Current Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREE) processing techniques are expensive, environmentally-challenging, and slow. Kinetic models predict that the rate of acid permeation of a mineral is the rate controlling step. Therefore, permeation rate controls the acid quantity and residency time of the mineral in the acid bath; impacting costs. Kinetic models are based on structural […]

Cellulose is a commercially important biopolymer. Due to its abundance, biocompatibility and renewability it has shown important commercial applications in food, pharmaceuticals, biomedical. Depending on the origin and the processing methods used, the resulting fiber dimensions, structure, crystallinity and molecular weight (MW) can vary over a broad range. MW is one of the most important […]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (the deadliest form of brain cancer) is associated with poor survival rates (approximately 12-15 months from the time of diagnosis). This is due to the fact that most cases of GBM are resistant to current standards of care. As a result, novel effective treatment options are highly desirable. It has recently been […]

This proposed project focuses on American ginseng (AmG), a natural herb native to Canada that has been used as a traditional medicine for many generations. Southern Ontario has become the World’s largest producer of AmG with annual sales of over $400M at the farm gate. Polysaccharides (PS) are a major active component of AmG showing […]

Brain tumours, including ependymoma, are some of the most difficult cancers to treat. Although the past few years have seen many exciting advances in characterizing these brain tumours, there are few effective therapies available for patients, many of whom are children and young adults (and for whom long-term side effects can be extremely damaging). Until […]

Efficient pumping function of heart depends on receiving oxygen and nutrients through heart’s specific blood vessels called coronaries. In case of coronary stenosis (e.g. plaques formation on their inner walls), the heart muscle cannot function normally and may be permanently damaged. Three treatment strategies are broadly available that include medications, coronary stent placement and coronary […]

This research presents a conceptual model of the geography of capacity and explores, through a small-scale study, the experiences of capacity across the nonprofit sector at the individual, organizational and community level in three different locales in Canada. By identifying the varied nonprofit capacity needs in different socio-economic and geographic locations, and by examining how […]

The reliability of transit buses is essential for the cost-effective delivery of public transportation services. This research aims to improve the reliability of transit buses through optimized operational maintenance planning. We specifically wish to develop a mathematical optimization model that would help transit operators in deciding which bus components to repair during a maintenance intervention. […]

With the fast-growing size of machine learning datasets, it has become increasingly important to store them in a reliable and distributed manner. Large scale distributed file systems such as GFS, HDFS and Amazon S3 have the capability to store large scale of data reliably. However, these distributed file systems have an intrinsic shortcoming: they provide […]

The Opportunity Equation is a multi-year research project that explores trends, dynamics and causes of income inequality in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The project aims to produce a comprehensive portrait of the changing income distribution and income gaps among key socio-demographic groups in the City of Toronto, York Region and the Region of Peel […]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary adult brain tumor. Even with surgery, standard chemotherapy, and radiation, tumor recurrence and patient relapse are inevitable with a median survival rate of

Processes are important concepts in modern society since they control and standardize the interactions between businesses, consumers, governments and other organizations. However, the rise of knowledge-based industries such as financial services, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and software development have produced unstructured and knowledge-dependent processes. These Knowledge Intensive Processes (KIPs) KIPs range from partially structured to unstructured […]