Innovative Projects Realized

Caractérisation de la liaison membranaire de la rhodopsine kinase

La rétine, qui tapisse le fond du globe oculaire, est composée de plusieurs types de cellules dont les bâtonnets qui ont une structure particulière. Le segment externe des bâtonnets est composé d’un empilement de disques membranaires où est localisé le pigment visuel appelé rhodopsine. La rhodopsine change de conformation sous l’effet de la lumière, ce qui l’active et permet la vision. La rhodopsine doit être inactivée pour resensibiliser le bâtonnet et permettre à nouveau l’absorption de la lumière. La rhodopsine kinase (RK) est impliquée dans l’inactivation de la forme active de la rhodopsine. La RK native est acylée, ce qui lui permettrait d’interagir avec la membrane des bâtonnets. Il a été démontré par d’autres équipes que l’absence de l’acylation de la RK réduit la vitesse d’inactivation de la rhodopsine. L’hypothèse de mes travaux de recherche est donc que l’acylation de la RK est essentielle à son ancrage membranaire. L’objectif principal de mes travaux consiste à caractériser la liaison membranaire de la RK acylée et non-acylée pour comparer leurs propriétés.

Connecting ecological dots: striped bass diets, DNA barcoding, stable isotopes and contaminants – Part 2 (of IT15410)

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, is a popular anadromous fish caught along the Eastern Coast of North American. Striped bass invaded Labrador, NL in August 2017 and, during Part 1 of this study, were identified to feed on Atlantic salmon, cod, char and capelin; important fishes to NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC). The traditional method to identify stomach contents consists of examining stomach contents and morphologically identifying the species consumed. Unfortunately, due to digestion, the quality of stomach contents is highly variable making identification of species-specific components difficult. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to screen for prey items and to quantify their relative amounts. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) provides a longer period (weeks to months) of diets based on trophic-level. We will employ SIA to obtain a longer-term picture of striped bass diets that reflect where striped bass may affect the food web in the region and potentially identify the unknown diet proportion and reveal candidate fish or invertebrate species to do further gastric DNA targeted testing. Contaminants can affect fish health and have obvious implications for human health. In Part 2, we will increase contaminants analysis to provide a better picture of fish health in Labrador.

Architectural analysis in the context of an IoT-driven modernization process

The Internet of Things (IoT) presents opportunities for innovative systems that can be used by companies to get a competitive edge. In this context, 360-Agency is working on integrating an IoT solution, called Reatinos, into her existing system. Modernizing such large software system is a demanding and costly task, and it requires understanding of the system’s architecture. The goals of this project are: 1) establish scenarios and quality attributes that stem from IoT devices integration and that must be supported by 360-Agency system, and 2) assess the software architecture of this system according to these scenarios and quality attributes. These goals will be achieved through a combination of a top-down and bottom-up methodologies. The top-down methodology will exploit existing work on IoT while the bottom-up methodology will help recover architectural views from the existing system and carry-out analysis of the system. Thus this project consists in a case study that will help synthesize a systematic approach for architectural analysis in the context of an IoT-based modernization process.

Assessment of soil quality and mycorrihzal communities and their relationship to the recovery of forest plant communities after wildfire in interior British Columbia

In collaboration with the Nadleh Whut’en and Stellat’en First Nations and SERNbc, researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia will look at the effects of wildfire on soil quality and mycorrhizal fungi abundance. Soil quality will be evaluated on the ability to promote plant growth by assessing available nutrients, soil texture and other physical properties. Fungal diversity will be evaluated in both the soil and the roots of established species. These ecosystem elements will be compared among low, moderate, and high severity burns, along with unburned areas. This information will provide insights into the recovery of culturally significant plant species and possible limiting factors to their recovery, to guide land managers in restoration efforts.

Prédiction des variations de tension artérielle chez le patient chirurgical

Ce projet a comme objectif d’améliorer les outils de monitoring dont dispose le médecin lorsqu’il administre une anesthésie générale à un patient. Nous analyserons l’ensemble des informations disponibles pour prédire l’évolution de la tension artérielle dans le temps. Nous savons que de brèves périodes d’hypotension est délétère pour le patient et augmente son risque de complications postopératoires.

En prédisant à l’avance ces épisodes, nous aiderons le clinicien à maintenir la tension artérielle dans un intervalle sécuritaire. Pour y parvenir, nous développerons des algorithmes bâtis sur d’anciens patients ayant subis des variations de tension artérielle. En collaborant avec l’Université de Californie à Los Angeles (UCLA), nous utiliserons des banques de mégadonnées de patients opérés et analyserons les dossiers médicaux pour extraire les antécédents médicaux influencent la dynamique de la tension artérielle que nous combinerons aux signes vitaux afin d’identifier les caractéristiques nous aidant à prédire les variations de tension artérielle.

