Innovative Projects Realized

Optimization of specific Frizzled Receptor-targeted antibodies signalling responses

Therapeutic antibodies have been developed against a variety cancer cell surface proteins. These antibodies activate immune surveillance mechanisms that lead to destruction of cancer cells. Therapeutic antibody efficacy can be enhanced or might have unforeseen detrimental effects due to activation or inhibition of intracellular signaling pathways. Recent evidence suggests that the targeting of subtypes of the developmentally important Frizzed receptor subtypes could have great therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of several cancers and developmental disorders. AntlerA has developed 56 agonistic antibodies against specific FZD receptors. The Michnick lab developed a series of 196 cellular pathway-specific reporter assays with which we can simultaneous monitor all known signaling pathways in any cell of interest. These assays have been applied to screen a variety of compounds and environmental toxins and results have been shown to accurately predict specificity and unpredicted additional effects that cannot be revealed by other methods. We will screen AntlerA’s lead candidate recombinant antibodies for FZD receptor subtype and provide AntlerA with profiles of signaling responses, which will allow them to make decisions about which candidates would likely have the most favorable therapeutic potential and least likely unintended effects.

Impacts of Climate Change on Building Energy Use and Energy Transitions

Global electricity systems are in transition, with renewable energy taking on a larger role in total electricity generation. Energy demand, particularly in buildings, is adapting to a changing climate with both temperature and weather events changing the way energy is consumed. To best design future electricity systems it is critical to identify how a changing climate will impact the energy transition from traditional thermal generators to renewable energies. This study will combine climate modeling with detailed building models to predict how energy use in buildings will evolve with the changing climate in the coming decades. The study will contrast climate and energy use in Alberta, Canada and Bavaria, Germany. Taking lessons from the German energy transition, along with results on predicted energy use, insights towards the optimal strategy for energy transition in Canada will also be developed.

Optimization of furnace residence time and loading pattern of large size ingots inside a gas-fired forging furnaces – Year two

Large size high strength steels parts used in transport and energy applications undergo several heating and cooling cycles during their manufacturing process (casting, forging, quench, tempering). Generally, before forging the parts are heated in gas-fired forging furnaces and the impact of non-uniform heating on the subsequent steps is of critical importance. A non-uniform temperature distribution may result in property variation from one end to another of the part, changes in microstructure, or even cracking. On the other hand, optimization of time residency of large products inside the forging furnace can minimize energy consumption and avoid undesirable microstructural changes, like abnormal grain growth. However, due to the large size of the components, empirical approaches based on trail and error are costly and not always reliable. The proposed project, through a combination of 3D CFD simulations and experimental measurements, analyzing the turbulent combustion of gas-fired burners and conjugate heat transfer inside the industrial scale forging furnace, will develop heat treatment procedures with optimized time residency and uniform temperature distribution.

Optimization of furnace residence time and loading pattern of large size ingots inside a gas-fired forging furnaces

Large size high strength steels parts used in transport and energy applications undergo several heating and cooling cycles during their manufacturing process (casting, forging, quench, tempering). Generally, before forging the parts are heated in gas-fired forging furnaces and the impact of non-uniform heating on the subsequent steps is of critical importance. A non-uniform temperature distribution may result in property variation from one end to another of the part, changes in microstructure, or even cracking. On the other hand, optimization of time residency of large products inside the forging furnace can minimize energy consumption and avoid undesirable microstructural changes, like abnormal grain growth. However, due to the large size of the components, empirical approaches based on trail and error are costly and not always reliable. The proposed project, through a combination of 3D CFD simulations and experimental measurements, analyzing the turbulent combustion of gas-fired burners and conjugate heat transfer inside the industrial scale forging furnace, will develop heat treatment procedures with optimized time residency and uniform temperature distribution.

Caractérisation de la viabilité et de la fonction des granulocytes destinés à la transfusion

Les granulocytes sont une première ligne de défense très efficace contre les infections. Lorsqu’ils sont en nombre insuffisant ou qu’ils se dérèglent, de graves infections peuvent survenir. La transfusion de granulocytes est alors toute indiquée pour les patients aux prises avec une infection sévère résistante aux traitements habituels. Toutefois, nous ne savons pas si ces cellules, une fois prélevées, sont bel et bien capables de se rendre au site de l’infection et d’ingérer les microbes. L’objectif de ce projet est de caractériser ces cellules afin d’avoir une meilleure connaissance de leurs fonctions de qui permettrait d’améliorer le produit et de rendre ces cellules plus performantes une fois transfusées.

Dimensionnement mécaniste empirique de chaussées

Le dimensionnement des chaussées au Canada est actuellement effectué avec des méthodes empiriques. Ces méthodes limitent la possibilité d’utiliser de nouveaux matériaux et de nouvelles technologies qui permettraient de prolonger la durée de vie des chaussées tout en limitant leur impact négatif sur l’environnement. Il existe des méthodes de dimensionnement mécaniste-empirique, comme PavementME et des méthodes rationnelles comme la méthode française qui utilisent le comportement thermomécanique et les performances des matériaux testés en laboratoire afin de faire un dimensionnement optimal. Ces deux méthodes utilisent par contre différents intrants et différents modèles de calcul qui complexifie la comparaison entre les deux. Ce projet de recherche porte sur l’étude et l’optimisation du dimensionnement mécaniste-empirique des chaussées bitumineuses pour le Canada. Le projet est séparé en trois phases. Une première phase théorique dans laquelle des corrélations entre la procédure française et la procédure utilisée dans PavementME seront effectuées. La deuxième phase consiste en des essais de laboratoire pour avoir les données nécessaires aux différentes corrélations, mais également des essais de caractérisations de matériaux de chaussées à faible empreinte environnementale non usuels au Canada. La troisième phase porte sur la calibration des modèles de calculs à partir de résultats sur chantier.

