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Is death the prime motivator: is the serial-order effect within the death word-fragment task a consequence of taboo?
No full textTerror Management Theory (TMT) postulates that death-thought accessibility (DTA) can be measured through implicit techniques, like reaction-time measures or word-fragment tasks. Recent research showed that these measures, specifically word-fragment tasks, may prime death-thoughts in a way similar to traditional mortality salience (MS) inductions (Hayes & Schimel, 2018). Moreover, reanalysis of several published studies suggests that, within the context of the word-fragment task, participants are less likely to make death-responses to target fragments late (vs. early) in the task, and this tendency is especially pronounced when mortality is salient (Hayes & Fairlamb, 2024). The assumption in this research is that participants are motivated to avoid death-related thoughts and are therefore reluctant to make death-completions as they notice the death-theme within the task. The present study aimed to assess if this tendency is specific to fragment tasks that measure death-thought activation or generalizable to similar tasks that measure other taboo topics. To test this, within-task response tendencies were compared on two different word-fragment tasks: a standard DTA word-fragment task and a parallel task with sex-related fragments instead of the death-related fragments. Results showed no difference in the within-task response pattern between these tasks. Thus, it appears that the previously observed pattern of responding within the DTA task is not specific to death. Implications for TMT with specific focus on the measurement of non-conscious death-related thoughts are discussed.Keywords: death-thought accessibility, terror management theory, word-fragment task, social taboos</p
Why drop out? Exploring social influences on former competitive adolescent athletes
No full textMany psychosocial and physical advantages are associated with sport participation, but approximately 70% of youth drop out of sport before adolescence (Eitzen & Sage, 2009). During the formative years of adolescence, social relationships with parents, peers, and coaches become critical to one’s motivation, enjoyment, and long-term sport participation (Keegan et al., 2009; Le Bars et al., 2009; Ullrich-French & Smith, 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore former competitive adolescent athletes’ perceptions of how social influences (parents, peers, and coaches) shaped their sport experiences and eventual drop out. Participants included 15 purposively sampled former athletes (nine females and six males; Mage = 21.6; SD = 1.25). Selection criteria did not specify one specific sport background or length of time in and out of sport, and as such, sampled athletes had diverse sport backgrounds. Participants took part in one-to-one semi-structured interviews in which questions were designed to gather in-depth information about their lived experiences. Questions were asked about athletes’ perceptions of peer, parent, and coach influence relating to their motivation, dropout, and enjoyment. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis guidelines, moving sequentially from individual-level to group-level analyses in the generation of codes and higher-order themes. The most prominent themes amongst coach influence included positive and negative experiences, methods, style, and behaviour. Peer influence was dominated by both themes of friendship and hostility, but also their contribution to motivation. Parental influence was the least variable across all participants, with certain priorities, facilitation elements, and individual characteristics consistent throughout. Knowledge of these lived experiences can be utilized in future education practices to minimize athlete drop-out rates, increase enjoyment, and aid in the facilitation of positive sport experiences in adolescence.</p
Toward an evangelical apocalyptic: antecedent religious influences on twentieth-century American millenarianism
No full textA large segment of White American evangelicalism in the late twentieth century espoused apocalyptic and millenarian beliefs that informed evangelicals’ witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Millenarian evangelicals, pessimistic about the human ability to improve society, emphasized eschatological discontinuity by proclaiming a premillennial and pretribulational return of Christ. This thesis employs a historical method by identifying antecedent religious influences within Protestantism that impacted the later development of millenarianism within the evangelical tradition. Exploring European and American history between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries identifies these antecedent religious influences as apocalypticism, Puritanism, revivalism, dispensationalism, and fundamentalism. This thesis addresses the important ways these various antecedents influenced evangelical eschatological interpretations in late twentieth-century America.Keywords: millenarianism, evangelicalism, apocalypticism, Puritanism, revivalism, dispensationalism, fundamentalism, eschatology, discontinuity.</p
Learning to be lesbian: culture, community and relationship education and regulation through lesbian "influencer" TikTok
No full textThis thesis explores queer identity education and regulation through lesbian TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic—a temporal period unique in its level of reliance on social media networks for community. In exploring queer TikTok, this thesis aims to answer the following research questions: 1) How does TikTok work to promote and/or regulate lesbian representation and community building and 2) What are the main messages that are being delivered to viewers in the lesbian virtual space? This thesis draws on Embodied Queer Listening, a methodological approach developed by Bontu Lucie Guschke (2023) to uncover unspoken discourse and affective understanding to encompass complex LGBTQ+ social dynamics. Through qualitative discourse analysis in data analysis stages, alongside embodied conclusions, this thesis finds that queer identity norms are generated, supported and regulated through the creator-user relationship on TikTok.</p