Détermination et quantification des paramètres affectant l’estimation de coût de projet pour les pièces usinées de haute précision

Une des étapes critiques durant le processus de fabrication d’une pièce usinée est l’une des toutes premières : l’estimation aussi précise que possible du coût final de la pièce pour la compagnie qui en entreprend la fabrication. Ce projet a pour principal objectif de déterminer l’importance des paramètres qui impactent le coût de fabrication d’une pièce usinée. Une meilleure compréhension de l’impact de ces paramètres à travers une investigation rigoureuse du flux de projet de l’estimation de coût de pièces usinées est essentielle pour permettre le développement futur d’outils automatisés pour la prédiction de coût de pièces usinées. Le développement de cet outil d’estimation des coûts est une étape cruciale dans la transition d’une usine de fabrication vers une approche intégrée plus numérique et automatisée “Industry 4.0”, permettant à l’industrie manufacturière de devenir plus résistante et agile face à l’évolution rapide des demandes sociétales et industrielles.

Ribosome population optimal control in protein expression

Expression of genes is one of the most essential biological processes underlying life. A fundamental part of this process is the translation of proteins, mediated by molecular machines known as ribosomes. Ribosomes contribute significantly to both cellular mass and energy consumption in the cell, which suggests that efficient management of ribosome population is crucial to metabolism and growth.

When the cell lacks specific nutrients, the active degradation and “recycling” of ribosomes can act as a source of nutrients, and the decrease in ribosomes also reduces energy consumption. On the other hand, fewer ribosomes are now available for production of proteins. What is not presently clear is the extent to which the recycling mechanism and the resulting control of ribosome population can be used as a strategy to optimize gene expression, in the presence of varying nutrient availability, over a long period of time. To address this, in our project we propose to develop and study a mathematical model of gene expression, and to mathematically derive and describe optimal strategies for regulating the ribosome population.

Testing Antifouling Performance of Graphene-based Coatings

Marine biofouling, which is the growth of organisms on ocean infrastructure, is a widespread problem with substantial economic and environmental costs. This project undertaken by the intern will evaluate the performance of a novel graphene-based antifouling coating developed by Graphite Innovation & Technologies (GIT). This coating is designed to be non-toxic, durable, and slippery, making it difficult for biofouling organsms to attach. A series of field tests will be used to help in the research and development process, refining the antifouling and durability characteristics of the coating. These real-world tests will benefit GIT helping to refine their technology and generating valuable information for marketing purposes.

Determining spatial and temporal overlap of migratory fishes with areas proposed for in-stream tidal turbine development to inform the tidal power Risk Assessment Program

The lack of scientific data on the potential effects of instream tidal power extraction on migratory fishes is delaying the decision-making process on a technology that shows promise for reducing carbon emissions, and for which Canada could become a global leader in the production of infrastructure. It remains unclear if fishes that occupy Canada’s leading tidal energy test site (Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy [FORCE], in Minas Passage, Nova Scotia) will be negatively affected by turbine installations. The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq/Mi’kmaw Conservation Group (MCG) highly values healthy ecosystems and the environment. It is critical to the MCG that any negative effects of future deployments of in-stream tidal power devices on valued marine species be accurately quantified. The objective of our study is to determine spatial and temporal overlap of fishes with areas scheduled for turbine deployment. We will use fish tracking technology from InnovaSea to determine spatial and temporal overlap of Alewife, Atlantic Salmon, Striped Bass, Spiny Dogfish, American Shad and Atlantic Sturgeon at the test site in Minas Passage, an area scheduled for turbine operations.

Development of Novel Chemistry for Copper Deposition by ALD

(Overview from original project, awaiting updated memo from Justin)

Copper is an important metal for microelectronics: it acts as interconnects (i.e.,
the wiring) between the devices in the microchip. As microchips get smaller, it is
more difficult to make this wiring by traditional methods. Thus, a new technology
(atomic layer deposition, ALD) is positioned to enable the deposition of copper
when interconnects need to be formed on the nanoscale. Presently, there is no
ALD process that adequately deposits copper with the necessary conductivity to
act as an interconnect.
This research will develop a family of copper-containing compounds that show
excellent characteristics for ALD. This family of compounds have been defined
in a provisional patent application, and this one term internship will provide the
improvements that this technology needs to demonstrate its excellence as a
premiere copper precursor

Solution-processed transparent electrodes for semi-transparent perovskite solar cells and tandem solar cells

The project consists in fabricating transparent electrodes using a method that can be used for industrial production. They are a key component to make semi-transparent perovskite solar cells, which can be an energy-producing alternative to windows and building facades.
The intern will do preliminary studies on the electrodes by depositing them using a well-documented, lab-scale methodology. Afterwards they will fabricate the electrodes with a scalable deposition technique and optimize the process. Then they will produce a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell using the optimized electrodes, and the other layers deposited as per the literature or the organization’s procedure. Finally, the intern will make a tandem solar cell by combining their best perovskite solar cell with a commercial silicon solar cell.
Rayleigh Solar Tech Inc. will benefit from this project as it will accelerate the commercialization of semi-transparent perovskite solar cells. Once the scalable process is deemed possible, manufacturing trials can begin.

AI-Powered Dispute Settlement

The objective of this project is to develop an algorithmic system, trained on both public legal data and proprietary negotiation data, that will provide tailored predictions of likely court-based dispute resolution outcomes and optimal settlements. In the proposed sub-project, a team of interns (JD students) will be modelling and labelling dispute-resolution data on complaints against hospitals and municipalities. We anticipate that a first dataset, ready for algorithmic model testing, will be completed by the end of the internship.