Projets novateurs réalisés

Breath monitoring using optical microresonators

Optical sensors are revolutionizing the physiological measurements important for diagnostic purposes. For instance, we can now use optical methods to measure heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and even blood pressure. Optical technology, in the form of optical microresonators that can trap light at a microscopic scale, can also be used to measure very small changes in the concentration of analytes. Our project proposes to use optical microresonator technology to monitor the oxygen levels in the breath of a person to do a direct measurement of their cardiorespiratory fitness in the setting of a family doctor’s office or as a wearable device. The availability of those measurements would result in earlier detection of cardiovascular risks and improve the overall health condition of patients.

Modelling cavitation erosion risk in a hydraulic turbine

Hydro power generates a large proportion of Canada’s electricity, and is by far the largest source of renewable energy. Modern hydraulic turbines are highly optimized with respect to size (cost), power output and efficiency. One of the main factors limiting further efficiency increase is cavitation. Cavitation occurs where the local static pressure drops below vapor pressure causing the appearance of vapor bubbles much like the bubbles that appear in water when it is brought to boil. The presence of cavitation can easily be predicted with computational methods. However, not all types of cavitation cause damage. Recently, a new cavitation erosion prediction method has been published, promising the prediction of damage from the cavitation. This method will be implemented and tested for its effectiveness through the comparison of its predictions to known cavitation damage on existing hydraulic turbines.

Développement d’une politique de développement social chez Centraide Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean selon une approche participative : coconstruire aujourd’hui pour mieux intervenir demain

Ce projet de recherche vise à accompagner Centraide Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean dans la réalisation d’une politique de développement social qui lui permettra d’affiner sa stratégie d’investissement social. En cohérence avec les principes du développement social, nous mobiliserons les principaux acteurs du développement social de la région pour co-construire cette politique. À terme, ce projet de recherche action permettra à mieux jouer le rôle qui lui est dévolu, soit de soutenir les organismes communautaires du territoire du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean dans leur mission de lutte à la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale.

A Social Welfare Maximization Matching Framework for Supplemental Nurse Staffing

The adequacy of hospital nurse staffing in Canada is essential for the delivery of quality health care to Canadians. In light of permanent nursing staff shortage in most of Canadian hospitals, using of supplemental nurses to bolster permanent nursing staff is widespread. Having suitably qualified staff on duty at the right time is a large determinant of service organization efficiency in providing continuity of care. On the other hand, attractive schedules are an important factor leading to successful recruiting and retaining valuable nursing personnel. Computing mutually beneficial staffing schedules in a dynamic supplemental nurse staffing environment at larger scale is a big challenge facing healthcare staffing agencies. In this project, we will develop machine learning algorithms, optimization models, dynamic scheduling structures to tackle the challenge. These proposed methods will be implemented in software modules and integrated in a software platform which can be hosted in Medialpha’s cloud computing environment. By using the proposed supplemental nurse staffing system, Medialpha will attract more nurses and hospitals to their platform. In addition, the integrated system will streamline Medialpha’s business process and lower its operational costs.

Developing Mixed-use Affordable Communities: Identifying Opportunities for more Sustainable and Affordable Suburban Development in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA)

This research project builds on a strong partnership with Parallel Architecture, an architecture and planning firm interested in exploring the role of private city-builders in redressing the housing affordability crisis and finding progressive ways of leveraging current federal, provincial, and local policies. This project seeks to examine: (1) how can new mixed-use suburban development meet the conditions of affordability and complete communities?; (2) what costs in the development and financing process of mixed-use developments can be effectively lowered through current policies?; and (3) what examples exist at the national scale of housing that is affordable, efficiently built, and attractive in suburban mixed-use communities and what can be learned from such contexts and experiences that may be transferable to the GTHA? By collaborating with York University and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Parallel Architecture will gain insight on best practices in mixed-use affordable housing development in the suburban context.

Development of a Drive-through Climate Tunnel for Autonomous Vehicle Development

A climatic chamber can replicate the weather conditions for an entire year, which allows tests to be performed faster, in weeks instead of years and thereby speeding up the product development circle. In traditional climatic wind tunnels, the test vehicles are usually strapped to the floor, and there is no relative motion, with the associated environmental effects, such as spray and soiling, which are not desirable for autonomous vehicle navigation since it relies on optical sensors. The proposed project attempts to develop a new climate tunnel that is long enough to drive through it. Computer-aided design and computational fluid dynamics will be used to develop the concept to facilitate the construction of a physical tunnel, which is then calibrated and used to generate precipitation data. The industry partner will gain insight in applying their analytics tools to the precipitation data. The interns will gain industry relevant skills.

