Machine learning can be used to predict employee events around retention, promotion or movement. This project explores how to generate better predictions by exploring correlations and exploiting them through features that increase predictive strength. Furthermore, the project explores how to reliably fine-tune the predictive model to a particular data set in the presence of interdependence […]

Substitution of existing diesel buses by zero-emission propulsion technologies (electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cell) in vehicles – specifically public transit fleets – can play an instrumental role in realizing Canada’s obligation towards green house gas emission reduction. It is imperative to enable transit agencies to assess the capabilities of existing technology variants in meeting […]

Current Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREE) processing techniques are expensive, environmentally-challenging, and slow. Kinetic models predict that the rate of acid permeation of a mineral is the rate controlling step. Therefore, permeation rate controls the acid quantity and residency time of the mineral in the acid bath; impacting costs. Kinetic models are based on structural […]

Cellulose is a commercially important biopolymer. Due to its abundance, biocompatibility and renewability it has shown important commercial applications in food, pharmaceuticals, biomedical. Depending on the origin and the processing methods used, the resulting fiber dimensions, structure, crystallinity and molecular weight (MW) can vary over a broad range. MW is one of the most important […]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (the deadliest form of brain cancer) is associated with poor survival rates (approximately 12-15 months from the time of diagnosis). This is due to the fact that most cases of GBM are resistant to current standards of care. As a result, novel effective treatment options are highly desirable. It has recently been […]

This proposed project focuses on American ginseng (AmG), a natural herb native to Canada that has been used as a traditional medicine for many generations. Southern Ontario has become the World’s largest producer of AmG with annual sales of over $400M at the farm gate. Polysaccharides (PS) are a major active component of AmG showing […]

Brain tumours, including ependymoma, are some of the most difficult cancers to treat. Although the past few years have seen many exciting advances in characterizing these brain tumours, there are few effective therapies available for patients, many of whom are children and young adults (and for whom long-term side effects can be extremely damaging). Until […]

Efficient pumping function of heart depends on receiving oxygen and nutrients through heart’s specific blood vessels called coronaries. In case of coronary stenosis (e.g. plaques formation on their inner walls), the heart muscle cannot function normally and may be permanently damaged. Three treatment strategies are broadly available that include medications, coronary stent placement and coronary […]

Driven by heightened environmental awareness, the construction industry increasingly strives to utilize materials such as timber with a low-carbon footprint in their life cycle. High-strength mass-timber products, innovative ductile connections, and fast computer-numerically-controlled pre-fabrication, combined with changing legislation create better opportunities to also build tall timber structures. However, low ductility and limited tensile strength of […]

Diphtheria is still a disease causing significant morbidity and mortality in people worldwide that did not received vaccination or suffer from incomplete immunization. The disease is due to a powerful toxin produced by the pathogenic bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria. A good vaccine already exists but its production is rather complex and involves several steps: cultivation of […]

Scientific studies show that the connection between the gut and the brain affects obesity and anxiety development. Since exposure to stress increases these problems, the relationship between stress and the gut-brain connection warrants investigation. In the proposed experiment, we will examine the impact of probiotic (beneficial gut bacteria) delivery on weight gain and anxiety in […]

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane proteins and are involved in various disease including hypertension and airway diseases. With >30% of the prescription drugs targeting GPCRs, they have immense therapeutic importance. The detection of antibodies against GPCRs in these diseases has been a challenging task due to the lack of efficient […]