SFU Undergraduate Research Symposium Journal

Biotic resistance on muddy shores? Non-parasitic native barnacles parasitise a non-native snail

Kiara Kattler — 2022-05-03

People have moved marine species around for centuries, and the rate of ecologically damaging introductions is accelerating. The success of an introduced species is determined by the characteristics of that organism, but also by the features of the species in the recipient habitat. ‘Biotic resistance’ can arise when native species slow down or prevent the spread of introduced species through parasitism, predation, and/or competition. Here, we examine if native barnacles that grow on the mudsnail Batillaria attramentaria offer biotic resistance against this invader from the western Pacific. We conducted population surveys, mark-recapture experiments, and behavioural observations at Crescent Beach, BC, to measure the effects of barnacles on movement, growth, and short-term survival of mudsnails. Approximately one-third of mudsnails carried barnacles, the weight of which sometimes exceeded the weight of the mudsnail. Barnacle presence decreased the likelihood that mudsnails would move, and barnacle weight reduced the distance moved. The higher the ratio of barnacle weight to snail weight, the lower the likelihood of mudsnail movement and distance moved, which could have implications for foraging success of mudsnails carrying barnacles. Shell weight and shell length were highly correlated, but the slope of the relationship was similar for mudsnails with and without barnacles. There was no effect of barnacle presence on mudsnail survival. Overall, native barnacles appear to offer some, though weak, biotic resistance to invasive mudsnails. Discovering that native species can hinder important attributes of invasive species, such as movement, helps us further understand the ability of ecosystems to resist invasion.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Isabelle Côté, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Assessing the Ability of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines to Elicit Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Fatima Yaseen — 2022-05-03

The COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC), including strains that may evade immune responses. To assess the ability of current vaccines to generate immunity against VoCs, we tested samples from 135 people after two or three vaccine doses using laboratory assays that measure the ability of antibodies to bind to the viral Spike protein and to block its interaction with the cell entry receptor, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE-2). Both responses were quantified against the ancestral virus strain (Wuhan) as well as alpha, beta, gamma, delta and omicron VoCs. One month after the second vaccine dose, binding antibodies were similar against Wuhan, alpha and delta, but lower against beta, gamma and omicron (all p<0.05). Notably, ACE-2 blocking activity was lower against all VoCs at this time. Six months after the second dose, binding antibodies and ACE-2 blocking activities declined against all strains, and remained significantly lower against all VoC. One month after the third dose, binding antibodies against all strains exceeded prior peaks, but remained lower against wildtype. Similarly, ACE-2 blocking activity exceeded prior peaks, but remained lower against all VoC except delta. In summary, our results show that COVID-19 vaccines induced antibodies against all VoCs, but immune evasion was observed, particularly in the case of beta, gamma and omicron variants. Antibody responses declined significantly by six months after the second dose, but they were boosted to new peaks by a third dose.

Acknowledgments –

This project was supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Canadian Covid-19 Immunity Task Force [2021-HQ-000120]. We thank the study participants, without whom this work would not have been possible. We also thank study staff at the long-term care residences, Simon Fraser University and St. Paul’s Hospital for support. A similar analysis of the Omicron strain is ongoing and will be included in our final presentation.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Mark Brockman, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Biomarker Identification in Human Mesenchymal Stem and Stromal Cells.

Haider Bilal — 2022-05-03

The Braid lab studies human mesenchymal stem and stromal cells (MSCs). My research project in this field focuses on identifying MSC biomarkers that can distinguish this cell type from a similar type in the body, called fibroblasts. Fibroblasts commonly inhabit the same spaces as MSCs and appear identical. No single marker has been found to detect all types of MSCs. Therefore, the identification of a single biomarker is crucial, as it would allow these cells to be correctly recognized in the human body for further research. This research could determine the roles that MSCs play in human development as well as tissue repair and regeneration. The potential biomarkers I have been testing were identified in a previous study but require validation. This includes using colored antibodies that attach and visually label the biomarker proteins in MSCs and fibroblasts. After viewing these cells under a microscope, the difference in color between the cell types indicates the biomarker presence or expression. I will also test the abundance of these biomarkers at the gene level using qPCR. This technique allows us to measure how many copies of the biomarker are in the process of being produced by the cell. We can use this technique to determine if there are measurable differences in biomarker transcripts between MSCs and fibroblasts. Ultimately, identifying these MSC biomarkers is fundamental in recognizing these cells in animal models. Models that are critical in determining the true origins and functions of MSCs in human health, and development.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Lorena Braid, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University

Klebsiella pneumoniae’s role in the “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance

Elizabeth Fung — 2022-05-03

For decades, antibiotics have saved millions of lives, yet antimicrobial resistance is a steadily growing “silent pandemic” contributing to over 700,000 deaths per year. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes develop resistance over time so that antibiotics are no longer effective treatments.

One key player in AMR is Klebsiella pneumoniae - a highly antibiotic-resistant bacterium that is prevalent in diverse settings like hospitals and the outdoor environment. It is an especially important pathogen of newborns in developing countries. Due to its multi-drug resistance, K. pneumoniae has been classified by the World Health Organization as “critical priority” for urgent development of new antibiotics. Previous studies have analyzed the genetic makeup of K. pneumoniae strains; however, there is limited understanding of K. pneumoniae’s functional characteristics.

In my research, I will study a collection of K. pneumoniae clinical samples to look for traits important in colonization, resistance, and survival. Specifically, I will assess motility – bacteria’s ability to move independently to colonize new areas– and biofilm formation– multicellular aggregates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics and can easily cling to medical equipment surfaces. Both motility and biofilm formation are virulence mechanisms that allow bacteria to infect and survive in their host. By identifying trends in these characteristics between different clinical samples, I will establish phenotypic profiles of K. pneumoniae strains that can be used for further clinical and genomic analyses. Overall, my research will increase our understanding of K. pneumoniae’s functions and contribute towards stopping the “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Amy Lee, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry,, Simon Fraser University

Relevance of colour polymorphism in the invasive tunicate Botryllus schlosseri when exposed to thermal stress and ocean acidification

Emily Leedham — 2022-05-03

Colour polymorphism (the presence of multiple colour morphs within a species) is common in marine sessile invertebrates, and is underpinned by multiple physiological and environmental processes. However, the effect of colour variation on ecological adaptations is poorly understood. Botryllus schlosseri is a colonial tunicate with multiple colour morphs that is invasive along the coast of British Columbia (BC). Using settlement tiles deployed at a location known to have at least two colour morphs (orange and purple), we observed how an extreme heat event affected colour-specific colony spread. We also used data from a 2013 experiment at the same location, where CO2 was used to lower water pH to see how ocean acidification might affect colony spread of the different morphs. We found that in both experiments, the orange morph arrived sooner than the purple one. In 2021, the purple morph grew faster than the orange morph, and neither was negatively affected by the 2021 heat dome that affected much of BC. Ocean acidification did not have an effect on colour morph cover. The resilience of B. schlosseri in the face of ocean acidification, and an extreme heat event, suggests that as climate change continues to alter marine environments, this species will remain a nuisance member of the fouling community in BC.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Isabelle Côté, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members: Em Lim, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Prospects for Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Lessons from the M23 Rebellion

Lyle Whitfield — 2022-05-03

For decades, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a hotbed of conflict between numerous different actors, ranging from local militias to foreign proxies. More problematic still has been the inability of the Congolese government and international community to combat these groups and establish lasting peace, primarily in the provinces of North and South Kivu. For the most part this reality has aligned well with the theories outlined in the academic literature on civil war, with one notable exception. The M23 rebellion, which lasted from 2012 to 2013, was put down swiftly and decisively when government forces were able to defeat the group after a successful military offensive. This result has led to the question of why this success has yet to be replicated with regard to the other ongoing conflicts in the region, and what, if any, key differences in the M23 rebellion and its context led to such a swift cessation of violence. This paper seeks to answer this question through a careful analysis of both the behavior and tactics of the M23 rebels, as well as those of numerous other rebel groups that were active in the eastern DRC during the same period. Finally, this study will outline how these findings can better improve prospects for peace in other conflicts, both within the DRC and abroad.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Aaron Hoffman, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University

Talking Heads: Forecasting Russian Aggression in ‘Frozen’ Separatist Conflicts

Michael Lenko — 2022-05-03

In the last 14 years, Russia has militarily intervened in three ‘frozen’—where hostilities have ceased, but the resolution of a conflict has end in sight— separatist conflicts in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. These conflicts have caused mass casualties, disrupted the lives of people living in these regions, and unsettled regional security. Further, the outbreak of a wider international conflict is a real possibility, as seen by the presence of NATO member Turkey’s involvement in the most recent conflict in Azerbaijan. If we could forecast when Russia will militarily intervene next, policy makers could take more decisive actions—to prevent a more serious international conflict. Through analyzing Russian elite rhetoric, this project hopes to show that future Russian military aggression in ‘frozen’ separatist conflicts can potentially be forecasted. This project will compare Russian elite’s quotes in news articles regarding the separatists regions in Georgia in Moldova, in three distinct time periods—1992-2002, 2003-2008, 2009-the present. Through computer-assisted text analysis methods, this project aims to clarify whether, between 2003-2008—during the Rose Revolution—in Georgia, Russian elite rhetoric could have forecasted Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia. Through the growing revolution of text analysis in political science research, this paper will be able to survey large amounts of text, in ways that were once inaccessible or required arduous efforts to understand the meaning of text. This paper hopes to provide a mechanism to forewarn of impending Russian military aggression, while applying text analyses methods in a new application.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Edana Bauvais, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University

Morphed, Entangled and United: Introducing the Hybridity of Radicalization in the COVID-19 era

Bomin Keum — 2022-05-03

COVID-19 misinformation has been resonating with right-wing extremist beliefs, transnationally. This study aimed to uncover the potential overlaps across COVID-19 misinformation and right-wing extremist beliefs, and their strengths. 500 tweets leading up to the 6^th World Wide Freedom Rally (WWFR) and the Freedom Convoy protests were inductively coded for themes. Through qualitative thematic content analysis, patterns of Grievance, Conspiratorial Thinking, Anti-science, and Collective Action Frame were found. Through social network analysis, Grievance demonstrated the most and strongest overlaps with other themes, particularly Collective Action Frame. Findings suggest that Collective Action Frame served as an avenue primarily for expressing grievances, and for expressing other themes but to a lesser degree. The overlaps highlight the susceptibility of the patterns to each other’s influences, and broadly, how fluid radicalization can be. Future research should examine the impact of collective identity building in the radicalization process.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Richard Frank, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Catalytic Converter Theft: The Solution Requires Regulation

Tyler Mierzwa — 2022-05-03

Catalytic converter theft carries immense costs, both monetary and non-monetary, to the vehicle owner, local law enforcement, and greater society. With little sign in catalytic converter theft rates slowing, British Columbians are left wondering what solutions are available to reduce or prevent this theft?

