Undergraduate Research & Publications

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Open Access
A Review of the Literature on Artificial Intelligent Speech-Recognition Chatbots for Second Language Learning
(2024-10) Gauthier, Elizabeth; Dressler, Roswita
Purpose: This literature review provides an overview of articles that discuss the key factors, concepts, and variables that describe how conversational artificial intelligent (AI) technologies support second language learning, as well as the challenges to such technologies' ability to support language learning. Methods: We conducted a search of scholarly literature from 2020-2024. The search was conducted in English. The literature review included articles found based on key searches, including “speech recognition chatbots,” “language learning,” “conversational AI,” “artificial intelligence,” “large language models,” “natural language processing,” and “language acquisition.” We addressed the question: To what extent can conversation AI technologies support second language learning? Results: We found 18 relevant research articles which revealed four themes (1) willingness to communicate, (2) authentic contextualized practice, (3) immediate individualized feedback, and (4) flexible system design. All literature included are research studies, sixteen peer-reviewed and two ahead-of-print. The findings revealed that conversational AI technologies are based primarily on support for willingness to communicate, authentic contextualized practice, immediate and individualized feedback, and flexible and interactive system design. Implications: The literature review revealed that to a great extent conversational technologies are emerging as supports for second language learning due to the innovation of human-ness, system design, and program implementation. Thus, it is important to select appropriate conversational AI technologies based on the learner’s age, level, language, country, and interests for the learner to cognitively, emotionally and socially engage in speaking. In addition, implementing strategies like teacher preparation and intervention, including teaching how to properly use the technology, consistent check-ins and lessons designed for technology use, is essential to improve future use of conversation AI for supporting second language learning.
Open Access
A Review of the Literature on Online Collaborative Learning in K- 12 and Post-Secondary Education During COVID 19
(2022) Tay, Sharmaine; Friesen, Sharon
The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to familiar instructional practices as the national and international response to a global pandemic precipitated a shift to online teaching and learning. This en masse transition offered a novel opportunity to examine the benefits and challenges of the now more widespread context of technologically mediated education and its impact on collaborative group learning. This conceptual review of the literature reports the findings on the impact of COVID-19 on collaborative learning in Education between the years 2020-2022. Twenty-nine of the 54 published articles from K-12 to post-secondary education contexts met the criteria established for this review and were included in the review. Three themes emerged from the review: 1) impacts of online learning on collaboration; 2) student responsibility; and 3) collaborative knowledge building. The literature on online learning and student responsibility described widely varied results with collaborative learning while the literature on online Knowledge Building learning environments indicated many of the issues had been anticipated and reported learning gains were maintained in the shift to online learning. Our review of the studies conducted during COVID-19 indicates a need for increased proactive intentional design to support learners in online learning environments.
Open Access
Calgary Insect Pollinator Diversity and Native Plant Associations
(2021-10-15) Vermaak, Sarah; Seal, Michaela; Ford-Sahibzada, Taylor; Summers, Mindi
Insects pollinate roughly 75% of Earth’s flowering plants, and while Calgary hosts a large number of diverse insect pollinators, its insect diversity and plant associations had not yet been cataloged. This study sought to document the diversity of Calgary’s insect pollinators and determine which native plants support them. We observed and combined observations of plant-pollinator relationships collected through iNaturalist (3168 observations) from 2008-2021, physical collections and observations from specific plants in 2020 (1840 observations), and observations of insects visiting flowers during transect (294 observations) and quadrat (225 observations) surveys in 2021. We compared the number and association type for 59 native plants, and nine major insect groups (flies, beetles, true bugs, wasps, solitary bees, butterflies, ants, bumble bees, and honey bees). We identified 63 families, 148 genera, and 194 species of insects. We found the greatest number of species and plant-pollinator associations for flies and solitary bees, followed by bumble bees and butterflies. We also identified ten native plants that were associated with the greatest number of major insect groups. The results of this project will aid conservation and restoration efforts by providing guidance to city planners, landscape designers, and gardeners on which plants best support our city’s pollinators.
