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Possible biogenic sedimentary structures in the Cambrian Goldenville Group, Nova Scotia
No full textThe Meguma Terrane, in southern Nova Scotia, is host to the metasandstone rich Goldenville Group. This Cambrian unit contains many sedimentary structures, including but not limited to, flute casts, wave and current ripples, sand volcanoes, and large enigmatic groove casts. The origin of these large groove casts is currently unknown. The rocks within the Goldenville Group have been strained. Reversing strain is an important step in determining the origin of the large groove casts. Three methods of strain analysis are applied to the rocks, 1. The Fry plot method, 2. Tangent line analysis, 3. Direct strain analysis. The results of these methods suggest a strain ratio of approximately 1.5. Using this strain ratio and linear algebra, we can undeform the groove casts to show their original shape. Once the pre-strained orientation of the sedimentary structures is determined, we can then interpret their origin. The results of this investigation have implica-tions including regional geology, depositional environments, and possibly the size and abundance of organisms from the Cambrian of Nova Scotia
Healing with nature: nature-based therapy's potential for rehabilitation therapy fields
No full textA limited but growing body of knowledge suggests that Nature-Based Therapies could provide extensive health benefits for both patient populations and the general population. This study sought to explore the potential benefits of incorporating NBT into the Rehabilitation Therapy fields of Speech-Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. These fields were chosen due to the current deficit of research on the use of NBT within them, the fact that existing literature suggests NBT could benefit the specific treatment goals and overall well-being of their patient populations, and the fact that these fields have adaptable frameworks suitable to the incorporation of such a Complementary Alternative Medicine into practice. Fifteen participants took part in this research, and completed a Profile of Mood-States Test before and after taking part in an NBT activity. Participants also took part in semi-structured follow-up interviews. Results indicated that participants experienced a reduction in negative mood-states and an increase in one positive mood-state after completing the activity. Participants also reported feelings of improved physical and mental well-being, groundedness and mind-body connection, and an increase in personal realizations. The generalizability of these findings was limited by a number of factors including sample size and participant bias, but these results indicate that NBT could be a potentially beneficial CAM for ST, OT, and PT patients, necessitating further research on the topic
From the field to the bus: navigating body image in varsity athletes
No full textBody image is a widely understood topic with varying levels of severity, and a number of possible symptoms. In athlete populations there is a tension surrounding body image due to differences in performance demands and societal demands around appearance, these also differ by the sex and sport type of the athlete. In addition, the supports and pressures they face from the people around them can have varying levels of positive and negative associations with an individual's body image satisfactions. To determine the associations between the variables there were three research questions in the present study: (1) What levels of body-image concerns or disordered eating behaviours are present among varsity athletes?; (2) Do these concerns differ as a function of the sex of the athlete or the sport they play?; and (3) How (if at all) are social influences including social media use, social pressures, as well as social support related to body image concerns among varsity athletes? Varsity athletes (N=61) completed measures of body image, disordered eating, social supports and pressures, and social media usage. The results revealed that there is some body image dissatisfaction among the group of varsity athletes. MANOVAs revealed differences by sex on drive for muscularity (p=.02), and there were also differences revealed by sport type on body image (p=.004). The results also indicated that pressure was negatively related to body image, and support was positively associated. These findings suggest that non-lean sport athletes may be more at risk of body image concerns
Interactions among parelaphostrongylus tenuis nematodes, mercury, and corona virus in white-tailed deer
No full textA stressor is something that disrupts an organism's steady internal state. Parasitism is one type of stressor, and it can cause mild to serious disease in hosts such as neurological effects including circling, starvation, and blindness. Viruses and nematodes are stressors that can compromise a host's immune system. Heavy metals are another type of stressor that can bioaccumulate and be found in high concentrations in organs and tissues of hosts. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are abundant throughout North America and can be affected by these stressors. In this study, I quantified prevalence and intensity of COVID-19, P. tenuis, and mercury concentrations in Nova Scotian deer from 79 hunter-donated heads. White-tailed deer are natural hosts of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, a nematode found in the meninges, the thin membranes between the brain and skull. There were no significant relationships between P. tenuis and mercury, and all COVID-19 tests were negative. Results showed that females were 67% more likely to have a P. tenuis infection than males. Cause of death (classified as either hunted or roadkill), age, and location had no significant interactions among variables (P > 0.05) although sample sizes were small for these tests. Parasites can affect all organisms, and investigating their interactions with other stressors among hosts are important to understand because synergistic interactions among stressors could cause unknow effects to a species performance and abundance
Efforts toward the synthesis of ESIPT-active anthracene substituted phenols
No full textPhenols containing pendant anthracene groups are known to undergo excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reactions that cause photoaddition to the anthracene ring across the 9 and 10 positions. This causes bleaching of the anthracene absorption, which makes this compound potentially useful as a contrast enhancement material. The addition of a bulky substituent to the ortho-position of a phenol has been shown to improve the efficiency of ESIPT reactions. In an attempt to both increase the anthracene absorption and increase the reaction quantum yield, we set out to make phenols substituted with two anthracene groups (on the 2 and 6-positions), and one anthracene group (23) and one t-butyl group (22).