Other targeted metals for theft such as aluminum or copper are regulated in the BC Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act (MDRA, 2011), where the purchase, sale, and transaction of these metals are logged and reported to local law enforcement. However, the BC MDRA (2011) does not include the metals found in catalytic converters such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Therefore, a high-demand international market for platinum, palladium, and rhodium has caused the prices - and subsequently theft – of these metals to soar.

This project presents an argument for increased regulation of platinum, palladium, and rhodium in the BC MDRA (2011) as a solution to catalytic converter theft. Using a comparative policy analysis, the effectiveness of copper regulations will be assessed, evaluating incident report, arrest, and conviction rates before and after regulations were introduced in the BC MDRA (2011). Conducting this policy analysis will yield results in support of platinum, palladium, and rhodium regulations including the recording of seller identification, transaction information, and reports to local law enforcement. Introducing province-wide regulations on these metals will deter opportunistic thieves as the risk being caught selling a stolen converter will likely outweigh the monetary gain of the theft.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Bryan Kinney, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Judicial Response to the claims of Systemic Racism in the Canadian Criminal Justice

Kirat Chattwal — 2022-05-03

Despite various socio-legal attempts to promote equity, the Canadian legal system continues to be critiqued for sustaining racism and implicitly preserving existing socio-economic inequalities. Racial profiling, over-policing, harsher arrest and bail conditions, and targeted sexual violence all evidence deeply problematic experiences of racialized individuals in Canadian society. In this presentation, I will report on my recent research analyzing how the Supreme Court of Canada has addressed systemic racism. The themes discovered through the research findings will be analyzed using a critical lens to examine the influence of power relations and the social construct of race in legal proceedings and judicial decisions making.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Tamara O’Doherty, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Negative Impacts of Worker Surveillance and Digitization: The Case of Amazon Warehouse workers

Pranjali Jatinderjit Mann — 2022-05-03

Increased worker surveillance and algorithmization are implemented to maximize worker productivity, more so in the digital age. These new digital surveillance and analytical techniques used to monitor warehouse workers of Amazon have negatively impacted the workers and altered the power relations between employers and employees. The workers are made mere “cogs in the wheels of the factory” and their algorithmization caused deteriorated physical and mental health. This hazardous tech-workplace surveillance is highlighted in the paper while ‘building’ a parallel to the processes of worker exploitation in 19th century Taylorism. Further, Digital panopticism is realized in Amazon warehouses by the omnipresence of the employer who (via camera, Fitbit watches, etc.) keeps an eye on bathroom break time, each pulse, and yawn of the worker which results in workers feeling caged. Thus, the paper attempts to expose the ill-effects of amplified “disciplining” in the workplace, as a function of surveillance technology.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: An Analysis of Immigration Detention Practices in Canada and Germany

Lea von Salzen — 2022-05-03

International criticisms from human rights activists on a variety of matters related to Canada and Germany’s immigration detention frameworks illuminate the need for an examination of human rights impacts. This thesis explores the legal framework that allows for immigration detention and hopes to draw attention to and shed light on problems in the immigration detention frameworks identified in the literature. Through a qualitative comparative legal content analysis of laws and policies in the two countries, insight can be gained into the similarities and differences between the two countries to ultimately provide information about, and possible solutions to, the challenges faced by policymakers in this domain. Various laws and policies that govern immigration detention in both countries will be analyzed and compared in this thesis, in order to identify key themes and answer the following research questions: 1) How does each country regulate immigration detention? (a) In what circumstances is detention lawful in each country? What makes a detention unlawful in each country? b) How does each country address the key human rights concerns identified in the literature review (namely, racial discrimination, mental health, and child detentions)? (c) What can be learned from each country to better address the human rights impacts of immigration detention? By comparing Canada and Germany, light can be shed on potential human rights issues in the immigration detention frameworks and the domestic policy reform debates in both countries can be enriched.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Tamara O’Doherty, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Convicting the Innocent: An Analysis of the Effects of Wrongful Convictions and Available Remedies

Casandra Pacholski — 2022-05-03

Throughout North America, thousands of individuals have been incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, or crimes that never occurred. The literature on wrongful convictions has largely addressed how eyewitness testimony, tunnel vision, forensic errors, and false confessions contribute to wrongful convictions. However, this growing body of research largely neglects the experiences of exonerees and their re-integration into the society that turned on them. This study addresses this deficit in the literature by analyzing case characteristics and demographics of the dozens of known exonerees in Canada. By analyzing demographics such as race, education, age, and gender, we can begin to determine risk factors, how incarceration and wrongful conviction impacts this unique group of people, and what factors lead to successful, or unsuccessful reintegration. A greater understanding of exoneree characteristics and reintegration is imperative in addressing the failures of the criminal legal system and to protecting exonerees.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Gail Anderson, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Measuring License Plate Recognition Accuracy in Privacy-Preserving Image Analysis

Korcan Uyanik — 2022-05-03

Today, information gathering is everywhere. For this reason, hiding information on personal data is increasingly becoming more important. For this study, a model that is developed by others in the research group has been quantitatively tested on a specific dataset. Images in this dataset consists of vehicles and license plates. This model removes features on license plates images that contribute to recognition. For this model, metrics such as correct license plate coordinates and value matching has been researched. It is shown that the performance degrades as levels of this privatization is increased.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ivan V. Bajic, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University

The Plague in our Criminal Justice System: A Cross-National Analysis of Wrongful Convictions

Charlotte Taylor-Baer — 2022-05-03

Criminal justice systems around the world depend on their ability to accurately convict the guilty, yet wrongful convictions still occur regularly. The current study compares the causes of wrongful convictions in Canada, the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and New Zealand. These countries were chosen because they have established Innocence Projects as well as public legal databases that allow for a retroactive legal analysis of criminal cases in each of these countries. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods with a greater focus on quantitative methods. Data will be collected through a content analysis coding sheet, allowing for themes to emerge throughout the data collection process. The data will then be analyzed to determine the most common causes of wrongful convictions in each of the given countries. Secondly, any recommendations that arise from the cases in any of the countries will be analyzed. The goal of this second portion of the study is to see if any successful recommendations could be implemented in the Canadian criminal justice system. The ultimate objectives of this research are to a) determine the main causes of wrongful convictions in the countries being studied, b) compare these rates to the other countries in the study, c) determine what, if any, recommendations arose from these cases, and d) lastly, if any of these recommendations could be implemented in a Canadian setting to reduce the number of wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in the future.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Gail Anderson, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Butterflies in my chest: Investigating the physiological effects of a novel digital therapeutic intervention on critically ill patients with hyperactive delirium

Matthew Mak — 2022-05-03

Delirium poses a significant burden on the healthcare system and is especially prevalent among critically ill patients. Up to 87 percent of patients admitted to critical care areas may experience this neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by an acute change in attention, awareness, and cognition. Many present with agitation, often resulting in the inadvertent removal of invasive lines and tubes, injury to self and caregivers, and increased rates of morbidity and mortality. Current strategies for managing delirium-associated agitation are associated with significant risks, known to worsen delirium, and have very limited proof of effectiveness. To find a treatment for delirium that is both safe and effective, we conducted a clinical trial using a novel digital behaviour modification platform on critically ill patients with delirium. Participants received either standard care alone, or in conjunction with the platform that displayed nature video layered with varying volumes of realistic-appearing animations of flowers and butterflies in flight on a high-definition screen. In a subgroup of participants, heart rate variability was continuously measured to provide physiological evidence of the intervention’s calming effect. Heart rate variability describes the changes in time between heartbeats and is a well-accepted measure of parasympathetic activity, colloquially known as the “rest-and-digest” response. Data will give us a better understanding of the physiological effects of delirium and help to determine whether this novel tool is safe and effective at managing delirium in critically ill patients. Our findings may improve outcomes for not only critically ill patients, but also for a broader population experiencing delirium.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Steve Reynolds, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Widening the Frame in Healthcare: Centering the Voices of Refugee and Newcomer Communities

Shabnam Raufi — 2022-05-03

The purpose of this research project is to explore the immigrant and refugee health experience with the healthcare system and their expectations with health professionals through a community-engaged research (CER) approach. The study looks into possible pathways of addressing the immigrant and refugee population's health needs by better aligning the expectations with future health providers' education and training opportunities. The community partners, including SFU Radius, SFU TD Community Engagement Centre, and SFU World University Service of Canada (WUSC), were contacted for participant recruitment. Participants were born outside of Canada, have lived in Canada for at least a year, are able to converse in English and, at least 18 years of age. Data was primarily collected through focus groups and interviews. Participants were asked if they would like to become community member research partners to review the final report and input their thoughts and comments. The findings illustrate that immigrants and refugees experience a lack of health-related information when immigrating to Canada, they face cultural, language and communication barriers with their healthcare providers. The participants provided valuable insights on competencies future healthcare providers should have when working with immigrants and refugees through their educational years. Overall, recommendations were made on how and what prospective health sciences students should learn as they are the next generation of healthcare providers and public health professionals working with newcomers and refugees.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Kate Tairyan, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Improving the lives of post-secondary students with disabilities: Breaking down barriers one step at a time

Sophia Mincheva — 2022-05-03

Historically, students with disabilities have achieved poorer academic performance in post-secondary education due to marginalization, exclusion, and unequal access to education. They face compounded difficulties in the absence of self-advocacy, self-compassion, and self-knowledge skills required to cope with attitudinal, environmental, policy, communication barriers and the lack of appropriate services. There is also disparity in accessible learning for disabled and non-disabled students due to the existing one-size-fits-all curriculum. By presenting a literature review on the scope of problems students encounter in university, and proposed recommendations, my hope is to help bridge the gap and provide solutions for SFU to implement going forward. To help students attain critical skills in disability awareness, advocacy, and skills training, the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) should offer a self-advocacy curriculum program such as Access to Success (Summers et al., 2014). These skills will provide students with a sense of empowerment, autonomy, and inclusion in decision-making processes. Due to the current lack self-compassion training workshops tailored for disabled students in post-secondary, there is an imperative need for Health and

Counselling to provide such supports. Mindfulness-based therapeutic (MCBT), mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR), and Mindfulness Self-Compassion (MSC) interventions are empirically proven to reduce depression, and anxiety in students with disabilities (Neff & Germer, 2017). By making universal designs for learning (UDL) and disability sensitivity training programs, such as ASD Foundation Faculty Training Curriculum, a requirement, this will ensure inclusive practices and eliminate significant learning barriers that most visibly impact disabled students and their psychological well-being (Debrand & Salzberg, 2005).

