The goal of this research is to use data from casino player tracking systems to build a model for how players move around on a casino slot floor. We will use this model to perform simulations of this same movement. Segmentation of players into groups of similar value and/or characteristics will help to reduce the computation complexity of this task. Therefore, the student will also aim to devise a method of player segmentation.

The rapid and widespread advancement of cyber-threats within the past few years has had a profound impact on virtually everyone, from ordinary people to governments to local organizations. This has caused cyber-security to be considered a global challenge, which is now requiring innovative solutions, such as incorporating human cognition based methods into the software algorithms to detect malicious activities of adversaries.

The proposed project is for the postdoctoral fellow to access healthcare data for individual adults in the province of Manitoba in order to: 1) determine the rates of metabolic acidosis in Manitoba along with associated outcomes and risk factor profiles and 2) identify patients in Manitoba who are at high risk of Fabry disease but currently undiagnosed in order to facilitate disease screening and improve patient care.

Cannabis products are being used for a variety of conditions. In Canada, there are no cannabis products approved for use in children. Without evidence from clinical trials doctors are hesitant to recommend cannabis products for children. In order for doctors to feel confident in advising parents on medical cannabis they need better information on if these products work, how to dose them and long-term safety. Our national collaboration between parents, doctors, researchers, industry and policy makers will study the use of medical cannabis in children.

Electromagnetic and/or ultrasound imaging technology uses a hardware system to measure a target’s response to interrogating energy. Using sophisticated computer algorithms, these measurements can be converted into an image of the interior properties of the imaging target. Herein, targets of interest lie in the areas of biomedical imaging and stored agricultural crop monitoring.
Major advances in imaging technology over the past decade have made it possible to pursue these applications commercially, but there remains significant opportunity for continued improvements.

Conventional power systems rely on synchronous machines for generation of power and also for formation of an interconnected network of generation to which loads are connected via a transmission system (known as a grid). Increasingly renewable sources of energy are interconnected to a grid via power electronic converters. These converters have been traditionally operated with the assumption of an existing grid thanks to the presence of synchronous machines.

Voltage instability is one of the major causes of many blackouts such as Canada-United State blackout (2003), Sweden-Denmark blackout (2003), India blackout (2012), and Turkey blackout (2015). If reliable methods are available for online voltage stability assessment, operators can be warned and automated corrective actions can be initiated to prevent voltage collapse. Although, a large number of Voltage Stability Indices (VSIs) are reported in literature, they are not practically applicable for real-time monitoring or not sufficiently reliable under all operating conditions.

Revegetation of northern Manitoba ecosystems, disturbed by hydroelectric development, is critical to meet the ecological and cultural needs of the First Nation communities located in these areas. To establish a viable self-sustaining ecosystem, it is important to understand the challenges associated with reclamation in these disturbed areas. The main goal of our proposed research is to develop revegetation strategies using native plant species (selected in consultation with the indigenous communities) and addition of organic matter/ fertilizer following soil decompaction.

Oil and gas exploration and development in northeastern British Columbia contributes to the Province’s economy, but also results in disturbance of cropland due to construction of pipelines within the Agricultural Land Reserve. Currently, there is no long-term monitoring of cropland productivity on reclaimed pipeline footprints. The proposed research addresses priorities of the British Columbia Oil and Gas Research and Innovation Society (BC OGRIS) by assessing and quantifying the long-term impacts of pipeline construction on cultivated ALR lands.

The research in this proposal examines the growing concern of frequency swings in modern power systems. With the increasing penetration of generation from renewable resources, the share of conventional modes of generation will be diluted and as a result the system’s natural ability to maintain its frequency is diminished. Advanced converter systems may be able to help; however, their ability to do so is limited by several factors such as converter topology and device ratings, among other things.