MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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An Economic Impact Analysis of The Ice District on the Hospitality Industry
No full textAn Economic Impact Analysis of The Ice District on the Hospitality Industry
Stadium and Arena projects are some of largest investments undertaken by municipalities across North America. Although there are several different approaches to funding structure, public funds continue to be a key source of investment capital for these projects. This paper explores how to quantify an economic assessment to determine the pecuniary benefits of these projects; a discussion of the possible nonpecuniary benefits; and a case study on the Ice District project in downtown Edmonton focusing on jobs by demographic. This paper is meant to be a smaller piece of larger economic assessment, which will require further studies be conducted.
Discipline: Accounting
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leo Won
Role of Political Affiliation on the Processing of Political Scandals
No full textDuring every election partisans from either side tend to defend their candidates against scandals involving them, while they may repairman the opposing candidates for the same behaviour. Two psychological theories help explain why this occurs: confirmation bias and biased assimilation. Respectively they involve the tendency to interpret information confirming our preexisting beliefs, and to evaluate information in a biased manner. using a controlled and contextually-relevant setting, our study examined if participants would interpret information in order to defend the political party they affiliated themselves with.MacEwan undergrads who identified as supporters of the Liberal or Conservative Parties of Canada were compared to see whether partisans interpret news scandals differently. Partisans read an article involving Members of Parliament from the Conservative or Liberal Parties of Canada, or from New Zealand\u27s United Future Party as a neutral control. The article informed the participants that the MPs were using taxpayers money to fund personal expenses. We hypothesized that they would find the story more relevant to the MPs ability to perform at their jobs if they were from a party they did not support than if the MPS were from the party they did. From our analysis, we found that Conservative and Liberal students were more likely to defend the party they supported, and chastise the party they opposed when they were respectively involved in the scandal. We did not find out effect on other measures. implications and potential explanations will be discussed.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Craig Blat
Ecuador Extractive Imperative and the ITT Initiative
No full textIn Ecuador, following the late 2000’s commodity boom, a populist government invested increased oil revenues into social spending, reducing inequality, and gaining a rare period of political stability. The Yasuní National Park has been the focal point of this dynamic since 2006 when the government endorsed a ground-breaking plan to protect the park called the Yasuni ITT initiative. The initiative’s demise in 2013 raises the question: what explains the government’s initial support of, and then rejection of the ITT initiative? Upon combining the theories of extractive imperative and limited access order, this paper’s thesis is that, given Ecuador’s choice to fund public services through extractive industry rents, reducing extractive industry rents through constraining extractive industries is too painful politically. These theories help to structure a narrative, producing insights into the political dynamic impacting the ITT initiative and its eventual collapse. This thesis pursues its investigation through a case study of Yasuní National Park.
Discipline: Political Sciences (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrea Wagner
 
Development of a Paddle Sensing System for Studying Paddle Dynamics for Dragon Boating
No full textDragon Boat racing is a team sport that involves 20 paddlers in coordination racing against other teams over distances from 200 m to 2000 m. With some races being won by mere seconds, a small desynchronization of the team could mean the difference between winning and losing. Therefore being able to collect data on a rower’s stroke pattern is of great benefit to competitive teams. Using this data a coach can examine stroke profiles for all team members, and address problems as they arise during practice. The objective of this project was to further develop a paddle sensing unit (PSU) that can be used to monitor the paddling patterns of a rower. The improvements were to make the original PSU smaller, mountable to a paddle, and use wireless communication for data transfer. This involved the development of a circuit, designing a housing for the circuit on the paddle, and developing a phone application to collect the transmitted data.
Discipline: Physical Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Orla Aaquist
 
