Projets novateurs réalisés

Assessing detection limits for x-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses

This internship conducted in partnership with the Canadian Light Source (CLS) BioXAS Main Spectroscopy beamline (Saskatoon, SK) is a research project to develop and test a procedure to determine the detection limits (lowest analyzable concentrations) for chemical analyses of samples containing three elements of interest (copper, cobalt, and uranium) over a wide range of concentrations. The intern will also optimize sample preparation and analytical procedures to improve data quality and help beamline users to optimize their sample analyses. The project will provide the BioXAS spectroscopy beamline with standard operating procedures to support efforts to assess analytical improvements on the beamline, improve user experiences, and contribute to efforts to benchmark performance capabilities at other synchrotron facilities. It will also further development of improved analytical facilities at CLS, which is Canada’s only national synchrotron facility, and further efforts to enhance its reputation as a destination for conducting reliable and high-quality analyses globally.

Understanding pediatric COVID-19 immunization rates and its impact on transmission

The COVID-19 vaccination is now widely available for children aged 5 and older, and has been shown to be both safe and effective at preventing serious health outcomes from COVID-19. However, most children in the United States are not vaccinated. In order for public health to identify sub-groups to target immunization campaigns and other efforts towards, they need to know who to target. To this end, we seek to determine what community-level characteristics predict underimmunization in children. Potential important factors include social, economic, and demographic characteristics, and it is these we will primarily explore. Our findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal alongside an interactive website that provides graphics to better understand these trends.

Knowledge Recombination and Alliance Strategy in Science-based Businesses Year Two

Project Objectives:

1. To identify the best practices in knowledge recombination by comparing science-based multinational corporations and start-up firms.

2. To suggest refinements in alliance strategies for science-based multinational corporations and start-up firms.

3. To uncover processes and organizational structures to productively exploit the confluence of biotechnology and nanotechnology by MNCs.

Motivation for Research:

Successful organizations create new knowledge by recombining knowledge from multiple sources and disciplines (Grant, 1996; Kogut & Zander, 1992). Firms in science-based industries, such as biotechnology for example, create radical new products and processes based on scientific knowledge from multiple disciplines. Biotechnology firms, which originated in the 1980s (Zucker et al., 1998), are now incorporating nanotechnology to create new products and processes with the potential to transform an industry in search of new therapies (Sharp et al., 2011). For example, biotechnology based drugs, which until recently could not cross membrane barriers inside the human body, can now be designed on the nano-scale, leading to a new class of targeted drug delivery therapies, particularly in oncology. Recombining knowledge from diverse disciplines is inherently uncertain and requires large, consistent financial commitments over long periods of time.

Renewable ergonomics: Developing sustainable work practices in the Canadian onshore wind industry

Limited academic literature exists regarding the ergonomic hazards and musculoskeletal disorder risks associated with the daily work tasks of onshore wind turbine technicians. To develop sustainable work practices and work practice tools in the Canadian onshore wind industry, this project will identify, assess, and quantify the ergonomics hazards and musculoskeletal disorder risks associated with three predetermined priority work tasks. The postures and modeled loads of each priority task will be examined in both controlled and real versions of each task using novice and expert participants. From this, the Canadian onshore wind industry can begin to address ergonomic hazards and musculoskeletal risks before discomfort leads to pain and develop practices that support on-going active surveillance of ergonomic hazards and musculoskeletal risks.

Équité, diversité et inclusion en contexte d’attraction et rétention d’étudiants athlètes collégiaux: Enjeux et possibilités en Chaudière Appalaches

Le présent projet, mené conjointement avec l’organisme Accent international et avec la collaboration du Cégep de Thetford et ses équipes sportives (les Filons), vise à améliorer les pratiques relatives à l’équité, diversité et l’inclusion (ÉDI) dans l’encadrement des quelque 300 étudiants-athlètes du Cégep de Thetford.
Au-delà des bénéfices sociaux apportés par la mise en place de pratiques reliées à l’EDI au sein des organisations, certains bénéfices économiques peuvent également être associés à de telles pratiques, dont la rétention des clientèles et des employés, À cet égard, les problématiques socioéconomiques et démographiques (tels que la pénurie de main-d’oeuvre, le vieillissement de la population et la situation reliée à la COVID) vécues dans les régions périphériques, dont la région de Chaudière-Appalaches, font de la rétention éventuelle de ces étudiants-athlètes un enjeu stratégique d’importance. Le présent projet vise à l’identification, au choix et à la mise en place des pratiques relatives à l’ÉDI au sein des Filons du Cégep de Thetford.

Evaluating the Winter Economy in Saskatoon

This study examines best practices for winter economic opportunities with the desired outcome of increased economic activity during the winter months. This study will employ a social impact lens to evaluate the policies and programs in place which support economic activity in winter in Saskatoon. Adopting a social impact lens allows the research team to employ a more holistic framework to analyze the policies and programs by using appropriate methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data from a broad set of relevant stakeholder groups. The data collected will be analyzed using appropriate qualitative and quantitative data analytic tools to present the results. Such evidence-based information is critical to achieve the desired outcomes of the research. An additional, and important, contribution of this research is the development of an assessment methodology (including an evaluation tool) that can be used as a framework for future assessments.

