MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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A Gentle Introduction to the Korteweg-de Vries equation, Solitary Waves, and Applied Partial Differential Equations
No full textThe study of partial differential equations can be a daunting one, yet they have countless applications across diverse subjects of inquiry. We introduce one such application here with an aim to illustrate that, contrary to any appearance of being arcane and impenetrable, important partial differential equations may be presented and made accessible to a general audience. Here we introduce the Korteweg-de Vries equation, explain its historical development and significance, illustrate some properties, derivations, solutions, and applications, and in particular its relevance to the study of solitary waves and the more general class of objects known as Solitons. By illuminating the elegance of partial differential equations and demonstrating that they are not an intimidating subject, we hope to foster greater appreciation for the them, while providing an idea of just what the study of partial differential equations entails to those who may be interested in taking up the study of partial differential equations themselves.
Discipline: Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ion Bic
The Markov Chain Perspective of Roulette
No full textRoulette is a popular casino game. Parallel to card counting in Blackjack tables, most Roulette players believe that there is a way of winning against the house. This study is an attempt to establish a playing strategy for the game. The outside game of the Roulette is redefined through a player’s perspective and is represented by a Markov Chain. A thorough analysis on the Markov Chain representation of the Roulette is conducted to see if there is indeed a way to increase the odds for a player to have profit from the game.
Discipline: Mathematical Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cristina Anto
Democracy in the Information Age: The Death of Consciousness
No full textThe Information Age has produced a society where data has become the principal commodity; where citizens are valued by the information they can provide to institutions. When applied to the democratic process, how will political campaigns utilize this technology to advance their campaigns? What is the impact of Big Data and predictive analytics on individual autonomy and how does this contribute to an increasingly fragmented society? The 2008 United States Presidential election instituted a new norm of political practice. The early stages of predictive analytics, provided by user generated data, enabled the campaign to isolate subsets of potential voters and persuade them into active participants. As the norm of quantitative campaigning became increasingly entrenched, the 2016 Trump campaign would demonstrate the current apex of its application. Utilizing sophisticated Big Data analytics, with support from Cambridge-Analytica and the Giles-Parscale agency, the Trump campaign created individual behavioral profiles of over 215 million voters. Who they would then strategically target to mobilize or de-mobilize the population in fault line States. The advent of the Internet enabled the development of mass scale data operations; when applied to quantitative marketing techniques, it allows for legacy institutions to strategically manipulate individuals to their preferred outcome. The predictive analytical techniques, that have been embedded throughout democratic societies are directly contributing to an increasingly fragmented society. As legacy institutions obtain more data they will increase their capacity to manipulate populations; changing the nature of political consciousness and contributing to an increasingly fragmented polis.
Discipline: Political Sciences (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jean-Christophe Bouche
Associations Between Music Perception and Spelling Errors in Adults
No full textMany studies have investigated the link between reading-especially word decoding, which is identifying or "sounding out" words-and auditory skills. Because reading and spelling rely on many of the same sub-skills, it is reasonable to hypothesize that music skills are associated with spelling as well. However, fewer studies have examined this link, and none have examined whether musical abilities are associated with spelling error type. Phonological errors occur when a phoneme is missing or incorrect (e.g., "ca" instead of "cat"), revealing difficulty with speech sound processing. By contrast, orthographic errors occur when a word is spelled plausibly but incorrectly (e.g., "throte" instead of "throat"), revealing difficulty with memorizing orthographic patterns. Individuals with dyslexia, who also show music perception impairments, exhibit many phonological errors. We examined whether music perception and music training were associated with spelling in undergraduate students. Participants completed a spelling test, a measure of general cognition, as well as the Profile of Music Perception Skills, and Beat Alignment Test. We also collected information on demographics and personality. Spelling errors were coded as phonological or orthographic. We expect that music perception skills and duration of music training will be negatively associated with phonological spelling errors. These results have the potential to clarify the association between music and spelling skills. The findings may have important implications for providing musical interventions to poor spellers.
Discipline: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Corrigall
 
Shaping Scientific Minds: Teaching Scientific and Critical Thinking Skills to Junior High School Students
No full textFrom primary school to undergraduate training, critical thinking is oft cited as a key component of education. Unfortunately, the term is often poorly defined, and the strategies used to teach critical thinking do not always have empirical support. The goal of this research is to validate a short term intervention for junior high school students designed to enhance critical and scientific thinking skills. In this study, we are employing a mixed factorial design to investigate the impact of a single 60 minute teaching session focused on critical thinking. Following this students in different classes will be tested throughout the term on measures of critical thinking, belief in pseudoscience, and overall trust in science. We expect to see an increase in scores on the critical thinking exam, a decrease in paranormal belief, and an increase in trust in science after the intervention. This intervention is one that could easily be employed by any high school or university instructor.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rodney Schmalt
Benefits and Challenges of Incorporating the User’s Hands with a Traditional VR Headset
No full textVirtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology which has been used in educational applications such as simulators and training. Until recently, computer hardware has not been powerful enough at the commercial level to provide the large amount of processing power necessary to smoothly run the simulations and allow an immersive experience. The current research project focuses on the use of a LEAP motion sensor along with a traditional VR headset (Oculus Rift DK2) to create an immersive experience for users in a virtual escape room. Discussion will focus on the benefits and challenges that were encountered throughout the project.
