MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Modulation of covert reflexive attention by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the cerebellum
No full textHistorically the cerebellum is well known for its role in coordinating motor outputs such as walking, balance, and fine motor movements. However, recent research has suggested that the cerebellum may also play a role in cognitive functions such as language, emotion, and attention. Specifically, previous studies in our lab have shown that the cerebellum is involved in covert (i.e. no eye-movements) reflexive attention. In addition, numerous recent studies have demonstrated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – a non-invasive brains stimulation technique – can induce measurable changes in behaviour through altering neural activity in various brain regions, including the cerebellum. In current study, we examined how cerebellar tDCS influenced performance on a covert reflexive attention task in which participants (n=24) had to discriminate between an ‘E’ and a ‘3’. We predicted that the two active forms of tDCS (anodal (+) and cathodal (-)) would show differing results from the control condition (i.e., “sham” tDCS) The findings revealed no significant differences between the two active tDCS conditions and sham tDCS. Methods by which future cerebellar tDCS studies could optimize tDCS stimulation parameters, and behavioural measures of reflexive attention, will be discussed.
Discipline: Psychology Honours
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Strieme
Power Transition Theory and the Middle East: Can We Predict a Conflict?
No full textThis paper will attempt to analyze the current regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran by applying Power Transition Theory tweaked to be implemented in a regional manner. This paper will be divided into four sections, with some inter-lap in the middle sections. The first section will focus on a literature review of Power Transition Theory and the previous theories of International Relations that preceded it. This will include an analysis of the third image of war historically and under Kenneth Waltz and for Power Transition theory will focus on the works of Organshi, Lemke, Krugler and other contemporary academics. The second section of this paper will look at the historical context that shapes the contemporary issues of not only Saudi Arabia-Iran relations but as well as Sunni-Shia relations and Middle Eastern politics at large. The third section will focus primarily on the contemporary issues between the two countries including but not limited to; ethnoreligious divisions, regional hot conflicts and instability (as well as Iran and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in them), and international oil markets. Lastly, this paper will apply Power Transition Theory to see whether or not there a burgeoning conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran is on the horizon or not. This paper will provide not only a predicative exercise of a specific conflict but also a contemporary check on a celebrated conflict theory.
Discipline: Political Science Honours
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jean-Christophe Bouche
Road to Recovery: An Exploration of the Experiences, Perceptions and Challenges of Implementing the Recovery Model into a Forensic Psychiatric Outpatient Setting
No full textIn providing the care and control of individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD), forensic psychiatry attempts to balance the protection of society from potentially dangerous individuals with the treatment of the mental illness and the rights of the individual. A new approach in mental health care is called the ‘Recovery Model’. The Recovery Model is based on the understanding that there should be a ‘recovery in’, not a ‘recovery from’ serious mental illness. In clinical practice, this means that treatment decisions should be made in collaboration with patients and should include their personal circumstances, such as criminality, family relations, socioeconomic standing, culture, and aspirations. The enduring concepts that intersect with these goals are elements of hope, personal responsibility, self-advocacy, education and support, as well as the belief that a person is able to draw on their strengths to address and work through their weaknesses. However, there is little research on implementing the Recovery Model in forensic mental health settings. This project provides an in-depth exploration and evaluation of the Recovery Model as it is practiced at a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic with individuals found NCRMD. Ten participants, including both individuals found NCRMD and psychiatric professionals, took part in semi-structured interviews. This presentation compares the strategies and goals of the Recovery Model with the strategies and goals of rehabilitative/clinical recovery, and examines the experiences, perceptions and challenges of implementing the Recovery Model in a forensic psychiatric setting.
Discipline: Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Gulayet
Timing and location of tick hox gene expression
No full textHox proteins are important regulatory molecules used by almost all animal groups to establish body features during embryonic development. They are produced by a cluster of genes called the hox genes. Since these hox genes are highly conserved across taxa, they can be used to study evolutionary relatedness between different animals and to explain the great diversity of animal body forms observed in nature. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni is commonly found in parts of southern British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan and can spread diseases like the Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tick paralysis. Research has been conducted on the embryonic development of this tick to aid in understanding its life cycle. The purpose of this study is to examine the timing and location of hox gene expression in D. andersoni embryos, using RT-PCR and In-situ hybridization. It is hypothesized that hox genes will be expressed in the early stages of development when body segments are established and appendages start developing. It is expected that the location of expression will vary for each hox gene examined, based on its location in the tick genome. The data can be used to fill gaps in knowledge about tick hox expression and can provide information on tick evolution.
Discipline: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Friese
Belief, Fear and Infrasound
No full textInfrasound is low frequency sound outside of the range of human hearing (<20Hz). Despite this, infrasound is still capable of affecting an individual’s arousal. In an attempt to build on previous research, the present study had participants explore a commercial haunted house in which there were a variety of fearful stimuli. Participants in this study were randomly assigned to either a condition of infrasound exposure prior to exploring the haunted house, or no exposure before exploring. The intent of this study was to look the effect of infrasound on fear. Participants fear and arousal were evaluated via self-report questionnaire, and through video footage from the participants’ direct point of view. Furthermore the effects of infrasound on physiological arousal were examined, both in terms nervous system activity as well as cardiovascular activity. In addition to these direct physiological measures. This data was also correlated with participant personality characteristics and any potential pseudoscientific beliefs that the participants may have held to control for any potential confounds. The researchers hypothesized that infrasound will lead to higher levels of arousal and fear associated responses than the non-infrasound condition.
