two to one after two Executives abstain and one walks out
Emotion Regulation: Is it More Taxing for Adolescents than for Adults?
Get PDFThe capacity to regulate emotions appears to improve with age across adolescence; but adolescence is also a time of heightened emotional intensity (Fjell et al. 2012; Larson & Ham, 1993; Shulman et al., 2016; Steinberg 2008). The coexistence of immature emotion regulation and heightened emotional intensity during adolescents complicates attempts to index improvement in emotion regulation capacity during this period. We used a novel approach to quantify emotion regulation, where participants performed a cognitively taxing working memory task (the N-Back) before and after a manipulation designed to elicit strong negative feelings (anger or embarrassment). Performance on the N-Back should be impaired by strong emotion (Baumeister et al., 2007; Richards, 2004), and failure to improve in performance from time 1 to time 2 on the N-back following emotion elicitation served as our index of difficulties in emotion regulation. To account for emotional intensity, we assessed emotional state before and after the experimental manipulation. We could therefore test whether any age differences in practice-related improvement on the N-back task were robust to adjustment for emotional intensity (the change in the relevant emotion pre- to post-manipulation). A total of 184 participants between the ages of 14 and 17 (Mage = 15.7, SD = 1.1), and 22 and 30 (Mage = 25.7, SD = 2.3) took part in the study. Overall, emotion elicitation interfered with performance on the N-back task in both age groups. As predicted, adolescents’ performance was more impaired than adults’ when the emotion elicited was embarrassment but not anger. This suggests that adolescents’ emotion regulation capacity is weaker than adults’ for at least some emotions. Importantly, this age difference was not attributable to differences in emotional intensity
"It's a very straight space": gender-diverse students' narratives about the library
Get PDFPresentation at Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians conference, June 2022How do students with diverse gender identities experience and perceive the academic library? What can we learn from our students to help develop services, spaces and collections that support their safety and well-being? This presentation will highlight results from a qualitative case study at an academic library by exploring themes related to the students’ experiences with library workers, the library’s physical environment and its collections. The study results position the library as both a source of positive, transformational potential and site of harm and oppression. Students reported experiencing great discomfort while using library bathrooms and study spaces and were distressed by encountering library materials expressing outdated, inaccurate information about gender identity/sexual diversity. They described affirming experiences with library workers while being confronted with library technology – e.g. computers – which deadnamed them. And they questioned why libraries provide platforms to transphobic speakers in the name of intellectual freedom and highlighted the dangers of espousing neutrality. While themes surfaced by this study reflect the participants’ individual lived experiences, they are broadly reflected in survey results, scholarly literature and other works documenting these topics. Finally, this presentation will describe students’ suggestions for how academic libraries can become safer and more inclusive