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- ItemOvule defects in Arabidopsis thaliana PIN localization pathway mutants lead to reduced seed set(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2025) Reiter, Jaxon W.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Schultz, ElizabethChapter 1: Auxin is a plant hormone that is essential for a wide range of growth and developmental processes in plants. The coordinated, polar transport of auxin through plant tissues is crucial for proper development and function. The asymmetric localization of PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins determines the directionality of auxin transport between cells and across a tissue, creating an auxin gradient that can influence gene expression and development. It is well known that auxin gradient establishment is vital for vegetative development, including leaf and root formation, but the involvement of auxin in reproductive development is less-well studied. The plasma-membrane localization of PIN proteins to direct auxin transport between cells is a critical process that involves a complex vesicle transport pathway and is regulated by a diverse set of genes. This review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the roles of PIN proteins during the development of the reproductive structures of a flower, the gynoecium and androecium, and describes some of the genes that have been proposed to function in this PIN localization pathway. Mainly, the importance of PIN1 localization and PIN1-mediated auxin transport for the development of the gynoecium, including the carpel tissue, ovary, ovules, and female gametophyte, is described in detail, emphasizing the importance of these processes during reproductive development in plants. Chapter 2: The formation of the gynoecium, including the stigma, style, transmitting tract, ovary, ovules, and female gametophytes requires the correct establishment of auxin gradients across a tissue directed by polar transport. PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins are crucial for establishing local cellular auxin gradients that establish spatially organized auxin maxima and minima. PIN1 vesicle transport is tightly regulated by various genes that play a role in vesicle formation, transport, uncoating, and membrane localization. SCARFACE/VASCULAR NETWORK DEFECTIVE 3 (SFC/VAN3), FORKED1 (FKD1) & FORKED-LIKE (FL) Group 1 genes, COTYLEDON VASCULAR PATTERN 2 (CVP2) and CVP2-LIKE 1 (CVL1), PINOID (PID), and ROTUNDA3 (RON3) have all been proposed to be key players in the regulation of PIN1 vesicle trafficking. Mutations to these genes have been shown to disrupt PIN1 localization and lead to developmental defects such as impaired root development and vein formation. However, the role of these genes has not been previously characterized in gynoecium development, despite mutants showing severe reductions to seed set. This study examines the underlying causes of the seed set reductions present in fkd1/fl1-2/fl2/fl3, sfc-40, and cvp2/cvl1 mutants by analyzing reproductive development. Through manual pollination experiments, observation of pollen tube growth, and the analysis of ovule defects and pPIN1:PIN1-GFP expression during ovule development, I identified that reduced seed set in these mutants results from a gynoecium defect. Specifically, a reduced seed set involves altered ovule development, and I suggest that the observed morphological defects are consistent with alterations to PIN1 localization during early ovule development stages (2 ii-iii) in these mutants. This study suggests, for the first time, that SFC, FKD1, FL1, FL2, FL3, CVP2, and CVL1 play an important role in reproduction during ovule development.
- ItemExplicit zero density for the Riemann zeta function(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, 2024) Farzanfard, Golnoush; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Fiori, Andrew[See thesis for abstract]
- 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.