Pricing and Resource Allocation in Edge Computing

The emerging edge computing (EC) paradigm promises to deliver superior user experience and enable a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT) applications by bringing storage and computing facilities closer to the end users. Virtualization technologies such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) will allow sellers and buyers to access the open EC ecosystem. We envision the emergence of a novel EC marketplace where the telecom operator, such as Rogers Communications Canada, can act as a platform to facilitate the resource exchange among the sellers and buyers. This project aims to understand the tremendous potential of this new marketplace and propose efficient pricing and resource allocation mechanisms for the EC platform. We will investigate various design objectives ranging from fairness, privacy, truthfulness, social welfare maximization, to revenue maximization. The project will take both static and online settings into account to propose a set of novel algorithms tailored to provide win-win solutions for all stakeholders involved in the edge computing ecosystem.

Artificial Intelligence and Deterioration of Ocean Ecosystem

In the context of ocean sustainability of west coast of Canada, some questions that need to be considered are: what is the significance of environmental indicators related to the impact on marine aquatic species? How can changes in environment be predicted by patterns of bioindicators, for example as a result of hypoxia, affecting farmed and wild salmon? A starting point to answer these questions is the development of a centralized, common, accessible database that documents the shift in marine observation metadata collected in the area.

The objective of the study is to explore the spatial-temporal correlation between environment parameters and biological measurement of aquatic species in BC. We will develop a deep learning platform to integrate the information from environment conditions and the biological information of marine aquatic speices as follows: mortality of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar), abundance of wild Pacific salmon, and abundance of amphibian egg abundance in upstream habitat of wild salmon. The integration modeling of different sources of data, as the major output of the project will provide the analytic tool for ocean ecosystem service in the country.

Simeio: Anomaly Detection for Building Automation System – Year two

Buildings are an important energy consumer and are equipped with hundreds of sensors and control systems. The analysis of such massive data can reveal insights for building owners to optimize the building infrastructure. Currently, usage of such data is limited to traditional control systems, energy commissioning, and maintenance on a regular basis. Real-time monitoring and analysis of data can reveal insights about the performance of the building helping to reduce operating costs, lower utility bills, increase equipment life, improve tenant comfort, retention, and leasing rates; all while lowering carbon emissions. Simeio (A Cloud based software application developed by UCtriX team) is leveraging powerful artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to automatically detect anomalies and faults in the HVAC system and pinpoint any abnormalities or failures in a building. Simeio is a platform used by building owners, building managers, or higher authorities to ensure the sustainability and efficient operation of buildings.

Simeio: Anomaly Detection for Building Automation System

Buildings are an important energy consumer and are equipped with hundreds of sensors and control systems. The analysis of such massive data can reveal insights for building owners to optimize the building infrastructure. Currently, usage of such data is limited to traditional control systems, energy commissioning, and maintenance on a regular basis. Real-time monitoring and analysis of data can reveal insights about the performance of the building helping to reduce operating costs, lower utility bills, increase equipment life, improve tenant comfort, retention, and leasing rates; all while lowering carbon emissions. Simeio (A Cloud based software application developed by UCtriX team) is leveraging powerful artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to automatically detect anomalies and faults in the HVAC system and pinpoint any abnormalities or failures in a building. Simeio is a platform used by building owners, building managers, or higher authorities to ensure the sustainability and efficient operation of buildings.

Development and Applications of Cement Composites Made of Various Forms of Basalt Fibre – Year two

The structural health and performance of existing infrastructure in Canada has a large impact on the Canadian economy and hence, it is imperative that this infrastructure is kept in good operational conditions. A significant portion of this infrastructure was built during the post world war period, which suggests much of this infrastructure has surpassed their service life. Additionally, Canada’s extreme cold weather conditions give rise to adverse loading conditions such as freeze and thaw cycles, which further leads to damage and making this infrastructure more susceptible to failure. This proposed Mitacs fellowship project will develop various cement composite materials to facilitate a quick and straightforward rehabilitation process of existing damaged concrete structures. Various types of basalt fibre products such as basalt bundle dispersion fibres, basalt filament dispersion fibres, and basalt minibars will be used in various cement mixes to improve better bonding, mechanical, and durability properties. This work will be accomplished using experimental methods, which will be undertaken in the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the University of Windsor. The conclusions made from the laboratory tests will form the basis of rehabilitation techniques, which will then be applied in the field to rehabilitate concrete pavements, industrial floors, buildings, and bridges.

Development and Applications of Cement Composites Made of Various Forms of Basalt Fibre

The structural health and performance of existing infrastructure in Canada has a large impact on the Canadian economy and hence, it is imperative that this infrastructure is kept in good operational conditions. A significant portion of this infrastructure was built during the post world war period, which suggests much of this infrastructure has surpassed their service life. Additionally, Canada’s extreme cold weather conditions give rise to adverse loading conditions such as freeze and thaw cycles, which further leads to damage and making this infrastructure more susceptible to failure. This proposed Mitacs fellowship project will develop various cement composite materials to facilitate a quick and straightforward rehabilitation process of existing damaged concrete structures. Various types of basalt fibre products such as basalt bundle dispersion fibres, basalt filament dispersion fibres, and basalt minibars will be used in various cement mixes to improve better bonding, mechanical, and durability properties. This work will be accomplished using experimental methods, which will be undertaken in the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the University of Windsor. The conclusions made from the laboratory tests will form the basis of rehabilitation techniques, which will then be applied in the field to rehabilitate concrete pavements, industrial floors, buildings, and bridges.