Analysis of convergent and parallel amino acid substitutions in the HSP90AA1 gene among high-elevation anurans

A significant amount of convergent and parallel amino acid substitutions in the HSP90AA1 gene has been detected among four species of high-elevation anurans: Bufo tibetanus, Scutiger boulengeri, Rana kukunoris, and Nanorana parkeri. As HSP proteins are involved in response to environmental stress, it is possible these mutations play a role in high-elevation adaptation. In this study, I investigated the functional consequences of these substitutions and inferred their potential links to adaptation. I examined HSP90AA1 sequences of 13 anuran species previously studied. Using PROVEAN, I isolated three deleterious mutations: P65S, K195A, and _199I, each shared between two of the high-elevation species. I further analyzed the protein structure, stability change, and structural damage using model predictions. Based on its buried location and cavity expansion, P65S was predicted to most likely alter protein function. Furthermore, I examined HSP90AA1 sequences of over 100 other animal species available from public databases and found that serine at site 65 is ubiquitously present in cold-water fish, suggesting the substitution is related to cold adaptation. Alanine at site 195 and isoleucine at site 199 were not found in any other species, but these substitutions also might impact protein function as they are predicted to be destabilizing and their ancestral residues have reported post-translational modifications in orthologs. Tests of protein function and an investigation of more sequences from high-elevation species would help to further link these substitutions to adaptation, particularly P65S. Identifying mutations that contribute to high-elevation adaptation would aid in uncovering the molecular mechanisms of adaptation.

Trigger warnings: A quantitative study on the stigmatization of individuals with a mental illness and university students’ help-seeking intentions

Requests for trigger warnings before distressing content in the university classroom have increased, especially to accommodate individuals with a history of trauma. However, no empirical evidence has been collected on the stigmatizing nature of trigger warnings. The trigger warning debate has received mainstream media attention and draws dichotomous lines between those who believe in the protective nature of trigger warnings, and those who believe they are coddling to students. The trigger warning literature is limited, however, and focuses mainly on how trigger warnings affect anticipated or experienced anxiety, emotional regulation, and post-traumatic stress. To date, the literature fails to investigate how trigger warnings influence stigma towards those who may benefit from them most, namely, individuals with a mental illness, and whether trigger warnings influence help-seeking intentions. In this study, participants were psychology students recruited from the University of Guelph. Design: 2 x 2 repeated measures split-plot design with two phases: 1) participants filled out an online survey to provide a baseline for phase two, and 2) participants were randomized into either a trigger warning or control condition and subsequently filled out the same online survey. Analysis: 2 x 2 analysis of variance for each dependent variable (stigma, help-seeking intentions). Results: In this sample, trigger warnings did not have an effect on students’ stigmatization toward individuals with a mental illness or their help-seeking intentions. This paper is an abridged version of one that has been uploaded to the Open Science Foundation website and can be found under this project: (osf.io).

A Radical Right-Wing Failure in Canada

This article is a quantitative investigation into why Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada (PPC), a radical right-wing party (RRP), failed to succeed in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Canada has not witnessed the electoral breakthrough of such a party. I argue the failure of the PPC was the result of a mixture of the stabilization of immigrant inflows and the softening of anti-immigrant sentiment. More favourable conditions for the PPC, including extensive media coverage and increasing support for populist and mildly authoritarian sentiment, may have been necessary, but were not sufficient alone to allow for an RRP breakthrough. RRPs are unlikely to succeed in Canada as long as the immigration rate remains predictable and Canadians continue to hold favourable views towards immigrants.

Small, But Significant Declines In Crop Productivity On Low Fertility Soils

Agricultural yields are susceptible to losses during extreme weather events related to climate change, jeopardizing food security. Yield losses may be mediated by underlying quality or variation of agricultural land in soil fertility, topography, drainage, and growing degree days. For instance, crops grown on poor quality land may be more susceptible to the negative consequences of climate variation as compared to crops grown on high quality land. This study investigated yield response for corn, soybeans, and pasture to different land qualities across Ontario from 2011 to 2017. Yield is approximated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is a satellite-derived measure of biomass production. For three focal crops (soybean, corn, and pasture), the average maximum NDVI and the coefficient of variance (CV) of maximum NDVI were aggregated at a provincial and county scale for each land quality classification. Relatively stable CV values were evident across all land qualities, yet certain counties showed greater variation in productivity on poor quality land suggesting greater susceptibility to extreme weather. Over 7 years, there were small but significant declines in NDVI in response to poor quality land for all three crop types. This suggests that agricultural producers cannot overcome the biophysical limitations of poor quality land on crop yield. Understanding differential crop productivity responses to land quality can help producers mitigate crop losses to climatic variation, thus equally stabilizing food availability.

