MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Tiny prey for a tiny owl: Studying nesting diet of Northern Saw-whet Owls in Alberta
No full textNorthern Saw-whet Owls, Aegolius acadicus, are small boreal owls that thrive in mature forest ecosystems, utilizing abandoned tree cavities or man-made boxes for nesting. Pellet pads were collected from such nest boxes placed by the Beaverhill Bird Observatory between Tofield, AB and Miller, AB. They contain valuable information on the quality and quantity of food brought back to the nest. Taken from years 2005 and 2007, thirteen pellet pads from thirteen different nest boxes have been investigated to find, identify, and quantify 876 prey individuals. Each nest box contained a minimum of 41±34 prey individuals, almost all distributed between three ecologically distinct mammal groups: voles, mice, and shrews. Voles were the most plentiful and the most common species identified was the Meadow Vole, Microtus Pennsylvanicus. This data is a subset of a larger study that can be used by a variety of biologists and policy makers to further understand and protect this ecological relationship and the environment it relies upon.
Discipline: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Mark Degner , Gordon Youzwyshy
Midway to Nowhere: The refugee experience in Candide
No full textCandide may be most commonly described as a satirical commentary on war, critiquing institutions of power, but perhaps its legacy is that Voltaire “showed war from the perspective of its victims and invited readers to empathize with their suffering” (Dobie 1853). Hundreds of years later, wars continue to rage and while the specifics of battles have changed, the stories of suffering experienced by non-combatants remain very similar. Since the Era of Enlightenment in which Voltaire wrote, more attention has been given to these innocent victims and the field of Refugee Studies has become part of academia. It can be argued that Candide is in fact, a novel that outlines the refugee experience and through the journey of Candide and his companions, Voltaire looks to evoke compassion in the reader for refugees of war.
Discipline: English
Faculty mentor: Dr. Asma Saye
Asymmetrical Lateralization in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
No full textZebrafish (Danio rerio) is a model organism that is well-suited for investigating changes in the visual system. Lateral asymmetry, the dominance of one side or eye over the other, has become an interesting area of study in vertebrate behavioural science comparable to human handedness. Zebrafish have been found to display lateral asymmetry causing a bias in turning behaviour while swimming. In this experiment two methods were used to test zebrafish lateral asymmetry. The experiment was set up in a T-shaped swim chamber in which the fish swam up the bottom leg till the branching point requiring the fish to make a left or right turning choice. The first method used was a countercurrent water flow of 0.1m/sec, with no visual stimulus given to the fish. The second method used a dummy predator at the branching point, giving a clear visual stimulus to induce faster turning behaviour. Five male and five female fish were tested with both methods daily over a twenty-nine day trial period. Observations supported a faster turning response time in fish tested with a dummy predator than in fish tested with no visual stimulus. Furthermore, a right-turning preference, suggesting left-eye dominance, was observed. The preliminary results are consistent with comparable values in the literature, supporting the validity of using zebrafish as a model organism for behaviours based on lateral asymmetry.
*Indicates faculty mento
Preventing Myopia Progression by Novel Blue-SAD light therapy and the Potential Role of Nitric Oxide
No full textBackground: An alarming increase in prevalence has made myopia (near-sightedness) a worldwide health concern. Presently, there is no effective and widely accepted treatments for myopia. However, recent research shows outdoor light may prevent myopia, even with long periods of near-work. Outdoor light contains a large portion of short-wavelength (‘blue’) light. Therefore, I tested whether only blue-light prevents form-deprivation myopia in chicks. I also tested whether nitric oxide (NO), a known modulator of eye growth, was implicated in the underlying mechanisms. Understanding retinal mechanisms involved can assist in developing more specific therapies.
Hypothesis: Blue light inhibits myopia in chicks better than red or white light. NO may be involved in the signaling cascade that prevents myopia.
Methods: Goggled chicks were treated with 0h (control), 0.5h, 1.5h, or 3.0h by 10,000-lux SAD-lights, either unfiltered (white) or filtered to pass only short or long wavelengths. For NO experiments, chicks were injected with 300uM L-NMMA, a NO synthase inhibitor, prior to light treatment. Refractive error, axial length, equatorial diameter, and wet weight were measured and one-way ANOVA (p<0.05) was applied.
