Innovative Projects Realized

Impedimetric Sensor for Detection of ?9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Although cannabis was legalized in Canada for recreational use in October 2018, there remains no effective method to determine roadside cannabis impairment. The state of the art device for detecting cannabis use roadside is saliva-based which has several flaws, including the fact that THC remains in saliva up to 72 hours after intake. In this project, a sensor will be developed to detect THC in breath, where the compound is present only up to 5 hours after consumption. The intern will research the effect of electrode geometry and fabrication process on the sensitivity of the device, and complete device repeatability tests. This knowledge will be critical for SannTek’s development of an effective device. The device will be marketed to law enforcement officials for roadside testing and employers for workplace testing, providing tangible public safety benefits to all Canadians.

Stability and antioxidant properties of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products

Nutraceuticals are being used ubiquitously, but seldom undergo rigorous testing. This study is focused on two primary aspects of studying natural health products, specific cannabis and its oils. The first objective is to determine the shelf life (product stability) by performing a series of tests to accelerate the ageing process in order to provide an estimation of shelf life. Currently, cannabis oils have arbitrary assignments of expiry dates, if at all. The other key focus involves studying the antioxidant benefits (or pro-oxidant detriment) imparted by cannabis products. Lastly, studies on white blood cells (leukocytes) will be carried out to determine if there are any detrimental or beneficial effects of cannabis products on these critical immune cells.

Maximizing Plant Production using Light Emitting Diode Arrays

This proposal is for the development and optimization of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for plant

growth. The development of LEDs over the complete range (and beyond) of photosynthetically active

radiation (PAR: 400 – 700nm) now allows focused research into the effect of wavelength on specific

plant responses. The LEDs produce light in a narrow spectrum (+/- 10nm) at intensities approaching

full sunlight. This project consists of characterizing LED arrays developed by our organization

sponsor and other sources to determine the arrays light intensity, spectral quality, energy usage, and

lifespan which will be used to optimize the design of future LED systems. These arrays will be used to

grow plants under both greenhouse and growth chamber conditions (primary lighting and intercanopy

lighting) to maximize production. LEDs have the potential to maximum plant production with reduced

energy costs over existing lighting systems…

Wind Field Estimation, Exploitation and Guidance for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly used in the fields of data collection, surveillance, and search and rescue missions. For many UAVs, knowledge of the instantaneous wind speed and direction and overall wind field are of interest, as this knowledge can help better control the position and orientation of the UAV in heavy wind. In addition, knowledge of the wind field can be used to prolong flight times and improve the efficiency of flight of the UAV, by planning paths for the UAV to follow that exploit the wind and harvest energy from it. The proposed research deals with the estimation of the instantaneous wind speed and direction and overall wind field, and the use of these estimates to design guidance laws for the UAV that mitigate the effects of wind. In addition, the proposed research deals with improving energy-efficient path planning algorithms to lead to improved flight performance.

Phytotechnologies Monitoring Impacts and Resilience of Native Species and Northern Climates

The Phytoremediation Pilot Project is a collaborative effort between Aya Kitchens and Landscape Architect Pete North to create a buffer system that will stabilize soil contamination left by historic industrial activity at 1551 Catepillar Rd., Mississauga. The site borders the Little Etobicoke Creek, a tributary to the Etobicoke Creek and designated a Significant Natural Area, and prior to the installation of the Phytoremediation Pilot Project groundwater had been transporting contaminants from the soil to the creek. Through strategic tree planting, the Phytoremediation Project takes advantage of plant action, namely the extraction of water, to alter the flow of groundwater so that contaminants never reach the creek. The research proposed here within aims to monitor and analyze the environmental and social impacts of the Phytoremediation Project.

Network security and machine learning development projects – part 2

The main objectives of this one-year study are to enhance systems in data management and integration in three ways: 1) create secure networks that can support BYOD; 2) create a data pipeline system for ETL; and 3) integrate ML content generation into a content management system. An Agile methodology will be used to plan and implement the projects on which the interns will work. This approach is widely used in software development and is based on collaboration, continual improvement and adaptation.

UAV-assisted wireless communication system in remote areas

In Canada, less than 30% of the geography is covered by cellular systems. There are lots of human activities in these uncovered remote areas for either gaining nature resources or outdoor experience. In this scenario, the walkie talkie is the only and vital method helping people to build connection between each other, which can ensures their safety. Nevertheless, the signal of walkie talkie devices can be easily attenuated and/or blocked by complicated terrains such as the forest, large rock messes, and mountains. Besides, the remote workers, such as loggers, have also been suffered from the isolation for a long time due to the lack of connection to the outside world. Therefore, in this project, we propose to study and implement the drone-assisted wireless communication system for remote areas, which not only provides reliable connection among nearby users, but also connects the remote areas to the world.

