Projets novateurs réalisés

Social Matching for Health Researchers

The Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute is interested in addressing an organizational challenge associated with its size and the geographical location of its partners, which form a research community that is spread over multiple sites located in distant parts of the city. The large number of researchers and physical disconnection of the buildings limit social interaction amongst researchers, and lead to unawareness about opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. To address this problem, the Institute desires to evaluate innovative solutions based on online social matching. The objective is to create a research collaboration network designed to break down social and physical barriers. We will evaluate possible algorithms to match and connect researchers automatically based on their interests, expertise, program affiliation, and discipline. We will integrate the algorithms into a social network, and perform a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the system.

Towards automatic tree selection through fusion of mobile lidar and computer vision information

The aim of this project is to explore the automation of tree selection, which consist of selecting which trees to cut in a forest harvesting operation. When selecting a tree, one must consider multiple characteristic of the tree: its size, its position relative to other trees, its health and many other things. We begin this endeavor by developing a method to precisely measure the diameter and the position of trees in a given area. To do this, a combination of a laser scanner and a camera will be used. This has already been achieved using a laser scanner only, albeit with insufficient precision for our intended application. In selective tree cutting, you need to know which trees are big enough to be cut and their location. Typically, this is done manually by a qualified forest technician for each site. TO BE CONT’D

Développement de modèles multi-capteurs pour le suivi de la turbidité issue des effluents miniers de la région de Schefferville

La turbidité des lacs fait référence à la teneur de l’eau en matières en suspension (MES) qui la troublent. Elle peut être causée soit par des particules : organiques (matières animales ou végétales), ou inorganiques (limon, argiles ou composés chimiques). En 2010, Tata Steel Minirals Canada (TSMC) s’est établie dans la région de Schefferville pour l’exploitation de trois gisements de minerai. Conformément aux Lois de Terre Neuve et Labrador et du Québec, les sociétés minières sont tenues de réaliser un suivi de présence des MES sur leurs sites d’exploitation. L’échantillonnage in situ est le moyen le plus utilisé. Cependant, pour des impératifs budgétaires évidents, il demeure couteux et est limité dans le temps et l’espace. L’utilisation des données satellites peut présenter une alternative intéressante. Ainsi, l’objectif de ce travail est de développer des modèles multi-capteurs (PLanet, Landsat et Sentinel-2) pour le suivi de la turbidité des eaux douces de la région de Schefferville.

Performance-Based Seismic Assessment of Irregular Bridges

The current project is designed to assess the level of damage that a realistic irregular bridge will undergo after the occurrence of an earthquake. This study encourages an improved understanding of post-seismic return to service and repair of an irregular bridge. A more sophisticated approach will be used to analyze the complex vibrations of the bridge in response to a seismic excitation and to simulate the progressive collapse of the bridge during an earthquake. If the damage in bridge exceeds a predetermined safe and repairable level, a seismic retrofit plan will be proposed to control the post-earthquake damage level and safeguard the bridge against catastrophic failure. In addition, the outcome of current study is expected to improve the current seismic analysis methods of bridges with considerable irregular geometry.

Effects of a probiotic product from Lallemand Inc. on growth performance and intestinal morphology of chickens raised under suboptimal conditions

According to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada produced 1.2 billion kilograms of chicken with chicken products worth $2.5 billion. Domestic consumption of chicken in 2016 was 32.5 kilograms per person. Canada exported over 5.3 million chicks worth over $13.4 million, mainly to the United States. That same year, 134.1 million kilograms of chicken meat and edible bi-products, worth $453.1 million, was exported to 60 countries, with the largest importers being the United States and Philippines. In order to maintain the healthy development of the industry, Canada’s chicken farmers continue to evolve their production practices in response to consumer preferences. The industry has developed strategies for antibiotic usage on the farm for reduction, surveillance, stewardship and research and innovation. After elimination of Category I antibiotics throughout the chicken sector in 2014, Chicken Farmers of Canada announced in 2017 that the chicken sector would be eliminating the preventative use of Category II antibiotics by the end of 2018. To maintain chicken’s health, probiotics are one of the alternatives to antibiotics. This proposed project will promoter the Canadian company to develop a product for Canadian poultry industry.

Étude sur l’utilisation des jeux vidéo chez les enfants de 4 à 12 ans

Notre étude a pour objectif d’évaluer les habitudes de jeux chez les enfants âgés entre 4 à 12 ans. Nous souhaitons préciser les profils de joueurs et les types de jeux en fonction des tranches d’âge et du sexe, mais aussi de comparer l’usage entre des enfants avec et sans difficultés développementales. Nous aimerions aussi étudier les associations entre les symptômes de dépendance aux jeux vidéo et les symptômes d’inattention et d’hyperactivité chez les enfants TDAH. Enfin, nous aimerions aussi connaître la perspective des parents. Nous voulons réaliser notre étude dans des milieux communautaires (écoles, camps de jour) et dans des hôpitaux avec des cliniques de pédopsychiatrie. Pour ce faire, nous remettrons aux parents intéressés des questionnaires à remplir en une fois (sur les caractéristiques de l’enfant et ses habitudes de jeux entre autres). Les résultats de ce projet ont le potentiel de nous aider à mieux comprendre les enjeux des jeux vidéo chez les enfants. À plus long terme, certaines recommandations ou tout du moins orientations pourraient en ressortir pour guider les parents concernant l’usage des jeux vidéo chez leurs enfants.