The Anxiolytic Effect of Chlorpheniramine on Zebrafish in the Novel Tank Diving Test
No full textRecent research in rodents has demonstrated that the histaminergic system plays a role in anxiety related behaviours and that histamine antagonists produce anxiolytic responses, possibly by interacting with other monoamine neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. Because zebrafish (Danio rerio) are an excellent model organism for studying the biological basis of anxiety disorders, it is of interest to characterize the histaminergic system in this species. We investigated whether chlorpheniramine, a histamine antagonist commonly used in rodents would produce an anxiolytic response in zebrafish. Since this drug has never been tested in zebrafish, we performed pilot tests to determine two doses (20mg/L and 25mg/L). Fish were dosed through immersion for 10 minutes and tested in the novel tank diving test, which measures the duration that fish spend in the bottom of the tank compared to the top since more anxious fish prefer to dwell at the bottom of a body of water. We found that at the 20mg/L dose, but not the 25mg/L dose, fish were more likely to engage in exploratory behaviour (i.e. spent less time in the bottom zone). This suggests that 20mg/L is sufficient for producing an anxiolytic response in zebrafish. Other doses should be tested to assess the range at which chlorpheniramine is most effective in zebrafish.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melike Schalomon
 
Virtual Reality In Educational Learning
No full textIn this presentation, we explore the uses and affects virtual reality can have on education. We will cover the uses present today and what we have done in our project. The focus of the learning material in our project is on mineralogy, and the tools used to study in this field.
Discipline: Computer Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Davi
Yet the wholly enlightened earth is radiant with triumphant calamity: The Frankfurt School\u27s Critique of the Enlightenment
No full textReflecting upon the horrors of the twentieth century, the Frankfurt School philosophers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer avowed to have found their source in the Enlightenment. In their co-authored book, Dialectic of Enlightenment, they set forth their arguments; the spirit of which was that the Enlightenment enthroned a certain species of reason—instrumental reason, which was aimed at making humans masters of nature. Thus, they argued, knowledge became equated with power, which meant that knowledge was supplanted by know-how. Humans ceased pondering the goodness of ends; instead, they reasoned solely about developing the most efficient means to whatever ends that were given to them. This form of rational insanity culminated in the mass industrial slaughter of the twentieth century, Adorno and Horkheimer contend. In order to assess this critique of the Enlightenment, I return to the eighteenth and seventeenth century primary sources it is predicated upon. Moreover, I attempt to read beyond the texts that Adorno and Horkheimer specifically analyze in order to test the broader validity of their critique.
Discipline: History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly Summer
Infertility in Canada
No full textThe purpose of this presentation is to address Alberta Health Services and the minister of health’s decision to cease funding for a public fertility clinic. The presentation will explore fertility and in vitro fertilization at a national, provincial and local level including private and public costs of treatment, government involvement, and how individuals can advocate for this process to be a publically funded initiative.
Discipline: Nursing
Faculty Mentor: Lisa McKendrick-Calde
The Impact of Infrasound on Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Zebrafish
No full textLow frequency sound permeates the modern world, generated by both natural and human-made sources. Known as infrasound, these soundwaves have frequencies below 20 Hz, which is below the threshold for human hearing. The presence of infrasound in aquatic environments, generated by ships, underwater ocean turbines, and offshore wind power generation could be detrimental to fish population dynamics. Previous studies have shown that fish like salmon and eels will display avoidance to infrasound, making it an effective deterrent around the inlets of hydroelectric dams. Zebrafish have become a popular choice of research organism, due to their low cost and ease of care. The behaviour, development, physiology, and genetics of these fish have been studied extensively, making them ideal for understanding the mechanisms underlying observed behavioural effects. As prey animals they are extremely well suited for examining anxiety-like behaviours in tests like the open-field test and novel tank diving test. In this study, we examined the impact of 10 Hz and 15 Hz infrasound on zebrafish behaviour in the open-field test. Fish were habituated for 5 minutes in the arena, and subsequently exposed to infrasound (or control conditions) for 5 minutes. Video was recorded and analyzed for distance moved, time spent in zones, immobility and meandering. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups on any of the variables. The results suggest that zebrafish are not affected by infrasound at the frequencies and amplitudes tested.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Trevor Hamilton
 
Identifying Online and Edmonton Community Based Support Groups for LGBTQ Young Adults with Cancer
No full textThe current study examined websites and brochures to determine and identify the emotional support networks that exist for young adult LGBTQ with cancer. Using content analyses, the researcher coded themes of support groups online and in the Edmonton community. Although no sources could be identified that were established specifically for young adult LGBTQ cancer survivors, the findings revealed 21 resources appropriate for young LGBTQ adults and/or young adults with cancer as described herein.
Discipline: Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Diane Symbalu