MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Hashtag Politics: A Twitter Sentiment Analysis of the 2015 Canadian Federal Election
No full textWe developed a split plot design model for analysis of sentiment toward federal political parties on the social media platform Twitter in the weeks prior to the 2015 Canadian Federal Election. Data was collected from Twitter’s Application Programming Interface (API) via statistical program R. We scored the sentiment of each Twitter message referring to the parties and tested using ANOVA. Our results suggested that the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party had more positive sentiment than the Conservative Party. Actual seat wins coincide with our results for the Liberal Party (which won 148 new seats) and the Conservative Party (which lost 60 seats), but positive sentiment for the New Democratic Party did not correspond to seat wins
Environmental Injuries: Hyperthermia and Hypothermia
No full textEnvironmental injuries are an important type of sport injury to study as they can occur year-round, through a variety of activities, and occur to a broad range of athletic populations. Hyperthermia (a core body temperature above 38.5°C) and hypothermia (a core body temperature below 35°C) are two common environmental injuries that can be life threatening. This research paper examines the mechanisms of how and why these injuries occur and the effect they have on the body. This paper also outlines preventative measures to take, including identifying internal and external predisposing risk factors, as well as ways to treat hyperthermia and hypothermia to return an athlete back to play
Security of the Person and Deportation to Torture : Investigating Section 7 of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
No full textThe implications set out in Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are examined through the context of Canada\u27s national security interests. A discussion of case laws and academic sources reveal how "the right to security of the person" may be limited by security certificates under Canadian law.  
Unhealthy Communication: Health Care Communication Between Majority and Minority Cultural Groups
No full textEffective communication is important in almost every aspect of life. Within the medical setting, effective communication is paramount because the consequences of miscommunication can be deadly. In health care contexts interpersonal communication is not only affected by the nature of the interaction but also the power differentials between the people participating. The purpose of this paper is to examine how health care communication is affected by power dynamics. Specifically, it will look at the communication between majority-culture doctors and minority patients in order to advance the following argument: the asymmetrical power relationship between doctors and patients is exacerbated when doctors are from majority cultural backgrounds and patients are from minority cultural backgrounds, this is problematic because communication within a medical context is important for patient satisfaction, recall of information, and outcomes. Following the introduction, the literature review explores some of the trends in medical communication literature; these trends include discussions in the literature about the variables and behaviours that affect doctor-patient communication and the critical approach of research done on intercultural medical communication. The section after the literature review establishes that power gaps exist between doctors and patients as well as majority and minority cultural groups. The following paragraphs discuss the negative effects these power differentials have on the intercultural communication between patients and doctors when it comes to patient satisfaction, information recall, and outcomes, before coming to the conclusion that without clear expressions of their communicative differences the communication between these two groups will be compromised.
 
Developing a Measure of Fatigue for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
No full textFatigue is a prevalent issue in school-aged children and has been shown negatively impact well-being and academic performance. This is especially the case for deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students, who must produce greater auditory and visual efforts than their hearing peers, leading to greater levels of cognitive and physical fatigue. At present, there exists no standardized measure of fatigue that can be used in schools to specifically evaluate fatigue in students, let alone those who are D/HH. Such a measure would be incredibly valuable as it would allow for accurate identification of fatigue, allowing for supports and interventions to be implemented. The present research aimed to identify strengths and weaknesses of existing measures of fatigue in order to inform the construction of a measure that would specifically address fatigue in D/HH students. It was found that fatigue has largely been determined to be best assessed using a unidimensional measure with responses based on a 5- or 7-point Likert scale. Additionally, it was found that the development of measures usually follows the same general process. Items included in measures are typically generated based on focus-group interviews, then preliminary items are administered to a test group. Statistical tests are conducted based on the data generated to reduce the number of items, as well as to ensure reliability and validity. The next steps of this research will be to conduct focus group interviews to aid in generating preliminary items.
Presented in absentia on April 27, 2020 at "Student Research Day" at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. (Conference cancelled)
Faculty Mentor: Natalia Rohatyn-Martin
Department: Biological Science
The Effects of Massage Therapy on Multiple Sclerosis
No full textBackground: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by degeneration of the myelin sheath of an axon resulting in decreased transmission of nerve impulses. It is an autoimmune disease with periods of exacerbation and remission. Types of MS include relapsing-remitting, acute progressive, chronic progressive attack-remitting, and benign. Common symptoms include fatigue, spasticity, swelling, and altered gait. MS is commonly treated with medications that help relieve symptoms and prolong disease progression. Objective: To examine the effects of MT on mobility, fatigue, and edema in a patient with MS. Methods: A massage therapy (MT) student from MacEwan University’s 2,200-hour Massage Therapy program administered five MT treatments over a six-week period to a 58-year-old female diagnosed with MS 11 years earlier. She presented with symptoms of decreased mobility, fatigue, and left ankle edema. Assessment included active and passive range of motion (ROM), myotomes, dermatomes, reflexes, and orthopedic tests. Goals for treatment sessions were to increase mobility, decrease fatigue, and decrease edema. Assessment measures included the Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) test for mobility, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) to measure fatigue, and Figure-8 ankle measurement to measure edema. Techniques used included Swedish massage, passive ROM, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and homecare exercises. Results: Little change was noted in mobility. The patient’s fatigue level and left ankle edema decreased. Conclusion: The results suggest that MT is effective in reducing fatigue and edema in a patient with MS. Future studies are needed to evaluate the correlation between mobility and massage.
