MSpace

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
Lasting legacy: re-designing Montréal’s 1976 Olympic Park for future flexibility in a new era of Olympic urbanism
(2025-03-23) Glowacki, Matthew; Trottier, Jean (Landscape Architecture); Valois, Nicole (School of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Montréal); Tate, Alan
Lasting Legacy: Re-Designing Montréal’s 1976 Olympic Park for Future Flexibility in a New Era of Olympic Urbanism will examine how a neglected Olympic Park can be re-designed to become an accessible public space that actively engages and connects with its context. Although some consideration for an infrastructural and programmatic legacy was a part of the planning in the years leading up to the 1976 Olympic Games, the burden of delayed construction, political shifts, and impeding controversy over rising costs diverted attention from the park’s future and prevented Montréal from benefiting from a positive legacy. As a consequence, this practicum seeks to demonstrate how proposing to re-host the Olympic Games can serve as a catalyst for re-designing Montréal's Parc Olympique to serve a more favourable and adaptable legacy that's appropriate for its long-term life. This re-design aims to provide a framework for how the spaces that make up Parc Olympique should be restructured and how they should be linked into the surrounding context. As a secondary focus, the re-design will also honour the heritage value of the park through preservation, conservation, and renovation of its original character elements to heighten its position as a Canadian Heritage landscape. As a historically significant landscape, the 1976 Montréal Olympic Park should be preserved by increasing relevance and flexibility in its function as an urban park to establish a lasting legacy for the city. The idea of a new era in Olympic urbanism references new thinking toward re-use and retrofit of existing venues which the current Paris 2024 and LA 2028 editions of the games have adopted and applies this thinking to existing Olympic Parks.
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Open Access
Enhancing well-being: the role of nature-based features in healthcare environments for stress recovery among military veterans
(2025-03-06) Machum, Lara; Karpan, Cynthia (Interior Design); Reynolds, Kristin (Psychology); Mallory-Hill, Shauna
Each year, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) experiences an alarming increase in the number of military personnel being discharged for medical reasons including orthopedic injuries, operational stress injuries, and mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD. Due to their operational duties, veterans experience higher rates of physical and mental health illnesses. As a result, veterans require more access to healthcare services such as occupational therapists, audiologists, speech pathologists, and therapy counsellors. Complex care requirements create challenges in navigating the healthcare system to receive treatment and successfully transition back into civilian life. These challenges have sometimes discouraged individuals from seeking healthcare and receiving proper medical treatment. The primary purpose of this practicum project is to consider a new approach to interior design that focuses on reducing patient and staff stress in community-based healthcare environments for veterans. It reimagines the traditional institutional feel of healthcare facilities to prioritize patient physical and psychological well-being. It builds upon existing literature and theoretical frameworks for healthcare design. The design investigation includes identifying the barriers to accessing healthcare faced by veterans, analysis of the architectural and spatial guidelines of existing veteran-centered healthcare facilities and determining the potential impact of integrating nature-based features on stress reduction (Nuamah et al., 2021; Totaforti, 2018; Jencks et al., 2015). Interior design strategies informed by Roger Ulrich’s theory of supportive design and Stephen Kellert’s biophilic design are applied to create a veterans' healthcare setting. The resulting redesign of the North Pavilion located on the Deer Lodge Campus in Winnipeg, Manitoba, into a rehabilitation center for military veterans experiencing physical or psychological trauma represents a new approach to providing an accessible, supportive and safe healing environment.
