Projets novateurs réalisés

Can retaining wetlands in agro-ecosystems mitigate the effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity?

Agricultural practises in the North American prairies have intensified in the last several decades to increase food production, resulting in the drainage of up to 70% of prairie wetlands in some areas. Not surprisingly agricultural intensification is associated with the loss of biodiversity. Our research aims to assess whether retaining wetlands in agro-ecosystems can mitigate the effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity, by monitoring wetland-derived insects and the breeding success of birds that depend on wetland-derived insects as prey. Since wetlands in the prairies continue to be lost, research focusing on how wetland retention influences biodiversity in agro-ecosystems is essential for management strategies aimed at conserving biodiversity, while also maintaining agricultural productivity. Research identifying possible co-benefits to agricultural producers and conservation agencies of retaining wetlands could sustain profitability for producers through economic incentives and “green” marketing opportunities, and the provisioning of ecosystem services by wetlands to society.

Programme d’analyse des troupeaux de boucherie du Québec

La production de bovins de boucherie représente la quatrième production animale en importance au Québec avec un volume de plus de 710 000 animaux commercialisés annuellement amenant des revenus à la ferme de 1 milliard de dollars. Le programme d’analyse des troupeaux de boucherie du Québec a pour but de récolter des données de performance des animaux afin de fournir aux producteurs de l’information tangible sur leurs entreprises. Des données sont recueillies et de consolider les différentes bases de données et de faire des analyses afin de générer des informations quant aux tendances au niveau de la production, des ventes et des rendements. La stagiaire évoluera dans un contexte très appliqué et produira des données importantes pour la prise de décisions afin d’améliorer la productivité, l’efficacité et la rentabilité des troupeaux de bovins de boucherie du Québec.

Utilisation des lymphocytes B humains, pour l’activation de lymphocytes T in vitro, dans une perspective thérapeutique

L’immunothérapie est un traitement prometteur pour soigner le cancer et les infections virales. Ce traitement consiste à éduquer des cellules du système immunitaire, les lymphocytes T, pour qu’ils puissent éliminer les cellules problématiques du patient. Une des grandes difficultés est de fournir de l’aide spécialisée aux lymphocytes T pour faire leur travail. Cette aide vient de cellules qui montrent aux lymphocytes T comment combattre ces maladies. Ces cellules aidantes sont difficiles à obtenir en quantité suffisante pour préparer les lymphocytes T pour les patients.
Lors d’un don de plaquettes réalisé chez Héma-Québec, le produit sanguin est filtré pour enlever les globules blancs et le filtre est jeté. Ces filtres sont très riches en cellules et contiennent justement les cellules aidantes que nous recherchons. Notre projet propose la récupération des cellules contenues dans ces filtres pour éduquer des lymphocytes T et rendre l’immunothérapie disponible pour un plus grand nombre de patients.

Correlation of multiple antibiotic resistance with biofilm-formation ability and the role of RpoS on biofilm formation in environmental E. coli

Bacterial contamination of fresh waters is a concern for the Great Lakes region.

Contamination can be prevalent due to direct faecal deposits, as well as environmental

conditions, such as sand, serving as a reservoir. One of the major contributors to bacterial

persistence in the environment is the formation of multicellular biofilms. RpoS, a general

stress response sigma factor, likely has a positive function in biofilm formation, but RpoS in

environmental isolates is also subject to loss through mutation and selection. This project

aims to identify a putative correlation between multiple antibiotic resistance and biofilmformation

ability, as well as the effect of RpoS on biofilm in environmental E. coli strains.

Because the partner organization (Environment Canada) works on multiple antibiotic

resistance for microbial-source tracking and has previously collaborated with us on work

related to RpoS, this project is a natural extension of earlier work.

Exploratory Study on the Prevalence of Alexithymia in a Child Welfare Population

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Alexithymia is a personality construct that represents a reduced ability to identify and describe feelings, a limited imagination, and externally oriented thinking.not classified as a mental disorder in the DSM-IV. Alexithymia raises special clinical issues: 1) it is known to be a trait and distributed across the general population where prevalence is 8-10% (Karukivi, 2011; Taylor & Bagby, 1988) and 2) it is a dimensional personality trait that varies in severity from one person to another (Parker, Keefer, Taylor, and Bagby, 2008). Since alexithymia in adolescents is likely to predict poorer outcome in several different mental disorders, the possibility of alexithymia in a child welfare population should be explored efficiently (Karukivi, 2011).

Évaluation de la toxicité d’effluents miniers sur la daphnie

Comme dans toute industrie d’importance, les activités minières engendrent des rejets liquides qui nécessitent une gestion spécifique afin de garantir leur innocuité environnementale. Pour réduire l’impact du déversement de ces effluents miniers dans l’environnement des normes environnementales ont été définies. Malgré les traitements des eaux, les objectifs environnementaux de qualité des effluents peuvent occasionnellement ne pas être atteints avant d’être rejetés dans l’environnement et être toxiques pour des organismes aquatiques comme les daphnies.
Mine Raglan est une entreprise désireuse de respecter en tout temps les réglementations et de réduire l’empreinte environnementale de ses effluents miniers.
Le présent projet a donc comme objectifs principaux d’évaluer la toxicité d’effluents miniers sur la daphnie et de proposer des solutions de traitements des contaminants. Les recommandations de gestion et de traitement des effluents pourraient s’appliquer à toutes les mines en milieu nordique.