Exploring Physicians’ Experience with Advance Care Planning with South Asian Older Adults

Avantika Vashisht — 2022-05-03

Physicians and patients report multiple barriers with Advance care planning (ACP) engagement, including communication barriers, patients' cultural and religious beliefs, and the physicians' approach. In this project interviews with primary care physicians (PC) and hospitalists were conducted at two points in time: Jan-Apr 2020 (n=12) and May-Oct 2021 (n=10). Transcripts were thematically analyzed and comparisons drawn between PC and hospitalists and between physicians interviewed in 2020 and 2021. Nine themes emerged indicating physicians felt burdened with responsibility of introducing the concept of ACP and initiating discussion with the South Asian (SA) population. Cultural and communication barriers, physician specialty, SAs’ lack of ACP awareness, and deference of decision-making onto family and physicians surfaced as key barriers to engagement in ACP discussion. While impacting physician practice, most reported no change in engagement/ acceptance of ACP discussion due to the pandemic. Findings suggest ACP discussions are received best during regular consultations with PCs working with the SA population; however, only 55% of PC interviewed had ACP training and only 64% had used available tools. Education targeted to physicians serving the SA population is needed. For those lacking cultural congruence, training should be directed towards understanding patients’ culture. While cultural congruence is an asset, all physicians serving the SA population should strive to understand and consider the patients’ values, cultural and religious norms. Training in ACP facilitation and concerning suitable tools to use/adapt for this population is also recommended as is training in patient-physician communication– the latter for both physicians and their SA patients.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Dawn Mackey, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Who is Canadian? Beauty standards and national identity among women of colour

Alejandra Margarita Tellez Espana — 2022-05-03

The association of beauty with whiteness negatively impacts young women of colour’s self-esteem and identity. While these effects have been widely studied, my presentation aims to explore whether white beauty ideals affect young women of colour’s national identity. Although Canada’s multicultural policy promotes a unified Canada where everyone belongs regardless of race or country of origin, critical scholarship as well as the lived reality of people of colour negates this policy. Bringing these two ideas together, through six interviews with 1 ½ and second generation immigrant women of colour, my project explores the ways in which young immigrant women of colour articulate and experience beauty ideals, Canadian national identity, and belonging.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Amanda Watson, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University

Bahala Nah!

Jocelle Refol — 2022-05-03

Does bahala na affect how Filipinos manage their health and wellness? There is no direct translation of the term bahala na to the English language, but the phrase is often used to dismiss personal responsibility or control with the assumption that everything is in the hands of God. This ideological belief contributes to the stigma among Filipinos towards addressing their health concerns. However, what are the health concerns of Filipinos in Canada? Although Filipinos are one of the largest immigrant groups in Canada, little is known about the health experiences of this group, contributing to a sense of invisibility. To help address this gap, this research project will conduct focus groups and interviews to explore the experiences of health and wellness of first and second generation Filipinos in Greater Vancouver. Study participants were recruited through the support of community partners Sliced Mango Collective, Tulayan, and Kathara Society, as well as through snowball sampling. This study incorporates a social determinant of health lens to identify the social, structural, and cultural factors that influence participants’ experiences and perspectives. Through the power of storytelling, the findings of this research project aim to expand from the narrative of bahala na and bring awareness to what truly impacts Filipino health.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Maya Gislason, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Cooperative Consumerism

Anthony Hablak — 2022-05-03

Historical scholarship on American Alaska has largely framed its colonization as settlers chasing the American West’s final mythic promise to independently create a new and better society on the frontier. Alaska’s self-appointed pioneers built their identities around economic sovereignty and self-determination, resisting federal intervention and absentee investment. Paradoxically, they depended on those same forces to realize their quest to bring American life to frigid Northwest. But where do Native Alaskans fit into this narrative? This presentation rethinks Alaska’s independence and development narratives by unearthing Native Alaskans’ complex relationships with development and self-reliance by examining the Alaska Native Industries Cooperative Association (ANICA) between 1953–1959. ANICA was an influential US government-sponsored but Indigenous-centered retail cooperative that attempted to shake Indigenous Alaskan development loose of its dependence on federal and absentee capital. Yet a detailed analysis of ANICA’s heretofore unstudied company newspapers and correspondence between 1953 and 1956 suggests that while a ruthless power struggle with the US Department of the Interior kept ANICA entangled in external capital, its day-to-day operations fostered a contradictory sense of Native identity and independence that remains unresolved in Alaska today. This narrative opens the door to new historical interpretations that critically re-examine cooperatives as keys to economic sovereignty in communities whose development has been historically reliant on external capital. Equally, it presents a new perspective on American economic dependence and federalism at a time when these tensions are creeping to the forefront of American politics.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Joseph Taylor, Department of History, Simon Fraser University

(Re)Creating the Soviet Family

Pourochista Rahmati — 2022-05-03

I seek to understand the material impacts of the 1918 and 1926 Soviet Family Law Codes on the lives of young women, those who lived under the most experimental period of the Soviet Union and perhaps the most ambitious gendered reforms in Russian history. Historians largely agree that while certain tenets of the 1918 Code became entrenched in late Soviet and post Soviet culture, the underlying ideology of sexual liberation was a failure and the popular backlash predominantly driven by women. I believe that the only means to understand why is to look beyond the rhetoric of both opponents and proponents of the Code and at the lives of the women who adopted, rejected, or remained ambivalent to the sexual norms embodied by the Code.

I will begin with an introduction on the Bolshevik ideology of sexual liberation and its relationship with the 1918 and 1926 Family Law Codes. To testify to the resulting controversies and cultural transformation, I will present evidence in the form of media such as Bed and Sofa (1927) as well as publications by Bolsheviks opposing and supporting “free love.” I will then present my analysis on the material realities of sex and sexual (in)equality for sexually active women during the 1918-1936 period, and for those who came of age during this period. This will be done through a combination of data collected by Soviet social scientists in the 1920s and oral histories, memoirs, and other primary source accounts of Soviet women on their lives.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Ilya Vinkovetsky, Department of History, Simon Fraser University

The Portrayal of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men and Boys in News Media

Simone Tardif — 2022-05-03

Indigenous men and boys are murdered at a higher rate than any other group of individuals Canada. Yet there is little public concern surrounding this issue. Prior research on missing Indigenous women and girls indicates that media portrayals can affect cultural narratives through a lack of media coverage and by enforcing dehumanizing and colonialist narratives. However, minimal research has examined the portrayal of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys (MMIMB) in news media. As such, the current study involves a content analysis of Canadian news media to explore how MMIMB are portrayed by the Canadian news media. Findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research and policy will be discussed.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Danielle Murdoch, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Print Media and Public Opinion: Indigenous Child Removal in Saskatchewan

Natasha Herrera — 2022-05-03

Between the 1960s and 1980s, thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed into the Canadian child welfare system. Infamously known as the Sixties Scoop, the event received minimal backlash and instead had a predominantly positive impression across the Canadian public. Despite its devastating consequences, many believed child welfare intervention was needed to “rescue” Indigenous children from suspected insufficient parental care or unsuitable living conditions. Thousands of Indigenous children placed for adoption were advertised in newspaper publications in an attempt to reduce over-representation in the child welfare system. Although the promotion of Indigenous adoption occurred across Canada, Saskatchewan’s Adopt Indian and Métis program became the only adoption program in Canada that targeted solely Indigenous children. By focusing my research on two newspapers—Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix—I will explore how print media played a crucial role in influencing, manipulating, and persuading public attitudes. My presentation will include a collection of advertisements published between the 1960s and 1980s that displayed Indigenous children available for adoption. In addition, I will discuss both settler and Indigenous narratives published in the periodicals to illustrate what editors chose to include. As awareness of Indigenous injustices continues to increase in our present-day, it is important for Canadians to educate themselves on how events such as the Sixties Scoop occurred with minimal opposition. Through this focused research, my project will aid in growing awareness by enriching our understanding of print media’s instrumental role in building the Canadian public’s acceptance of Indigenous child removal.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Nicholas May, Department of History, Simon Fraser University

“Love Isn’t Brains, Children, It’s Blood”:

Elizabeth Giardin — 2022-05-03

Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) scholarship continues almost twenty years after the show finished airing, the effects of its infamous fan culture on the series itself remain underexamined. Scholars often analyze the vampire Spike, played by James Marsters on BtVS, as a character, but it may be advantageous to read his character as illustrating a behind-the-scenes cycle of Lacanian desire. Desire, according to psychoanalyst Lacan, is an unconscious want stemming from an emptiness in oneself for which one strives to compensate. BtVS’ writers, actors, and viewers, all expressed desires for Spike’s character development. In television today, entire seasons are often dropped on streaming services, so viewers can only express their opinions between seasons; yet, BtVS aired in the late 1990s and early 2000s, after the invention of the internet but before the advent of streaming services. Using online forums, viewers expressed their desires to the writers, who changed the series week-to-week. Tracing Spike’s character arc from his introduction in season two, through his awakening desire for Buffy in seasons four and five, through the violent nature of their desire for each other, and to the reality of what their relationship entailed, reveals that Spike exemplifies a cycle of desires between the writers’ intentions, the actor’s portrayal, and the viewers’ reactions. This collaborative cycle of Lacanian desire behind BtVS’ production revealed to fans, through their desires for the show and how the show portrayed these desires, the hidden darkness, l’objet petit a, of what they imagined their desires to be.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Jon Smith, Department of English, Simon Fraser University

Hidden Agendas: Unequal Media Coverage of the Overdose Crisis

Juliana Babic — 2022-05-03

Presently, British Columbia is experiencing an overdose crisis. In recent years, researchers have begun discussing media portrayals of the overdose crisis within Canada and how they can influence public opinion and impact resources allocated to the crisis. However, within a British Columbian context, research in this area is scarce. This is particularly concerning, as Vancouver is the epicentre of the overdose crisis, and the city’s overdose rates continue to rise . The current study will address and examine British Columbia’s news media portrayal of the overdose crisis between the years 2016-2021, to help understand how we arrived at where we are currently with the lack of successful policy responses. Using an inductively coded thematic analysis of 65 news media articles, this research seeks to answer the following question “how are the issues, population, and responses of the overdose crisis framed within the media and how do these impact public opinion and policy resources?”. In answering this question, this study aims to determine how the framing of this crisis can help influence policy and public opinion about overdose as a public health issue, while reducing the stigma associated with it. Ultimately, analyzing news media can help provide insight into public opinion about these issues, affecting policy responses given to this crisis.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Alissa Greer, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

The Deception of #motherhoodunplugged

Ana Brito — 2022-05-03

Social media works as a space where the role of motherhood is (re)constructed (Orton-Johnson, 2017). Research suggests that even though mothers know Instagram is not realistic, it still has negative impacts on mental health (Sharme et
al., 2020). This research paper argues that the Instagram hashtag #motherhoodunplugged is a wolf in sheep’s clothing as it perpetuates the false depiction of motherhood that it seems to counteract.
Therefore, it is vital to explore the normalization of motherhood under such hashtag to understand what new mothers are consuming online and how it affects the social context of maternity. A visual exploration of the hashtag #motherhoodunplugged suggests a public interest in the non-curated version of motherhood. I performed a visual analysis of 100 posts with the hashtag #motherhoodunplugged to answer the following questions: 1. How is motherhood portrayed in the images? 2. How do the caption and the images presented relate to each other and the hashtag? 3. What is missing out from the images?
The analysis shows that the hashtag #motherhoodunplugged displays a staged representation of motherhood that reveals the inherent dichotomy between reallife motherhood and its portrayal online. Hardship, frustration, anger and challenging times seldom reflect media, normalizing a false reality that may perpetuate the notion that women belong to their children and homes Doing socontributes to the normalization of intensive mothering (Hayes, 1996) and a non realistic polished version of maternity that perpetuates false notions about motherhood that can be harmful to women.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Amanda Watson, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University

Development of highly sensitive pressure sensor using 3D printed gyroid models

Chris Vattathichirayil — 2022-05-03

The gyroid design is an infinitely connected bi-continuous triply periodic minimal surface. This structure can be found in nature such as butterfly wings and lipids. It’s a continuously curved surface that repeats sinusoidally in 3D dimensions. Due to the desirable mechanical properties of the Gyroid and the complex geometry of its lattice, research about its fabrication 3D printing has been of high interest in recent years. When fabricating a gyroid by 3D printing of flexible materials, the properties of flexibility, durability and uniform compressibility can be tuned for the sensor requirements. 3D printing of gyroid lattice structures with different parameters yields different compressibility behaviors. By extruding conductive traces on the surface of a gyroid lattice structure, it is possible to fabricate highly sensitive pressure sensors. By placing conductive traces on either side of a gyroid lattice and using electromagnetic sensing, we are able to find the correlation between the level of compression of the gyroid structure and the sensor output. This is useful mechanism for pressure sensing applications such as gait analysis or robot arm gripper clamping.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Woo Soo Kim, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members:
Taeil Kim and Hnat Cheung, Simon Fraser University

Synthesis, Characterization, Structural and Phase Analysis of Novel Antiferroelectric Solid Solution

Yihan Lin — 2022-05-03

Complex structural transformations or phase transitions and interest for high-power energy storage density makes silver niobate (AgNbO₃) an interesting material. In AgNbO₃, various phase transitions are mainly associated with orthorhombic phases (in cubic structure, parameter a=b=c, where in orthorhombic, a≠b≠c). These transitions dominate the electrical behavior of AgNbO₃to a significant level. Here, by substituting lead and zirconium in place of silver and niobium, the solid solution system (Ag_(1-x)Pb_(x))Nb_(1-x)Zr_(x)O₃ (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.12) was formed in form of ceramic, using conventional solid state synthesis. The Dielectric behavior (ability of a material to store energy as a function of temperature) and structural behavior suggested that with the increase in composition of lead zirconate PbZrO₃, all the transition temperature in AgNbO₃moved towards the lower temperature. The frequency dependent dispersion in one of the orthorhombic phases, M₁ phase, became more prominent till x ≤ 0.04 after that it was beyond the detection limit. Investigations of X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of different orthorhombic symmetries at room temperature with the varying substitution of PbZrO₃. Analysis of X-ray diffraction peaks confirmed the phase transition from Pmc2₁to the mixture of Pbcm and Pmc2₁ space group to Pbcm with the increase in composition of PbZrO₃. To further study the interesting phases of AgNbO₃, single crystals were successfully grown. An optical microscopy technique called Polarized Light Microscopy result confirmed the existence of room temperature orthorhombic symmetries. To summarize, the aim of experiment is to understand the effect of structural changes over electrical properties.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Zuo-Guang Ye, Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University

Compiling Fault-Tolerant Quantum Programs with Lattice Surgery

George Watkins — 2022-05-03

Our project, the Lattice Surgery Compiler (LSC) aims to build a compiler that translates quantum programs, expressed as quantum circuits, to a format designed to express error corrected computations. As output of the compiler, we target a set of instructions known as lattice surgery. Lattice surgery is a way of manipulating a very large lattice of quantum units (qubits) arranged so that the computation content is more resistant to errors.

Building this compiler presented us with scientific and engineering challenges. We use results from the field of quantum information to process the computation, we solve technical problems such as parsing the assembly language of quantum programs and deal with the engineering challenge of putting together a complex compilation pipeline. Finally, aiming to make our project accessible to a wide audience of researchers, we save users the trouble of installing the large software stack needed to run the compiler by hosting it as website at https://latticesurgery.com.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Steven Pearce, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members:
Hoi-Kwan Lau, Department of Physics and Alex Nguyen, Simon Fraser University

Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Quantum Paraelectric Modified Multiferroic Materials

Qi Deng — 2022-05-03

There are three ferroic properties: (1) ferromagnetism, a material’s ability to be attracted to magnets (iron), (2) ferroelasticity, a material’s ability to remain stable in multiple different structures and (3) ferroelectricity, a material’s ability to become reversibly polarized when an electric field is applied to it. Multiferroics have all three of these properties. These materials show great potential technological applications in data storage systems, sensors and transducers.

The materials which exhibit ferroic properties crystallize into a perovskite crystal structure. This presentation discusses the magnetic and electrical properties of the multiferroic material BiFeO₃. This research project involves modifying BiFeO₃ with EuTiO₃ to create BiFeO₃-EuTiO₃ (BFET) ceramics with EuTiO₃ content varying from 1.0-12.5%. Structural analysis shows that the prepared BFET solid solutions crystallize into a perovskite structure. With 10% and 12.5% EuTiO₃content, the structures are rhombohedral (a=b≠c sides of cube) and pseudo-cubic (a=b=c sides of cube), respectively. The dielectric properties of a material can be used as a metric for its ability to store energy. Our work showed that as the EuTiO₃ content increases, the dielectric properties also increase, meaning that BiFeO₃-EuTiO₃ is able to store more electrical energy than BiFeO₃. This trend correlates to a decreasing grain size in the ceramic.

Also, compared to pure BiFeO₃these materials show improved ability to withstand an external electric field without becoming depolarized. Furthermore, magnetic measurements indicate that the substitution of EuTiO₃ induces ferromagnetism at room temperature, thus making BiFeO₃-EuTiO₃ a true multiferroic material.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Zuo-Guang Ye, Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University

Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of a New Piezo-/Ferroelectric Perovskite Solid Solution with High Curie Temperature.

Svetlana Chen — 2022-05-03

Piezoelectricity is the ability of a material to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. Piezoelectric materials are widely used as transducers in medical ultrasound imaging because they are able to act both a transmitter (electrical energy to sound wave) and receiver (echo soundwave to electrical signal).

The piezoelectric effect is also harnessed in self-powered devices, such as sensors, because they are able to run on “waste” vibrational energy generated as a by-product. For example, a pump vibrates constantly while operating, this vibrational energy is sufficient to power a piezoelectric sensor, allowing for real time monitoring without the need for a battery or external energy source.

