Innovative Projects Realized

Baromètre canadien des achats durables

La façon dont les gestionnaires intègrent les principes du

développement durable dans la fonction achat est un sujet encore peu abordé dans le

domaine de la gestion. Ce stage s’intéresse tout particulièrement à l’approvisionnement

responsable des organisations en réalisant le premier Baromètre canadien des achats

durables. Ce projet a pour objectif de définir les tendances et les perspectives des

directions achats en matière de développement durable auprès d’un échantillon de

grandes entreprises canadiennes. Cette initiative est notamment le fruit d’une collaboration

franco-québécoise entre HEC Paris, ECO VADIS et Saulnier Conseil. Ce dernier organisme agit

notamment à titre d’agent de changement dans les modes de production et de consommation

au Québec en vue d’exercer un effet d’entraînement auprès des partenaires des organisations

et entreprises et ce tout au long des chaines d’approvisionnement à travers le monde.

Harm reduction-based programming and services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in a novel clinical care setting: the opportunities and challenges for clinicians, clients, donors and fundraisers – Year two

Substance use significantly impacts the health and health care of many people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), especially those dealing with additional medical, psychosocial, and economic complications. The need for comprehensive care for this population is particularly important given the current opioid overdose crisis in Canada. In response, harm reduction (HR) services (e.g., supervised injection, naloxone training, etc.) have been implemented to reduce drug-related deaths and harms. However, such services are typically not provided within hospitals/outpatient programs. Little is known about how HR services in these contexts may affect clinical care providers, complex service users, or broader organizational operations. This project provides a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of introducing HR services in a clinical care setting. The Casey House Foundation, supports a small community-based hospital which provides in/outpatient care to PLHIV with complex needs. This research will investigate the opportunities and challenges of implementing HR services from various unique perspectives (i.e., physicians, clinical and foundation staff, clients, donors) and collaboratively create a framework for evaluating these services. The foundation supports HR interventions to optimize safety and retain clients in care, and wishes to introduce these services in ways that also increase collaboration, expand clinical expertise, and engage donor support.

Harm reduction-based programming and services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in a novel clinical care setting: the opportunities and challenges for clinicians, clients, donors and fundraisers

Substance use significantly impacts the health and health care of many people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), especially those dealing with additional medical, psychosocial, and economic complications. The need for comprehensive care for this population is particularly important given the current opioid overdose crisis in Canada. In response, harm reduction (HR) services (e.g., supervised injection, naloxone training, etc.) have been implemented to reduce drug-related deaths and harms. However, such services are typically not provided within hospitals/outpatient programs. Little is known about how HR services in these contexts may affect clinical care providers, complex service users, or broader organizational operations. This project provides a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of introducing HR services in a clinical care setting. The Casey House Foundation, supports a small community-based hospital which provides in/outpatient care to PLHIV with complex needs. This research will investigate the opportunities and challenges of implementing HR services from various unique perspectives (i.e., physicians, clinical and foundation staff, clients, donors) and collaboratively create a framework for evaluating these services. The foundation supports HR interventions to optimize safety and retain clients in care, and wishes to introduce these services in ways that also increase collaboration, expand clinical expertise, and engage donor support.

Developing seismic reliability analysis methods for complex infrastructure systems

Evaluate the seismic performance of complex infrastructure systems considering various uncertainties of structural system based on understanding of structural failure mechanism by the earthquake. To do this, it is necessary to estimate the seismic capacity and seismic demand of the structure in a stochastic manner. Therefore, accurately estimation of the seismic capacity and the capacity correlation between related structures as well as develop of the quantification method of the correlation coefficient will be carried out in this research project. By quantifying the seismic capacity correlation that has been excluded in previous research efforts due to the lack of novel methodology and difficulty of nonlinear structural analysis, it is possible to reduce the analysis time of many researchers around the world and make it easier for researchers to incorporate significant effects of the seismic capacity correlation on reliability analysis of complex systems.

