MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Analysis of Potential Anti-Cancer Effects of Cannabinol and Cannabidiol using HCC1806 and HEK293 Cell Lines
No full textHumans produce endocannabinoids that act as neuromodulators in the endocannabinoid system. They bind to Gαi protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors to control the release of many neurotransmitters. Cannabinoids receptor 1 (CB1) mediates psychoactive effects through its location mostly in the central nervous system while Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) regulates various immune responses through its location in peripheral tissues. The endocannabinoid system has been used as a molecular target by research to treat diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, obesity and inflammatory pain. Thus, the endocannabinoid system is a potential molecular target to treat cancer. With the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana and with growing number of patients using cannabis for medicinal purpose, there is an urgent need to provide data on potential medicinal value of cannabis and cannabinoids.
The Cannabis Sativa plant naturally synthesizes numerous different cannabinoids of which (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD) have promising properties in cancer treatment. CBD is a phytocannabinoid known for its anticonvulsant and anti-nausea properties. Previous research suggests that CBD can target breast cancer cells while preserving normal cells. CBN is another phyotocannabinoid with anti-inflammatory properties that can potentially aid to reduce inflammation resulting from cancer. This study aims to determine if CBN and CBD have an effect on cancer cells and normal cells. We hypothesize that we may observe an increase in apoptosis of cancer cells treated with the two compounds but no effect or perhaps even a slight increase in normal cell growth. Preliminary data in lab suggests that these compounds have anti-cancer properties and we want to solidify this evidence through repetition of the experiment. Various concentrations of CBN and CBD were administered separately to HCC1806 breast cancer cells and HEK293 normal human kidney cells for 24 hours before conducting apoptosis and cell cycle assays to determine if the cannabinoids had induced cell death or affected proliferation.
*Indicates presente
Re-Naming Conservation Lands in the Cree Language: A Project Undertaken by amiskwaciy Academy Students
No full textamiskwaciy Academy students enrolled in the Introduction to Indigenous Studies (INDG 100) dual-credit course engaged in a community service learning project in partnership with Edmonton and Area Land Trust to name, in the Cree language, conservation lands outside of Edmonton. amiskwaciy students will present on the processes they engaged in to name the lands as well as the significance of the name chosen and of the project more broadly.
Discipline: Open Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Emily Miln
Effect of Orientation-Specific Adaptation on Face Perception
No full textHuman observers are more sensitive to faces than any other visual stimulus. Recent evidence suggests that the most important information in faces for recognition is contained within horizontally oriented frequency bands of the face image (Dakin & Watt, 2009). This study focused on evaluating if orientation-specific adaptation influences face recognition. If face processing heavily depends upon horizontal information, then selectively adapting those mechanisms should reduce observers’ ability to recognize faces. The first experiment tested participants’ ability to discriminate between faces after adaptation. The results indicated that orientation–specific adaptation did not impact participants’ face discrimination skills. During the first experiment, participants subjectively noticed a distortion effect after adapting to the horizontal and vertical adapting stimuli. Therefore, the second experiment was designed to determine whether adaptation might influence the perceived distortion in participants after horizontal adaptation. There was a significant difference between adaptation conditions in the perceived distortion of faces. These results suggest that low-level orientation adaptation may influence certain aspects of face recognition.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicole Anderso
Sulfur Composition of MacEwan Meteorites
No full textMeteorites contain a wide variety of sulfur species: sulfates, sulfides, organic sulfur, and elemental sulfur. Sulfur in meteorites is thought to be in a form that resembles the sulfur on Earth before the formation of the hydrosphere. Thus, through investigations of the composition of these meteorites, insight can be gained regarding the formation of the Earth, and consequently, the formation of life. The goal of this project was to perfect wet chemistry techniques to deferentially extract the sulfur species to determine the relative masses of the different species. Multiple extractions with different solvents were used to separate the species based on their chemical and physical properties. Although all the species contain sulfur, the properties of them vary immensely. The MacEwan meteorites collection contains a wide variety of meteorites, including carbonaceous chondrites and a lunar sample. The techniques developed during the beginning phase of the project were applied to extract from one of the rocks, and will be used in future projects to extract sulfur from all rocks in the collection.
