University of Winnipeg Theseshttps://hdl.handle.net/10680/142024-03-19T02:20:29Z2024-03-19T02:20:29ZResolving Stock Structure of Sauger (Sander canadensis) in Manitoba, Canada using Biometric, Isotopic, and Genetic ApproachesWong, Caleb H. S.https://hdl.handle.net/10680/21292023-12-22T09:00:36Z2023-12-06T00:00:00ZResolving Stock Structure of Sauger (Sander canadensis) in Manitoba, Canada using Biometric, Isotopic, and Genetic Approaches
Wong, Caleb H. S.
Many sauger (Sander canadensis) populations in Manitoba have declined in numbers and biomass. Fisheries managers have proposed a province-wide sauger management plan to protect and restore sauger populations, but they are uncertain how sauger populations should be defined and to what extent they may interact. In this thesis, I used a multifaceted approach to resolve population structure and identify migratory corridors of sauger in Manitoba. First, I mined biometric data from several long-term monitoring datasets to calculate life history indices for sauger stocks across 29 waterbodies. Sauger growth generally decreased and the age at 50% maturity increased among lakes of increasing latitude. This trend was also observed within Lake Winnipeg, yet the length at 50% maturity remained constant. Sauger grew exceptionally fast in Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis and matured at an early age. Next, I performed a stable isotope analysis (13C and 15N) of sauger tissue to investigate contemporary sauger migration throughout the Lake Winnipeg watershed. Sauger from Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, and Lac du Bonnet occupied distinct isotopic niches, and I identified several possible migrants from Lake Manitoba and the Winnipeg River in Lake Winnipeg. Finally, I used microsatellites to assess the genetic health and structure of sauger stocks across Manitoba. Genetic diversity within sample populations was moderate to high, and incidence of inbreeding and hybridization with walleye (Sander vitreus) was low. I identified four broad genetic sauger stocks: Lake Winnipeg; Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis; the Red and Assiniboine Rivers; and the Churchill and Saskatchewan Rivers. Gene flow between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba stocks is minimal. These findings will assist managers in defining stock management units and optimizing management efforts for sauger populations in Manitoba.
2023-12-06T00:00:00ZA Critical Analysis of Canada’s Sex Work Discourse and Policy: From Federal to LocalHickson, Danahttps://hdl.handle.net/10680/21282023-12-20T09:00:28Z2023-12-18T00:00:00ZA Critical Analysis of Canada’s Sex Work Discourse and Policy: From Federal to Local
Hickson, Dana
Through an analysis of the 2022 federal House of Commons standing committee review of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act and selected provincial and municipal documents, this thesis illustrates some of the ways that the discourses articulated during national policy debates empower certain groups while disempowering the people these legislative responses ostensibly support and protect. I turn to the Manitoba context to demonstrate how these discourses play out through a study of local policy and programming. Through a conjunctural analysis, this thesis argues that a massive number of resources are being poured into police, prosecution services, and community organizations to combat sex work in Manitoba.