Multi-agent reinforcement learning for decentralized UAV/UGV cooperative exploration – Year two

Over the last decade, artificial intelligence has flourished. From a research niche, it has been developed into a versatile tool, seemingly on route to bring automation into every aspect of human life. At the same time, robotics technology has also advanced significantly, and inexpensive multi-robot systems promise to accomplish all those tasks that require both physical parallelism and inherent fault tolerance—such as surveillance and extreme-environment exploration. Decentralized control laws are key to achieve reliability of these systems (as they eliminate the risks posed by single-points-of-failure). Yet, the effective synthesis of (i) machine learning, (ii) multi-robot approaches, and (iii) field robotics is no small task. Previous machine learning and distributed control research rarely ventures beyond computer simulations. GDLS-C and the University of Toronto will investigate how to effectively use multi-agent reinforcement learning in field robotics. GDLS-C’s goal is to improve situational awareness of ground vehicles by using swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Learning decentralized cooperation strategies will improve the resilience of these multi-robot systems—potentially faced with adversarial environments—and, ultimately, the safety of their human operators. Answering our research questions will also enable large collections of robots to learn how to interact with one another—beyond the point human designers can attain.

Multi-agent reinforcement learning for decentralized UAV/UGV cooperative exploration

Over the last decade, artificial intelligence has flourished. From a research niche, it has been developed into a versatile tool, seemingly on route to bring automation into every aspect of human life. At the same time, robotics technology has also advanced significantly, and inexpensive multi-robot systems promise to accomplish all those tasks that require both physical parallelism and inherent fault tolerance—such as surveillance and extreme-environment exploration. Decentralized control laws are key to achieve reliability of these systems (as they eliminate the risks posed by single-points-of-failure). Yet, the effective synthesis of (i) machine learning, (ii) multi-robot approaches, and (iii) field robotics is no small task. Previous machine learning and distributed control research rarely ventures beyond computer simulations. GDLS-C and the University of Toronto will investigate how to effectively use multi-agent reinforcement learning in field robotics. GDLS-C’s goal is to improve situational awareness of ground vehicles by using swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Learning decentralized cooperation strategies will improve the resilience of these multi-robot systems—potentially faced with adversarial environments—and, ultimately, the safety of their human operators. Answering our research questions will also enable large collections of robots to learn how to interact with one another—beyond the point human designers can attain.

A fundamental surface characterization study on the initial molecular level events occurring during fouling on quartz sleeves in ultraviolet water disinfection photoreactors

Ultraviolet (UV) photoreactors for water treatment comprise UV lamps encased in quartz sleeves, immersed in the water to be treated. Over time, these quartz sleeves become fouled with materials from the water, reducing the amount of UV available for treatment. This phenomenon requires that the systems be over-sized and often include costly automatic cleaning systems to restore system performance. This proposed project will study the molecular processes that result in fouling on the quartz surface, and investigate the effectiveness of anti-fouling coatings. Previously, we have utilized in-situ atomic force microscopy to investigate initial molecular level events of fouling. This project aims to build on previous work by studying the interfacial chemistry and speciation of the initial foulant material through the use of advanced surface characterization techniques.

Identification of beneficial probiotics for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and elucidation of mechanism

Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) is cause by accumulation of lipid droplets in liver. NAFLD is the starting point of liver disease and later develop into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and finally hepatocellular carcinoma. Since there is no specific therapeutics for NAFLD-related liver diseases, development of new drug for NAFLD/NASH is actively on-going. Recently, application of lactic acid bacteria as probiotics has been popular because the correlation of intestinal composition of microbiome has been elucidated with chronic diseases including atopic dermatitis, obesity, insulin resistance and autism. In this collaborative project, we aim 1) to identify the beneficial intestinal bacteria or lactic acid bacteria from screening for decreased permeability of enterocytes, 2) to identify the metabolites with bioefficacy to activate fatty acid oxidation or inhibit lipogenesis in liver 3) to examine in vivo efficacy of selected probiotics for NAFLD/NASH in animal disease models. We expect that elucidation of efficacious probiotics and application will be a new therapeutic method to treat chronic liver diseases.