My project involves the synthesis and characterization of a piezoelectric material with a high Curie temperature, meaning that it retains its piezoelectric properties above 200^OC. In my presentation I will detail my research on the modification of a known high temperature piezoelectric material, BiScO₃-PbTiO₃. I will show how its piezoelectric properties can be enhanced by integration of Bi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃ into the structure, resulting in a promising candidate for high temperature applications.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Zuo-Guang Ye, Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University

Investigating Contact Interactions in Simulations of Unilateral Contusion Models of Simplified Non-Human Primate Spinal Cord Injury

Dexter Zamora — 2022-05-03

Computational models of spinal cord injury (SCI) emerge as complementary tools used alongside in vivo experiments in non-human primate (NHP) studies, where the number of subjects is low due to ethical, logistical, and financial challenges. This exploratory study developed a sensitivity analysis comparing different simulation techniques in a spinal cord injury computational model. The dimensions and material properties were obtained from our previously published experiments. Two different techniques were used to model the interactions between the impactor that causes the injury and the outermost layer of a spinal cord, also called the dura, in a finite element software: (1) various configurations of general contact and (2) surface-to-surface penalty contact (the method used in previously published work). Simulation times, predicted peak forces, and simulated tissue penetrations were compared to determine the most accurate and time-efficient method. The results for the penalty contact model are 34-hour simulation time, 11.6N peak force, and a cord/impactor tissue penetration of 0.49mm. The various general contact models’ results are 27-51 hours simulation time, 12.9-38.6N peak forces, and the vast majority had no cord/impactor tissue penetration. The simulations demonstrated that contact interactions between the dura and impactor significantly affect the biomechanical outcomes of an NHP SCI computational model. Additionally, specific configurations of general contact can achieve similar in vivo experimental peak forces (10.54-23.19N) with no cord/impactor penetration. This study highlights the importance of contact interactions in computational models and the need to document them to help improve these models and facilitate their implementation for researchers.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Carolyn Sparrey, Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University

The effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on sleep in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease

Samantha Saw — 2022-05-03

Athletes that participate in contact sports are at high risk for Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), such as concussions. Often, these athletes suffer from enduring cognitive dysfunctions and sleep disturbances, leading to an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This project uses the CHIMERA (Closed-Head Injury Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration) device to model repeated mild TBIs common in contact sport athletes. This approach reduces morbidity caused by the TBIs in mice, is a surgery-free procedure, and is a clinically relevant model of concussion.

The aim of the project is to select an appropriate mouse line (APP/PS1 or NL-F) for subsequent experiments that will be evaluating the effects of TBI on sleep, and whether AD-related pathology or sleep disturbances can be prevented by administering anti-seizure medication following a TBI. Both mouse models are transgenic models that were genetically modified to have mutations that cause AD in humans.

For the TBI procedure, the anesthetized mouse will be placed in a supine position and strapped onto a platform. Once the animal is aligned, TBI will be induced by projecting a pneumatically-driven piston, powered by compressed air, to a specific area of the head. The CHIMERA device allows for precisely-controlled and reproducible mechanical inputs. Mice will undergo three TBI inductions in a span of three days. This research will help us understand the sleep disturbances caused by mild TBI, and how this affects AD progression.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Brianne Kent, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Sleep Deprivation and Motor Learning

Stephanie U — 2022-05-03

It is well-established that sleep is important for learning and memory. The goal of our project is to assess how the impact of acute sleep deprivation in mice affects learning two motor learning tasks: the reaching task and ladder rung walking test. For the reaching task, a mouse is placed in an apparatus and must learn to reach through a narrow opening for a food reward. For the ladder rung walking test, a mouse is placed in a narrow corridor and must learn to walk across a ladder to their home cage. This task assesses walking, limb placement, and inter-limb coordination. Our hypothesis is that mice that are allowed to sleep following a learning session will perform better the following day, compared to mice who are sleep deprived following a learning session. To prevent the mice in the sleep deprivation group from sleeping, they will be gently poked with paintbrushes if behavioural signs of sleep are observed. To our knowledge, no previous research has assessed how learning these tasks is affected by sleep deprivation. We intend to inform future studies of sleep deprivation and motor learning that will use EEG to study what is happening in the brain during sleep that is important for learning.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Brianne Kent, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Sleep, Mental Health and Cognitive Performance of Young Adults

Devan Gill — 2022-05-03

Sleep disturbance may be an early sign for more serious mental health issues and early detection and intervention could prevent prodromal symptoms of disorders from manifesting. The current study aims to identify what cognitive tests are sensitive to sleep-dependent cognition. The study will also examine if scores on mental health assessments are associated with sleep measures to further understand the associations between sleep, mental health and cognitive performance. Undergraduate university students (18 to 30 years of age) will complete seven days of remote sleep monitoring using an actigraphy watch and daily sleep diary methods. They will then return to the lab on day seven to complete cognitive testing and mental health questionnaires. This is an exploratory pilot study, which will inform future experimental designs. A correlation matrix will be used to examine the relationships between sleep quality and quantity (total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, sleep waking and wake after sleep onset), depressive and anxiety symptoms and scores on cognitive tests. Cognitive tests that specifically target processes that depend on neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells) are predicted to be uniquely sensitive to sleep disturbance due to the associations between sleep disturbance and reduced neurogenesis. If cognitive tests that are sensitive to sleep-dependent cognition are found, then they could be used in clinical settings to identify patients with sleep disturbance who may benefit from sleep interventions.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Brianne Kent, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Faintly Tired: A Systematic Review of Fatigue in Patients with Orthostatic Syncope

Ryan Wu — 2022-05-03

Orthostatic syncope occurs when blood flow to the brain is reduced and has three important subtypes: vasovagal syncope (VVS), postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic hypotension (OH). A frequently reported symptom of orthostatic syncope is fatigue, which adversely impacts affected individuals.

A systematic review is a type of literature review that uses a reproducible, step-by-step approach to search for articles, allowing data to be summarized from multiple studies. This method was used to investigate the association between fatigue and conditions of orthostatic syncope. Thirteen articles were included in the final review and a meta-analysis was performed to establish possible links between syncope subtypes and fatigue severity.

Fatigue scores were significantly higher in patients with orthostatic syncope than healthy controls. Fatigue was not as strongly associated with all forms of syncope as patients with POTS reported higher fatigue scores than those with VVS. Moreover, fatigue was identified to be multi-dimensional, with each dimension contributing equally to increased fatigue. Chronic fatigue was a comorbidity of POTS, potentially affecting quality of life. Brain fog was another common symptom of POTS and is characterized by a lack of mental clarity, affecting productivity and cognition. Finally, fatigue was associated with a negative influence on mental health in patients with orthostatic syncope.

To conclude, in conditions of orthostatic syncope, fatigue is prevalent and debilitating, particularly in patients with POTS. The consideration of fatigue in patients with orthostatic disorders is essential to improve diagnosis and management of symptoms, thus enhancing quality of life for impacted individuals.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Victoria Claydon, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Touchscreen cognitive testing in rodents

Taha Yildirim — 2022-05-03

Sleep quality and quantity affect cognitive functions. To help progress our understanding of the connection between sleep and cognition, we will be using a touchscreen-based testing system. Touchscreen-based systems are designed to reduce the ‘translational gap’ between preclinical research and clinical application, because the tests for rodents and humans are designed to be as similar as possible.

Touchscreen-based systems have many benefits to traditional behavioural testing in rodents such as the expedited testing using automation. They are less stressful for animals, increase standardization and precision, allow for a blend of different methodologies (e., optogenetics), and minimize contact between animals and researcher. They also use only positive rewards, such as strawberry milkshake when mice make correct responses.

Our study aims to test the effect of acute sleep deprivation on performance of mice on the Trial-Unique Nonmatching-to-Location (TUNL) task. TUNL is designed to assess pattern separation, which is a hippocampal neurogenesis-dependent process and is hypothesized to be uniquely vulnerable to sleep deprivation. To induce sleep deprivation, mice will be poked gently with a paintbrush when sleep-like behavioural signs are noticed.

This study will inform future research on how specific aspects of sleep are important for cognition, as well as inform research focused on the complex relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Brianne Kent, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Can the arm-lock putting grip benefit golfers with focal dystonia or tremor?

Estee Leung — 2022-05-03

Focal dystonia is an acquired, often progressive neurological condition that affects wrist and hand muscles in many golfers, causing involuntary jerks (“yips”) that disrupt smooth movement execution and ruin the resulting shot. Treatments for yips include psychomotor training, Botox injections, and adopting modified grips that may reduce unwanted participation of hand and wrist muscles.

Our research explores the use of a novel arm-lock putting method for golfers suffering from focal dystonia, intention tremor or other neurological tremors. We are testing the hypothesis that golfers who use a standard putter (SP) and tend to yip or have tremors may benefit from using a novel ‘arm-lock’ putter grip (ALP).

The experiments were carried out in a lab-based putting green with hole lengths ranging from 5-15ft. Participants of both sexes, aged 19-83, included experienced golfers with and without focal dystonia or tremors, as well as non-golfers. Each putted four 18-hole rounds: two rounds with the SP and two with the ALP. Putter and ball motions were tracked with 6 video cameras (Lorex). A putter-mounted sensor (Blast Motion) recorded 11 biomechanical variables of each stroke, including backstroke length and duration, changes in three putter face angles and impact speed.

We are currently analyzing biomechanical factors that may explain the putting performance differences using the SP vs. ALP. The next phase of the project, which will constitute my honors thesis, involves video image analysis using DeepLabCut, a markerless pose estimation software, to reveal individual characteristics in putting motions using the SP vs. ALP.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Andy Hoffer, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members:
Aaron Siebenga, Aryan Sotoodeh, Pawel Kudzia, Simon Fraser University

Exploring the Impact of Engaging in Prosociality on Collegiate Athletes’ Well-Being During the Transition to Retirement

Angie Fan — 2022-05-03

Most collegiate athletes will retire from their sport. Whether retirement is prompted by injury, graduation, or another cause, collegiate sport retirement is a major life transition that can involve feelings of loss, sadness, and anxiety. Most retirement interventions designed to assist athletes during transition focus attention inwards to oneself (e.g., pre-retirement planning) with mixed efficacy. Given this, we wondered whether focusing attention outward and on others could protect or promote well-being during retirement? This possibility is grounded in past research showing that prosocial action is causally linked to happiness. To investigate this question, we recruited 261 retired athletes from Canada and the United States to complete an online survey containing questions about their collegiate sport retirement. Specifically, participants described their retirement story, completed several validated measures of psychological well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, depression), and indicated whether they engaged in range of prosocial or control behaviours during their transition. Consistent with our pre-registered hypotheses, retired athletes who reported engaging in more prosocial behaviour in the year post-retirement also reported greater happiness and lower depression. Contrary to predictions, life satisfaction was not associated with prosocial behaviour. These findings suggest that prosociality may support well-being during challenging life transitions. I plan to present an in-depth analysis of the results and discuss limitations, implications, and next steps for this research.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Lara Aknin, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members:
Tiara A. Cash, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

A Pilot Study: Differences in Flow State and Flow Disposition in Jazz vs. Classical Musicians and their Practice

Joy Lee-Shi — 2022-05-03

“Flow” is an optimal experience where one’s focus is completely absorbed in the task at hand, and actions come naturally and automatically without effort or seemingly conscious wilful intention (Csíkszentmihályi, 2008). There are two major approaches – state flow and trait flow. Although flow has been reported in many professions such as surgery and sports, musicians have been overlooked and understudied, especially in the context of musical genres and their practice.