Examining the effects of the ingestion of polystyrene microplastic spheres on mosquito cold tolerance
No full textMosquitoes are expanding their ranges into more northern environments. Due to their aquatic early life stages, the temperature of the water they grow in influences their ability to survive. With pollutants such as microplastics in our aquatic systems, I examined the effect of microplastics on the ability of mosquitoes to tolerate low temperatures. Microplastics can act as ice nucleators and may have other negative physiological impacts which could increase susceptibility to cold injury. I exposed first instar larvae of the species Aedes aegypti, Culex pipiens, and Culex territans to 160 000 3 μm diameter dark red polystyrene microplastic spheres in 8 mL of water (20 000 spheres/mL) for approximately two weeks under light and temperature conditions that mimicked late summer/early autumn in Nova Scotia. Upon reaching the fourth instar, I measured the supercooling point and chill coma recovery time of each larva. I also exposed an additional species, Culiseta melanura, which overwinters as larvae, to approximately 24 weeks of winter conditions in 160 000 microplastic spheres/8mL and then measured the chill coma recovery time. The supercooling point of Cx. pipiens was lower in control compared to exposed larvae. There was no effect on the initial movements or full recovery in chill coma recovery time of Ae. aegypti, Cx. pipiens, or Cx. territans; however, Cu. melanura exposed to microplastics were slower to recover from cold exposure. These results suggest that a high concentration of microplastics may cause injury or interrupt thermal physiological processes that will cause a lowered tolerance to cold stress.</p
Quantifying three trace elements in the tissues of twelve marine fishes in Atlantic Canada
No full textWhile fish consumption offers many health benefits it also remains a primary exposure route for a variety of contaminants in consumers. Therefore, weighing the risks and benefits associated with fish consumption is crucial for making informed consumption choices but is made challenging for human consumers of marine fishes in Atlantic Canada due to limited public access to fish contamination information and an overall lack of federal or provincial guidelines addressing these fishes specifically. To address gaps in information and assess whether a contaminant threat to fish health or consumer health exists, we measured total concentrations of mercury (THg), arsenic (TAs) and selenium (TSe) in the muscle, liver and/or gonad in 383 individuals across 12 fishes from coastal waters in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Southern Labrador (NunatuKavut). Collections took place from 2016 to 2022 with individual fish sampled across their species size range or that are regularly consumed in subsistence food fisheries. Tissues were excised following decontamination protocols, freeze-dried, and ground with mortar and pestle. Analyses involved ICP-MS for TAs and TSe at Queen’s Analytical Services Unit and TDA-AAS for THg at Acadia’s Mercury Lab. THg was detected in all sampled tissues and fishes, with only 5 non-detects for TAs and TSe. Significant relationships between tissue contaminant concentrations and total length across trophic levels supported evidence of bioaccumulation and biomagnification generally occurring for THg, but not for TAs or TSe. THg and TAs tended to preferentially accumulate in liver tissue with no strong indication for offloading in gonads. Most fishes and their tissues had concentrations below Health Canada maximum levels of 0.5 mg ∙ kg-1 ww for Hg and 3.5 mg ∙ kg-1 ww for As in fishes, and the EPA’s toxic threshold of 2.8 mg ∙ kg-1 ww Se for freshwater fishes, with a few exceptions. Striped Bass had significantly high THg across food webs (averaging 0.294–0.624 mg ∙ kg-1 ww), but THg was particularly high in Nova Scotia, with edible muscle from 62% of Striped Bass and 23% of American Eel exceeding Health Canada criteria. For TAs, 89% of Atlantic Tomcod and 38% of Atlantic Cod exceeding criteria. Se and Hg molar ratios averaged >1 in muscle of all fishes and significant positive relationships between molar Se and molar Hg were observed in Striped Bass, Atlantic Tomcod, and Atlantic Herring. This research provides a baseline for Hg, As, and Se in relevant fishes from Eastern Canada. Ongoing monitoring of contaminants and evaluation of potential risks to consumers are vital and important for regulatory policy development. These results indicate that THg is a pollutant of concern in Atlantic Canada watersheds, particularly in Nova Scotia where the current retention size limits for Striped Bass and American Eel captured in the Bay of Fundy promote higher THg exposure to potential human consumers.</p
Engagement centered demonstrations in large enrollment introductory psychology classes
No full textIntroductory university courses are linked to low levels of student engagement due to large class size. Demonstration learning is an effective strategy for increasing student engagement. This study aims to characterize the effect of 10 demonstrations on students’ understanding and retention of key concepts in two sections of Introductory Psychology. Demonstrations are assigned to either section A or section B using a stratified randomization process. Students’ responses to polling questions and final exam questions related to each demonstration are used to assess their effectiveness. The impact of the demonstrations on student engagement was not statistically significant. Findings of this research suggest students’ understanding and retention may have improved due to the demonstrations. Interaction effects suggest that the effectiveness of demonstrations may vary due to course sections or the specific demonstrations used. Findings provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of demonstration learning and have the potential to act as the initial steps to improving the instruction of Introductory Psychology.Keywords: demonstrations, student engagement, learning</p
Effects of octopamine inhibition on detection of attractive and repellent compounds in Ixodes scapularis ticks
