The neonatal and pre-weaned periods are the most challenging in dairy production, resulting in the highest mortality and morbidity rates, with diarrhea proving the most common cause of calf health problems. In order to treat and control this diarrhea, producers often rely on antibiotic therapy. An alternative is to provide living microorganisms (probiotics) that minimize pathogenic bacteria colonization of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), without producing drug residues, when directly fed to animals.

This project will serve as the first formal program evaluation for the Zebra Centre, which has been serving victims of abuse in Edmonton and the surrounding area for 15 years. Program evaluation would open up opportunities for the Zebra Centre to learn about their strengths and areas of need in regards to their ability to support families who have undergone childhood trauma.

The Oil Sands of Northern Alberta are a significant contributor to the Canadian economy but their management is also an important environmental issue for Canadians. Improved reclamation of tailings waste is an integral part of Oil Sands sustainability as an industry and understanding the role of microbes in the reclamation process has been a major area of study. Microbial eukaryotes (organisms sharing the cellular organization with humans and plants) have only recently been recognized as also playing a role in tailings pond communities.

In this collaborative project with Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), we will design and run choir singing and dancing programs for people with neuromuscular conditions, in order to study whether it improves their quality of life and their ability to breathe. Both singing and dancing have been shown to have significant medical and quality of life benefits for people with other kinds of disabilities, but little research has been done with those who have neuromuscular conditions. This will also be the first study to include participants who rely on ventilation technology to breathe.

Production of bitumen in Canada has increased considerably in the last decade. Due to its heavy nature, bitumen needs upgrading in order to make it marketable. Partial upgrading, where bitumen is upgraded into transportable oil that meets pipeline specifications, has the potential to maximize the benefits of bitumen commercialization. However, there is not any economical commercial-ready partial upgrading technology in Canada.

PinkWood Ltd of Calgary is the largest wood I-joist producer in Western Canada. To-date it has been supplying primarily to the low-rise residential construction market. With the increased interest in mid-rise wood buildings up to 6 storeys, PinkWood is interested in expanding into this market segment. Penetrating into this non-traditional market segment will require the development of research information that addresses the concerns of build designers. In this project the three technical concerns are floor diaphragm action, vertical shrinkage of building and floor vibration performance.

Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in men in Canada. However, prostate cancer is highly treatable if diagnosed early. Unfortunately, due to lack of cost-effective and meaning test detecting the early presence of the cancer. Most prostate cancer (92%) are found when the career is spreading to nearby organs.

Slow pyrolysis is a process to convert biomass residues to valuable biochar products, which are used in agricultural, wastewater treatment, animal feed, carbon sequestration etc. IRSI focused on identifying optimal pathways for converting biomass into high quality biochar with maximum energy efficiency and minimal environmental degradation. This project focusses on modelling and simulation of a large-scale biochar reactor in order to enhance the efficiency of pyrolysis processes and increase the reliability of biochar products for the global market place.

Pipelines are a common means to transport oil, gas, and other petroleum products used by citizens in everyday life. These pipelines sometimes traverse slopes, where soil movement caused by erosion or excessive precipitation can lead to pipeline damage which may result in release of product to the environment. The results of this study will allow pipeline operators to better assess the potential for this damage to occur to ensure that the pipe can be repaired or the soil movement prevented before any safety concern arises.

Design of loadbearing, out-of-plane (OOP), tall masonry walls tends to have stringent limits related to their buckling stability and the scarcity of research on their structural reliability. This currently puts the masonry industry at a disadvantage as a construction alternative compared to other structural options. The proposed research investigates the strength of tall masonry walls against lateral loads, considering the influence of base rigidity. Current design practice does not recognize the influence of actual support conditions in estimating the load capacity of slender masonry walls.