Discipline: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rodney Schmalt
Pollution Effects on the Legume: Rhizobia Symbiotic Relationship
No full textThe oil-sands are a major industry that in the process of extracting the bitumen, create a byproduct known as tailings which can take decades to settle. One of the components of these tailings is a compound known as naphthenic acid which is the most toxic element. It can hinder reclamation attempts as it is difficult for plant communities to grow and establish in its presence. Our study looks at whether it is possible for legumes to survive in the harsh-conditions of the tailing ponds with the help of rhizobia. We will also look at whether it is possible for the legumes to form this symbiotic relationship to form as the presence of naphthenic acid could deter the relationship from forming. If the legumes could grow in the contaminated soils with the help of rhizobia, then they could be used in the reclamation of the oil sand tailing ponds. *This is a rough draft and will be improved upon*
Discipline: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Christensen-Dalsgaar
Episodic Hyponatremia is Associated with Increased Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients
No full textIntroduction: Hyponatremia is common in many patient populations and has been linked to increased mortality. Hyponatremia in hemodialysis (HD) patients is also common, yet, only cross-sectional analyses are available. The hypothesis of the current study was that not only persistent, but also episodic hyponatremia in HD patients is associated with increased mortality.
Methods: The prevalence of persistent and episodic (short duration (<3 months), high frequency (>=8 episodes) and long duration (>3 months), low (1-3 episodes) and medium (4-7 episodes) frequency) patterns of hyponatremia (plasma Na < 135 mmol/L) was investigated in 2473 patients on in-center HD, using plasma Na levels determined monthly over a median of 4.6 years. Both persistent and episodic hyponatremia are linked to mortality.
Results: Normal sodium over the entire observations period was observed in 34% of patients, episodic short duration, high frequency in 9% of patients and long duration, low and medium frequency in 8% of patients. Both persistent hyponatremia and long duration, low/medium frequency were associated with decrease survival compared to patients without hyponatremia.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that episodic hyponatremia may be just as an important predictor of mortality as stable hyponatremia. This result further implies that a cross sectional analysis of hyponatremic patients undergoing hemodialysis may underestimate the risk associated with hyponatremia due to the potential for its episodic nature.
*Indicates faculty mento
Creating a Cell Free Expression System for the Preparation of Troublesome Proteins
No full textCell-free expression (CFE) is a method of producing proteins by natural processes but without the use of living organisms. This is a very useful method for producing proteins, particularly membrane or toxic protein, and can provide high yields in a short amount of time compared to traditional systems. Our research focused on creating a homemade cell free system, which included preparing the necessary cell lysate, the DNA that encodes for our desired protein, and energy mixes. Our initial attempts at CFE, analyzed by gel electrophoresis and activity testing, have been unsuccessful. We are currently testing the various components of our system against a commercially available CFE kit to help establish optimal conditions that will result in successful protein synthesis.
*Indicates faculty mentor
The effect of stimulation method and frequency on discomfort during neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the human tibialis anterior muscle
No full textMuscular contractions can be generated using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) delivered over the muscle belly (mNMES) or the nerve trunk (nNMES). NMES is used for rehabilitation to generate contractions of muscles paralyzed by spinal cord injury or stroke. However a major limitation of NMES is discomfort. This may be addressed with interleaved NMES (iNMES) where stimulation pulses are alternated between the muscle site and the nerve site, effectively reducing the firing frequency of muscle fibers. In this way, it may be possible to generate contractions of similar amplitude with lower stimulation intensity and thus lower discomfort. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of NMES method and frequency on stimulation intensity, and determine what parameters resulted in the least discomfort. Methods: Stimulation intensity (current) was measured during contractions elicited by mNMES, nNMES and iNMES. Stimulation frequencies of 20Hz, 40Hz and 80 Hz were tested, creating 9 experimental conditions. Participants used a visual analogue scale to quantify discomfort during each condition. Tibialis anterior dorsiflexion torque was measured and kept constant between NMES types. Results: Across NMES methods, discomfort was reduced as current decreased and as frequency increased. mNMES at 20 Hz resulted in the highest average discomfort score, while iNMES at 80 Hz resulted in the lowest average discomfort score. Conclusion: Discomfort depended on both NMES method and stimulation frequency. iNMES may offer an alternative approach to reduce current and subsequently discomfort experienced by users of NMES for rehabilitation, but only when delivered at relatively high frequencies.
*Indicates faculty mentor
Identification of chemical inducers of metastasis-related cell differentiation events using peptide microarrays
No full textThe epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key indicator of cancer progression and metastasis in vivo. The most important inducer of EMT is activation of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway. In addition to initiating EMT, TGF-β is able to cause cancer cells to switch cell states from the non-stem cancer cell (NSCC) to the more invasive and tumorigenic cancer stem cell (CSC) state. Investigation into factors that can activate the TGF-β pathway, and thereby initiate EMT or the NSCC-to-CSC conversion, is therefore of critical importance.
It is well known that the chemical environment immediately surrounding the cell determines cell differentiation events. Small molecules such as peptides, then, can induce such events in cells that are bound to the peptides. In this project, we aimed to identify peptide ligands that were able to induce EMT in cells adhered to the peptide surface. Five peptides previously discovered through phage display (panning against MDA-MB-231 cells) along with three control peptides, were printed onto gold-coated glass slides in a patterned array using a DNA microarray printer and tested against NMuMG cells. The arrays of cells were then fixed and stained for eCadherin (an epithelial marker). We found that after four days of culture on the peptide-modified surfaces, eCadherin levels were decreased on two of the five test peptide surfaces, as well as in both of the positive control peptide surfaces, suggesting that those cell populations underwent EMT. Future studies will indicate whether these peptides can additionally induce the NSCC-to-CSC conversion.
*Indicates faculty mentor