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MSpace is the University of Manitoba’s Institutional Repository. The purpose of MSpace is to acquire, preserve and provide access to the scholarly works of University faculty and students within an open access environment.

 

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Open Access
It’s a privilege to bleed: a human rights analysis of menstrual equity on Canadian university campuses
(2024-03-21) Vickar, Chloe; Smith, Julia (Labour Studies); McPhail, Deborah
Menstrual health is a necessary part of the majority of human lives. Menstrual equity refers to a spectrum of biologically necessitated needs, including access to period-management products, education, healthcare, financial resources, and barrier-free access to participation in all aspects of life. Therefore, menstruation is an equity and human rights issue on Canadian university campuses. This paper examines the state of menstrual equity at Canadian universities. This case study analyzes the top ten universities in Canada (according to Maclean’s Reputation Survey, focusing on quality and innovation), to determine which universities have policies, programs, and supports for menstruating students. This research will contribute to a growing field of human rights research advocating for equal access and resources for menstruating students, staff, and faculty alike. This research also prioritizes a gender-inclusive approach, challenging the norms of menstrual equity as female empowerment. The main findings of this research determine that most universities have some form of menstrual product pilot project or program in place, and at least one gender inclusive washroom on campus. Although these initiatives are a positive first step, universities are not doing enough to support their students. A human rights approach argues that until menstrual products are available in every washroom, of all gender identities, menstrual equity cannot be reached. Period supplies that are gate-kept behind a desk (security, student help-centre, etc.) are impractical for the logistics of menstruation, and further out menstruating students to their communities, creating safety challenges for gender diverse menstruators. Further challenges include disposal, considerations for reusable products, and time spent away from class looking for supplies and management strategies.
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Open Access
Investigations into the behavior, detection, and mitigation of oil in a sea ice environment
(2024-03-27) Desmond, Durell; Collins, Eric (Environment and Geography); Schreckenbach, Georg (Chemistry); Zhang, Baiyu (Helen) (Memorial University of Newfoundland); Stern, Gary; Isleifson, Dustin
The Arctic is warming at a rate of three times the global average, and projections warn that the average surface Arctic Ocean temperature may increase by 3 °C by 2100. Due to this Arctic warming, there have been steady decreases in sea ice extent and thickness. In particular, the Arctic has lost much of its multi-year ice (MYI) (i.e., ice that survives multiple summers) and is dominated by first-year ice (FYI) (i.e., ice that grows in the winter but melts in the summer). FYI is more saline than MYI and therefore has a lower albedo, thereby increasing the input of solar radiation into the ice-ocean system by 50%. Further Arctic amplification is caused by the thinning and reduction of snow cover and the occurrence of a longer open water season. A direct consequence of this Arctic warming is an increased interest in oil exploration, extraction, and transport, owing to the greater feasibility, which increases the likelihood of a potential oil spill in the marine environment. Notably, spillage by either an oil tanker or an underwater pipeline poses the biggest threat to the Arctic environment and its inhabitants. In order to combat this threat, the establishment of viable oil detection and mitigation techniques suitable for Arctic environments are currently in development. This urgency has led to the conduction of several oil-in-ice experiments to study various aspects of oil spill preparedness. The research herein aims to build on past work with a focus on oil behavior (i.e., migration tendencies, encapsulation potential, partitioning within sea ice, evaporation, dissolution, photooxidation, biodegradation), detection (i.e., radar), and mitigation (i.e., bioremediation) in sea-ice environments. This research consists of data collected from two artificial oil-in-ice mesocosm experiments in which microbial analyses (community composition), physical analyses (X-ray, temperature, salinity, brine volume), chemical analyses (oil dielectrics, infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), and modeling/simulations (computational chemistry, sea ice dielectrics, and normalized radar cross-section) were undergone. This study helps to discern how oil influences the physical properties of sea ice and how, in turn, sea ice influences the chemical (and, therefore, the physical) properties of oil.
