2011 / 6th Annual University of Regina Graduate Student Research Conference
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Creating Community Consciousness: Students Expanding Knowledge & Creativity
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- Timothy Maciag
- Richard Dosselmann
- Elizabeth Starks
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Item Open Access The Nature of Single Female-led Family Homelessness and Mental Health(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Barth-Burkholder, AngelicaChronic homelessness, repeated episodes and/or lengthy durations of homelessness constitute the extreme negative end of the “housing continuum.” The “housing continuum” reflects levels of financial and social attainment or loss in terms of housing. Among the 'hidden' homeless, the number and proportion of single parent female-led families, which constitute the majority of the ‘new homeless’, have quickly grown among the chronically homeless, as opposed to the usually visible ‘old homeless’ – single adult males. Single-parent female-led homeless families follow cyclical patterns due to small or weak social networks and mental health problems related to abusive histories and domestic violence. Female children of homeless families frequently re-experience cyclical or chronic homelessness as a single adult females or family member. The US and UK have recognized crucial demographic variables and correlations between abusive histories, domestic violence, mental health problems and single-parent female-led cyclical and chronic family homelessness. Canada has not. At expense to mental health and social programs, Canada has focused on partially reversing neo-liberal cutbacks to income, employment and housing programs. These are absolutely necessary, but alone only mitigate the related issues of family homelessness. Just as the literature illustrates my research will demonstrate the same is true in Canada using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observation. I argue supporting strong and sustainable social networks, comprehensive, collaborated and coordinated mental health and social programs such as “Homes First” are required to overcome the ravishes of family homelessness.Item Open Access Ultrastructure and physical properties of Escherichia coli expressing a plant pathogen protein responsible for inter-species infectivity(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Madarati, Cheghaf; Dahms, TanyaPhytopathogenic bacteria Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii (DC 283) has been demonstrated to aggregate in the gut and causes the death of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) by a flocculating behaviour that prevents honey dew secretion. This behaviour has been attributed to the (you cannot pass-1) ucp1 gene that potentially has an outer membrane function. Here we further explore the role of the ucp1 gene transformed into E. coli (pET21B) by atomic force microscopy and the effects of its expression on the ultrastructure and morphology of the E. coli (pET21B) cell surface. Induction of Ucp1 at various levels was correlated with aggregation of E. coli cells up to 95%. EPS material was produced in larger amounts around bacterial cells with higher induction levels of Ucp1. Interestingly, the surface subunits increased almost 10 nm in size when Ucp1 was induced, and stayed constant over different levels of induction. These results show that Ucp1 indeed has either a direct or indirect role on the ultrastructure of the E. coli cell wall surface, leading to aggregation behaviour.Item Open Access Music Preference and Sensation Seeking: From Alternative to Sensational(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Hamel, Cory; Sharpe, DonaldThe field of music preference as it is related to sensation seeking has been studied by many researchers but the field still seems to lack in objective measures. The aim of the proposed study is to compare a self-report measure to an objective measure of music preference from participants and relate that preference to sensation seeking and personality, using the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V and the HEXACO personality inventory. It is anticipated that the music genres of rock and punk will be strongly associated with high scores on the Sensation Seeking Scale and the six personality dimensions of the HEXACO. The findings of this study will add to the research relating music preference both to personality and the sensation seeking construct.Item Open Access Effects of Testosterone on Emotion Processing in Men(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Gould, Layla; Tottenham, SykesRecent literature suggests that recognition of emotional facial expressions changes during hormone cycles. In women, emotional facial expression recognition accuracy has been found to change as hormone levels vary across the menstrual cycle; however it is not yet known whether men experience transient changes in emotion recognition related to daily hormonal cycles. This study examined whether there are transient changes in facial and prosodic emotion recognition across the day, at times when testosterone is highest and lowest. Participants consisted of males ranging in age from 18-30 years. All participants completed two testing sessions, one in the morning (high testosterone) and one in the afternoon (low testosterone). Participants completed two facial and prosodic emotion processing tasks during each session. In addition, self-report measures of emotional intelligence and empathy were administered to assess whether self-perceived emotional abilities also fluctuate. Scores from the two sessions were compared to determine if diurnal fluctuations in emotion processing abilities occurred.Item Open Access The Purple Public Administration of Saskatchewan(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-01) Fullmer, C. ScottThe public service in Saskatchewan has had difficulty