Projets novateurs réalisés

Optimized Compressed Sense Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an ideal technique for looking into the body. Lungs, however, give poor quality images due
to their low water content, necessary for MRI to work. Currently the best way to image the lungs is with CT scanning, an
approach using X-rays. Alternatively, people can breathe in a special inert gas called hyperpolarized xenon. MRI can ‘see’ this
and produce images. The only problem is long breath holding is needed, which can be a challenge for sick people. The goal of
this project is to develop an optimal MRI approach to imaging the lungs even faster (and consistently) with this new type of gas.
By minimizing breath holding the sickest patients will have better lung images using this new technology.

Accessibilité du quartier par la marche des plus de 60 ans: comparaison Grenoble / Montréal

Notre projet vise à aborder le vieillissement au prisme d’une approche territoriale afin de renouveler le regard à travers de questions renouvelées (qu’est-ce qui pousse les aînés à sortir marcher ? Comment un espace public est-il plus/moins accessible pour eux ?), des méthodes innovantes adaptées (cartographie, « parcours commentés », méthodes-mixtes, …) et des avenues de recherche encore peu explorées notamment en termes de participation sociale des aînés à l’espace public conçue comme forme concrète de citoyenneté et d’inclusion sociale. Partant de « la marche » comme mode de transport le plus utilisé chez les aînés, le projet a 4 objectifs : (1) Explorer, comprendre et comparer l’effet de l’environnement socio-spatial sur l’autonomie et la qualité de vie des aînés français (Grenoble) et québécois (Montréal) au sein de leurs territoires ; (2) Échanger des expériences de recherche avec des méthodologies et des approches participatives, mixtes et spatiales, considérant l’axe de recherche croisant vieillissement et aménagement comme une ouverture particulièrement originale et fondée sur l’expertise québécoise dans le domaine ; enfin (3) renforcer et enrichir les échanges scientifiques entre l’UGA et l’UdM, en particulier grâce à (4) la promotion de la carrière de la doctorante V. Amaya.

Development of a Digital Co-care System for the Management of Parkinson’s Disease

There is no cure for PD. Limitations of the current Canadian health care environment, compounded by the effects of the pandemic, have led to infrequent and imbalanced access to care for PwP, which may contribute to inaccurate assessments, incorrect medication dosages, and undermanaged disease symptoms. To improve the lives of PwP, a chronic disease management and monitoring system is needed that involves the patients, their caregivers, and clinicians. This work aims to develop a cutting-edge digital remote PD monitoring and management system that enables an active and collaborative model of care for families of PwP and their caregivers. This will be accomplished through the completion of two projects: 1) develop a full-body sensorized wearable device for unobtrusive use by PwP in daily settings; 2) develop an intelligent software application for the sensing system. The result of this work will be a novel wearable system that is expected to provide better disease management via continuous symptom monitoring and collaborative care among patients, their caregivers, and clinicians. It can result in reduced symptoms and improved quality of life for PwP.

Développement de procédés de dépôt par couches atomiques pour la passivation des semiconducteurs – application aux technologies photovoltaïques

Les performances des dispositifs opto-électroniques tels que les cellules photovoltaïques ou les photo transducteurs sont intrinsèquement liées aux vitesses de recombinaison des porteurs de charge sur les surfaces. Ceci est d’autant plus important que les couches actives sont fines, et que les dimensions des dispositifs sont réduites. Pour réduire les vitesses de recombinaison, il est nécessaire de passiver ces surfaces, par exemple par des dépôts de matériaux diélectriques.

Au LN2, nous développons plusieurs technologies de composants optoélectroniques pour lesquels ces problématiques sont dominantes :

Des cellules solaires triple jonctions sub-millimétriques, pour lesquelles les flancs des matériaux III-V (InGaP, InGaAs) et du germanium doivent être passivés.
Des cellules solaires triple jonctions sur film minces : ces cellules sont formées sur des films de germanium ultraminces dont la surface doit être passivée
Des phototransducteurs VEHSA isolés par plasma, et donc les flancs (principalement en GaAs) doivent être passivés.
Dans ce stage, nous proposons de développer des procédés de dépôt par couche atomique (ALD) permettant de passiver la surface des semiconducteurs, et donc de réduire les vitesses de recombinaison des porteurs de charge…

Developing innovative products for the construction & marine applications using FRP waste

Today, construction activities have resulted in the depletion of vast amounts of non-renewable resources that cause climate change which is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our day. The construction industry is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Sustainable construction is now mainstream, necessitating the investigation of environment friendly construction material sources like waste fiberglass. One of the potential applications of waste fiberglass is development of cement/concrete composites which can prevent the waste fiberglass to go in landfills. These composites minimize the CO2 emissions and cost of building components at same time while maintaining durability properties of building elements. In this project, the mechanisms of waste fiberglass compositions that are produced from industrial waste will be examined to accomplish the required objectives by incorporating it in mortar and concrete or using it for different construction purposes. WhiteWater West the world’s largest supplier of water park equipment, relies heavily on fiberglass for its water slides and water rides. The company aims to verify long-term viability of fiberglass in aquatic and land environments, while employing the engineering design process to find novel value propositions for old fiberglass.

