MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Assessing Neurotransmitter Levels in Zebrafish Brains following differential CO2 exposure through LC/MS Analysis
No full textNeurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that enable neurotransmission, which is the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons, or a neuron and a muscle fiber or other structure. Therefore, neurotransmission is important in affecting actions as well as behaviours and it is crucial that the balance of neurotransmitters is maintained in an organism for proper functioning. Climate change is increasing atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) at a drastic rate. This has led to a cascade of negative effects, one of which is the absorption of CO2 into aquatic systems resulting in a decrease in pH and turning the water more acidic. Previous studies found that zebrafish exhibit increased anxiety-like behaviour when exposed to increased levels of CO2. To determine if the changes in anxiety-like behaviour observed were due to alterations in neurotransmitter levels induced by the increased concentrations of CO2, this project will quantify the concentrations of various neurotransmitters in the brains of these CO2 exposed zebrafish. We will use high performance liquid chromatography to separate neurotransmitters based on chemical properties, paired with mass spectrometry to quantify neurotransmitter concentrations. Comparison between the neurotransmitter concentration profiles and the observed behaviour will not only help better the understanding of the effects of acidification on zebrafish behaviour, but the potential impacts of acidification caused by climate change on other aquatic organisms as well.
Department: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Ros
Asian Diaspora and Indigenous Allyship
No full textAsian diaspora in the Americas has contributed to the oppression of Indigenous people. However, Asians are victims of colonialism and often come to the west due to circumstances out of their control. By subscribing to colonial-capitalistic world views, they are perpetuating colonial violence to Indigenous people. The first-generation and immigrant settlers can be allies to Indigenous people by firstly recognizing how Asian\u27s are complicit in the subjugation of Indigenous people. Second, we must educate ourselves on settler issues and how the history of colonialism in the west affects Indigenous folk to unlearn settler-colonialist ways of relating to the world. Last, we must listen to and back Indigenous communities and organizers. Society sees Asians as successful minorities; this success is partly due to profiting off stolen land but by becoming allies with Indigenous communities. If we learn to understand Indigenous world views predicated on respect for the earth, marginalized people can band together and work towards dismantling imperialism.
Department: Child and Youth Care
Faculty Mentor: Kelsey Ree
Altered Connection (Packaging Design/ Book of the Year "Foe")
No full textIn the novel ‘Foe’ by Iain Reid one of the main underlying themes of the story is the relationship between Hen and Junior. Their relationship is altered when big city aerospace corporation OuterMore visits Junior. In which Terrance tells Junior he has been selected for an experimental space exploration project in which he will be one of the first individuals to temporarily live in the Installation. The underlying struggle within the characters relationship was embodied through this concept card game design. Ideally made to be played upon after reading the novel. The game has a total of 30 cards, 3 levels, each card with a quote from the book and a question in relation to the quote. The game can involve as many people as one chooses, but ideally made for couples looking to have a deeper perspective in their relationship. The title of the game ‘Altered Connection’ is metaphorical to the change in Hen and Junior’s relationship after Junior returns from the installation, as well as the connection between Hen and replacement Junior, it isn’t a complete human connection, although it feels like it, it is altered. The large rings on the front cover of the box represent how there are many layers within relationship. As well the rings in contrast with the background represent space and Junior’s departure. The rings are reflected on the the playing cards, the more rings the harder the question, the deeper into the game. The green flare on the cover reflects to the green headlights that appear through Hen and Junior’s window when Terrance first arrives. The wide range of colors used throughout the packaging design reflects aspects of space and the galaxy with the cool hues, and the vibrancy of the colors may represent the intense feelings one may experience through a relationship. Where each level can represent an emotion, the yellow and green in level 1 emitting a calm tone with more straightforward questions, then level 2 diving deeper into unthought of aspects of the players relationship and level 3 allowing each player to think about their role in the relationship and how it affects their significant other. The game is one that may not appeal to every individual, but one for the individuals who enjoy the novel and are willing to take the risk and play the odds of their relationship.
Department: Design Studies
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil — Book Design: : Re-Designing Tolkien’s "Poems from The Red Book" Into an Illustrated Book
No full textA redesign of J.R.R. Tolkien\u27s The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, a collection of poems and part of his legendarium. Design and typographic principles bring out the beauty of the book, and linocut-stamp illustrations highlight each poem.
Department: Design Studies
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
MacEwan Book of the Year Design Series: : "Foe"
No full textThe front cover of this book design shows a significant amount of details that can be found throughout the novel. The worn-down wood texture represents the Barnhouse, its old age apparent by the deep carvings of the wood’s texture. A beetle rests inside the ‘O’ in FOE, which represents the beetle that the replacements, Junior and Henrietta, were captivated by when they first saw it. The beetle inside the “o” is inspired by a quote: “It’s not an infestation, I say. It’s only one.” The beetle’s colour easily blends well with the colour of the wood background, almost making the beetle seem like it’s making an infiltration into Junior’s home; this infiltration is how the replacement believed that Terrance wants to take over his spot as his replacement while he is out in space. The motif of the wood texture and the beetle are carried throughout the entire novel, creating an intriguing visual representation of the replacements and their original owners. It is the beetle that helps us tell the difference between the replacement and the original owners, and it is the Barnhouse that makes the two similar to each other. A serif font, Adobe Garamond Pro and Yu Mincho, is used throughout the entirety of the book, emphasizing Junior’s importance on keeping things the way they are and not willing to accept change. This also applies to Henrietta’s replacement, where the significance of her memories only caters to the original Junior’s image of her, representing their failed marriage.