defining the relationship with the political masters. It has been a long held principle that the public service should be willing to serve the elected despite ideological differences. The classical Woodrow Wilson model of public administration has been problematic due to a drift in the recognition between responsibilities of administrators and politicians, sometimes called the “grey” or “purple” zone in policy making. This paper argues that the new public management approach which promotes an exchange of contracts between administrators and politicians has lead to a toxic and adversarial relationship between politicians and administrators. A more formal recognition of the “purple” zone in public policy will enable the province to better tune the performance of management in the public sector and will better define the roles of both administrative and political decision-makers.Item Open Access Social Anxiety Disorder Constructs: Beyond Fearing Negative Evaluation(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Teale, Michelle J.N.; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a severely distressing disorder that interferes with activities of daily living for 7-13% of the population, making it a significant mental health concern (Kessler et al., 2005). Pioneering cognitive models of SAD underscored fear of negative evaluation as a central cognitive construct contributing to the development and maintenance of the disorder (Clark & Wells, 1995). Other cognitive constructs have since been shown as predictive of social anxiety symptoms, including fear of positive evaluation (Weeks, Heimberg, & Rodebaugh, 2008), anxiety sensitivity (Rodriguez, Bruce, Pagano, Spencer, & Keller, 2004), and most recently, intolerance of uncertainty (Carleton, Collimore, & Asmundson, 2010). The current study extends Carleton and colleagues’ (2010) work by concurrently examining all of the aforementioned cognitive constructs and assessing those relationships within a clinical sample. Participants meeting diagnostic criteria for SAD are currently being recruited (n=40 currently completed, estimated final total of n=80 expected by early March) to complete measures of social anxiety symptoms and each of the constructs of interest. Analyses to date suggest intolerance of uncertainty (p<.05), along with anxiety sensitivity (p<.05), and fear of positive evaluation (p<.05) account for variance in SAD symptoms comparable to the variance accounted for by the classically hallmark construct, fear of negative evaluation. The results of such investigations provide important directions for clinicians (i.e., targets for cognitive therapies) and researchers (i.e., avenues for building comprehensive predictive models). Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research will be discussed.Item Open Access Comparison of seismocardiography to echocardiography for measuring cardiac cycle events(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Quarrie, David Mac; Neary, PatrickBackground Seismocardiography (SCG) measures timing and force of cardiac contraction. However, limited data is available to confirm its ability to accurately record these events in comparison to echocardiography (Echo). This study compared SCG with Echo to determine whether SCG provided a valid measure of cardiac performance. We hypothesized that the SCG measurements would not be different from Echo. Methods and Results SCG and Echo was performed on 28 (17 females) healthy volunteers (Mean ± SD; age=39.3±13.9 yrs; age range = 12-59 yrs). The SCG was recorded in the supine position. Following SCG collection, Doppler and M-mode Echo measurements were collected. Data analysis was performed on 10 cardiac cycles (SCG’s) and 1-3 Echo images. The results showed the % differences between the Echo and SCG for all comparable variables ranged from 0.90% to 11%, with similar coefficient of variation. Independent T-tests (p<0.05) showed no significant differences between the Echo and SCG, respectively, for aortic valve open to acceleration time of systole (71±13 vs 76±12 msec), mitral valve open to E-wave (111±33 vs 110±20 msec), E-wave to A-wave (370±118 vs 410±144 msec), mitral valve open to E-wave (159±20 vs 164±28 msec), and mitral valve open to mitral valve close (536±129 vs 573±148 msec). Statistically significant differences were found for aortic valve open to aortic valve close (292±18 vs 264±20 msec), and isovolumic relaxation time (81±15 vs 91±8 msec). Conclusion SCG reliably measured cardiac timing when compared to the reference method, suggesting that SCG could be used in applied and clinical research.Item Open Access The dasymetric method for mapping population(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Krahnen, Anne; Siemer, JuliaThis poster introduces basic concepts, methods and ideas of the dasymetric method. Today’s society relies upon maps as a common and effective way of communication. Population distribution and density are frequently displayed phenomena. Currently, the choropleth method is most commonly applied to map population. This method displays statistical data as densities for enumeration units and is most appropriate for phenomena that occur equally throughout a region (e.g., tax rates). However, its application to phenomena whose real distribution is not reflected by the boundaries of administrative areas (e.g., population) is inadequate. A less established method avoiding these problems is the dasymetric method. This method is visualizing statistical surfaces displaying phenomena and variables varying continuously over space. Cartographers discovered a relationship between the occurrence of population and additional, so-called ancillary data. Dasymetric mapping is the method used to define this logical relationship between ancillary data and census population data. Irregularities such as peak values and local variations are shown on dasymetric maps. The dasymetric method has not been standardized yet. A generally