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Human-wetland relations in an agricultural landscape: Ojibway and non-Indigenous perspectives from the Swan Lake region, Manitoba
No full textWetlands in the Swan Lake region were historically seen as highly valuable parts of the landscape by Ojibway Peoples and early non-Indigenous settlers alike, providing vital food and water on an arid prairie. Contrastingly, wetlands today are often seen as a nuisance, incentivizing their ongoing drainage. As a result, Swan Lake, like other prairie lakes, faces cumulative impacts from wetland drainage including an accumulation of sediment, lowering lake depth, damaged wildlife habitat, as well as increased nutrient loads causing algae blooms and deoxygenation. In short, the introduction of colonial land management and governance systems has transformed the relationship between humans and wetlands from a mutually beneficial to a dysfunctional one. This thesis examines the transformation described above by looking at the influence of historical and individual decision contexts experienced by Ojibway and non-Indigenous land users today in the Swan Lake region. In this thesis, wetlands become a prism refracting a much bigger context, one where dysfunctional relationships between humans and wetlands are part of a polycrisis affecting all earth systems. A gatekeeper sampling method and semi-structured interviews with six Ojibway participants from Swan Lake First Nation, Gaubiskiigamaug, and six non-Indigenous farmers from the surrounding region were used. Data were analyzed using thematic and grounded approaches. Results emerge in five themes: 1) Historical contexts shaping today’s wetland-related decision-making, including colonization and changes in the agricultural industry; 2) Tensions between Ojibway and non-Indigenous worldviews related to wetlands; 3) The influence of individual decision contexts including differences in land use on wetland-related decision-making; 4) Land user perspectives on the future of human-wetland relationships; and 5) The dynamic nature of human-wetland relationships in shaping the landscape itself. This thesis concludes that enduring solutions to today’s wetland crisis can only occur at pace with healing relationships between people and land.February 202
Public attributions and attitudes toward the not criminally responsible accused in Canada
No full textResearch has found that the public holds negative attitudes towards the NCRMD defence and views individuals using it as dangerous and avoiding punishment (Goossens et al., 2021). Within these attitudes, people appear to attribute behavioural control and stability or consistency across time towards NCRMD adjudicated. Thus, it was hypothesized that these attributions could influence punishment goals and NCRMD attitudes. This study examined public attitudes towards NCRMD-accused using a 2x2 factorial design vignette manipulating two offender characteristics: the amount of control the offender had over their behaviour (high or low) and the stability of their behaviour (high or low). Undergraduate psychology students completed an online survey using the vignette and instruments to assess causal attributions, punishment goals, and NCRMD attitudes. Participant responses were analyzed using qualitative (N = 156) and quantitative (N = 544) analysis. The results did not support attributions affecting punishment preference and NCRMD attitudes. Constructed themes from reflexive thematic analysis included the role of medication in predicting behaviour, interpreting stability as emotionally stable, and perceptions of mental illness and criminality. The results from this study suggest that people do not consider the legal criteria for NCRMD in their attributions of control and that control is changeable in an NCRMD context. Additionally, financial barriers to medication can mitigate public perceptions of control. Finally, attributions of stability may function differently within an NCRMD context than in a carceral context.May 202
Assessing nutrient toxicity in fathead minnows using a multi-omics approach.
