1722 research outputs found
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Tool type identification for forensic digital document examination
No full textDigital documents have become a significant part of our everyday lives. From identity documents to various legal agreements and business communications, the ability to determine the authenticity and origin of different types of documents is incredibly important. In the physical domain, this need is addressed by forensic document examiners. Although many of the analysis methods used in the physical domain do not apply in the digital realm, the forensic analysis processes in both realms still address similar objectives. In this paper, we focus on the objective of identifying the tool that created a digital document to support answering questions about the origin of a document. In contrast to many existing works on the forensic analysis of digital documents which focuson file type identification, this paper focuses on identifying the tool that is used to create a document. This is particularly relevant for forensic digital document examination (FDDE). The paper explores the use of different machine learning algorithms to analyze PDF documents to determine the tool that created the document. Given that traditional methods for digital document analysis often rely on metadata and visible content that can be tampered with, we used a structural analysis approach that builds on methods that have previously been used for file type identification. We explored the use of byte histograms and entropy measurements in developing models capable of identifying the specific software used to create PDF documents using several machine learning models. Our results showed that Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) outperformed other models. In further experiments, we explored the use of the same approach to identify the version of a specific tool used to create a document and alternative ways of creating PDFs from a tool. Our results confirm the feasibility of this approach for digital document tool type identification with a high level of accuracy.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266628172500111
What is Going on Here? Police Framing, Misframing and Reframing of Criminal Responsibility in Intimate Partner Violence Cases
No full textPolice officers responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) calls face numerous challenges, including distinguishing IPV from stranger violence, addressing conflicting information, and, notably, utilizing their discretion. This research aimed to scrutinize the decision-making processes employed by police officers during IPV calls for service. To achieve this, Goffman’s (1974) frame theory was applied to analyze semi-structured interviews conducted with one Winnipeg Police officer and three Winnipeg service providers. The objective was to observe participants’ conceptual maps that highlight the use of discretion, implicit biases, and the cognitive processes underpinning police decision-making. Participants were asked open-ended questions regarding their experiences with working alongside the police or as an officer responding to IPV calls for service. The findings show that, like other professionals, the officer in the study relied on past experiences and personal identity (such as being a woman or a mother) in their decision-making. While the officer justified their actions using professional guidelines (like arrest mandates and reasonable grounds), there were inconsistencies in the application of the guidelines alongside personal biases. To better understand police behaviour in responding to intimate partner violence (IPV), it is helpful to adopt a sociological lens. This approach examines how social structures, cultural norms, and power dynamics influence officers’ actions and the factors beyond their control that affect their decisions and outcomes. It is important to note that the sample used in this study cannot be generalized, but as an exploratory study, it contributes to the ongoing discourse about what is necessary to enhance police response to IPV.Master of Arts in Criminal Justic
Characterization of soil dissolved organic matter using optical techniques in boreal catchments
No full textDissolved organic matter (DOM) is a critical medium for controlling the storage and mobilization of carbon within watersheds. With climate change threatening to alter carbon characteristics within boreal forests, understanding both the quantity and quality of DOM in boreal catchment soils, and exported to low-order headwater streams, is important in order to investigate processing and overall watershed dynamics. Headwater streams contain largely terrestrially derived DOM, and thus, gaining a better understanding into DOM within catchment soils and streams, allows for an understanding into the transport of carbon between the two systems. Utilizing optical techniques has become an increasingly common way to characterize DOM within aquatic systems. However, limited knowledge on optical properties within DOM in soil water, creates uncertainty surrounding patterns and controls on soil water DOM, and the ability to utilize optical properties to characterize soil water DOM. Furthermore, although dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in streams has been linked to catchment type and landscape features, it is unclear how catchment characteristics influences DOM quality in boreal headwater streams. This study investigated DOM quality in soil water and stream water in the same watershed, using optical indices, and EEM-PARAFAC modelling. Soil water DOM was characterized by three terrestrial humic-like, one microbial humic-like, and one protein-like component. Optical properties of soil water DOM saw similarities with that of other boreal aquatic systems, indicating the potential for optical techniques to be used to characterize DOM quality in catchment soils. PARAFAC modelling and optical indices characterized organic soils as more aromatic, more humified, and with a higher molecular weight relative to mineral soils, as well as implied a high degree of processing within the soil environment. Stream water DOM within the same watershed was characterized by four terrestrial humic-like PARAFAC components, and differences in