Innovative Projects Realized

Understanding Event-based Interactions in Enterprise Web Applications

JavaScript is widely used today to create interactive web applications that replace many traditional desktop applications. However, understanding the behaviour of web applications is a challenging endeavour for developers. Despite its importance and challenges, there is currently not much research dedicated to supporting program comprehension for web applications and popular industrial tools, such as Firebug and Chrome DevTools, are limited in their capabilities to support web developers effectively. In this work, we propose to extend our web application comprehension technique, called Clematis, so that it can readily be applied on industrial enterprise web applications. Clematis automatically captures low-level events, their temporal and causal relations, and creates a behavioural model that is presented to the developer as an interactive visualization. To make this technique applicable in practice, we will explore how custom higher-order actions can be intercepted and mapped to lower level native event interactions and presented to web developers.

Evolution in conservation breeding programs: is it common and how does it impact breeding program success?

As the earth is facing widespread human-driven biodiversity loss, one increasingly important tool for conservation will be zoos and aquariums. However, because the environments animals experience in captivity are different from their wild habitats, the size, shape, health, behaviour, and breeding habits of species can change because of evolution and altered environments (e.g. altered nutrition). Using data from large family trees maintained by captive breeding managers and genetic data, we will measure evolution rates in many different zoo populations to determine if evolution in captivity is a widespread problem. Further, we will use these family trees to examine whether we can use artificial selection to promote the evolution of disease resistance in these species suffering from disease in captivity (e.g. herpes virus in elephants). Finally, using the information gathered in our proposal, we plan to make suggestions to improve the breeding success of the studied species and create tools that can be applied to any conservation breeding program to monitor evolution. Our research will benefit breeding management at African Lion Safari and will help improve conservation program success for several cherished Canadian and non-Canadian species.

Revegetation at green energy sites for pollinator biodiversity and multiple ecosystem goods and services

Building new solar infrastructure provides opportunities to restore biodiversity and ecosystem function on site, including native plant and pollinator biodiversity, and ecosystem services of plant biomass and flower production, pollination, carbon storage, and resistance to invasive species. Restoration of the diverse native plant communities that provide these goods and services is challenged by varying establishment success for different species, and this may be further affected by novel conditions under solar panels or weed management methods. To ensure that plantings support target pollinator species, such as rare or crop-pollinating species, we need to know which flowers establish well, and which species pollinators prefer. This study will address all these questions to improve restoration outcomes.

System integration and optimization for SME sustainable wood product manufacturing systems

The research is to develop and apply advanced data technology and modeling technology for optimal and wood manufacturing. Numerical and optimization models will be developed with effective and efficient solution methods to find optimal or Pareto optimal solutions of the studied problems. The industry partner will be strongly supported by such numerical tools in its decision making in achieving its goals of sustainable and high quality wood product manufacturing.

Evidence-informed Evaluation of Community Transitions: Impact on Health and Quality of Life (Phase III)

Many of St.Amant’s services are shifting to provide the most inclusive, supportive, community-based services with the intention of enhancing health, accessing to healthcare, and improving the quality of life of persons supported and that of their families and caregivers. As part of its vision statement, St.Amant is supporting a number of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout their move from St.Amant Health and Transition Services to a variety of community-based residences.
Our research team is conducting a longitudinal evaluation study to assess the process of community transitions as well as the impact that these community transitions have had on the health and quality of life of people who were transitioned. This is Phase III of the study, which involves conducting up to two annual post-transition follow-up assessments so that the longer-term impact of the community transitions on the health and quality of life of the transitioned persons with disability could be better understood.

By the North with the North: Community Building inNorthern Saskatchewan

This research project will be conducted through internship research by students in the Master in Northern Governance and Development (MNGD). The MNGD is a project-based, interdisciplinary program meant to build capacity among northerners in northern Saskatchewan through a blended delivery model including face-to-face, videoconferencing, online and international field school instruction. The 2013-2014 internship research project will contribute to the MNGD graduate students’ research through the examination of community-based responses to rapid change and the development of the local capacity to respond. The project will evaluate the current and potential capacity of northern stakeholders to engage in relationships and implement processes, policies and practices that build resilient and sustainable communities. This analysis will function at the community, and multi-community levels, and thus, will be informed by their values and interests. Specifically, the objectives of this research cluster are to: assess current community-based, capacity-building programs; explore the viability of implementing new programs; evaluate the overall significance and prevalence of self-reliance and local ownership of community development; and evaluate the strategies for adapting, adjusting and accommodating to rapid change and identified risk factors.

