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- ItemExamining permafrost detection and validation techniques in thermally complex mountainous terrain: a case study in the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon, Canada(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Geography and Environment, 2025) Nicholson, Ria E.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Bonnaventure, PhilipClimatic warming necessitates a more comprehensive understanding of permafrost distribution. However, permafrost cannot be directly observed due to its subsurface nature, leading to a reliance on predictive models. Models commonly lack comprehensive validation through independent field observation and are thus prone to uncertainty. The goal of this research is to explore the limitations of permafrost model validation in a heterogeneous periglacial environment. Permafrost evaluation through two independent models in the Ogilvie Mountains were sampled using 74 cryotic assessment sites. The sampling goal was to identify permafrost in-situ, examining the concept of "testability". Sampling was performed using the ground thermal profiling method. Interference from impenetrable substrates caused 51.4 % of tests to fail. This data informed a probability of testability model. Overall, the landscape exhibited polarized testability, with elevation as a predictor. This highlights a critical knowledge gap in permafrost research today regarding uncertainty and validation.
- ItemEntertainment or propaganda? : cultural cognition: implicit stereotypes in historical film(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Geography and Environment, 2025) Seyed Norani, Ali; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; McGeough, Kevin M.This thesis explores the intersection of culture and cognition, presenting an investigation into how implicit bias may be propagated through representations of antiquity in Hollywood historical film. These biases often align with the binary framework of Orientalism, critiqued by Edward Said, which positions Middle Eastern geopolitical entities and peoples as one monolithic “Oriental Other”. Historical films portray this stereotypically exotic, oppressive, and backward “Orient” as an archetypal component of the ancient world, defined by its enmity with the “West”. By contributing to the cultural narrative presenting a historical divide between a monolithic “Eastern” and “Western” world, cinematic depictions of antiquity may further propagate implicit stereotypes concerning the Eastern “other”. This process may in turn influence the perception, and practise, of contemporary international relations. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of implicit bias propagation, cognitive psychological frameworks were applied to this analysis. Tversky and Kahneman’s cognitive heuristics of “availability” and “representativeness” were contextualized within Perry Hinton’s argument of implicit bias arising, not from individual cognition, but rather from prevalent stereotypical associations within culture, i.e., the “culture in mind”. This multidisciplinary paradigm was used to analyze specific stereotypical tropes fitting the Orientalist framework within thirty-five, predominantly Hollywood, historical films. These tropes encompassed geopolitics, race, appearance, visual setting, disability, gender, and sexuality. The discussion suggested that historical films indeed present an implicit argument, associating the ancient Middle East with a homogenous and stereotypical contemporary “East”, one fundamentally opposed to “Western” liberty and morality. Examples such as the release of Zack Snyder’s 300 during the Iraq War were examined, demonstrating how cinematic representations of antiquity may propagate an implicit perspective that the “clash of civilizations” between “East” and “West” is timeless, rather than a hyperreal Orientalist construct.
- ItemQueering Cultural Resource Management: defying norms in CRM archaeology(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Anthropology, 2025) Badger, Madison P.; Universit of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Wilson, PatrickThrough ethnographic inquiry within the context of an Alberta-based Cultural Resource Management (CRM) firm, this thesis applies a queer perspective to CRM archaeology in the process of knowledge production and translation. Though archaeology is often thought of as being rather objective, results and analysis from this project suggest otherwise. Qualitative methods (participant observation, semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis) were used to explore and analyze how CRM employees’ ideologies regarding their role in the research process influence the production and translation of knowledge. Further, the ultimate goal of this research is to provide an example of and an argument for queering archaeology. Specifically, the analysis includes a discussion on the impact of queer as a verb on current archaeological methods, theories, and ideologies in CRM. I conclude that to queer (v.) is necessary to avoid narrowing perspectives of the past, and to move towards a more widely representative and inclusive future of CRM.
