University of Winnipeg

Phosphorus (P) loss from soils can contribute significantly toward P enrichment in water bodies, impairing water quality. Application of soil amendments is a viable strategy to decrease soluble P in surface soils. Since soluble P is reduced through different mechanisms that are amendment‐specific, blended amendments could be a better approach than single amendment applications; however, very little information is available on blended amendment effects in reducing P loss from soils. We compared the effectiveness of gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), Epsom salt (MgSO4·7H2O), and alum [Al2(SO4)3·18H2O] applied singly or blended in different ratios in reducing water‐extractable P (WEP) and Mehlich‐3 P of two soils (0‐ to 15‐cm depth) with contrasting P status (Mehlich‐3 P of 7.1 mg kg⁻¹ and 202 mg kg⁻¹) from the Red River Valley region in MB, Canada. Ten treatments used for the laboratory incubation study were unamended control, gypsum or Epsom salt at 2.5 or 5 Mg ha⁻¹, alum at 2.5 Mg ha⁻¹, and four blended treatments of gypsum: alum or Epsom salt: alum at 1:1 or 2:1. Treated soils were saturated and incubated for 2 weeks and analyzed for WEP (an indicator of risk of P loss) and Mehlich‐3 P (plant‐available P) concentrations. All amendments significantly reduced the WEP concentrations compared to control in both soils. The blended amendments, particularly gypsum–alum blends, performed better than unblended amendments in reducing the potential risk of P loss. Mehlich‐3 P concentration was not influenced by amended treatments, suggesting no significant decrease in plant‐available P with amendments in both soils.

Introduction Modern surgery incorporates many aspects of care, including preoperative workup, surgical management and multidisciplinary collaboration to achieve favourable outcomes and high patient satisfaction. Current literature identifies variability in surgical practice and quality of care. The objective of this study is to fill the gap in the literature by identifying modifiable surgeon behavioural factors influencing the quality of care and to identify interventions and policies that modify these factors. Methods and analysis This scoping review will be reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for scoping review guidelines. The protocol was drafted according to JBI Best Practice Guidance and Reporting Items for the Development of Scoping Review Protocols. A comprehensive search encompassing five databases (OVID Medline, OVID EMBASE, Cochrane Library (Central) and SCOPUS) was conducted. Search terms included ‘surgeons’, ‘surgeon characteristics’, ‘quality of care’ and ‘outcomes’ using AND, OR and ADJ2 Boolean operators. Studies describing interventions aimed at modifying behavioural surgeon factors influencing the quality of healthcare will be included. Studies describing institutional or system factors will be excluded. Searches were limited from 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2024 to capture modern surgery practices. Searches were peer reviewed as per Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies 2015. Two independent reviewers will perform a title and abstract screening using DistillerSR and extract data on the participants, study methods, modifiable surgeon factors and interventions that modify these factors. The data will be qualitatively analysed using the COM-B Framework which describes how capability, motivation and opportunity constitute behaviour. We expect to compile a list of existing interventions aimed at modifying surgeon behaviours, analysing the success of existing interventions to improve patient outcomes and identifying modifiable surgeon factors that do not have interventions. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval and patient consent are not required. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Background and Objectives Ancient grains like einkorn, emmer, and spelt remain underutilized and underexplored, limiting their market potential. This study evaluates the chemical composition, rheology, pasting, and baking properties of spring growth habit einkorn, emmer, and spelt cultivars grown in the Canadian prairies compared to wholemeal and refined hexaploid wheat. Findings Einkorn cultivars (CDC Aixe and CDC Marval) had inferior dough mixing properties and the lowest bread loaf volume. CDC Tatra (emmer) bread had a significantly ( p < .05) higher specific volume (3.32 mL/g) than Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wholemeal bread. Conclusions Results from mixing and baking indicate that emmer and spelt cultivars have the potential to be used in breadmaking applications, while einkorn cultivars with suboptimal properties need ingredient technology and process modifications to improve their functionalities. Significance and Novelty The study was able to identify and characterize an emmer cultivar (CDC Tatra) with excellent mixing and baking properties having the potential as a standalone flour for baking applications. This represents a significant advancement, as prior research had not recognized any emmer cultivars for their suitability in baking. Our results highlight that cultivar‐based assessment is essential in evaluating the end‐use quality of ancient grain species, thereby developing products using such underutilized grains.