No full textThe rising demand for nutritious and low-fat foods has made aquaculture one of the fastest-growing food industries worldwide. Inland finfish aquaculture operations produce wastewater high in phosphorus from uneaten feed and ammonia from nitrogenous excretions. Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris), a nutritious and valued wetland crop, benefits from large quantities of phosphorus and ammonia-based nitrogen. Applying aquaculture wastewater (AWW) as a fertilizer for wild rice paddies presents a sustainable system for the recycling of nutrient rich wastewater while supporting optimal plant growth. Yet, introducing uncharacterized wastewater to an ecosystem presents substantial ecological risks. This includes the addition of ammonia, which is toxic at low concentrations, and phosphorus, which can contribute to eutrophication resulting in oxygen depletion within aquatic ecosystems. In Chapter 2, we assessed the ecotoxicological effects of adding aquaculture wastewater to an aquatic ecosystem using targeted transcriptomics with liver tissues of adult fathead minnows (FHM; Pimephales promelas) chronically exposed to incremental additions of AWW in simulated wild rice paddy mesocosms (n = 16). In Chapter 3, we assessed the effects of chronic nitrogen and phosphorus exposures, at concentrations relevant to AWW applications, on the health and cellular stress response of FHMs using non-targeted proteomics on mucus and liver tissues from FHMs exposed for 30 days in the laboratory. The objective was to determine if adequate nutrient loadings would adversely impact fishes in the ecosystem. We found that increasing quantities of AWW and nutrients did not cause lethality or affect morphometric endpoints, however oxidative stress, immunological, and metabolic responses were observed in both transcriptomic and proteomic evaluations of liver tissues. Mucus proteins were not effective in detecting cellular stress responses between treatments, however temporal trends were observed. Environmentally-relevant AWW and nutrient exposures were sufficient to elicit cellular stress responses, however, this concentration would likely not be great enough to impair the health and survival of FHMs. This study may aid in understanding the ecotoxicity of aquaculture wastewater effluent and may further develop the use of mucus in omic analyses to limit lethal sampling in biological and ecotoxicological research.Myera Group
International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA)February 202
Tracing an autoethnography to identify opportunities and challenges of implementing backyard biodiversity installations in Winnipeg’s residential spaces
Get PDFAn autoethnography of a twenty-five-year adult learning journey (formal, non-formal, and informal approaches) is used to trace the processes and dynamics of installing native plants in the City of Winnipeg, Canada. Merging these educational experiences with activities of a homeowner, a horticulture-sector professional, and a researcher gives unique insights and perspectives into adding appropriate biodiversity to the private residential space.
Native plants are an important part of the regional ecosystem as these organisms have co-evolved with other organisms for thousands (and even millions) of years. This helps form the basis of the food web creating a stable and resilient life-giving ecology. Further, native plants provide important ecosystem services such as pollination, food provisions, flood protection, control of pollution, heat regulation, carbon sequestration, and healthy soil. Unfortunately, due to various factors including habitat loss due to urbanization, there is a crisis of biodiversity loss (coupled with climate change). Therefore, this thesis reveals the importance of establishing native plants of all forms in the urban realm. Such plantings are an opportunity for city residents to contribute to the restoration of the local ecosystem by supporting the flora and fauna of the corresponding ecodistrict, ecoregion, and ecozone.
Since design with, and installation of, native plants in the residential backyard is not a widespread practice, the purpose of this thesis is to understand why the planting of native species is not ubiquitous in urban areas. Management models, archival videos, and professional design-build research reflections are part of the analysis that helps sort out the complexity of residential ecosystem.
When keystone woody native plants or modified nativars (trees) are used in purposeful installations, they would benefit a future-forward City of Winnipeg – especially when shifting climate and extreme weather will be prominent. Generally, trees that are suited for the urban forest that can support Lepidoptera larva can also simultaneously contribute to adaptation and mitigation of climate change – one yard at a time.Self - Ecoplicity EnvironmentalFebruary 202
2018 Provincial consultations on healthy aging
No full textIn 2018, the Coalition for Healthy Aging in Manitoba (CHAM) facilitated a series of workshops in various locations in Manitoba. Participants were asked to discuss what Manitoba is doing well and what could be improved with each of the following three strategic areas from the Global Strategy and Action Plan: age-friendly environments, health systems, and long-term care. This report summarizes the comments received across all sites for each of the strategic areas. In general, very similar items were discussed at all locations, even though the communities are quite different in their locations, sizes, demographics, cultural backgrounds, and histories
A matter of human rights, not luxury: enacting legislation for uniform guaranteed access to menstrual products across Canada
Get PDFAccess to menstrual products is essential in protecting the human rights of menstruators. Limited access to menstrual products infringes on several fundamental human rights, including the right to health, education, work, gender equity, and dignity. The protection of these rights remains inadequately addressed across Canada. Ensuring access to menstrual products in schools, workplaces, and public institutions such as prisons and public facilities is crucial for protecting the rights of all menstruators in Canada. Using a policy analysis, this paper aims to understand if existing government laws and initiatives in Canada addressing access to menstrual products align with international human rights standards. The findings of this research show that current efforts to provide access to menstrual products are uneven and fail to meet the needs of Canadians, particularly marginalized communities. Despite some progress, significant gaps in legislation leave many without guaranteed access to these products, failing to adhere to international human rights law. This paper argues for comprehensive legislation across Canada to ensure access to menstrual products in schools, workplaces, and public institutions. Such legislation would protect the rights of menstruators and align with international human rights standards, addressing disparities in access. Standardizing legislation across provinces and territories, allocating funds for menstrual products through federal and provincial budgets, requiring businesses to provide products, providing coverage through insurance are key recommendations for achieving uniform access.May 202
Seabird personality and individual behavioural consistency in the Canadian North Atlantic
Get PDFAnimal personality (i.e., consistent individual behaviour over time/across contexts) is made up of distinct trait continuums (e.g., docile-aggressive; docility) that can play an important role in shaping the behavioural responses of animals, and therefore, can influence fitness. Understanding personality in animal populations can be a useful tool to aid conservation decisions. To date, limited research on personality has been carried out in seabirds, especially species from the family Alcidae. This family, which includes the razorbill (Alca torda), is characterised by a stout body which facilitates diving but results in high energetic costs of flight.
