Development, implementation and evaluation of a bulk tank milk surveillance program for infectious and emerging diseases on Ontario dairy farms

The spread of endemic and emerging infectious diseases continues to plague the dairy industry. The convergence of human, animal, and ecosystem interactions results in emergence and re-emergence of diseases in dairy cattle such as salmonellosis and anaplasmosis. Adding to the mix, frequent buying of cattle contributes to rapid dissemination of infectious diseases in dairy cattle. […]

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The importance of nutrition for ice hockey players

One aspect of hockey science that remains elusive is the role of nutrition in performance. We propose to study the dietary intake of hockey players and also examine their nutritional knowledge with a questionnaire. We will also examine the nutritional knowledge of athletic trainers and examine the role that they play from a nutritional point […]

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Redesign of a commercial across-breed genetic evaluation system and in-silico investigations of resulting system performance and flexibility.

Genetic improvement is core to the long-term productivity and viability of all livestock industries. A review of crossbred genetic evaluation methods and approaches for national and international genetic improvement programs will determine the necessary improvements to make to AgSights’ genetic evaluation system (GES). Research will be conducted on hardware, software packages and statistical methods best […]

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Evaluation of Solar Technologies Combined with Insulated Wall Panel and Air Source Heat Pump

Hot summers and cold winters present a significant challenge for affordable housing. Effective utilization of solar energy for thermal comfort provides an environmentally sustainable solution to reduce utility bills. The objective of this research project is to investigate alternative solar technologies that can be combined with a thermal energy storage system and air source heat […]

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Measuring up? Assessing approaches used to measure the effectiveness of protected areas at conserving biodiversity

The world is currently facing a biodiversity crisis driven by the loss and degradation of habitat resulting from the conversion of natural areas to agricultural land and urban development. To combat this biodiversity crisis, the government committed to Convention of Biological Diversity and national targets of protecting at least 17% of terrestrial land through network […]

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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Protected Areas in Canada

Global biodiversity is declining due to habitat loss and protected areas provide an opportunity to prevent this. While governments create and manage most protected areas in the world, non-governmental organizations can also play a significant role in the acquisition and management of properties for the purpose of conserving biodiversity. We propose to measure the Nature […]

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Study of swine metabolism in a cell line model

Understanding swine metabolism is important to the pork industry, for the improvement of feed efficiency and meat quality, in addition to animal wellbeing. We have recently discovered two stress genes (Luman/CREB3 and LRF/CREBRF) that regulate animal responses to stress. Mutation of these Luman or LRF gene resulted in animals that are more tolerate to stress, […]

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Development of Advanced Graphene-Based Antiviral Nanocomposites against COVID-19

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious threat to humanity worldwide. It is known that COVID-19 is a respiratory infection, which can be transmitted from person to person via small aerosolized droplets. The goal of this project is to develop advanced functional graphene-based nanocomposites with robust antiviral and antibacterial activities. The graphene-based […]

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Elucidating the safety and efficacy profiles of hypervalent antimicrobial agents towards combatting antibiotic resistance

Recent global events have shed light on the vulnerabilities within our health care systems. Undoubtedly, unpreparedness in the face of a global crisis will lead to disastrous repercussions. The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is hailed as a pandemic in the making. As the antibiotics drug development pipeline dwindles, effective solutions to combat antimicrobial resistant […]

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