Aim To investigate additional factors contributing to the pathophysiology of chemotherapy‐induced oral mucositis and periodontitis beyond the systemic immune suppression caused by the chemotherapeutic agent 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐FU). Methods 5‐Fluorouracil was topically delivered to the non‐keratinized, rapidly proliferating junctional epithelium (JE) surrounding the dentition, and acts as an immunologic and functional barrier to bacterial ingression. Various techniques, including EdU incorporation, quantitative immunohistochemistry (qIHC), histology, enzymatic activity assays, and micro‐computed tomographic (μCT) imaging, were employed to analyze the JE at multiple time points following topical 5‐FU treatment. Systemic 5‐FU delivery was used for comparison, and all 5‐FU treated tissues were compared to vehicle‐treated controls. Results We first showed that systemic 5‐FU blocked mitotic activity that rapidly led to JE atrophy. This atrophy was accompanied by suppression of the immune system. We then demonstrated that topical 5‐FU delivery effectively inhibited cell proliferation in the JE. Quantitative immunohistochemical (qIHC) analyses further demonstrated a progressive breakdown in JE barrier functions following topical 5‐FU. CBC analyses confirmed that topical 5‐FU did not alter the innate immune system but did suppress the local immune response of the JE. The longer‐term consequences of this disruption in JE barrier functions were significant alveolar bone loss and an increase in porosity. Together, these results document the essential requirement for rapid JE cell proliferation to maintain homeostasis of the periodontium. Conclusions The reduction of cell division in the JE due to 5‐FU treatment directly compromises both its structural integrity and immune surveillance capabilities, contributing to the destruction of periodontal hard tissues.

Extensive efforts by both government and private sectors to make the use of recycled packaging in food products more prevalent have not always been successful, partly due to a limited understanding of consumers' complex perceptions towards this practice. In this research, we explore whether recycled food product packaging enhances the appeal of food products, as well as the boundary condition and underlying mechanism of this effect. Using three experimental studies, we find that marketing efforts highlighting the use of recycled packaging can be beneficial, but only for utilitarian food products, not for hedonic ones. We also identify the warm‐glow effect as a key mediating mechanism. This study uniquely contributes to the literature by not only examining the differential effects of recycled packaging but also identifying the warm‐glow effect as a key mediating mechanism. Our findings contribute a more nuanced perspective to the literature on sustainable consumption and provide practical implications for enhancing the effectiveness of recycled food product packaging.

From a conservation perspective, it is important to identify when sub-lethal temperatures begin to adversely impact an organism. However, it is unclear whether, during acute exposures, sub-lethal cellular thresholds occur at similar temperatures to other physiological or behavioural changes, or at temperatures associated with common physiological endpoints measured in fishes to estimate thermal tolerance. To test this, we estimated temperature preference (15.1±1.1°C) using a shuttle box, agitation temperature (22.0±1.4°C) as the point where a fish exhibits a behavioural avoidance response and the CTmax (28.2±0.4°C) as the upper thermal limit for 1 yr old brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) acclimated to 10°C. We then acutely exposed a different subset of fish to the mean temperatures associated with the pre-determined physiological endpoints and sampled tissues when they reached the target temperature or after 60 min of recovery at 10°C for transcriptomic analysis. We used qPCR to estimate mRNA transcript levels of genes associated with heat shock proteins, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inducible transcription factors. A major shift in the transcriptome response occurred once the agitation temperature was reached, which may identify a possible link between the cellular stress response and the behavioural avoidance response.