Results: Blue light significantly reduced myopia development, while white light only reduced myopia at 3h. Red light appeared to induce myopia. Injection of L-NMMA abolished the anti-myopic effect.
Conclusions: Sunlight may inhibit myopia because of its high content of blue-light. Short-wavelength light inhibits FDM in chicks via a signalling cascade in which NO mediates an obligatory step. For preventing myopia, understanding the blue-light mechanism may help understand how myopia progresses.
* Indicates faculty mento
Alberta Rectal Cancer Initiative (ARCI): Implementation of a provincial rectal cancer clinical pathway quality improvement project
No full textBACKGROUND:A multi-disciplinary evidence-based clinical pathway with discipline-specific goals was created. Following baseline data collection (2010 – 2013), stakeholders from radiology, oncology, surgery, and pathology were engaged to standardize care and inform reporting schemas. Education days with international experts from each discipline were held to reinforce best practice. Synoptic reporting templates were developed for radiology and surgery.
METHODOLOGY:Quality indicators determining adherence to best practice and oncologic outcomes from each discipline were collated and reported. Pathology reports were used as quality assurance for surgical technique and MRI staging. The appropriate use of neoadjuvant therapy was correlated with collaborative staging. These measures were then used to provide on-going individualized audit and feedback reports to practitioners through a secure web-based portal; reports contain individual physician data and aggregate provincial data for each indicator to inform and improve practice.
RESULTS:Compared to baseline (2013), by 2015 there was a 14% increase in the use of preoperative staging MRI, provincially. Reporting also improved for essential elements on rectal staging MRI, including distance to mesorectal fascia (22 to 81%), extramural venous invasion (17 to 70%), relation to anal sphincter (29 to 78%), and relation to peritoneal reflection (6 to 64%). Surgical technique improved with 91% of rectal specimens graded as ‘complete’ or ‘near-complete’ and a margin positivity of 7% on pathology. Nearly all (94%) pathology reports were completed synoptically, with 90% reporting all mandatory data elements.
CONCLUSION:Implementation of a clinical pathway for rectal cancer has improved uptake of best practice across the clinical continuum; this sustainable multifaceted approach includes education, engagement, feedback reporting, and is easily adaptable to other tumour groups.
* Indicates faculty mento
The expression of the small heat shock protein Hsp25 in the embryonic chick cerebellum
No full textThe embryonic chick is an ideal model for studying pattern formation in the cerebellum due to the easily accessible embryo at all stages of development. The newly-hatched chick is precocial - able to stand, walk and run within hours. Despite a similar length gestation, mouse pups are altricial (immature, immobile) at birth and locomotor development takes weeks: it is plausible that this difference in coordinated motor movement may be reflected in the timing of protein expression patterns in the cerebellum. In the present study, we used western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry to determine the expression of an additional Purkinje cell ‘patterning’ antigen - the small heat shock protein Hsp25. This embryonic expression precedes that seen in neonatal mice by nearly a week. The earlier/accelerated timing of these antigens in the embryonic chick cerebellum as compared to the mouse may reflect the precocial character (e.g. motor co-ordination, mobility) of chicks at hatch. This study will broaden our understanding of the specific patterning and organization of the developing avian cerebellum and provide the foundation for further studies designed to investigate the function of Hsp25 in cerebellar Purkinje cells.
* Indicates faculty mentor
Structural changes in dendritic spine morphology in early co-morbid behaviours in a mouse model of MS
No full textMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating disease usually characterized by its physical symptoms caused by central nervous system inflammation and demyelination. Behavioral and cognitive co-morbid symptoms frequently afflict those living with MS and precede the onset of physical symptoms. This suggests these co-morbidities may be caused by a mechanism independent of demyelination. Structural changes in small projections extending off of dendrites (dendritic spines), the post-synaptic portion of a synapse, may underlie the functional deficits in behaviour and cognition seen in MS. Spines will be imaged from the mouse basolateral amygdala due to its regulation of anxiety, emotionality and fear memory, which coincide with the observed co-morbid symptomology. Dendritic spines will be measured using ImarisTM software to separate spines into three groups: thin, mushroom or stubby, based on the ratio of spine diameter to spine length. It is hypothesized that at day 7 post induction, to correlate with the onset of co-morbid symptoms, there will be a pronounced shift in spine morphology from more infantile (thin) classifications to more mature (mushroom) structures. This research aims to examine dendritic spine morphological changes as a potential mechanism for the onset of co-morbid symptoms in individuals afflicted with MS.