optical properties between soil water and stream water, indicated the selective loss of low molecular weight aliphatic compounds along the soil-stream continuum. Stream water DOM from forest draining streams was seen to be more microbially derived, with fresher carbon and a lower molecular weight, relative to wetland draining streams. Aromatic content seen through SUVA254 values, were seen to be a poor predictor of wetland coverage in this study, and suggested that additional factors such as wetland vegetation type, might need to be considered when predicting quality indicators based on wetland coverage. Intensive discharge events following dry periods were also seen to influence DOM in both forested and wetland draining streams. Therefore, optical techniques could prove to be an effective tool in order to characterize DOM quality in boreal watersheds, increasing understanding into the quality of DOM that both remains in catchment soils, as well as that which is transported to the stream. This has implications for better understanding carbon fate within watersheds, and the potential for optical techniques to be utilized, in order to investigate changes in carbon storage and transportation across boreal catchments.NSERC; Research ManitobaMaster of Science in Environmental and Social Chang
Open Scholarship @ UWinnipeg
No full textAt UWinnipeg, we prioritize student success, offer outstanding academic research programs and opportunities for students, support Indigenous achievement, embrace inclusivity, and foster meaningful connections on campus and across community. Open Scholarship is a necessary and central part of this work, as it makes our teaching and research expertise available freely, globally, and welcomes everyone into the conversations happening at our University. Across the UWinnipeg campus there are many projects and initiatives occurring to increase access to teaching, research, and knowledge. Some of these are connected with The Library and Research Office, some of these are occurring in departments or in other siloed locations. Many of these initiatives are great as is and don't need to scale up, but many projects could benefit from having 1. Larger campus awareness and championing, in order to involve more people more effectively 2. Some form of sustainable resourcing and 3. Policy support in key areas
Owning History: Indigenous Histories and Records Access; Conference Proceedings, 26 April 2024
No full text(From the Introduction:) As anyone who has set out to do research with Indigenous records knows, this research, already difficult just by the nature of the topic itself, can be even more challenging when researchers must negotiate labyrinths of confusing access requirements across a range of different organizations and archives. For academic Indigenous historical researchers and Indigenous families and communities alike, locating and accessing critical Indigenous records can be extraordinarily difficult and frustrating. Over the course of our work with the Manitoba Indigenous Tuberculosis History Project (MITHP), we’ve faced challenges and delays in accessing Indigenous records held in colonial archives, and in disseminating the information we have found when we have been able to gain access. As other researchers can attest, these challenges and delays can be exhausting, and have drawn on resources that could have been otherwise used toward actual research and knowledge creation. In addition, the ways in which access is managed deeply impacts the questions researchers can ask and the histories we can tell. During the Owning History conference, we discussed the challenges of undertaking Indigenous archival research and explored how these experiences might inspire concrete changes in records access that could lead us toward a more respectful and honourable future.... We hope that the presentations shared, and the dialogues they inspire, will support research and researchers, stimulate new ways of engaging in and approaching this kind of research, inform strategies, and deepen our understanding of the many ways records access impacted and continues to impact Indigenous individuals, families, and communities and the pursuit of justice."The Owning History: Indigenous Histories and Records Access conference and the conference proceedings were made possible in part with the generous support of the support of the University of Winnipeg, the University of Winnipeg Department of History, the Riley Fellowship in Canadian History, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council.
Blended Soil Amendment Effects on Phosphorus Loss from Soils under Simulated Snowmelt Flooding
No full textPhosphorus (P) accumulation in agricultural soils from long-term fertilizer and manure applications increases the risk of P mobilization into freshwater systems, contributing to eutrophication. In the Canadian Prairies, spring snowmelt over frozen soils creates anaerobic conditions, exacerbating the transport of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) to surface waters. This research investigated the effectiveness of single and blended soil amendments in reducing P losses from high legacy P soils under simulated snowmelt flooding conditions. Two complementary laboratory studies were conducted using agricultural soils from southern Manitoba. The first study employed packed soil incubations to evaluate fifteen treatments across six soils, including an unamended control, six single amendments at different rates of alum [KAl(SO4)2.12H2O], ferric chloride (FeCl3), gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), plus eight blended combinations. The second study used intact soil monoliths from four sites to compare gypsum, ferric chloride, and their 1:1 combination. Results demonstrated that ferric chloride-based treatments were consistently the most effective across soil types. In packed soils, single amendment of ferric chloride achieved maximum DRP reductions of 64%, while blended amendments containing ferric chloride achieved reductions up to 89%. The monolith study confirmed these findings, with ferric chloride reducing floodwater DRP by 93-99%. Calcium and magnesium-based amendments showed soil-dependent effectiveness, with gypsum achieving 31-56% reductions in the monolith study. Blended amendments did not provide substantial advantages over single ferric chloride applications. These findings suggest that ferric chloride represents a viable single-amendment strategy for mitigating snowmelt-driven P losses from Prairie agricultural soils, offering practical implications for water quality protection in cold climatic regions.Master of Science in Environmental and Social Chang
