Innovative Projects Realized

The Next Generation Agriculture: Role of functional endophytic microbiome in Cannabis varieties against mycotoxigenic fungi and Powdery mildew.

Recent publications have surveyed cannabis flower microbiological communities, detecting several concerning genera like Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. Clostridium, Eschericia, Salmonella and Staphyloccus. There are several documented cannabis complications and even fatalities due to Aspergillosis in immuno-compromised patients. One must also recognize that strict and nonspecific microbial regulations can eliminate the use of beneficial microorganisms in agriculture and deliver unforeseen consequences in the marketplace. Mandated laboratory testing for non-specific total yeast and mold petri-dish assays will fail commonly when used chitinase (anti-fungal) producing microorganisms like Trichoderma hazarium. T. hazarium is known to reduce Aspergillus growth. These false TYM failures can induce growers to use less biological fungicides and more chemical fungicides that are known to concentrate preferentially over cannabinoids in some extraction methods. Antifungal beneficial microbes that are harmless to human health are far easier to sterilize than small molecule fungicides like myclobutanil.

Energy Efficient Solar Refrigeration Systems for Long-Haul Trucks

the power requirements of refrigeration units in long-haul trucks. The proposed solution will help displace an equivalent amount of diesel fuel that is otherwise used to power the refrigeration unit. Specifically, this research will result in a comprehensive embedded systems platform for the remote monitoring of Westhill Innovation’s solar powered reefer setup. Using a detailed experimental set up and analysis, we will design a PLC based power system to power a reefer trailer completely using renewable energy such as solar. This will require a detailed hardware design consisting of the various subsystems, for process monitoring, control, and operation. The entire system will be specially designed to withstand and endure harsh conditions incurred in continuous highway driving, which is typical in the long-haul trucking field. Further, we will develop a suite of customized communication protocols for a co-ordinated operation of the various subsystems. Additionally, we will also design customized human interface modules for the vehicle operator and the service engineers at Westhill, to facilitate collective monitoring, timely intervention, and servicing, to enhance the efficiency of the solar powered reefer.

The Development of a Mobile Mapping Tool for Archaeologists

The interns will support the development and testing of an archaeological field notes tool called STRATUM. This tool will allow all notes and documentation, usually collected in note books or various handheld devices, to be collected on one digital device like a tablet or phone. The tool development will be guided by the results of three studies: 1) analysis of user needs and sources of stress; 2) testing and iterative development of a field-ready version prior to commercialization; and 3) a qualitative study evaluating Indigenous needs of, and opinions about, STRATUM and archaeology more generally. We will use the results of these studies to build an evidence-based, data-driven commercialized version of STRATUM that meets the needs of archaeologists in regard to their field work, Indigenous rights-holders in regard to their heritage, and archaeological regulators in regard to how data is collected and curated.

Study of the synergistic effect of two phenolic compounds (Eugenol and Carnosol) and Cisplatin in the treatment of oral cancer

Our project is to discover a more effective way to treat oral cancer that includes Eugenol and Carnosol and its derivatives that are effective in treating different types of cancer and also examining their beneficial (preventive and therapeutic) effects.

The specific objectives:

1) To study the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of these two compounds as well as its effect on the reinforcement of the defense system of the normal gingival cell (preventive aspect).

2) To study in vitro the therapeutic effect of Eugenol and Carnosol alone or in combination with cisplatin in oral cancer: To study the effect of this combination on

a) Proliferation of oral cancer cells.

b) Apoptosis of oral cancer cells.

c) Cell migration

d) On the autophagy of oral cancer cells

e) Telomerase activity as this telomeric activity has attracted much attention both as a diagnostic marker and as a therapeutic target in oncology.

3)Improve the quality of oral health.

Tumor Reduction and Enhanced Responsiveness to Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy Via Selective Removal of Iron: Mechanism and Preclinical Evaluation Year Two

Chelation Partners Inc. has developed a family of new and highly selective iron chelators such as DIBI. In collaboration with Dr. Hoskin, DIBI is being investigated as a novel anti-cancer agent. Preliminary research suggests that DIBI can selectively inhibit the growth and survival of cancer cells and render them more sensitive to radiation therapy. The proposed research builds on previous work to increase our understanding of how the removal of iron by DIBI affects cancer cells and makes them more sensitive to radiation and/or chemotherapy. This knowledge will be used to identify promising combinations of DIBI and other cancer treatment regimens that can be used together to improve cancer treatment outcomes. These studies will advance our understanding of cancer cell iron-dependency and will establish the in vivo effectiveness of DIBI in combination with radiation and/or chemotherapy to provide a strong rationale for further development of DIBI as an anti-cancer agent.

La contribution de l’économie sociale et solidaire à la circularité de la filière agroalimentaire québécoise : défis, constats et opportunités

La crise sanitaire de la Covid-19 a révélé plusieurs enjeux autour de la filière agroalimentaire, notamment celui de notre dépendance aux chaînes d’approvisionnement extérieures. Alors que de nombreux gouvernements déploient des stratégies d’adaptation à la pandémie et multiplient en parallèle les initiatives pour lutter contre les changements climatiques, quel peut être l’apport des entreprises d’économie sociale et solidaire à une meilleure circularité dans la chaîne agroalimentaire? En effet, au-delà de la pandémie, la circularité de la filière agro-alimentaire est un levier dans une perspective de réduction des gaz à effet de serre (GES) et d’accélération de la transition écologique.

Optimisation des séquences de ramassage pour le triage automatisé de matières recyclables par un bras robotisé

Afin d’augmenter leur compétitivité, les centres de tri misent sur la robotisation des opérations de tri de matières recyclables. Dans ce contexte, notre partenaire CRVI a réalisé un montage physique à échelle réelle d’un robot trieur attaché à un convoyeur de matières recyclables.

