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    A Case Study of Burn\u27s Bog: Issues with Land Reserves and Urbanization

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    The rural-urban fringe topic which we are working on is based on analysis and research of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), in Delta, BC. Specifically, we are focusing on three key aspects: a) an outline of the history of ALR reserve land, b) specific focus on ALR and Urban land use relations, and c) contentions or issues that are present in the case study of Delta\u27s Burns Bog which impacts its presence within the Rural-Urban Fringe. We will also compare the current land use of Burns Bog and Delta with that of ALR\u27s in North America. In the research we are currently doing, methods such as article research, literature analysis and review, examining records of the Delta ALR reserve status and familiarity with how an ALR designation can be instituted or removed from places such as Burns Bog, we hope to determine how land use impacts affect ecologically sensitive areas in Canada. We are concluding our project with further suggestions and linkages to class material, and the future of the Burns Bog ecological area in Delta BC

    The Use of ICTs and Global Social Movements: Amnesty International, a Case Study

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    Transnational Social Movements create opportunities for the average citizen to create change on a global scale. This study covers the main characteristics of transnational social movements and how they have surpassed borders in the global era using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). An analysis of transnational social movements, specifically Amnesty International, shows that these transnational movements are reticulate, polycentric, and segmentary. Their reticulate nature refers to how they function as networks and without borders. They are polycentric because they have centers in numerous countries organizing activism. Finally, transnational movements are segmentary as formal organizations that create platforms for varying levels of involvement. Amnesty International has been a successful transnational social movement because its formal structure delivers many forms of participation and can organize resources for local social issues. The interconnectedness of the world through ICTs provides transnational movements the opportunity to develop a global community that is inclusive, providing political opportunities for activists. Amnesty International began as a movement against mistreatment of prisoners and has expanded its agenda to include various social issues. This organization has utilized ICTs to communicate with people all over the world and mobilize its members. Technology has been an essential tool for transnational movements to connect members to distribute information sometimes using cyberactivism as well as physical transportation. This study contributes to the understanding and importance of using ICTs for transnational social movements to create citizen activists in shadow of global capitalism

    Does Island Living Influence Plumage Colour?

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    Island bird populations usually originate from a nearby continental bird population. Although clearly related, mainland and island bird populations differ morphologically. Island bird populations were observed to show less colourful plumage than their mainland counterparts. Reasoning behind these changes are thought to be due to differences in breeding behaviour, climate, or lighting conditions. The importance of colourful plumage in courting behaviour of birds leads us to question why evolution would pressure for duller feathers in island birds. This study acts to identify if island birds typically display less colourful plumage than those living on the mainland. Birds from three different families of songbirds were observed in this study and were categorized as either mainland or island colonists. We will identify the amount of each of three major plumage variants--structural, carotenoid, or melanin--observed on the island and mainland birds. Additionally, by identifying plumage intensity between male and female birds of each species, sexual dichromatism will be identified. This research is very important in understanding what affects the degree of plumage colour observed on birds. The findings of this research will be compared with song analysis, another major courting behaviour, to see if there is a trade off between plumage colouration and song complexity in island life. This data can be applied to many different future studies, furthering our understanding of bird lifestyle based on geographical locations

    Do Invasive Yellow Perch Outcompete Rainbow Trout for Food? An Analysis of Fish Diets in Windy Lake, BC Prior to Chemical Treatment

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    In 2016, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were discovered in Windy Lake, a small lake between Merritt and Kelowna, BC. This was of concern, due to the ability of the species to compete for food resources among native populations of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), as well as potential for direct predation upon these species, which can reduce recruitment. The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development performed chemical treatment (rotenone) on September 27, 2017, which has presumed to kill all gill breathing organisms within the lake. 4 days were spent prior to treatment gillnetting and angling for all 3 species, and specimens were collected on the treatment day itself. Stomach contents of the 3 species were examined and enumerated in the lab to determine dietary trends and to compare the diets of the species. Preliminary results indicate that Oncorhynchus mykiss were favouring terrestrial insects as prey items, whereas Perca flavescens were favouring benthic (lake bottom) organisms as prey. A large percentage of stomach of both species contained dipteran (fly) pupae, and cladocerans (water fleas). These stomach content data may be compared to rainbow trout populations when they are eventually reintroduced to the lake

    Effects of Magnocellular Selective Inhibition on Dorsal Stream Vision-For-Action Tasks

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    Milner and Goodale\u27s action-perception theory proposes that the dorsal stream enables vision-for-action, like reaching out to grasp an object, whereas the ventral stream enables vision-for-perception, such as recognizing that object. There is evidence that magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) pathways map on to the dorsal and ventral streams but there is no behavioural evidence that the M pathway selectively enables vision-for-action and the P pathway vision-for-perception. We hypothesized that if the action-perception theory extends to the M and P pathways then selective inhibition of the M pathway should impair dorsal stream vision-for-action tasks, but not ventral stream vision-for-perception tasks. Participants performed a grasping (vision-for-action) task by reaching out to grasp a target embedded within an ebbinghaus illusion. They also performed an estimating (vision-for-perception) task by simply opening their index finger and thumb to match the perceived size of that same target. These tasks were performed in a white light condition and a red light condition as diffuse red light is known to selectively inhibit the M pathway. Maximum opening of the index finger and thumb was recorded during both tasks using electromagnetic sensors attached to the participants\u27 fingers. It was expected that the accuracy of index-thumb opening would be impaired on the grasping, but not estimating task in the red light condition. The results are discussed in relation to whether or not this supports the proposition to extend the action-perception theory to the M and P pathways