Discipline: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Hilts
 
Student Experiences in Virtual Project Teams
No full textThe presentation will explore MacEwan student experiences participating in a virtual project team as part of a pilot “Introduction to Project Management” course in collaboration with the University of Economics, Prague. Though in-depth interviews, we will describe student experiences and identify challenges faced while working within a virtual team. We hope to use the results to provide recommendations to improve the student experience for future participants of the international collaborative program.
Discipline: Accounting
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rickard Enstroe
The End of the Age of Innocence: Modelling the Age of Victim\u27s of Lethal Force Through Regression
No full textIn recent years the police in the US have come under fire. The public is quite vocal in questioning their ethics. One claim that is made is that young Black men are often the target of lethal force. We will take and exploratory look at instance of lethal force in the US to see if the age of the victim can be modelled using variables related to the event and the city that it took place in.
Discipline: Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brian Francza
A Qualitative Inquiry into the Impact of an Arts-Based, Self-Portrait Assignment on Third Year Child and Youth Care Students
No full textA growing body of research shows that arts-based teaching and learning has the power to energize and promote student engagement by increasing opportunities for students to articulate their learning in many different ways. It is particularly effective for students who tend to struggle with the fast-paced and highly structured nature of mainstream education, which favours primarily cognitive and verbal forms of teaching and assessment. This study contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by reporting on the learning experiences of third-year child and youth care (CYC) students involved in an arts-based self-portrait assignment.
Discipline: Child and Youth Care
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gerard Bellefeuill
Ophira - Invisible Cities Abridged
No full textIn this experimental typography project, I translated sections of the novel, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972), into layouts that aimed at pushing the boundaries of how literature is read. I was assigned to two of the fifty-five cities described in the novel, and to two dialogues between the two protagonists, Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. As I worked with the content of the piece, I was encouraged to challenge convention by exploring: alternative ways to organize the page; linear and non-linear representations of the text; the integration of text and image; and the nuisances of written and spoken language through linguistic deconstruction, pace, rhythm, and other techniques.
Discipline: Design Studies
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher
 
Scottish Youth and Antisocial Behaviour: A Literature Review and Comparative Study
No full textThis study intends to address antisocial behaviour in Scottish youth living in Glasgow and investigate whether there is a link between the history of clan system values and youth behaviour. In 2004, the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004 was implemented to deter adults and youth from committing acts considered antisocial. I want to know if the clan structure in Scotland has increased antisocial behaviour in Scottish youth and identify how a youth service is attempting to combat the behaviour. Specifically, the questions this study will address include how the clan system values and beliefs are instilled in the current society and whether it promotes antisocial behaviour, what are the effects of Labelling Theory, if any, whether a youth service in Glasgow is successfully combating the behaviour and if so, how, and how this youth service compares to a youth service in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Furthermore, Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBO’s) are implemented to restrict an individual’s conduct as outlined in the Order, I would like to identify whether the ability for youth to change their behaviour are hindered by these ASBO’s. I will conduct a literature review addressing the issues mentioned, as well as a comparative study of a youth service located in Glasgow and Edmonton. I intend to interview both services in Glasgow and Edmonton to identify what is being done to improve youth behaviour and what Edmonton can learn from Glasgow and vice versa.
Discipline: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Annetta Latha
The Effects of Cannabis on Cognitive Functioning
No full textAs the perceived risk associated with cannabis use is decreasing, the rise of the number of people trying cannabis and becoming regular users is increasing. Furthermore, as Canadian law makers are currently in the process of legalizing cannabis, it is crucial to gain a greater understanding of both the immediate and long-term effects associated with cannabis use. There is clear evidence that the intoxicating effects of cannabis include impairment of cognitive abilities. The duration of the acquired deficits is unclear, however, and the evidence implicating harmful effects to brain structure is ambiguous. Several methodological challenges will need to be addressed to empirically address these important gaps in our knowledge about cannabis. The present review considers reports from investigations of cannabis effects on verbal learning and memory, premorbid intellect, and spatial working memory as measured by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), WAIS-IV/WASI-III Vocabulary Subtest, and WAIS-IV Spatial Span Task, respectively. Variability in prior results may relate to methodological differences that include sample age or exposure to cannabis (dose, frequency, duration). A lack of consensus on the most appropriate cognitive measures also limits cross-study comparison. As such, it is imperative for research to use the most effective methods to study the potential effects cannabis has on cognition. With the upcoming legalization of cannabis it is urgent to better understand the effects of cannabis use; whether beneficial, harmful, or non-existent.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexander Penney