Open Access
The King Can Do No Wrong: The Expulsion of the Douglasites, Intra-Party Conflict Resolution, and Dominant Party Ideological Moderation
(2022-04-18) Tot, Brian Istvan; Sayers, Anthony Michael; Stewart, David
In 1947-1948, Premier of Alberta, Ernest Manning, expelled the rabidly anti-Semitic sect of his caucus and Government known as the Douglasites. In this purge, Manning would end up expelling numerous members of his caucus, Party (the Alberta Social Credit League), and Government, paving the way for a drastic shift in espoused socio-political rhetoric and ideology from the Party away from the anti-Semitic. Although Social Credit’s anti-Semitic roots run deep, it is the case that Premier Manning was the primary catalysing actor that set the de-facto natural law of the Party from his ascension to the premiership. When Manning said that he “condemned, repudiated, and completely dissociated” himself from the group, whether his intentions were actually grounded in his moral framework – as is hinted towards by the author – or were instead a measure of his political acumen, may perhaps only have been known by the premier himself. But, what is strongly evidence is the fact that Manning played a primary role in this dramatic shift. Without Ernest Manning, this movement ideologically was not necessarily a given, and rather, what the historical record implies is that Manning in many ways served as the primary catalyst and driving factor in this shift. My thesis considers this course of events, their socio-political implications, and grounds itself theoretically in an application of Orbell and Fougere’s intra-party conflict resolution model for understanding the dominant party ideological moderation/decay.
Open Access
The Mind-Gut Connection: A virtual reality education program on the relationship between the digestive system, nervous system, and microbiome.
(2019-11-26) Lee, Ryan M.; Jacob, Christian; Sharkey, Keith A.
The Mind-Gut Connection is a virtual reality education application on the relationship between the digestive system, nervous system, and microbiome. Together, these systems form the gut-brain axis and communicate with one another to carry out physiological processes associated with digestion. By illustrating this complex medical topic in a virtual reality environment, we have addressed the lack of accurate or comprehensive depictions of the gut-brain axis. Additionally, the use of virtual reality in education may allow for a broader audience to be exposed to this information. Learning about digestion in relation to the gut-brain axis is beneficial for everyone because of the impact our diets and lifestyles have on our physical and mental health. The use of this virtual reality program has the potential to better engage and inform the general public so that they are more aware of how our different body systems are interconnected. Not only is this program novel in addressing such a unique but important topic, it also exhibits innovation upon current virtual reality practices surrounding movement and motion sickness. The use of full-body virtual reality and a natural form of locomotion using arm swinging builds upon existing methods to improve the level of immersion and believability.
Open Access
Ethically-Justifiable Currency Fencing
(2019-11) Sellers, Alexandra Y. L.
Technological advances enable anyone to create digital currencies - not simply state actors - bringing currency debates out of political buildings and into everyday discussion. Digital currencies have the potential to be limited in access and used for ethical purposes but can also be manipulated and used for more nefarious purposes. My PURE-funded philosophical research involved cryptocurrency ethics literature review, defining a new use of a term (“fencing”), and examining the identified phenomenon for its ethical implications to determine if it can be ethically justified. This poster presents a short overview of my cryptocurrency ethics research.
Open Access
Determinants of Child Health in China: Examining Maternal Employment & Kindergarten Attendance
(2019-11-26) Chan, Titus; Chen, Tian; Parker, Emily; Zhou, Yue; Kim, Minseop
In this study, we examined the effects of maternal employment and kindergarten attendance on a child’s body mass index (BMI) score. Children between the ages of 3 to 6 (n = 532) were selected from the 2010 wave of the China Family Panel Studies data-set for statistical analysis. Controlling for a range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, multiple linear regression models were generated. Analysis indicates that kindergarten attendance is associated with a lower BMI score in children (p < .1). There was no significant evidence that maternal working hours had any observed effects on a child’s BMI. Further policy and practice implications within the field of social work are discussed.
Open Access
Mental health literacy: Amount of knowledge influences sentencing outcomes
(2019-11-27) Bernier, Emily; Boyce, Melissa A.
The project investigated how one’s mental health literacy (ML) affected punitiveness toward a person convicted of a crime. We hypothesized that participants with higher ML scores would recommend more lenient sentences than those with lower ML scores. Additionally, we hypothesized that participants assigned to the physical illness condition (i.e., brain tumour) versus mental illness (i.e., Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)) would recommend more lenient sentences, regardless of ML. Participants were recruited from two samples: the general population, and an undergraduate psychology student sample. Individuals were randomly assigned to read a vignette scenario describing a criminal case of aggravated assault in an online study. The vignette scenarios differed in description of defendant’s mitigating factors (high blood pressure, brain tumour, or PTSD). Based on the scenario, participants were instructed recommend a sentence. They then filled out two ML scales. Factorial ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate differences between recommended sentence length as a function of condition and mental health knowledge. A main effect was found between the sentence length and ML, wherein those with lower ML scores recommended harsher sentences overall compared to those with higher ML scores (p = .006). Though significance was found, further testing is needed to garner higher power. Implications include the potential to influence the current jury selection process. It may also educate about current biases amongst jury members.
