This project involves the design, implementation and testing of a short range wireless communication network employing technologies such as Bluetooth or ZigBee.
In photosynthesis a protein complex absorbs photons and converts them to charge. This process is achieved with extremely high quantum efficiency. We are investigating several means of incorporating these protein reaction centres into photovoltaic devices. The key is to efficiently extract charge from the reaction centres. We are doing this using direct tunneling to electrodes or by passing charge to a mediator molecule that carries it to a selective electrode. Ultimately we hope to demonstrate a very low cost method for converting solar to electrical energy.
In papermaking, a slurry of wood fibres, which are approximately 2 millimetres long and 30 microns in diameter, is drained through a forming fabric. In this drainage process the fibres get trapped by the fabric as the water drains through it. The actual drainage process is obviously highly complicated because the forming fabric geometry is complex, the wood fibres may interact with one another, and the wood fibres have variable properties. However, we may gain some understanding of dewatering by considering simplified versions of the process.
Wireless relaying has been recently proposed as a promising method in wireless communications that offers considerable performance improvement without the need of high transmission powers. Its operation is based upon the concept of deploying relay terminals in order to forward the information sent by a source terminal to a destination terminal. In this way, the system is able to overcome potential obstacles between source and destination and can take advantage of the available multiple paths and thus exploit the beneficial effects of spatial diversity.
3D movies and videogames enjoy a rapidly increasing popularity. However, current display technology, especially for home theatres, still requires the viewers to wear assistive devices such as shutter glasses. We are developing 3D display technology that does not require such assistive devices. This technology uses micro-electromechanical elements and synchronized image content display.
Surgeons routinely use electrocautery to remove unwanted tissue, seal off and cauterize small bleeding vessels in the tissue, or create a surgical incision. Cauterizing tissue, however, creates a smoke plume that contains potential carcinogens as a result of carbonization of proteins and fat. The (soft) tissues that are treated may also contain hazardous materials, e.g., bacteria, viruses. Also, occasionally, when prosthetic materials are vaporized, there may be the development of toxic gases. Ideally, all of this smoke should be removed from the operating room.
Worksafe BC (WSBC) is an organization dedicated to promoting workplace health and safety for workers and employers across the province through regulatory enforcement, education and by offering workers insurance and compensation services. On an ongoing basis, WSBC invests substantial funds in safety awareness and injurt prevention programs. Intuitively these programs result in improved safety performance and awareness, and WSBC continues to fund these programs. A challenging problem for WSBC is understanding how much benefit and to what extent each investment is contributing.
The purpose of this project is to a) understand how the objectives set out by the province of British Columbia to plan for and pursue long-term energy efficiency and conservation (EEC) are being coordinated between the BC Hydro, the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR) and the province’s other key energy stakeholders; b) evaluate whether this is sufficient to realize the transformative levels of energy savings being sought in the province; and c) recommend changes to help increase the institutional capacity for coordinating the desired levels of energy savings.