A Virtual reality (VR)-based yoga exercise program targeting upper and lower extremities function in stroke survivors who are discharged home

A virtual-reality-based yoga training and assessment platform will be developed as a comprehensive approach for training/improving balance, frailty, and cognitive performance and prevent falls in stroke survivors. The project would have 1) a great therapeutic benefit in terms of increasing rehabilitation outcomes post-discharge and 2) would increase the prevention of further disability. The platform can be applied and scaled as a disruptive post discharge stroke recovery model in the rural and remote communities involving less outpatient visits and more in-home self-administered training.

Exploring Small Vessel Interactions with Cetaceans in the Salish Sea

Small vessel interactions with cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in the Salish Sea is poorly understood. This is of concern as vessel impacts, such as acoustic impacts and behavioural disturbances, have been categorized as a key threat to the recovery of various cetacean species. To minimize vessel impacts on cetacean species, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have drafted and updated over the years mandatory marine mammal viewing distance regulations around cetaceans. However, there lacks data exploring both vessel interactions with cetaceans and the effectiveness of current distance approach regulations. This internship will be in partnership with the Wild 4 Whales foundation to examine small vessel interactions with cetaceans in the Salish Sea. The primary objectives of the research are to: understand small vessel interactions with cetaceans through determining small vessel compliance rates to marine mammal distance regulations, and examine potential variables that influence small vessel interactions with cetaceans in the Salish Sea.

Evaluating of the feasibility of geothermal energy extraction from Valemines

The proposed research project is a study that would be conducted for Vale at all of their

underground operations in Thompson, Manitoba and Sudbury, Ontario. This study is aimed at

gathering data to determine the potential geothermal energy that these mines can provide.

The research will include a series of substantial in-situ data gathering, laboratorial

experiments and analytical analysis which are expected to determine the amount of available

geothermal heat of all the studied mine sites and define the most suitable technique of

extracting the heat energy from each source. The benefits from this project would include a

chance for the company to promote and use a renewable energy source for their operations

which can provide for the surrounding community. For the community, economic benefits

resulting from the provision of this form of energy includes an alleviation of current heating

and cooling energy costs that are incurred on an annual basis

Identification des partenaires des protéines p190RhoGAP

Les stades les plus avancés du cancer sont caractérisés par la présence de tumeurs secondaires appelées métastases. Elles apparaissent suite à la dissémination de cellules tumorales dans l’organisme. Pour cela, les cellules tumorales acquièrent des capacités de migration et d’invasion. Les protéines de la famille des RhoGTPases sont impliquées dans ces phénomènes, il est donc nécessaire que leur activité soit finement régulée, notamment par d’autres protéines. Parmi celles-ci, les protéines p190RhoGAP dont on retrouve deux isoformes p190A et p190B, sont retrouvées mutées dans de nombreux cancers.

Notre projet vise à mieux comprendre le fonctionnement des protéines p190RhoGAP et leur impact sur le cancer. Pour cela, nous déterminerons de manière exhaustive les partenaires de p190A et de p190B, mais également de mutants de p190A retrouvés dans les cancers, par une technique innovante : le BioID. Nous validerons les protéines partenaires de p190RhoGAP par diverses approches biochimiques et évaluerons l’impact fonctionnel de ces interactions, en analysant notamment leur impact sur la migration et l’invasion des cellules tumorales. A terme, ces résultats pourraient nous permettre de définir de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques pour améliorer la prise en charge des patients atteints de cancer invasif.

Real-Estate Valuation with Heterogeneous Geospatial Information

The proposed project investigates the extraction of geo-location information from online map services to augment the available attributes of real-estate properties, thereby enhancing model valuation of property sales price. Specifically, five distinct and concurrent objectives are proposed, each undertaken by a separate intern, to explore the feasibility of utilizing different data types retrieved from online map service, including satellite imaging, street-view photography, and traditional mapping of amenities. As these raw data are relatively complex, state-of-the-art machine learning technology, including convolutional network, graph neural network, attention mechanism, and objection detection models will be employed to extract meaningful geo-location information. Completion of this project will yield both commercial and technological benefits for the partner organization, as they control the distribution and access of the proprietary technology of automated property valuation.