In water quality management, mathematical models are used to understand ecological processes, to predict aquatic ecosystem dynamics, to evaluate management alternatives/climatic scenarios, and to support the policy making process. Environmental models involve substantial uncertainty due to their structure, unknown parameters, and errors associated with calibration data and other inputs. This research program aims to address […]

Administration of supplemental oxygen through medical air is a life-supporting measure essential for the management of severe primary respiratory conditions as well as secondary lung injury due to systemic insults such as trauma and sepsis. This medical air is often produced on site through devices which draw, compress and filter outside air in order to […]

“Poor efficacy and unpredictable toxic effects are leading causes of removal of a drug from the market. Many drugs act unpredictably in patients because they are tested in labs using cells grown in plastic dishes and animals that poorly mimic humans. Laboratory models that better mimic the behaviour of human tissues in the body could […]

Ventilator assisted individuals (VAIs) living at home are frail and generally cannot perform most daily activities. This is similarly the case for the palliative population of those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although these individuals prefer to live and die at home, the family members who care for them often experience stress and poor health. […]

Neisseria meningitidis (Nme) is a bacterial pathogen that often colonizes the upper respiratory tract of humans without symptoms, but which may also develop into rapidly-progressing sepsis and meningitis that can be fatal. Nme has evolved elegant means to specifically interact with human cells and proteins in order to colonize, survive and the evade host immune […]

While torque is an important parameter in automotive performance, there are currently very few effective methods to monitor it in vehicles. The aim of this project is to develop a low-cost solution for real time engine torque monitoring. An autonomous sensor module will be developed and mounted to the flexplate connecting the engine and the […]

A critical challenge today in neuro-surgery is the determination of tumor boundaries intraoperatively. There are means of doing this using high-resolution MRI machines, however, these can be prohibitively costly. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers a promising, cheaper, label-free alternative. However, the basic models used for clinical, real-time OCT limit its usefulness and depth of focus. […]

The aim of the internship is for the intern to take up the challenge of detecting and removing noise from brain signals that are recorded using electroencephalogram (EEG). The noise that is of interest in the project is mainly caused by the subject chewing and walking. These noises are found to have caused the inability […]

Poor diet is one of the factors associated with obesity and overweight, which may increase the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Two ways to improve the diets at the population level are to 1) establish public health initiatives (e.g. product labelling or advertising restrictions and 2) change the portion […]

The bacterial transferrin receptor is considered to be a potentially efficacious candidate vaccine antigen against pathogens important in human disease and in animal husbandry. Previous data suggests that transferrin receptor-based antigens can elicit protection from both invasive disease and potentially from asymptomatic colonization. One major consideration when developing vaccines is the choice of adjuvant, a […]

The analysis of protein-protein interactions is critical for understanding cell growth control, and how aberrant connections contribute to cancer and other diseases. Mass spectrometry is a critical tool in this field, but sample complexity, instrument dynamic range and resolution limit some applications. This project will evaluate the use of the SelexION ion mobility device and […]

Membrane proteins such as ion channels, transporters or G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are excellent but difficult drug targets involved in a large number of life-threatening diseases and conditions. These proteins, over-expressed and essential for disease onset and progression, are naturally targeted by toxins from venomous organisms. During evolution, these toxins have been optimized to efficiently […]