Verification of 3D numerical model and examination of applicability of new breakwater design

Recently damage of existing harbor structures is expected due to increase of external wave force by the climate change. For this reason, reinforcement of existing structures is proceeding in order to preemptively prevent disasters, and breakwater is mainly targeted. If the breakwater is not well designed, it will cause the severe damage of the structure. In this study, numerical simulation of breakwater simulation will be conducted by the numerical model which eliminated the problems of existing models. Furthermore, applicability of the new breakwater design will be examined through calculation by the model. The result of the research is expected to give direction of developing numerical models for simulating coastal structure.

Evaluation of Resiliency in Community Youth Empowerment Programs – Year two

Youths experience increased vulnerability to mental health challenges associated with their development and living contexts. Effective mental health promotion must consider the multidimensional determinants of resilience. To address these needs, Dr. Jenny Liu (Elevate applicant) has developed and validated an innovative model, Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR), which measures resilience capacities and needs at the individual, community, and structural levels. In collaboration with Hong Fook Mental Health Association (HFMHA) and with mentorship from Dr. Josephine Wong (academic supervisor), Dr. Liu will apply the MSMR model to evaluate and strengthen existing youth programs at HFMHA, as well as implementing new programs with the following objectives:

1. Conduct baseline assessment of existing programs as they are mapped onto resilience and mental health objectives;
2. Pilot the integration of resilience and evaluate program effectiveness in promoting resilience and mental wellbeing;
3. Support the integration of resilience concepts and evaluation framework into youth programming;
4. Apply novel knowledge towards model development of MSMR in relation to real-world community settings.

Dr. Liu will gain invaluable knowledge and skills in project management, research collaboration and application of the MSMR in real-world contexts. She will contribute to quality improvement, programming innovation, and research capacity building at HFMHA.

Evaluation of Resiliency in Community Youth Empowerment Programs

Youths experience increased vulnerability to mental health challenges associated with their development and living contexts. Effective mental health promotion must consider the multidimensional determinants of resilience. To address these needs, Dr. Jenny Liu (Elevate applicant) has developed and validated an innovative model, Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR), which measures resilience capacities and needs at the individual, community, and structural levels. In collaboration with Hong Fook Mental Health Association (HFMHA) and with mentorship from Dr. Josephine Wong (academic supervisor), Dr. Liu will apply the MSMR model to evaluate and strengthen existing youth programs at HFMHA, as well as implementing new programs with the following objectives:

1. Conduct baseline assessment of existing programs as they are mapped onto resilience and mental health objectives;
2. Pilot the integration of resilience and evaluate program effectiveness in promoting resilience and mental wellbeing;
3. Support the integration of resilience concepts and evaluation framework into youth programming;
4. Apply novel knowledge towards model development of MSMR in relation to real-world community settings.

Dr. Liu will gain invaluable knowledge and skills in project management, research collaboration and application of the MSMR in real-world contexts. She will contribute to quality improvement, programming innovation, and research capacity building at HFMHA.

Understanding Health and Life Sciences Research and Innovation Impact in British Columbia

This project seeks to demonstrate the impact of health and life sciences research in the Province of British Columbia. Researchers from Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia – Okanagan are working closed with the Genome BC and Michael Smith’s Foundation to develop new methodology to assess the value of health and life sciences research holistically. In this study, we refer health and life sciences research to a broad range of research activities (including basic, clinical, health services & policy, population health) that conducted within university, community or industry settings. Similar projects have been conducted in British Columbia and elsewhere, but many of them focus on direct and indirect economic benefits and are aimed only at demonstrating success. This project will also explore a broad range of indicators using a range of case studies to highlight weak linkages as well as strong ones. Ultimately, this project will provide evidence to strengthen health and life sciences research in the province.