MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Light photography concept for the album design of Pipe Dreams by Jim Walker and The MacEwan Generations Big Band
No full textThe album Pipe Dreams by Jim Walker and The MacEwan Generations Big Band captures the fluidity and essence of Jazz and Big Band in one record. We hear notes of South American, East Indian, and Celtic vibes to start the unique record off. The fusion of Jazz and Big Band in the album has a mix of energy, excitement, and spontaneity in Jazz but the controlled discipline of Big Band. The concept for the album\u27s design was to capture the two sensations of sound and movement into one cohesive creation.
Light photography was used to display the feeling of movement and energy captured from the album. As a soft reminder of the tones used in the first three tracks, the use of dominant flag colours of Brazil, India, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland are displayed in the light painting. To keep a consistent tone, the typeface Abril Fatface is used to echo the feel of Big Band and Century Gothic for the secondary header to keep the balance.
As the light painting streaks across the cover, it guides the viewer to the back with the title tracks and the continuation of the light painting. As we open the album, we slide out the record and insert to see the consistent use of light painting at a macro scale. The use of complementary colours, orange and blue, as subtle reminders of the colours in the light painting from the album cover.
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher 
Designing an Informative Mental Health Visual Novel
No full textVideo games have the potential to provide more than entertainment and these applied games can be designed for education, training, and more. The therapeutic potential of mental health video games is a developing field of study where research suggests they are an inexpensive, accessible, and stigma-free adjunct to therapy. By studying the intersection of mental health education with video games, the visual novel “Telepathic Bearista” was designed to implement cognitive behavioural therapy techniques into a game.
Faculty Mentor: Robert Andruchow 
Incorporating a single-stranded split DNAzyme design concept for use in aptasensors
No full textAptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that have a high specificity for their target molecule. Ligands can range from small molecules to entire cells. Thus, aptamers can be used as biosensors, which is where the term aptasensor stems from. We have proposed to create a novel split-DNAzyme aptasensor for ATP, where two halves of a DNAzyme are separated by a conformation switching aptamer. In our design, when the aptamer is bound to ATP the two halves are separated. When the two halves are together, ATP is not bound and the DNAzyme is functional. DNAzymes are DNA molecules that are capable of catalysis. Our design features the peroxidase mimicking enzyme, which requires the DNAzyme to be rich in guanine residues in order to form a G-quadruplex. The G-quadruplex enables the peroxidase activity which can be detected and quantified through a color change using ABTS. To first characterize the conformational change, we have used DMS Footprinting. We have chosen to first apply our design concept to ATP, since there are readily available aptamer sequences for ATP that undergo a conformational change. However, this design concept can be applied to detect any target molecule in various fields such as microbiology, pharmacy, medicine, forensics, and agriculture.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nina Bernstein 
Optimization of Agar-Overlay Bioautography in Screening Antimicrobial Phytochemicals
No full textAs multidrug-resistant bacteria increase in prevalence, alternatives to traditional antibiotics are needed to mitigate health and economic burdens. Plants are a possible source of new compounds since they represent chemical libraries containing many effective antimicrobial phytochemicals. However, high cost and time burdens are associated with traditional bioassay-guided isolation of plant phytochemicals, delaying breakthroughs. Bioautography, a highly customizable technique that combines agar diffusion assays with thin-layer chromatography (TLC), significantly reduces shortcomings associated with traditional bioassay-guided isolation. This study investigated the application of bioautography in screening for antimicrobial phytochemicals using essential oil mixtures of Origanum vulgare and Eugenia caryophyllus as models of phytochemical extracts. Oil mixtures were spotted onto TLC plates, separated using ethyl acetate and hexane solvent systems, and overlayed with Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar inoculated with Escherichia coli. Following incubation, bacterial lawns were examined for zones of inhibition (ZOI), indicating the antimicrobial activity of phytochemicals separated from oil mixtures. TLC solvent systems, the volume of poured MH agar overlay, triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) application, and oil mixture concentrations were examined to optimize the production of discernible ZOI on agar plates. Conditions were identified that produced optimized ZOI with test samples, and will be validated for use with other plant-derived extracts. Overall, bioautography represents a promising alternative to traditional bioassay-guided isolation, but additional work must be done to optimize this technique for use with other plant-derived extracts and bacterial species.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kimberley Harcombe & Dr. Tina Bot