Department: Design Studies
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
Enlightenment (Dust Jacket / Book of the Year, “Foe” by Iain Reid)
No full textAlthough the “Foe” novel dust jacket could easily connect to other key characters, the actual inspiration for its design relates to Henrietta, a woman who is forced into a relationship with her husband’s “replacement” when he makes the selfish decision to embark on a space adventure. The image conveys her perspective when gazing up at the night sky, reflecting on her unhappy marriage, and desiring the freedom to discover her own identity. The black background emphasizes the feelings of loneliness and helplessness she experiences as a voiceless entity in her patriarchal marriage. Her limited freedom of expression is suggested with only one eye peering through the blackness. The “O” in the novel’s title serves to frame the moon and the stars in the night sky which are reflected within the eye’s iris. The Adobe Garamond Pro typeface appears on the dust jacket for ease of readability as well as to draw emphasis to the title and the hierarchy of information. The starry night sky signifies not only Junior’s trip to the Outermore Installation but also symbolically conveys a world of possibilities that Henrietta has yet to experience for herself. The open eye image on the front cover also strongly connects to an excerpt from the novel “This is what I’m offering you both. An awakening” which appears on the back cover. The blue eye peering out of the black background and staring straight at the reader catches the reader’s attention, causes feelings of uneasiness, and intrigues the reader to turn pages learning more about Iain Reid’s fascinating characters.
Department: Design
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
Unique Circumstances and Family Stress: Having a Sibling with Prader-Willi Syndrome
No full textRaising a child with neuro-atypical needs is challenging for any family. It is not surprising that many aspects of parental stress, anxiety, depression, and raising children with special needs have many research publications. This study looks at the specific genetic disorder Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and its effects on family members. PWS affects approximately 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 30,000 live births (Magill et al. 2020). Individuals with PWS have multiple symptoms, including hypertonia during infancy, developmental delay, maladaptive behavioral problems (extreme stubbornness and tantrums), scoliosis, strabismus, hypogonadism, and hyperphagia (Holm et al. 1993). Rather than focus on the parental context of raising an individual with PWS, this study will explore the impact of the siblings raised with a brother or sister with PWS. Precisely, this study will measure to what degree these siblings experience stress in their daily lives. This study will target teens from 13-17 years old and adult siblings 18 years and older. The results will be analyzed and compared to siblings raised with brothers and sisters that are neurotypical.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sean Roger
Behind the Wall: How Age, Gender, and Type of Violence Influence Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence
No full textIn legal and public domains, the perception of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by a range of legal and extra-legal factors. The present study was designed to investigate how jurors’ perceptions of IPV incidents are influenced by the type of violence perpetrated, the age of the couple involved, and the gender of the perpetrator and victim. Undergraduate participants (N= 576) were presented with an IPV vignette, a case judgement questionnaire, and several self-report measures. Vignettes differed according to the gender of the perpetrator (man/woman in a heterosexual relationship), the type of violence perpetrated (physical/sexual/psychological/financial), and the age of the couple (18/30/45/65). Participants’ overall assessment of IPV scenarios (i.e., how violent/severe) as well as their general perceptions of IPV, ageing populations, and traditional gender roles were measured. In general, participants perceived violence perpetrated by men as more violent, severe, and requiring criminal justice intervention more frequently than IPV perpetrated by women. Victim fear also was rated higher when the perpetrator was a man. Overall, physical violence was rated as the most severe, fear-provoking, and violent than financial, psychological, and sexual violence. Interestingly, sexual violence was perceived as the least common type of violence within ageing populations (65 years old). Finally, exploratory findings suggest that persons who minimize IPV and fail to see the necessity for criminal justice intervention, are those who endorse attitudes associated with hostile sexism and traditional gender roles. Results from this study have important implications for legal personnel concerning biases present in the assessment of IPV cases.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristine Peac
IDIOMA E IDENTIDAD DE GÉNERO: IS LIFE SATISFACTION INFLUENCED BY GENDERED LANGUAGE?
No full textGender identity and language are important aspects of every human being’s life. Therefore, it is fair to assume that gender identity and language may directly impact peoples’ well-being (e.g., Life satisfaction). However, identifying as a certain gender (e.g., Male, Female, Genderqueer) is not enough. According to Langer (2011), people need language to communicate and voice their experiences with their gender identity. Without language, people cannot validate themselves nor be validated by others. However, grammar creates an obstacle for non-binary identifying individuals (e.g., Agender, Gender Fluid). There is a lack of language that could potentially help individuals verbalize their experiences as well as facilitate communication with others (Lotsy & O’Connor, 2018). This language absence suggests that despite gender diversity becoming more prevalent in mainstream media (Whyte et al., 2018), there is still a lack of gender-appropriate language for those who identify outside the gender binary to express their gender identity.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sean Roger
Examining the Effect of Mask Use on Speech and Face Perception
No full textFacial perception has become increasingly challenging due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Research has demonstrated that facial expressions are one of the most important factors when examining human communication. However, the use of masks has obstructed one of the most communicative aspects of human beings. Research on speech perception has demonstrated that most individuals rely on the use of the eyes and mouth when using the face for communicative purposes. Facial movement and expression also provide visual stimuli to assist individuals when interpreting speech, however these aspects are most utilized when the mouth is not obstructed. Research has demonstrated that preventing visualization of the bottom half the face forces humans to rely on the visual structures that are not masked, such as the eyes, and forehead. The continuous use of masks in our everyday life may have increased our ability to interpret speech without being able to perceive the bottom half of faces. In other words, having to communicate on a regular basis with people wearing masks, might have forced us to be more sensitive to the eyes and prosody of the face and head. Our study aims to examine how masks affect speech and facial perception due to the constant use of masks. The presented study will highlight whether or not individuals have improved their ability to understand verbal stimuli presented from a masked face.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michelle Jaric