Manitoba Heritage Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/1993/3098

Contains full text Manitoba-related theses dating from 1902 to the present.

The University of Manitoba Libraries gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Manitoba Department of Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Sport in the digitization of many of these theses.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 6518

Open Access
Evaluation of physical and antioxidant properties of pigmented barley tortillas
(2025-04-24) Hatzir, Tomer; Badea, Ana (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences); Sorenson, John (Chemistry); Beta, Trust
Barley contains bioactive compounds like β-glucan and polyphenols that promote health. Food processing, while necessary, can change barley's physical properties and adversely affect polyphenols' antioxidant activity through heat and the food matrix. Thus, identifying compounds post-production, including new chemical structures, is essential. Five barley genotypes (CDC Rattan, CDC McGwire, Roseland, HB21147, and HB21148) produced tortillas at varying pH levels (1, 3, 5, 7). Their texture and physical properties were assessed. Identification and quantification were achieved through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with standards. Assays on the acidified ethanol extract measured the total phenolic and anthocyanin content, along with antioxidant properties, which were evaluated via in vitro and ex vivo methods. CDC Rattan tortillas decreased in thickness significantly between pH 1 and 7. At pH 5, extensibility was lower, with the hardest texture across genotypes. HB21148 recorded the highest total phenolic (14.0±1.2 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and total anthocyanin content (313.9±33.4 cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent/kg) among raw forms. Catechin was most concentrated in HB21148, followed by HB21147. Roseland exhibited the highest trans-cinnamic acid (13.5±0.5 mg/kg). Gentisic acid appeared only at pH 5 in genotypes with high β-glucan, HB21147 and CDC Rattan. Antioxidant activities were similar at pH 3 and 7 per the FRAP assay. HB21147 and Roseland showed parallel activity across pH levels with the ABTS method. Caco-2 cell tests found CDC Rattan enriched with anthocyanins resulted in significantly higher CAA (cellular antioxidant activity) than HB21148 at 200 μg/ml. The study suggests pH 3 optimizes antioxidant properties with minimal texture impact, potentially through new compounds involving β-glucan and polyphenols. These insights may aid in developing food products that integrate natural bioactive compounds for health benefits.
Open Access
Refugee resettlement, integration, and access to socio-economic rights, with a focus on the roles of settlement agencies in Winnipeg, Manitoba
(2025-06-11) Nyero, Augustine Caesar; Senehi, Jessica (Peace and Conflict Studies); Rosenoff Gauvin, Lara
Refugees are recognized under the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The Convention is a rights-based international instrument that has helped codify the human rights of newcomers at mostly international levels. The emphasis of the convention has been on the protection of refugees, mainly from political persecution, including other forms of persecution that lead to a well-founded fear of being persecuted based on race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social group or political opinion. This study addresses critical questions like: What are the barriers to refugee resettlement and economic rights? How do refugees perceive their resettlement and reintegration experiences? How can policy and settlement agencies' efforts be improved to promote better outcomes for newcomers? With these key questions, the research proposed actions that best enhance economic inclusion and settlement. The experiences from my practicum at IRCOM indicated that settlement agencies are working tirelessly to address these barriers. However, their efforts are being constrained by limited funding, while there is increasing demand for their settlement services. Policymakers must, therefore, prioritize programs that address the systematic barriers of 1) processes of credential recognition, 2) increased costs of affordable housing, and 3) chronic discrimination and racism in all sectors of the economy. This will enable refugees to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Canada.
Open Access
Evaluating zooplankton community responses to aquaculture wastewater using eDNA metabarcoding and morphological identification
(2025-04-23) Dickenson, Leah; Loseto, Lisa (Environment and Geography); Docker, Margaret (Biological Sciences); Palace, Vince; Hanson, Mark
Inland aquaculture wastewater (AWW) is nutrient-rich due to the high stocking densities of cultivated organisms and intensive feeding inputs. Finding sustainable wastewater management strategies is critical as aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production system globally. Using aquaculture wastewater as a fertilizer for wild rice cultivation presents a potential solution since wild rice requires high nitrogen and phosphorus for sufficient growth. However, this raises concerns about possible impacts on aquatic ecosystems within the wild rice system or on receiving environments of the flooded paddy drainage. For instance, the high nutrient concentration of AWW can contribute to eutrophication and deterioration of water quality, and ammonia and metals within the AWW can result in significant toxicological effects. This research assessed the ecological effects of AWW on ecosystem health, using zooplankton communities as biological indicators within mesocosms planted with wild rice. Three experiments were conducted in different simulated Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris) ecosystems: established wild rice wetlands (UM-EW), natural wild rice stands (UM-WR), and commercial paddies (R&L). AWW was applied to treatment mesocosms across a gradient of loadings. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding was used to analyze the zooplankton communities and was compared to standard morphological identifications to determine the efficacy of this emerging method. At environmentally relevant AWW loadings, the effects on zooplankton communities were minimal. However, calanoid copepods in the R&L study exhibited a significant sensitivity to AWW exposure. In high AWW loading treatments, increased eutrophication and declining water quality led to shifts in zooplankton community dynamics. Ammonia and metal toxicity were not identified as primary drivers of these changes. Using eDNA metabarcoding proved highly effective in achieving significant taxonomic depth of the zooplankton taxa present. While community composition results did vary between methods, similar trends and responses were observed. Additionally, using designed targeted primer sets rather than a universal primer provided a more comprehensive assessment of the zooplankton community. This research advances our understanding of AWW impacts on aquatic ecosystems and demonstrates the potential of eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity monitoring. These findings will help inform future wild rice-AWW systems of acceptable nutrient loadings to minimize ecosystem impacts.
Open Access
In search of Net Positive Carbon Grain Farming in the Northern Great Plains: innovation in policy and practice
(0025-05-20) Rourke, David; Entz, Martin (Plant Science); Haque, Emdad (Natural Resources Management); Orr, Mary-Jane (Natural Resources Management); Glenn, Aaron (Natural Resources Management); Chowdhury, Atahural (University of Guelph); Davidson-Hunt, Iain
This thesis addresses the opportunities that exist for grain farms to help mitigate anthropogenic global warming. The thesis developed Rourke’s General Farm Practice Change Theory, then uses that theory to develop a Net Positive Carbon Grain Farming Framework along with a Global Warming Mitigation Credit Framework. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted for sixteen cases involving participants from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The research is a qualitative exploratory participatory narrative case study. The data was transcribed via UM Zoom and uploaded to NVivo where it was coded and queried for emerging themes. Data was also collected to calculate estimates of emissions, CO2 sequestration, contribution margins, and production output. From this data I was able to determine a Net Positive carbon grain farming score as well as a Sustainable Farm Index rating. During the interview, each participant was asked 10 questions on each of 12 Beneficial Management Practices, BMPs. A 1 to 5 scale was used to record their response and then fed into a tool developed for the study labelled as BERT /E. The BERT/E tool considers the following variables: beliefs (B), economics (E), regulatory (R), technology (T), and the farmer’s physical and mental energy (E) to make a change. BERT/E scores are an indicator of the farmers BMP adoption score. This study yielded both theoretical advancement as well as practical outcomes. The practical outcomes included identifying two participants whose farms are currently Net Positive. This included identifying the BMPs they used to become Net Positive and how their approach differed from the overall group. I was also able to assemble 50 recommendations that would improve the ability of the twelve BMPs to assist farmers in becoming Net Positive. Ultimately, the findings of this work demonstrate that grain farms can be instrumental in tackling anthropogenic global warming.
Embargo
Evaluating the impact of subsurface drainage and subirrigation on wheat production in heavy clay soils
(2025-05-08) Dasinija, Karikalan; Jian, Fuji (Biosystems Engineering); Mante, Afua (Soil Science); Sri Ranjan, Ramanathan
Effective water management is crucial for optimizing crop productivity. This study investigated the effectiveness of subsurface drainage and subirrigation in managing soil water for wheat production in heavy clay soils at Arborg, Manitoba. Field experiments were conducted at the Prairie East Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (PESAI) farm at Arborg, Manitoba. Different subsurface drainage designs (30-ft (9.1 m) and 45-ft (13.7 m) spacing) were used for subirrigation during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons. Soil moisture response under these systems was assessed at 0.2, 0.6, and 0.9 m depths using soil moisture sensors for continuous monitoring throughout the growing season. In 2022, with above-average rainfall, controlled drainage removed adequate amount of water and resulted in significantly higher yield (p < 0.05) midway-between-tiles in the 30-ft spacing plot compared to the non-tiled control. In contrast, during the dry year of 2023, despite subirrigation, yield from the 30-ft plot was lower than the average yield in the Interlake region due to insufficient water. However, the on-tile treatment in the 45-ft plot and control (non-tile) plot produced significantly (p < 0.05) above-average yields in 2023 due to less water being drained from the field compared to the 30-ft plot. The data from this research was used to calibrate and validate the DRAINMOD model to assess the influence of tile drain spacing and subirrigation on relative yield in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Simulation results indicated that in 2022, relative yields in the 30-ft and 45-ft plots were 97.2% and 97.0%, respectively. Subirrigation reduced drought stress in the 15-ft plot during 2021, a dry year. A six-day planting delay caused a 5.2% yield loss in 2023. These findings demonstrated the importance of optimally managing controlled drainage systems to enhance wheat yield in heavy clay soils.

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