The aim of the present study is to examine: (a) is there a difference between state and trait flow?; and (b) is state or trait flow affected by jazz vs classical music practice? About 70 participants within jazz and classical music ensembles will be recruited from UBC, SFU, and Vancouver Community College. Eligibility requirements include the following: 16+ years old, and five plus years of experience in jazz or classical music. The Dispositional Flow Scale 2 and Flow State Scale 2 will be administered (Jackson et al., 2010). A within-subjects design will compare state and trait scores for both types of musicians, given their preferred music domain. Additionally, a between-subjects design will compare state flow scores between jazz and classical musicians and likewise for dispositional flow. It is predicted that there is a difference between state and dispositional flow, and that scores will be similar between jazz and classical musicians. Given that flow is reported to be an enjoyable and performance-enhancing experience, a greater understanding of the relationship between flow and musicianship may contribute to improved performance and practice.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Robert Ley, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Alternative Methods for Chipping in Golf

Todd Nelson — 2022-05-03

Chips are golf shots from outside the green, usually performed with a high-lofted club (a “wedge”), that require relatively low impact forces but high accuracy. Golfers who have physiological tremors such as focal dystonia may experience jerky hand motions that can ruin a chip. We propose two alternative chipping methods that may reduce the negative impact of tremors: using a less-lofted “hybrid” club with the golfer’s preferred grip and using a hybrid club with a novel arm-lock grip. Hybrid clubs make the ball land sooner and roll more, while the arm-lock grip reduces wrist movements and utilizes shoulder and upper arm muscles that are less affected by tremors. We hypothesize that these hybrid options, not normally considered by golfers, may improve the chipping performance of golfers affected by tremors as well as golfers not affected by tremors. To test our hypotheses, we will recruit 64 experienced golfers, 32 with tremors and 32 without. Within each group we aim to recruit eight participants in four sub-categories: young female (18-44); young male (18-44); senior female (45+); and senior male (45+). We will evaluate accuracy from measuring the final ball resting positions from 120 chips aimed at four standard targets. We will compare accuracy within each participant and across groups and determine whether differences emerge when using the wedge vs. hybrid and the two grip methods. Additionally, to elucidate the biomechanical basis of any performance differences, we will analyze swing kinematics data generated by a wireless motion capture sensor and computer vision tools.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Andy Hoffer, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members: Pawel Kudzia, Simon Fraser University

Teamwork makes the dreamwork: A collaborative approach to documenting and analyzing language development of Hul’q’umi’num’ children

Samantha Sundby — 2022-05-03

Over the last two years, a team of students and researchers from the Hul’q’umi’num’ Language & Culture Society (HLCS), Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria have been documenting language development of children in a language nest. Hul’q’umi’num’, spoken on Vancouver Island, is one of ten Central Salish languages, and currently only has around 40 first language speakers, most of whom are over 75 years of age. Now, there are 200 fluent and 1,000 semi-fluent L2 speakers, due to their motivation to champion the language (D. Gerdts, p.c.). The HLCS language nest provides space for infants, toddlers, and children to hear and use the language with Elders and adults (FPCC 2014, King, 2001). A unique feature of this language nest is that the parents/participants are also Linguistics students researching Hul’q’umi’num’ phonetic structure. Thanks to this research duo, we have collected an abundance of data to analyze and add to existing literature (cf. Bird et al. 2016, 2019, 2021 Bird & Onosson 2019, Percival & Bird 2019).

Salish languages have 22 sounds that do not exist in English (Gerdts & Hukari, in press). This can make it difficult for second language learners who primarily speak English. By observing recordings of second language learners, we can identify differences from native speakers’ speech production. One phoneme is chosen for this study as it has a strong feature that is apparent in native speech and can be measured to determine growth in language development of second language learners.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Donna Gerdts, Department of Linguistics, Simon Fraser University

The Emotional and Relational Correlates of Prosocial Fantasies

Anurada Amarasekera — 2022-05-03

Humans are often characterized as selfish creatures, primarily acting to improve their own self-interest with little care or concern for other’s well-being. However, when we asked a sample of 227 adults (M = 37.92, SD = 9.99, 58.1% M, 41.4% F, 0.4% NB) recruited on MTurk if they spend time fantasizing about how they can help others – engaging in prosocial fantasies – a significant majority (62%) reported doing so (X²(1) = 13.33, p < .001). In fact, individuals who reported having prosocial fantasies stated having more than one per day, on average. Prosocial fantasies were most commonly directed towards family members and romantic partners, but some people also reported prosocial fantasies directed at their pets, their community, and sometimes even strangers. Importantly, individuals who reported having more prosocial fantasies were happier (r = .20, p = .02), indicated having more satisfying relationships (r = .36, p < .001), and were more willing to help others in general (r = .21, p = .01). These findings challenge the dominant narrative that humans are selfish actors by showing that a significant majority of people may spend time fantasizing about the ways in which they can help others and offer a new way to consider the link between prosociality and well-being.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Lara B. Aknin, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Strength in numbers? Do European fire ants communicate and forage better in groups than on their own?

Kenza Zobaidi — 2022-05-03

European fire ants (EFAs), Myrmica rubra, are significant pests in their invaded North American range, altering the composition of arthropod communities and rendering urban parks unusable for recreational activities. EFAs deposit trail pheromone (3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine) to mark trails between their nest and food sources, and they emit alarm pheromone (3-octanone & 3-octanol) to convey danger to nestmates. In prior studies, attraction of EFAs to these pheromones was demonstrated with groups of EFAs but could not be confirmed with single EFAs. Here we tested the hypothesis that EFAs indeed communicate and forage in groups. In Y-tube olfactometer experiments using a gentle airflow, we tested both single EFAs and groups of EFAs for attraction to airborne synthetic trail pheromone, synthetic alarm pheromone, and natural food odorants. While the 2020- and 2021-data are not entirely consistent (due possibly to the heatwave this summer), there is emerging evidence that groups of EFAs respond better than single EFAs to pheromone signals and to foraging cues.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Gerhard Gries, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Reseach Team Members: Jonathan Petrov, Saif Nayani, Jaime M. Chalissery, Regine Gries, Simon Fraser University

Diffusion of Responsibility in Instances of Group Academic Dishonesty

Noah Norton — 2022-05-03

Academic dishonesty is an area of concern not only in the field of education, but in criminology as well. Explanations of this behaviour largely assume that individuals engage in these acts alone, however, some of the most prevalent acts of academic dishonesty are committed in groups (i.e., cheating). Opportunities for group-based academic dishonesty have significantly changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as online student chat groups became a primary means of communication for students. Insights from the broader literature on groups and crime suggest that the presence of others when committing crime can alter an individuals’ perception of responsibility. This diffused sense of responsibility can overcome feelings of guilt or shame and make individuals more likely to participate in crime. The current study aims to explore the prevalence of academic dishonesty in these online student chat groups and examine whether diffusion of responsibility serves as a mechanism to explain participation in academic dishonesty. A survey was administered to university undergraduate to assess 1) prevalence of participation in academic dishonesty, 2) utilize hypothetical vignettes to assess students’ feelings of responsibility when engaging in online group academic dishonesty, and 3) explore whether the size of online chat groups was related to perceptions of responsibility. Ultimately, the current study provides important insight into deviance committed in a contemporary academic context and evaluates whether diffusion of responsibility serves to facilitate the commission of this form of deviance.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Zachary Rowan, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Resistance and Resilience in the Era of Ecological Grief

Sarah Law — 2022-05-03

How can emotions influence socio-political climate discourse and knowledge? Through the theoretical foundations of climate justice and anti-oppression, this thesis conceptualizes ecological grief through affect theory as a socio-politically and culturally informed response to the climate crisis occurring in six stages: (1) fear and urgency; (2) denial and overwhelm; (3) frustration and bargaining; (4) despair and depression; (5) anger and rage; and (6) acceptance and mourning. Affect theory frames ecological grief as a cycle of practice - an embodied response that does, informs, and shapes how we understand the climate crisis as a systemic problem that requires mourning ideas of the future and deeply held beliefs about our social realities.

