Innovative Projects Realized

Against the Grain: The nutritional impact of dietary gluten avoidance in the Canadian population

Celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergies and dietary gluten avoidance for other reasons appear to be on the rise in Canada. However, prior to the recently released Canadian Community Health Survey, there has never been an opportunity to investigate dietary gluten avoidance using recent, representative survey data collected throughout Canada. It is important to know the burden of gluten avoidance in Canada and who is affected to advocate for resources. This project will examine estimated nutrient intakes using 24-hour dietary recall data of those adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD) from a nationally representative sample of Canadians. The outcomes of this study will allow us to describe the potential for nutritional deficiencies among Canadians who adhere to a GFD. This is an opportunity to provide a benchmark by which future studies can assess changes in gluten avoidance in the Canadian population over time using future Canadian survey data. This study will also provide a framework for change and initiatives in the food environment in response to how people following a GFD eat, and what challenges they may face.

Gallium nitride processes for efficient low loss power transistors

The project’s aim is to develop a comprehensive technological platform for the fabrication of
GaN-based electronics devices for applications in telecommunications and power generating
and management systems. As of this date, the progress relative to this technology has been
excellent and sustained. Our team has now established the most advanced fabrication
expertise for GaN-based devices among Canadian universities, and state-of-the-art high
electron mobility transistors are now routinely fabricated. Technologies around the epitaxial
growth of GaN-based materials are also to be developed. Our previous work yielded
promising results with significantly improved gas injector designs for highly efficient gas
usage in an epitaxial tool. Other designs also include a new concept for the gas management
system with a diffusely heated evacuated cabinet that allows for easy maintenance and
cheaper operation. Materials grown within the frame of this project will be evaluated in terms
performance with regards to HEMT microfabrication standards

Norms, Social Mechanisms, and Mexico’s General Law on Disappearances

In October 2017, Mexico’s Congress passed the General Law on Disappearances, the first federal-legal measure of its kind. After eleven years of extreme violence that coincide with the War on Drugs, more than 37,000 (RNPED, 2018) persons are officially disappeared, though it is widely suspected the figure is now in excess of 40,000. This research project examines the social mechanisms that influenced the creation of the General Law after more than a decade of insecurity. Through quantitative analyses in the timeline of the disappearances epidemic, combined with interviews of policymakers, activists, and academics, the project focuses on the role norms and values play in the advancement of policy. Thus, the expected outcome of this research is a deepened socio-political understanding about the Law’s advent and the circumstances that explain its timing.

Assessing the lice cleaning efficacy and diet of lumpfish in Canadian Atlantic salmon sea cages using metabarcoding and conventional diet analysis

The salmon aquaculture industry is a highly profitable industry, known to contribute significantly to the Canadian economy. During this time an ectoparasite called the sea louse may infect the salmon leading to animal welfare concerns a significant economic loss. Lumpfish are a species of cleaner fish used as a biological control for sea lice and offer a more sustainable and ecologically friendly option for sea lice management than previous chemical controls. They are a recent addition to Canadian aquaculture, and their cleaning efficacy must be well understood under Canadian conditions. The identification of whole diet and sea lice presence in lumpfish stomachs using conventional analysis and metabarcoding will aid in future efforts to enhance lumpfish cleaning efficacy. This research will benefit the industry partner, offering potential for economic gain and more efficient aquaculture management. And benefit the intern in completing a MSc thesis.

Enhancing Hyperspectral Image Quality for Chicken Eggs Using Unmixing Approach

The current non-destructive and fast method of hyperspectral imaging technology for the chicken egg-related problems in agri-food processing suffers from the quality of acquired hyperspectral images. Therefore, the results of all existing attempts to deal with those egg-related problems (e.g., freshness, grading eggs, fertility detection and distinguishing abnormal eggs) can be improved since they are highly related to the quality of hyperspectral images taken over eggs. This project aims to address these challenges and present a hyperspectral imaging enhancement scheme to accurately determine the spectral profile of internal components of egg (e.g., yolk, egg white, eggshell) using one of the strong remote sensing tools called spectral unmixing. Eventually, the quality of hyperspectral image of eggs will be enhanced based on unmixing approach along with better estimating the noise level and appropriate denoising technique.

Machine learning classification for pump fault and failure detection

This project aims to develop an automated ability capable of detecting faults with pumps. This is referred as “Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis” (AFDD). Equipment performance begins to worsen throughout time due to various reasons, where these reasons are referred to as “faults”. Generally, there is an understanding of the various faults and causes for equipment failure, but the challenge arises in development of a tool capable of accurately and automatically detecting these issues. An AFDD tool would receive sensor data from a pump and use various algorithms to 1) “Detect” a fault and 2) “Diagnose” the exact fault. The expected outcome of this project is an algorithm that can read data from installed equipment and use it to determine whether or not the equipment is (a) operating correctly, (b) operating with a problem (fault), or (c) in danger of failing, and provide both the building owners and Armstrong service team with the necessary information to fix it.