- ItemEvaluation of the Cannabidiolic Acid Synthase (CBDAS) variant’s activity from hemp in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants.(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2025) Shujat, Salma; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Kovalchuk, Igor; Kovalchuk, OlgaCannabis sativa L., historically controversial, has gained economic and scientific significance in Canada following legalization, primarily due to its primary cannabinoids: cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). High-THC cannabis serves recreational and medicinal purposes, while high-CBD cultivars are increasingly valued in medical and cosmetic industries. Hemp, legally defined as cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC, is widely used in food, textiles, and biodegradable materials. Both cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are synthesized through decarboxylation of their acidic precursors, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), respectively, which are derived from a common precursor, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), through the enzymatic action of cannabidiolic acid synthase (CBDAS) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (THCAS). These enzymes exhibit partial promiscuity, meaning they can convert CBGA into multiple cannabinoids, including CBDA, THCA, and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), typically in ratios ranging from 10:1:1 to 20:1:1. Thus, even in plants lacking the THCAS gene, trace amounts of THCA can be produced, potentially complicating regulatory classification under Health Canada’s guidelines. Despite their structural similarities, bioinformatic analyses have identified unique functional variants of the CBDAS enzyme with differing specificity and activity. This study evaluated four CBDAS variants, Del_1_108, X59_1_117, Joe_1_129, and CRS1_105, by expressing them in Nicotiana benthamiana via stable genetic transformation. After optimizing assay conditions (including incubation time, temperature, and buffer composition), only Joe_1_129 and X59_1_117 showed enzymatic activity. Both variants catalyzed the exclusive conversion of CBGA to CBDA, with no production of THCA or CBCA, indicating enhanced specificity. Extended incubation (12–16 hours) further improved enzyme efficiency. While Joe_1_129 demonstrated higher conversion efficiency (2.46%), X59_1_117 exhibited better catalytic performance (1.14 vs. 0.89), suggesting functional specialization. These results provide valuable insights into the evolution and function of CBDAS enzymes and support metabolic engineering strategies aimed at producing hemp cultivars with high CBDA and negligible THC content. Such advances have practical implications for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial applications, and future research integrating genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approaches could further refine cannabinoid biosynthesis pathways.
- ItemMechanisms of toxicity of the tire-wear compound N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-quinone) in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas)(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2025) Anderson-Bain, Katherine Arianne; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Wiseman, SteveN-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-quinone), is an emerging contaminant of concern (ECC) that has been recently identified as the primary cause of an acute lethality event observed in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), termed Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome (URMS). Given the widespread occurrence of 6PPD-quinone, there is a need to identify other species of fishes that experience acute lethality and sublethal toxicity following exposure, and to characterize mechanisms of toxicity. It is not known if fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), a native species in North America, and a model species in ecotoxicology, are sensitive to 6PPD-quinone. Aqueous exposure to 6PPD-quinone did not cause mortality or embryo malformations in fathead minnows. Fathead minnow adults showed biochemical signatures of oxidative stress in both the livers and gills, including altered glutathione metabolism and an increase in methionine sulfoxide. This result suggested that fathead minnows could be used as a model species to investigate sublethal effects of 6PPD-quinone. However, fathead minnow embryos microinjected with 6PPD-quinone experienced a suit of cardiovascular abnormalities, including abnormal heart morphology, lack of common cardinal vein development, and hemorrhaging. Fathead minnow embryos that were microinjected with 6PPD-quinone showed a strong transcriptomic response, with alterations in pathways such as vascular endothelial growth factor signalling, endothelial cell-cell adhesion, and inflammation, providing a molecular basis for the cardiotoxicities. This supports the hypothesis that toxicokinetics is a critical determinant of 6PPD-quinone toxicity. This is the first study to demonstrate that sensitivity to 6PPD-quinone can be induced under laboratory conditions in insensitive species of fishes. Overall, this study fills critical knowledge gaps underlying mechanisms of toxicity of 6PPD-quinone to fishes.