Projets novateurs réalisés

Variations of Redox conditions across the Cambrian-Ordovician GSSP (Green Point Formation) in western Newfoundland (Canada): implications from the Trace element, Mo-, U-, C-, S- and N-isotope signatures

The specific investigation of the redox conditions of the Green Point Formation sediments will allow modelling the paleoceanographic conditions on a global basis particularly because the investigated formation is the Cambrian?Ordovician GSSP, which adds to the value of the contributions of the study to understanding the global distribution of source rocks around that time interval.

Study of texturizing bacterial strains in yogurt

The most promising strategy to reduce texturizing ingredients is the incorporation of bacterial cultures that have intrinsic capacity to modulate the texture of fermented milk due to the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS). Yoplait has sequenced the genomes of several bacteria strains that could be introduced as starters or adjunct cultures in yogurt. The main objective for Yoplait is the selection of promising EPS-producing strains that show stable texturizing properties in yogurts. The production of yogurts without additives will improved its acceptability by the consumers and therefore boost yogurt sales.

Enhancement of power system security using synchrophasor data

This research project investigates how to improve the security of operation of a power system using

measurements taken at several locations of the power system. In the past, there was no technology

available to synchronize these measured data, and thus the applications were limited. Now, the

technology has advanced and the measured data can be synchronized using Global Positioning

Satelittes (GPS). We investigate two different approaches for enhancing system stability and thus

security. In one approach, the synchrophasor data is used along with traditional Supervisory Control

and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The combined data set will then be used to determine the

transient stability margin of the operating state of the power system. This will allow the system operator

to operate the power system with the desired stability margin. The other approach is to use the

synchrophasor data in a feedback system to enhance the transient stability and oscillatory stability of

the power system. This improves the stability margin…

Confinement Properties in Magnetized Plasmas

In order to model and determine properties of plasmas such as magnetosphere or fusion devices a consistent mathematical model is required. The goal of this project, among other open problems, is to prove long time uniqueness and existence of the Relativistic Vlasov Maxwell system. In the process, determine estimates on the electromagnetic field intensities, the kinetic distribution functions and their derivatives in hot and cold magnetized plasma regimes. A better understanding of plasma behaviors can prove advantageous in many applications such as space travel, or clean fusion devices. Computational challenges arise due to the non-linearity of the system. An original mathematic approach to such problems is being developed and implemented. So far it as been successful for cold plasmas, but one goal would be to extend these results to hot, relativistic plasmas. In the process help us to understand some of the turbulent structures which form. Richard Feynman is quoted with saying that the understanding of turbulence is the greatest problem in classical mechanics. Thus any advancements will be of highly invaluable to the field.

North Coast Innovation Lab

The North Coast Innovation Lab (NCIL) is a place-based initiative for people who are invested in the future of Prince Rupert to work together on tangible projects and initiatives that build a resilient economy as a tool for community well-being. Forthcoming student Project Coordinators provide capacity to the efforts of the NCIL through action-research, project prototyping/piloting, social innovation methodology application & understanding, and community learning activities and presentations reflecting the efforts and outcomes of the NCIL. They enhance internal and community understanding of complex community challenges; build relationships and partnerships within Prince Rupert; enhance collaboration and cooperation in developing innovative projects; and support ongoing community development initiatives.
Ultimately, the NCIL hopes to spark a systemic shift in the approach to community-led economic development, and student Project Coordinators (interns) will play an integral role in the planning, research, prototyping and feasibility of NCIL-related initiatives.

Generation and characterization of novel small molecule protein degraders in oncology

Many patients who initially respond well to highly efficacious chemotherapy eventually develop resistance and relapse despite continued treatment. These cancers acquire drug resistance to current therapies through various mechanisms such as the acquisition of mutations for example. Furthermore, some promising targets that play a crucial role in the progression of cancer have been deemed undruggable using current methods. The proposed project aims at synthesizing novel drugs based on a new design to target three proteins for degradation, located in different cellular compartments with their function well characterized in contributing to cancer. The knowledge gained from the project will allow the nomination of lead compounds that will be further developed by Paraza Pharma Inc. in the future as successful drug candidates.