In comparison to personality, individual consistency in seabird behaviour (e.g., migratory route) is well studied, but studies rarely compare across species. If individuals within a population behave consistently (e.g., migratory site fidelity), but differences are present among individuals (i.e., behavioural diversity), this variation may expose components of populations to varying threats (e.g., offshore wind development). Therefore, understanding this behavioural variation across and within species will aid in the protection of populations with lower diversity, which are more likely to experience population declines.
The aims of this thesis were to:
1. Determine the best method for quantifying the docile-aggressive trait in razorbills (Ch.1).
2. Investigate relationships between docility and razorbill behaviour during the breeding (Ch.2) and non-breeding (Ch.3) periods.
4. Explore behavioural diversity in migratory routes of seabird species that breed in Atlantic Canada (Ch.4).
In Chapter 1, I found that different behavioural tests had varying suitability for identifying docility in razorbills. Of the tests, standardized observer ratings were the best test for quantifying docility in razorbills and potentially other hard to observe species. In Chapter 2, I found that razorbills exhibit consistent behaviour during the breeding period, but this consistency is context dependent (i.e., varying prey availability periods) and not related to docility. Additionally, I found no relationship between fledging success and docility. In Chapter 3, I found individual consistency in razorbill non-breeding behaviours but no relationships between any observed non-breeding behaviours and docility. Finally, in Chapter 4, I found varying levels of behavioural diversity both within and across seabird families (Alcidae, Laridae and Sulidae).University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship,
University of Manitoba Graduate Studies Research Completion Scholarship,
University of Manitoba Field Work Support Grants,
Pacific Seabird Group PhD Student Research GrantMay 202
Diagnosis of in-hospital mortality using admission CT perfusion in severe traumatic brain injury patients (ACT-TBI study)
Get PDFAbstract Background Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) stands as the leading cause of post-injury hospitalization, disability, and mortality globally. Imaging serves as a cornerstone in the assessment of patients with severe TBI and CT Perfusion (CTP) has emerged as an early prognostic tool. Our study aims to validate CTP features of non-survivable brain injury, upon hospital admission to characterize in-hospital mortality, through a well-powered prospective cohort study. Methods In a prospective cohort study, adult patients with severe TBI were recruited to undergo whole head CTP at the time of their first imaging. Interpretation of the CTP images were conducted by two independent neuroradiologists (JS and ME), blinded to clinical results and each other’s assessment. Non-survivable brain injury was defined as a matched decrease of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) in the brainstem. The results of CTP were not disclosed to the clinical team providing patient care, and the patients received standard institutional management. The primary outcome was a binary outcome of in-hospital mortality. The primary validity analysis involved calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for features of non-survivable brain injury on admission CTP compared to in-hospital mortality, along with 95% confidence intervals. Results Out of the 201 patients initially enrolled in the study, 195 patients (mean age 42.9 years; Male- 160, 82%) were included in the final analysis. Among the participants, a total of 55 patients (28.2%) died during their hospital stay. The odds ratio (OR) was highest for the presence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) (OR-20.25; 95% CI- 7.08–71.80, p < 0.001) and gun shot wound (GSW) (OR-22.67; 95% CI- 3.66–257.5, p = 0.003), which were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. With every decade of age, there was 1.77 times of (95% CI- 1.37–2.36, p < 0.001) higher odds of in-hospital mortality. Of the 55 patients with in-hospital mortality, 17 (31%) met the criteria of non-survival brain injury on the CTP at the time of hospital admission. Both CTP and CT-angiogram (CTA)A had 100% specificity and PPV. The highest sensitivity of 33% and NPV of 80% was seen with non-survivable criteria of CTP. As a result, this variable exhibited the highest accuracy of 82% with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.67. The inter-rater reliability for CTP ranged from poor (kappa = 0.07) to fair (kappa = 0.44), indicating variability in agreement between raters. In contrast, the inter-rater reliability for CTA scales ranged from fair (kappa = 0.39) to substantial (kappa = 0.79), suggesting more consistent agreement among raters. CTP was found to be safe as no patients experience any complications associated with CTP. Conclusion CTP features of non-survivable brain injury showed very high specificity and positive predictive value for diagnosing in-hospital mortality in patients with severe TBI
Bitter taste genetics and association with oral health and COVID-19 outcomes in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Get PDFBitter taste receptors (T2Rs, encoded by TAS2R genes) are expressed in various tissues, including the mucosal and bronchial epithelium and immune cells, where they play a crucial role in the early response to pathogens. Research on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TAS2Rs has focused on TAS2R38, while other TAS2R genes and pseudogenes remain largely unexplored.
