Innovative Projects Realized

NUR77 AND RXR: NEW TARGETS IN DRUG-INDUCED DYSKINESIA

Drug-induced dyskinesia is a debilitating side effect induced by anti-parkinsonian and antipsychotic drugs. Frequency can reach 80% in Parkinson’ disease and around 50% in schizophrenia patients treated with typical antipsychotics. Treatments for dyskinesia currently available have a very limited impact and generate important side effects. We have identified a new pharmacological target that may offer a new perspective in the treatment of these conditions. The target is composed of two nuclear receptors involved in the modulation of gene expression. We developed a sensitive biosensor that can monitor the activity of this complex. We used this assay to screen library of compounds and identified novel molecules (hits) that interact with this cellular target.
In the work proposed in the current application, we will now generate small libraries of hit analogues (hit expansion) in order to improve properties as lead compounds. Lead compounds will then be tested in animal models of drug-induced dyskinesia.

Optimization of novel UV-LED flow-through reactor

Current UV technology used to disinfect drinking water and wastewater is energy intensive, hazardous, and bulky; and the advent of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit in the ultraviolet (UV) range provides a unique opportunity to rethink how we design and implement disinfection technology. The overall objective of this project is to investigate the how the arrangement of UV LEDs and the hydraulic conditions in a novel bench-scale flow through UV-LED reactor affect disinfection performance. The project will be carried out in two phases. Phase I will include modeling the reactor with computational fluid dynamics software and determining the optimal experimental operating conditions. Phase II will include confirming the model from Phase I by conducting a bench-scaled disinfection study using a model challenge organism. The expected outcomes include the student learning how to operate and model the novel flow-through reactor, determining the theoretical optimal operating conditions, and developing a deeper understanding of UV reactor design.

In Vivo Reprogramming of Spiral Ganglion Glial Cells into Primary Auditory Neurons

Sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to hair cells, the sensory transducers of the auditory system, and/or the auditory neurons that transmit this information to the brain. Once these cells are lost the body does not naturally regenerate them. Elsewhere it has been shown that cells of one type may be converted into another cell type. This project involves using viral expression of select transcription factors in the spiral ganglion to convert resident cells into new auditory neurons to restore hearing.

The Influence of Time and Timbre on Cross-Cultural Music Perception

The world’s music is created with a variety of sounds and structures. For example, traditional Japanese music and classical Western music use different key signatures, rhythms, and instruments. This has suggested to music cognition researchers that different musical traditions might require unique mental processes and even distinct brain areas. Indeed, research by Professor Rie Matsunaga and her colleagues has shown that Japanese listeners detect the key signatures of Western and Japanese melodies with different brain areas and cognitive processes. This has suggested to us that detecting other elements of Japanese and Western music, such as timing (rhythm) and timbre (instrumentation), might require similar differences in psychological processing. The research we propose here will test this possibility through a series of experiments that will determine whether the rhythms and timbres of Japanese and Western music are processed by different brain areas and cognitive processes. Such experiments will inform not only our understanding of the the world’s musical arts, but will also tell us more about how this music is processed in the brain.

Quartz in garnet (QuiG) Inclusion Barometry of the Exhumed Himalayan Mid-crust

Most of the thermobarometric methods available to measure the pressure and temperature of metamorphism rely on the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium and knowledge of the partitioning of elements between minerals. The pressure estimates obtained from these methods could be affected by chemical diffusion and/or variation in stress distribution, common during metamorphism. Furthermore, they also may be affected by bias during selection of mineral and chemical compositions for analyses. In contrast, pressure estimates from inclusion barometry methods rely on measurements of physical characteristics of an inclusion-host pair to gain insight into metamorphic conditions independent of the chemical equilibrium between minerals. This project aims to implement and utilize Quartz in Garnet (QuiG) inclusion barometry at IPICYT and extract pressure measurements from rocks collected across the Himalayan metamorphic core. The resulting data will be used to better constrain the pressure portion of the pressure-temperature-time paths obtained for these rocks using other analytical methods. These combined datasets will be evaluated together with detailed structural and kinematic information to provide insight into the geologic evolution of the Himalayan mid-crust and orogenic systems in general.

Optimizing Natural Fibre Quality for Industrial Applications

Natural fibres are abundant in Canada and have the potential to be used in a wide variety of biocomposites and industrial bioproducts. In order to develop a thriving biomaterials sector, the quality and consistency of this vast resource must be continually assessed and monitored to ensure a quality product can be delivered to end-users on a consistent basis. However, variations in climatic growth conditions, seed variety and agronomic practices can lead to annual variations in natural fibre properties making it challenging to provide a reliable and consistent supply for industrial applications. The Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) through its FibreCITY (FC) initiative is working with industry to address some of the key issues of fibre retting, fibre processing and seed variety as they relate to optimizing natural fibre quality for industrial biocomposite applications. The interns and their supervising faculty mentors will assist the CIC-FC in understanding some of the fundamental research questions that underlie natural fibre quality as well as understanding the economics behind developing a fibre industry from crops traditionally grown for seed and food sources.