Health Benefits of Pea Protein Isolate: A Comparative Review

Pea protein isolate, derived from yellow split peas, is an increasingly prevalent additive and supplement in the food and beverage market, commonly found in alternative meats, meal replacements, cereal bars, alternative milks and additional food products. With pea protein isolate being relatively new to the market, there is not extensive research on its health benefits to coincide with its rising popularity. This review aims to cover the existing body of evidence to connect the known potential health benefits of pea protein isolate, as well as compare these health benefits to other protein alternatives that have been comprehensively researched such as soy and whey protein. The health benefits identified include its anabolic properties, high satiety effect, hypolipidemic effect and blood pressure lowering effect involving the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

The Right to Food in Canada’s North: Food Security and Sustainability in Yukon Territory

This paper analyses the factors affecting food security in Yukon Territory. It was written for the Yukon Field School on Food Security offered at the University of Guelph in 2019. It utilizes Olivier De Schutter’s Right to Food Framework to examine elements of food availability, accessibility, and adequacy. Different perspectives from various stakeholder participants in the field school were gathered during guest lectures and on site visits and were cross-referenced with peer-reviewed sources to formulate conclusions on the right to food in Canada’s North. These perspectives suggest that the northern food supply is threatened by the effect of climate change on country food availability, the feasibility of local agriculture, and the provision of imported food. Additionally, the social barriers to country food and local food access in the context of high poverty rates also contribute to food insecurity. The implications of insufficient food availability and accessibility culminate in food inadequacy with notable consequences for physical, mental, and cultural health. Overall, a move towards a locally-sourced diet will likely play a key role in achieving sustainable food security in the north.

Determining and Comparing Deep Drainage between Two Years – Dry (2012) and Wet (2013) – using Darcy’s Law

Understanding of the downward flux of water below the plant root zone, known as deep drainage (DD), is significant in agriculture and soil water conservation. It plays a key role to determine the amount of water that travels below the plant root zone and can potentially cause groundwater recharge. The DD in soil varies with location, soil texture, and topography. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water storage, and DD for the years 2012 (dry year) and 2013 (wet year) at the University of Guelph’s Arboretum. The depths to the water table data were collected using a Mini Water Level Meter. CS616 sensors were used to determine the soil volumetric water content. The soil temperature was extracted with the use of T107 Temperature Probes. The slug test, based on the Hvorslev method, was performed to determine the field saturated hydraulic conductivity. The soil moisture retention curve was produced based on the data collected in the lab with the use of pressure plate systems, using van Genuchten’s equation. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was also determined using van Genuchten’s equation. Darcy’s law was used to determine the specific discharge, which was then converted to the total DD. In general, the soil water storage was 38.5 mm higher in 2013 relative to 2012. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was approximately 2 times higher in 2013 than 2012. The average DD was approximately 25 mm higher in 2013. This study provides information needed to better understand the movement and amount of water flux and DD in larger details.

Development and validation of a critical thinking framework

Critical thinking (CT) is essential in many higher-order thinking skills and should be enhanced by higher education programs. The Model of Integrated Thinking Skills (MITS) was developed to help students developing CT, assist educators teaching CT, and satisfy the following three criteria: 1) completely and objectively describe CT, 2) distinguish CT from other skills, and 3) be used by all disciplines. A validation survey determined how MITS is perceived with respect to the three criteria. Most participants perceived that MITS meets the three criteria, suggesting that MITS can assist student development of CT.

Female size and pre-copulatory sexual selection by males of intertidal snail (Littorina saxatilis)

Littorina saxatilis, the rough periwinkle, is highly promiscuous and polyandrous; female L. saxatilis snails rarely reject male advances. Sexual selection by males has been observed in this species. Sexual selection is one of the driving forces of evolution and may be a significant contributor to partial reproductive isolation between two ecotypes of L. saxatilis. Male sexual selection based on female size was investigated for wave-exposed crab ecotype snails in this study. Males and females were measured and placed in mating arenas. Males were presented with a choice of a smaller or larger female relative to themselves. Mating frequency and duration was recorded. A total of 19 successful trials were performed. A significantly higher mating frequency (p<0.005) was associated with larger females, indicating that males exhibit strong pre-copulatory sexual selection. Mating duration was significantly longer for larger female mating events (p<0.05) but was also equally determined by male size (p<0.05) as larger males tended to mate for longer. These results indicate that a strong sexual selection by males exists for L. saxatilis, in which larger females are preferred. This behavior may be a response to perceived fecundity of females, and/or may be a product of selection against hybrids.

Estimating the Financial Return to Education Between Fields of Study

The Mincer regression equation was utilized to compute the expected financial return to education from additional years of education across the 2016 Canadian population. Data was taken from the 2016 Canadian Census of Population to create the populations of interest. Three sub populations were then derived from the collected data to represent Canadians with different major areas of study namely, business, humanities, and engineering. Mincerian regressions were run using these subsections to determine how the financial return to education differs between distinct majors. Additional multiple regressions included an interaction term between sex and years of schooling in an attempt to determine whether an individual’s sex affects their expected return to education given a specific area of study. The regression results indicated that business majors boast the largest average expected return to education while engineering majors boast the lowest. Subsequently, in relation to business majors, sex was not found to have an impact on expected financial returns. Future research may build off the findings of this paper by expanding the scope to include all areas of study in addition to deciphering whether the expected return to education for a given major is consistent throughout all major Canadian universities.