Innovative Projects Realized

Post-breeding movement and survival of adult and first-year Bank Swallows in the Great Lakes ecoregion

The bank swallow is a species of insectivorous songbird considered to be threatened in Canada and has been prioritized for conservation action. All swallow species in Canada are migratory, and in their annual cycle, the post-breeding to first migration period is considered to be a difficult and dangerous time for juvenile birds. We propose to conduct an ecological study of bank swallow post-breeding movements and survival in southern Ontario. To do so, we will use an advanced automated radiotelemetry system (the Motus Wildlife Telemetry System) to track the locations of birds we radiotag across southern Ontario, up until they depart for migration. We will then analyze this data to compare survival rates, timing behaviour, and space use between adults and juveniles. We will use a broad range of statistical methods to extraction information at the population and individual levels. The goal is to learn more about the behavioural mechanisms which may underlie high mortality of juvenile bank swallows during their transition to independence.

Accelerated Maturation of Rye Spirits

Whisky is made by a process of fermentation, distillation, and maturation. The last step is by far the most time-consuming part of this process. In order for maturation to occur, the distilled spirit must sit in a wooden barrel for years, during which the spirit takes on the familiar colour and taste of whisky. This inefficient process is an antiquated approach to creating this beloved class of beverage. By using simple chemical principles, we aim to develop a new method to make matured spirits – one that will take only a fraction of the time to create a similarly complex and delicious liquor. This project will allow us to systematically evaluate some of the variables in spirit maturation and inform future innovation in this area, eventually leading to new and exciting Canadian spirits for consumption domestically and abroad.

Novel Adhesive For Use In Sternal Fixation and Application

Median sternotomy is the standard approach in heart surgery. Over 1.5M operations are performed worldwide annually; 45K in Canada. Wires are used post-operatively to close the sterna, leading to instability, micro-motion and pain. Alternative techniques lack effectiveness or are cost prohibitive. Glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs) are used in restorative dentistry, orthodontics and ear, nose and throat surgeries. Our group has re-engineered a dental GPC specifically for use as an adhesive for sternal fixation based around a novel, patented bioactive glass phase which contains strontium and zinc, which can be applied during sternal wiring to minimize complications. This approach, supported by the scientific literature, will reduce post-operative complications by inhibiting micro-motion between the dissected sternal halves and restricting bacterial ingress into the wound.

Collecte de données sur les portraits des reines antigonides

Le but de ce projet de recherche est de collecter des données sur les portraits royaux féminins en sculpture des reines en grèece antique, principalement dans le nord de la Grèce. . Le but est de rassembler toutes les informations éparpillées dans différentes recherches en seul document pour ainsi permettre aux futurs chercheurs de trouver l’information plus rapidement. Cet été, je collecte les données en accédant aux collections des musées et en visitant des bibliothèques contenant des document non accessible au Canada. Le but final est de créer un document qui fera partie de mon projet de maitrise qui concerne toutes les reines de la période hellénistique. Ces femmes sont des caractères importants de cette période et il est temps qu’elles possèdent une œuvre les représentant pleinement. J’espère récupérer ainsi une partie des documents qui ne sont pas accessibles au Canada: De plus, je veux pouvoir visionner environnement d’exposition des statues dans les sites archéologiques où elles ont été retrouvées.

Nonlinear Section Model Tests in the Wind Tunnel for Cable-Supported Bridges

Due to the length and intrinsic flexibility of cable-supported bridges, wind causes serious challenges to designers of such structures. To ensure the safety of these bridges, it is common practice to test scale models of bridges in the wind tunnel. As bridges are getting longer, simplifications used for typical wind tunnel test become questionable. Therefore, this project aims at developing a new type of wind tunnel tests for bridges in order to check whether these simplifications are safe for very long bridges. With their expertise in the field of long-span bridge engineering, COWI North America will benefit from this research project by making use of the research conclusions in their future designs of long-span bridges.

Extension of fast hybrid VLM-VPM schemes for helicopter flow simulations

Aircraft flight simulators are important to airworthiness standards and thus safety. The simulators are used in pilot training, as well assisting in the design of flight vehicles. Flight simulators need physical models that reproduce, in the computer, the real devices such as engines, pilot human response, cockpit, etc. In particular, it also needs an aerodynamic model which constitutes one, if not the one, most expensive simulation component. Whereas in airplanes, quasi-steady models are often enough for simulations, helicopter requires unsteady models making them even more expensive. Designing faster aerodynamic models often requires reducing the fidelity of the simulation. This project aims at incorporating a mixed low/high-fidelity model for the simulation of helicopter blade aerodynamic performance in complex helicopter scenarios such as flight over terrain or ships.

