Innovative Projects Realized

Theorising the connections and continuities between gig labour/economies and platform urbanism

he on-demand economy now has an expanding global presence, with the growing and widespread use of ridesharing platforms such as Uber and Ola, food-delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Zomato and home-task platforms such as TaskRabbit and Housekeep. On-demand work has proliferated largely in urban spaces across the globe, with the growing recognition that digital platforms are transforming the nature of cities. As platform enterprises become more embedded in the fabric of cities, the resulting flexibilization of work has phenomenal impacts on urban residents. With numerous legal cases emerging worldwide to understand whether these service platforms are in fact employers or ‘aggregators’ linking customers to a ‘service provider’ as they claim, the relevance of understanding the relationship between platforms and the urban space is now more prominent, than ever. The significance of this project is rooted in its aim to develop new, relevant and nuanced understandings of the changing nature of urban space and work as a result of the growing prominence of on-demand platforms in cities, an integrated perspective which is missing from scholarly literature.

Incorporating fish movement and sensitive benthic habitat in the ecosystem approach to fishery management of Canada’s sablefish fishery

British Columbia’s sablefish fishery is among the most highly valuable fisheries in Canada. In the early 1990s, mainland inlets were closed to commercial fishing because young sablefish were thought to grow in these protected areas before moving to the offshore areas where the fishery operates; we will look at movement patterns of sablefish within BC to understand the net contribution of these inlet sablefish to the offshore fishery to aid fishery managers. Additionally, avoiding sablefish trap gear contact with vulnerable species, such as cold-water corals, is challenging because the locations of these species are generally unknown, although they do occur in areas where the sablefish fishery operates. We will create maps that show probable locations of these vulnerable species to help the fishery avoid these areas. Both understanding movement and vulnerable species locations could help to reduce ecological damage while maintaining yield of this important fishery.

Interaction between dietary fiber fermentation kinetics and consequences for protein and mineral metabolism in growing pigs

Feed formulation is based on ingredient digestibility data, and the assumption of additivity. However, digestibility data generally do not account for interactions among nutrients or ingredients. An enhanced understanding of protein and fiber digestion rates and extent of their fermentation between feedstuffs would help to optimize feed formulation. Furthermore, macro-minerals, including phosphorus, copper and zinc, are essential nutrients necessary for optimal health and performance. They are, however, also an environmental concern. The proposed study aims: (1) To describe fermentation kinetics of fiber and impacts on nutrient bioavailability and bio-efficacy; (2) To assess the interaction of different rates of dietary fiber and protein digestion kinetics on minerals; (3) To determine nutritional solutions to maximize animal performance and minimize environmental pollution. The milestones of the proposed research project are: (1) Writing a literature review on the impact of rate of fiber and protein digestion on mineral availability and utilization; (2) Developing in vitro fermentation model; (3) and (4) Determining in vivo fiber, protein and mineral kinetics using ileal-cannulated pigs and pigs with portal-vein catheterization; (5) Performing a performance trial. The partner organization gains knowledge to enhance nutrient bioavailability and to increase the utilization efficiency of protein and minerals, thereby limiting their excretion.

Production of semi-synthetic jet fuel

Greenfield Global is developing a process to produce jet fuel from renewable materials, such as waste biomass and organic municipal waste. The renewable materials are first converted to a synthetic oil and then converted into jet fuel. This project deals with the final step in the process, namely, to convert the synthetic oil to jet fuel. Jet fuel must meet stringent international specifications which makes it difficult to develop an alternative fuel for aviation. In order to meet those specification, the project will focus on the conversion processes needed such as hydrotreating and hydrocracking to turn the synthetic oil into jet fuel. Although these are known petroleum-based oil conversion technologies, none of these technologies were developed to convert synthetic oil from renewable materials, which include oxygen-containing compounds. It is our aim to adapt these petroleum refining technologies for use with synthetic oils. Technically speaking, competitive adsorption on catalysts, the impact of vapor-liquid-liquid equilibrium due to the formation of an aqueous phase, and the oxygen-containing compound reaction network must be better understood.

Understanding the processes to generate renewable-based jet fuels will assist Greenfield Global with the development of renewable jet fuel that could in future expand their current renewable fuel business.

Developing a regional approach to modelling the co-benefits urban forest ecosystem services provide.

As the intensities of urbanization and climate change increase across the Toronto region, there are many benefits pointing to a need for increased investments in our regions urban forests. Urban forests provide co-benefits, services that benefit both humans and the environment, through heat mitigation and mitigation of the “urban heat island”, removing air pollution, sequestering carbon, managing storm water run-off and flood reduction, as well as benefits to both physical and mental human health. By using modelling software to project these co-benefits over the next 30+ years across climate change scenarios (low, medium, and high), the necessity of increased green infrastructure across the region will become apparent. It is the hope that the final report generated from these projections will assist in building a business model for investment in the Toronto region’s urban forests in the near future.

