Innovative Projects Realized

Applying Techniques from Human Factors in Industrial Engineering to the Evaluation and Improvement of New Technology for Blood Delivery to Operating Rooms

Transfusion medicine in Ontario faces two challenges, how to reduce the potential for errors, and how to reduce the use of blood products when blood supply is low. New technology such as electronically controlled blood fridges is suggested for tackling these two challenges but little is known about their actual impact on errors or blood usage. In view of this knowledge gap, the proposed internship study, using a human factors perspective, aims to assess the impact of proposed blood delivery technology and to identify design gaps. Applied human factors methods will be used including a comprehensive study of the blood delivery process and the use of a new blood delivery technology. In addition, the study will include interviews with key personnel involved in the blood delivery process to augment observational and quantitative findings. This information would be used to motivate design development of effective blood delivery solutions, and inform purchasing decisions for blood delivery units in Ontario hospitals.

Assessment of Physiological Cold Tolerance Mechanisms of Miscanthus

The Semantic Web offers a tantalizing new opportunity to share knowledge that is formally represented. While general visualization strategies for linked data are the subject of many current investigations, certain relations have a well understood meaning which could lead to custom visualization strategies. Our research proposal consists of three parts: (1) surveying the kinds of relations used in Bio2RDF, one of the largest linked life data resources; (2) identifying visualization strategies for standard and popular semantic relations; and (3) developing approaches for exploring and visualizing highly connected linked data, taking advantage of previous work in library and information science. This research will have direct tangible benefits to industry partner Wirespeak Inc. towards the modernization project with Library and Archives Canada and will further lead to strategic advantage in the area of visualization of Semantic Web data, from which new commercial opportunities are planned that will yield economic benefits to Ontario in terms of jobs and foreign direct investment.

Probabilistic Safety Analysis Methods for Application in Nuclear Technologies

The ability to make safety-related decisions and to demonstrate compliance with regulatory or safety limits is of great importance in the nuclear industry. For example, we may be interested to assess whether a component (such as the pressure tube which carries fuel) has undergone physical changes that have exceeded its allowable limits (e.g., the pressure tube has expanded in the radial direction due to irradiation effects). The problem relies on the development of models that involve parameters describing such components and to use the models to predict and assess whether the parameter has become non-compliant. These predictive models are built using (imperfect) experimental data or complex computational codes. Thus, these physical parameters are considered as random variables that are subject to uncertainties (e.g., stochastic and epistemic) that affect our ability to make safety-related decisions. The objective of this project will be to investigate the development of methods and tools required to demonstrate the statistical basis for reaching decisions that are consistent with the 95/95 industry standard.

The development of advanced mathematical and statistical applications are used in supporting and enhancing AMEC NSS’s wide range of services in the areas of thermal hydraulics analysis, reactor physics analysis and operational support. The products from AMEC NSS are directly related to supporting and ensuring the safe operation of the Nuclear Generations in Ontario (e.g., Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power).

Management, host pathogenicity, and rapid identification of Magnaporthe poae, causal agent of summer patch on annual bluegrass and Kentucky bluegrass turf.

This project is designed to determine best management practices for a devastating disease of turfgrass that is currently controlled primarily by multiple fungicide applications. By assessing appropriate cultural practices aimed at reducing disease development it is our hope that we can reduce fungicide applications for this disease. In addition, the development of a rapid and simple diagnostic tool would greatly benefit turfgrass managers (our partner organization) and also allow for more timely fungicide applications, again reducing the overall amount of chemicals used in Ontario to reduce the effects of this disease.

Revisit of Seismic Performance of the CN-Tower based on the New Building Code of Canada (NBCC 2005)

Toronto’s CN Tower is the world tallest freestanding tower structure. Built between 1973 and 1975, this giant communication and observation tower represents the extensive design process that lasted six years. The structural design of the Tower was one of the major challenges of design process.

The structure has been designed based on the latest engineering knowledge at the time of construction. Since then significant changes and improvement has been applied to building codes and standards. The National Building Code of Canada has gone through major changes specifically in seismic provisions. On the other hand in-situ measurements and test during the last three decades gives the opportunity to have a better estimate of many static and dynamic properties of the tower.

Furthermore development of structural analysis software has given an opportunity to better understand the behavior of the structures. In this project the intern will revisit the seismic performance of CN-Tower based on new codes and standards by running an in-depth nonlinear dynamic analysis with today’s powerful software under the supervision of academic and industry supervisor.

Development of the Next Generation UV Disinfection Models for Wastewater Treatment

UV disinfection technology is recognized as a potent tool for the disinfection of water and wastewater. A recent study of wastewater treatment technologies concluded that UV and ozone treatment are the most advantageous advanced technologies for disinfection of pathogens. Trojan Technologies Inc. (Trojan), the industry partner, based in London, Ontario, Canada, is the world leader in the development, design, manufacture and sale of UV reactor systems for wastewater treatment projects. The overriding goal of this research project is to advance the knowledge of UV wastewater disinfection to 1) help Trojan develop the next generation leading technology and 2) establish guidelines that will help practitioners size, design and operate UV wastewater systems with enhanced performance consistency. In essence, a successful research project will lead to both sustained market dominance for Trojan and future market growth, as well as keeping Ontario at the forefront of the development of wastewater treatment technologies.