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Open Access
Exploring the experiences of physiotherapists who engaged as knowledge users in integrated knowledge translation research partnerships related to balance measurement practices in Canadian hospitals: a qualitative descriptive study
(2023-12-07) MOSER, CHERYL ANN; Strachan, Leisha (Kinesiology and Recreation Management); Wittmeier, Kristy (Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba); Sibley, Kathryn; Glazebrook, Cheryl
Background: Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) is an approach to doing health research that engages academic researchers and knowledge users (KU) as equal partners. IKT intends to increase the chances that resulting research evidence will be useful to those engaged, striving toward improved health system functioning and public health outcomes. With this study, I set out to learn what physiotherapists (PTs) had to say about their experience engaging as KUs in an IKT research partnership related to balance measurement practices in Canadian hospitals. Methods: I used basic qualitative descriptive research methodology, in vivo coding, and conventional content analysis to answer the research questions. Five PTs (n=5) who had engaged as KUs on three balance measurement studies in two provinces were purposefully selected. All five (n=5) participated in online semi-structured interviews. PTs were asked to describe their IKT engagement experience, identify environmental factors that affected their engagement, and discuss how their engagement influenced the research process and evidence use. PTs also characterized themselves using an independently completed pre-interview questionnaire. Results: Participants described their experiences as positive, meaningful, and associated with benefits such as more clinical treatment options, greater sense of personal pride and professional recognition among PTs, increased research capacity for host organizations, and specific contributions to a body of knowledge. PTs said factors conducive to IKT engagement were supportive organizational culture, as well as devoted time, money, material resources, and human resources. PTs described their contributions to research as brokering trusting relationships; providing an insider point-of-view, project management, and resource coordination; and contributing to increased organizational capacity for research. Participants described how evidence-use was impacted by PT career-stage, individual risk perception, usefulness to the profession, organizational culture, treatment environment (especially since COVID-19 introduced pressures to deliver health care online), and third-party endorsement for change. Conclusions: KU engagement in IKT health research partnerships provides researchers with increased clinical access, an insider point-of-view, and stronger research evidence. KU engagement increases the accessibility of resulting research evidence, but sustaining desired outcomes is another issue. The KU engagement experience is greatly affected by organizational culture. KU engagement concepts in IKT research partnerships must include feasibility and resource planning, as well as strategies for organizational change and risk management. PTs described external factors such as professional endorsement as being stronger influences on evidence use outcomes than research engagement. The IKT approach may be strengthened if issues related to change, risk, and resources are addressed early and often throughout the partnership.
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Open Access
Macroalgae distribution among varying glacial fjords as an indicator of light and nutrient availability
(2024-03-25) Reimer, Jillian; Papakyriakou, Tim (Environment and Geography); Sejr, Mikael (Aarhus University); Mundy, CJ
Arctic macroalgae (kelp) are critical primary producers, contributing significantly to a wide variety of ecosystem services. Kelp extent has been predicted to increase due to decreasing sea ice cover that increases light reaching the coastal ocean. However, climate change-induced factors, such as increasing coastal turbidity and glacier melt, could also impact kelp growth in the Arctic. This thesis examines the role that light and nutrient availability play in understanding kelp cover and depth extent. This study used GoPro videos to determine kelp cover and depth extent as well as macroalgae samples to determine the nutritive state of kelp within two Greenlandic fjords. Results reveal significant turbidity and nutrient gradients throughout the fjords. Where light was limited due to glacial discharge and resuspension of sediments, kelp growth at depth was limited; and where there was increased light availability, kelp cover was greater. Additionally, kelp located nearest the marine-terminating glacier had greater nitrogen concentration than kelp located further from the marine-terminating glacier or the land-terminating glacier, revealing the influence of estuarine circulation on nutrient availability. Where light and nutrients were abundant, kelp biomass and subsequent production was greatest. Additionally, we concluded that sea urchin grazing provided an additional influence with light on kelp depth extent and distribution in both shallow and deep waters. These results are necessary and important to consider when assessing kelp distribution and change, both now and into the future.
