Brock University Publications & Manuscripts: Recent submissions
Now showing items 1-20 of 617
-
“I’m comfortable with it”: User stories of health information on WikipediaApplying a critical-constructivist approach, 21 semi-structured interviews conducted from June to October 2021 were analyzed thematically. Qualitative analysis suggests that users reported that Wikipedia’s health content can facilitate personal agency, is familiar and convenient to access, and that individuals’ trust in Wikipedia is contextual, conditional, and framed by their personal experiences.
-
Scaffolded, embedded required: information literacy education in undergraduate health sciencesBackground: The Health Sciences Library and the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program (BHSc) at McMaster University worked together to build a multi-year information literacy (IL) curriculum embedded within the program under a suite of courses called Praxis Pathways. Description: Praxis Pathways consists of four Threads. Thread 4: Information Literacy is the focus of this case report. The authors will describe the multi-year embedded IL curriculum, which is scaffolded to build both IL skills, such as database searching, and introduce students to key conceptual conversations in IL, production and dissemination. Outcomes: BHSc program graduates in 2023 will be the first to have completed all four years of the Praxis Pathways courses, including the IL program developed and delivered by the library. The authors will describe how the impact of the program will be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively going forward. Conclusion: Embedded librarianship for multi-year, scaffolded IL education in undergraduate programs continues to be a rarity, despite the acknowledgement that one-shot instruction has several limitations. The authors present this case report to share how they embedded a for-cred IL curriculum in an undergraduate program that looks beyond the one-shot, skill-based tutorial and focuses on developing adaptive, information-literate lifelong learners.
-
"It's a very straight space": gender-diverse students' narratives about the libraryHow do students with diverse gender identities experience and perceive the academic library? What can we learn from our students to help develop services, spaces and collections that support their safety and well-being? This presentation will highlight results from a qualitative case study at an academic library by exploring themes related to the students’ experiences with library workers, the library’s physical environment and its collections. The study results position the library as both a source of positive, transformational potential and site of harm and oppression. Students reported experiencing great discomfort while using library bathrooms and study spaces and were distressed by encountering library materials containing outdated, inaccurate information about gender identity/sexual diversity. Gender diverse students described affirming experiences with library workers while being confronted with library technology – e.g. computers – which deadnamed them. And they questioned why libraries provide platforms to transphobic speakers in the name of intellectual freedom and highlighted the dangers of espousing neutrality. While themes surfaced by this study reflect the participants’ individual lived experiences, they are broadly reflected in survey results, scholarly literature and other research documenting these concerns. Finally, this presentation will describe students’ suggestions for how academic libraries can bridge the gaps to become safer and more inclusive. Attendees will be invited to reflect on changes they could incorporate in their home libraries.
-
"It's a very straight space": gender-diverse students' narratives about the libraryHow do students with diverse gender identities experience and perceive the academic library? What can we learn from our students to help develop services, spaces and collections that support their safety and well-being? This presentation will highlight results from a qualitative case study at an academic library by exploring themes related to the students’ experiences with library workers, the library’s physical environment and its collections. The study results position the library as both a source of positive, transformational potential and site of harm and oppression. Students reported experiencing great discomfort while using library bathrooms and study spaces and were distressed by encountering library materials expressing outdated, inaccurate information about gender identity/sexual diversity. They described affirming experiences with library workers while being confronted with library technology – e.g. computers – which deadnamed them. And they questioned why libraries provide platforms to transphobic speakers in the name of intellectual freedom and highlighted the dangers of espousing neutrality. While themes surfaced by this study reflect the participants’ individual lived experiences, they are broadly reflected in survey results, scholarly literature and other works documenting these topics. Finally, this presentation will describe students’ suggestions for how academic libraries can become safer and more inclusive.
-
Subduing the “moral panic”: Sustaining a nuanced conversation about predatory publishingIntroduction: Predatory publishing has long raised alarm bells among faculty, librarians and research administrators. Often falsely conflated with open access publishing as a whole, predatory publishing is painted as a grievous threat to the sanctity of scholarly research and a waste of research funding. However, the 'moral panic'* over predatory publishing may be unjustified. Equipping researchers to make informed decisions about publishing is a more sustainable approach. Building partnerships and sharing evidence about faculty publishing patterns can support this type of advocacy. Description: Librarians at institutions without subscriptions to costly citation analysis tools such as Scopus may find it difficult to analyze open access publishing patterns. However, freely available academic search tools such as The Lens can provide useful snapshots to guide education and support for researchers. Data from Brock University indicates that our faculty are overwhelmingly publishing in OA journals which would not typically be deemed predatory. Partnering with institutional research services via outreach and workshops has allowed the Library to share this data and other information about open access with key audiences of research administrators and faculty. Outcomes: This outreach helps the Library to guide researchers towards a more robust understanding of open access and scholarly publishing and away from reliance on problematic tools such as blacklists. In addition to helping authors make informed decisions about where to publish, such programming has boosted uptake for research consultations around publishing and open access. Discussion: The presenter will share tools and strategies for implementing this collaborative approach at other libraries.
