MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Language of Suicide
No full textPast research has examined stigmatizing language associated with mental disorders, including influences on the use of noun labels such as stigmatizing attitudes, low state compassion, low trait empathy, and the context of violence. This study initiated a novel focus upon conditions under which the use of the phrase “committed suicide” is deemed relatively more or less acceptable, as well as the influence of this phrase on stigmatizing attitudes.
Discipline: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrew Howel
Scandals Past Coming Back to Haunt you: How Political Ideology Affects us when People Consider Biasing Information Relevant
No full textNaive realism is the idea that people believe they view their world objectively, and without influence from their own biases. However, past research has found that factors from a person\u27s ideological in-group, shapes how they justify and judge their own opinions. People tend to judge actions of their in-group better, than actions from an out-group. To evaluate this idea further, we want to determine whether partisans find political scandals as relevant, or irrelevant when evaluating party leaders. To test this, we will first ask participants to indicate which political parties they endorse, and pre-select self-identified supporters of the Liberal and Conservative Party. They will then read a news article that describes an actual scandal involving the leader of the party. We will be looking for whether people consider the scandal relevant to the leader’s abilities. We predict that when the Conservative leader is implicated in a scandal, supporters of the Conservative Party will not consider this relevant, but supporters of the Liberal Party will. Whereas when the Liberal Party leader is implicated in a scandal, supporters of the Conservative Party will consider the scandal relevant but supporters of the Liberal Party will not. We will also recruit people who support other parties or no party at all to examine baseline responses.
Discipline: Psychology Honours
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Craig Blat
Identify Reformation Through Vegan Communities
No full textThrough content analysis of three relevant research essays, this study examines how vegan communities contribute to the reformation of the cultural identity of vegan-identifying persons. Jessica Greenebaum’s (2012) research on identity and authenticity studies the different ways in which people classify themselves, and how they negotiate and reform their cultural identities. Elizabeth Cherry’s (2006) research on veganism as a cultural movement emphasizes the importance that a strong social network has on maintaining a vegan lifestyle. Finally, Mary Jane Collier’s (2015) article on identity and communication identifies norms, symbols, and meanings unique to the vegan culture and community. I hypothesize that ethical concerns are the main force behind adopting a vegan lifestyle. I want to further understand the role that community plays in forming a vegan identity, and, overall, to affirm that community is essential to maintaining, and thriving in, a vegan lifestyle. Vegan individuals, who are able to connect with other vegans, adhere more strictly to a plant-based diet. In comparison, vegans who do not partake in any social organizations or vegan networks are more likely to adapt the definition of veganism to fit their lifestyle. Community and networks play a considerable role in accountability, and they allow people not only to define themselves as vegan, but also permit others to identify as vegan, too
NMR Spectroscopy of Modified Nafion Membranes
No full textNMR studies of the water dynamics in five different Nafion membranes were performed: N115, N117, NR212, XL, and HP. Experiments were conducted at two temperatures and multiple hydrations using zero and double quantum filtered 2H NMR spectroscopy with the goal of characterizing the differences between the membranes over a range of conditions important in operating fuel cells. Changes in experimental observables provide insights into the changing water dynamics and environments within the membranes. The parameters obtained are discussed in relation to membrane thickness, reinforcement, and membrane preparation method. In addition, the variable temperature studies indicate that the temperature responses cannot be explained using simple models based on increased water kinetics.
*Indicates faculty mento
Investigating the relationship between abiotic factors, canopy openness and understory plant diversity in three forest types of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
No full textThe Neotropical region stands as one of the most diverse places on earth, housing nearly 50% of the world\u27s biodiversity. Various biotic and abiotic factors within the Costa Rican environment have rendered growth conditions conducive to over ten thousand plant species. Because of the high plant diversity in this region, a need for inventorying of understory composition exists. We investigated the relationship between canopy openness, soil moisture, leaf litter and organic layer depth and understory plant diversity within the Osa Conservation area of Costa Rica. We hypothesized there would be a difference in understory composition across three different forest types: old growth, secondary, and gallery forests. Data were collected during the region’s dry El Niño season from February 12 - 24, 2016. Within each forest type, three 25m2 sampling plots were marked along a 100m transect. Understory plants were recorded and identified down to the family level. We constructed rank cover graphs and calculated diversity indices to assess family richness and evenness. We conducted one-way ANOVAs to test for any significant differences in plant abundances and abiotic factors across the forest types. The diversity indices indicated highest diversity in old growth forest. Soil moisture was significantly higher in gallery forest compared to old growth. Certain plant families were more common in secondary forest, suggesting they are early successional plants. We will discuss further in our prepared poster. We hope that our report will positively contribute to the knowledge of the Osa Peninsula understory.
