The sulfur and nitrogen containing compounds present in crude oil, needs to be removed before downstream catalytic processing of crude oil because (i) sulfur is known to be poisonous for catalyst and (ii) to meet stringent environment regulations. The most widely used process for sulfur and nitrogen removal is hydrotreating. Hydrotreating is a catalytic process […]

In many clinical laboratory and pathology testing procedures, visual examination of microscopic slides is needed, e.g., to classify disease developments, to detect the interactions of micro-organisms, to assess the effectiveness of drugs, to determine cell viability and proliferation, etc. These tasks can be found in many important clinical applications, including cancer research, hematology, pharmacology, and […]

The research project involves investigating the structure and function of DISC1 subdomains. As DISC1 is a large protein with multiple functions, breaking it down into its subdomains will facilitate our understanding of its biology. The biochemical and biophysical properties of subdomains will be characterized. This 12-week project will allow the student to learn how to […]

Lakes across much of Canada are ice-covered for long periods every year. Ice cover creates conditions fundamentally different from other seasons, with low light penetration, low temperatures, and the presence of a barrier to gas exchange. Climate change predictions suggest that reductions in ice cover can be expected. However, logistical challenges associated with winter field […]

Osteoarthritis is a major obstacle to work productivity and quality of life for many Canadians, affecting over 10% of the general population and 15% of Saskatchewanians, with the elderly increasingly affected (>40% of Canadians over 65 years old). At the cellular and molecular level, osteoarthritis involves two main defects: 1) degradation of sugar-coated proteins (proteoglycans) […]

The purpose of the research project is to determine the effects of a flax-based nutritional supplement and an exercise program (walking) for improving blood pressure in older individuals. Both of these interventions lower blood pressure and we want to determine whether their effects are additive for reducing blood pressure. We will evaluated blood pressure with […]

offshore oil well platforms are supported by huge guy wires. Ocean waves and motion in the control stations would cause continuous change in tension and slack in the wires. This can cause failure in internal fibers in the wire, which would be invisible. Breakage of a large number of internal fibers can lead to a […]

Concerns about future energy supply and recent advancements in technology are leading to a renewed emphasis on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) as EOR techniques can significantly improve the recovery factors. It is estimated that Saskatchewan has approximately 40 billion barrels of oil in place that is a target for the use of Enhanced Oil Recovery […]

The proposed research deals with the gasification of novel moisture-resistant fuel pellets (developed previously in Dr. Dalai’s Lab) to synthesis gas. For this purpose the gasification process parameter will be optimized to maximize the conversion. Then the results will be scaled-up in a continuous pilot scale gasifier. These results will be compared to those with […]

DCZS Intelligent Systems Inc. focuses on providing solutions for industrial automation as well as on facilitating the need of research facilitates and universities. DCZS is currently developing a Box Packaging Automation System (BPAS), targeting the growing needs in packaging/assembling processes in industry. Currently, BPAS is designed based on certain box packaging style and limited size […]

This research will be focused on the development of cross-linked framework materials which contain ?-cyclodextrin (?-CD) and bifunctional cross-linker units at variable composition. Several questions will be addressed: i) the role and relative contribution of multi-functional adsorption sites (inclusion vs. non-inclusion) of the framework material, ii) the role of framework structure and composition on permanent […]

Hot plasmas are common throughout the universe, and generally exist in highly turbulent states. Turbulence, and the related anomalous (turbulent) transport, remains a great challenge of classical physics. This poses a substantial issue for the understanding of fundamental phenomena (magnetic dynamo, space and solar activity), and the development of efficient plasma devices (spacecraft thrusters, plasma […]