Development of Inexpensive Bio-based Insulation Foams from Crop Residues and Agricultural Wastes

Spray foam plays an important role in building insulation. By far, the only commercially available spray foam is petroleum-based polyurethane foam produced by reacting isocyanate and polyol. This project aims to investigate bio-oil acrylate-amine (BOAA) foam insulation materials with the following characteristics: 1) Bio content >60%; 2) R value 3.4-6.7 (the same R range for […]

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Predicting physiological activity using sensor networks

In Canada, 35% of injuries occur during participation in sports or exercise (Billette, 2011). Sports-related injuries costs the Canadian healthcare system $1.5 billion annually (Parachute, 2015). Injury prevention in sports is of paramount to the athlete, coaches, team management, and health team. Overtraining and fatigue are common causes for injury in sports. Training load is […]

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Identifying High-Risk Medications Associated with Acute Kidney Injury in Older Patients: A Visual Analytics Approach

Patients admitted to hospitals, particularly older patients suffering from multiple diseases, mostly take several medications. Kidney function tends to decline with age, even in patients without kidney disease. Therefore, kidneys cannot filter the medication properly from our body. In such a situation, certain medications or a combination of multiple medications can cause severe damage to […]

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The Short- and Long-Term Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ontario Manufacturers, Manufacturing Employees, and Supply Chains

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on Canada’s economy. More specifically, it has: 1) exposed deficiencies in supply chains, causing manufacturers to pivot production in order to improve the supply of essential goods (e.g. medical devices, personal protective equipment, sanitizer), 2) demonstrated the important role that manufacturing plays in a well-functioning economy and […]

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Corrosion assessment of pyrolysis/hydrothermal liquefaction bio-oils: effects of upgrading treatments by catalytic hydro-de-oxygenation (HDO) in supercritical methanol/ethanol

Bio-oil derived from fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass usually contains a high oxygen content (30-50%), leading to a relatively low heating value, high viscosity and poor stability. Moreover, the presence of organic acids in crude bio-oil results in low pH value and hence corrosion of the reactor materials (steel or alloys). To […]

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Assessment and Validation of a Controlled Indentation Probe for Intraoperative Measures of Bone Quality and Humeral Implant Stability

This research seeks to finalize the design of an indentation tool to help shoulder surgeons determine bone density more accurately during joint replacements. Bone density is an important characteristic used to select the type and size of implant needed; and is also related to how stable an implant remains after surgery. Unfortunately, there aren’t tools […]

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Engineered Biofilms for Detection & Degradation of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater

The presence of newly identified or emerging contaminants (ECs) in bodies of water is of growing concern for the health and safety of humans and the environment. These undesirable organic compounds range from endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals to personal care products, pesticides, and fertilizers. The existing wastewater treatment plants lack adequate infrastructure for removing these […]

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In-clinic wearable sensors for total knee replacement recovery analysis

Total knee replacement is the only viable solution for end-stage knee osteoarthritis causing pain and impairment for millions of people. Commonality of the surgery is increasing with an aging population and is being performed on younger patients due to improvements in implant longevity but a high self-reported dissatisfaction rate of up to 20% persists. Dissatisfied […]

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Pricing model from econometric perspective and visualizing promotion cannibalization effect on promotion activities

Leveraging the entirety of point of sale and loyalty data collected across a category, as well as additional socio-economic and other supporting data sources, apply statistical modelling to identify the own-price elasticity of demand and cross-price elasticity of demand at regular and promoted price points across Unilever’s portfolio within that category. Subsequently measuring the promotional […]

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