* Indicates faculty mentor
Investigating amino acid contribution to mOrange and mStrawberry spectra
No full textFluorescent proteins (FP) contain a unique fluorochrome, usually composed of 3 amino acids, which can absorb and emit light. FPs are widely used in cell biology by fusing them with target proteins and imaging the chimeric protein using fluorescence microscopy. Thus, FPs allow biologists to monitor cellular processes in vivo, for example, visualizing cytoskeletal components or track moving proteins and/or organelles. Directed evolution of fluorescence proteins has created a variety of colors, allowing multiple cellular components to be distinguished simultaneously within the same cell. While mOrange has a lower wavelength emission compared to dsRED, mStrawberry has a higher wavelength. There are seven amino acid differences between these FP variants, some of which are believed to be directly responsible for the change in emission, while the contribution of others is less clear. This project investigates contributions two of these residues found at position 62 and 213. Using site-directed mutagenesis was used to change glutamine at position 213 to leucine (Q213L) and serine at position 62 to threonine (S62T). Residue 62 lies within the chromophore of mOrange, thus changing the amino acid here will directly alter the chromophore. We predict that Q213L will alter the microenvironment near the fluorochrome due to its proximity to it (within 5 Å). We expect the net result to be a red-shift of mOrange towards mStrawberry. Research in this area can provide new information about how these proteins produce chromophores and the effects of the microenvironment within the protein on the fluorochrome.
* Indicates faculty mentor
Creating Neonatal Ultrasound Simulations using 3D printing
No full textMedical imaging techniques are an important tool for physicians and technicians to use when diagnosing and treating illness. CT, MRI and Ultrasound are commonplace in most medical facilities due to their ease of use and far reaching applications. Ultrasound, in particular, is the ideal modality for diagnosing disease in children and infants due to several factors. For
example, Ultrasound does not introduce ionizing radiation into the patient in the way that CT does, which is extremely important for developing children. Due to the considerations associated with neonatal ultrasound, it is beneficial for physicians and students to have access to training simulations that familiarize them with up-to-date ultrasound techniques. Such a simulation would ideally be low cost to produce and operate, easily communicable within the medical community, adaptable in order to simulate various conditions, and would
make use of the same tools that are used when performing a live ultrasound. Currently, there exists no neonatal ultrasound simulation. This project proposes using 3D printing manufacturing to create a cheap, accurate model of a neonate brain to be used as a simulation tool. 3D printing presents a novel opportunity to create a simulation that satisfies all of the previously listed ideal characteristics. This project discusses the practicality, approach and challenges associated with using 3D printing to create a neonatal ultrasound simulation.
* Indicates faculty mentor
Are we on the same page? Comparing the perceptions of professionals on overall sexual offending risk
No full textThe current study will be looking at overall sexual risk perceptions of professionals who assess and treat sexual offenders. The participants will be members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA), who will be asked to complete an online survey comprised of a vignette and a questionnaire. The vignette will describe a person who has offended sexually and will include one of three levels of risk (i.e., low, moderate, high). The questionnaire will also be comprised of basic questions about the participant, their role in conducting risk assessments, and their attitudes and individual characteristics. The survey will attempt to address three separate questions. First, we will be looking at how different risk categories are perceived. Second, participants will be asked about the intensity of treatment that they believe should be assigned to a given level of risk. Finally, the survey will examine the relationship between their perceptions and their political attitudes, general views on sexual offenders, and punitive attitudes of the participants. The findings from this study may provide insight into treatment providers’ perceptions of risk and how this may influence predictions of reoffending and treatment decisions, such as allocation of services. Their perceptions may also be associated with specific characteristics and traits, which will also be examined and may identify reason for these perceptions.
Discipline: Psychology Honours
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sandy Jun