Projets novateurs réalisés

A precalibrated rate-dependent constitutive model for cyclic softening

When an earthquake happens, the soil underneath structures loses all or parts of its resistance. This condition is called liquefaction (for loose sands) or cyclic softening (for sensitive clays) as the soil acts as water during the earthquake. Liquefaction or cyclic softening can damage considerably man-made and natural earth structures and cause serious loss of human properties and lives. Examples can be found in several earthquakes such as the 1964 Niigata earthquake, the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan, and the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

My project consists of developing a predictive model which can integrate the behavior of sensitive clays at the time of earthquakes. This model can be used in practice to simulate the effect of seismic loading on sensitive clays to predict if cyclic softening happens or not, or more simply, if clays lose strength and if they can hold the structures in an earthquake or not. One of the focus of this research effort is ensuring that the model is simple to use, yet with robust predictive capabilities so that practitioners can use of the model even if they do not have a solid background in mathematical equations.

Ecosystem Services of Native and Non-Native Urban Trees

In 2013, North America’s 1st ‘sustainable’ landscaping rating system will be launched: the Sustainable

Sites Initiative (SITES: www.sustainablesites.org). A major component of this guideline is the

preference for native plants because they are assumed to provide greater ‘ecosystem services’ than

non-natives. However, to date no research has been conducted in North America that compares the

relative value of native and non-native urban trees, and as such data on this crucial aspect of SITES is

lacking. The research proposed here will obtain the 1st North American estimates on the relative value

of native and non-native urban tree in terms of three major ecosystem services: (1) pollination, (2) biocontrol,

and (3) habitat for biodiversity. The data resulting from this research will be of broad

applicability to North American sustainable landscaping initiatives, such as the SITES.

How predictable is evolution: repeatability and variability in salmonids

Within species, there is variability among individuals in their characteristics and resource use. This variability is frequently represented as discrete forms, or morphs, that have differences in genetics, physical characteristics, and resource use. The evolution of morphs within fish species has occurred independently dozens of times within lakes at northern latitudes. This phenomenon is perhaps most incredible within species of the family Salmonidae, as there are several salmonid species in which three or four co-occurring morphs have been observed. Although multiple morphs have evolved in several independent instances, it is unknown to what degree the process of evolution has been similar in each case. For example, it is unknown whether the evolution of multiple morphs is associated with particular features of the environment, or whether the morphs exhibit repeated patterns in terms of their physical characteristics and resource use. In this project, a meta-analysis collating data from studies addressing evolution of salmonid morphs in individual lakes will be used to address these questions.

Dynamic Control Algorithms for Autonomous Path Planning and Tracking of Agricultural Wide-Span Implement Carriers (WSIC)

The proposed project aims to develop dynamic control systems for the autonomous operation of agricultural Wide-Span Implement Carriers (WSICs). The dynamic effects will be integrated into the control algorithms for the stationary and mobile mode of WSIC to further improve the precision and efficiency for path tracking of the machine. The proper control laws will be designed for path tracking and point-to-point displacement. The simulation or experiment for the WSIC platform based on the dynamic model will be compared with the results based on the existing kinematic models. The proposed project takes advantage of the expertise in dynamic control systems by the host professor Katupitiya (UNSW) and the WSIC designed by the home professor Laguë (uOttawa). Peer-reviewed publication is expected in this project. This project can also be the basis and a specific subject for my doctoral research project “Development of dynamic control algorithms for obstacle detection and avoidance by autonomous agricultural WSICs”.

A Prototype for a Privacy-Aware Health Sharing App

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are validated questionnaires with which respondents self-report their health status. This may include symptom severity, functional status, and quality-of-life data. PROMS are an increasingly important part of the communication between a patient and their healthcare team. Beyond the individual encounter, PROMs data is also critical to healthcare systems providing more personalized care through “precision medicine.” PROM data helps give context to all the other sources of big data (e.g., laboratory/radiologic, genomic, wearable sensor) collected in healthcare.
The challenge, however, is collecting PROM data in a way that is secure and private, and in conformance with the specific desires of individual patients. By providing this assurance individuals can share such data with their healthcare providers, researchers, care givers, or their family with the assurance that it will only be used as intended. This is the challenge Promera is trying to address. TO BE CONT’D

Hey Neighbour Collective

Widespread decline in social capital is well-documented and has been attributed to a range of underlying root causes, from policies regarding the physical design of our neighbourhoods, increasing geographic mobility, shifting away from more localized economies, the complexity of increasing cultural diversity in many areas, to societal beliefs and norms related to individualism. We know these issues touch many of us, however, where you live makes a difference. Levels of social connection are lower in multi-unit buildings than in single detached houses. In Metro Vancouver, based upon 2017 research published by the Vancouver Foundation, renters, young people and low-income people are less likely than homeowners and older people to say they “feel welcome” in their neighbourhoods and to know neighbours well enough to ask for help. TO BE CONT’D

Exploring patient motivations for wanting to stop an abortion

Recent campaigns by anti-abortion activists in the United States have centered on the claim that medication abortion with mifepristone, a highly effective regimen for early pregnancy termination, can be “reversed”. Despite the fact that this is not supported by medical evidence, multiple states have incorporated this information into state mandated counselling materials for abortion patients. While the trend of abortion reversal is alarming for a number of reasons, to date no research has specifically examined the experiences of patients who begin – and then want to stop – a medication abortion. The anti-abortion movement argues that this is a common experience. This study will use qualitative, in-depth interviews to explore patient motivations for wanting to stop an abortion. We anticipate that the findings from this study this will have implications for abortion counselling and patient care. As well, we hope that the findings from this project can be used to inform policy discussions surrounding so-called abortion reversal.

