Projets novateurs réalisés

Research and development of irinotecan derivative (SN38)-peptide conjugate against Sortilin-positive colorectal cancers

The major aim of this research project is to accelerate the development of the SORT1+ oncology platform. This
novel platform is based on a new proprietary peptide targeting Sortilin, a key scavenging receptor. Sortilin has
been reported to play a role in cell survival and in the progression of human cancers. For instance, Sortilin
expression has been associated with the aggressiveness of breast cancers and was observed in other highly
metastatic types of cancers such as colorectal cancer (CRC), melanoma and lung cancers. Data that will be
generated from this intern will further validate the anti-CRC properties of our irinotecan/SN38-peptide conjugate
in CRC cancer animal models and improve the value of SORT1+ technology. The achievement of milestones in
this project will create significant value for the partner organization and validate SORT1+ technology as a platform.
This will be a key and significant inflexing point for the value of the company that will facilitate the creation of new
partnerships and the development of new research projects.

Town of Vermilion Business & IT Innovation

The Town of Vermilion, in cooperation with Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) propose to take a student team of one Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology and one Bachelor of Business Administration to complete a total of four business process innovation projects.
1) Modernization of building security including electronic monitoring equipment and keyless entry
2) Upgrading of information technology networks from the current local server to a more efficient and modern system
3) Digitization of paper based records to further a transition to paperless record retention
4) Implementation of a Tangible Capital Asset records module in Serenic Software from excel records for a more efficient and error proof system

22CAN Inc

22CAN Inc is an AI-enabled Canadian recruiting start-up where we leverage our DigitalTwin recommender platform that match similar (“twin” concept) knowledge professionals to opportunities. Our project focus is: NLP Algorithm Experimentation. This is where we will advance the 22CAN NLP platform through advanced algorithm experimentation.

Graded Rouquier blocks for Hecke and Schur algebras

Perhaps the most basic object in the world of representation theory is the symmetric group, the group of all ways of rearranging a set of size n. Despite the simplicity of this object, it is still very rich, and its category of representations is a remarkable mixture of combinatorial accessibility, and exceptionally difficult questions. Famously, the dimensions of simple representations over the symmetric group over finite fields (and their generalizations, decomposition numbers) are devilishly hard to compute.

In recent years, work of many authors has uncovered a new and surprising property of the group algebras of symmetric groups and their generalizations, Ariki-Koike algebras: they possess a grading. We aim to study this grading in a sector of the representation theory of AK algebras which is relatively simple: the Rouquier blocks. These were introduced relatively recently in the case of AK algebras, and thus much remains to be learned about them.

Optimizing the computation of HPC Clusters and the automation of the instances in the cloud deployment

Effective cloud deployment is a major challenge in the academic community. The rapid scalability and quick workload deployment benefits make it easy to overlook data security concerns and allow for runaway costs as a large workload can be provisioned that is difficult to manage effectively.
This challenge presents an opportunity to develop reusable solutions to this problem that will provide immediate cost optimization and efficiency to services provided to academia in Canada by CMC Microsystems and in the long-term, these solutions can be used freely by academics independent of CMC through the open publication of the methods and publishable portions of any code developed

La politisation du théâtre au Québec : une enquête sur les affaires “Cantat”, SLÀV et Kanata

Le projet demandé vise à accomplir un séjour de recherche en Israël dans l’objectif d’y rencontrer la professeure de linguistique et spécialiste de la polémique, Ruth Amossy. Ce stage permettra d’acquérir une expertise pour l’analyse d’un corpus polémique, par l’apprentissage de la méthode propre à Mme Amossy. Le projet permettra en ourte de nouer des relations significatives avec le centre de recherche Analyse du discours, argumentation, rhétorique (ADARR) et les chercheurs internationaux qui gravitent autour de ce centre.

Choices and consequences: a multiple method research to supporting better decision making and implementation

The proposed research seeks to investigate four ways to support sound decision making and sustainable development by: 1. developing an integrated approach to planning using a combination of scenario creation and structured decision making (SDM); 2. testing methodological improvements to SDM by increasing our understanding of how to measure values and preferences; 3. examining how to effectively communicate and use high-quality data to inform decision making, and monitoring & evaluation; and 4. training current and future planning practitioners to develop the necessary skill sets to be sustainability leaders. This research will hel inform EcoPlan International’s approach to planning and decision making and will promote the delivery of highquality results to its clients.