L’objectif du présent projet est de mettre au point un système de prise de décision capable d’optimiser les séquences de ramassage des objets. Considérant la vélocité limitée du robot ainsi que le débit important d’objets dans un environnement de tri réel, il est impossible de procéder à un tri exhaustif avec un seul robot. Il est donc important d’optimiser la stratégie de tri afin de maximiser la valeur des lots triés. La valeur de ces lots dépend à la fois de l’homogénéité du tri, la valeur marchande des matériaux ainsi que des volumes disponibles en inventaire.

Notre approche consiste à résoudre la tâche d’optimisation de la séquence de triage en utilisant des algorithmes d’apprentissage par renforcement. Dans un premier les temps, les contraintes d’affaires sont traduites en une valeur scalaire à optimiser par les algorithmes.

Exploring EdTech Related Innovation and Identifying Economic Growth Opportunities within the Canadian Virtual Learning Sector

The education system is rapidly evolving due to technological and societal change that have been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have contributed to the demand for technological infrastructure to help address these evolutions (OECD, 2020). With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators, guardians, and students have been forced to adapt to a virtual learning model. During this shift, educators are in need of support that can help them in providing students with continuously engaging and quality education. In the interest of understanding how Canada can best adapt its technological infrastructure in order to better support virtual learning, it is important to look at the technology that has already been developed in Asia. The intern will be partaking in a research project that will determine the efficiency of technologies aimed at better supporting educators in providing quality virtual education. The main objective of the intern will be to understand the EdTech sector in Asia and to determine the best technology that can be used and adapted by Canadian educators.

Upgradation of biocrude oil and its fractions into drop-in transportation fuels: Novel bimetallic and trimetallic catalysts development from biochar derived from hydrothermal liquefaction of various low value feedstocks

Currently, around the world municipal solid wastes creating a serious risk to human health and the environment; the cheapest and commonly used management technologies for these wastes are landfilling or combustion. However, landfill releases methane and other greenhouse gases, also it has potential to pollute surrounding soil and groundwater. On the other hand, municipal solid wastes can be processed via hydrothermal liquefaction technology to convert agricultural, kitchen and other organic waste streams into bio-crude oil that is environmentally green and carbon neutral. Thus, production of bio-crude oil has several techno-economic challenges and many technical areas need proper understanding. However, there is a compelling need to develop techno-economic viable production process of bio-crude oil to add value to underutilized waste. Thus, the main objective of this project is to produce carbon-neutral liquid transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and jet) from municipal solid wastes. The technology developed from this study will be implemented at NULIFE GreenTech Inc. production facility for producing bio-crude oil and bio-residue.

A Distributed Learning and Automation System for Passive Solar Greenhouses

The proposed research focuses on optimizing the partner organization’s innovative passive solar greenhouses. We propose a distributed learning and automation system (DLAS) that collects sensing data from multiple greenhouses. The DLS learns an optimal predictive model by aggregating the local models from multiple edge devices. The DLAS keeps improving the model as more sensing data is available. The predictive model will be used for automating the control of multiple greenhouses. The proposed project will benefit the partner organization by automating and optimizing the greenhouse controls with AI-based predictive decisions at the edge. The proposed project will help achieve energy efficiency and the eventual net-zero carbon emission goal.

Attentes et réticences des publics à l’égard des dispositifs de médiation de la musique : vers un guide des bonnes pratiques

L’Étude partenariale sur la médiation de la musique (EPM2) s’inscrit dans un contexte global où la
médiation culturelle est considérée comme l’un des fondements de la redéfinition des politiques de
l’éducation, de la culture et de la diversité. L’EPM » est un nouveau projet de recherche de l’équipe
Partenariat sur les publics de la musique (p2m) dont les travaux portes sur le développement des publics
de la musique et la médiation de la musique.
Par la mobilisation des chercheurs et des professionnels, le projet de partenariat EPM2 sur le rôle de
l’enseignement et de la pratique de la médiation de la musique dans la reconfiguration contemporaine du
métier de musicien a pour objectif de 1/ recenser et analyser les manières d’intégrer la médiation de la
musique dans le milieu de l’enseignement supérieur en musique et dans le milieu professionnel; 2/
co-construire avec ces mêmes milieux des supports de création et d’évaluation des activités de médiation
de la musique qui accompagneront les médiateurs et les musicien.nes à toutes les stades de leur carrière.
Ce projet est novateur en ce qu’il repose sur la mutualisation des forces d’enseignant.es, de chercheur.es,
et d’étudiant.es issu du milieu cégépien jusqu’à l’université qui travailleront en étroite collaboration avec
les professionnels du milieu de la musique (diffuseurs, producteurs, musiciens).

Evaluation of Changes in Urban Forests in The Annex Neighbourhood, Toronto from 2010 to 2022

Urban forests are an essential component of green and sustainable communities. They play a critical role in ecological and social wellbeing by providing beneficial ecosystem services which improve environment and human health. Nonetheless, urban and infrastructure development, invasive species, and environmental stresses threaten urban tree survivorship. While public trees are often well-documented, there is limited knowledge and research related to trees on private land. This highlights the need to implement community urban forestry stewardship programs to determine baseline condition, understand changes and trends, and protect the urban forest from further deterioration. This project aims to evaluate and analyze changes in the urban forest in the Annex neighbourhood in Toronto in terms of several tree attributes derived from the Neighbourwoods inventory protocol. This project will assess changes in urban forest structure, composition, abundance, and condition through time, informing actions to improve urban forest health and associated human health and wellbeing.