Projets novateurs réalisés

Phase II: Genomics and Lipid Studies for Flavour Selection in Pork

The hog industry in Manitoba is a very efficient means of converting grains and pulses into
high quality protein. Fresh pork is a healthy and nutritious source of protein, yet demand
remains static. One of the main reasons cited by consumers for not choosing pork is the
absence of good taste in modern pork. The objective of this project, which is a continuation
from Phase I of this project is to get fresh pork back on the dinner table by restoring its
flavour. In Phase I, sensory analysis to test the flavour of 1,350 pork tenderloin samples from
an array of breeds supplied by Maple Leaf was conducted, in addition to metabolomics
analysis, which gave information on precursors critical for good flavour development.
Sensory data and characterization of the metabolomics profile, coupled with genomics and lipid analysis in the final phase of this research (Phase II), will enable us to understand the
relationship between sensory outcomes and factors that play of role in influencing taste and
acceptability to determine which samples result in the most naturally flavorful meat samples.
This will allow for customized recommendations to be made to the hog industry, with
specificity regarding diets, ideal genetic strains, and conditions to yield the most desirable
pork for consumers. TO BE CONT.

The impact of Flood risk on the value of residential property: The case of Quebec city

Whether due to urbanization or climate changes, flood events have an impact on property value. Newly available geography data about flood risk zone have yet not been utilized to their full potential in Canada. This project aims to study the impact of the flood risk zone on the value of homes for Quebec City, and to identify other regions in Canada where similar conditions could affect housing value. The development of a strategy to expand the aim of research at the country-wide level will else be part of the project.

Influence de l’imidaclopride et du stress sur la reproduction et les capacitésmétaboliques des oiseaux.

L’intensification agricole est une des principales menaces qui pèsent sur la biodiversité. Les activités humaines génèrent des polluants qui affectent la santé des écosystèmes. La dangerosité de ces polluants est le plus souvent établie à partir de leurs effets mortels sur les animaux. Or, même exposés à de faibles doses, des effets non létaux liés à l’exposition aux pesticides peuvent contribuer à réduire la taille des populations. Ces effets sont rarement quantifiés ni utilisés pour établir la règlementation. Cette étude expérimentale vise à reproduire les mécanismes opérant dans les systèmes agricoles intensifs contaminés où la disponibilité de la ressource alimentaire est réduite par l’usage de pesticides. Plus précisément, elle vise à déterminer les effets cumulés de l’exposition à l’imidaclopride et de la restriction alimentaire qui l’accompagne sur la croissance et le métabolisme d’oisillons. Elle permettra de mettre en lumière les effets synergiques de ces deux contraintes tout en fournissant des données essentielles à la compréhension des mécanismes physiologiques potentiellement impliqués dans le déclin de la biodiversité aviaire en milieu champêtre. À terme, ces données contribueront à l’établissement d’indicateurs d’impact des polluants sur la santé de la faune sauvage qui s’avéreront utiles pour les conseillers environnementaux .

An investigation into the psychometric properties of patient-oriented measures in frailty and dementia

Patient centred measures can facilitate better health outcomes by focusing on symptoms considered important to the patient themselves. These kinds of measures can prove useful with regard to age-associated health issues such as dementia and frailty. A patient oriented approach can ensure that the patient receives the correct intervention at the appropriate time, and can potentially provide individualized clinical evaluations to avoid unclear or misleading findings from standard psychometric tests.

Goal attainment scaling (GAS), a system of goal setting which places the emphasis on the symptoms of individual patients, has been utilized in dementia research. However, due to limitations of GAS, such as feasibility issues, the approach was modified to build a novel tool, Dementia SymptomGuide™ that allows patients and carers to record and track dementia-related symptoms online. The Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale was developed in response to some of the limitations of commonly used frailty measures (e.g., small numbers of listed symptoms; inappropriateness with severely frail). An investigation into the psychometric properties of these newly developed tools is necessary to determine reliability, validity and responsiveness. Also this research will solidify the industry partner’s position as a global leader in the field of patient-centric outcome measurement for clinical monitoring and research.

The role of serpin-producing B. longum as an inhibitor of gluten/ATI-related innate immuneactivation

Gluten-related disorders include a variety of clinical entities triggered by the ingestion of gluten containing cereals. The
best characterized condition is celiac disease, an autoimmune enteropathy occurring in genetically susceptible
individuals. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity or non-coeliac wheat sensitivity (NCGS/ NCWS) is a clinical descriptor of
patients, in whom celiac disease and wheat allergy have been ruled out, that present with intestinal and/or extraintestinal
symptoms after ingestion of gluten-containing foods. We recently found that treatment of mice with a
probiotic manufactured by our industrial partner (Nestle), a B. longum NCC 2705 producing serpin, alleviated gluteninduced
intraepithelial lymphocytosis and restored villus to crypt ratios. We also observed a change in glutenasic
activity in mice treated with B. longum NCC 2705, suggesting the protective effect may include a specific mechanism
linked to the metabolism of gluten. We will test the role of B. longum NCC 2705 in the metabolism of gluten and
amylase trypsin inhibitors which have been implicated in the induction of innate immune responses. The results will
enhance the mechanistic knowledge and provide a basis for human trials and the potential application of these
probiotic strains by the industrial partner, in the prevention or treatment of gluten and wheat sensitivities.