2023-12-18T00:00:00ZExploring Hyperspectral Imaging and 3D Convolutional Neural Network for Stress Classification in PlantsNoshiri, Nooshinhttps://hdl.handle.net/10680/21272023-12-19T09:00:36Z2023-12-06T00:00:00ZExploring Hyperspectral Imaging and 3D Convolutional Neural Network for Stress Classification in Plants
Noshiri, Nooshin
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has emerged as a transformative technology in imaging, characterized by its ability to capture a wide spectrum of light, including wavelengths beyond the visible range. This approach significantly differs from traditional imaging methods such as RGB imaging, which uses three color channels, and multispectral imaging, which captures several discrete spectral bands. Through this approach, HSI offers detailed spectral signatures for each pixel, facilitating a more nuanced analysis of the imaged subjects. This capability is particularly beneficial in applications like agricultural practices, where it can detect changes in physiological and structural characteristics of crops. Moreover, the ability of HSI to monitor these changes over time is advantageous for observing how subjects respond to different environmental conditions or treatments. However, the high-dimensional nature of hyperspectral data presents challenges in data processing and feature extraction. Traditional machine learning algorithms often struggle to handle such complexity. This is where 3D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) become valuable. Unlike 1D-CNNs, which extract features from spectral dimensions, and 2D-CNNs, which focus on spatial dimensions, 3D CNNs have the capability to process data across both spectral and spatial dimensions. This makes them adept at extracting complex features from hyperspectral data. In this thesis, we explored the potency of HSI combined with 3D-CNN in agriculture domain where plant health and vitality are paramount. To evaluate this, we subjected lettuce plants to varying stress levels to assess the performance of this method in classifying the stressed lettuce at the early stages of growth into their respective stress-level groups. For this study, we created a dataset comprising 88 hyperspectral image samples of stressed lettuce. Utilizing Bayesian optimization, we developed 350 distinct 3D-CNN models to assess the method. The top-performing model achieved a 75.00\% test accuracy. Additionally, we addressed the challenge of generating valid 3D-CNN models in the Keras Tuner library through meticulous hyperparameter configuration. Our investigation also extends to the role of individual channels and channel groups within the color and near-infrared spectrum in predicting results for each stress-level group. We observed that the red and green spectra have a higher influence on the prediction results. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive review of 3D-CNN-based classification techniques for diseased and defective crops using non-UAV-based hyperspectral images.
2023-12-06T00:00:00ZEvolutionary history and diversity of human-specific FAM72A paralogsKisselev, Ilyahttps://hdl.handle.net/10680/21262023-12-19T09:00:29Z2023-12-14T00:00:00ZEvolutionary history and diversity of human-specific FAM72A paralogs
Kisselev, Ilya
Gene duplication is a key driver of genetic diversity and adaptation, allowing genomes to develop complexity and redundant sequences that evolve along different trajectories. In human evolution, gene duplication played an important role: since divergence from the common ancestor with chimpanzees, humans have gained approximately 75 lineage-specific genes, influencing brain development, dietary adaptation, and immune regulation. The FAM72 gene family, with four paralogs (FAM72A-D) that arose after human-chimpanzee divergence, illustrates this process.
The evolutionary history and function of the FAM72 paralogs remain poorly described. The ancestral FAM72A protein drives early stages of somatic hypermutation in B cells by antagonizing UNG2. However, FAM72C-D paralogs have Trp125Arg amino acid substitution that prevents them from interacting with UNG2. This study hypothesizes that after the initial duplication from FAM72A to FAM72B, FAM72B duplicated to FAM72C and FAM72D. I hypothesize that opposing selective forces operate on FAM72A-B and FAM72C-D paralogs. Another hypothesis is that population-specific exposure to local environments during human evolution has driven the selection of population-specific adaptive haplotypes of FAM72A paralogs. The study used the 1000 Genomes dataset, testing selection through neutrality metrics and haplotype-based scores, and investigated functional divergence by comparing conserved amino acid sites and gene-wide LD patterns across human populations. Bayesian divergence time estimation between FAM72 paralogs was performed using the most common haplotypes in humans and chimpanzees. The hypothesized sequence of duplication events was supported by the phylogenetic analysis. The neutrality metrics identified FAM72C as recovering from a selective sweep, with other paralogs not showing signals of positive selection. Integrated haplotype scores of FAM72D suggested a recent selective sweep in African populations, and FAM72A-B showed high conservation. Linkage disequilibrium analysis highlighted functional regions, with FAM72A and FAM72B sharing active LD-enriched promoters, while FAM72C contained an active enhancer linked to immune cell function. Finally, multiple signatures of balancing selection were observed in an intronic region of FAM72C. The results suggest neutral or relaxed selection for FAM72A-B, but purifying selection following a selective sweep for FAM72C-D. The divergence of paralog pairs is evident in regulatory and functional shifts, notably with FAM72C’s unique immune cell associations. No clear signs of population-specific adaptation were identified, but FAM72B shows distinct haplotypes between East Asian and South Asian populations, hinting at either population bottlenecks or adaptive evolution. The findings show how gene duplication within the FAM72 gene family has contributed to genetic diversity and potential adaptability, with some members potentially shaping the evolutionary trajectory of immune function in human populations.
2023-12-14T00:00:00Z