MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
Not a member yet
2252 research outputs found
Sort by
What northern pike (Esox lucius) stomach contents reveal about post-management community dynamics in Lac La Biche, Alberta
No full textPredator density within freshwater lakes is often manipulated to restore commercially important species; however, such management may inadvertently result in dietary shifts of existing predator populations. The 2005 Fisheries Restoration Program in Lac La Biche, Alberta, was established to recover walleye (Sander vitreus) populations through both bird culls and intensive stocking. Although walleye abundance increased dramatically, other dominant piscivores\u27 responses to management actions, namely the Northern pike (Esox lucius), were less clear. To avoid high interspecific competition for prey fish, pike may shift their diets to incorporate a greater abundance of invertebrates. However, the overall importance of invertivory is community-dependent and remains understudied. To elucidate how pike feeding and community interactions have changed in response to management in Lac La Biche, a stomach content analysis was performed on 121 pike stomachs sampled during Fall Walleye Index Netting Surveys between 2009 and 2013. Piscivory was the most common feeding style (34.1% ±4.7% SE), with yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and coregonids the most common prey. Invertivory and mixed-feeding remained relatively uncommon and stable (4.6% ±2.1% SE and 16.3% ±2.6% SE, respectively). Although invertebrates represent a valuable supplement, pure invertivory as a specialization remains uncommon in this population during the sampled years.
Department: Biology
Faculty Mentors: Dr. David Locky and Dr. Mrinal Das 
Antimicrobial Screening of Phytochemicals Produced by Albertan Invasive Weeds
No full textAntibiotic resistance has rendered many clinically-used antibiotics ineffective, creating an urgent need for new antimicrobial agents. Phytochemicals (secondary metabolites produced by plants) are produced in response to environmental stressors, and can inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and surrounding plants. Therefore, these phytochemicals offer an alternative source of antimicrobial compounds. The diversity and abundance of phytochemicals produced by plants can increase during the invasion of new habitats, making invasive weeds strong candidates for antimicrobial discovery. Despite this increase in phytochemical production, invasive plant species are often overlooked in favour of medicinal and edible plants, and few studies have characterized their antimicrobial activity. In this research, we used successive Soxhlet extractions with hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol to extract the phytochemicals from Albertan invasive weed species collected from the Edmonton area. Using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assays, extracts were assessed for their ability to inhibit the growth of tester bacterial species including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, which represent a range of common pathogens and bacterial types. Preliminary characterizations of extracts from multiple plant species, including common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) and woolly burdock (Arctium tomentosum), showed promising inhibitory activity against several bacterial species, warranting further investigation. This study provides a starting point for further bioactivity and chemical characterizations of Albertan invasive weeds and highlights these invasive plant species as potential leads for the development of new antimicrobial treatments.
Department: Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kimberley Harcombe and Dr. Tina Bot
The Sharing Economy: Do e-scooters Make the Cut?
No full textSharing is as old as civilization itself. Corporations are now taking an old idea and creating a strategic model with the help of technology. This modern sharing economy, while having roots in sustainable practices, can often be mistaken as an inherently sustainable business model. In this paper, we present the outcomes of a project on e-scooters as an example that emphasizes the potential impacts and characteristics of a business operating within the sharing economy. To understand and gain public opinion, a survey was conducted gathering 222 responses regarding e-scooter usage in Edmonton, Alberta. Another source of information was the interview with a top executive of Lime Scooters, an e-scooter company operating in Edmonton. We found that while online platforms make resource sharing between peers easier to access, they are not always economically sustainable. Literature review on life-cycle analysis of e-scooters revealed that environmental sustainability is also not ingrained in practice, and careful consideration of business operations is needed to mitigate potentially negative impacts. In addition, thoughtful policies need to be considered and put into place in-order to encourage public and private trust. Overall, the sharing economy can be quite effective in creating a sense of community and social sustainability, but it should not be graded as a wholly sustainable practice without evidence.