Efforts toward the syntheses of 22 and 23 involved a Suzuki coupling strategy, although the coupling step has been hampered by competing protodeboronation of the boronic acid, and protodebromination of the aryl halide, likely due to the high degree of steric bulk in the proposed product. While neither 22 nor 23 were synthesized, 15 was synthesized in a very small amount (2.7% yield). UV-Vis spectroscopy was used in addition to 1H and 13C NMR to identify the product as well as to obtain a standard UV spectrum for future comparison. This research can be beneficial to the production of contrast enhancement materials (CEMs) which are used in the production of microelectronics such as microchips
Nine to five in the league: a sociological examination of the National Basketball Association
No full textThe National Basketball Association (NBA) is a career that is dreamt about and fantasized about by people across the world as a perfect career and a form of emancipation for the athletes. In reality, the NBA is a business, and the professional athletes are dually commodities and workers, tasked with creating a surplus profit for the owners. Athletes are alienated within, and often after their careers end. Using Gamal Abdel-Shehid and Nathan Kalman-Lamb's reworking of Karl Marx's theories of alienation, reserve army of labour, and commodity fetishism within professional sports, this thesis explores the troubles and torment that players are forced to go through within and after their careers. Owners and fans alike treat athletes in the NBA as commodities, not people who put extensive amount of time into their crafts. The NBA is a career that appears to stand outside the confines of capitalism, but when analyzed closer and from a sociological perspective, can be theorized as functioning no different than any other nine to five job
Facing injustice toward Indigenous People in Canada: does intergroup contact motivate change?
No full textGreater intergroup contact – that is, greater contact with people belonging to a different social group (e.g., racial, religious, sexual orientation group) than one's own – is reliably associated with lower prejudice. Although this relationship is well-established, less is known about how intergroup contact is associated with more active outcomes tied to social change, such as collective action (i.e., behaviour taken on behalf of a disadvantaged group aimed to benefit the disadvantaged group). Collective action is needed to fight inequity in many intergroup contexts, with one salient context in Canada being relations between White and Indigenous people. I investigated associations between several forms of intergroup contact and collective action intentions in this context. I examined associations between intergroup contact and established predictors of collective action (identification with the cause, anger about injustice, and feelings f efficacy). I expected there to be associations between greater intergroup contact and collective action intentions that are mediated by anger, identification, and/or efficacy. I also investigated the potential influence of "extended" discrimination – that is, learning about or witnessing an
Indigenous friend's discrimination. To investigate this question, I conducted a cross-sectional survey study with White-Canadian crowdsourced participants (N = 451). I used self-report, psychometrically validated measures of the variables of interest. Linear regression analyses suggest, consistent with expectations, that White people in Canada are more likely to show collective action intentions if they have high quality contact and socially identify with Indigenous causes
Spatiotemporal analysis of the causative agent of white-nose syndrome and intestinal macroparasites from Nova Scotian bat guano
No full textInvasive species can have devastating effects on native wildlife. In 2006, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), was introduced from Europe to immunologically naïve bats in a New York hibernaculum. Pd has since spread across North America, causing extensive mortalities in multiple bat species. In Nova Scotia, Pd has caused a >90% decline in the little brown myotis Myotis lucifugus, historically the most abundant bat species in the province. Although Pd principally infects bats during hibernation, Pd spores carried to summer roosting sites could assist spread of the pathogen. Bat guano may provide a substrate for tracking Pd at these summer roost sites and reveal how temporal movements of cave-hibernating bats relates to spread and exposure.
Pd has not yet been formally detected in every county in Nova Scotia. However, because declines are province-wide, this is highly likely. Additionally, little is known about bat intestinal parasites in Nova Scotia, and most endoparasite data on bats have been based on dissections. There are also no studies on associations between bat endoparasite communities and WNS. This study quantified the spatiotemporal distribution of Pd in Nova Scotia summer maternity roosts using genetic testing of guano samples. Pd was recorded for the first time in three Nova Scotia counties. This study is also testing three newly designed primers on DNA extracted from bat guano to trial molecular identification of bat endoparasite diversity in Nova Scotia
The effects of tart cherry juice on recovery outcomes, metabolic response, and cardiovascular runction in trained cyclists
No full textPurpose: Tart cherry contains two key antioxidants (anthocyanin and polyphenol) which have been shown prevent and reduce the onset of exercise induced oxidative stress, muscle damage
and fatigue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tart cherry juice on recovery outcomes, metabolic responses, and cardiovascular function in trained cyclists.
Methods: This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Seven participants received 30 ml of tart cherry (TC) juice or a placebo (G) twice a day for seven days with a wash-out period of one month. Participants visited the lab 3 times during each supplementation period. On day 1, anthropometric measurements were obtained. Participants completed three 10km time trials on days 1, 6, and 7 with blood glucose and lactate measurements obtained pre- and post-trial. Additionally, on day 6 participants completed a 90-minute cycling test at 65% max heart rate before the 10km time trial. Blood glucose and lactate measures were obtained at baseline and again at 15,30,60 and 90 minutes.
Results: The results showed blood lactate levels decreased after the 90-minute cycling test and increased post 10 km time trial in the TC condition. The 10 km time trial results on the last day of supplementation decreased by 2.4% in the TC condition compared to G condition. Also, heart rate decreased 2.6% bpm and stroke volume increased by 4.5% in TC condition compared to G condition.
Conclusion: In conclusion, TC supplementation improved recovery, time trial performance and cardiovascular function among trained cyclists
Piece rate and wage rate employment in Nova Scotian apple farms
No full textThe question of offering piece rate or wage rate compensation is an important choice for any firm, especially farms. We apply this question to Nova Scotian Apple farms by building upon the rich literature of labour market compensation schemes and multidimensional product differentiation. And seek to investigate the impact locational differentiation has on farmers' choice between piece rate and wage rate harvest worker compensation, by applying a game theoretic approach. In a model with workers' productivity being the hidden information, we find that farms that have a high level of locational differentiation will have the same compensation method, namely, piece rates, with the same holding for medium levels of locational differentiation. For low levels of differentiation, piece rate and wage rate compensation methods can co-exist