Sonde à courants de Foucault pour le contrôle non-destructif des lignes de transport aériennes d’électricité

Le projet porte sur le développement d’une sonde à courant de Foucault pour l’évaluation de l’état de corrosion interne des conducteurs des lignes de transport électriques aériennes à haute tension. En effet, ce travail vise à développer une sonde capable de mesurer simultanément les pertes de zinc (revêtement anticorrosion sur les brins d’acier) ainsi que les pertes de section transversale dans les fils d’acier et d’aluminium qui composent les conducteurs de type ACSR (Aluminium Cable Steel Reinforced). À partir de l’évaluation et de la surveillance de l’état de corrosion interne, il sera possible de réduire la fréquence et la gravité des pannes que cela pourrait engendrer sur le réseau électrique d’Hydro-Québec, notamment sous forme de chute de conducteurs. La technologie proposée représente également un grand avantage en ce qui concerne le travail des équipes de maintenance des lignes, car elles seront capables de surveiller et d’évaluer l’état de corrosion des conducteurs sans être exposées aux risques du travail en hauteur et/ou sur des lignes sous tension.

Growth Monitoring Sustainability Scholar

The Growth Monitoring Sustainability Scholar will support the Urban Growth Monitoring and Analysis Team as it implements growth monitoring renewal through The City Plan. This Project includes evaluating, analyzing, and reporting on several sustainability factors related to urban growth in Edmonton, including neighbourhood growth sustainability modelling using tax revenue and servicing costs data to analyze relationship between dwelling density, land use patterns, and efficient service provision; growth monitoring data control and assurance processes, including aligning to City of Edmonton GBA+ values; efficient vacant employment and residential land use; and methods to communicate growth monitoring products through interactive visualizations and dashboards. Expected benefit to the City of Edmonton is an updated approach to monitoring urban growth that puts sustainability values at the forefront of its initiatives.

Innovation des processus e-commerce

Description : Il s’agit d’un mandat d’analyse et d’optimisation des processus e-commerce d’une PME spécialisée dans la vente d’équipements sportifs haut de gamme. Le mandat est prévu en quatre phases.

– La première phase consiste en une analyse des processus actuels relatifs à l’acquisition, à la rétention de la clientèle et à tous processus visant la génération de revenus. Celle-ci servira à établir les priorités et à orienter la stratégie.
– La deuxième phase représente le développement de la stratégie.
– La troisième phase consiste à la mise en place de la stratégie.
– La quatrième phase consiste à l’optimisation de la stratégie.

En proposant ce mandat, Cardigan cherche à documenter le processus d’analyse et d’optimisation d’un site e-commerce. Cela l’aidera à demeurer à jour dans ces processus.

SSE Sacha Benadiba – Modélisation marketing mix

Le monde du marketing numérique est chamboulé par l’apocalypse des cookies de tierces parties. Il faut dorénavant trouver de nouvelles méthodes pour bien évaluer les retombées des initiatives publicitaires. Le projet suivant vise à développer l’une de ces méthodes, en s’inspirant des modèles économétriques et du marketing modelling qui existaient bien avant l’arrivée d’internet.

Integrating cognitive factors in dynamical models of epidemiology with applications to disease spread and control

The project aims to improve disease prevention and control by including cognitive variables in dynamic models of disease epidemic. Classical compartmental models of disease dynamics are typically used to explore the extent to which an infectious disease propagates through the population, while cognitive factors such as misinformation and degree of compliance with public health measures are often overlooked. Yet, cognitive factors play a crucial role in pandemic response behaviors. Our project will determine the impact of cognitive behavior and information dissemination on disease spread and control, while addressing the impact of risk perception, attitudes, social networks, and media on disease outcomes. The essential cognitive parameters influencing epidemic progression will be identified. In addition, we will present recommendations to support policies to address the negative effect of some cognitive factors such as misinformation in social networks. We will achieve the objectives using a modelling framework for SARS-CoV-2 as a case study.

Demande SSE Pascale Primeau – Comment favoriser le partage des connaissances, le développement continue et la maîtrise des connaissances dans un contexte d’agence en marketing numérique?

Le projet est davantage axé sur la recherche et le développement puisque Pascale fera des recherches de haut niveau, comme par exemple en lien avec comment favoriser le partage des connaissances, le développement continue et la maîtrise des connaissances en marketing numérique ou encore la transformation de notre agence de marketing numérique en une organisation apprenante. Ces différentes recherches de haut niveau viendront compléter à merveille l’offre de service de notre département performance. La rigueur académique et l’accompagnement professoral fait également partie de l’approche du projet.