Lubricating oil degradation is a ubiquitous problem in industrial machinery. In general, this process includes the thermal breakdown, oxidation, and polymerization of the oil molecules as they turn into undesirable by-products while the lubricant ages. Primary antioxidants, also known as radical scavengers, are regularly added to the lubricant to remove the initial peroxy and alkyl radicals. […]

Cities emit approximately 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. It is therefore important to study how urban energy infrastructures can be transformed to lower carbon emissions. But this transformation is not simple for two reasons: (1) it involved variousactors with conflicting interests and visions on what the energy transition should be, […]

While the term “reciprocal learning” intuitively suggests two or more parties learning from each other with a sense of mutuality, understanding and respect; the concept, when promoted in a multi-year, multi-stakeholders collaborative studies of Chinese and Canadian school education, became less straightforward, leading to various research puzzles, intricacies and consequences. My research aims to understand […]

Due to the rapid increase in demand for petroleum and its declining reserves, the concern over energy security has intensified the interest in liquefying coal and biomass to liquid fuels and chemicals, especially for those countries which have abundant coal reserves, such as the United States, Canada, China, etc. Co-liquefaction of coal with biomass has […]

“We propose the development of an automatic resizing framework for time-varying visualizations. This framework would support easy deployment of visualizations on a multitude of devices with varying display sizes. The second objective of the project is to address issues of data  is interpretation that could arise as a result of visualization resizing through the use […]

The proposed research area of my master’s project is on the structure and function relationships of food-related proteins, at a fundamental and molecular level. My focus is on the plant specific insert (PSI), a saposin-like-protein in Solanum tuberosum, which has the potential to impact on both food safety and agricultural practices. Plants rely on their […]

Cycling is a mode of transportation that is increasing in popularity in Brazil. Within a city, there are many different complexities due to geography and design that can lead to the accumulation of air pollution in certain areas. Cyclists, being so close to cars, are more susceptible to breathing in air with higher concentrations of […]

For many years, it has been a common practice adopted by educated people among East Asian countries to communicate with those who do not speak their language by writing Chinese characters. Many of these pen conversations, or bitan in Chinese, are preserved. Some of these are later compiled and published. These written documents are invaluable […]

The development of nature reserves (NRs) in China is occurring simultaneously with the huge economic and social changes in the past 30 years. The rapid changes of economic and society push local people to change their livelihood faster to adapt to it. What’s the effects of all of those changes among society, economic and environment? […]

Blood is composed primarily of cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.) and plasma (the fluid in which the cells are suspended). Health care providers commonly require the components of blood to be separated before performing tests; currently, this requires blood samples be taken to a medical laboratory for processing. Recent advances in […]

Surface modification to promote the patterning of mammalian cells is an important tool in cellular biology. It aids in the development of different tissue engineering scaffolds, biosensors, and validation of high throughput screening assays. Surface modification protocols must be tailored to each individual material which limits the utility of a successful antifouling strategy to individual […]

This has been a proposal for myself, Stephen Collins, to participate in the FASESP – BG Brazil Research Centre for Gas Innovation project. If awarded via the Mitacs Globalink program, I will be presented the opportunity to work alongside the research staff of The University of Sao Paulo, as well as members of other academic […]