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Open Access
Adolescent pregnancy in rural communities: a multifunctional support center
(0025-03-03) Archer, Kirsten; Karpan, Cynthia (Interior Design); Nancekivell, Shaylene (Psychology); Roshko , Tijen
This research explores the application of Roger S. Ulrich’s Supportive Design theory to a multi-functional support center for adolescent mothers. Ulrich’s theory posits that well-being is enhanced by environments that reduce stress through factors like control, social support, and positive distractions. The research acknowledges the significant stress faced by adolescent mothers due to unplanned pregnancies, including emotional turmoil, educational uncertainties, and relationship challenges. The proposed support center aims to mitigate these stressors by incorporating key elements of Supportive Design, including: Control: Providing residents with agency over their environment through features like personalized living spaces, adjustable temperature controls and flexible access to various spaces within the center. Social Support: Fostering a sense of community through shared spaces, opportunities for peer interaction and access to supportive services. Positive Distraction: Integrating Biophilic design principles, such as natural light, views of nature, and the incorporation of natural materials, to enhance environment’s calming and restorative qualities. Biophilic design, drawing on the work of Edward O. Wilson and Stephen Kellert, emphasizes the innate human connection to nature. By incorporating natural elements and fostering a connection to the natural world, the center aims to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being for the adolescent mothers. The research emphasizes the crucial role of social support in the lives of adolescent mothers, drawing on theories by Francis Cullen and others. It highlights the link between social support and improved mental health, effective parenting, and better educational and employment outcomes. By integrating Supportive Design principles, incorporating Biophilic design elements, and addressing the critical need for social support, the proposed center aims to create a nurturing and empowering environment that enables adolescent mothers to thrive and break the cycle of poverty and adversity.
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Open Access
Storied places: decolonizing settler colonial urban landscapes with Indigenous public art in Winnipeg, Treaty One
(2025-03-21) Black, Honoure; Cooper, Sarah (City Planning); Botar, Oliver (School of Art); De Lorenzo, Catherine (Monash University); Wilson Baptist, Karen
Contemporary Indigenous public art can serve as a transformative (re)mapping medium. Through spatial expressions on the land, art can perform as a creative tool that aids in decolonizing the commons, by deconstructing biases, (re)storying histories, and igniting landscape narratives. In Canada, Indigenous public art can also provoke reconciliatory understandings regarding First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Indigenous communities and peoples. This dissertation uses mixed methods and methodologies of critical place inquiry to create a decolonial framework for arts-based research that is transdisciplinary and intersectional. Data collection tactics are deployed through a variety of strategies such as ethnography, storywork, and site-writing. Through a feminist lens, I work to be a critically reflexive ethical researcher while asking: How do I continue to confront my position as a White settler female academic in the academy? By weaving together both Indigenous and non-Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies, I work to See with Two Eyes through this work. The first of three case studies examines the Métis community of Rooster Town and the public artwork Rooster Town Kettle and Fetching Water, by Ian August. The second investigates The Forks and the artwork Niimaamaa by KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac, and Val Vint, a sacred symbol of women, water, and the Earth that binds Indigenous peoples to the history of this site. The final case study examines the insurgent and resurgent activism of Indigenous temporal public art created through acts of 'counter-monumenting.' Two images of Queen Victoria, George Frampton’s Queen Victoria Statue, and Roland Souliere’s Mediating the Treaties, reveal the history and effects of the IRS system. Indigenous public art has the power to aid in reconciliation, while unsettling dominant hegemonic power structures through spatial expressions on the land. In this research, decolonial methods and methodologies work to dismantle power imbalances by creating intersectional stories of land, peoples, and histories that converge with contemporary interventions of public art in Winnipeg, Treaty One.
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Open Access
The north, the land, the snow goose: an interpretive framework for Goose Creek and Wapusk National Park
(2025-03-24) Dicks, Emma; Walker, David (Environment and Geography); Schnaars Uvino, Kathleen (University of Jamestown); Eaton, Marcella
The importance of northern landscapes is widely recognized across various disciplines, including climate science, natural history, and landscape architecture. As climate change trends continue, the most immediate and severe effects occur in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The north is important due to its natural resources and as a part of the global climate system. However, northern landscapes are also important for their ecological diversity, cultural significance, and beauty. This practicum explores the northern ecosystems of Wapusk National Park and Churchill, Manitoba, adversely affected by anthropogenic factors, including climate change and the exponential growth of the lesser snow goose population that breeds and nests in the fragile coastal salt marshes and sedge meadows. Over the past 50 years, these vulnerable landscapes have become degraded to the extent that revegetation may take centuries. Protecting, preserving, and presenting endangered and damaged northern landscapes begins with education and awareness, environmental stewardship, and fostering a personal connection to the land.