Presented in absentia on April 27, 2020 at "Student Research Day" at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. (Conference cancelled)
Faculty Mentor: Jeff Moggach
Department: Massage Therapy 
Antimicrobial Properties of Medicinal Teas and Their Interactions with Antibiotics
No full textThe rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has greatly increased the need for new drugs to be developed. These drugs may be new antibiotics, or synergists of existing antibiotics. Plants have been identified as a valuable source of new drugs, as plants produce secondary metabolites that have antimicrobial and synergistic activity. In addition, plants are the basis of many natural health products and dietary supplements, and public interest in these products continues to increase. The increasing popularity of natural health products also increases the possibility for antagonistic interactions to occur when these products are used in conjunction with antibiotics. The present study investigated the antimicrobial properties of aqueous extracts of three medicinal teas and their interactions with common antibiotics. The antimicrobial properties of the aqueous extracts of Bronchitis tea, Eyebright tea, and Hyssop tea were assessed via disk diffusion. It was found that both Eyebright tea and Hyssop tea extracts have antimicrobial properties, likely due to the phenolic acids and flavonoids found in extracts of these plants. Interactions between the tea extracts and antibiotics were assessed using a double disk diffusion method, where it was found that all three tea extracts interact antagonistically with sulfadiazine. Additionally, Eyebright tea extract was found to interact antagonistically with chloramphenicol. While further research is required to determine the mechanism of this interaction and the specific compounds involved, this research has identified that these teas should potentially be used with caution in combination with antibiotics. In addition, the antimicrobial properties of both Hyssop and Eyebright tea extracts warrant further research as these extracts may be the basis for new antimicrobial drugs in the future.
Presented in absentia on April 27, 2020 at "Student Research Day" at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. (Conference cancelled). Also presented at the Undergraduate Research in Science Conference of Alberta (URSCA).
Faculty mentor: Kimberley Harcombe
Department: Biological Sciences
NOTE: This work is available to MacEwan users only at https://roam.macewan.ca/islandora/object/gm:213
Tire Purchasing: Does it Have a Place Online?
No full textThis article outlines our collaboration with Tireland, in which we conducted research regarding the potential success of selling tire online. We looked into aspects of an online presence that would be positively received by consumers in the tire industry. Our research has included an interview with the decision maker, five in-depth interviews, and an online questionnaire. The aim with these methods was to gain a further understanding of the current online tire industry and the constraints that may be present when implementing an ecommerce sales strategy. The target market we were focused on includes males and females between the ages of twenty to thirty. We received 114 responses to our online survey, of which 103 were part of our target market. The data we aimed to collect helped us compare variables such as level of education, online features, and annual household income with the individual’s likelihood to purchase tires online. It is through our SPSS analysis that we were able to gather a better understanding on the statistics surrounding the problem at hand.Our studies offered an insight into the necessary elements to create a successful ecommerce platform. Based on our five research questions, we determined that while variables such as income and education have a minor impact on the likelihood to purchase tires online, other variables such as available online features, tire characteristics, and history of online shopping are significant. Our analyses have led us to recommend that the company should target individuals who already typically shop online. As well, characteristics such as availability, customer service, and price are important to consumers when making a purchase. Finally, consumers are more willing to shop on a website that offers reviews, product information, reminders and an online question service. If these variables are focused upon that will be the greatest way for a company to implement a successful ecommerce platform.
Author Functions in Lars Kepler\u27s The Hypnotist: An Analysis
No full textThis paper examines Foucault\u27s notion of the author function as it pertains to Lars Kepler\u27s bestselling 2011 crime thriller, The Hypnotist. Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of a Swedish husband-wife writing duo, making him the perfect subject for analysis centering on illusory notion of the author. This paper will answer these questions: Who is the true author of The Hypnotist? What factors influence the author function of this bestelling novel? And what can The Hypnotist phenomenon tell us about the relationships between authors and their readers? This paper will demonstrate that no literary works may be ascribed to an individual person, and that authors hold no privileged knowledge of the works they produce, because authors cease to be authors the moment pen is lifted from page
The Effect of Increasing Student Involvement with Career Development Services: The Integration of Faculty Members & Fostering Student/Faculty Relationships
No full textThe primary goal of this research is to recognize and disseminate the possible components of what makes students more involved with career development services on campus. We examined 25 scholarly articles as part of our initial research to identify possible relationships, which lead us to one major question to answer: “how can we increase the student usage of the MacEwan University Career Development and Experiential learning office by integrating faculty members of various departments?” Some of the largest problems that we found when speaking with the Career Development services and professors is that both students and faculty are either unaware of what they are, and what services they provide.
Our qualitative research with faculty members has indicated that they do not know of the availability of career development services on campus, and they do not communicate with the office very frequently. This research allowed us to formulate a well-rounded quantitative survey to be administered to other faculty members that reflects on possible solutions to create more student involvement, and by extension – more student success. Our sample data included 28 responses of our possible 361 survey questionnaires sent. We did not have the greatest response rate; therefore, our findings are not fully generalizable. However, the responses that we did receive are very important and informative to the career development services of MacEwan University, which helps aid in conclusions and recommendations for student involvement.