R-Sulforaphane (R-SFN) is a naturally occurring phytochemical that can be found in most of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and kale. R-SFN has been shown in many research studies holding therapeutic promise for many chronic diseases. We propose to develop more advanced methodologies to product, purify and formulate R-SFN. We also propose to evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety profile of R-SFN in treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a rat model.
The use of aluminum alloys in automotive applications is increasing since the weight of the vehicle can be decreased. This is beneficial for both internal combustion and battery powered vehicles, to increase fuel economy and increase vehicle range, respectively. However, in general, aluminum alloys are more difficult to form and their performance during a vehicle crash may be challenging. Thus, it is necessary to understand the linkages between the production of the components and their performance. In many cases, components can be made by extrusion followed by heat treatment.
Cattle in commercial farming systems are highly motivated to use brushes to perform grooming and improve coat cleanliness. A change in brushing behavior may also serve as an early indicator of health and welfare problems. Farmers often provide rotating motorized brushes for cows but the currently available devices do not collect any data on which animal is using them and for how long, limiting the use of brushing behavior to inform management decisions.
The rapid development of wearable electronics and smart textiles demands a more flexible energy supply. Compared with charging from a rigid and bulky battery/capacitor, harvesting the energy from the environment and converting the energy to electricity is a more sustainable and user-friendly approach. A yarn-shaped energy harvester, which is able to convert solar and mechanical energy into electricity simultaneously, will be fabricated. The dual harvesting capability can also compensate the energy shortage when the device is not illuminated by sun.
Inhalation of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) generated during construction activities such as cutting or grinding can cause lung cancer and the irreversible lung disease. Exposure to RCS is common on construction sites because silica is a naturally occurring mineral that is present in many construction materials. The Silica Control Tool is a risk assessment tool that was developed by the BC Construction Safety Alliance and the University of British Columbia to assist construction employers to create exposure control plans for managing the health risks of RCS on construction worksites.
Welding has widespread use in manufacturing, and its quality often determines the overall performance of the manufactured part. Nevertheless, due to the complex nature of the process, weld quality inspection remains manual with the standard approach of QA for defects after production completes. This introduces significant costs of downtime and reworks associated with finding defects at the late stages of production. This project leverages advanced data analytics and machine learning to develop and validate an automated real-time quality inspection system for industrial welding operations.
The increasing global demand for mineral resources and the depletion of significant of high grade near-surface deposits is driving mining companies to consider cave mining as the ideal method to exploit large low-grade deposits at depth. A key characteristics of cave mining is the formation of a significant surface subsidence crater, which may impact nearby infrastructures, as well as have important environmental impacts. The objective of this research is to update empirical subsidence charts using new cases from recent cave mining operations.
Our aim is to use machine-learning to improve treatment of post-surgical pain in children and adults. Most people addicted to opioids were initially exposed through the treatment of pain from trauma and/or surgery. The opioid crisis is reaching the pediatric population, in whom effective post-surgical pain management, with less reliance on prescription of opioids, is more important than ever. Recent advances in machine-learning, combined with approaches to patient-oriented research, provide significant prospects for a learning health system.
Both global warming and increasing supply of nickel and cobalt are urgently world-wide issues to be addressed. Mineral carbonation is a promising method to permanently store greenhouse gas CO2 into stable mineral carbonates but energy-intensive requirements and low-value products limit the successful application. Meanwhile, with the increasing demand on global nickel and cobalt supply for electrical vehicles and gradual decrease of nickel sulphides deposit, it becomes more important to extract nickel and cobalt from dominant laterites of nickel resources.
British Columbia’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions has identified healthy social and emotional development (SED) in early childhood as a priority action towards addressing the province’s mental health crisis. In response, ChildHealth BC (CHBC) is developing a multi-component provincial intervention to expand the capacity of caregivers to promote SED in young children- the first to be implemented at scale in Canada. While there is evidence on the efficacy of capacity-building SED strategies, research on how to bring these strategies to scale is lacking in the field.
