Innovative Projects Realized

Thermal characteristics of viruses in humans, specifically COVID-19

The research project will focus on identifying thermal characteristics of COVID-19 in humans and applying the characteristics identified to detect COVID-19 in humans using non-invasive methodologies.

For this project, the thermal characteristics of viruses in humans, specifically COVID-19 will be studied. The aim will be to answer the following questions:

(1) What are the thermal characteristics in COVID-19 patients?
(2) Can thermal imaging be used to specifically identify subjects infected with the virus?
(3) Can this research advance existing thermal imaging solutions to improve current detection methods of COVID-19?

The goal, in part, is to help enable effective responses to viral-based pandemics and, possibly, a solution to help rebuild the Canadian economy.

Expanding Web-Based Educational Opportunities for Canadian Students in STEM

The closure of schools across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed significant gaps in educational provision. In addition, K-12 teachers have had difficulty finding learning resources related to the programs they are responsible for teaching. When students fall behind in school, they develop a learning gap with their peers. Learning gaps are relatively common and invariably require, at some point, a strategy to help the student catch up. In this project, we will examine the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing an innovative online tool that addresses the common challenge of the learning gap in education. We will explore how this innovative online platform can support the accelerated catch-up phase of students with a learning gap and strengthen the digital skills of teachers.

Evaluation of recombinant bovine herpes virus-1 as a platform for novel cancer immunotherapy development

The most recent breakthroughs in cancer treatment are based on understanding that our immune system can be activated to attack tumours. While first achieved using antibody drugs called “checkpoint inhibitors”, this new paradigm of activating a cancer patient’s own immune system is also possible using viruses, an emerging field known as oncolytic virus (OV) therapy. The idea of OV stems from certain viruses that cause minimal disease in humans but have the ability to infect and subsequently elicit an immune response against cancer cells. Dr. Karen Mossman’s lab has discovered that bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), a virus that naturally infect cattle and not humans, may be developed into novel OV therapies. 3io Therapeutics, the project’s Canadian partner organization, is committed to accelerating development of BHV-1 as a new therapeutic platform to treat cancer and will benefit from the opportunity to commercialize this technology.

The use of aquatic therapy to manage musculoskeletal pain in Canadian military veterans

The proposed research project has two aims: 1) to understand the experiences of Canadian Military Veterans with lower extremity pain when participating in aquatic therapy; 2) To determine the effectiveness of aquatic therapy versus land-based therapy on Canadian military veterans with chronic lower-extremity pain. To accomplish these aims, we will conduct a mixed methods study with two components: 1) a qualitative study that involves interviewing Canadian Military Veterans with chronic lower extremity pain about their experiences participating in Aquatic Therapy; 2) a randomized clinical trial comparing aquatic therapy to land therapy for Canadian Military Veterans with chronic lower extremity pain.

The Hydra Lab is an organization that was developed in order to complete research and guide effective rehabilitation processes at Hydrathletics. Hydrathletics is a physical rehabilitation facility that specializes in aquatic therapy and has a large veteran clientele.
A better understanding of veterans’ experience with aquatic therapy and its effectiveness in comparison to land-based therapy will provide valuable evidence for the creation of new services or programs and for tailoring services to reflect the needs, preferences, and expected outcomes of Canadian military veterans living with chronic lower extremity pain.

Modeling the phenotypic effects of neuromodulatory agents on human neuronal cells using cerebral organoids

Emerging therapeutic agents that function through the brain’s neurotransmitter systems have recently shown robust benefits in a number of otherwise challenging to treat neurological conditions including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The long-term changes that these agents induce within neural tissue is still however unclear. This MITSCS program aims to to use expertise in tissue bioengineering models to explore the molecular changes that modulation of these pathways induces in neuronal cells. By growing and analyzing artificial humanoid brain tissue in the presence and absence of various relevant neuromodulatory agents, scientists will help us better understand their downstream and long-term molecular changes. These insights are expected to help provide a stronger understanding of how these novel neurotransmitter pathways improve brain function, will help improve their safety, and guide new indication for use of this emerging drug classes for other difficult to manage neurological disorders.

Evaluation of the effects of pipe-soil interaction on the stress based design of buried pipelines using advanced numerical modeling

Thermal stress analysis of the buried pipeline is an integral part of pipeline design and integrity analysis. Pipeline design code (e.g. CSA Z662) provides guidance on the thermal stress analysis of restrained and unrestrained pipe sections. However, a buried pipeline bend is more likely to be partially restrained, as the pipe is free to expand longitudinally, but the expansion is restrained by the pipe-soil interaction. No clear guidance is provided in the design code for a partially restrained condition. Besides, circumferential stresses induced by thermal expansion is not considered in the design code. One of the major challenges in the thermal stress analysis of buried pipelines is modeling the soil as the engineering properties of soil depend on a wide range of factors. The complex deformation characteristics of the buried pipeline in response to the thermal expansion induced in-plane and out-of-plane bending moments are significantly affected by pipe-soil interaction. The proposed research will investigate the gaps in the design code through advanced finite element analysis. The deliverables of this project will not only help industries, e.g. Northern Crescent, to improve design and integrity assessment of buried pipelines but also the outcomes can be useful to update the design codes.