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Open Access
Obstacles to Diversification: Lived Experiences of Visible Minority Applicants and Faculty Members in Psychology
(Canadian Psychological Association, 2025-03-27) Tze, Virginia; Li, Johnson Ching Hong
The profession of psychology demonstrably lacks diversity, with inequitably low numbers of visible minorities represented in the field. Although equity, diversity, and inclusion as a social advocacy movement has received increasing attention within the profession and at the university level, changes are thus far too small to be noticeable. Little is known about the lived experiences of minority applicants applying to professional psychology graduate programs nor the experiences of faculty members involved in student selection processes. We interviewed eight unsuccessful minority applicants, and eight faculty members affiliated with Canadian professional training programs to identify obstacles in diversifying the profession. Thematic analysis of interview data revealed that obstacles were multifaceted, ranging from unsuccessful minority applicants reporting lack of support during the application process and feeling worried about the impact of their identities to faculty members expressing insufficient resources to provide mentorship experiences to minority undergraduate students. We discuss the practical implications of the obstacles identified in relation to how to dismantle those systemic barriers.
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Parameter estimation of induction motors from manufacturer data for simulation purposes
(2025-04-16) Kumari, Vinita; Filizadeh, Shaahin (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Banitalebi-Dehkordi, Ali (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Gole, Aniruddha
Induction motors form a major component of power system loads and account for a significant share of electrical energy consumption. Their operating characteristics influence power system stability, making simulation studies essential for analyzing performance under transient and steady-state conditions. To carry out such studies, electromagnetic transient simulators such as EMTDC/PSCAD™ and RTDS/RSCAD™ provide well-developed induction motor models that require equivalent circuit parameters as input. However, manufacturers typically provide only key performance characteristics—such as power factor, efficiency, and current—on nameplates and in catalog data. The required equivalent circuit parameters are not readily available to the end user. This thesis presents a methodology for estimating the equivalent circuit parameters of three-phase induction motors using readily available manufacturer data. The estimated parameters are intended for use in electromagnetic transient simulations for power system studies. Two distinct non-linear optimization techniques are employed: the Nelder-Mead Simplex method and a variant of Genetic Algorithms. These methods determine equivalent circuit parameters to ensure that the simulated performance characteristics—such as current, efficiency, and power factor—closely match the manufacturer-published data. The proposed approach is applicable to both single-cage and double-cage induction motor models. The quality of the estimated parameters is assessed by evaluating how closely the simulated characteristics match the published manufacturer data. While the Nelder-Mead Simplex method offers computational efficiency and ease of implementation, the Genetic Algorithm excels in global search capability, reducing the risk of getting trapped in local minima. Overall, the results establish the effectiveness of the proposed methods in estimating reliable equivalent circuit parameters for simulation applications. A key contribution of this work is the integration of the estimation method as an interactive tool in RSCAD, designed with a flexible data input structure that accommodates both minimal nameplate data and additional catalog information. This adaptability ensures compatibility with variations in motor ratings and manufacturer standards, enabling the tool to be used directly in real-time electromagnetic transient simulations.
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Open Access
Smart wound dressings for accelerated scar-free wound healing
(2025-04-18) Jonidi Shariatzadeh, Farinaz; Logsetty, Sarvesh (Surgery); França, Rodrigo (Restorative Dentistry); Zhitomirsky, Igor (Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University); Liu, Song
Wound healing is a complex process comprising four main stages: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Disruptions at any stage can lead to delayed healing, chronic wounds, or excessive scar formation. This project leverages nanotechnology to develop strategies that modulate different phases of wound healing, promoting tissue regeneration. Nanotechnology enables the manipulation of the wound healing trajectory through various chemical and physical cues to accelerate healing while minimizing scar formation. This study focuses on two key approaches: (1) infection prevention to reduce inflammation-related healing delays and (2) responsive delivery of an anti-scar drug within the critical window of scar formation. For infection prevention, a theranostic biosensor was developed. The biosensor integrates a hemicyanine dye that undergoes a color change upon detecting bacterial lipase, allowing early and visible identification of bacterial presence. Additionally, it incorporates responsive nanoparticles that release antibacterial agents selectively in environments with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), ensuring targeted bacterial elimination. For anti-scar drug delivery, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were engineered for targeted drug release during the early stages of scar formation. Since premature or delayed drug delivery can interfere with normal healing, a biomarker overexpressed specifically during scar formation was identified. SLNs were functionalized with a ligand targeting this marker. To prevent premature drug release, a cage-like protein coating was applied to the SLNs, enhancing stability until the optimal release window. These strategies enabled early bacterial detection at low concentrations, selective bacterial elimination in ROS-rich environments, and precise delivery of anti-scar drugs to cells overexpressing connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a biomarker specific to scar formation. By modulating different wound healing stages, this study aims to accelerate healing while minimizing scarring. However, further in vivo studies are essential to validate the clinical potential of these approaches.