Analyzing Factors Impacting COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
No full textSince the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine in late 2020, vaccination rates have varied around the globe. Access to a vaccine supply, mandated vaccination policy, and vaccine hesitancy contributes to these rates. This study used COVID-19 vaccination data from Our World in Data and the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 to create two COVID-19 vaccination indices. The first index is the Vaccine Utilization Index (VUI), which measures how effectively each country has utilized its vaccine supply to doubly vaccinate its population. The second index is the Vaccination Acceleration Index (VAI), which evaluates how efficiently each country vaccinated their populations within their first 150 days. Pearson correlations were created between these indices and country indicators obtained from the World Bank. Results of these correlations identify countries with stronger Health indicators such as lower mortality rates, lower age-dependency ratios, and higher rates of immunization to other diseases display higher VUI and VAI scores than countries with lesser values. VAI scores are also positively correlated to Governance and Economic indicators, such as regulatory quality, control of corruption, and GDP per capita. As represented by the VUI, proper utilization of the COVID-19 vaccine supply by country is observed in countries that display excellence in health practices. A country’s motivation to accelerate its vaccination rates within the first 150 days of vaccinating, as represented by the VAI, was largely a product of the governing body’s effectiveness and economic status, as well as overall excellence in health practices.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mohamad El-Hajj & Dr. Mohammed Elmors
BMI and Labour: How does obesity in pregnancy affect intrapartum outcomes for pregnant patients?
No full textA significant number of Canadians are considered obese or overweight; however, there is minimal accessible research which describes the impact that obesity has on labour and delivery. Our group members conducted a thorough literature review to investigate how obesity in pregnancy affects intrapartum outcomes for pregnant patients. Using CINAHL and EBSCO, a boolean search was conducted, using keywords including pregnancy, obesity, C-section, labour, postpartum hemorrhage, respiratory, and similar terms. We limited the search results to those with a publishing date from 2010-2022 and from peer-reviewed journals. Twelve research articles were utilized. Research analysis found that obesity during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, cesarean sections, intrapartum hypertension, and hypoventilation syndrome. It is concluded that maternal obesity is correlated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes during the intrapartum period. Because of this high risk for complications, pregnant patients who are obese should be considered high-risk pregnancies. Further research should be conducted to research the effect of gestational weight gain on intrapartum outcomes for pregnant patients.
Faculty Mentor: Hanneke Croxen 
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as a Predictor of Homelessness in Mothers: A Narrative Review
No full textIncreasingly, research is conducted focusing on mothers and families experiencing homelessness. Mothers experiencing homelessness present as a uniquely vulnerable population. Current research tends to focus on the immediate factors causing homelessness like loss of employment, intimate partner violence, and other economic pressures. The aim of this integrative review was to analyze what research is currently available regarding the lifelong experiences that lead mothers into homelessness. The focus is on the predictability of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a contributing factor of homelessness during adulthood. After the initial search on CINAHL, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX databases, 303 studies were retrieved, and 9 of those studies were included in this project after further screening. These studies were analyzed for repeating patterns, similarities, and differences. The findings lay groundwork for future research in nursing and interdisciplinary health professions. Future directions should consider early nursing intervention in childhood as a preventative measure of family homelessness. Additionally, knowing that ACEs are a predictor of homelessness could assist nurses in tailoring trauma informed treatment when working with homeless families.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Emilene Reisdorfer 
Third-Year Nursing Student’s Physiological Knowledge Retention