-
Shrieking, biting, and licking: The monstrous-feminine and abject female monsters in video gamesThis article examines examples of the monstrous-feminine in the form of abject female monstersin a selection of critically acclaimed and commercially successful video games. Various female monsters from CD ProjektRED’s The Witcher series (2007-2015), and Santa Monica Studio’s God of War series (2005-2013)are considered as examples of the abject monstrous-feminine which fall into a long tradition in horror media of making the female body and body movementsinto something horrific and repulsive. These female monsters use shrieking, biting, licking, and spreading disease as weapons against the male protagonist, who must slay themto progress in the games.This article concludes that these games contribute to a long popular culture tradition of framing the empowered female body as monstrous and threatening, and calls for more scholarship on female monstrosity in games.
-
Big daddies and broken men: Father-daughter relationships in video gamesThis article discusses the recent trend of father-centred video game narratives and analyses the father-daughter relationships portrayed in four critically acclaimed and commercially successful games which exemplify this trend: BioShock 2 (2010), The Walking Dead (2012), BioShock Infinite (2013), and The Last of Us (2013). The author critiques these games for granting the father-figures agency over their daughter-figures and constructing them as moral barometers, helpful gameplay tools, and means for paternal redemption. The Walking Dead is discussed as the only positive portrayal of a father-daughter bond among this selection of games.
-
It’s Time to Recognize Wikipedia as a Health Information ResourceWith more than 300 language editions, Wikipedia offers accessible health information written in plain language to a wide audience. Having survived more than twenty years, it is broadly considered the “grown-up” of the internet due to its sheer longevity and maturity. Along with evidence that Wikipedia is more reliable than widely believed, it has emerged as the most frequently accessed web site for health information despite a lingering stigma. Grounded in real-life examples of health events, the author reinforces Wikipedia as a tool for public health education. With wider acceptance of Wikipedia as a health information resource, existing opportunities for education, investment, and improvement of the world’s largest encyclopedia can be cultivated.
-
Off track or on point? Side comments in focus groups with teensSide comments and conversations in focus groups can pose challenges for facilitators. Rather than seeing side comments as problematic behavior or “failed” data, we argue that they can add to and deepen analyses. Drawing on focus group data with grade nine students from a study on early work, in this methodological paper we discuss three patterns. First, side comments have highlighted where participants required clarification, and illustrated their views and questions about the research process. Second, side comments added new data to our analysis, including personal reflections, connections to others’ comments, and information about participants’ uncertainties about the research topics. Third, these comments offered insight into peer relations and dynamics, including participants’ reflections on age, and how they deployed gender relations in their discussions. Provided that their use fits within established ethical protocols, we argue that there is a place for attention to side comments, especially in focus group research with young people where adult-teen hierarchies and peer dynamics might lead young people to engage more with peers than directly respond to researchers’ questions.
-
Beyond plagiarism: ChatGPT and the future of AINetworking Event by Graduate students at the CSSHE conference at York University, ON, Canada (May 30, 2023)
-
Power research in adaptive water governance and beyond: a reviewPower dynamics are widely recognized as key contributors to poor outcomes of environmental governance broadly and specifically for adaptive water governance. Water governance processes are shifting, with increased emphasis on collaboration and learning. Understanding how power dynamics impact these processes in adaptive governance is hence critical to improve governance outcomes. Power dynamics in the context of adaptive water governance are complex and highly variable and so are power theories that offer potential explanations for poor governance outcomes. This study aimed to build an understanding of the use of power theory in water and environmental governance and establish a foundation for future research by identifying power foci and variables that are used by researchers in this regard. We conducted a systematic literature review using the Web of Science Core Collection and the ProQuest Political Science databases to understand how power is studied (foci, variables of interest, and methods) and which theories are being applied in the water governance field and in the environmental governance field more broadly. The resulting review can serve as a practical reference for (adaptive) water governance inquiries that seek to study power in depth or intend to integrate power considerations into their research. The identified power variables add to a much needed groundwork for research that investigates the role of power dynamics in collaboration and learning processes. Furthermore, they offer a substantive base for empirical research on power dynamics in adaptive water governance.