Digitization of supply chain routing decisions for freight transportation

Identifying an optimal routing, that ensures a delivery passage between suppliers and vendors, with a minimum cost while respecting the various constraints (including shortest delivery, availability of fleets and routes, traffic, etc.), could be a challenging task. This is mainly due to the need to solve a combinatorial optimization problem with discrete choices of pathways and routes that could become an NP-hard problem. Researchers and practitioners have adopted heuristic approaches to simplify the solution process. With the availability of large datasets, practitioners are increasingly looking into developing intelligent routing algorithms that learn from the data and extract rules for optimal routing decisions. The aim of this R&D project is to conduct research on digitization of routing practices in order to identify opportunities for upgrading a routing decision-making platform, previously developed by Hitek Logistics,

Reliability Analysis of Gallium Nitride (GaN) Devices Using Data Analysis Methods

Gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) are good candidates to replace the traditional silicon-based transistors. Although these devices show superior performances compared to Si and SiC-based devices, they suffer from some reliability issues. The aim of this research project is to improve the performance of the GaN HEMTs and enhance their reliability by performing a data analysis technique. This analysis would result in better understanding of GaN HEMTs’ characteristics. Pattern recognition is one of the powerful data analysis techniques which can be helpful in diagnosing different patterns in the given dataset. The use of this technique will result in finding any direct and indirect correlations between different parameters of GaN HEMTs and their reliability. The outcomes of this analysis can help produce reliable GaN HEMTs devices, and would also benefit GaN Systems Inc. in improving the reliability of their products.

La gestion de l’eau à l’époque Grecque

Ce projet de recherche s’agit de l’étude de la manière dont le nord de la Grèce a traité le problème de la gestion de l’eau pendant les époques archaïque et hellénistique. Cela comprend non seulement la manière dont ces colonies ont obtenu de l’eau pour garantir leur survie, mais aussi sa distribution dans toute la ville. Ensuite, il s’agit de savoir comment ces villes ont évacué les eaux usées et les eaux pluviales des fortifications pour assurer la santé de leurs citoyens et l’assainissement de la ville. Avec les niveaux élevés de précipitations que connaît cette région, les résultats obtenus dans le cadre de ce projet de recherche devraient montrer qu’il y a une certaine importance accordée au drainage pour éviter les inondations, ainsi qu’à la facilité générale d’obtenir de l’eau puisque les précipitations se transforment en eaux souterraines, ce qui est la méthode principale pour obtenir une source d’eau pure.

Implementation Framework for AAL Technologies to Support the Continuum of Care in Smart Communities

The Canadian healthcare system is not yet prepared to access and leverage IoT (Internet of Things) data to support clinical decision making outside of hospital settings (Nguyen et al., 2017). With advances in low-cost IoT technology, it is now possible to meaningfully incorporate a variety of sensors into our homes and communities, leading to the implementation of Smart Homes (Risteska Stojkoska & Trivodaliev, 2017) and Smart Communities to support healthy living (Bencardino & Greco, 2014; De Filippi et al., 2019). Through this project, our research team will propose and develop new guidelines and checklists, and identify the need for new standards to support current and future smart communities seeking to implement AAL technologies at the individual household, as well as at the community level. This partnership between the UbiLab and CSA Group will provide a framework to guide: (1) new AAL technology manufacturers, (2) developers of new smart communities seeking to ensure that the new developments are compatible and prepared to receive AAL and IoT sensors, (3) communities seeking to leverage data generated by AAL and IoT sensors into fully integrated community health services (e.g., pharmacies, allied health professionals, community clinics, etc.)

L’économie du bronze en Grèce du Nord aux époques archaïque et classique: le cas d’Argilos

Le projet de recherche proposé s’inscrit dans le plus large contexte d’une thèse de doctorat. La thèse vise à étudier l’évolution de la technologie métallurgique à Argilos, une cité située dans le nord de la Grèce, fondée à l’époque archaïque et qui prospère à travers la période classique. L’étude de la vaste collection d’artéfacts de bronze qui y ont été découverts dans le cadre de la Mission archéologique gréco-canadienne d’Argilos alliera les méthodes dites proprement archéologiques aux techniques relevant des sciences naturelles. Ainsi, il sera possible de formuler plusieurs hypothèses entre autres au niveau des relations commerciales et culturelles qui animent la cité, et l’évolution de la technologie métallurgique présente à Argilos.

Le projet de recherche vise alors à élaborer la méthodologie de la recherche, à constituer l’échantillon d’artéfacts de bronze qui sera concrètement à l’étude, et à préparer aux analyses chimiques auxquelles chaque artéfact sera soumis. Finalement, il sera également l’occasion de récolter toutes les informations qualitatives nécessaires à l’élaboration de la thèse propres aux artéfacts et aux infrastructures métallurgiques qui nous sont parvenues.

Une étude des dépôts d’ossements de l’Âge du Fer à l’époque classique en Grèce du Nord (Macédoine) : Argilos, Karabournaki et Kastri Thassos

La compréhension de l’économie pastorale au début de l’âge du fer, des périodes archaïques et classiques en Macédoine reste assez fragmentaire. Ma thèse a tenté de combler ces lacunes en étudiant l’économie pastorale et la relation entre les hommes et les animaux à travers l’exploitation et la consommation de ces derniers à Argilos. Cette étude a pour but de s’appuyer sur ces données en examinant l’organisation intracommunautaire des établissements, les pratiques culinaires, l’alimentation des animaux et la mobilité.
Dans le contexte des changements climatiques, de l’érosion dramatique de la biodiversité, la société canadienne doit plus que jamais comprendre sa relation avec la nature. Pour se faire, une étude approfondie des systèmes économiques préindustrielles permettrait de mieux comprendre comment, par exemple, les premières nations ou les premiers habitants européens se sont adaptés à l’environnement et on ainsi crée une économie et une structure sociale originale.
Les techniques utilisées pour ce projet de recherche d’Argilos, de même que la réflexion sur son organisation sociale et économique, peuvent être répliquées dans le contexte canadien tout en l’adaptant à son environnement naturel et social.