Department: Business
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rohit Jinda
Retinal Segmentation for Glaucoma Diagnosis Using Deep Learning
No full textGlaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness around the world. One of the significant indicators of Glaucoma is the enlargement of the Optic Cup (OC) to the Optic Disc (OD). In this project, we created a computer algorithm to identify the ratio between the sizes of OD and OC to further predict the likelihood of glaucoma. The algorithm consisted of a two-step approach. The first step of the approach involved the identification and cropping of the Optic Nerve Head area, the part that contains the OD and OC in the retina. This was done using thresholding based on the brightest spot in the image. The second step was to segment the OD and OC from the cropped image. We used an image augmentation library to transform the images in our dataset to add variability. We passed the transformed images into a deep learning algorithm known as U-Net to segment the OD and OC. Our analysis in training separate deep learning models for OD and OC yielded a higher accuracy as compared to training the models for OD and OC together. Our model has the potential of performing better with greater precision to segment images for diagnosing Glaucoma. The future work includes enhancing the model by making some additional changes to increase the model’s accuracy.
Department: Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dana Cobza
Blood in the Sink: : A Redesign of Foe\u27s Dustjacket
No full textFoe is a novel that subverts expectations and builds on a continuous feeling of tension that is never resolved, even at the end of the book. When redesigning the dustjacket, it was essential to take the tension and translate it visually. A particular scene stands out in the novel. Junior flosses his teeth and forcefully brings down the floss on his gums to make himself bleed, and he spits the blood out into the sink. While it may not be the most crucial scene in the novel, it felt personally the most jarring. Junior reveals that he feels alive seeing his blood in the sink. He is living and breathing like a human being. The twist is that he is not a human at all, but this scene disputes that. What makes us human? What makes us alive? Arguably, our lifeblood makes us alive. Visually, the red stands out and is striking. It brings up questions for the viewer: who is bleeding? Why is this the cover? The title, Foe, is slightly faded and blends in with the background of the sink. The enemy could be anywhere or anyone. The floss turns red in the blood, representing the red string of fate from Greek mythology. Junior does not have a choice throughout the events of the novel. He is fated to be replaced and eventually is the replacement. Terrance and Outermore act as the Fates and decide when the string is cut, signifying his death and end.
Department: Design Studies
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
“Husband in a Box” (Packaging / Book of the Year, “Foe”)
No full textThe ‘husband in a box’ shown here is a visual interpretation of the themes within Iain Reid\u27s book, FOE. It is an ideation of how the replacement spouse would arrive at the home, and the box it arrives in showcases the confines of a marriage that were illustrated in the book. The project also highlights the absurdity of replacing your spouse. The box itself is illustrative of the future and the past, just like the book. The time period is stuck in between the technology of the future, and the values of the past. This is shown through the sleek black colour and futuristic typeface that contrasts with the creamy beige, script font and vintage ad illustrations. Alongside the box is a brochure that would highlight the features of your ‘biomechanical duplicate spouse’. The contrast of new and old is shown again on the cover, and it depicts the couple twice, and each pair has one faceless person with a question mark instead of their facial features. This visual highlights the realistic nature of the replacement and causes the viewer to question which one in the couple is the replacement. It brings forward the frightening thought that you won’t know the difference and may potentially like the replacement better, just as the real Junior did at the end of the novel. Inside the brochure is where the absurd and frightening nature of a replacement spouse really comes to light. The instructions and explanations make it seem as if they are a product you own, not an equal partner in your relationship. The brochure continues on the right side with a description of the models you can get of your replacement husband/wife. As you progress through the models it becomes evident that each one is better than the last. The options become less like your real spouse and become ‘better than the real thing’. The descriptions and features of each model help highlight the dynamics and expectations that can be seen within a marriage. The notion that you can get a better version of your spouse is a frightening proposition that illustrates the inequality that Hen experiences in her marriage. That thought is continued through Juniors return, he expected his wife to snap back into her expected and stereotypical role as his spouse. Her role was not an equal one in their marriage and Junior did not consider the mental hardships she endured while he was gone. Junior only considered his own wants, needs, and expectations. In the end of the novel we can see that Junior didn’t want an equal partner, he wanted a ‘superior spouse’, one that meets all his expectations. But this idea of a perfect spouse can’t be found in a person, but it can be found in a product
Who doesn\u27t watch Netflix?