No full textThere is a growing concern that medical, allied health & nursing students struggle to retain & apply physiological knowledge in the subsequent years of their disciplines (Narnaware & Neumeier, 2020). However, physiological knowledge retention has not been studied as extensively as anatomical knowledge retention in healthcare, with very few studies focusing on nursing students (Aari et al., 2004). The present study evaluates physiological knowledge retention in third-year nursing students. Students were quizzed on ten major organ systems using an online platform, Kahoot (Kahoot, Inc. Oslo, Norway). The results show that the mean class average in the first year was 64.9 ± 10.5 (±SD), which significantly (P<0.05) decreased to 50.95 ± 9.2 (±SD) in the third year. This equates to a knowledge retention rate of 88.1% or 11.9% knowledge loss within three years. Organ-specific knowledge retention was the highest for inflammation (100%), respiratory physiology (99.10%), and vascular physiology (95.01%), followed by blood (89.16%), digestive physiology (86.28%), endocrinology (83.76%), defences (82.50%) and renal physiology (82.19%). Retention was comparatively lower for fluid and electrolyte balance (79.36%) and reproductive physiology (77.54%). Although organ-specific knowledge retention was found, this study identifies the potential gaps in knowledge retention, which helps develop an effective and robust interventional strategy to improve knowledge retention in nursing students.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Raj Narnaware & Melanie Neumeie
Development of Dopamine-Coated Quartz Tuning Fork: Chemistry Practicum with Fourien Inc.
No full textAnalytical instruments are used in a variety of fields such as pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries to maintain and facilitate good manufacturing practices. A common issue with analytics is that some instruments require large amounts of expensive or not easily accessible compounds, such as blood samples or cosmetics that contain high grade ingredients. As a part of my Chemistry Internship Practicum (CHEM 497), from Jan 2023-April 2023, I interned at Fourien Inc. Their nanoscale instruments alleviate this issue and reduce waste. The Quester is an instrument Fourien developed, that is useful for measuring density, concentration, and other properties of liquids through vibrations and computer program that plots resonance frequencies. It allows for testing to be conducted using a droplet on a small sensor or Quartz Tuning Fork (QTF). In the poster presentation, I will showcase my internship work which involved; i) optimizing multiple QTFs by coating them in dopamine alongside my co-intern; ii) conducting research in dip-coating methods, and efficient yet cost-effective ways to prevent oxidation. Through rigorous rounds of the scientific method, we obtained an experimental procedure for coating dopamine on a quartz tuning fork. Our linear results are in the process of being replicated to provide insight for the scientific community. Throughout the internship I have applied my degree knowledge and practical lab skills to problem solve, communicate, experiment, and summarize data in a professional and self-motivated manner. Ultimately contributing to the field of research and development. These technical and professional skills will be illustrated in the poster presentation.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Samuel Mugo 
Combating Internalized Homophobia: Protective Factors and Their Effectiveness
No full textInternalized homophobia is an adverse consequence that emerges in societies characterized by heteronormativity. Individuals – both sexual minorities and heterosexuals – who are exposed to heterosexual norms as well as unfavourable portrayals of sexual minorities may internalize, or take in, these negative depictions. Deviations from the heterosexual norm may be perceived as ‘unnatural,’ ‘unacceptable,’ or ‘repugnant’ by sexual minorities and heterosexuals alike, and some of these views may be completely unconscious. Sexual minorities are at heightened risk of experiencing various psychological, behavioural, and social distress due to internalized homophobia, whether it is directed at the self or others. Therefore, it is crucial to uncover various factors that protect against internalizing deleterious views of sexual minorities. To this end, the present study investigated four plausible protective factors: self-esteem, social network quality, education level, and degree of exposure to positive portrayals of sexual minorities. The participants included MacEwan University students, as well as recruited sexual minority participants in an attempt to obtain a representative sample. Each participant’s level of internalized homophobia was assessed, and the results were compared to each of the four variables to determine whether any of them had a beneficial impact on preventing the development of internalized homophobia. The current study’s primary objectives are to identify factors that could help those suffering from the adverse effects of internalized homophobia and thereby improve the overall well-being of sexual minorities.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Offrey