-
How do collective agreements stack up: Implications for academic freedomThe principle of academic freedom is officially articulated in the enforceable language in the collective agreements between universities and the respective faculty unions. Collective agreements are often the artefacts of previous dilemmas at institutions and tracing the language they contain will show the chronology and subtleties embedded in these documents that circumscribe faculty freedoms. This study analysed collective agreements from over 40 different Canadian institutions using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) to reveal anticipated issues.
-
Faculty members’ use of artificial intelligence to grade student papers: a case of implicationsThis paper presents the case of an adjunct university professor to illustrate the dilemma of using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to grade student papers. The hypothetical case discusses the benefits of using a commercial AI service to grade student papers—including discretion, convenience, pedagogical merits of consistent feedback for students, and advances made in the field that yield high-quality work—all of which are achieved quickly. Arguments against using AI to grade student papers involve cost, privacy, legality, and ethics. The paper discusses career implications for faculty members in both situations and concludes with implications for researchers within the discourse on academic integrity.
-
Contributions of post-learning REM and NREM sleep to memory retrievalIt has become clear that sleep after learning has beneficial effects on the later retrieval of newly acquired memories. The neural mechanisms underlying these effects are becoming increasingly clear as well, particularly those of non-REM sleep. However, much is still unknown about the sleep and memory relationship: the sleep state or features of sleep physiology that associate with memory performance often vary by task or experimental design, and the nature of this variability is not entirely clear. This paper describes pertinent features of sleep physiology and provides a detailed review of the scientific literature indicating beneficial effects of post-learning sleep on memory retrieval. This paper additionally introduces a hypothesis which attributes these beneficial effects of post-learning sleep to separable processes of memory reinforcement and memory refinement whereby reinforcement supports one's ability to retrieve a given memory and refinement supports the precision of that memory retrieval in the context of competitive alternatives. It is observed that features of non-REM sleep are involved in a post-learning substantiation of memory representations that benefit memory performance; thus, memory reinforcement is primarily attributed to non-REM sleep. Memory refinement is primarily attributed to REM sleep given evidence of bidirectional synaptic plasticity in REM sleep and findings from studies of selective REM sleep deprivation.
-
Preservice teachers’ science learning and self-efficacy to teach with robotics-based activities: Investigating a scaffolded and a self-guided approachIntroduction: Robotics is viewed as a viable pedagogical strategy for STEM learning because it is characterized by many practices common to the STEM disciplines such as engineering design. With many national curricular calling for STEM integration in K-12 formal educational settings, there is a need for empirical evidence about the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches to teach with robotics-based activities to promote curriculum learning outcomes and teaching practice. This exploratory study investigated the effectiveness of a scaffolded robotics intervention and a self-guided robotics intervention on pre-service teacher knowledge (PST) of science concepts related to gears and on PST self-efficacy to teach with the robotics-based activities. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention study was implemented with two non-equivalent groups of elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) in a Bachelor of Education program. PSTs in the self-guided group (n = 11) worked with robotics kits in the library at their own pace. PSTs in the scaffolded intervention group (n = 16) were guided through the activity by the author with instructional scaffolds. IBM SPSS Statistics 27 was used to analyze the data. Results: The relationship between intervention type and gains in science knowledge was not statistically significant for the self-guided group but was statistically significant for the scaffolded group suggesting that scaffolding supported PST’s learning of the science concepts. With respect to PST self- efficacy to teach with the robotics-based activity, both intervention types revealed statistically significant gains from pre to post tests, however effect sizes indicated that the scaffolded intervention resulted in greater gains in PST self-efficacy to teach with the robotics-based activities. Discussion: The results provide exploratory evidence that the scaffolded robotics approach, modelled for and experienced by the pre-service teachers in this study, was effective for their learning of science curricular concepts related to gears and for developing their self-efficacy for teaching the robotics-based activities. It should be noted that findings may not be generalizable due to the small sample sizes, especially of the self-guided group. Nevertheless, the findings do provide insights for teacher educators incorporating robotics-based activities into curricular courses such as science methods as it provides specific examples of scaffolds that were effective for science learning and for developing PST self-efficacy. The study also contributes to the literature on instructional strategies that promote robotics adoption in K-12 schools to support development of STEM knowledge and skills.