Biofilm‐associated contamination poses significant challenges to the food industry, particularly in ensuring effective sanitization and reliable detection. This study explores the use of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range for non‐destructive detection and classification of biofilms on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) surfaces. Multi‐species biofilms composed of Comamonas sp., Raoultella sp., and Escherichia coli were formed at 10°C and 25°C and biofilm protein and polysaccharide contents were determined. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS‐DA) were used to differentiate among four classes of TPU coupons, including blank (BLANK), control (CTRL), intermediate‐strength biofilms formed at 10°C (S10), and strong biofilms formed at 25°C (S25). PCA successfully clustered samples based on spectral profiles of the classes, identifying significant wavelength regions at 1451 and 1926 nm, which correlated with the water, protein, and polysaccharide content of multi‐species biofilms. PLS‐DA provided a classification accuracy ranging from 68% to 100%, with the highest classification accuracy (100%) observed for BLANK and biofilm‐contaminated (S25) TPU coupons and the lowest accuracy (68%) for CTR. Additionally, Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) was employed to predict the protein content of biofilms, achieving reliable predictions both in calibration ( of 0.81) and external validation ( of 0.72). These findings demonstrate the potential of HSI to detect and classify biofilm‐infected TPU coupons utilizing wavebands associated with proteins, polysaccharides and water. Hence, HSI can be used as a rapid and non‐destructive alternative to traditional methods for biofilm detection, including chemical‐based methods such as BioDetect (SANI MARC) and fluorescence‐based imaging methods like BACTISCAN.

Background Adults with intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) are at higher risk for incomplete cancer staging. Aim To compare unknown stage data between those with and without IDD. Materials and Methods We used the Ontario Cancer Registry linked to administrative health data between 2007 and 2019. Results Adults with IDD diagnosed with breast, colorectal, and lung cancer were 1.94 (95% CI 1.52–2.47), 1.90 (95% CI 1.63–2.21), and 2.17 (95% CI 1.86–2.54) times more likely to have unknown cancer stage at diagnosis, relative to those without IDD. Discussion The absence of stage data has person‐level and population‐level implications. At the individual level, if stage data are not simply missing from the registry but reflect incomplete or absent diagnostic or staging procedures, this may represent barriers for adults with IDD in receiving curative treatment. At the population level, research using inaccurate or incomplete stage data may lead to unrepresentative health and social system policy decisions. Conclusion A better understanding of the cancer diagnostic interval for adults with IDD is needed to develop interventions.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum, is a major wheat disease. Significant efforts have been made to improve resistance to FHB in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), but more work is needed for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum). Bread wheat has ample genetic variation for resistance breeding, which can be readily exploited, while durum wheat is characterized by higher disease susceptibility and fewer valuable resistance sources. The Wheat Initiative – Expert Working Group on Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding has promoted a scientific discussion to define the key actions that should be prioritized for achieving resistance in durum wheat comparable to that found in bread wheat. Here, a detailed state of the art and novel tools to improve FHB resistance in durum are presented, together with a perspective on the next steps forward. A meta‐analysis grouping all quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with FHB resistance in both bread and durum wheat has been conducted to identify hotspot regions that do not overlap with Rht alleles, which are known to negatively correlate with FHB resistance. A detailed list of QTL related to FHB resistance and deoxynivalenol contamination and durum lines carrying different sources of FHB resistance are provided as a strategic resource. QTL, closely linked markers and durum wheat lines carrying the useful alleles, can be selected to design an effective breeding program. Finally, we highlight the priority actions that should be implemented to achieve satisfactory resistance to FHB in durum wheat.

BACKGROUND The relationship between oat grain composition and physical attributes as influenced by oat genotype and Canadian growing environments was investigated. Thirty Canadian oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes, grown in three Canadian growing locations (Brandon, Manitoba; Portage la Prairie, Manitoba; and Lacombe, Alberta) over 2 consecutive years (2020–2021), were analyzed. RESULTS Analysis of variance showed that the protein, total starch, and amylose content were significantly affected by genotype, environment, and their interaction. A principal component analysis bi‐plot illustrated that protein and total starch had an inverse relationship and were more affected by growing year, whereas amylose content had a negligible influence. The majority of genotypes were stable across environments but some genotypes, like CDC Morrison, were more influenced by different environments. Correlation analysis suggested that drought‐like conditions early in the growing season generated oat genotypes that favored the accumulation of protein, β‐glucan, and oil. CONCLUSION The results provide detailed information regarding the relationship between important oat chemical and physical traits and different growing environments, which can assist breeders to improve characteristics to obtain high‐quality oat grains and thus high‐quality end products. © 2025 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada and The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada.

