Engineered genetic traceability solution for commercerical ale yeasts and methodology for rapid dectection and identification of diastatic yeast contamination in beer fermentation

This project will demonstrate that one or more unique DNA ID sequences (“DUID”) can be inserted into the genomes of select strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ale yeast and S. cerevisiae var diastaticus yeast strains without affecting the heritable traits of the host and then the DUID can be recalled upstream in the brewing process. By […]

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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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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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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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Evaluating the Impact of Cannabis Legalization in Canada on Risk-Taking Behaviours

The proposed research will focus on changes in cannabis use patterns and sources of supply following cannabis legalization, and on how these changes produce and/or reduce cannabis-related harm. The research will involve statistical analyses of Statistic Canada’s National Cannabis Survey (NCS). Some key areas of consideration will be: cannabis-impaired driving, cannabis dependence, and youth cannabis […]

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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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Follow up of horses treated with stem cells at eQcell Inc.

For over 10 years, eQcell Inc. has been treating horses with stem cells. In order to efficiently direct future research, a full picture of the efficacy of past treatments is necessary. This project will follow up with all clients across 8 clinics to collect an up-to-date snapshot of previously treated horses’ health and progression or […]

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Intelligent Orchards: Redefining the Production and Management of Tree Fruits

One of the main challenges in tree fruit orchards is to accurately predict apple yield and identify the health of individual trees (e.g., healthy foliage, fruit development, detecting and identifying diseased trees). Manual performance of these tasks is labour intensive and costly. Therefore, automated processes provide novel solutions with enhanced accuracy, efficiency, and productivity. The […]

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Mobilizing the beneficial microbiome of Ontario wheat against Fusarium

Scientists have been interested in the effects that microorganisms have on their host plants for over a century, however, recently researchers have been able to better tackle these questions with the advent of new technology. In particular, beneficial microorganisms associated with roots can increase crop resiliency against disease, pests and extreme weather events, making this […]

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Applicant Anxiety in Structured Interviews

The main goal in talent acquisition is to find and hire the best applicant for each position which places heavy emphasis on an organizations ability to accurately assess candidates. However, an applicant’s anxiety can impede this process as it has been shown to lead to reduced interview scores while not being indicative of work performance. […]

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Long-term effects of tillage, crop rotation, cover crop, and fertilizer nitrogen on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage – Year two

Soil organic matter and soil organic carbon (SOC) are the important drivers of soil health. Although winter wheat and red clover have improved the soil health and system resiliency in Ontario (Gaudin et al., 2013), little is known on how quickly changes to soil health can be made and under which management systems. With Federal […]

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