*Indicates faculty mentor
Computational Study of the Structure of Lactoperoxidase and its Active Site
No full textLactoperoxidase (LPO) is an enzyme that fights in the first line of defense against infection. LPO catalyzes the formation of oxidizing chemicals that indiscriminately kill foreign microbes and viruses caught in the mucous membranes of vulnerable body parts, namely of the eyes and upper airways. Because of its importance for the immune system, the molecular structure and efficacy of native forms of LPO against various pathogens have been studied for potential applications in medical therapies. Despite its frequency in research, the mechanism by which LPO converts common ions, such as chloride, into antimicrobial agents has not been resolved in atomistic detail. Thus, we seek to determine catalytic mechanism of LPO using the methods of computational chemistry, which incorporates classical and quantum mechanics to simulate chemical phenomena.
To start, we examined various three-dimensional structures of LPO taken from the Protein Data Bank to estimate the variability and flexibility of the active site and the overall protein. An active-site structural model was then constructed to compute the spatial distribution and strength of intermolecular forces at play in the LPO active site using a force field specially optimized for proteins. The resulting implications to substrate binding and catalysis were analyzed. This allows us to progress to the next stage, where quantum chemical methods will be used to ultimately elucidate the catalytic mechanism of LPO.
*Indicates faculty mentor
Towards purification of antibodies with light
No full textOne of the most common method to purify a particular antibody is done by affinity chromatography. Antibody binding proteins such as Protein A are used to purify antibody from the mixture of proteins and antibodies. The main objective of my project is to design a new method that utilizes light-responsive (LR) affinity-capture ligands for antibody purification. This would vastly improve the quality of purification of the antibodies. Using the LR affinity-capture ligands to purify the antibody can be widely applied to many fields related to biotechnology, life science industry, and pharmaceutical industry. To achieve this, we designed the LR cyclic peptide as affinity ligand that recognizes the constant region (Fc) of the antibody we want to purify. We began with octapeptide sequences that was known to have an affinity to the Fc region of IGg antibody. The octapeptide was attempted to react with the LR azobenzene linker 3,3’-bis(sulfonato)- 4,4’-bis(chloroacetamido)-azobenzene (BSBCA) to create a macrocyclic product, LR-macrocycle peptide. We hypothesized that the LR-macrocycle peptide will have two geometric isomers: one isomer with higher affinity and one isomer with lower affinity towards the Fc region. The peptides were immobilized on paper for observing the affinity difference of two isomers towards the Fc region of the antibody. The data obtained from preliminary study suggested that the LR-macrocycle peptides had different affinities between the two isomers. To further understanding the system, we will be validating the affinity differences of those ligands and will be optimizing the peptide sequences to increase the efficiency of the technique.
*Indicates faculty mentor
Resolution of multiple talkers in a “cocktail party” depends on head movements
No full textHow we resolve and select single voices out of a complex auditory scene is a foundational problem in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology: this is known as the cocktail party problem. In discovering the computational mechanisms by which we resolve spatially distinct sounds, we find that binaural sound localization cues can lead to a front-back ambiguity. Head movements may be critical in resolving these ambiguities. We developed a simple listening task in which participants count the number of distinct voices they hear in a front-field complex auditory scene – with and without head rotations. We found that there was an increase in performance for those listeners using head rotations. We further tested the front-back ambiguities by using the same listening task with talkers in both front and back-fields. This novel listening task allowed us to further test mechanisms of auditory scene analysis that determine the resolution of spatial auditory attention.
* Indicates faculty mento
Learning in a Digital Age
No full textI will endeavour to express my view that using digital media has helped me in my studies. Using digital tools alongside typical techniques of study allows for a broader range of view on a subject. Not only does it allow a greater research base for information but it also offers different points of view that can be used for clarification or clearer understanding.
Discipline: History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shawn Hanna
Time Series Analysis of National League Slugging Percentage (Major League Baseball)
No full textTime Series Analysis of National League Slugging Percentage (Major League Baseball) Major League Baseball records yearly National League slugging percentage values, and for this project the data was examined using a time series with 103 data points, from 1901-2003. The analyses performed include exploratory data analysis such as the plot of the time series, a histogram, a normal QQ-plot, and the Autocorrelation Function and Partial Autocorrelation function of the series. Numerous general choices for which model to select for the data such as Autoregressive (AR) and Moving Average (MA) models were considered, as well as possible transformations or differencing of the data in order to obtain stationarity and constant variance of the series. Once these possible models were chosen, the next step was fitting the models to the series and analyzing the coefficients through parameter estimation, as well as performing a diagnostic check of the residuals for each model. Information Criterion values were also used to interpret the results of the model fitting. To confirm any hypotheses made to that point, predictions were done to evaluate the success of the model in terms of forecasting future values. In this case, the time series including the years from 1901-2003 was used to predict the slugging percentage values for the next ten years, from 2004-2013. Clearly, these results have already been obtained, so the effectiveness of the forecasting was determined decisively by comparing the predicted values and actual values for each model being tested. A convincing choice of the optimal model for this time series was attained.
Discipline: Statistics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cristina Anto