Implementing biological control of introduced Phragmites australis in Ontario

Introduced Phragmites australis (common reed) is considered one of the most invasive plants in North America. European genotypes spread widely and can form dense stands with undesirable ecological impacts. Conventional management approaches have proved largely ineffective, leaving classical biocontrol (i.e., introducing herbivores of the plant from its native range) as the most promising alternative. The […]

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An investigation of physical and physicochemical methods for wollastonite-diopside separation

Wollastonite(CaSiO3) and diopside(CaMgSi2O6) are silicate minerals occurring in the mining operation near Kingston. Quantity of each mineral in the deposit vary from 30 to 40%. An efficient separation of wollastonite from diopside represents a challenge in processing this ore. Efficiency of flotation separation at high levels diopside is not consistent since both silicates respond the […]

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Engineered Framework for Wildfire-Urban Interfaces

The intent of this research is to study fire dynamics and the threats it imposes on people, property, business continuity and environments, namely at wildfire-urban interfaces (WUI). Worcester Polytechnic Institute of Boston, MA, is equipped with modern technologies, not yet available at my home institution, that can be used to build a comprehensive analysis of […]

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Understanding helmet design and performance based on size, fit, and component analysis

The main concern for helmet performance is the reduction of skull and brain injury risk during impact events. Combinations of shell materials, foams, and three-dimensional engineered structures are used to design hockey helmets. Using current helmet evaluation techniques, the contributions of each of these components cannot be directly assessed. In the proposed work, high-speed X-ray […]

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Seizure induction by single-cell control of neural circuits

The impact of seizures on the life of an epilepsy patient is significant. How they start, propagate and terminate remains unknown. Our hypothesis is that seizures develop in the brain when populations of neurons lose their ability to efficiently parse incoming inputs, known as decorrelation. When these neurons are not able to sufficiently decorrelate incoming […]

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Formation of Supermassive Black Holes via merger of Protostars

The origin of Supermassive Black Holes that are observed to exist in the early Universe is one of the key questions in astronomy. There are different models that try to explain how these black holes formed and grew in a short period of time. One such model is the collision of protostars resulting in massive […]

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Development of passive sampling devices for natural and artificial radionuclides in the context of pre- and post-deployment of small nuclear reactors in remote areas

Small nuclear reactors (SMRs) are a major option for electricity production in remote areas. Environmental impact assessment and monitoring will be needed, however this might be difficult because of the remoteness and the anticipated low levels of radiocontaminants, especially that laboratories with modern instrumentation might not be available on-site. We are proposing (1) to adapt […]

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Supersingular Isogeny-Based Cryptography

In the near future the way that we encrypt and authenticate information online may not be safe. For this reason, we need to create new tools that will enable secure communication for many coming years. The proposed research is to create such tools from a certain algebraic object called isogenies. These are functions that take […]

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Design and manufacture flexible strain gauge for high reliable application

The partner organization (Forcen Inc) wants to design and manufacture a strain gauge that is stretchable, flexible and sensitive to different types of strain (tension, compression, shear and torsion). Unfortunately, the current metal foil and semiconductor strain gauge is brittle. That is why Forcen Inc partnered with University of Toronto to develop new generation of […]

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Use of Recycled concrete Aggregate to Produce Concrete Masonry Blocks

Concrete—the most common construction material in the world—represents the main component of construction and demolition waste. The excessive extraction of virgin aggregate from Canadian lands and water bodies destroys the habitats of many species and affects the natural flow of streams in lakes and rivers. One solution to address the growing solid waste challenge and […]

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