Fixed-rate coding for cooperative wireless networks with decode-and-forward (DF) relay processing has received much attention. Yet, only a fairly narrow body of research exists on rateless coded DF relaying networks. Little is known about how the performances and complexity implications of fixed-rate and rateless coded systems compare. Meanwhile, such comparisons play a vital role in the system design for cooperative networks.

Coke drums are major petroleum refinery and oil sands upgrading facilities associated with the processing of oil sands bitumen. The service lives of current coke drums are limited and frequent repairing is required due to severe cyclic thermal-mechanical load experienced. The objective of this project is to find root causes causing the damage/failure through more accurate global and local elastoplastic analyses on the coke drums by using new developed material constitutive model.

Mining products are frequently transported as slurries, which causes considerable wear within pipes. Large rubber mining hoses were found to have excellent wear properties. However, these hoses are still subject to wear, and wear monitoring is thus required. Unfortunately, systems currently available for this purpose have shortcomings. An improved rubber hose design with wear monitoring system is thus sought to increase inspection intervals, reduce cost and improve safety. A novel approach to wear monitoring is the focus of this project.

This project involves the development of a prototype circuit that determines the ratio of glycol to water in an aircraft deicing fluid mixture. The prototype circuit consists of a wave guide probe that is submerged into a fluid mixture and a transceiver that transmits and receives ultra-short pulse signals. As different ratios of glycol to water will result in different values of relative permittivity, pulse signals will be reflected back to the transceiver and they will experience amplitude and phase variations.

Alberta Veterinary Surveillance Network (AVSN) is a unique effort in Alberta which provides diagnostic pathology and disease investigation support to veterinary practitioners to detect and respond to animal health issues that may affect public health, food safety, or market access that serves the mutual benefits of veterinarians, industry and government. Latest research reveals that Infrared thermography is a comprehensive, non-invasive, non-contact and safe method for early detection of a number of contagious animal diseases.

Vitamin deficiencies are one of the key reasons for infant deaths and a variety of diseases for adults including breast cancer, prostate and cervical cancer, rickets, schizophrenic depression, etc. An invention of a low-cost Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) microfluidic platform for the detection of Vitamin D and Vitamin A would be an answer for the potential multi-billion dollar market around the globe and represents one of the most desperately needed devices to enhance public health and prevent vitamin deficient related diseases.

Animal heath surveillance is concerned with not only the disease in animal populations, but also with animal pathogens and diseases that affect humans. The objective of this project is to develop a system which can model the livestock production activity data, flow, weather pattern and disease history appropriately so that events can be more easily and effectively analyzed in time and spatial domain. Moreover, the system output needs to be presented in ways that are simple to understand and easy to work with.