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1287 research outputs found
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To Develop a Method for HPLC-DAD Analysis of Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid and Caffeine in Kombucha Drink to Compare Commercial Beverages
No full textKombucha is a fermented tea product that has been increasing in popularity in recent years. The beverage is typically consumed for the potential health benefits that it may bring. The production of the tea is fascinating itself, where it can either be made at home or commercially and is widely available in supermarkets. This research project investigated the development and optimization of an analytical method using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD) to separate, identify, and quantify acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid and caffeine in commercial Kombucha products. A future goal of this project is to incorporate this analysis into a third year analytical laboratory course at Thompson Rivers University
Investigating the Chemical Composition of Three Propolis Samples Using 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy 1 NNMR
No full textThe resin found in propolis is known to have antimicrobial properties and for that reason it has been used since ancient times for many healing purposes. Flavonoids and aromatic acids are responsible for these antibacterial properties. Propolis is made up of natural resinous substances collected by honeybees from selective vegetal sources, which they then mix with their saliva. Honeybees synthesize the propolis and utilize it for various applications that are necessary for hive survival. Some of these uses include the antibacterial metabolites that provide defense against invaders, sealant for gaps in the hive, sterilization of the queen bee site so that the queen remains healthy, and mummifying insects that can not be carried out the hive. In this project, three propolis samples, isolated and obtained from different sources, are investigated for their differences and/or similarities in chemical composition and purity using 1H NMR spectroscopy. The antimicrobial assays for the propolis samples will not be conducted during this project because the propolis antibacterial activity has been previously identified against varieties of pathogenic microorganisms. However, I wanted experience with such assays so as an addition to my project on propolis, I have completed Kirby-Bauer assays for inodolicidin, an antimicoribal peptide isolated from bovine neutrophils, against selected pathogens. Indolicidin, a polycationic antimicrobial peptide has effective antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of microorganisms and multidrug-resistance organisms
Isolation and Quantification of Microvesicles Using Size Exclusion High Performance Liquid Chromatography (SEC-HPLC)
No full textSmall extracellular vesicles are lipid bilayer enclosed constructs that are released by most cells in a variety of different environments through the process of exocytosis(Xu et al., 2016). The importance of these vesicles can been seen in cellular signalling, cellular environment modification and molecular processes in diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders (Sáenz-Cuesta et al., 2015). Efficient and effective methods for isolating and quantifying high-quality extracellular vesicle samples is crucial for effective use and manipulation of these vesicles. To date there is no cost-effective, easy and standard method for the isolation of these vesicles. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use HPLC size-exclusion chromatography to replicate a novel isolation protocol (Huang et al., 2015) in an attempt to establish a routine method to isolate and quantify these vesicles. These SEV’s range in size from 40-300nm (Xu et al., 2016); therefore, Sepharose CL-2B will be used as the size-exclusion medium due to the nature of the pore sizes formed in the Sepharose matrix. The vesicles used were isolated from human plasma samples, centrifuged (Sáenz-Cuesta et al., 2015) and applied to the size exclusion column using a high performance liquid chromatography instrument. The presence of cellular contents in the eluate was determined using a UV detector within the HPLC. Further specific identification of the isolated microvesicles will be determined using FITC conjugated anti-human CD41 antibodies and fluorescence detection. These methods will yield a routine and easy method to isolate and quantify extracellular vesicles, which is critical to obtaining high quality samples for further characterization
Antibiotic Resistance in Soil Fertilized Using Biosolids
No full textAntibiotic resistance has become a major issue in the medical field, and appropriate management of potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes and organisms are important to reduce their spread. A concern when using biosolids from human waste as a fertilizer is the possibility of concentrating and spreading these antibiotic resistance genes in the environment.