Evaluation of standardized cannabidiol extracts in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

This project is to test the potential of standard extracts of Hemp cannabis plants from 50N Biotech, a Canada–based biotech company, in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our working hypothesis is that these extracts strongly suppress the inflammation in the gut of individuals who have the disease, and the combination treatment of these extracts with clinical-use drugs will result in improvement in the management of the IBD. We will use preclinical models to test our hypothesis. The primary outcome measures of the treatments will include the severity of the colitis – a IBD-like disease. We will compare the outcomes of the cannabis extract monotherapy with that of their combination therapy with aminosalicylic acids (a clinical-use drug for IBD) in the treatment of colitis.

Integration of multi-omics data into genomic prediction in pigs

Pork is the most consumed animal protein in the world and demand continues to increase. Significant increases in food availability worldwide have been achieved, however, there is still a major challenge to feed the growing global population. Genomic selection has been widely used in livestock animals and successfully improved genetic progress of production and reproduction traits in pigs. This proposed research project aims to improve the genomic selection in pigs using new genetic software and multi-omics data. The partner will benefit from participating in this program in several ways including technology development and application directly from the intern’s project, knowledge transfer from the intern to the partners staff with respect to new approaches and technology options for R&D, interaction with the intern’s advisor and other personnel from the University of Alberta, and eventually to enhance the partner’s genomic evaluation by application of the latest approaches and software tools.

Organic matter controls on radium removal via barite coprecipitation

Radium is a radioactive element often found in wastewater from uranium mining and oil and gas industries. One common approach to remove radium from wastewater is to add barium and sulfate to form the mineral barite. The barite traps the radium and can then be disposed of safely. However, chemicals released by decaying plants into the water may sometimes make this process less effective. This project in partnership with Ensero solutions will explore the possible impacts of these chemicals on effectiveness of radium removal with barite formation. Understanding this system better will help them improve approaches to radium removal from wastewater and plan effectively for future seasonal changes at field sites where they are using this treatment approach. For Canada, this will provide benefits to our economy and the environment, allowing Canadian industries with these issues to improve their environmental stewardship and save money on waste disposal costs.

Étude des relations interentreprises à partir des informations sur les appels d’offres publics

Dans un contexte de relance économique, plusieurs acteurs suggèrent que le gouvernement et l’État ont un rôle à jouer, notamment dans l’octroi de contrats publics. Selon certaines théories, les effets de débordements liés à la réalisation des travaux pourraient avoir des effets stimulants sur la création d’entreprises locales, mais également sur le renforcement de la position de certains acteurs clés.
Les travaux viseraient à étudier les liens entre les consortiums formés pour répondre aux appels d’offre publics afin de vérifier si l’effet de concentration spatiale joue un rôle important dans la probabilité de remporter ces contrats. L’analyse permettra également d’identifier des acteurs clés dans ce processus permettant de choisir l’entreprise ou le consortium qui se voit remettre la responsabilité de réaliser les travaux identifiés. Il serait également intéressant de vérifier si le lieu de réalisation des travaux a un effet stimulateur sur la création d’entreprises locales, et si cet effet (s’il s’avère) a un effet temporaire ou permanent sur la structure de l’économie locale.

Thermal Management of Industrial Battery Chargers

Battery chargers are an essential component in electric, plug-in hybrid vehicles and various other clean energy systems. However, the battery charger performance is susceptible to the operating temperature. Thus, an efficient and reliable thermal management system should be developed to address the problems due to induced thermal stress. This project aims to develop a heat sink with PCM for the effective heat dissipation from the battery charger to intact its performance and lifespan. A suitable PCM based on the operating temperature range can control the peak temperature and maintain a uniform temperature in the electronic device. Graphite having superior thermo-mechanical properties will be used as an additive to enhance the thermal conductivity of the PCM. The effect of additive to PCM ratio on the performance of developed heat sink will be investigated. Fundamental understanding, modeling, and manufacturing of such heat sinks are within the scope of this project.

Understanding molecular, cellular and tissue responses to low-dose / low-dose-rate ionizing radiation

The project will undertake independent and evidence-based research on the effects of exposure to low-dose radiation (LDR). It aims to obtain accurate and unbiased information on the biological responses resulting from exposures to LDR – a cell and tissue stressor. The project will undertake tasks that will identify changes in metabolic processes and physiological systems that could result in adverse or beneficial effects on the body. Gaps in knowledge on the effects of LDR on epigenetic memory, on the regulation of DNA stability and on homeostatic immune responses will be investigated. The use of funds to support the training and development of doctoral students and post-doctoral research fellows will expand the number of trained specialists and experts available to meet industry, academia, and health service needs in radiobiology.