The main objective of the study was to examine trends of maize yield and climate change variables and assess the effect of climate change variables on maize yield in the study area. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope estimator to describe the trends of maize yield and climate change variables and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to estimate the effect of climate change on maize yield. The result of the Bound co-integration test shows that, there is only short-run relationship between the maize yield and rainfall, average minimum and maximum temperature. The finding of the study shows that the average maize yields of western Ethiopia was 29.13 quintals for the last 33 years. The results of the ARDL model revealed that an increase in rainfall has a positive and significant effect on maize yield at 10% significance level and average annual minimum temperature has also a positive and significant effect on maize yield at 5% significance level. Therefore, the government should strengthen its effort to implement the green economy strategy to reduce possible effect of change in annual rainfall, average minimum and maximum temperature on maize yield to enhance agricultural productivity and improve the food insecurity of farm households in Ethiopia.

This chapter aims to bring together some of the cross-cutting themes that transcend the volume. The volume exposes humans’ enduring bond with aquatic life, from its essential role in sustaining early civilisations to its profound cultural significance. By integrating diverse scholarly perspectives, including archaeological, textual, and zooarchaeological analyses, this volume offers a holistic exploration of this intricate relationship through a number of case studies. The chapter uncovers some of the vivid tapestry of our interdependence with water creatures, as discussed in the contributions of the volume, but it also offers some new and fresh evidence from Mesopotamia to these shared themes.

Background The prevalence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and its concomitant cost implications have continued to rise across the globe. Currently, there is no effective treatment for CLBP that leads to long‐term improvement. Hence, there is growing recognition of the need for behaviour techniques including motivational interviewing (MI) to address CLBP. Objective To determine the effect of MI and exercise on pain in individuals with CLBP. Method We searched for trials in seven databases from inception to April 2024. Trials were included if MI was used alone or in addition to an exercise programme for improving CLBP in adults aged (≥ 18 years). Results From 3062 records retrieved, we included three randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Only one study was rated as having a low risk of bias. There is no evidence to support the benefit of MI and exercise on improving pain (SMD‐0.23, 95% CI‐0.55 to 0.09, I ² = 0%, p = 0.16), disability (MD‐1.80, 95% CI‐4.55 to 0.94, I ² = 85%, p = 0.20) and physical functioning (SMD 0.00, 95% CI‐1.31 to 1.32, I ² = 93%, p = 0.99). Conclusion There is insufficient evidence to support the effect of MI and exercise on pain in individuals with CLBP. More large‐scale RCTs are needed in evaluating the effectiveness of MI and exercise in individuals with CLBP.

There is limited understanding of the genetic status and structure of Sauger (Sander canadensis) populations in Manitoba, Canada. We used twelve microsatellite loci to resolve genetic diversity and structure of sauger (n = 872) across nine waterbodies in the Nelson-Churchill watershed. Five waterbodies contained low numbers of walleye × sauger hybrids. Overall, genetic diversity were highest in Lake Winnipeg, the largest lake in the watershed, and lowest in Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis. Despite their close geographic proximity, genetic differentiation between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba/Lake Winnipegosis were moderately high and were found to have low levels of historical and on-going gene flow. On the other hand, high connectivity, based on low levels of genetic differentiation and high estimates of on-going gene flow were found between Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, Assiniboine River, Lac du Bonnet, and Stephens Lake, which span a larger geographic area but are more connected in the watershed. Clustering and genetic differentiation-based methods indicated that fish in Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba/Lake Winnipegosis belong to different genetic groups, but most individuals from all sites exhibited some level of ancestral admixture, particularly fish sampled in the river systems. This suggests that populations in Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba/Winnipegosis should be managed separately, and indicates an important role for the maintenance of northern and southern river populations as reservoirs of genetic diversity. The results of this study will assist in defining management units based on genetic structure and selecting source sauger populations for restoration programs.