Material characterization and innovative strategies for enhancing the performance of autonomous vehicle sensors in adverse weather

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will potentially revolutionize the transportation sector. The value proposition of AVs includes improved road safety, increased traffic efficiency, reduced number of accidents, and decreased emissions. AVs heavily rely on the input of various sensors (Optical, Radar, Lidar, etc.) to capture environmental and traffic data. Clear sensor vision under all vehicle operating conditions has to be ensured to guarantee safe and uninterrupted operations of the vehicle. Vision sensors, such as cameras and lidar need an unobstructed optical view for performance. Different packaging and design requirements may require sensors to be applied in areas prone to soiling and contamination (e.g., rain, snow, spray, dust, etc.) Measures need to be taken to promote and ensure a robust and reliable sensor performance in all environmental conditions. This project proposes to perform material characterization and develop innovative sensor soiling mitigation strategies for autonomous vehicle applications in adverse weather.

The impact of boreal forest conversion to horticulture on soil arthropod communities and biological quality over time

Agricultural expansion in northern boreal regions presents an opportunity to generate food security and self-sufficiency in the face of climate change. However, little is known about how conversion of boreal forest to agriculture affects soil arthropod communities, despite their essential role in sustaining crop productivity among many other soil functions essential to human well-being. This project will assess how soil arthropod communities and the biological quality of soil on farmland change due to conversion and how long the soil has been cultivated since. Soil biological quality, measured using the QBS-ar index, is a good indicator not only of soil biodiversity, but the capacity of soils to maintain soil functioning for delivery of goods and services. In addition to generating an original data set for use by the wider scientific community, we will produce a range of technical and plain-language resources to (i) facilitate widespread monitoring of soil biological quality and (ii) inform agricultural policy and land management decision-making tools to develop sustainable agricultural landscapes in Canada’s northern boreal regions.

Structure et santé du sol d’un système sylvopastoral en climat tempéré

À l’ère des changements climatiques, les entreprises d’élevage font face à des défis importants. Afin d’aider ces entreprises à accroître leur résilience et adopter des pratiques agricole écoresponsable, il est essentiel de revoir les modèles agricoles. Le développement d’un sylvopastoral combinant l’implantation de haies agroforestières à une régie de paissance en rotation pourrait favoriser la stabilité de la structure du sol et de ce fait en augmenter la porosité, la capacité d’infiltration de l’eau et l’état de santé d’un point de vue global.

Fluid erosion and dynamic fatigue characteristics of high-pressure cold sprayed aerospace gas turbine engines

The proposed 3-year project aims to improve the erosion and dynamic fatigue performance of aircraft engine components, primarily the fan blades, through a two-stage material design and advanced manufacturing solution strategy. The work’s innovation lies in the design/development of 1) TiAl alloy substrate specific nanostructured ceramic-metallic (cermet) protective coatings (years 1, 2); and 2) a 3D metal-foam-cermet functionally-graded (FG) multimaterial system as a repair/remanufacturing tool for damaged carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymer fan blades and other engine components (year 3). The research methodology combines a suite of infrastructure and expertise available at UNB’s Nanocomposites and Mechanics Laboratory and industry partner MDS Coating Technologies, including high-energy ball mill; fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) reactor; high-pressure cold spray additive manufacturing (HPCS-AM) material synthesis/deposition equipment; FilmDoctor, ABAQUS, EXN/Aero material design/modeling tools; high-temperature fatigue, water droplet dynamic erosion testers; and expertise with material characterization techniques.
The successful execution of the project will build new knowledge concerning cermet failure mechanisms in both thin coatings and thick 3D tiered FG components, creating a path to establish an ‘erosion-wear’ map with feedstock-coating-microstructure-process-property linkage.

Modelling forest vulnerability to wildfire in British Columbia

The severity of future wildfires is expected to increase due to climate change, with societal and ecological consequences. My project aims to understand the drivers of the Sparks Lake fire that burned 95,980 hectares to the north of Kamloops (British Columbia, Canada) in 2021. First, I will quantify burn severity of the Sparks Lake fire using satellite imagery and field observations. I will then use statistical modelling approaches to determine the effect that vegetation type, weather and topography had in driving the fires burn severity. The results will contribute to knowledge that will allow for better informed management decisions of forests that are likely to be vulnerable to severe fire in future and will be published in a scientific journal. Field and computational skills I gain from the placement will be applied to my PhD and the networking opportunities it provides will be essential to my future academic career.