Encrypted Load Frequency Control in Multi-Area Power Grids

The aim of this project consists in developing a resilient control architecture for LFC problems in networked multi-area power systems able to match the power generation to the load demand and deal with the occurrence of anomalies along the network medium due to the actions of external intruders.
Accordingly, the proposal will move along two directions:
1. Defining a control framework simply adaptable to different classes of attacks. This is achieved by resorting to the Model Predictive Control (MPC) philosophy that is fully exploited for detection, countermeasures and control purposes. Specifically, discrete-time receding horizon LFC schemes for networked power grids systems will be developed by exploiting data sharing between each area and RTU.
2. Exploiting confidentiality of sensitive system states, control actions and controller parameters in the control loop by resorting to the potentialities offered by the emerging field of the encrypted control.

Standardized Production and Characterization of the Lead-203 and Lead-212 Theranostic Pair for Radiopharmaceutical Development and Commercialization

Radioactive medical isotopes lead-203 (203Pb) and lead-212 (212Pb), which are compatible with nuclear imaging and cancer therapy, respectively, have recently gained international academic and commercial attention due to successes in clinical trials. Through initial imaging with 203Pb-labeled drugs, physicians can determine if the patient will be suitable for treatment with the 212Pb-labeled counterpart, allowing for a more personalized approach to cancer therapy. Though this pair has great potential, manufacturing methods must be scaled up to meet GMP standards and clinical demand. This Project aims to establish an automated target manufacturing method and purification system for these isotopes to allow ARTMS Inc. to commercialize this technology to make these high purity isotopes available for use by nuclear medicine researchers and physicians worldwide to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Development of an in vivo liver cancer model for immunotherapy validation

Many liver cancer cases are diagnosed at advanced and inoperable stages, at this point, the disease is highly lethal and most patients do not survive more than a year. Currently, the front-line treatment for inoperable liver cancer is antibody-based immunotherapy, but only 30% of patients respond to this therapy. Our lab has developed a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation that is capable of targeting an immune-boosting drug to the liver, aiming to potentiate the approved antibody immunotherapy and increase the response rate and survival. Currently, my home lab does not have a liver cancer model that allows me to examine the efficacy of our LNP therapy. I will learn how to establish a reliable liver cancer model in mice in Japan and establish the model in UBC to complete my MSc project.

Evaluation of CO2 Storage Potential in the Deep Mannville Coals – Phase 2: Horizontal Well Simulation and Use of Subsurface Coal for CO2-containing Mixed Gas Component Separation

To support blue hydrogen economy processes that generate CO2 as a by-product, and greenhouse gas (GHG) sequestration studies in general, the injection and storage of CO2 into deep (~1500m), un-minable coal seams hosted in the Mannville Formation of Alberta will be studied. Using the successful proof-of-concept field injection pilot results from the first phase of research, application of horizontal wells to ‘scale up’ CO2 injection to commercial levels will be explored herein. In addition, the purification of effluents (through removal of CO2) generated by various industrial processes, by flowing them through subsurface coal seams, will be explored. These evaluations are of great importance to the partner organization because they require a suitable repository for CO2, which is a by-product of their hydrogen-generating process.

SABRI Greenhouse Feasibility Study

This project involves developing a study to determine the feasibility of operating a greenhouse operation in St. Anthony, NL to address the food insecurity issue.

Develop anatomical compartment model protocols for human anatomical segmentation

This project will help Voronoi Health Analytics improve and refine their advanced artificial models used for automating interpreting and analyzing medical images. The intern will help with data collection processes that are required in order to train state of the art AI models for automating medical image analysis, resulting in more efficient and effective health outcomes.

Genomics of white mold disease resistance in common bean (Phaseaolus vulgaris L.)

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum L. de Bary is one of the most destructive pathogens in common bean in Canada and all around the world. This fungal pathogen affects over 500 species of plants and its damages vary among and within population from different geographical regions and this can be partially explained due to the genetic diversity in a population in a certain region. An understanding of the genetic diversity of this plant pathogen is essential to implement effective management strategies including the deployment of resistant cultivars. However, the existing studies on genetic diversity lack a more complete overview of the genetic of the population within a production area. The goal of our project is to perform mycelial compatibility group’s assays (MCG) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) in a collection of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates collected in different commercial fields in Quebec and Ontario, to examine the genetic composition of the population present in the region and give a broader insight onto control strategies involving deployment of resistant cultivars. I will be spending time at Dr. Debyshire’s lab to learn bioinformatics tools and, whole genome sequence data and initiate drafting of manuscripts