Open Access
Pendulum Study: Active Visual Tracking Elicits Non-Selective Elevations in Cerebral Blood Flow
(2019-04) Hodge, Sarah V. L.; Spence, Emma E. M.; Suraj, Rejitha; McGirr, Alexander; Phillips, Aaron Alexander
Neurovascular coupling (NVC) describes the effective matching of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to regions of neuro-metabolic demand. There is increasing interest to assess human NVC for both basic research and its potential role in vascular-cognitive impairment. The clinical utility of NVC relies on a standardized protocol for which the driving metabolic demands are highly-selective. Various research groups deploy divergent strategies to elicit visual NVC responses, including inactive processes (visual grating), passive visual tracking (target with predictable motion) and active visual tracking (target with unpredictable motion). These strategies differ in degree of cognitive and metabolic demand and may elicit different NVC responses, thus precluding study comparison. The present NVC assessment evaluated temporal and regional responsiveness of blood flow (transcranial Doppler) to the visual cortex [via the posterior cerebral artery (PCA)] and blood pressure (Finapres NOVA) during visual stimulation in 19 healthy subjects while also measuring middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow. Visual stimulation included 10 cycles of 30 seconds with eyes closed, followed by 30 seconds with eyes open tracking a moving computerized target. Each subject completed three trials of passive tracking and three trials of active tracking (114 NVC protocols, 1140 individual hyperemias). A custom eye-scanning apparatus followed eye motion to quantify visual target-tracking vigilance. Additional custom software was used to quantify NVC. The data demonstrated that active tracking elicited greater NVC responses compared to passive tracking. Specifically, there was 26% greater change in the mean elevation of PCA blood velocity (p=<0.000) and 13% greater peak NVC response (p<0.01). The MCA response was also greater during active tracking (mean response 111% greater, peak response 41% greater; both p<0.001). Visual target-tracking vigilance was linearly correlated to the degree of hyperemia in the MCA and PCA, as well blood pressure during NVC. It was observed that active and passive visual tracking elicit different NVC responses and cannot be reliably compared. That PCA and MCA responses were greater with active tracking suggests an elevated global CBF (i.e. not selective to regions perfused by the PCA) that may result from recruitment of brain centres responsible for sustained attention and executive function. In other words, active tracking leads to non-selective elevations in global CBF and greater target-tracking vigilance impacts the NVC response. These findings are a critical step to better understand and standardize the evaluation of NVC in humans and for potential clinical deployment of NVC assessments.
Open Access
Adult patient perspectives of the unknowns of living with epilepsy - results from a focus group study.
(2019-11-24) Lee, Jeanie Y. Y.; Gelfand, Jennifer; Khan, Sundus; Crooks, Rachel E.; Josephson, Colin B.; Wiebe, Samuel; Patten, Scott B.; Korngut, Lawrence; Smith, Eric Edward; Roach, Pamela M.
Background/Objectives: Epilepsy is one of the most common and debilitating neurological conditions that affects nearly 50 million people worldwide, yet there remains a stigma around this condition, which can impact the information-seeking behaviours of patients. As the Brain and Mental Health Research Clinics develop a website about registry-based research, including patient-facing areas, it is important to understand how patients look for information, and the types of information they are seeking out. The objective of this study was to encourage conversation and understand the patient perspectives of existing knowledge gaps between epilepsy patients and the resources they use to obtain information. Methods: A total of thirteen patients (mean (SD) age = 46.4 (16.1) years) from the Calgary Comprehensive Epilepsy Program Registry and four caregivers participated in one of the three focus groups completed in order to meet our aims. There were eight female and five male patients. A semi-structured guide was used to understand the patients’ experiences, top concerns, informational resources currently used, and resources or knowledge that patients felt are lacking. The focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was conducted by two researchers who independently open-coded the transcripts using NVivo 11. The final analysis was done by team discussion and ongoing analysis of the codes to create themes and sub-themes. Results: The major themes that emerged from the data included: 1) daily management; 2) resources; and 3) medications and treatment. For daily management, the participants reported concerns about the effects of epilepsy on day-to-day activities such as driving, working, and the barriers they face in society due to their perceived lack of awareness and education about seizure management in the general public. The participants felt negatively impacted by the stigma and compared their experience with epilepsy with other disorders such as cancer or diabetes which they feel are much more accepted in society. The geographical location of the patient also plays a role in the support they receive for epilepsy management, with participants citing challenges and feelings of isolation in rural areas. To acquire more information about epilepsy, participants reported that they primarily asked their physicians or searched online. However, despite the conveniences of the internet, some individuals felt the volume and variation of quality of online information was overwhelming. Instead, they would prefer to go to trusted resources that are provided by healthcare professionals or websites affiliated with hospitals or universities. Updated information on medication, side effects, and research are examples of resources the patients would like to see provided on such websites. Conclusion: Overall, it is clear from our focus groups that resources and support for self-management and day-to-day living for individuals with epilepsy is paramount to reduce knowledge gaps. Not only is it important to provide daily management and medication information to patients through trusted organizational resources, but it is equally important to increase public awareness about epilepsy and seizure disorders to reduce the stigma attached to these conditions.