accepted valid relationship between ancillary data and a statistical surface still is to be defined. Thus, research focuses on the definition of methods that precisely redistribute census data to exclusively populated areas and determine their population density.Item Open Access The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Emotion Processing(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Yelland, JessicaSeveral studies have recently suggested that women's recognition of threat emotion facial expressions (fear, anger, and disgust) increases as progesterone levels increase, while some studies suggest that recognition of anger increases as estrogen levels increase. These studies have focused solely on endogenous sex hormone effects on emotion processing, and have examined only visual emotion recognition. This study examined whether women's ability to accurately recognize emotion through both visual and auditory means is affected by the use of oral contraceptives, a type of exogenous sex hormone medication. Participants were female first and second year university students using monocyclic oral contraceptives. Participants completed two emotion recognition tasks (one visual, one auditory) and four self-report measures at three different phases of the pill cycle; one inactive pill phase and two active pill phases. The inactive pills do not contain estrogen and progesterone; during the first active pill phase, estrogen and progesterone are present in low concentrations, and during the second active pill phase, estrogen and progesterone are present in higher concentrations. Emotion recognition scores were examined to determine if changes in emotion processing corresponded to oral contraceptive pill phase.Item Open Access Transformations: Consciousness Expansion and Addictions Treatment(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Payne, DylanThis project will explore how consciousness studies can inform and enrich current approaches to the treatment of addictions. Consciousness has historically been neglected in the study of psychology as it is difficult to study using traditional scientific methods. Currently there has been a renewed interest in the study of consciousness and this research project examines how information gleaned from consciousness research can help understand the process of addiction and recovery. Specifically, the project focuses on the utility of framing addiction as a problem of restricted consciousness. In conceptualizing addiction in this manner, treatment is seen as a process of consciousness expansion. This study attempts to examine the process of consciousness expansion and identify those aspects of treatment that promote it. Models of consciousness are discussed as well as the role of spirituality in the development of higher states of consciousness. A comparison is made between Eastern descriptions of consciousness and empirical studies of consciousness from Western psychology. The relationship between the process of consciousness expansion and the development of the Self is explored with particular emphasis on the work of Carl Jung and his views related to addictions and treatment. It is hoped that suggestions for treatments that foster the development of consciousness, as well as an understanding of the value of conceptualizing addiction as a problem of restricted consciousness, will emerge from the study.Item Open Access Community Values Scale Validation(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Parkerson, HollyanneIn 2009, the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP) put forth recommendations about how Saskatchewan could better utilize its uranium resources. A qualitative analysis of written stakeholder responses was conducted and four value clusters were revealed (traditional market values, green market values, deep ecology values, and sustainability values; Dolter & Arbuthnott, 2010). Measurement of environmental concern has typically been addressed within the areas of risk perception (e.g., worldview/identity grid; Kahan & Brahman, 2006), values research (e.g., New Environmental Paradigm; Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, & Jones, 1990), and temporal concern (e.g., Consideration of Future Consequences; Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger & Edwards, 1994); however, the four values revealed in the stakeholder responses spanned these three directions. This suggests that current measurement instruments may not provide an adequate assessment of all value clusters. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the proposed scale and to assess whether the relationship between the four values and the UDP recommendations generalizes beyond the stakeholders of the public consultation.Item Open Access Eruptive Frequency and Hazard Prediction for the Garibaldi Volcanic Complex, British Columbia(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Fillmore, Julie; Coulson, IanThe Garibaldi Volcanic Complex is located in south-western British Columbia, Canada and forms a 25 km-wide belt of volcanic centres stretching from Mount Garibaldi, at the head of Howe Sound, north-west for ~140 km to Bridge River. The Complex is constructed on a series of metamorphosed intrusions of quartz diorite and granodiorite. This complex has been active from 1.3 Ma to as recent as 6670 years B. P. The purpose of this study is to both characterise and document the volcanic history of the Garibaldi volcanoes and attempt to constrain their eruptive nature and frequency, and thus potential hazards. This work includes: field sampling, petrological investigation of representative samples, and detailed examination and modelling of crystal populations and their patterns of zonation to determine magma-chamber processes. Magma recharge events, a common cause of volcanic eruptions, have been documented in several minerals across both belts through detailed microscopic study. Analysis of these profiles can