This study presents data gathered from interviews with climate justice activists to learn about their experiences with ecological grief, and how they cope and persevere in their pursuits for just climate futures. The design of this study employs a desire-based framework which explores the lived realities and truths of the violent systems that create and sustain the climate crisis – while having hope. Through the radical imagination, I present how hope and grief must coexist in order to mobilize for social change.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Amanda Watson, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Simon Fraser University

Personality and Involvement in Gangs

Stephanie Keith — 2022-05-03

The association between psychopathy and gang involvement remains uncertain. Despite criticisms for the Boldness domain, several Triarchic Model of Psychopathy (TriPM) domain traits show potential for associations with gang membership and membership qualities. The present study aims to add to a growing body of literature by assessing the relationships between psychopathic traits, gang involvement and gang membership qualities. Five hypotheses are proposed: (1) Individuals who experience moderate to high levels of Boldness will experience greater levels of gang membership, (2) Individuals who exhibit optimal levels of leadership traits are expected to experience high levels of embeddedness, centrality, and leadership roles, (3) Individuals who exhibit optimal levels of general criminality traits are expected to experience high levels of embeddedness, and centrality, (4) Individuals who exhibit high levels of the necessary gang traits are expected to experience high levels of embeddedness, centrality, and emotional gang ties, and (5) Individuals who exhibit high levels of social ability traits are expected to experience high levels of embeddedness, centrality, leadership roles and social ties. In the data analytics plan, hypothesis 1 will be tested using logistic regression, hypothesis 2 and 3 will be tested using quadratic regression, and hypothesis 4 and 5 will be tested using linear regression. Significant bivariate associations in hypothesis 2-5 will also be assessed using a multivariate regression. Boldness may indirectly relate to group-based antisocial behavior through gang involvement. Although this research may not be representative, it is novel. Future research should assess for the directionality of the potential resulting associations.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Kevin Douglas, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Exploring the Iatrogenic Effects of Interpersonal Violence Risk Assessment

Mikayla Isobe — 2022-05-03

Interpersonal violence can be broadly defined as an act where one or more individuals physically cause harm to others (Dahlberg & Mercy, 2002). One important method of preventing interpersonal violence is risk assessment. However, there has been no previous research addressing whether non-sexual interpersonal violence (NSIV) assessments may be impacting the violent thoughts of those being assessed and limited research regarding prevalence of violent thoughts in non-clinical populations. I will share the findings and implication of my Honours project which explores the prevalence of violent thoughts and whether NSIV assessments are iatrogenic, e.g., whether they may be causing unwanted negative effects in those being assessed such as psychological distress. Participants will participate in a pre-test/post-test design study where they will complete two blocks of questionnaires, one of general life satisfaction and one of NSIV. Participants will complete a measure of mood before and after both blocks to see if any changes in psychological state occur. I test whether the participants experience any increases in psychological distress following the questions of NSIV and for the prevalence of violent thoughts in an undergraduate population. The lack of research in this area regarding interpersonal violence is notable, as it has been extensively researched with respect to self-directed violence (ie. suicide). Based on similar research conducted regarding self-directed violence, I hypothesized that the iatrogenic effects of assessing risk for NSIV will be statistically non-significant and negligible in magnitude (ie. below the conventional criterion used to identify a “small” effect).

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Hart, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Does Maltreatment and Parent-Child Attachment Predict Teen Dating Violence and Risky Sexual Behaviour?

Cassia McIntyre — 2022-05-03

Dating during adolescence can promote positive social and emotional development, but not all adolescent romantic relationships provide these benefits. Dating violence (DV) and risky sexual behaviour (RSB) often co-occur in unhealthy romantic relationships, posing significant threat to adolescent mental and physical health. Adolescents with maltreatment histories are at greater risk for DV and RSB, while research shows that secure parent-child attachment reduces risk for these outcomes. However, few studies have examined these associations longitudinally, with well-validated attachment measures, or among high-risk teens. First, we aimed to determine whether maltreatment and parent-child attachment predicted DV and RSB over five years later. Second, we aimed to determine whether parent-child attachment security moderated the association between maltreatment and DV and RSB. We hypothesized that maltreatment would predict greater reports of DV and RSB, and that parent-child attachment security would moderate this association, leading to fewer reports of DV and RSB. Participants were 179 adolescents (54% boys; M_ag_e=15.34) at-risk for antisocial behaviour. Adolescents reported their maltreatment histories (e.g., physical/emotional abuse, neglect) and attachment; five years later, they reported DV perpetration and victimization and engagement in RSB. This Honours thesis addresses several methodological limitations of previous research. A key strength is our consideration of normative versus risky behaviour, allowing a developmentally-appropriate exploration of sex to be distinguished from RSB. Non-binary and sexual minority teens are at greater risk for DV and RSB; future research should include these teens to identify protective factors and explore their unique experiences. Implications for research and practice will be discussed.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Marlene Moretti, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Research Team Members: Natalie Goulter, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Analyzing the Effect of Mental Illnesses on the Sentencing Outcomes for Canadian Youth Under the YCJA

Samantha Olsen — 2022-05-03

The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the Canadian legislation that governs the youth justice system, has numerous provisions that consider the unique needs of youth from all different backgrounds to ensure their sentencing outcomes are based on what is best for the youth. With high rates of young people in the justice system experiencing mental illnesses, among the provisions included in this legislation are specific considerations and guidance for criminal justice officials when a young person who has a mental illness is involved. However, it is unclear whether the guidelines judges are expected to follow achieve the legislation’s aim of reducing sentencing disparities for youth with mental illnesses. Using a dataset of 250 youth court cases, the current study uses multiple regression techniques to examine differences in sentencing outcomes and sentence length for youth with and without mental illnesses. Importantly, individual youth case characteristics (e.g., age, offence seriousness) and judicial factors informed by the YCJA (e.g., rehabilitation, accountability) will be controlled for in the models to determine whether youth with mental illnesses continue to receive disproportionately more severe and longer sentences after controlling for key legal and extralegal factors. If analyses show that youth with mental illnesses continue to receive disproportionately longer and more severe sentences, the findings may suggest that the YCJA, as written, may not effectively reduce overrepresentation of youth with mental illnesses in custodial sentences.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Wiley, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

A Culturally-Informed Examination of Risk Factors for Crime among Indigenous Peoples

Ashley Kyne — 2022-05-03

Indigenous Peoples represent 4.5% of the Canadian adult population, but 26.3% of new admissions to federal prison. There is a similar overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand (with conviction or incarceration rates ranging from three to ten times higher than non-Indigenous people). Although the culture and experiences of Indigenous groups vary widely between (and within) these countries, these countries all face similar challenges in terms of promoting reconciliation and learning how to maximize the fairness and effectiveness of a European-imposed criminal justice system not necessarily suited to Indigenous histories, culture, language, and conceptions of justice.
I propose exploring risk factors for crime among 300 Indigenous individuals. Specifically, I have developed a culturally-informed questionnaire whose questions will focus on issues unique/disproportionate to Indigenous experiences.
With 300 participants, I hope to obtain at least 100 participants in our two target groups: with and without a criminal record (additional participants will boost sample size for subtypes of criminal behaviour, such as violent crime). Participants will be primarily recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Analyses will explore correlates of criminal involvement among Indigenous populations, with a particular focus on culturally-informed risk factors.
The methodology and recruitment strategy for this study will involve considerable attention to decolonizing methodologies, consultation with Indigenous scholars and stakeholders, and data collection practices that will demonstrate respect, reconciliation, and potential for transformation in our relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Maaike Helmus, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University

Developing a CRISPR-based Prime Editing Workflow for Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Model Cardiac Arrhythmogenic TNNT2 Variants

Bal Ruprai — 2022-05-03

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent inherited arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), affecting 1:500 individuals and the primary cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in youth and young adults, including elite athletes. HCM presents with an enlargement of the ventricles/septal wall, disarray of cardiomyocyte (contracting heart cells) alignment, and electrically inactive fibrotic tissue deposition. These variations to the typical cardiac composition produce substrates for chaotic electrical activity across the myocardium (the heart's muscular tissue), preventing normal contraction and relaxation cycles. Various mutations have been identified in genes encoding cardiac contractile proteins. Of concern, some patients harbouring TNNT2 gene variants (aberrant gene sequences) develop varying degrees of cardiac hypertrophy yet demonstrate a disproportionately high incidence of SCA. In this study, to better understand the effect of these variants, we are developing a CRISPR-based prime editing protocol to edit these variants into the genome of hiPSCs. In our lab, these hiPSCs are routinely differentiated into beating hiPSC-CMs, which allows us to study arrhythmias using a variety of electrophysiological (the electrical activity underpinning physical dynamics of cardiac cells) and contractility applications. Prime editing is a new system that has not yet been established to produce cardiac gene-specific edits in hiPSCs. Here, we aim to develop hiPSC-derived CMs with three known HCM associated TNNT2 variants (I79N+/-, R92Q+/-, and R278C+/-) using prime editing. Ultimately, this research provides the opportunity to understand the mechanisms underlying these variants specific arrhythmia and aid in developing symptom alleviating and curative medications, improving patients' quality of life.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Glen Tibbits, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Learning to Identify Deal Breakers, Relationship Needs, Conditions for Healthy Relationships, and Needs Conflicts in a Relationship Education Workshop

Michelle Korlacka — 2022-05-03

Teaching romantic competence knowledge and skills sets people up for successful relationships. We delivered a Relationship Education workshop to young adults and evaluated participants’ memory of skills over six months. Participants (N = 75) learned romantic competence skills (emotion regulation, mutuality, insight), conditions for healthy relationships, to identify relationship needs and deal breakers, and to define a needs conflict. Most participants were women (77%) and fewer than half were White (39%). Participants completed questionnaires before and after the workshop and three and six months later to assess skills and knowledge. Data collection is complete; coding and analyses will be complete prior to the symposium. Preliminary results suggest that most (75%) participants correctly identify all three conditions for healthy relationships immediately following the workshop, but retention fades three (46%) and six months (39%) later. Similarly, many (76%) identify all romantic competence skills following the workshop and this declines to 43% at three months and 31% at six months. Participants were less able to define a needs conflict following the workshop (51%), but do not show the same erosion of knowledge over three (50%) and six months (59%). Common relationship needs were feeling cared for and trust. Common deal breakers were infidelity and abuse. Results suggest that participants do learn targeted skills but knowledge fades with time. The exception is that participants who understood the complex concept of a needs conflict maintained that knowledge at follow-up. Thus, the workshop was successful in developing knowledge to have healthy relationships.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Rebecca Cobb, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Novel Genetic Mutation in a Heart Protein Leads to Debilitating Heart Disease in Young Teen

Khola Bilal — 2022-05-03

Heart disease is often associated with an aging population, so it is shocking to learn that seemingly healthy children can rapidly develop heart diseases. Due to the unknown cause of these diseases, most treatments focus on managing the symptoms instead of treating the root cause. Consequently, these children can face extremely low survival rates and often require invasive surgeries such as heart transplants. This presentation focuses on the story of a 15-year-old German boy diagnosed with a heart disease that causes thinning of the heart walls. Genetic testing revealed he had a novel mutation in Troponin C (TnC), a protein integral to normal heart function. The heart’s ability to beat is controlled by the interaction between TnC and calcium ions. Any changes to the strength of this interaction can cause the heart to beat abnormally, leading to changes in the heart’s structure. My presentation takes you through my research journey where I test the altered interaction between the mutated TnC protein and calcium in various biochemical systems that mimic the physiological conditions of the heart.

