Effective use of a variable speed blower fan on a mechanical wild blueberry harvester for increased debris separation and berry quality

Wild blueberries are an important crop to this region as this is the only area that wild blueberries are naturally occurring. The changes in wild blueberry crop conditions caused by improved management practices over the past decade has caused increased plant density and leaf foliage. This extra foliage has made it more difficult for the […]

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Developing a Lipid-Based System for Co-delivery of a Vaccine and Adjuvants

University of British Columbia and Amgen British Columbia (ABC) will collaborate to develop a safe and efficient lipid-based vaccine delivery system that can be used in laboratory animals to enhance the production of specific antibodies against difficult targets. These antibodies can be further screened and characterized for treating various diseases in humans.

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Shake Table Testing and Analytical Validation of a Reduced Scale Dam Considering Dam-Water Interaction

Hydropower dams are significant investments and their integrity affects many stakeholders. Failure of a dam results in catastrophic events which cannot be mitigated. Seismic evaluation and prediction of dynamic response of dams need in depth assessment which has always been challenging with complex dam-water-foundation interaction. Impounded water considerably affects the response of a dam during […]

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Development of zero VOC solvents based on organic carbonate compounds

major contributor to smog formation is the release of volatile chemicals which are emitted from many sources including automobile exhaust and consumer products. To combat the adverse effects smog has on air quality in North America, agencies such as Environment and Climate Change (Canada) and the Environmental Protection Agency (United States) enforce limits on the […]

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Budget impact analysis for single stage breast implantation reconstruction in women with a mastectomy

Women with breast cancer often undergo mastectomy, or removal of the breast. Afterwards, they may elect to reconstruct their breast using one of several methods. One of these methods is by implantation with a permanently adjustable prosthesis. This procedure may show a smaller budgetary impact compared to multi-staged implantation. This project will estimate the budgetary […]

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Biomass pyrolysis in a vertical auger reactor and the valorisation of co-products: An energy balance based on the life cycle approach

Pyrolysis, which is the thermochemical decomposition of biomass at high temperature (350 to 700°C) under oxygen-limiting conditions, is a promising technology for the sustainable management of forest and agricultural biomasses. Pyrolysis decomposes biomass into biochar, non-condensable syngas and condensed liquid bio-oil. Those co-products can be used as an energy source in order to replace fossil […]

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Identifying Stakeholders’ Values in British Columbia’s Pacific Herring Fishery

Pacific herring, as forage fish, provide a vital ecosystem service within marine food webs, as well as economic benefits to BC’s commercial herring industry and cultural benefits to coastal Aboriginal communities. Building on innovative participatory research in Haida Gwaii, this project will identify the values of BC herring industry stakeholders and their preferences for management. […]

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Progress towards a new technique for aptamer sensor development and analysis

Aptamer based sensor development can be challenging. While aptamer selection has provided a very useful method of producing molecules that selectively bind compounds of interest to the fields of public health, regulatory control and legal enforcement, the steps required for incorporation of aptamers into sensors are not trivial. Specifically, gaging how well aptamers bind their […]

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Identifying potential approaches to managing water resources in Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ Traditional Territory, Yukon

Yukon Energy Corporation (YEC) began generating hydro-electricity at the Aishihik Hydro Facility, situated within Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ (CAFN) Traditional Territory, Yukon, in 1975. Their continuing water use license will expire in 2019. Notwithstanding the Aishihik facility’s 41 years of energy production, CAFN has repeatedly expressed social and environmental concerns associated with the facility’s […]

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