Milling influences flour morphology and the molecular structure of starch. Such structure-function interactions are crucial in determining ingredient functionality to develop specific end-products. Laboratory scale X-ray instruments offer limited brightness and are time-consuming when investigating the porosity, starch lamellar structure, and crystallinity of pulse flours. Herein, synchrotron X-rays were employed along with mid-infrared spectroscopy (mid-IR) and scanning electron microscopy to non-invasively investigate the molecular changes in roller-milled yellow pea flour as influenced by milling configurations (termed as flour streams) and flour blending (termed as flour blends). Our results illustrate that flour streams have higher overall protein content, distinct flour morphology, starch lamellar structure, and starch and protein quality than flour blends. Interestingly, flour blends (21.79 to 29.27%) displayed an overall higher degree of crystallinity than flour streams (20.03 to 25.75%). The broadband absorption spectra in the 1200–900 cm⁻¹ range showed carbohydrate features, while protein spectra in the 1600–1500 cm⁻¹ range highlighted amide I (~ 1650 cm⁻¹) and amide II (~ 1540 cm⁻¹) bands. Secondary protein structures, analyzed through second derivative spectra (1700–1600 cm⁻¹), revealed consistent β-sheet (~ 1636 cm⁻¹) and α-helix (~ 1656 cm⁻¹) ratios, with absorbance changes reflecting protein content variations in flour streams and blends. Furthermore, a principal component analysis model was developed with a total variance of 95.2%, using mid-IR data to classify the samples based on their streams and blends. In conclusion, the state-of-the-art advanced techniques captured and characterized the micro and macromolecular changes in pulse flours as influenced by milling.

Background and Objective The interaction between starch and polyphenol would increase the bioaccessibility of those bioactive compounds. Previous studies have been conducted with pure polyphenols, but the use of medicinal plants, rich in bioactive compounds, able to complex with starch, is growing. The present study aimed to analyze the complex formation between the extract of a medicinal plant ( Amphipterygium adstringent , AA) and high amylose starch (HA). The total polyphenol content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity (AC), besides X‐ray diffraction pattern, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and starch hydrolysis rate were evaluated in the AA‐HA and compared with those of the complex gallic acid (GA)‐HA. Findings The AA‐HA complex had higher TPC than GA‐HA, despite their rather similar AC. The increased crystallinity and short‐range order of the HA confirmed the formation of the complex with AA. This complex required higher enthalpy (2.0 J/g) than its respective HA control (0.52 J/g) for the gelatinization and the in vitro starch hydrolysis suggests the formation of resistant starch. Conclusion The extract of medicinal plants can form complexes with amylose, which has antioxidant properties, besides increasing the resistant starch. Significance and Novelty Complex formation between HA and extract of medicinal plants is feasible for increasing the release of the bioactive compounds after digestion.

Intraspecific variation is important for species’ long-term persistence in changing environments. Conservation strategies targeting intraspecific variation often rely on the identification of management or policy units below the species level based on biological differences among populations. To identify management units, this paper examines intraspecific divergence of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Great Slave Lake (GSL), Canada, using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing data. Specifically, we evaluate genetic differentiation and assess the relationship with morphological, mitochondrial, and putatively adaptive divergence. We show that at least three and up to five genetically distinct Lake Trout populations co-occur in GSL and exhibit differences in spatial distribution and body size, with signatures of selection. However, admixture was widespread (60% of the fish) and population structure was shallow (average FST = 0.022). These findings highlight that, even in the era of whole genome sequencing, identifying discrete management units to implement conservation efforts and policy can remain challenging in systems where gene flow among genetically and ecologically distinct populations is ubiquitous. To give more recognition to this complexity, management efforts should also focus on the area where adaptive variation is evident, and evolutionary acts are at play, to better protect species’ resilience and adaptive potential in some natural systems.