La perception du temps : un prisme pour comprendre le processus entrepreneurial chez les séniors

Depuis quelques années, on assiste à un nouveau phénomène lié à l’allongement de la vie humaine : l’entrepreneuriat sénior. Un examen du secteur de la PME au cours des dernières années permet de constater qu’un nombre croissant de ces entreprises ont été créées par des personnes ayant 50 ans ou plus. Ainsi, l’entrepreneuriat senior est un phénomène dont l’intérêt est croissance. De toute évidence, les défis sont différents pour un entrepreneur de 30-40-45ans comparativement à un autre de plus de 50 ans puisque les périodes de vie sont fort différentes. La perception du temps chez le sénior en démarrage ou qui souhaite passer à l’action sous peu influence forcément l’engagement entrepreneurial à cet âge. TO BE CONT’D

Radiofrequency Treatment for Emphysema in Rat Model

Emphysema, a lung disease that millions of Canadians currently suffer from, has few safe and non-invasive options available. One of the features of emphysema is the lack of proper blood flow in the diseased lungs and this results in poor gas exchange. IKOMED Technologies Inc. and the two interns will test an innovative technology that has the potential to remove diseased lungs non-surgically. Together they will test and optimize this application using small rats to check both safety and effectiveness of this new treatment method. IKOMED Technologies Inc. is the sponsor of this work and will be acknowledged in potential publications. The data collected may be used for future patenting of this new treatment technology.

Smart Control Valve Development for Viscous Flow Metering

The operation of complex industrial plants is based on the measurement and control of critical process variables. In most process industry applications, the final control element is usually a control valve, which has been identified as often the limiting element in improving performance of the control loop. Wave Control System (WCS) is developing a new generation of smart control valve with metering function to satisfy the metering requirement of crude oil and other fluids with various viscosity. Compared to the conventional valve, the proposed control valve with metering functions reduces the cost of installation significantly and lead to improved process control. Successful completion of this project will improve the control loop performance and reduce the installation cost of sensors, actuators and associated pipelines. This will find essential applications in the Canadian process industry including oil and gas extraction, refinery and chemical industry for improved production efficiency and product quality.

Sigma factor expression in E. coli environmental isolates

Water quality is critical for a many human activities. With respect to recreational water,

a particular type of water source, there are often relatively high levels of microbial

contamination in relation to other types of water sources (e.g., drinking water). E. coli

is used as a microbial indicator for water quality because E. coli accumulation is

positively correlated with fecal contamination. It is recognized that this current

approach, however, is not fully protective of the health of the public using beaches. E.

coli strains differ enormously in pathogenic potential as only few strains carrying

disease-causing genetic determinants (e.g., strain O157:H7). This study will be taken

place to examine the differences in genetic composition and gene expression between

E. coli laboratory strain and environmental strains. Well-understood sigma factor

genes will be employed as model genes to operate this study.

Condition assessment of infrastructure facilities using combined image processing and sensing technologies

As Canada’s infrastructure grow older every year, the inspection and maintenance of these capital intensive assets becomes more challenging. Most deterioration mechanism occur over a long period of time. Certain defects remain unnoticed during regular inspection until it is too late. Unfortunately, delayed diagnosis of defects can significantly increase the annual cost of maintenance.
Inspectors and maintenance managers demand innovative methods that help them identify and quantify deficiencies earlier, and more accurately. This R&D project proposes an innovative condition assessment of infrastructure facilities without direct interaction of labour in a timely and cost-effective manner. A combined approach of sensing technology and image processing is proposed to 3D-map the condition of a structure over time. To do so, highly accurate sensors and transducers are installed along the structural members under inspection to monitor the internal changes. The sensing results are combined with the map of surface changes. TO BE CONT’D

Investigation of In-Situ Flux Effect on Hydride Properties in Zr-2.5Nb Pressure Tubes in CANDU Reactors

In the operation of CANDU reactors, the Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes holding the cooling water and fuel bundles are susceptible to hydride cracking-induced crack initiation mechanisms, known as delayed hydride cracking and overload crack initiation. It is required to evaluate the likelihood of DHC and overload crack initiation from service-induced flaws to determine whether the pressure tubes are still fit for continued service for the integrity assessment of pressure tubes. Furthermore, the continuous fast neutron irradiation alters the properties of the pressure tubes, which pose potential effect on the formation of brittle hydride and possible crack initiation as well. This proposed experimental work will address hydride cracking mechanism change upon irradiation by using proton irradiation from an accelerator, which is much faster and less expensive compared to in reactor neutron irradiation. TO BE CONT’D