FGS - Electronic Theses and Practica
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This collection contains University of Manitoba electronic theses and practica.
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- ItemOpen AccessThe material semiotics of “heavy drinking” among young people in Taita-Taveta, Kenya: an ethnographic examination(2025-06-23) Kombo, Bernadette K.; McPhail, Deborah (Community Health Sciences); Hatala, Andrew (Community Health Sciences); Thomann, Matthew (University of Maryland); Raikhel, Eugene (University of Chicago); Lorway, RobertIntroduction: Alcohol consumption is a significant global public health concern. According to the World Health Organization, harmful alcohol use contributed to approximately 2.6 million deaths globally in 2019, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths that year. Young people, in particular, are disproportionately affected by the health and social consequences of harmful alcohol use. In Kenya, national statistics, local research, and news media reports consistently portray problematic drinking as an urgent public health issue requiring intervention. However, current public health interventions tend to prioritize individualistic, biomedical, and prohibitionist approaches that pathologize alcohol use, focusing on policing, restriction, and abstinence as primary interventions. These approaches fail to account for the complex socio-material and structural realities that shape alcohol consumption within localized contexts. Methodology: In my dissertation research, I critically examine the persistence of problem drinking despite these interventions and explore the broader social, economic, and political realities that sustain it. Between July 2023 and March 2024, I conducted a multi-sited ethnographic study in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya. Drawing on material semiotics, I examine how alcohol functions as a socio-material actant, shaping and being shaped by human and non-human actors, including drinking spaces, regulatory frameworks, economic systems, and cultural practices. Through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and participatory material-semiotic geospatial mapping, I trace how alcohol consumption is enacted within dynamic networks of sociality, economic vulnerability, gendered norms, and regulatory governance. Findings: I introduce the concept of Liquid Kinship to describe how alcohol consumption mediates social bonds by establishing relationships of care, reciprocity, and belonging while also reinforcing dependency, exclusion, and vulnerability. I also develop the concept of Liquid Fugitivity to capture how individuals within informal alcohol economies strategically evade regulation, negotiate risk, and adapt to economic marginalization and state surveillance. Conclusion: My research findings demonstrate that problem drinking among young people is not just an individual pathology but a reality woven into broader socio-material assemblages. I recognize this complexity and argue for a paradigmatic shift in alcohol policy and practice. Policymakers must design and reform policies that reflect the lived realities of young people in Taita-Taveta and similar contexts, shifting away from punitive and prohibitionist approaches and toward structural, harm-reduction, and community-led strategies. Achieving this shift requires legalizing and regulating traditional brews, strengthening community-based harm reduction initiatives, expanding local economic opportunities, and reforming licensing frameworks to address corruption and socioeconomic disparities.
- ItemOpen AccessMuscarinic receptor antagonism activates TRPM3 channels to augment mitochondrial function and provide neuroprotection(2025-06-25) Chauhan, Sanjana; Jackson, Michael (Pharmacology and Therapeutics); Stobart, Jillian (Pharmacy); Dobrowsky, Rick (University of Kansas); Fernyhough, PaulPeripheral neuropathy, commonly associated with diabetes, chemotherapy, and HIV- induced nerve damage, leads to progressive sensory deficits and nerve dysfunction. While muscarinic acetylcholine type 1 receptor (M1R) antagonism promotes sensory axon repair, the mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective effects remained unclear. Transient receptor potential melastatin-3 (TRPM3), a heat-sensitive cation channel, plays a crucial role in calcium signaling, mitochondrial function and neuronal metabolism, positioning it as a potential mediator of M1R antagonist-driven neuroprotection. This thesis investigated the mechanistic link between M1R antagonism and TRPM3 activation and explored the therapeutic potential of TRPM3 modulation in sensory axon regeneration. M1R antagonists pirenzepine (PZ) and muscarinic toxin 7 (MT7) enhanced TRPM3-mediated Ca²⁺ influx in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, an effect that was abolished by TRPM3 inhibitors or extracellular Ca²⁺ removal. TRPM3 activation using CIM0216 and pregnenolone sulfate (PS) elevated intracellular Ca2+, promoted AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation via the Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase (CaMKKβ) pathway, leading to enhanced mitochondrial function, glycolysis, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity. Further analysis established that M1R antagonism stimulated TRPM3 by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis, facilitating sustained calcium signaling and metabolic enhancement. TRPM3 knockdown via adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated shRNA suppressed the neurite-promoting effects of M1R antagonists, confirming its essential role in axonal plasticity. To assess whether these findings translated to an in vivo setting, the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic neuropathy model was utilized, which recapitulated key sensory impairments such as mechanical allodynia, slowed motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), and thermal hypoalgesia. PZ treatment restored sensory function in diabetic mice, but co-administration of TRPM3 inhibitors (isosakuranetin and primidone) abolished these improvements, confirming that M1R-mediated neuroprotection was TRPM3-dependent. Despite the emergence of sensory impairments at 16 weeks post-STZ induction, corneal nerve loss was less pronounced than expected, suggesting a gradual progression of neuropathy, where functional impairments preceded structural degeneration. However, TRPM3 inhibition significantly reduced corneal nerve density, further highlighting its potential role in sensory fiber maintenance. This thesis established TRPM3 as a key modulator of sensory axon regeneration via Ca²⁺-dependent AMPK signaling, demonstrating its potential as a therapeutic target for peripheral neuropathy and neurodegenerative disorders.