In this experiment, qPCR was used to screen for 15 different antibiotic resistance genes to determine the difference in antibiotic resistance gene content for soil samples with and without biosolids (0 Mg/ha, 100 Mg/ha or 250 Mg/ha). Following qPCR, the amplification of antibiotic resistant genes was confirmed using gel electrophoresis. In all samples, the antibiotic resistance gene content was below the limit of detection for the assay conditions. These findings suggest that copies of antibiotic resistance genes are negligible in soils with and without biosolids additions from 0.09ng to 4.8ng of total community DNA. These findings are, however, inconclusive in showing whether differences between these treatments exist at higher resolution. This work provides foundational information for future surveys of antibiotic resistance genes in soils treated with biosolid
Comparing Stick Nest Sites Over an 18 Year Period: An Analysis of Stick Nest Habitat in the Hinton Forest Management Area
No full textForest management procedures often call for stick nests (as created by a number of forest birds) to be preserved where possible. We looked at the distribution of stick nests across a working-forest landscape, in west-central Alberta to determine if the locations of the nests, as amassed by forest workers between 1999 and 2017, appear randomly-distributed across the landscape or are biased towards various habitat metrics. There are two central research questions: A. Are habitat metrics associated with the stick nests markedly different from that generated randomly and B. Do these stick nest metrics remain consistent over time? I compiled spatial data from historic inventories of stick nests in this managed forest. Habitat information was then compiled using the most accurate GIS layers corresponding to the particular years of stick-nest reporting. I similarly collected data from paired, random plots. Metrics for review were pre-selected based on the existing body of knowledge and represented five spatial scales. Using conditional logistic regressions, models are being fitted to determine the best predictors of stick nest occurrence. Understanding how habitat attributes influence stick nest locations relative to forest attributes will allow forest managers to manage for suitable habitat conditions over extended periods of time and over large spatial areas, consistent with an ecosystem-based management approach. This work will further provide a context for appropriate monitoring programs and tracking of stick nests through time. As stick nests are a special management feature, this research will have implications for how stick nests are inventoried on the landscape, and may suggest how nesting behaviour by birds may shift across the shifting, successional landscape. Although my work is a pilot study, it will provide valuable information for future analysis, data collection, and planning
The Impact of Home Restrictions and Government Regulations on Adolescent Smoking Behavior in Canada
No full textThis study examines smoking behaviour among Canadian adolescents ages 12 to 19 as a function of factors such as the number of smokers in the home, home restrictions on smoking, provincial regulations, the price of cigarettes, education level, and household income. Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey from 2011-2012, this study attempts to measure the significance and impact of each factor on adolescent smoking through regression analysis. Reducing adult smoking is an important challenge for the health policy makers. One way to reduce adult smoking is to curb adolescent smoking. In this sense, the results of this study will benefit policy makers since this study will identify factors that can curb adolescent smoking
Populism and the Revival of Economic Nationalism in the United States
No full textGlobalization is not present in all spheres of humanity and because it is not fully integrated, society is being confronted with some major issues. Globalization processes are present in economics through the global free-market economy, in social connectivity through technologies such as the Internet, and in the environmental issues we face as a planet like climate change. In the political sector, a promising global governance system has yet to be seriously suggested; however, it may be what is necessary to confront problems that stretch beyond national borders. A main concern stems from the negligence of transnational corporations (TNCs). TNCs act to maximize their profits, which brings economic insecurity to all nations working within the global economy, including developed nations.
In response to the economic effects of globalization, populist movements, such as economic nationalism, are experiencing a revival in politics. Some developing nations have responded to their insecurities by retreating from the global vision and turning their priorities back to protecting their nationhood. In the quest to ‘Make America Great Again’, populist Donald Trump based his campaign for president on a vision of economic nationalist reform to revive the American middle class. Trump’s intentions are questionable, as corporatization of the federal government seems to be reverting US policy in favour of the establishment. This presentation will examine populism in the context of the resurgence of economic nationalism in the US and discuss whether or not it could have any meaningful effect on the so-called winners and losers of neoliberal globalization
The Future of Our Cities: The Direction For Sustainable Growth
No full textIn the past, municipalities struggled to take control of development in areas within their own boundaries. Rapid urbanization put stresses on cities and caused them to continually expand outward which created the unsustainable urban sprawl that affects the majority of them today. This presentation reviews the ways in which cities are changing to become more sustainable and optimized; some of the ideas proposed are densification, ride-sourcing, the creation of more green-spaces, and the utilization of Smart-City Principles. These ideas all need to be considered for our cities to be developed in the future if they are to be successful and sustainable for generations to come
Indigenizing TRU: Past – Present – Future
No full textThis Round Table invites participants into a conversation about past, present, and future Indigenization efforts, challenges, and success at Thompson Rivers University. Indigenous and non-indigenous presenters are from the School of Social Work, Education, as well as Open Learning and share what Indigenization initiatives have been accomplished to date, and where future efforts can and should be directed
Introduction to Community Service-Learning (SRCL 1000)
No full textIntroduction to Community Service-Learning is a popular general elective open to first to fourth year international and domestic students from a variety of disciplines across campus. Every semester each student volunteers at one of 35 local not-for-profit organizations for a full semester. Students are required to complete 24 hours of service as part of their course work. In this poster session, 10 not-for-profit organizations will be represented by 25 SRCL 1000 students and one visiting scholar. They will demonstrate personal reflections on their service experiences, how their experiences connect to the course work and their organizations, and what they will take back to their own communities after the course is over. The non-for-profits represented are:
11:00 am - 1:30 pm: JUMP (Zifan Guo, Connor Shanks-Sim, Wongsapat Piammanastham & Junhao Li) The Kamloops Food Bank (Austin Ngai & Di Zhang) The ReStore - Habitat for Humanity (Cranstonique Johnson & Sahithi Yarlagadda) St.John Ambulance (Dany Shumbusho) Maple Leaf School (Xingtong Ye, Kanwalpreet Kaur & Wenxuan Fan) BC SPCA (Junxiu Lai, Zhixuan Li, Yuhui Xi & Ayano Yasuda)
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: JUMP (Tatsuki Shintani, Jinfeng Liu, Yoonkyung Lee, Jingyi Wu & Dhanesh Godbole) Kamloops Immigrant Services (Kazim Amirali) Overlander Residential Care (Francine Smith) Chartwell - Ridgepointe Seniors Living (Ryoko Nanahara & Hina Shimizu