This thesis investigated SNPs in 25 TAS2R genes and 12 TAS2R pseudogenes in individuals of European ancestry within the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). The first part of the thesis compared the allele distribution of TAS2R SNPs with those reported in the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) database and examined the association between TAS2R SNPs and self-reported oral health outcomes in the CLSA cohort. The second part assessed the relationship between TAS2R SNPs and COVID-19 infection and antibody seroconversion in individuals with and without at-risk chronic medical conditions, including diabetes, immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID), respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease.
The analyses identified fifteen SNPs in TAS2R8, 9, 13, 14, 20, and 50 as significantly associated with self-reported sore jaw muscles, a symptom commonly linked to temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). TAS2R20 exhibited the highest number of associated SNPs. Structure-function analysis suggested that variants in TAS2R20 may contribute to this symptom by altering ligand interactions. Additionally, in the COVID-19 Questionnaire Study (N = 14,073), rs117458236 (C) in TAS2R20 (OR = 1.95, P = 0.039) was significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. In the COVID-19 Antibody Study (N = 8,313), three SNPs were associated with seroconversion: rs2234235 (G) in TAS2R1 with anti-nucleocapsid (OR = 1.55, P = 0.018) and anti-spike (OR = 0.74, P = 0.033); rs2234010 (A) in TAS2R5 with anti-nucleocapsid (OR = 1.56, P = 0.014); and rs34039200 (A) in TAS2R62P with anti-spike (OR = 0.86, P = 0.013). Subgroup analyses suggested an association between rs2234235 (G) in TAS2R1 and lower odds of spike antibody response, as well as increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals with IMID or respiratory disease.
These findings highlight the potential of TAS2R genetic screening to identify individuals at elevated risk for TMD and COVID-19, suggesting applications in personalized medicine and vaccination strategies for high-risk groups.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant (RGPIN-2020-05670)October 202
Anderson Orthopedics Inc. project design report
Get PDFAnderson Orthopedics seeks to improve the production of transtibial sockets for individuals with below-the-knee amputations by addressing inefficiencies in its existing manufacturing processes. This design solution develops a streamlined and sustainable set of standard operating procedures that incorporate digital technologies. This approach reduces production time and hands-on labour, while maintaining high-quality patient care and satisfaction.
The design solution combines Anderson Orthopedics' traditional manual casting method with advanced digital technologies. These technologies include the Vorum Spectra Scanner for 3D scanning and the Canfit computer automated design software for socket modification. To 3D print the sockets, two new programs are introduced in the standard operating procedures for designing. These programs are SolidWorks and SuperSlicer. 3D printing the sockets with two chosen filaments will significantly reduce hands-on labour, eliminate the need for external outsourcing, and reduce production time for both non-weightbearing and weightbearing sockets. Preliminary testing has assessed the design solution’s feasibility through physical property tests (e.g., socket volume retention, diameter retention, subtractive modification), satisfaction surveys, and evaluations of overall manufacturing efficiency. This testing has proven the new process meets Anderson Orthopedics' standards for quality and patient care.
The design solution presented encountered key limitations in 3D printer access, and future recommendations have been provided to improve socket aesthetics, transparency, and structural performance. Addressing these limitations can further improve both the socket quality and the patient experience at Anderson Orthopedics.
The new process reduces hands-on labour time by 22.1% for both the weightbearing and non-weightbearing sockets. Additionally, it decreases overall production time by 6.7% for the weightbearing socket and 26.4% for the non-weightbearing socket. This design solution offers valuable insights into an innovative and efficient prosthetic manufacturing approach for Anderson Orthopedics, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability and excellence