Exergoeconomic Optimization of Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage Technology (A-CAES)

Development of energy storage has been identified as one of the most important features of our rapidly evolving energy grids. While the significance of flexibility it provides is well understood, commercialization remains non-trivial. Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) is founded on well-known scientific principles that have been combined and applied in a novel way. These innovative systems are complex, each component with its own opportunity for optimization. Two new A-CAES facilities are being built for connection to Ontario and Australian power systems; this proposal will use advanced thermodynamic analyses to determine how each of the A-CAES systems can be operationally optimized. These energy storage systems can perform many different services for energy grids, each often with its own value proposition. In addition to optimizing the engineering performance of these systems, analysis will be undertaken to determine how each system should be operated to maximize profit for these fledgling businesses.

Inférence causale pour mesurer le retour sur les investissements publicitaires

Même si les compagnies d’assurances investissent des sommes considérables en publicité, il leur est souvent difficile, voire impossible, de répondre précisément et avec confiance à la question « Combien de nouvelles soumissions d’assurances par des clients potentiels sont générées grâce à ces investissements publicitaires ? » Pourtant, des données sur les efforts publicitaires et les soumissions reçues dans chacune de plusieurs régions pour chacune de plusieurs périodes de temps sont disponibles. Ceci suggère que des analyses statistiques appropriées devraient permettre de trouver une réponse à cette question. Dans ce projet, nous allons développer des outils d’analyse statistique qui permettent d’estimer séparément les effets de la saisonnalité et ceux des investissements marketing afin de voir quelle proportion des nouvelles soumissions peuvent être attribuées aux efforts publicitaires de la compagnie.

The effect of a self-guided neurofeedback mindfulness program on selective attention in autism: a feasibility study

Research has found that mindfulness-based meditation practice, when guided by professionals, can improve emotional well-being and attention. This has led to interest in offering meditation practice to autistic people. Indeed, whilst autistic people are able to process more sensory information than non-autistic people, which can lead to strengths in some areas, it can also lead to difficulties concentrating.

Some studies have found that autistic people benefit from meditation programs, both in their mental health and an increased ability to concentrate. These studies involve regular in-person sessions taught by experienced meditation instructors. For this project, we would like to see if the same effects can be obtained using a self-guided program, which the person can complete at home with minimal supervision. The program involves a meditation headset and corresponding phone application. These headsets pick up on brain activity associated with deep relaxation, and are able to detect when a meditative state is achieved, and offer this feedback to the user. Researchers will test autistic and non-autistic participants on a range of attention tasks, as well as measuring brain activity and changes in mood, in order to determine whether this self-guided meditation program is effective to improve attention and well-being in autistic adults.

Varieties of Climate Governance: Germany Case Study

States have built their climate institutions in a diversity of ways, rooted in their traditions of governance. Our collective thinking in responding to climate change lacks an understanding of the effects created by these institutions; they incentivize certain forms of politics and diminish others. This research project aims to understand the institutional architectures that create effective climate policy. The multinational project consists of case studies from seven countries with unique governance approaches in an effort to distill what sort of policies are effective at managing climate change. Through inclusion of evidence from several countries, we aim to consolidate a normative foundation of the best ways to structure these institutions and facilitate international policy diffusion. The project is timed to inform the “National Policies and Institutions” chapter of IPCC AR6 (to be released in 2021). This part of the project, managed by Professor Christian Flachsland at the Hertie School of Governance, examines the case study of Germany.

Étude de faisabilité d’une solution « Blockchain » pour la sécurité et la ges-tion de l’information dans l’industrie du jeu

Axes Network Solutions Inc. est une entreprise québécoise offrant des services de gestion des informations en infonuagique qui octroie des licences d’intelligence et d’applications exploitables pour l’industrie mondiale du divertissement et des loisirs.
Dans un souci de se moderniser et d’offrir des solutions plus variées et plus conviviales à ses membres clients, Axes souhaite explorer les capacités des technologies émergentes et ce qu’elles peu-vent apporter lorsqu’il est sujet de services de gestion des informations en infonuagique pour l’industrie du divertissement et des loisirs. Plus précisément, Axes veut investiguer la possibilité de migrer son ar-chitecture de données vers un modèle distribué Blockchain. Cela garantira l’intégrité et la disponibilité des données, et permettra également de développer des contrats intelligents et des applications décen-tralisées afin d’offrir de nouvelles possibilités aux acteurs du secteur.