White pine blister rust is a serious disease of pine, an ecologically and economically important forest species in Ontario and the Maritime Provinces. In western Canada, this pathogen has virtually eliminated pine as a commercial species and the disease now threatens eastern Canada. Endophytes are fungi that live in the leaves of various plants including conifers. In collaboration with the Miller lab, JD Irving, Limited has invested in the potential of spruce endophytes to increase tolerance to an insect pest, the spruce budworm.

We have previously developed and commercialized a bacteria detection technology that is now being marketed for testing E. coli and coliform bacteria in water. The work proposed here will provide tests for additional bacteria types, and new applications of current tests. Each new test will be a combination of new sample handling methods and additional test ingredients, as needed. Our partner is Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc. (PDS), a subsidiary of Veolia Water in Veolia's Endetec group.

The efficiencies of biomass-fueled power plants are much lower than those of natural gas and coal-fueled plants because exit steam temperatures are restricted to inhibit corrosion of superheater tubes. Nexterra needs to raise steam conditions from 403?C to 460?C in future systems in order to satisfy customer demands. The raise in the probability of corrosion issues due to contaminants in the fuel. In order to achieve the more aggressive steam conditions it is necessary to modify boiler design to include selection of the boiler tube materials that are resistant to corrosion.

The longer emission wavelengths of red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) make them useful for whole-body imaging because cells are more transparent to red light. However, RFPs are typically less bright than other types of fluorescent proteins that emit at shorter wavelengths due to their lower quantum yields. The goal of this project is to increase the quantum yield of RFPs by rational design. We hypothesized that restricting the conformational flexibility of the RFP chromophore would decrease radiationless decay, thereby resulting in
higher quantum yields.

With the help of a graduate student, develop methods based on electrothermal vaporisation (ETV) coupled to ICP-OES for the direct multi-element analysis of food, with a focus on food items, such as rice-based or soy-based products that may contain significant levels of toxic elements. If there is time, develop a method allowing the direct speciation analysis of elements, whose chemical form determines toxicity, in the solid so as to determine the portion that is actually toxic.

Beta-lactoglobulin (?-LG) is a major whey protein found in the milk of many ruminant species. As a lipocalin, it is suspected to be involved in the transport of small hydrophobic molecules, and some evidence suggests that it can bind to vitamin A. ?-LG is an antigen in milk, causing allergic reactions in some individuals. This is due to the presence of several epitopes, or antigenic binding sites. Lantibiotics are antimicrobial peptides produced by Gram positive bacteria. Lantibiotics are generally regarded as safe for consumption by both humans and animals.

A certain number of key challenges exist for the rational design of bio-hybrids, which limit their innovative potential.

Overall project:
Human activities can profoundly alter aquatic ecosystems and create major challenges for the provision of safe drinking water. For example, high nutrient loads can dramatically increase algal productivity. This in turn can alter lake chemistry and ecology, which can have significant effects on water treatment processes. Ecological changes can include the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. An increase in the frequency and severity of algal blooms is a major concern across Canada and globally.