Open Access
The effect of simulated altitude on VO2max in humans
(2019-11-19) Zhuang, Andrea Y.; Beever, Austin T.; MacInnis, Martin J.
Open Access
The effects of hyperglycemia on vascular responses in individuals with obesity
(2019-01) Newton, Janna; Soares, Rogério Nogueira; Murias, Juan M.
Objective: To evaluate the acute effects of hyperglycemia on the vasculature of lean and obese individuals. Methods: Nine normal-weight (BMI 18.1 to 24.9 kg/m2) and nine individuals with obesity (BMI 30.0 to 39.9 kg/m2) underwent five vascular occlusion tests (VOT) at baseline, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after ingesting 75 g of glucose diluted in 296 mL of water for an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was determined as the percent change in brachial artery diameter from baseline (mean of the 1 min diameter recordings prior cuff release) to peak in brachial artery diameter recorded during the 3 min reperfusion period. Results: Brachial %FMD was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 60 min (7.98 ± 4.33 %) after glucose ingestion when compared to pre (10.9 ± 3.99 %) in the obese group. Lean individuals showed no reduction in %FMD during hyperglycemia Conclusion: Hyperglycemia caused detrimental effects on brachial artery function at 60 min after glucose ingestion.
Open Access
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Differences in Pediatric Migraine
(2019-11-17) Khaira, Akashroop; Bell, Tiffany; Noel, Melanie; Amoozegar, Farnaz; Harris, Ashley D.
Pediatric migraines are highly prevalent but not well-understood. Neuroimaging can provide great insight to brain physiology, but few studies have applied imaging to study pediatric migraines. Previous adult literature has shown differences in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in migraine patients compared to controls; however, adult migraine findings may not be directly transferable to children. This study’s aim was to investigate rsFC differences between children with migraine and controls to better understand pediatric migraines. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data from 26 participants (10 controls and 16 migraines), between the ages of 7-16 years. Data was preprocessed and analyzed using FSL. An independent component analysis constrained to 30 components was used to identify resting-state networks across all subjects. Group average spatial maps were regressed into each subject’s dataset for a time course, which was then regressed into the subject-specific spatial maps. Permutation testing compared rsFC differences in the groups while controlling for age. Initial analysis indicated significant rsFC differences (p < 0.05) in two networks. In the frontoparietal network, there is decreased rsFC in the right motor cortex in the migraine group compared to controls. In the hippocampal/amygdala network, there is decreased rsFC in migraine patients in the right amygdala and right hippocampus. The frontoparietal and hippocampal/amygdala networks are relevant to migraine with roles in pain perception and processing, learning, emotion, and memory. Detecting differences in these networks in children with migraine compared to controls shows that even between migraines, there is intrinsically altered rsFC in pediatric migraine patients.
Open Access
Effect of Environment & Portion Size on Energy Intake
(University of Calgary, 2019-11) Roberts, Araby
This study utilized a 2(Environment: Lab, Lounge) x 2(Portion Size: Standard, Large) mixed-design factorial analysis of variance to examine the effect of environment and portion size and energy intake. Participants attended two sessions: one in a lab and one in a lounge. During both sessions, participants were provided with either a standard (100g) or large (200g) portion of popcorn. The data analyses were non-significant. There was no main effect of environment on energy intake and no main effect of portion size on energy intake. In addition, there was no interaction between environment and portion size on energy intake.