provide important information on the repose periods of the Garibaldi volcanoes as well as the timescales between recharge and eruption. This data has the potential to significantly improve current eruption forecasting models.Item Open Access Health Privacy in Canada: E-government's Effect on Confidential Health Information(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Simon, JenniIn Canada, confidentiality of health information is assumed by patients and citizens alike who routinely provide health information for everything from employment forms to doctor’s appointments. This rightful assumption is entrenched by privacy legislation, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and doctor-patient confidentiality derived from the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath. Although professional rules and legislation govern the use and protection of health information, this has not always been the case in practice. Health privacy prior to the use of e-government was a concern, as will be illustrated by an examination of Justice Krever’s inquiry into the confidentiality of health information. These privacy concerns such as lack of proper security, and poor employee training, have intensified in the present with the induction and prominent use of e-government to provide goods and services. Likewise, as electronic health records are becoming popularized, the existence and abundance of centralized information could lead to potential abuse. An examination of privacy prior and during e-government was undertaken. Privacy in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec were examined to determine how e-government has had an impact on health privacy in application to electronic health records. Privacy legislation was also examined in each province, which determined the levels of privacy afforded to citizens in each respective province.Item Open Access Monitoring Water Quality of an Urban Waterfowl Sanctuary(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Mertler, J.A.; Hodder, K.R.The evaluation of physical parameters of water is crucial to determining the overall health of an aquatic eco-system. This study investigated the impact of a concentrated population of waterfowl on water quality in a controlled system of small, shallow, macrophyte-rich ponds situated in urban parkland in the city of Regina. The ponds are ideal for this assessment, as inflow and outflow are controlled, and proved useful in the assessment of potential human health risks associated with an urban waterfowl sanctuary. Water quality was assessed according to physical parameters, including pH, specific conductance (EC), temperature, and total dissolved solids (TDS). The measurement of these characteristics at the point of inflow was a direct indicator of water quality in the ponds’ main water source, a nearby urban lake. Extreme fluctuations in EC, basic-heavy pH, cool temperatures, and variable TDS levels indicated inflow of poor to variable quality. Outflow water quality was very different, and it appeared that waterfowl reduced pH, EC and TDS levels. The results have application in policy, planning, and programming decisions in urban parklands.Item Open Access Exploring the Effectiveness of Propaganda and Counter- Propaganda in Contemporary Society(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Anderson, KyleIn this contemporary age of information in a democratic society, we sift through the messages and decide for ourselves which product to buy, which production we go to, the political party we support, etc. This power of independent thought is brought into question by one particular product: cigarettes. It is the only product on the market that when used as per the manufacturer's specifications, will actually harm the user, and the only mention of them in the public media is grossly anti-smoking; yet the act of smoking persists. Some could chalk this up to the fact that they are addictive, but how does one start in this day and age? How do cigarettes, despite a massive image war in the media, still hold themselves to be symbols of power, intellect, independence and mystery? My essay about tobacco advertising and its propagandistic properties attempts to explore the functionality of pro and anti smoking ads, and explain why 40 years after the abolition of tobacco advertising that cigarettes can be more commonly associated with a rebellious teen leaning on a brick wall, than a a cancer patient. The format is an interactive essay which contains links to many relevant videos at designated times in the essay (which is why I selected "exhibit", as it is the closest to what I believe it to be).Item Open Access Personal Expressiveness, Hedonic Enjoyment, Intrinsic Motivation, and Life Satisfaction in University Students(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Mise, Taysa-RheaThe purpose of the current study is to relate intrinsic motivation, personal expressiveness, hedonic enjoyment, and life satisfaction as experienced by university students. Personally expressive activities enhance one’s personal growth or development. Waterman (2005, 2008) has equated personal expressiveness with intrinsic motivation, a central focus of Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self-Determination Theory. Satisfaction with life, a component of subjective well-being, has been shown to be highly associated with personal expressiveness and much less related to hedonic enjoyment. These variables will be looked at in terms of how they relate to students’ academic and social activities. The hypotheses of the current study are: students who attend school to pursue a passion will have stronger levels of personal expressiveness; participants scoring higher on personal expressiveness will spend more time working on homework and attend a greater portion of their classes; most participants will score higher on personal expressiveness and hedonic enjoyment for a chosen activity versus an