Manitoba Heritage Theses
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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.
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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- ItemOpen AccessElucidating factors that influence infection success and the behaviour of gastropod hosts of Echinostoma trivolvis lineage c(2025-01-03) Hodinka, Cameron; Van Nest, Byron (Biological Sciences); Wyeth, Russell (St. Francis Xavier University); Detwiler, JillianWildlife trematodes are important to study due to their impact on wildlife populations, including the ability to modify the behaviour of their hosts. However, these parasites are challenging to study without a fully elucidated life cycle that can be completed in a laboratory. As such, a model for wildlife trematodes would be a great asset for learning about the ecology and behavioural manipulation found in this group. I chose Echinostoma trivolvis lineage c as a parasite model to study these topics in gastropod hosts. Chapter 1 determined how host species/morphotype, host size and miracidial dose affects infection success of gastropod first intermediate hosts. I confirmed reports from natural infections that Ladislavella elodes is a host along with it’s morphotype Stagnicola reflexa and further determined which size and exposure dose produced the highest infection success. I used this new information to obtain infected hosts for my second chapter of my thesis. Herein, I tested whether light and species influenced the navigational behaviour of potential second intermediates host L. elodes. I determined that snail velocity increased when exposed to a higher light level. Using these higher light conditions, I also found that there was no attraction to infected conspecific hosts by potential second intermediate hosts. Both experiments suggest that abiotic and biotic factors can alter snail navigational behaviour and may even influence whether host behavioural modification is observed. As such, laboratory-based studies of behavioural modification may be over or underestimating the strength and frequency of the behaviours that may be occurring in nature. Examples of naturally occurring behavioural modification may be missed entirely if not tested under the right context in the laboratory.
- ItemOpen AccessInvestigating markers of Alzheimer’s disease in posttraumatic stress disorder using machine learning and magnetic resonance imaging(2024-12-19) Yakemow, Gabriella; Hryniuk, Alexa (Human Anatomy and Cell Science); Bolton, Shay-Lee (Psychiatry); Ko, Ji HyunIntroduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events. Recent studies show that patients with PTSD have an increased risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but there is currently no way to predict which patients will go on to develop AD. The objective of this study was to identify structural and functional neural changes in patients with PTSD that may contribute to the future development of AD. Methods: Neuroimaging (pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling [pCASL] and structural magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and behavioral data for the current study (n = 67) were taken from our non-randomized, open label clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03229915) for treatment-seeking individuals with PTSD (n = 40) and age-matched healthy controls (HC; n = 27). Only the baseline measures were utilized for this study. Mean cerebral blood flow (CBF) and grey matter (GM) volume were compared between groups. Additionally, we utilized two previously established machine learning-based algorithms, one representing AD-like brain activity (Machine learning-based AD Designation [MAD]) and the other focused on AD-like brain structural changes (AD-like Brain Structure [ABS]). MAD scores were calculated from pCASL data and ABS scores were calculated from structural T1-MRI images. Correlations between neuroimaging data (regional CBF, GM volume, MAD scores, ABS scores) and PTSD symptom severity scores measured by the clinician-administered PTSD scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) were assessed. Results: Decreased CBF was observed in two brain regions (left caudate/striatum and left inferior parietal lobule/middle temporal lobe) in the PTSD group, compared to the HC group. Decreased GM volume was also observed in the PTSD group in the right temporal lobe (parahippocampal gyrus, middle temporal lobe), compared to the HC group. GM volume within the right temporal lobe cluster negatively correlated with CAPS-5 scores and MAD scores in the PTSD group.Conclusion: Results suggest that patients with PTSD with reduced GM volume in the right temporal regions (parahippocampal gyrus) experienced greater symptom severity and showed more AD-like brain activity. These results show potential for early identification of those who may be at an increased risk for future development of AD.
- ItemOpen AccessHuman-wetland relations in an agricultural landscape: Ojibway and non-Indigenous perspectives from the Swan Lake region, Manitoba(2024-12-03) Wiebe, Leanna; Vanrobaeys, Jason (Health Canada); Oakes, Jill (Environment & Geography); Scott, David (Swan Lake First Nation); McLachlan, Stephane (Environment & Geography); Baydack, RickWetlands 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.
- ItemOpen AccessTracing an autoethnography to identify opportunities and challenges of implementing backyard biodiversity installations in Winnipeg’s residential spaces(2025-01-14) Dowie, William; Thompson, Shirley (Natural Resources Institute); Cicek, Nazim (Biosystems Engineering); McCance, Erin (Fisheries and Oceans Canada); Sinclair, John; Baydack, RickAn 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.
- ItemOpen AccessDisaster capitalism, settler colonialism, and Indigenous environmental justice in the COVID-19 pandemic(2025-01-02) Curran, Alexandra; Miller, Cary (Indigenous Studies); Erickson, Bruce (Environment & Geography); Neckoway, Nathan (Tataskweyak Cree Nation); McLachlan, StéphaneWhile the COVID-19 pandemic was experienced and borne by everyone, the weight of everyone’s burden was not equal; As they have in the past, Indigenous peoples experienced disproportionate impacts during the crisis. This may be largely connected to the ongoing presence of settler colonial ideologies and structures which, among other issues, resulted in a patronizing disregard for Indigenous pandemic decision-making. In conjunction, disaster capitalism ensued throughout the pandemic, a practice defined by Naomi Klein as the exploitation of crises by the powerful to further their own agendas, which worked to further compound and hinder Indigenous efforts to ensure community safety and well-being. However, First Nations nonetheless asserted their self-determination, challenging harmful decision-making and prioritizing community well-being. This project utilizes two cases (Case Study 1: Keeyask Lockdown, Manitoba and Case Study 2: Ring of Fire, Ontario) to examine how the pervasive ideologies of settler colonialism interacted and influenced disaster capitalism during the pandemic, as well as how Indigenous Environmental Justice (IEJ) was then enacted by communities. An analysis of these cases demonstrate that, while disaster capitalism and IEJ were prevalent during COVID-19, the specific circumstances were nonetheless shaped by distinct, place-based histories and relationships among settlers and Indigenous peoples. Moreover, this project explores the narratives surrounding these cases, including how they were presented to the public by various Mainstream, Alternative/Advocacy and Indigenous news outlets by utilizing a media analysis. This analysis notably observed the considerable inclusion of settler narratives/biases by Mainstream sources, while Alternative/Advocacy, and Indigenous sources specifically, highlighted Indigenous voices/experiences and the context of sovereignty. Lastly, the inclusion of a community experience chapter highlights place-based Indigenous experiences and ways of knowing regarding the Keeyask case study; Demonstrating the complexity of Indigenous relationships with industry and settler government, these experiences moreover spoke to a dedication to continue to take action, heal and move forward in a good way. By exploring these subjects of settler colonialism, disaster capitalism and IEJ through various lens’ and by utilizing a two-eyed seeing approach, this project demonstrates the value of employing multiple perspectives and storytelling when striving to formulate contextualized, respectful and meaningful research.