“Minimally invasive mechanical circulatory support scientific data acquisition”

Heart failure is a prevalent disease affecting 250,000 people in North America alone. This disease can be treated by the transplant of a donor organ, but insufficient donor organs have led to the development of mechanical circulatory support which now provide a reliable alternate treatment option for patients. Unfortunately, many patients that could be helped by a mechanical circulatory support are deemed ineligible due to the invasive, open- heart surgery that is required to install such devices. Puzzle Medical Inc. is researching a novel pump design that can deployed non-invasively to increase the availability of mechanical circulatory support to high risk patients. An important consideration for the development of this device is to have a high quality in-vitro and in-vivo study by gathering a lot of data from test benches and animal trial. These data will be gathered and compared to in-vivo (pigs) study in the next 5 months while testing their deployment/retrieval mechanism in a real live body.

Describing the electronic structure of reactive copper(II) arylnitroso complexes

The efficiency of many chemical reactions is improved by addition of metal-based catalysts to the solution, however, the best of these catalysts are often based on some of the scarcest elements on the periodic table. The high costs of obtaining these elements makes catalysts based on ore Earth-abundant elements, but these base metals often do not stabilize the same charges as the rarer noble metals, making them unable to catalyze the same reactions. One strategy to enhance these metals’ reactivity is to modify their surrounding ligands so that they, too, can exchange electrons. These ligands are known as redox non-innocent. The arylnitroso function has three stable charges, making it a highly malleable redox non-innocent function, but this property also makes its complexes difficult to characterize. The goal of this project is to use quantum computation and spectroscopy to better understand this new class of arylnitroso complexes.

Multiphase and multiphysics CFD modeling of a gasifier and a 3 phase reactor forEnerkem technology

Thanks to its technological platform, Enerkem provides a green and sustainable solution to

address the challenges of oil dependence and waste disposal. The solution put forward is

biofueis production from municipal solid waste. The heart of this technology is based on

processes demanding high control of complex physics including fluid flow and thermochemical

reactions. Seeking to improve understanding and performance of two key units, a

gasifier and a catalytiC reactor, the current research project will perform modeling based on

CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) method. Navier-Stokes equations will be coupled with

granular eulerian and lagrangian model to account for multiphase flow. Additionally, heat

transfer and chemical reaction will be considered. These simulations will be conducted on

supercomputers and results will be to optimize the process.

Fostering Indigenous Small-scale fisheries for Health, Economy and food Security in Cree communities of northern Quebec (FISHES)

Northern fisheries are facing major changes and reducing the negative impacts is crucial for communities tied to the fisheries for their food security and culture. The identification of regions important for subsistence, commercial and recreational harvesting and whether they comprise genetically distinct groups of populations is a key requirement for adaptive co?management of harvest. Our team is comprised of researchers and Indigenous collaborators that combine the expertise for implementing knowledge at the interface between genomics and fisheries management. In this component of a recently funded Genome Canada LSARP, we will define genetically distinct populations in three of the most important species for the Cree (in terms of subsistence and tourism) (Brook Trout, Walleye, Lake Trout), quantify the contributions to mixed?stock harvests in two species (Brook Trout, Walleye), and assess the genomic impact of overharvesting in Walleye in southern Mistassini Lake. Through partnered research with the Cree, we will co?produce evidence to foster sustainable fisheries, food security, and social well?being. Our research will also support the development of sustainable fisheries in Cree territories and environmental protection for key fish species of Cree fisheries.

Advancement of Hyperimmune candidates against select pathogens from the Antibody Therapeutics Business Unit’s Lead Generation Program

At Emergent BioSolutions our vision is to “Protect and Enhance Life”. The Antibody Therapeutics Business Unit focuses on applying immunotherapies to prevent and treat human infectious diseases. This includes finding effective strategies to meet existing and emerging threats to public health and intentional biothreats. As part of these efforts the Lead Generation Program was created to address bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. MiTacs interns will play a role in these efforts by further strengthening ties between academia and industry, applying new methods and innovations, alongside proven technologies to advance lead candidates towards clinical evaluation and licensure.

Development of safe storage guidelines for Canadian Flax

Shelf-life and quality of agricultural commodities is directly affected by their storage conditions. Therefore, producers and managers of grains and oilseeds relay on safe storage guidelines of the stored commodity to preserve the quality of these products. These guidelines are developed for specific commodities and are made available by producer groups and technical organizations to the agricultural community. Most of these storage guidelines were developed for different crops several decades ago and are archived in ASABE Standard D245.5 (Moisture Relationships of Plantbased Agricultural Products). However, plant breeding has since resulted in grains and oilseeds of different functional/agronomic characteristics, which directly affects their equilibrium moisture content (EMC) value, a parameter that governs storage life/quality. Our recent work with soybeans has established how important it is to update the safe-storage guidelines for the new varieties of grains and oilseeds. Recognizing the importance of this work and a lack of updated storage guidelines on flax, Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax) has moved to update this information on flax grown in the Canadian Prairies.