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Open Access
Use of antiseizure medications during pregnancy and adverse neonatal outcomes
(2024-04-22) Lavu, Alekhya; Falk, Jamison (Pharmacy); Chelsea, Ruth (Pediatrics and Child Health); De-Vera, Mary (University of British Columbia); Eltonsy, Sherif; Alessi-Severini, Silvia
Background: Epilepsy during pregnancy can lead to various adverse health outcomes in both pregnant people and infants. Furthermore, in-utero exposure to antiseizure medications (ASMs), employed in the management of epilepsy, is also associated with an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes. With the exponential increase in the use of ASMs over the last few decades, it is crucial to understand the safety of in-utero exposure to ASMs. In this thesis we aimed to evaluate the safety of ASMs in all pregnant people, pregnant people with epilepsy (PPWE) and pregnant people without epilepsy (PPWOE), using both evidence synthesis methods and real-world data. Methods: First, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the risk of adverse birth weight outcomes due to in-utero exposure to ASMs in the published literature from inception to March 23rd, 2022. (Chapter 2: Protocol & Chapter 3: Report). Second, we conducted two population-based cohort studies utilizing the administrative databases in Manitoba to study the safety of in-utero exposure to ASMs and gabapentin in pregnancy. We included all pregnant people in Manitoba between 1998-2021. In study 1 (Chapter 4: ASMs) we evaluated the ASMs safety and in study 2 (Chapter 5: gabapentin) we evaluated gabapentin safety among all pregnant people, PPWE and PPWOE. Results: In the systematic review, we found a significant association between in-utero exposure to all ASMs in pregnant people and small for gestational age (SGA), with relative risk (RR) 1.33 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.50, I2 74%), low birth weight (LBW) RR 1.54 (95% CI 1.33 to 1.77, I2 67%), and decreased birth weight with a mean difference (MD) of -118.87 (95% CI -161.03 to -76.71, I2 42%) g compared to unexposed pregnant people. We found similar results among PPWE when compared to unexposed pregnant people, but they did not reach statistical significance. In our cohort study, among all pregnant people exposed to ASMs we found a significant increased risk of SGA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30), LBW (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.47-1.88), preterm birth (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.41-1.73), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions (aOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.74-2.10), and length of hospital stay (LOS) infant (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.56-1.82) when compared with unexposed pregnant people. We found similar results among PPWOE when compared with unexposed PPWOE. For gabapentin exposure, among all pregnant people we found a significant increased risk of LBW (aOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.58-2.41), preterm birth (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.39-2.03), NICU admissions (aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.71-2.42), pregnant peoples LOS (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.15-1.54), infant LOS (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.81-2.41) compared to unexposed pregnant people. We found similar results among exposed PPWOE when compared with unexposed PPWOE. Conclusions: Both the choice of ASM use and the underlying condition (epilepsy) contribute to an elevated adverse risk during pregnancy. With the increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes associated with in-utero exposure to ASMs, including gabapentin, clinicians should carefully assess the risk-benefit ratio before prescribing these medications. Moreover, the use of gabapentin requires caution among pregnant people.
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Open Access
Exhibition Review: “The Undead Archive: 100 Years of Photographing Ghosts” at the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections
(Library Exhibtions Review, 2024-02-28) Huot, Ashley
A review of “The Undead Archive: 100 Years of Photographing Ghosts,” a 2023-2024 library exhibit, for inclusion in ARLIS/NA’s Library Exhibitions Review Issue 2.
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Open Access
Toward equality: exploring the Dōwa education's role in overcoming Buraku discrimination in Japan
(2024-03-25) Suzuki, Yuri; Jaeger, Stephan (German and Slavic Studies); Muller, Adam
Despite the exact numbers being unknown, the Buraku people (Burakumin) are the largest minority group in Japan. Although the Burakumin are racially and ethnically Japanese, they have long endured discrimination due to their ancestral associations with “unclean” occupations during Japan’s feudal era. Discrimination against the Burakumin has profoundly impacted their lives in various ways. It has led to social exclusion, limited employment opportunities, and restricted access to housing and education. As a result, to address systematic discrimination and promote societal equality, Dōwa education was implemented in 1969. The system of Dōwa education provided support and resources to decrease the educational gap between Buraku communities and the wider Japanese society. Furthermore, as these initiatives required schools to teach about the Buraku problem, it fostered understanding and promoted equality. Currently, the Dōwa education has been considered pivotal in advocating for the rights and social integration of marginalized communities, particularly the Burakumin. However, the persistence of discrimination against the Buraku communities highlights the need for a deeper evaluation of Dōwa education initiatives in its role of eradicating discriminatory attitudes. This paper analyzes the educational value and the effect of Dōwa education implementation within schools. With the complex nature of Dōwa education and its multifaceted implementation, assessing its impact on Buraku discrimination is difficult and requires a nuanced approach that considers various factors.
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Open Access
Les modes substitutifs de résolution des différends en matière de violence à caractère sexuel ou de discrimination chez les institutions postsecondaires au Manitoba
(2024-03-23) Lebois, Joel; Kennedy, Gerard (Law); Heckman, Gerald (Federal Court of Appeal); Turnbull, Lorna
Le règlement des différends en matière de violence à caractère sexuel ou de discrimination dans les établissements postsecondaires du Manitoba, dans sa forme actuelle, ne sert pas de façon optimale les intérêts des établissements ni des membres de leur collectivité. Les processus actuels de règlement des différends, largement inspirés du système de justice pénale, ne cadrent pas avec les missions et les objectifs de ces établissements et ne tiennent pas suffisamment compte du rôle unique que jouent les établissements postsecondaires dans le tissu social manitobain. Le modèle actuel est axé sur une détermination des faits dans un processus d’enquête qui est contradictoire pour les parties – soit où les parties sont des adversaires – et n’offre aucune occasion pour l’apprentissage ou la responsabilisation. De plus, il impose un lourd fardeau à toutes les parties concernées, prenant beaucoup de temps et d’énergie émotionnelle dans un système dichotomisé « tout ou rien » qui laisse souvent au moins une partie insatisfaite du résultat. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que dans le cas de comportements qui ne sont pas à la fois des comportements criminels, un changement vers des modes substitutifs de résolution des différends, avec l’intégration de la participation obligatoire comme partie fondamentale du processus de règlement des différends atténuerait une partie ou la totalité de ces lacunes. La transition permettrait non seulement d’accroître le niveau de satisfaction des participants, mais aussi d’assurer une meilleure harmonisation avec les valeurs fondamentales et la vision des établissements postsecondaires. Les options non décisionnelles offrent le potentiel de meilleurs résultats pour les participants, et s’alignent mieux avec une vision qui cherche à éduquer de jeunes adultes qui commettent des faux pas plutôt que les punir sans présenter une occasion de croissance.