Grassland butterfly conservation and headstarting program

Grasslands are one of the most endangered habitat in North America. In Manitoba, over 90% has been lost in the last 100 years and with it a suite of prairie adapted species. The Poweshiek skipperling is one such species which in recent years has plummeted in abundance for unknown reasons. Less than 500 individuals remain in the wild and the grasslands of southeastern Manitoba represent one of the species’ last strongholds. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is partnering with other organizations to establish a headstart program for this endangered butterfly in hope to stabilize its population in the province. This project will develop the needed expertise and novel methodologies to raise and release this butterfly back into suitable grasslands.

Diversity Snapshot of Hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

This project will provide a snapshot of diversity in hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). There

are a number of culturally diverse groups (e.g., visible minorities, women) who face barriers to

accessing healthcare services in Ontario as well as preventing their full workforce partiCipation. In

order to identify and address these barriers, diversity strategies (e.g., practices, processes, policies)

will be examined in six key areas: leadership and governance; strong and transparent human

resources practices; quality of life and organizational culture; measuring and tracking diversity;

integrating or mainstreaming diversity across the value chain and developing the pipeline. In such a

highly diverse region as the GTA, an examination of diversity strategies would yield examples of

successful practices – aimed at creating higher quality, client-centred, and accessible healthcare as

well as to increase the labour force participation of diverse groups – that can be adapted and applied

elsewhere.

A Framework for Assessing Regulations and Initiatives with Goals and Watson Analytics

Regulations are introduced to ensure the well-being, safety, and other societal needs of citizens and organizations. Yet, regulators often have difficulties assessing the performance of their regulations, and whether regulatory initiatives actually improve compliance. This project’s main objective is to investigate the suitability of a framework combining a standardized goal modeling notation with an existing cloud-based analytics and visualization tool (IBM Watson Analytics) for assessing compliance to regulations as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of regulatory initiatives. The intern will develop goal models for two regulations and companion initiatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and use existing data to analyse compliance and performance. Watson Analytics will help understand and interactively visualize correlations and trends. This framework will help regulators detect and understand, in an evidence-based and usable way, which parts of their initiatives and regulations do not work as expected, and enable them to take appropriate improvement actions.

Role of gut microbiome in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders

The healthy human gut contains a network of millions of bacteria that help to digest food, fight infection and promote human health. Stress, changes in diet, antibiotic use, and other environmental conditions can disrupt the bacterial network, and contribute to a wide range of illnesses including irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety depressive behaviors, autism, mood disorders, obesity and cancer. This project will describe the microbiome (bacteria and bacterial genes) present in health individuals compared with individuals diagnosed with a neurodevelopment disorder (ASD and ADHD) or mood disorder (depression and bipolar). This knowledge with contribute to our understanding of which bacteria and bacterial genes constitute a healthy versus unhealthy microbiome. Since bacterial composition can be relatively easily manipulated, personalized treatment of gut-bacteria-related psychiatric disorders shows tremendous potential for improving human health and reducing the economic burden of mental health disorders the health care system.

Influence des milieux humides sur le tracé des chemins forestiers

Les chemins forestiers sont indispensables tant pour l’industrie forestière pour accéder à la ressource ligneuse qu’aux collectivités pour profiter des services écologiques rendus par les écosystèmes, par exemple la villégiature, la chasse ou la cueillette de petits fruits. Mais les chemins sont aussi reconnus pour leurs nombreux effets négatifs sur les écosystèmes aquatiques et les milieux humides. Ironiquement, les chemins coûtent plus cher en milieu humide car les sols sont moins stables et la machinerie s’y enfonce facilement. Depuis les années 2000, des cartes de milieux humides sont devenues disponibles pour une grande partie de la forêt canadienne. Tembec (Rayonier AM), une entreprise forestière opérant au Québec et en Ontario, s’associe à des chercheurs pour déterminer comment elle pourrait intégrer l’information de ces cartes dans sa planification de réseaux de chemins, i.e. avant de les tracer sur le terrain et ainsi diminuer tant ses coûts d’opération que ses impacts environnementaux.

Reciprocal invasion potential of North American and European spruce bark beetles

The goal of our research project is to estimate the risks of the North American spruce beetle and European spruce bark beetles becoming invasive in their counterpart’s range. These species can be accidentally spread through global trade and can cause considerable mortality of their host spruce. To estimate invasion risk, we aim to predict the interactions between the bark beetles, host trees, and predators which eat the bark beetles. These interactions influence the ability of an invading bark beetle to find suitable host trees and to survive to adulthood. Our experiments in Norway will determine whether European spruce bark beetles will infest and reproduce in the North American spruce which were previously introduced to the region. We will also conduct trapping experiments to determine whether predatory insects will be attracted to the pheromones of the non-native North American spruce beetle. These are complimentary experiments to ones already underway in Canada and will allow us to predict whether these bark beetles have the potential to become invasive outside of their current range.