A Novel Analgesic for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease affecting over 80% of the human
population above 75 years old and burdening health organizations worldwide. Osteoarthritis
is characterized by progressive joint degeneration resulting in chronic pain and loss of joint
function. Currently there is no cure for osteoarthritis; available treatments are only
symptomatic targeting pain and are associated with significant side effects, emphasizing the
need for new treatments.
Isovaline is a novel analgesic which showed remarkable effects in several mouse pain
models without producing central nervous system side effects. The current study will examine
the analgesic profile of isovaline in a mouse model of osteoarthritis; we will assess the
efficacy of isovaline in alleViating the signs of osteoarthritis and restoring the ability of the
monoiodoacetate-treated mice to exercise under voluntary and forced conditions. The effect
of isovaline will be compared to diclofenac, a commercially-available, commonly-used
antisteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

Nano-engineered concrete and composites with advanced graphene-based 2D nanomaterials

The development of high performance and durable concrete material is extensively required in the present world to build resilient and sustainable infrastructure. This project will open the prospects for developing a high performing advanced concrete composite engineered with graphene-based nanomaterials. Graphene is a nanomaterial typically produces from graphite, with extraordinary strength and chemical properties. The partner organization in this project is ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd., the owner of a large high-quality graphite mineral in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The use of graphene in concrete is expected to mitigate different limitations of concrete and increase its strength and durability performances. ZEN will be benefited from the knowledge and technology development on the suitable forms of graphene materials required for high performance and durable concrete materials production. This high-performance concrete application is highly desirable in the Canadian infrastructure development industry.

An integrated watershed-lake framework for water quality assessment in Toronto Harbour and Region Waterfront – Year two

This project aims to develop an integrated watershed-lake framework for Don River watershed draining into the Toronto Harbour to assess the best management practices towards improving the water quality in Toronto and Region Area of Concern (AOC). The framework will evaluate the impacts of suspended solids and bioavailable nutrients delivered by surface runoff and lake upwelling events on Toronto Harbour water quality, and their subsequent effects on eutrophication and growth of undesirable algae. The proposed modelling framework consists of four main modules: the Don River watershed model, the .ne-dimensional water/sediment routing model for the Don River, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic-water quality model for the Toronto Harbour, and a Bayesian-inference risk assessment module. The development of this serial-model ensemble will also facilitate the simulation of other spill events (e.g., Escherichia coli bacteria release due to sanitary and combined sewer overflows, oil spills, bird droppings), thereby serving as a comprehensive management tool for policy analysis. Hence, the proposed research can benefit the local management practices to more rigorously assess the exceedance probability and confidence of compliance with different water quality standards.

An integrated watershed-lake framework for water quality assessment in Toronto Harbour and Region Waterfront

This project aims to develop an integrated watershed-lake framework for Don River watershed draining into the Toronto Harbour to assess the best management practices towards improving the water quality in Toronto and Region Area of Concern (AOC). The framework will evaluate the impacts of suspended solids and bioavailable nutrients delivered by surface runoff and lake upwelling events on Toronto Harbour water quality, and their subsequent effects on eutrophication and growth of undesirable algae. The proposed modelling framework consists of four main modules: the Don River watershed model, the .ne-dimensional water/sediment routing model for the Don River, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic-water quality model for the Toronto Harbour, and a Bayesian-inference risk assessment module. The development of this serial-model ensemble will also facilitate the simulation of other spill events (e.g., Escherichia coli bacteria release due to sanitary and combined sewer overflows, oil spills, bird droppings), thereby serving as a comprehensive management tool for policy analysis. Hence, the proposed research can benefit the local management practices to more rigorously assess the exceedance probability and confidence of compliance with different water quality standards.

Data collection to support an oyster aquaculture development area

The Nova Scotia Municipality of Argyle is exploring the potential of establishing the province’s first shellfish Aquaculture Development Area (ADA) in Lobster Bay. If an ADA is approved, individual site and lease applications benefit from an expedited licensing process. Spatial marine planning is required for ADA approval and must consider oceanographic data, ecological data, and stakeholder interests. Data that exist are often housed in multiple platforms. Extensive collection, consolidation and assessment is required to identify data gaps. This initial data identification and assessment effort is not trivial, and crucial to guide additional field sampling efforts needed for spatial planning. Consequently, this initial project phase is well suited for a student intern, who will gain valuable marine spatial planning and shellfish aquaculture experience. In turn, the intern will provide a valuable service for the Centre of Marine Applied Research by helping CMAR’s mandate of furthering sustainable aquaculture development as a point contact for scientific collaboration with Dalhousie University and the Municipality of Argyle.

A participatory approach to redeveloping coach and volunteer online training modules: A Special Olympics context – Year two

“On-going coach and volunteer training are essential to providing high-quality, evidence-informed practices in sport settings. This study aims to extend Special Olympics Ontario and Special Olympics Canada’s online training platform for coaches and volunteers by working with athletes with intellectual disabilities, current Special Olympics coaches, and families of Special Olympics athletes. An iterative process will be used to understand how to best deliver and engage online users with the content, and how to adapt the knowledge to contexts across Canada, socioeconomic status, ages, abilities, genders, facilities, and other variable factors. The objective is to develop a working, sustainable online training platform for Special Olympics Ontario with later implementation to Special Olympics Canada, for all coach and volunteer training. As the researcher, this project will inform theory, practice, and knowledge translation gaps that currently exist in the field of disability and sport.”

A participatory approach to redeveloping coach and volunteer online training modules: A Special Olympics context

“On-going coach and volunteer training are essential to providing high-quality, evidence-informed practices in sport settings. This study aims to extend Special Olympics Ontario and Special Olympics Canada’s online training platform for coaches and volunteers by working with athletes with intellectual disabilities, current Special Olympics coaches, and families of Special Olympics athletes. An iterative process will be used to understand how to best deliver and engage online users with the content, and how to adapt the knowledge to contexts across Canada, socioeconomic status, ages, abilities, genders, facilities, and other variable factors. The objective is to develop a working, sustainable online training platform for Special Olympics Ontario with later implementation to Special Olympics Canada, for all coach and volunteer training. As the researcher, this project will inform theory, practice, and knowledge translation gaps that currently exist in the field of disability and sport.”