Innovative Projects Realized

Evaluation of standardized cannabidiol extracts in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

This project is to test the potential of standard extracts of Hemp cannabis plants from 50N Biotech, a Canada–based biotech company, in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our working hypothesis is that these extracts strongly suppress the inflammation in the gut of individuals who have the disease, and the combination treatment of these extracts with clinical-use drugs will result in improvement in the management of the IBD. We will use preclinical models to test our hypothesis. The primary outcome measures of the treatments will include the severity of the colitis – a IBD-like disease. We will compare the outcomes of the cannabis extract monotherapy with that of their combination therapy with aminosalicylic acids (a clinical-use drug for IBD) in the treatment of colitis.

Integration of multi-omics data into genomic prediction in pigs

Pork is the most consumed animal protein in the world and demand continues to increase. Significant increases in food availability worldwide have been achieved, however, there is still a major challenge to feed the growing global population. Genomic selection has been widely used in livestock animals and successfully improved genetic progress of production and reproduction traits in pigs. This proposed research project aims to improve the genomic selection in pigs using new genetic software and multi-omics data. The partner will benefit from participating in this program in several ways including technology development and application directly from the intern’s project, knowledge transfer from the intern to the partners staff with respect to new approaches and technology options for R&D, interaction with the intern’s advisor and other personnel from the University of Alberta, and eventually to enhance the partner’s genomic evaluation by application of the latest approaches and software tools.

Organic matter controls on radium removal via barite coprecipitation

Radium is a radioactive element often found in wastewater from uranium mining and oil and gas industries. One common approach to remove radium from wastewater is to add barium and sulfate to form the mineral barite. The barite traps the radium and can then be disposed of safely. However, chemicals released by decaying plants into the water may sometimes make this process less effective. This project in partnership with Ensero solutions will explore the possible impacts of these chemicals on effectiveness of radium removal with barite formation. Understanding this system better will help them improve approaches to radium removal from wastewater and plan effectively for future seasonal changes at field sites where they are using this treatment approach. For Canada, this will provide benefits to our economy and the environment, allowing Canadian industries with these issues to improve their environmental stewardship and save money on waste disposal costs.

Étude des relations interentreprises à partir des informations sur les appels d’offres publics

Dans un contexte de relance économique, plusieurs acteurs suggèrent que le gouvernement et l’État ont un rôle à jouer, notamment dans l’octroi de contrats publics. Selon certaines théories, les effets de débordements liés à la réalisation des travaux pourraient avoir des effets stimulants sur la création d’entreprises locales, mais également sur le renforcement de la position de certains acteurs clés.
Les travaux viseraient à étudier les liens entre les consortiums formés pour répondre aux appels d’offre publics afin de vérifier si l’effet de concentration spatiale joue un rôle important dans la probabilité de remporter ces contrats. L’analyse permettra également d’identifier des acteurs clés dans ce processus permettant de choisir l’entreprise ou le consortium qui se voit remettre la responsabilité de réaliser les travaux identifiés. Il serait également intéressant de vérifier si le lieu de réalisation des travaux a un effet stimulateur sur la création d’entreprises locales, et si cet effet (s’il s’avère) a un effet temporaire ou permanent sur la structure de l’économie locale.

Thermal Management of Industrial Battery Chargers

Battery chargers are an essential component in electric, plug-in hybrid vehicles and various other clean energy systems. However, the battery charger performance is susceptible to the operating temperature. Thus, an efficient and reliable thermal management system should be developed to address the problems due to induced thermal stress. This project aims to develop a heat sink with PCM for the effective heat dissipation from the battery charger to intact its performance and lifespan. A suitable PCM based on the operating temperature range can control the peak temperature and maintain a uniform temperature in the electronic device. Graphite having superior thermo-mechanical properties will be used as an additive to enhance the thermal conductivity of the PCM. The effect of additive to PCM ratio on the performance of developed heat sink will be investigated. Fundamental understanding, modeling, and manufacturing of such heat sinks are within the scope of this project.

Understanding molecular, cellular and tissue responses to low-dose / low-dose-rate ionizing radiation

The project will undertake independent and evidence-based research on the effects of exposure to low-dose radiation (LDR). It aims to obtain accurate and unbiased information on the biological responses resulting from exposures to LDR – a cell and tissue stressor. The project will undertake tasks that will identify changes in metabolic processes and physiological systems that could result in adverse or beneficial effects on the body. Gaps in knowledge on the effects of LDR on epigenetic memory, on the regulation of DNA stability and on homeostatic immune responses will be investigated. The use of funds to support the training and development of doctoral students and post-doctoral research fellows will expand the number of trained specialists and experts available to meet industry, academia, and health service needs in radiobiology.