Discipline: Computer Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Davi
Masculine Righteousness in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards.
No full textFrank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1968) and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards (2009) both suggest the need for an outlaw to address the lawlessness that cannot be engaged through legal measures. The image of a vigilante acting on a personal perception of justice is noticeable particularly through Batman and the Basterds. These two focus groups reflect a paradoxical reaction to the act of confronting crime and societal injustices by exerting their hyper-masculinity (aka an overly masculine performance) to gain a sense of dominance over their enemies. The idea of masculine violence is commonly portrayed in most action genre films, especially Marvel and DC superhero movies. By embodying the persona of a Cowboy (as an emasculated figure typically seen in spaghetti Western films), Batman and the Basterds apply their personal perception of how to fight crime through the infliction of ethically questionable violence. Miller and Tarantino explore how the perception and acts of Western Cowboys influence the American perception of masculine righteousness.
Discipline: Englis
Antifreeze Protein Expression in Ticks
No full textIn order to survive freezing temperatures, poikilotherms must engage in a variety of physiological mechanisms. While this may involve increasing production of solutes like glycerol, these colligative means are often insufficient for survival. Therefore, antifreeze proteins are a common way for poikilotherms to prevent cellular injury and survive freezing temperatures. Antifreeze proteins have been identified in a variety of organisms including animals, plants, bacteria, and arthropods, such as ticks. Antifreeze glycoproteins have been identified in two tick species to date, although other types of antifreeze proteins exist. While the DNA sequences responsible for these two tick antifreeze proteins is known, the presence and sequence of antifreeze proteins in other tick species remains elusive. Therefore, this research studied two common Alberta tick species, Dermacentor andersoni and Dermacentor variabilis, in an attempt to identify and isolate their antifreeze protein DNA sequences. This was done through isolation of their mRNA, followed by formation of cDNA by RT-PCR, and PCR with this cDNA using primers from previously identified antifreeze sequences. This research has significance in understanding the evolutionary history of these ticks, potential ranges of diseases they can carry, as well as potential uses in biotechnology.
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Friese
The Effects of Healthy Built Environments on Perceived Quality of Life
No full textThe environment built around us by political and municipal governing bodies plays an important role in the general populations’ accessibility to resources needed for life satisfaction. By having a greater access to health knowledge, important amenities, and engagement in physical activity, our overall health and well-being can be improved. The goal of this study is to examine the walkability and accessibility within neighbourhoods and their effects on perceived quality of life in participants residing in Edmonton, Alberta. This research will further build on previous data obtained demonstrating direct linkage between neighbourhood walkability and increased health benefits. In addition, by improving overall health, communities can further increase the life satisfaction of its inhabitants through socio-spatial analysis. A rating calculated by the Walk Score algorithm will be used to identify the walkability of Edmonton neighbourhoods. This information will then be compared to secondary data obtained through a survey completed by the City of Edmonton (Edmontonians’ Perception Survey – Quality of Life Survey) to determine if the increased walkability within a neighbourhood has an effect on the participants’ perceived quality of life.
Discipline: Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Bur
Examining Correlates and Consequences of Implicit Theories of Social Anxiety
No full textA small but growing literature concerns the application of implicit theories (i.e., incremental and entity mindsets regarding the stability or malleability of attributes, respectively) to disorders and their symptoms. Implicit theories of social anxiety were explored through two studies. The first, cross-sectional study (N = 274 undergraduate participants) examined correlations among implicit theories of social anxiety and social anxiety symptoms, emotional regulation, help-seeking, and behavioural engagement. As predicted, incremental mindsets were correlated with lower social anxiety, greater use of emotional reappraisal, more help-seeking behaviour, greater behavioural activation and less behavioural inhibition. In a regression analysis, incremental mindsets predicted social anxiety symptoms above and beyond the remaining variables. The second, experimental, study (N = 132 undergraduates) randomly assigned socially nervous participants to a condition in which an incremental mindset of social anxiety was cultivated or to a control condition and examined whether emotional regulation and help-seeking increased in the experimental condition. Significant differences emerged between groups on the endorsement of incremental versus entity mindsets regarding social anxiety, but not on the main outcome variables of emotional regulation or help-seeking. Overall, the current findings warrant additional research of implicit theories of social anxiety, such as whether a stronger manipulation of mindsets affects outcomes, especially among clinically socially anxious people.
Discipline: Psychology (Honours)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrew Howel