    Transnational Social Movements: Technology, Occupy Wall Street, and Implications

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    As the world becomes more globalized, so too have international social movements. Since the demise of the USSR and the dawn of the internet, the global debate about social justice has changed dramatically – in both medium and message. The internet has changed the way people organize. It has also changed the ways power structures react to such organization. Social movements are now more diverse, less hierarchical, and more dispersed than they once were. This has both positive and negative effects on organizing. This presentation will focus on the global justice movement and the new organizational paradigm, using Occupy Wall Street as a case study. The most obvious feature of transnational social movements is that they exist both between and within many nations. Rather than unite around one strict common agenda, there is a broader understanding of various overlapping interests. Many movements come together in solidarity with one another to make their voices louder. Twentieth century social movements were marked by hierarchies and a focus on achieving state power on a national level and reconciling class antagonisms. The international Communist and decolonization movements were key twentieth century transnational social movements. Late twentieth century onwards, the “new left” gradually emerged, changing the face of global social movements. The demise of the Soviet Union further eroded the “old left” model. What is known as the global justice movement would largely move into the vacant space. The global justice movement is in many respects a successor to these more militant movements. In more recent years we have seen the left once again considering state power in the form of insurgent candidates like Sanders. What are the implications of this

    Analyzing Instances of Judicial Inferences in Eyewitness Testimony Cases

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    Judges are human, and although our expectation is that they are always unbiased, we know they are not impervious to the natural human inclination to employ heuristics. The aim of the present study is to explore the nature of bias in the form of inferences that appear in judicial discussion of their decisions in order to understand the factors that lead to these types of reasoning in the judiciary. 233 judicial decisions of cases involving eyewitness testimony were selected from the Canadian Legal Information Institute online database. Cases were selected if they were decided between 1980- June 1 and 2016, as very little research regarding the frailties of eyewitness identification was completed prior to 1980. Descriptive case characteristics, discussion of the Sophonow Inquiry Recommendations, and discussion of related research were all coded by the previous researchers Bruer, Harvey, Adams, and Price in Judicial Discussion of Eyewitness Identification Evidence (2017). In the present study, inferences are defined as statements made by the judiciary with no evidence, either in the case at hand or research related, to support them. Inferences are compared to the previously coded case-specific variables. The frequency of inferences within each of the previously coded variables as well as the predictive accuracy of those variables are analyzed. This study has the potential to give us valuable insight into the nature and frequency of judicial inferences and may be applied within the justice system to identify holes in knowledge within the judiciary

    On Repeat: An Exploration of Motifs and Autobiography

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    On Repeat: An Exploration of Motifs and Autobiography is an exhibition of artworks created by thirteen students in VISA 1020, Art Foundation 2. These artworks play off centuries-old pictorial conventions of wallpaper and have provided the students with opportunity to explore imagery of personal interest at the same time as learning the workings of some aspects of digital imaging technologies. This exhibition is the first of three separate exhibition opportunities that, together with one downtown and one in Brooklyn, encourage students in this course to conceptualize artistic exhibition as a primary form of dissemination in their field of study. The exhibition includes artworks by: Cheyanne Abbott, Elisabeth Allchin, Maria-Elena Fava, Andreya Hoy, Meradith Jackson, Patricia Klohn, Ronald Ninsiima, Aliyah Nute, Caleb Oman, Alisha Samreen, Brooklyn Soucie, Abigail Strebchuk, Monica Wing. Visual Arts’ annual graduating exhibition will open on the evening of April 20 and will include the work of students graduating from the Bachelor of Fine Arts Program, the Visual Arts Minor, the Visual Arts Diploma and from certificate programs

    Opening Remarks

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    Grab a coffee and muffin in the International Building foyer, and then join us for Opening Remarks from two of TRU\u27s Undergraduate Research Ambassadors, Megan McFadyen and Brandon Turner, who will get us started with a few thoughts about the value of undergraduate research experiences before our morning lecture sessions

    Rat Infestation: An Analysis of the Black Rat (Rattus rattus) Outbreak around Kamloops, BC

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    Infestations of certain organisms occur when their living conditions are highly favourable. A species that is capable of quickly adjusting to a new environment, has a high reproductive output, no significant predators, and access to abundant resources will flourish. In particular, the Black Rat (Rattus rattus) population has increased rapidly within British Columbia over the last four years. The increase is currently understudied and greater research is needed on the specific distribution of rats and the influences on their population outbreak. Obtaining more knowledge about these factors could be the first step in controlling their population. Using information collected from recent news articles, testimonials, and pest control companies, I have conducted a preliminary study on the Black Rat around Kamloops, British Columbia. This project highlights some known locations of the Black Rat and, additionally, describes their general behaviour and characteristics. I also suggest a theory on the Black Rat’s origin in Kamloops. The goal of this study is to provide a starting point for future research on this topic, including potential control of the species in this location

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