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Open Access
Genetic analysis and genomic selection models for leaf rust resistance in western Canadian winter wheat
(2025-04-17) Sengupta, Anirup; McCallum, Brent D. (Plant Science); Hiebert, Colin W. (Plant Science); Costamagna, Alejandro C. (Entomology); McCartney, Curt A.
Leaf rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina Eriks., is a prevalent disease of wheat that affects grain yield and quality. Leaf rust resistance is an important trait that is evaluated in the registration of wheat varieties in western Canada and is an effective strategy for sustainable disease management. However, the genetic basis of this resistance is not fully understood in Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat. This study aimed to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling leaf rust resistance using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and develop genomic selection (GS) models for improving leaf rust resistance in winter wheat. The wheat GWAS panel consisted of approximately 300 western Canadian winter wheat breeding lines and cultivars and 100 winter wheat breeding lines and cultivars from the USA, eastern Canada, and Europe. The panel was evaluated for leaf rust resistance in seedling tests using five different races of P. triticina, namely 12-3 MBDS, 128-1 MBRJ, 74-2 MGBJ, 06-1-1 TDBG, and 77-2 TJBJ. The same population was also tested for resistance in inoculated field trials located in Winnipeg and Morden, Manitoba, following randomized complete block designs (RCBD), with two replicates per field trial in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 growing seasons. Genotyping was done using the Illumina Infinium Wheat Barley 40K SNP array and the 25K wheat Infinium array. The DNA marker and leaf rust datasets were used for GWAS. Putative Quantitative Trait Nucleotides (QTNs) associated with leaf rust resistance have been detected from the GWAS analyses, which indicated the presence of Lr genes in the GWAS panel. The results indicated that the leaf rust-resistant genes Lr16 and Lr24 are likely present in the GWAS panel. The leaf rust and SNP marker data were also used to develop genomic selection (GS) models for estimating leaf rust resistance in CWRW breeding germplasm. The accuracy of these GS models for predicting the leaf rust resistance of wheat germplasm was assessed via five-fold cross-validation. Overall, prediction accuracies, indicated by Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), ranged from 0.66 to 0.67 for disease severity (DS), 0.59 to 0.60 for infection type (IT), and 0.65 to 0.67 for the average coefficient of infection (ACI) in field trials. The r values for IT data from seedling tests varied between 0.45 and 0.86 for different GS models. Improved knowledge of the resistance genes in Canadian winter wheat and DNA markers for selecting these genes will improve the efficiency of wheat breeding programs.
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Open Access
Detailed test–particle simulations of energetic particles interacting with magnetized plasmas
(2025-03-24) Arendt, Victor; Fiege, Jason (Physics and Astronomy); Safi-Harb, Samar (Physics and Astronomy); Fichtner, Horst (Institute for Theoretical Physics, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum); Shalchi, Andreas
An important research area in space physics and astrophysics is the transport of energetic, charged particles, such as electrons, protons, and muons, in magnetic turbulence, with active research in this field going back to Jokipii (1966). For example, the magnetic turbulence in the solar wind, arising from the combination of the motion of the solar wind plasma and the Sun's magnetic field, deflects energetic charged particles away from their initial trajectories. These particles may have originated in the Sun (solar energetic particles), or from sources outside the solar system such as supernova remnants (galactic cosmic rays) or active galactic nuclei (extra-galactic cosmic rays). Regardless of their origin, these high energy particles will be deflected in the heliospheric magnetic field, with transport being described by diffusion coefficients parallel and perpendicular to the local mean field. Research over the years has shown that the perpendicular transport needs to be described by theoretical models that are highly non-linear. Test-particle simulations performed using various analytical turbulence models have allowed these theoretical descriptions of particle transport to be improved by providing numerical results to compare with theoretical predictions. In this work, a test-particle code has been developed using a new trajectory solver that allows for better energy conservation and position accuracy. This is then used in simulations performed to test the predictions of theory in the limit of small Kubo number turbulence.