Evaluating the Risk of Climate Change and Hydraulic Processes to Linear Infrastructure

Networks of linear Infrastructure, such as our roads and pipelines, allow us to move people, natural resources, and manufactured goods. Common practice has been to utilise historic climatic data to establish deterministic design guidelines for water course crossings. With climate change uncertainly, asset managers are in a position where they are questioning the guidelines and their current infrastructure robustness. This project proposes to produce an integrated approach that provides the framework, analytical methods, and supporting science for assessing linear infrastructure robustness in the face of climate change uncertainty This approach will provide equity to communities through design criteria that integrate environmental, social and economic values directly linked to geomorphic process. From this project, SNC Lavalin will gain additional modelling tools and an improved understanding of geomorphological processes to provide the stakeholders of linear infrastructure construction and rehabilitation projects with more information while making risk analysis decisions.

Determination for the cause of increased chlorination disinfection by-products in two Manitoba water treatment plants

Surface waters, such as lakes and rivers, often have high amounts of natural organic matter formed from decaying plants and animals. Drinking water treatment plants that use these water supplies are often faced with removing these compounds due to the unfavorable formation of carcinogenic disinfection by-products during disinfection with chlorine. However, removal of organics can be difficult due to the unique composition of the water resulting from local environmental conditions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the local organic composition the better understand which treatment processes can be applied to remove natural organic matter and control the formation of disinfection by-products.

Effectiveness of Behavioural Science for Financial Decision-Making

Understanding the factors that influence the financial decisions that individuals make is particularly important in difficult economic times. The proposed research seeks to understand the factors that influence financial decision-making under economic stress, with a particular interest in the efficacy of interventions to influence decision-making and the role of financial literacy and related constructs. The project will include a literature review, the development of a new questionnaire-based research tools, and a psychological experiment focusing on decision-making under high and low stress conditions. In addition to contributing to the academic literature on decision-making, it is expected that the research will have practical applications in helping to increase the efficiency of interactions with financial consumers and aid them in completing their tasks, in part by contributing to the development of tools to optimally inform consumers.

Heterogeneous Compilation for P4 and Caching for high-performance networking

Today’s data-center network services cover a broad spectrum that evolve rapidly which means that regularly new services need to be deployed in production networks in a timely manner. Using network programmability, a network programmer can write a precise specification of what the network behaviour should be, and this specification is translated by a compiler and executed on the hardware. The goal of the project is to allow this programmability to include automatically leveraging hardware to improve performance. The results of the project will help improve the partner’s competitiveness in this market.

Health Information Interoperability with Bidirectional Transformation and Assurance (HealthBX)

The objective of the HealthBX project is to research and develop advanced software engineering methods for the purpose of increasing the interoperability of different clinical health information systems used in the province of British Columbia (BC). BC clinics use a variety of different health information systems to maintain electronic patient data. However, the abilities for these systems to exchange health data electronically is severely limited. The software that governs electronic health data exchange must be engineered to comply to important quality requirements, such as safety, correctness and reliability. The HealthBX project will use new engineering methods (assured, bidirectional transformations) to achieve these objectives. Our project partners will benefit from exposure to these new methods and the Canadian public will benefit from increased, reliable health record exchange capabilities.

Understanding the effect of the oral microbiome on the performance of dental implant crown materials

We are at the era of precision medicine and dentistry; however, currently there have been no attempts for personalized dental implant design and material selection that take into account variations in individuals’ anatomy, oral microbiome, saliva properties, and mechanical requirements. The overall objective of this MITACS project is to utilize a multidisciplinary approach to explore intra- and inter-variability of oral microbiome and saliva properties of individuals and their effects on a set of new implant crown material candidates, manufactured by the partner organization. Our hypothesis is that early oral characterization of saliva properties and oral microbial communities can assist dental practitioners to select the optimum (most biocompatible) dental implant material candidate(s) for each individual separately. The desired long-term result of this research program is to improve dental therapeutics and move towards customized and personalized dental treatments.