No full textIn this study we analyze Netflix monthly stock prices for the period from Jan 2003 to February 2021. We find time series models and forecast future stock prices. We fit ARIMA models and based on these models we predict the Netflix stock price. Due to the COVID pandemic there is less variety in the forms of entertainment available, and this seems to be an advantage for Netflix.
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cristina Anto
Associations Among Parental Attitudes on Technology, Digital Literacy, and Children\u27s Learning Outcomes in the 2020 Pandemic
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore how parents’ digital literacy affected children’s learning outcomes while engaging in online learning in the recent pandemic. Digital literacy is the ability to efficiently use technology, navigate through different programs comfortably, and be able to manage information for proper online behaviour. This study focused on the parental perspective of their child’s learning from face-to-face to digital instruction. An online survey was completed by 22 parents with children in grades K-12 attending school in the Edmonton area. The survey explored parents’ digital technology use, their motivation and perspectives on technology in their child’s learning, as well as demographic factors such as ethnicity, digital age, and household income. Students’ school performance was recorded for a number of subject areas. The survey revealed that parents had good digital literacy, access to technology, and positive attitudes on technology for learning. However, some parents reported a lack of their child’s engagement, a desire for greater teacher interaction, and difficulties with balancing parenting and teaching at home. Despite these concerns, detriment to children’s school performance was not observed. The findings shed light on the challenges faced by parents and children’s learning at home in the recent pandemic and have the potential to inform teaching practices that will optimize learning outcomes in online learning settings.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tara Vongpaisal and Dr. Christopher Strieme
Barriers to twice-exceptional student engagement during COVID-19: A case-study of factors affecting school engagement
No full textIn spring 2020, K-12 schools suspended in-person classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools reopened in-person classes in the fall. Many parents were concerned about the impact of school closures and subsequent re-entry on childrens’ school engagement.
Previous literature suggests high engagement in school prevents dropping-out, leads to better grades, and is related to lower depression rates. Some students face unique challenges that may result in lower school engagement, such as twice-exceptional (2E) students. 2E refers to individuals who are both gifted and face some type of learning challenge.
A strengths-based approach is suggested as most effective for improving 2E student outcomes. In this approach, material is presented in a way that aligns with students’ talents and interests.
In addition to learning challenges impacting engagement, external factors, such as caregiver stress, may also impact student engagement. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased stress for many caregivers.
In this study, we investigated whether a strengths-based approach was associated with higher engagement in 2E students. Students’ strengths were assessed and compared to tasks planned by their teachers. Students’ engagement during these tasks was then observed by the research team. Further, we explored the relationship between caregiver stress and student engagement using surveys collected in parallel with student observations.
This study was designed to serve as a pilot study for future research on factors related to engagement. Preliminary findings provide weak support that higher task-strength alignment is positively associated with student engagement and that higher caregiver stress is negatively associated with student engagement.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Michele Moscick
How Has Student Productivity Been Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic?
No full textUndergraduate student productivity is an area of general concern. We define productivity holistically in that it is not simply an individual’s output but rather how an individual manages their life (i.e., their time, their sleep, their creativity, themselves). Because post-secondary requires students to self-regulate and manage their time beyond what they may have experienced in high school (Zimmerman, 1990), students who are new to university may have difficulties adjusting to their newfound self-management responsibilities. Additional, time management and self-regulation are put under threat with novel stressful situations (Strait et al., 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be a novel stressful situation and, further, the pandemic has impacted students’ social lives, employment opportunities, and academic delivery potentially impacting students’ overall stress levels (Gallo, L., et al., 2020). Consider that post-secondary students experience higher levels of stress than the general public (Khan et al., 2018), therefore, it stands to reason that the advent of COVID-19 has further increased post-secondary students’ stress (Häfner et al. 2015). Therefore, we expect productivity of students to change, more specifically, to decrease because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This is preliminary research in order to ascertain to what degree students productivity has decreased and learn from those whose productivity did not decrease, what strategies they were successfully able to incorporate to maintain or increase productivity. The intent is to use this research to adapt the methods of students who were successful in increasing or maintaining their productivity to pre-COVID-19 levels to help inform strategies during future pandemics or other novel situations which would cause stress and place productivity under threat.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rodney Schmalt