Membrane processes are increasingly used for the production of drinking water, representing a clean and efficient technology.  The application of membrane processes is limited by the accumulation of fouling components at/near the membrane surface and constitutes membrane fouling.  Therefore, fouling monitoring and control strategies are necessary to ensure sustainable operation of membrane processes.  In collaboration […]

Global climate change threatens to drastically alter the behaviour and fitness of many species, and the ability to predict how Canadian wildlife will respond to these changes is imperative in planning management strategies. In this study, we will examine long-term changes in bill colouration, diet, and abundance of the Atlantic Puffin. We will collect feathers […]

The standard method to test for Listeria n7onocj'logenes in foods is prone to false negatives if also non-pathogenic members of the Listeria genus are present. These can overgrow L.monocylogenes during the selective enrichment process and mask the presence of the pathogen. This "overgrowth'" phenomenon is not well understood, partially because the mathematical models that are […]

We have discovered a set of naturally occurring GATA transcription factors that increase chlorophyll levels, chloroplast numbers and starch in plants. Maize (corn) and Oryza (rice) lines have been created by Syngenta and are being analyzed in the Rothstein laboratory. The project primarily involves determining the exact genes that are controlled by these transcription factors, […]

The mining industry represents a large part of the economy in Canada. Ontario is the largest producer of gold in the nation, producing 53% of Canada's total minerals production in 2007 [1]. Despite its high toxicity, cyanide is commonly employed in the extraction of gold from its ore. Its use represents an environmental hazard due […]

In this research we will determine how the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) moves through cells of an infected host. The FIV is very similar to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and like all retroviruses moves from the cell membrane through the cytoplasm and then into the nucleus of infected cells. Once in the nucleus, the […]

Salmonella is the second most frequent cause of foodborne illness in Canada and pork is one of sources for human salmonellosis.  Salmonella has also the potential to cause clinical disease in pigs.  Salmonella is commonly found on Ontario swine farms.  Thus control strategies should be implemented.  Vaccination appears to be one of the most promising […]

Insulin controls blood sugar and is required for the entry of sugar (glucose) into blood cells from blood. Excess body fat in obesity or high fat diet makes body resistant to insulin. Due to this insulin resistance, sugar accumulates in the blood and over time this leads to an increase in blood sugar and development […]

Retail businesses are increasingly reliant on fine-grained data about customer preferences, demographics, and behavior, as collected by sources that range from loyalty programs and sales records, to physical sensors. Typically such data is leveraged in the context of a report or statistical summary used to advise human decision-makers. In contrast to the retail sector, industrial […]

Language technology-for example, spelling checking-is widely used. A key component of many language technology systems is a computational lexicon-a dictionary-like knowledge source containing a list of words and information associated with each word. Such resources require great human effort to create and are therefore very expensive. However, language is constantly changing (e.g., new words come […]

One of the main challenges in the development of nano-scale devices is that the conventional physical relations and techniques, which have been used for modelling thermal problems at macro-scales, are no longer valid at these small scales.  In this project, we are developing a new hierarchial methodology to be applied to thermal management issues for […]

This research project will support the design of electronic navigational aids for enhancing mobility for individuals with vision impairments. The researchers will work closely with members from the vision-impaired community throughout the project period to understand the contexts where such aids could be helpful to them and to evaluate the usability of relevant components, products […]