Obesity and diabetes are a significant global burden and there is an immediate need for novel treatments and management strategies. Our lab has shown that an avocadoderived lipid is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation (i.e., the cellular breakdown of fat for energy) which reduces mouse weight gain without toxicity. Inhibition of fatty acid […]

Both ?-lipoic acid (ALPHA-LA) and Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) are used to control many diseases due to their antioxidant . We have evidence indicating if the two compounds are chemically attached, superior pharmaceutical properties are achieved. These evidence have resulted in a patent that gives the sponsoring Company exclusivity on its use. The proposed project is developed […]

The intern will be working on enabling real-time navigation products for machine control applications. The real-time aspect of the project will help improve guidance and control systems for applications such as autonomous steering of precision agriculture tractors and combines. The intern will work to reduce the latencies of the navigation solution to the guidance actuation […]

User-authored annotations of data visualizations can support analysts in the activity of sense making, where it is not only critical to document observations and hypotheses, but also to communicate insights between analysts. As the size and complexity of data grow, so does the diversity of annotations. We propose to develop a visualization system that allows […]

InteliRain Inc. has developed an effective sprinkler system producing excellent uniformity water distribution for regular or irregular areas but using 30% less water compared to most existing standard industry system. However, the performance of the InteliRain system deteriorates rapidly when it is tested in an open field with wind effect. In this project, the intern […]

As ladders are such a common tool, its potential improvement can be easily overlooked. The purpose of this project is to invent a new ladder design. To avoid the lock-in effect of existing ladders, topology optimization is applied to explore new possible designs. The key of this technique is to let algorithms search for theoretically […]

Several studies have documented the high risk of housing instability and homelessness for women as a result of domestic violence and the broader issue of violence against women. Aboriginal women have been identified as being more vulnerable due to unique barriers to achieving housing stability, including racism and the lack of culturally appropriate services. This […]

We will investigate how plants change leaf vein structure to adapt to environmental changes triggered by climate change. Leaf venation is important for plant nutrient transport and efficient water use. Since making veins requires considerable energy, plants regulate vein density to suit the environment, increasing vein number and connectivity with decreasing water. Different leaf forms […]

Under the supervision of Dr. Jean DeBernardi my research explores the connections between traditional Chinese religion, martial arts, and medicine. I did my MA thesis on the modernization of traditional Chinese religion in Taiwan, have been practicing White Crane kung fu since 1999, and worked for the Natural Health Practitioner of Canada. I am examining […]

Phyto-pathogenic fungi are one of the main concerns threatening agriculture in Canada. Those phyto-pathogens not only affect the yield and the quality of agricultural products, but their metabolite, represented by mycotoxins, will also endanger food safety. In the pursuit of innovative environmental-friendly fungicides, oxylipid is of great research-importance because oxylipid with specific structures can act […]

Considering the unique properties of CO2 under supercritical condition, CO2 is proposed to be used in huff-and-puff treatments to enhance shale gas recovery from shale gas formations. This research project will look at the fundamental pore-scale mechanisms when CO2 huff-and-puff is used for enhancing methane recovery from shale formations. In order to obtain pore-scale mechanisms […]

In the egg industry, as the hens are at the end of their productive lives they are of little economic value to the farmers and seen as a by-product or a waste which require disposal. Disposal of spent hens is a long-existing liability to the egg industry for paying associated cost of handling, transportation and […]