Open Access
The role of L tyrosine in oxazolone induced skin inflammation
(2017-11-30) Tso, Marcus; Lin, Yujia; Liao, Shan
Perinodal adipose tissues (PAT) are adipose tissue that directly surrounds lymph nodes (LN). Under local immune stimulation, PAT had been shown to breakdown fat and supply fatty acids essential to proliferating lymphoid cells. However, knowledge of the interaction between PAT and LN remains incomplete. Metabolomic analysis identified 458 common metabolites between the LN and PAT. Within these common metabolites, L-tyrosine was found to be significantly reduced in LN, PAT, and plasma during oxazolone (OX) skin sensitization induced inflammation. Literature show that immune cells can increase uptake of amino acids and alter their metabolic profiles to respond to immune stimulation. This study investigates the role of L-tyrosine in OX-induced skin inflammation. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), one of the major enzymes that metabolizes L-tyrosine, was found to be expressed in the lymph nodes of normal mice. Immunofluorescence imaging showed that TH was expressed by cells mostly in the T cell zone. TH expression pattern and co-staining with various cell markers suggested that TH was expressed by neurons in the lymph node. The TH expressing neurons appears to wiring CD4+ cells. Further experiments are needed to characterize TH-expressing cells, and to determine changes in TH expression between control and OX-inflamed LNs.
Open Access
A BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS INVESTIGATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE USE AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING
(Program for Undergraduate Research Experience, 2019-09-23) Pavelka, Chloe
Open Access
The Translation of Trauma: Trauma and Language Acquisition in the ELL Classroom
(2019-09-25) Tighe, Caitlin
Consequently, focused on the practice of teachers, this research project endeavored to look closely at trauma informed practice (TIP) in schools and those methods and strategies teachers use when working with trauma inflicted youth who are English Language Learners (ELLs). Uncovering the effectiveness of these strategies and the successes and challenges teachers encounter in working with this unique group of students was among the objectives of this research. In undertaking this work, this research aimed at articulating effective pedagogical practices that Alberta educators can adopt when utilizing TIP with ELL students and what barriers prevent these practices from being universally integrated. The specific research questions that guided this study were as follows: What challenges mitigate the teaching and learning of refugee students? What are the intersections between traumatic experience and language acquisition? And, what practices are teachers using to navigate trauma, learning and language acquisition?
Open Access
Adaptive Radiation Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer
(2019-09-23) Harjai, Nabhya
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide with 350 000 deaths reported annually (1). Radiotherapy is one of the most common treatment modalities for head and neck cancer patients. Although head and neck cancer (HNC) survival is steadily increasing, the close proximity of tumor volumes to organs at risk (OARs) makes radiotherapy planning and delivery challenging for these patients. We hypothesize it will not only further reduce the incidence of treatment-related toxicities and improve post-treatment quality of life of patients with cancer but also improve the allocation of essential clinical resources.
Open Access
Investigating Proton Conduction using Guest-Loaded Metal-Organic Frameworks
(2019-09-23) Lin, Giselle
Two Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), ZIF-65 and ZIF-90 were loaded with phosphate esters and investigated for their abilities as proton conductors at temperatures ranging from 23ºC to 200ºC, with the goal being the achievement of superprotonic conduction at increased temperatures. Polybenzimidazole, a conductive polymer, was synthesized and incorporated with the MOFs to aid in proton transport. The following results do not achieve superprotonic conduction at high temperatures, but are promising for future investigation.
Open Access
Exploring Mothers’ Experiences and Perceptions of Alberta FICare©™ Compared to Standard Care
(2019-09-23) Dien, Rachael
Background: Alberta’s preterm (<37 weeks gestation) birth rate is consistently among the highest of the Canadian provinces. The majority of preterm infants require care in a level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). NICUs are highly-technological critical care environments that can be overwhelming for parents during an already stressful time. Alberta FICare©™ is a theoretically-driven, psychoeducational model of care that provides detailed strategies and practical tools to integrate parents in the care of their infant in the NICU from time of admission. The components of Alberta FICare©™ are: 1) Relational Communication, 2) Parent Education, and 3) Parent Support. Parental experiences of FICare have not been evaluated. Objective: The objective of this qualitative sub-study was to explore mothers’ experiences of FICare compared to standard care using data from the Alberta FICare©™ cluster randomized controlled trial. Method: Mothers from FICare (n=13) and standard care (n=13) sites participated in semi-structured interviews. A subset (n=7 FICare; n=5 standard care) of transcripts were coded and analyzed using the grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin. Results: Preliminary analysis revealed the process of “Getting Home”. In the FICare group this was facilitated by parent integration in bedside rounds (BSR), experiential learning, formal and informal supports, and feeling self-efficacious in providing infant care. In contrast, parent integration in BSR and self-efficacy did not emerge as strongly in the standard care group, and mothers spoke about a lack of tangible supports and the challenges of the NICU environment. Mothers from both groups talked about the challenges to continuity and consistency of care, but those in the FICare group also highlighted communication and information-sharing that takes place in parent-healthcare provider interactions. Conclusion: This sub-study increase our understanding of mothers’ experiences of Alberta FICare©™ and may inform enhancements to family-centred care practices in level II NICUs.

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