Structures and electronic properties of cobalt(II) selone coordination complexes
No full textThe structural chemistry of selenourea ligands is quite diverse, though examples of their coordination to cobalt are rare. In this study, the solid-state structures of the selenourea 1,3-diethylimidazole-2-selone, C7H12N2Se, and the cobalt complexes dichloridobis(1,3-diethylimidazole-2-selone-kSe)cobalt(II), [CoCl2(C7H12N2Se)2] (1), and dichloridobis(1,3-diisopropylimidazole-2-selone-kSe)cobalt(II), [CoCl2(C9H16N2Se)2] (2), are presented. Two crystallization methods for the coordination complexes are utilized. The structures of complexes 1 and 2 are compared with the few existing examples in the literature, revealing a similar trend for terminal binding modes, rather than bridging modes which are often seen for late d-block metal complexes. Density functional theory calculations reveal a trend in cobalt–selenium bond strengths for 1,3-dialkyl-substituted imidazole-2-selones of Me ’ Et < iPr.The University of Winnipeg, NSERC (grant No. RGPIN-2019-06725), Canada Foundation for Innovation (grant No. 42109), Research Manitoba.https://journals.iucr.org/c/issues/2025/12/00/wv3022
Land as a Teacher: Indigenous Food Knowledges and Perspectives from Long Plain First Nations
Full text linkThis study adopts a community-based Indigenous research approach to understanding Indigenous food knowledge and perspectives from Long Plain First Nation, Manitoba. Through in-depth interviews with nine community participants, this study emphasizes that land-based learning is not merely an educational method, but a profound way of life for Anishinaabe people, that sustains cultural continuity and resilience. For Long Plain First Nation, the land serves as an everlasting foundation of knowledge, embodying centuries of knowledge sharing, re-visioning, and reciprocity. Elders and knowledge keepers in their vital role as the bridge between the past and present, ensure that traditional food practices and transfer of knowledge is passed on to future generations. The community participants shared engaging stories on the intricate relationships among plants, animals, other relatives including stars, all living beings, and Anishinaabe stewardship. These stories also offer practical insights into sustainable way of life that are increasingly relevant in a contemporary environmental context. By recognizing the land as a teacher and prioritizing the voices of the Elders and knowledge keepers, Long Plain First Nation is reclaiming its Indigenous food systems and paving the way for future generations. It advocates for a holistic, community-centered approach to learning that respects, and amplifies Indigenous voices, fostering a sustainable future, thinking seven generations ahead.Shailesh Shukla; Shirley Thompson; Indigenous Studies, University of WinnipegMaster of Arts in Indigenous Governanc
Urban Design, Neoliberalism, and Social Control in the Context of Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre
Full text linkThis research analyzes modes of urban social control through conventional and non-conventional policing practices in Winnipeg’s “Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment District” (SHED), and the area surrounding Winnipeg’s National Hockey League arena. This research explores the relationship between neoliberal mechanisms that drive business improvement districts (BIDs) and policing practices during events in this space. Bourdieu’s “cultural capital”, and the concept of “space and place” with an emphasis on “urban branding” give insight into cultural, social, and economic differences and contextualize how the SHED is governed to promote consumption and reduce anti-social behaviours. Using a methodology of observation and a semiotic visual analysis, the findings suggest there is an increase in police and security presences in the times leading up to, during, and after NHL games in the SHED. It is argued that policing presences contribute to a securitization of capital through assisting in upholding ‘clean and safe’ logics that typically underpin the operation of BIDs, ultimately to encourage and maintain an environment that is welcoming to consumption by the middle- to upper-class.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded MAMaster of Arts in Criminal Justic
Trust, Risk, and Dissonance: Prairie Agriculture and Canada’s Environmental Farm Plan
Full text linkIn the wake of combined economic and ecological pressure, Prairie farmers and the Canadian ministries responsible for agriculture are pressed to instigate sustainable agricultural development. However, Canada’s central agri-environmental program, the Environmental Farm Planning program (EFP), faces low uptake in the Prairie region. In this thesis, I explore the nature of the dissonance between the EFP and Prairie farmers to understand why participation is so low, the issues embedded in the EFP, and how to develop better agri-environmental policy for the Prairie region. I employ multiple methods, including survey, discourse, and institutional analyses, to make sense of the dissonance. Survey analysis is used to explore the social psychology of risk and characterize participant’s knowledge, risk perceptions, and trust regarding environmental action. Next, I employ discourse analysis to examine taken-for-granted notions embedded in how interviewees articulate their relationship to themselves, society, the environment, and the state. Finally, I utilize an institutional analysis to look at the mechanisms and values built into the EFP and the Prairie context and theorize how these institutional factors affect the EFP dissonance. Using the process of triangulation, I mix my methods to conclude that risk perceptions, economic constraints, and governmental trust are at the core of the EFP dissonance.Social Science and Humanities Research Council; Prairie Climate CentreMaster of Arts in Environmental and Social Chang