CONTRIBUTION À l’ANALYSE DE LA SÉCURITÉ DES COMPOSANTS ÉLECTRIQUES : APPLICATIONS AU DOMAINE DE L’AUTOMOBILE

Aujourd’hui, les applications automobiles exigent des capteurs de position à différents endroits des véhicules ; par exemple sur la pédale d’accélération. Traditionnellement, ces capteurs ont été équipés par des potentiomètres. Avec la tendance à l’augmentation de la complexité technologique, il y a des risques croissants de défaillances des systèmes électriques et / ou électroniques. ISO 26262 adopté en 2011, est la norme la plus importante concernant la sécurité fonctionnelle dans l’industrie automobile. La sécurité du système de capteur de position doit être assurée par un certain nombre de mesures de sécurité.

L’objectif principal de ce projet de recherche consiste à améliorer un système inductif de mesure de position absolue en vue d’une utilisation dans les applications automobiles tout en tenant compte de l’aspect fiabilité.

Notre travail dans le cadre de cette thèse de doctorat couvrira les aspects concernant le choix de la configuration du capteur de mesure de position sans contact, la modélisation d’un capteur inductif de position (un système de transfert d’énergie sans contact), la synthèse de la fiabilité de capteur de position sans contact pour les applications automobiles.

Bread, Freedom and National Dignity? A Political Economy of Youth Empowerment and Regionalism in Tunisia

Using simplified language understandable to a layperson, provide a general, one-paragraph description of the proposed research project to be undertaken by the student(s) as well as the expected outcomes. (Approx. 150 words)

A New Framework for Method-Level Dynamic Software Updating

Dynamic Software Updating (DSU) is a necessity in the operation of a large computing infrastructure that must deliver high availability. An issue very relevant to the industry is that legacy applications running in data centers were often designed and constructed without due consideration for the need of partial upgrades in the future. The goal of this research is the development of a framework that allows for an automatic retrofitting of legacy applications to enable a selected set of individual methods to be dynamically updated. This framework will rely on the use of aspect-oriented programming to facilitate the specification of the functions that should become dynamically updatable and to automatically rebuild the application in a way that allows for the dynamic updating of such functions. TO BE CONT’D

Machine-to-Machine Remote Asset Monitoring & Optimal Inspection and Repair Logistics

Cyber-physical systems or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications are more advanced than commercial IoT devices/applications mainly because of the prevalence of connected sensors and embedded systems in the industrial world. The objective of this project is to develop and package a low range, low power (LoRa Technology) remote asset monitoring and control system for “remote fixed utility” IIoT applications. Such developed system has the following advantages: 1) more cost effective than traditional wired approach; 2) immediate interpretation of data to actionable information; 3) risk reductions applying corrective control action. The common challenge is the extreme environments/remoteness of sites to be serviced. An IIoT-based maintenance solution supported by techniques of Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Mode, Effects, and Analysis (FMEA), and optimal planning scheduling will be developed. Validation using three test cases will help generalize and commercialize the technology for a wide range of applications.

Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids on Overwinter Survival of Underyearling Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis)

To achieve the goal of commercializing striped bass aquaculture in Nova Scotia, the obstacle of high (up to 100%) overwinter mortality among young-of-year fish needs to be overcome. Mortality is restricted to fish that are under one year old (underyearlings, <100g) transferred to cages in freshwater ponds in the late fall. Larger bass (>500g) suffer negligible mortality. Potential factors for such low survival rates identified through four years of trials by researchers from Dalhousie include low oxygen levels and exhaustion of lipid energy reserves. This project uses the concept of homeoviscous adaptation to test the hypothesis that changing the proportions of dietary saturated and unsaturated fats will affect overwinter survival. Homeoviscous adaptation proposes that proper cell function depends on cells remaining fluid no matter the temperature of the fish’s environment. TO BE CONT’D

Data Centre Waste Heat Recovery for District Energy Systems

Data centres generate a large amount of heat, from operating computers 24/7. This heat is normally wasted and released outside the data centre building. This research will determine the best way to capture the waste heat from a data centre and distribute it to other buildings in the area that require heating. The vessel for this distribution of heat will be a network of water pipes, just like an electrical grid distributes power to multiple buildings. The intern will provide insight on the equipment and system design required to capture the waste heat in an energy and cost efficient manner.