Optical transistors and nano-features for security applications

We study a novel type of optical transistors using metallic nanohole arrays. The transistors operate based on strong coupling between surface plasmon polaritons and excitons via the metallic nanofeatures. One such transistor can act as a control unit, a photo-detector or a modulator and can open innovative practical applications in many fields. The physical structures of the transistors are flexible, light weight and ultrathin, so that they can be integrated in large scale with other types of thin-film optoelectronic components. In this project, we will build these transistors into our industry partner’s patented technologies for authenticating secure documents using built-in optoelectronic circuits and nano-structures. The proposed research can potentially enable reliable security applications that can help prevent loss from counterfeiting

Aurachins – from total synthesis to mutasynthesis

Evaluate the biodistribution of HyperMabs protein biologics therapeutics

HyperMabs is a biopharmaceutical company that designs and develops innovative therapeutics targeting lung diseases. HyperMabs is currently evaluating a drug candidate developed using in-silico methods to target lung disease. For this project, we aim to study the biodistribution of HyperMabs therapeutic, currently in its pre-clinical stage designed to treat several lung diseases. To achieve this, we wish to label the HyperMabs therapeutic with a labeling molecule to facilitate visualization of distribution of the therapeutic in lungs. The results obtained from this study will help the company to understand the efficacy of the drug which is crucial in optimising the dosing parameters to achieve maximum therapeutic benefits.

Flyscan : Détection de terre fraîchement remuée

Flyscan a pour mission de révolutionner la télédétection des hydrocarbures liquides au sein des réseaux de pipeline afin d’assurer la protection des infrastructures énergétiques, et ce, grâce à une technologie de pointe et aérienne qui permet d’automatiser le processus de détection, d’augmenter la rapidité de la détection des fuites, d’améliorer la prise de décision pour les interventions et de réduire substantiellement les coûts relatifs à la surveillance des pipelines. Dans le présent stage, un algorithme permettant de détecter la terre fraîchement remuée sera développé. Cela permettrait la détection de l’empreinte laissée par les véhicules circulant dans les servitudes des infrastructures afin d’anticiper la présence de fuites près des oléoducs pouvant avoir été causée par le creusement du sol sera développé. De plus, une étude sera effectuée pour analyser la synergie entre les capteurs utilisés par les drones de Flyscan. Le projet sera réalisé en utilisant un jeu de données issu de différents capteurs embarqués (hyperspectral, visible, LiDAR). La tâche du stagiaire consistera à utiliser ces données labélisées afin de concevoir un réseau de neurones permettant de détecter la terre fraîchement remuée.

Traitement, analyse et visualisation de la performance des athlètes

Le club de hockey le Canadiens de Montréal cherche à développer des outils de visualisation pour faciliter l’interprétation et la communication des données à sa disponibilité avec les décideurs (administrateurs, entraineurs, recruteurs) de l’organisation. Une grande quantité de données est produite à chaque match et entrainement de l’équipe, provenant des déplacements des joueurs (géolocalisation), évènements et actions sur le jeu, localisation des coéquipiers et adversaires, etc. Le département de science du sport et performance doit communiquer cette information le plus clairement possible avec les différents départements de l’entreprise.

Thales : Traitement des signaux sonar combinant l’analyse des signaux, la séparation des sources et l’apprentissage automatique.

Le traitement des signaux sous-marins est une tâche complexe et difficile dans le cadre des activités de renseignement et de guerre anti-sous-marine. Il demeure toujours difficile pour un opérateur de sonar de maitriser la complexité de l’analyse des signaux, essentiellement en raison du déluge d’informations diverses que ces systèmes fournissent.
Le but de ce projet est de développer un algorithme permettant d’automatiser la détection et la classification des signaux. Le projet sera réalisé en utilisant un jeu de données synthétiques, provenant de simulations de signaux provenant de sources en mouvement, combiné avec des enregistrements de signaux sonores réels de milieu marin. Ce jeu de données composites servira à générer les ensembles d’entrainement et de test pour les systèmes d’apprentissage automatique. La tâche du stagiaire consistera à concevoir un classificateur permettant d’identifier rapidement et précisément les cibles d’intérêt stratégique. Cela permettra à un opérateur sonar de filtrer chaque événement sonore (cible ou environnement) d’importance.