High-Performance Sulfide-Electrolyte-Based All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries for Safe Electric Vehicle Applications

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been considered as one of the most promising candidates to meet the energy storage demand for electric vehicles due to their high theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg-1, low cost, natural abundance, environmental friendliness. State-of-the-art Li-S batteries, using liquid electrolytes, still have significant challenges in their safety and lifespan. Accordingly, solid-state Li-S batteries (SSLSBs) have recently been attracting increasing research and industrial attention due to their ability to overcome intrinsic disadvantages of flammable liquid electrolytes used in current Li-S batteries. The objective of this proposed research is to develop safe and high-performance SSLSBs with sulfide-based electrolytes. The project includes three main directions: (1) preparation of highly conductive thin sulfide electrolytes film; (2) development effective Li protection strategies to realize the combination of sulfide electrolytes with Li metal anode, and (3) design of high-performance SSLSBs with a stable interface between sulfide electrolytes and sulfur cathodes. GLABAT SOLID-STATE BATTERY INC. as an industrial partner will support and be involved in this project. The innovative research will help both GLABAT and Canada increase their global competitiveness and create new economic ventures.

Signalling Bodies as Resistant: Coded Queerness in Visual Culture

Through historical research, I examine the role of queer history to demonstrate how, and in what ways, oppression evolves into resistance. Focusing on visual culture, such as photographs, home video’s and films, as well as ephemera, letters and personal papers, the goal is to shed light on the dark corners of queer history. By illuminating historical pain and trauma, the intention is to reveal the resilience of previous generations, and where negative affects inform locations of recuperation. The need for such research is to provide future generations strategies of survival; where legacies of inequity can be recouped and systemically changed. Visual culture and personal papers of everyday LGBTQ2+ communities disclose the complexity of simple lives and provide salient, real world knowledge of those who came before us.

Development of a quantitative framework for methane emissions from soil gas migration issues in the oil and gas sector

The proposed research project will develop quantitative gas migration testing techniques and regulatory thresholds that address the complex nature of the multiple interacting variables that can confuse gas migration investigations. The study will focus on the development of in-situ field measurement technologies and instrumentation to characterize the variables that impact soil gas and isotope signatures for different environmental conditions.

Integrating multiple deep learning models to track and classify at-risk fish species near commercial infrastructure

Companies must not harm species at risk around their fixed infrastructure and need a way to detect and monitor at risk fish. However, a species at risk cannot be tagged and studied using conventional surgically implanted fish tracking technology. Innovasea is therefore developing a platform to monitor fish using a combination of sensors such as acoustic devices, visual and active sonar and optical cameras. This effort requires a robust accurate method to detect fish and classify them by species. To meet this need, we propose testing two deep learning models, one using filtering combined with a convolutional neural network for detection and the other using optical flow and gaussian mixture models with a YOLO fish species classifier. We will first test these methods for classifying fish species using data from a high resolution DIDSON imaging sonar, then develop guidelines to help Innovasea develop and launch their integrated multi-sensor platform for fish monitoring, and finally we will develop the best performing prototype model into a fully implemented system which will be able to detect and classify untagged fish with data from multiple types of sensors.

Biological sources and the persistence of aerosols generated by variousdental procedures

Dental personnel are high risk professions in contracting and disseminating COVID-19 due to their transmits through respiratory droplets, dental personnel are at high risk of being exposed to the virus if an asymptomatic
patient comes to their clinic. However, limited studies have been performed on the characterization of aerosols generated during dental procedures, how far these aerosols may travel in the clinic, and if they accumulate during the day. This lack of information leaves dental regulators to give guidelines to their members without having enough information to make appropriate decision for personnel and patient protection, as well as disinfection procedures. The objective of the study is the characterize aerosols generated by various dental procedures. The study will also look at how far these particles travel inside a dental clinic and if there is a risk of accumulation during the day.

Finding position and characterization of the defects in 3D point cloud

The inspection process has been an inseparable part of manufacturing to measure dimensions such as diameter, flatness, roundness and straightness of the parts. Besides, on some machined surfaces, it is required to measure roughness and identify surface defects. For defect detection, companies are still relying on visual inspection, which is very slow and labor-intensive. To overcome all challenges, interferometry instruments are used to acquire 3D images. Still, once a surface is acquired, the position and size of defects have to be found, and sometimes defect has to be classified. Novacam Technologies Inc. designs and manufactures fiber-based low coherence interferometry instruments capable of acquiring volumetric data in hard to reach spaces. The goal of the proposed project is to identify defects on the acquired point cloud file of the curved surfaces and find its position, orientation and size. The major and minor axis of each defect will be computed and profiles through the deepest point extracted. All the parameters related to the defect’s position and characterization will be listed in a log file.