No full textIn North America, the majority of vector-borne diseases are transmitted by ticks. Of particular concern is the Ixodes scapularis tick, commonly referred to as the black-legged tick, which is the primary vector of the causative pathogen of Lyme disease. With tick populations on the rise globally, there is a high demand for safe and effective insect and arthropod repellent products. Historically, N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), a synthetic repellent, has been the leading compound used to protect against hematophagous arthropods, such as ticks. However, recent years have seen a shift in the consumer base, with many people seeking out natural alternatives to traditional, synthetic repellents. Essential oils represent a promising solution to this issue, being natural, safe, and environmentally friendly. Particularly, lemongrass essential oil (LEO) is a mixture of natural products that has demonstrated a repellent effect against ticks. Though compounds such as LEO and DEET are known to repel ticks, the mechanism through which they act remains unclear. It is imperative to understand their mode of action, so that future products can be formulated to be as efficacious as possible. In this study, the role of octopamine (OA), an invertebrate neurotransmitter, on repellent detection in ticks is investigated. Epinastine (EPI), a known OA receptor antagonist, was used to inhibit OA-modulated activities in adult female I. scapularis ticks. EPI was delivered to ticks via microinjection near the synganglion (tick central nervous system) at a concentration of 4 mM. To determine the effect of OA suppression on repellent detection, tick electrophysiological response to butyric acid (BA), an attractive host volatile, was measured before and after a 20-minute exposure to DEET or LEO. These fumigation assays found no significant difference in response to BA pre- and post-exposure when comparing untreated ticks to those injected with EPI. This result is at odds with previous work in which behavioural bioassays indicated that ticks treated with EPI had a greatly reduced repellency to LEO compared to untreated ticks. Lack of significance in this study may be due to several factors. Much of the evidence for OA involvement in tick repellent detection is based on the compound’s demonstrated effects in insects, however, the chemosensory systems of insects and acarines are different, and thus what was found in insects may not be applicable to ticks. Additionally, ticks may experience a disruptant effect when exposed to repellents, whereby the electrophysiological response to BA remains unaffected, but behaviour is altered. Finally, it may be that OA is not the only neuromodulator involved in repellent detection, and there may be additional receptors involved in the process of detection of repellents and inhibition of behaviour. Overall, the results of this study contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the tick chemosensory system and provide a baseline for continued research into the potential role of OA in tick repellent detection.</p
The integration of learning style inventories at InterRent: a case study
No full textCase study method was used to understand one organization’s integration of learning style inventories. InterRent’s experience with the integration of learning styles can be instructive for other organizations considering this transition. The Chief of Talent, managers, employees, and the researcher’s perspectives were examined, revealing common themes in relation to perceived successes and barriers of integrating learning style inventories at InterRent. Participants spoke of resistance they faced with the integration, discussing the lack of trust and initial perceptions of the concept. The significance of the change in discourse as imperative to the success of organizational change was identified, as were having strong leadership and change champions. An emphasis on the understanding of basic concepts is discussed, along with the need for consistency and transparency when new concepts are being introduced. Lastly, one of the biggest takeaways from this research is the importance of understanding your audience. All participants found that recognizing their learning style in the workplace has had a profound and positive impact on them, as they have adopted strategies and practices to cater to their style.</p
Synthesis and photochemistry of 4,6-ditert-butyl-2-phenylbenzene-1,3-diol
No full textUpon excitation to the singlet excited state, phenols experience increased acidity. This allows them to undergo an excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), in which the phenolic proton is transferred to a basic site within the same molecule. To increase the efficiency of ESIPT reactions for 2-phenylphenol (10) derivatives, two previously determined strategies include the addition of a bulky substituent ortho to the hydroxyl group or incorporation of a second hydroxyl group ortho to the phenyl ring. This research aims to combine the two strategies into one molecule, 4,6-ditert-butyl-2-phenylbenzene-1,3-diol (18), to see if both strategies can work together to increase the ESIPT reaction efficiency. The new phenylphenol derivative 18 was prepared via a Suzuki coupling reaction of 2,6-dimethoxyphenylboronic acid and iodobenzene, followed by a demethylation with BBr3, and finally an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction to add the two tert-butyl groups to the ring, resulting in a yield of 8%. The compound was characterized by 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), and product studies.Compound 18 was found to have undergone ESIPT to the 2’-position, followed by a reverse proton transfer (RPT), however, there was a very low approximate quantum yield. Initial quantum yield measurements suggest the ESIPT quantum yield is around 0.07. This is lower than what has been reported for 10, suggesting that adding two tert-butyl groups and two hydroxyl groups does not increase the efficiency of deuterium exchange, contrary to what was originally hypothesized. The low quantum yield is believed to be a result of the “loose bolt” effect, suggesting internal conversion (IC) is likely the dominant pathway from the singlet excited state back to the ground state.</p