New Precursor Selection Algorithm for More Efficient MS/MS Acquisition

Shotgun mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as a powerful technology for large-scale proteomic analysis recently. By measuring thousands of peptides in a prepared sample, health researchers can gain insight into the complex disease pathways, which can be used for diagnosis and treatment. A crucial problem in the current MS experiments is that not every peptide can be effectively measured by the instrument, and a lot of spectra measured are from contaminants but not peptides. We aim to develop new algorithm to optimize the so called “data-dependent” acquisition procedure, so that the instruments can utilize its duty cycles to measure the real peptides instead of contaminants. The software tool developed in this project will become an independent product and bring commercial benefits to Bioinformatics Solutions Inc. Besides, it will help to generate high quality spectra, which will enhance the vast applications of MS in biology, clinical diagnosis and medicine discovery areas.

Peptide Sequencing with MS/MS Spectra from Multiple Fragmentation Methods

Shotgun mass spectrometry-based proteomics has emerged as the most powerful approach to comprehensively analyze proteins in a biological sample over the last few years. This technology will play a key role in the predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine design. Correct peptide identification from a tandem mass spectrum is the crucial step to determine the target protein sequence and it is indeed one of the most challenging topics in Bioinformatics. Nowadays, the instrument venders have successively refined their mass analyzers to generate different types of tandem mass spectra simultaneously. We proposed a novel research to utilize the useful information brought by this new technology. The collaboration with Bioinformatics Solutions Inc. allows my research outcome to be rapidly applied to, and tested by real-life applications, as the company plans to incorporate the research outcome in their successful commercial product.

Competitive Project Portfolio Management for Large Portfolios

While effective execution of projects (project management) is important to the ultimate success of organizations, choosing the right set of projects to pursue (project portfolio management or PPM) is just as critical. The proposed research will focus on an important, yet understudied, complexity of the PPM problem: the effect of competition. Since the success of projects, such as a new product, can depend on the actions of competitors, firms must consider their competition in their resource allocation decisions and engage in competitive project portfolio management (CPPM). The goal of this research is to develop tools and methods for solving the CPPM problem and subsequently create a new service offering for Open Options Corporation. Open Options is already recognized as the leader in the application of game theory to business problems which it applies to companies worldwide and its success will contribute to Ontario’s role as a hotbed for new technologies.

Recovery of Ni/Co/Cu from amorphous slags

The proposed study is a part of a project that will aid in implementing an environmentally clean technology for the recovery of Ni, Co and Cu from slags (waste and semi-waste materials) of nickel production in Ontario. The conventional technology for metal recovery can treat only slags with a high content of valuable metals (~3%), and it results in technological and environmental complications, such as recycling of impurities as well as uncontrollable release of fugitive sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Pressure oxidative acid leaching, the alternative technology proposed, is superior in terms of its environmental impact, and, perhaps, cost. Feed preparation via granulation can make the process more attractive for implementation. However, it has been found impossible to recover the valuable metals from amorphous slags obtained by granulation. The work to be undertaken will help determine the mechanism responsible for the issue in order to come up with a solution.

Bioleaching of Pyrrhotite concentrate for Ni Extraction

Discarded unattended waste slag soon becomes acidic resulting in an uncontrolled source, thereby releasing metals to the environment by a process known as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). Traditional Pyrometallurgical methods to extract base metals from ore tailings have focused on using acid that is produced locally as a result of smelting operations, and Oxygen to accelerate this process at 250oC that helps in quantitatively extracting metals in solution and concurrently cleaning the slag. However such a process calls for significant capital expenditure in terms of heat transfer equipments like Heat exchanger as well as places a burden on the atmosphere due to emission of noxious gases such as sulphur dioxide. Furthermore, as society’s expectations for a cleaner environment increase so do the environmental regulations that push industries to invest in emission reduction and elimination of hazardous waste rejection. In this regard, our research will focus on using Bacterial mediated leaching (Bioleaching) that is aimed at improving nickel extraction efficiency from a Nickeliferous Pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS) concentrate, which is a waste stream from Vale Inco’s mining plant in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada using defined thermophilic isolates of the genus Sulfobacillus and Sulfolobus respectively. This research would be beneficial in understanding the Pyrrhotite biooxidation process while simultaneously identifying and alleviating rate limiting steps in the Bioleaching process.

CT Image Optimization and Radiation Dose Reduction Strategies

Advances in computed tomography (CT) have facilitated wider utilization and introduction of new clinical applications associated with high patient radiation dose. Subsequently, there is increasing concern for the potential long term cancer induction risks associated with increasing CT utilization bparticularly in younger women. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to establish diagnostic CT protocols using lower radiation doses. Toshiba Medical Systems is a leader in CT technology and a research partner with the Department of Medical Imaging at Toronto General Hospital. Specifically, Dr Paul has been in close research collaboration with Toshiba scientists to evaluate and publish thresholds of patient radiation dose for standard, low and ultralow dose cardiothoracic CT. These novel approaches use advanced post processing techniques developed by Toshiba scientists and tested on Toshiba 64- and 320 Multi-Detector CT units. I will join this collaborative team and further investigate image optimization and radiation dose reduction strategies.