An Economic and Policy Assessment for a more Sustainable Electricity Grid in Alberta

This project will investigate the impact of the suspension of the distribution connected generators credit by the Alberta Utilities Commission in July 2021 on the economics of utility scale renewable energy projects in Alberta, and how their economics compare to transmission connected projects. A cost benifit analysis will then be preformed. Based on the results of the cost/benefit analysis a survey and interviews will be conducted with a full spectrum of stakeholders to determine if the the suspension of the credit program has moved Alberta toward a equable and sustainable electricity grid. The survey will specifically address if the existing tariff system unfairly subsidized transmission companies (for being paid for a service that is not provided) when distribution connected generators produce electricity used solely within the distribution network.

Long-term performance of bituminous geomembranes for waste containment and mining applications

Geomembranes (thin sheets that can be polymeric or bituminous), are used as the liners in waste containment
and mineral extraction facilities to protect the surrounding environment from contaminant migration. Environmental
awareness and high demand for mineral resources increased the demand for geomembranes and have created
economic opportunities for Canadian companies with an estimated revenue of the geomembrane market reaching
$417 million in 2022. This project seeks to understand how bituminous geomembranes will interact with
aggressive field conditions found in geoenvironmental application by examining their long- and short-term
properties. The proposed work aims to reduce the risks associated with the current uncertainty regarding their
performance to provide more effective and reliable groundwater and surface water protection. Partnership with a
leading geosynthetic installer will provide them with a rigorous understanding on the factors that affect the
geomembrane performance in the field to expand existing and develop new markets for their specialized products.

E-Rec Tech Innovation and Test Centre in East Kootenays

Interest in e-recreational activities has increased geometrically in the past 3-4 years, along with related economic opportunities. Electrification of off-road recreation vehicles is happening in all categories, from snowmobiles to motorcycles, watercraft and e-mountain bikes but lacks a collaborative approach between industry, academia and government. KORE’s strategy is to take advantage of this window of opportunity to unite industry and academia and create a Canadian approach to an economic development initiative that will benefit the Kootenays.
An intended outcome of the proposed industry alliance will be to match infrastructure development and deployment with e-recreational vehicle uptake and adoption of this rapidly growing industry.

Visual Analytics for Financial Risk Year Two

The second project also relates to the application of VA to financial systemic risk analytics. The report on the NSF-funded workshop on Next-Generation Community for Financial Cyberinfrastructure for Managing Systemic Risk identifies the need to develop robust simulations and computational models in order to manage systemic risk. Many of these are in the form of financial network analyses which combine network analytics with data visualization. Though there are already many examples of how network analysis and visualization are being used to gain new insights into the behaviour of financial networks in order to better understand financial systemic risk, so far there is no common framework for financial network visualization. Thus, the aim of this research will be to develop a conceptual framework for the visualization of dynamic financial networks as a first exploratory step to development of a technical financial network visualization framework. A Framework would assist a user in determining the display type that would best suit the task at hand using the available data, and in discovering whether there is an available application that would produce that kind of visual display from the data that the user wishes to produce.

Contenu pédagogique en optique quantique

Novatic Solutions inc. cherche à étendre sa notoriété en solutions technopédagogiques, au niveau post-secondaire, en science et ce à l’échelle internationale. Pour ce faire, Novatic compte saisir une opportunité actuellement présente de dans le marché : il existe très peu de contenu rigoureux, vulgarisé et divertissant en mécanique quantique. En effet, d’un côté se trouve les publications scientifiques et les textbooks beaucoup trop arides, et de l’autre, de brèves vidéos YouTube grand publique, qui survolent en moins de 15 minutes des expériences telle que la double fentes de Young, avec un gros côté sensationnel qui invite à tirer des conclusions parfois loufoques. Bref, pour une personne normale et éduquée qui se questionne sur la nature de la réalité, il est très difficile de s’informer réellement sur la mécanique quantique, ses interprétations et ses applications.

Novatic Solutions inc. compte donc développer du contenu technopédagogiques rigoureux et divertissant, sous forme d’un site web interactif gratuit (sous licence Creative Common), regroupant du contenu multimédia (vidéo, images, texte, animations, etc.). Ce site aura pour objectifs de vulgariser les principes de la mécanique quantique au travers d’expériences d’optiques quantiques détaillées.

Mise en place de stratégie de Marketing entrant

Uluumy est une plateforme de formation et de coaching qui aide les professionnel.le.s à améliorer leurs compétences et à se perfectionner à l’ère de l’IA et des transformations numériques.
Le projet consiste à mettre en place une stratégie pour le marketing entrant (inbound marketing) .
Vous aurez à contribuer à créer les fondations du marketing entrant.

Les trois étapes types du markéting entrant sont :
• Attirer de nouveaux visiteurs avec du contenu gratuit : articles, webinaires, cours;
• Engager les utilisateurs et générer un intérêt pour nos offres payantes de cours-cohorte;
• Offrir une expérience utilisateur exceptionnelle à nos clients pour les fidéliser et les convertir en ambassadeurs.

Cette stratégie nous permet de :
• Mieux cerner les besoins des utilisateurs ;
• Réduire les coûts d’acquisition de nouveaux clients.