By investigating how this mutation changes the ability of TnC to interact with calcium, we can better understand the mechanisms leading to this disease. This allows us to potentially create treatments to normalize this abnormal interaction, thereby stopping the progression of the disease and extending the lives of children affected.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Glen Tibbits, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Young Adults Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Perceived Relationship Effects

Carissa Gauthier — 2022-05-03

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful for many and has brought changes that created romantic relationship challenges. We were halfway through a trial of a relationship education workshop when the pandemic began, and we asked young adult participants how COVID-19 affected their romantic relationships. Participants completed questionnaires before (n = 85) and after the two-week workshop (n = 69) and three (n = 71) and six months later (n = 72). Participants averaged 22.7 years of age, most were female (83.5%) and fewer than half were White (43.5%). A thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2012) will be completed by the time of the conference. Results thus far indicate that participants identified changes in time together (22%), relationship changes (16%), and activity changes (12%) as a result of the pandemic. Specifically, participants said they had more quality time with their partner, “It has been nice to spend the pandemic with my partner. We have been supporting each other…and keeping each other company.” Relationship changes were also common, “The pandemic may have pulled us apart physically, but emotionally we've grown much closer.” Although less common, participants also experienced changes in activities, “Since we both go to school online, we got to do a lot of cooking together or find hobbies that we can enjoy together and it has been good for our relationship.” Thus, although the pandemic was stressful for people and their relationship, they reported unexpected benefits that may have ultimately fostered a sense of closeness and support with their partner.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Rebecca Cobb, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Reseach Team Members:
Kaelin Toth, Dylan Murray, Simon Fraser University

Using Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Investigate a Novel CPVT-Related RyR2 Variant

Emmanuelle Ferron — 2022-05-03

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an inherited cardiac disorder that results in stress/exercise-induced irregular heart beating known as ventricular arrhythmia. Most CPVT cases have been linked to genetic variants in the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RYR2). We introduced a novel RYR2 genetic variant, R417L, that has been associated with CPVT into human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). HiPSCs can be turned into a multitude of different cell types through a process called differentiation. We differentiated these hiPSCs into beating ventricular cardiomyocytes which are muscular heart cells. To study the electrical properties of these cells, we used a microelectrode array assay (MEA) which uses a grid of electrodes to detect and record the electrical activity of the overlying cells during beating. The MEA can also stimulate the cells to train them to beat at a certain frequency. The goal of our research was to recapitulate the CPVT phenotype in our differentiated ventricular cardiomyocytes carrying the CPVT genetic variant and optimize the MEA protocol for research and drug testing on CPVT pathogenic variants. Initial experimentation found that stress/exercise conditions resulted in a significant increase in the number of arrhythmic wells among the CPVT variant cardiomyocytes. However, these results were not replicated in two subsequent trials using the same cells. Proper electrode coverage, stimulation parameters and health of the cells remain to be optimized for future research using the MEA to investigate CPVT variants. Gaining insight into this novel CPVT variant may have important implications towards improving the treatment of patients with CPVT.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Glen Tibbits, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Sound Event Detection and Recognition in Autonomous Robot Navigation

Pouria Khodabakhsh — 2022-05-03

While many elders of our communities live alone or do not have constant support of a person watching over them, an artificially intelligent navigator robot can potentially patrol the living environment to provide consistent activity detection and recognition to alert them of any threats or dangers, call for emergency support if needed, as well as becoming customized to provide assistance or reminders for the user’s daily routines and activities. The focus of this presentation is the process of utilizing various engineering tools with a multidisciplinary approach to the concept of sound activity detection and recognition, as the aural layer of a multi-modal AI-based sensing system developed for elderly care. Therefore, how sound behaves in a physical and natural sense, and its signals through the tools of technology will be first discussed. The knowledge of how the world of AI uses these precisely quantifiable behaviors of sound to detect and recognize various sound events are then presented to build the foundation for the more hands-on side of the research. The Oculus Prime Navigator Robot which is equipped with various sensors such as RGB and depth cameras, as well as a directional microphone array, allow the active real-time detection of human activities in the living environment, which can also be demoed to the audience.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Shahram Payandeh, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University

Prevalence and Characteristics of Compensatory Stepping Responses During Real-Life Falls in Older Adults

Bianca Te — 2022-05-03

In laboratory studies, older adults commonly rely on stepping to prevent falling when their balance is perturbed. We extended prior literature by characterizing the stepping responses of older adults during real-life falls, captured on video in long-term care. We included 1516 falls by 515 residents, and used Generalized Estimated Equations to test whether step characteristics (prevalence, direction, and length) associated with initial fall direction, activity at the time of the fall, cause of imbalance, attempts to recover balance by grasping, sex and age.

Attempts to recover balance by stepping were observed in 76% of falls. For these cases, 64% involved small steps (less than one-half foot length), 80% involved multiple steps, and 81% involved steps that aligned with the initial fall direction.

Forward falls elicited larger steps that were more aligned with the fall direction. Older residents took smaller steps, but their steps were more aligned with the fall direction. Walking at the time of imbalance was associated with larger and more frequent steps. Holding a weight-bearing object was associated with smaller and less frequent steps. Attempts to recover balance by reaching to grasp a nearby object elicited more steps that misaligned with the fall direction.

In summary, older adults in long-term care often responded to falls with attempts to recover balance by stepping. Steps were usually functionally aligned to the fall direction but small in length. Our results support the need for further research on approaches to enhance the effectiveness of compensatory stepping responses through exercise or perturbation training.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Robinovitch, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Shared Positive Emotions and Child-Father Attachment in Two Small-Scale Societies

Tristan Raymond — 2022-05-03

Fathers are more likely than mothers to use play time as a means of expressing sensitivity towards their infants and toddlers, which is associated with secure child-father attachment and children’s normative social and emotional development. However, this finding has only been observed in Western contexts, warranting further exploration into the role of father-child play as a correlate of secure child-father attachment in non-Western cultures. The current investigation examines secondary observational data collected from two small-scale societies in Bolivia and Vanuatu, where mothers’ reports of father-child play was a significant predictor of child-father attachment security. This study conceptualizes shared positive emotion as a form of paternal sensitivity to determine a potential relationship between quality of child-father play and child-father attachment security. Participants included 92 father-child dyads (63 Tannese, 29 Tsimane). Results indicate a significant association between dyads expressing positive shared emotion (IPE: interactive, positive emotion) and child-father attachment security. When stratifying by society, this association was found in the Vanuatu sample, but not Bolivia. Close inspection indicates that there is a trend in Bolivia. Findings support claims of paternal sensitivity in playful contexts as a culturally universal correlate of child-father attachment security at the infant and toddler age. This study provides insight into behavioural correlates of attachment security within populations virtually unrepresented within child-father attachment literature.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Tanya Broesch, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Sex-dependent effects of preeclampsia on birthweight and mortality.

Jess Hercus — 2022-05-03

Preeclampsia is a disorder that affects 2-10% of pregnancies, and Canadian studies have found that the incidence of preeclampsia is increasing. While preeclampsia is diagnosed and defined by symptoms present in the mother, it is associated with lower infant birthweights, due to nutrient deprivation throughout pregnancy. Infants with lower birthweights for their gestational age have higher risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and higher lipid levels throughout their lifetimes, along with many other risk factors. These long-term impacts of low birthweight make the study of factors that are known to impact birthweight, such as preeclampsia, important not just for infant health but in understanding health throughout the lifespan. I will study the birthweights of infants born to mothers with preeclampsia, compared to infants without any chronic challenges while in utero. The American CDC database has open-source data on every birth in the United States since 1968, and I will use data from a subset of years, with a sample size of approximately 40,000 births per year after exclusions. I will also compare mean birthweights by sex, to determine if one sex is more affected by preeclampsia. Additionally, I will be studying mortality, to see if infants born to mothers with preeclampsia are more at risk of certain causes of death, and if this is sex-dependent. This population-level retrospective study will allow us to learn more about the impact of preeclampsia on infant birthweight, which can serve as a long-term component of health, and on infant mortality.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Julian Christians, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Characterizing phenotypes of zombified mesenchymal stromal cells

Anthony Piccolo — 2022-05-03

The consequences of physiological aging are an unfortunate but necessary part of life, but why do some people develop aging-related diseases prematurely? Recent studies have shown that there is a population of cells, which are defined as zombie cells, that fail to be cleared naturally from the body and enter a non-proliferative state that is highly inflammatory. This state is called a senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and may be a driver of auto-immune and aging-related degenerative disease. Our lab works with mesenchymal stromal cells, which are a specialized, heterogenous multipotent cell type found in perivascular and stem cell niches throughout the body.

My research has shown that MSCs, naturally and through the exposure to oxidative stressors, can enter a state of zombification, which has been characterized as a non-proliferative state with altered physical intercellular interactions, while remaining metabolically active. The goals of this project are to show that this unique phenotype has SASP characteristics, which means it has qualities that may cause inflammation and a dysregulated metabolism, as well, can be induced prematurely through chronic exposure to known oxidative stressors such as the pesticide Round-Up, and high glucose diets. From these treatments, I will characterize the resultant phenotypes by measuring the expression of a set of SASP-related genes via RT-qPCR to determine whether the treated cells take on a dysregulated gene profile. Using live cell-imaging and fluorescent dyes, I will also document any unique intercellular dynamics that occur with this phenotype.

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Lorena Braid, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University