assigned one; individuals scoring higher in personal expressiveness and hedonic enjoyment will also score higher in intrinsic motivation; and participants who have high scores in both personal expressiveness and hedonic enjoyment will also have higher satisfaction with life. The study will contribute to knowledge on personal expressiveness and will also have an impact on the design of educational programs and courses at the post-secondary level. This study is currently in progress and hypotheses are expected to be confirmed once data collection and analysis is completed.Item Open Access Living on the edge: Habitat selection of two sympatric snake species at the northern periphery of their geographic range(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Gardiner, Laura E.; Poulin, Ray G.; Somers, Christopher M.Southwestern Saskatchewan is home to a unique snake community consisting of several species at the northern edge of their geographic range. Animals at the periphery of their geographic range often experience extreme or unique selection pressures which may put these peripheral populations, and thus the entire species, at a greater risk of extinction. Eastern yellow-bellied racers (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) have been identified as a Threatened species in Canada, with their known range confined to two river valleys in southern Saskatchewan. Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis), however, are a wide ranging pit viper abundant in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta. The considerable difference in abundance of these species may be due to the availability of preferred habitat, though the habitat use of these two species has not been well studied in Canada. Results from this study will provide new information on the habitat use of these species at the northern periphery of their range and contribute to the development of management strategies for these species and for this grassland ecosystem.Item Open Access Counting Permutations(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Purdy, AlisonSuppose we have an orange, an apple and a pear. How many different ways can we arrange these three? The answer is six – OAP, APO, PAO, OPA, AOP, POA. These arrangements are called permutations. Now, how large a collection of these arrangements can we have so that any two arrangements have one fruit in the same position? With our three fruit, the answer is two. One example would be OAP and OPA. The answer isn’t quite so easy if we start with a larger set of objects. You would probably be surprised at the number of years it took for mathematicians to prove an answer that would apply to any number of objects. It turns out that the best approach is to have one object in the same position in all the arrangements. What happens if any two arrangements must have two objects in the same positions? What about more than two? How large a collection of permutations will meet these constraints? Recently, Ellis, Friedgut and Pilpel arrived at a partial answer to this question. In the research for my Master's thesis at the University of Regina, I used a different approach in an attempt to solve this problem. I will present these two results and discuss the relative strengths of each.Item Open Access Granular Structure of State Space Search(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Luo, Jigang; Yao, YiyuState space search is to find a path from start state to goal state, which is widely used in Artificial Intelligence. A state is a configuration of basic elements of a problem. For example, in chess game every legal chessboard configuration is a state, a state space consists of all the legal chessboard configurations, the start state is the beginning chessboard configuration, the goal state is the chessboard configuration that the opponent is checkmated, the search is to find a sequence of chess moves that from start state to goal state. In our research we use granular computing to construct a hierarchical structure of the state space, so that the search in the state space will be fast. Our idea is that a hierarchical structure can speed up search. For example in a supermarket all the commercial items are categorized hierarchically so that clients can easily find target items, if they want to find a Chinese food they can first search in food category, then search in oriental food category, then search in Chinese food category, then they can easily get their item. We categorize all the states in the state space in the same way so that we can quickly find a path from a start state to a goal state.Item Open Access An Incremental Algorithm for Data Mining based on Rough Sets(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Deng, XiaofeiIn data mining, there are lots of methods about learning interesting rules (knowledge) from a database or an information table. Pawlak’s Rough Set Theory (RST), is a useful method for data mining and data analysis. Successful applications in data mining have proved that those learning approaches from the view of rough sets are rather helpful and valuable in obtaining interesting rules. Such approaches, however, assume that training examples recorded in a database will eventually converge to a stable state. That is, the information table is a finite and fixed set of records which share a common set of properties. In contrast to this assumption, the volume of data grows rapidly. For example, in 2006 the eBay’s massive oracle database has over 212 million registered users, holding two Petabytes of user Data. The database is running on Teradata with over 20 billion transactions per day. For management and market decision in such a business environment, an efficient rule learning algorithm with the real time processing ability is extraordinarily valuable. In this presentation, we will introduce an incremental RST algorithm based on the assumption that the objects in the information table change while time evolves.