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Open Access
Contextual factors influencing physiotherapists’ clinical reasoning related to older adult clients’ finance and economics
(2024-02-26) Adedotun, Kafayat; Thille, Patty (Physical Therapy); Chesser, Stephanie (Kinesiology and Recreation Management); Engel, Lisa
Introduction: Older adults experience age-related changes, including increased incidence of chronic health conditions, that can influence their participation in activities of daily living. Physiotherapists can address many of these changes associated with aging. However, older adults’ finances can limit their participation in physiotherapy services. Yet, little is known about if physiotherapists consider older adult clients’ finances in clinical reasoning. Purpose: To examine if physiotherapists consider older adult clients’ finances in their clinical reasoning, factors influencing inclusion of finance in clinical reasoning, and how dementia might influence their clinical reasoning related to client finance. Methods: I completed a descriptive qualitative study involving nine Manitoban physiotherapists. Participants completed one-on-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio recorded and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Seven out of nine participants were women, and seven participants had practiced for over ten years. Multiple strategies were used to strengthen trustworthiness, including triangulation of perspectives in data analysis. Results: I generated two themes by analyzing the interviews: (1) considering older adult clients’ finances in clinical reasoning depends on contextual factors internal and external to the physiotherapists, and (2) diagnosis of dementia adds another layer to contextual factors. Examples of internal factors included past client and personal experiences, perceptions of the finances of older adults as a sub-population, and perception of regulatory and ethical obligations. Examples of external factors included the clients not discussing their finances with the physiotherapists or the clients’ preference about including finance in clinical reasoning. Physiotherapists used a variety of approaches to address the needs of clients with less finances available for physiotherapy services, including modifying their care plan, emphasizing self-management strategies, and changing billing methods. Conclusion: Including clients’ finances in clinical reasoning is a complex process. There were conflicts within each participant and across participants on if and how to consider clients’ finances in their clinical reasoning. More educational or professional development related to this clinical reasoning area could help clarify some of the confusion or concerns physiotherapists have about incorporating client’s finance in clinical reasoning. Doing so could help improve client access to needed physiotherapy services to optimize older adults’ health and well-being.
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Open Access
An examination of Dietary Inflammatory Index scores in a Canadian nationally representative sample
(2024-02-09) Fleet, Kristen; Lengyel, Christina (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences); Urquia, Marcelo (Community Health Sciences); Reimer, Raylene (University of Calgary); Eck, Peter; Clara, Ian
There is growing recognition that diet can influence an individual’s inflammation level and ultimately, their risk for developing disease (Minihane et al., 2015; Prasad et al., 2012). The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was developed to assess the inflammatory potential of an individual’s diet and pro-inflammatory diets have been linked to numerous chronic diseases (Phillips et al., 2019). That said, there is a paucity of research examining the inflammatory nature of diets in Canada. The current project used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey – Nutrition 2015. The study sample consisted of adults aged 18-65, who were not pregnant. 24-hour dietary recalls were used to calculate DII and Health Eating Index – Canada (HEI-C) scores. Adherence to food guide recommendations was assessed using Health Canada’s four-tiered, grading system. The association between DII and HEI-C scores, as well as adherence to the Canadian Food Guide recommendations were measured. The influence of personal and external factors that influence diet and DII scores was examined using a structural equation modelling approach. Results indicated that there was an inverse relationship between adherence to food guide recommendations and DII scores; however, no significant relationship was observed for HEI-C scores. Higher DII scores were noted for individuals who were not married or had lower levels of education or income. The best fitting structural equation model included variables for sex, income, number of foods consumed and length of time since immigration. The findings in this thesis indicated that certain Canadian populations have significantly higher DII scores and this knowledge could lead to the development of effective interventions to promote the consumption of an anti-inflammatory diet.