-
Chronic AMPK Activation Reduces the Expression and Alters Distribution of Synaptic Proteins in Neuronal SH-SY5Y Cells.Neuronal growth and synaptic function are dependent on precise protein production and turnover at the synapse. AMPK-activated protein kinase (AMPK) represents a metabolic node involved in energy sensing and in regulating synaptic protein homeostasis. However, there is ambiguity surrounding the role of AMPK in regulating neuronal growth and health. This study examined the effect of chronic AMPK activation on markers of synaptic function and growth. Retinoic- acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were treated with A-769662 (100 nM) or Compound C (30 nM) for 1, 3, or 5 days before AMPK, mTORC1, and markers for synapse function were examined. Cell morphology, neuronal marker content, and location were quantified after 5 days of treatment. AMPK phosphorylation was maintained throughout all 5 days of treatment with A-769662 and resulted in chronic mTORC1 inhibition. Lower total, soma, and neuritic neuronal marker contents were observed following 5 d of AMPK activation. Neurite protein abundance and distribution was lower following 5 days of A-769662 treatment. Our data suggest that chronic AMPK activation impacts synaptic protein content and reduces neurite protein abundance and distribution. These results highlight a distinct role that metabolism plays on markers of synapse health and function.
-
Voluntary wheel running alters markers of amyloid-beta precursor protein processing in an ovarian hormone depleted model.Introduction: Aberrant cleavage of the transmembrane protein, amyloid-beta precursor protein (ABPP), results in the overproduction of amyloid-beta (AB) peptides which can form senile plaques in the brain. These plaques can get lodged within synapses and disrupt neuronal communication ultimately leading to rampant neuron death. The rate-limiting enzyme in AB production is beta-site ABPP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1). In females, estrogen loss is associated with increases in AB and BACE1 content and activity. Exercise is known to have anti-amyloidogenic effects and may be able to alter BACE1 in cases of ovarian hormone depletion. This study aimed to examine the effects of physical activity on BACE1 in intact and ovariectomized female mice. Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice (24 weeks old) underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX; n=20) or SHAM surgery (SHAM; n=20). Mice were assigned to one of four groups (n=10/group) for 8 weeks: (1) sham (SHAM), (2) sham with a wheel (SHAM VWR), (3) ovariectomized (OVX), or (4) ovariectomized with a wheel (OVX VWR). Results: Novel object recognition testing demonstrated that OVX mice had a lower percentage of novel object investigation time compared to SHAM. OVX mice also had higher prefrontal cortex BACE1 activity compared to SHAM (p<0.0001), while the OVX+VWR activity was not different from SHAM. Discussions: Our results demonstrate that voluntary wheel running in an ovariectomized model prevented increases in BACE1 activity, maintained memory recall, and may provide a method of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
-
Heterozygous SOD2 deletion selectively impairs SERCA function in the soleus of female mice.The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) restores intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+ ]i ) to resting levels after muscle contraction, ultimately eliciting relaxation. SERCA pumps are highly susceptible to tyrosine (T)-nitration, impairing their ability to take up Ca2+ resulting in reduced muscle function and increased [Ca2+ ]i and cellular damage. The mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), converts superoxide radicals into less reactive H2 O2 . Heterozygous deletion of SOD2 (Sod2+/- ) in mice increases mitochondrial oxidative stress; however, the consequences of reduced SOD2 expression in skeletal and cardiac muscle, specifically the effect on SERCA pumps, has yet to be investigated. We obtained soleus, extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and left ventricle (LV) muscles from 6 to 7 month-old wild-type (WT) and Sod2+/- female C57BL/6J mice. Ca2+ -dependent SERCA activity assays were performed to assess SERCA function. Western blotting was conducted to examine the protein content of SERCA, phospholamban, and sarcolipin; and immunoprecipitation experiments were done to assess SERCA2a- and SERCA1a-specific T-nitration. Heterozygous SOD2 deletion did not alter SERCA1a or SERCA2a expression in the soleus or LV but reduced SERCA2a in the EDL compared with WT, though this was not statistically significant. Soleus muscles from Sod2+/- mice showed a significant reduction in SERCA's apparent affinity for Ca2+ when compared to WT, corresponding with significantly elevated SERCA2a T-nitration in the soleus. No effect was seen in the EDL or the LV. This is the first study to investigate the effects of SOD2 deficiency on muscle SERCA function and shows that it selectively impairs SERCA function in the soleus.