- ItemOpen AccessLife performance(2025-06-12) Wang, Lisha; Olafson, Freya (School of Art); McCafferty, Daniel (School of Art); Alward, Sharon (School of Art); Nickel, GraceThis thesis attempts to show the inextricable relationship between art and life by combining individual life experiences and reflections, different periods from my art practice, and its contextualization within the history of art. The first chapter will be set in the context of my art practice prior to my MFA program at the University of Manitoba. From painting to jewellery to performance, these seemingly huge leaps are actually traceable, and these changes correspond to certain periods in art history. In this process, I took my life as a source of inspiration for my art practice and materialized it until I found a way to dematerialize it. The second chapter will introduce my artistic practice during my MFA program at the University of Manitoba, which can be broadly divided into language, image and sound. I will cite different works in each section and discuss theoretical reflections related to them. The third chapter will focus on my graduate exhibition at the School of Art Gallery, which involves the topics of technology, humans and space. I consider the exhibition as a work of art in its own right, rather than a vessel for other works.
- ItemOpen AccessExploring the applicability and reliability of machine learning tools in streamflow forecasting(2025-06-20) Lewkebandara, Kavindra; Rajulapati, Chandra (Civil Engineering); Henry, Christopher (Computer Science); Mantilla, RicardoRecent advancements in machine learning, particularly Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, have demonstrated remarkable success in hydrological modelling, often outperforming traditional hydrological models. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of LSTM networks for streamflow forecasting under various conditions. First, the impact of incorporating historical streamflow data as an input was evaluated, demonstrating significant improvements in prediction accuracy across diverse catchments. While LSTM outperformed the persistence for one-day-ahead forecasts, accuracy decreased for longer lead times for both models. The effect of noisy precipitation inputs was subsequently investigated, revealing that while noise generally reduces performance, LSTMs trained with noisy data exhibit resilience. Basin sensitivity to precipitation noise varied and correlated with catchment attributes. Lastly, interpolation and extrapolation under stationary and non-stationary climate scenarios were examined. LSTM performed remarkably well under stationary conditions but showed biases when predicting under changing precipitation regimes, highlighting challenges in extrapolation. In conclusion, the thesis summarizes the key findings, addresses its limitations, and suggests avenues for future research, such as incorporating forecasted forcing data and developing hybrid models to improve the robustness of LSTM-based streamflow forecasting.
- ItemOpen AccessEmpowering pediatric sibling hematopoietic stem cell donor voices through digital storytelling(2025-06-20) Winther Klippenstein, Andrea Diane; Mignone, Javier (Community Health Sciences); Scott, Shannon (Nursing); Carter, Bernie (Edgehill University); West, ChristinaThis participatory, arts-based qualitative study aimed to elucidate the sibling donor experience in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Six sibling donors aged 12-21 years of age who were under 18 at time of donation, participated as research partners and used digital storytelling (DS) to express their donation experiences. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was employed as a framework to ensure that research partners' voices were heard. Research partners were actively involved in three research meetings (get to know you, digital storytelling workshop, data analysis), collaborating and contributing to the meeting dynamics while offering feedback on the participatory process and the creation of digital stories. During meeting three (data analysis), research partners viewed each other's digital stories and wrote words, thoughts, and ideas on Post-it notes to reflect their interpretations of the sibling donor experience. The primary researcher (AWK) conducted participatory data analysis with sibling donor research partners and six themes were identified and explored: 1) pessimism and acceptance, 2) after-procedure thoughts, 3) sibling support, 4) family experience, 5) connections, and 6) hope. Throughout the process, AWK and a secondary researcher (CHW, doctoral advisor) wrote field notes to capture the research process of using the digital storytelling method to empower pediatric sibling donors to express donation stories. Interpretive description was employed to analyze field notes and research partner meeting transcripts, leading to the identification of four themes: 1) community and connection; 2) digital storytelling - new and fresh; 3) therapeutic process; and 4) privacy. Digital storytelling is an arts-based approach that can assist sibling donors to express their donation experiences and offer support for growth and strength in the context of sibling donation and encourage children’s meaningful engagement and participation in research by exploring their HSCT donation experiences.