Searchable Social and Environmental Impact Measurement Database

Stakeholders from all business sectors are increasingly looking to businesses to address pressing social and/or environmental issues. Co-operatives are facing the same challenges, and must also use non-financial indicators to demonstrate their co-operative difference.
The purpose of this project is to develop a web-based searchable database of existing tools and frameworks to measure social and environmental performance of business and enterprises. Thus far, we have identified in excess of 80 different tools and frameworks that could be used by co-operatives to measure their social and environmental performance. Through this Mitacs grant, this data will become organized, standardized and searchable within a web-based database. As something of this nature has not been done for the co-operative sector, it would become the “go to” database on expanded reporting for co-operatives in Canada, if not globally.

Moving the weakest links upstream: assessing passage of rainbow smelt and alewife at two Prince Edward Island fishways

Dams can be problematic for fishes, particularly those that migrate. In order to help fish move around dams, fisheries managers may construct fishways (aka “fish ladders”). However, these structures do not always function properly, often because they were built only to pass trout and salmon and are thus inappropriate for other species. This project aims to assess the ability of migratory rainbow smelt to use a newly constructed, “fish friendly” fishway at MacLean’s Pond on the Vernon River, PEI. We will also assess alewife passage (sometimes called “gaspereau”) at a fish ladder on Officer’s Pond, Winter River, PEI.

Systematic development of novel peptide-derived therapeutics for the treatment of breast cancer

Cancer will affect 2 in every 5 Canadians in their lifetime, with just over 25% representing new breast cancer diagnoses in women. Despite significant progress in the treatment of the most common cancer in women, resistance to chemotherapeutic agents remains a consistent obstacle in terms of the successful treatment of many types of breast cancers. The Mitacs-funded collaboration between NuvoBio and the Biggar lab at Carleton University is seeking to address this issue by systematically designing and developing peptide-based inhibitors that hold the promise as new therapeutics. This will be accomplished by using novel methods of peptide-based inhibitor development to efficiently design potential inhibitors that disrupt the function of critical proteins that are known to drive breast cancer progression.

Synthesis of Carbohydrate Derivatives for the Improvement of Red Blood Cell Storage

Most red blood cells (RBCs) are stored from 1-6 °C in an additive solution of saline, adenine, glucose, and mannitol for up to 42 days. Cryopreservation of RBCs at -80 ºC in 40% glycerol can prolong their shelf life to at least ten years; however, the process to remove glycerol prior to transfusion is time-consuming and precludes the use of cryopreserved RBCs in emergency situations. The proposed research aims to develop non-toxic carbohydrate derivatives to improve the quality of hypothermically-stored RBCs and facilitate the use of cryopreserved RBCs.

Determination of active surface area, gas permeability, and mass transport resistance in fuel cell catalyst layers

Gas transport in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is of increasing interest since low gas crossover is desired in the membrane, however high gas transport is desired in the catalyst layer where ionomer is present (and is typically similar in chemical structure to the membrane). This project will investigate the permeability of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium gases through a series of polymer materials which are candidates as membranes and ionomers to see how processing techniques, additive usage, and accelerated stress tests impact resulting gas transport properties. In addition, the effective surface area of platinum in the catalyst layer, which is impacted by the ionomer content, will be determined for a series of catalyst layers prepared at the company. The materials used and processing techniques are expected to change the accessible surface area which is an important factor in maximizing expensive catalyst utilization. TO BE CONT’D

Visualization of the cool-flame and hot-flame combustion process within the Ignition Quality Tester

There is an interest in the optical determination of the combustion process within the IQT™. This would be performed using optical probes integrated within the IQT™. From these probes, the location of the cool-flame and hot combustion process will be identified for different fuels within the IQT™. Along with the location of combustion, the ignition delay will also be measured using the chemiluminescence of the combustion products and will be compared to the actual IQT™ method of ignition delay determination using pressure transducers in the combustion chamber. This work will also be beneficial to researchers using the IQT™ to validate chemical kinetics models of novel fuels. They will now be able to compare the cool-flame ignition point of their models to measurements performed within the IQT™.

Global ground stability mapping with radar satellites

3v Geomatics (3vG) processes tens of thousands of radar satellite images annually to measure ground stability over time. The image processing pipeline demands very high storage and computation resources. The goal of this project is to enhance this pipeline so it can deliver better results faster. First, the project will profile and identify efficiency bottlenecks of the pipeline. This will be followed by design and development of novel approaches to enhance pipeline efficiency. Opportunities can be found at various levels, including improving task scheduling to utilize resources more efficiently or accelerating individual graph-based algorithms employed in the pipeline.
This project and resulting improvements in pipeline throughput are very crucial to 3vG. As thousands of tasks are queued waiting for availability of resources, even minor optimization to the pipeline can yield a significant improvement to productivity of the entire process. TO BE CONT’D