Innovative Projects Realized

Planification et développement d’algorithmes d’interprétation d’images spectrales

L’entreprise Logiag (pour logiciels agricoles), en partenariat avec le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC) a mis au point une technologie LIBS (« Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy ») pour la réalisation d’analyses agricoles (sol, feuille, fourrage). L’appareil, déjà certifié par la norme ISO 17025 (qui reconnaît la compétence des laboratoires d’essais et d’étalonnages), permet d’effectuer les analyses d’une façon efficace, précise et sans l’utilisation de produits chimiques. Cependant, les algorithmes de prédiction des résultats d’analyse doivent être optimisés pour que les coefficients de détermination (r2) entre les méthodes d’analyse conventionnelle (spectroscopie de masse à plasma à couplage inductif, en laboratoire) et les prédictions issues de la technologie LIBS soient d’au minimum 70% pour tous les éléments. TO BE CONT’D

Behavioural finance profiling for financial advisors and clients

The purpose of this study is to develop a structural model that enhance the effectiveness of the financial advisory services. The primary value proposition Betterworth wants to demonstrate to the financial institution is how the betterworth platform will make financial advisors’ more efficient, enabling them to attend to more clients, cut their operational costs, target better solutions, enhance retention and sell additional products/services – ie. boost and extend the CLV (customer lifetime value). The platform will be leveraging financial and nonfinancial data inputs to recommend product/services that the client needs and provide the most appropriate financial advice to the client in a motivating and engaging style they will appreciate and respond to. Thereby increasing the probability of acting or executing on the provided recommendations. We anticipate long and engaged sales cycles where we work collaboratively with institutions. We believe there is a significant market opportunity with our product.

Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design Guide and Validation

Mass timber floors are increasingly becoming an attractive option for floor system when compared to concrete or steel floors. This is particularly significant for multi-story buildings, where floor framing represents a large amount of the buildings cost and material use. Currently, these flooring systems are largely made out of concrete or steel, so there is significant room for the use of mass timber to grow. However, unlike steel or concrete, mass timber floors are often susceptible to serviceability issues such as detection or vibration. In particular, vibration of mass timber flooring is a problem that often will limit how long floors can span. This problem is made worse by a knowledge gap in the industry; currently there is little information that designers can use to efficiently design mass timber floor systems. TO BE CONT’D

Searching for Tasks: A Study on Online Searchability for Situated Action

The project is the start of a bigger vision to help improve ‘Employability in an ever-changing, global and digital economy.’ The Partner organization and SFU Communications lab has a larger vision for where we may take this innovation initiative over the long-term, however initial pursuits will start out to develop a better understanding through an applied research project to explore ‘just-in-time learning practices impacting employability’. The insights from this will start informing relevant modern-day learning frameworks, content types and channel delivery solutions that may be most valuable in securing employability in a fast-changing world. The insights from this project can also be applied backwards to inform teaching practices and frameworks at colleges and universities/ secondary institutions to become more agile / ‘just-in-time’ as well. TO BE CONT’D

Prix du carbone et élasticités

Les réchauffements climatiques sont causés par les émissions de carbone. Les états se sont entendus pour réduire leurs émissions afin d’atteindre un objectif d’augmentation de la température (typiquement +2°C). Pour atteindre leurs cibles de réduction d’émissions, les gouvernements se doivent de prendre action : tarifer le carbone, investir dans le transport en commun, etc. Pour mettre en place une politique optimale de réduction des émissions, il importe de connaitre :
1) Le prix optimal du carbone qui permettrait de limiter le réchauffement, prix qui correspond au dommage qu’une tonne de carbone peut causer;
2) Les élasticités prix des biens qui sont liés à l’émission de carbone : l’essence, l’automobile, et tout autre type de transport.
Le prix optimal du carbone permet de mettre un juste prix sur les émissions, par exemple, sur l’essence. Mais les gouvernements aiment également agir sur le front des transports en subventionnant, par exemple, les autos électriques ou les transports en commun. Afin de bien cibler leurs interventions, il est crucial de connaitre les élasticités prix directes et croisées de ces modes de transport.

Calcium Supplements, Elemental Bioavailability, and Uptake by Bone

The goal of this Mitacs research proposal is to develop and apply experimental methodology capable

of distinguishing the influence of calcium supplement dosage form upon elemental calcium uptake,

plasma concentration and spatial distribution in the bone of laboratory rats. In order to achieve those

endpoints, we plan to utilize the compound strontium ranelate, which serves as a consistent, highly

bioavailable dosage form of elemental strontium. Elemental strontium is found in the same column of

the Periodic Table (Group IIA alkaline earth metals) and has the same divalent cationic charge as

calcium, and has been shown to have a natural affinity for uptake by mineralizing bony tissues. Thus,

strontium in effect serves as a surrogate for calcium when given in bioavailable dosage form, with the

advantage that it is not usually found in patient bone, due to the trace amounts present in our dietary

intake. Very much like calcium, strontium will localize to bone where it will become incorporated in………………………………

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Influences of Stress on GnIH Expression in Bats

In 2000 a novel protein, referred to as GnIH, was discovered to inhibited the release of reproductive regulating hormones in the brain of quail. Since then, GnIH has identified in all studied vertebrate including fish, amphibians, and mammals. It has been shown to decrease hormone synthesis, be produced and act in reproductive tissues, as well as inhibit sexual behaviour. In rats, GnIH expression in the brain is increased in response to stress. Stress hormone receptors are present on GnIH neurons, and removing the adrenal gland which releases stress hormones eliminates GnIH release when an animal is stressed. In this project, we aim to replicate these findings in the big brown bat by comparing GnIH expression in the brain and reproductive organs between stressed and unstressed bats. We predict that stressed bats will have increased GnIH expression in their brain and reproductive tissues. TO BE CONT’D

Training accounting and auditing professionals in blockchain technology

Blockchain is an emerging technology with potential to create new foundations for our economic and social systems, and it is therefore critical for professional services such as accounting and auditing to broadly understand how it works and what it can do. However, like many new technologies, blockchain is difficult to initially comprehend, and is hampered by negative rhetoric and connotations. To address this, this project aims to demystify blockchain for professionals by reducing the technology to its core principles, understand how these impact accounting and auditing processes and the profession more broadly. It will then build on these insights to design training materials and tools that convey blockchain in plain language to build a foundational understanding amongst accountants and auditors, and empower them and their organizations to enable and benefit from the emergence of blockchain-based applications.

My Wellness Journey: A Health Promotion Study for Children and Youth with Disabilities

The purpose of this project is to support the development of wellness-focused interventions, including weight management, mental health and social well-being for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). To date, the focus of health promotion interventions have primarily focused on typically developing children and adolescents, rather than those with IDD. The partner organization, Special Olympics Canada, will benefit from a study to understand the specific wellness needs of children with IDD, and their families, that may be different from children who are typically developing. The results from this study will be used to design a wellness framework and implement health promotion interventions within Special Olympics Canada to meet client needs.

Integrated post-harvest wash systems for fruit and vegetable decontamination for reducing water usage and decrease emission of disinfectant byproducts in wastewater streams

The Canadian Food Guide has recommended an increase in fresh produce in the daily diet. Although the nutritional benefits of fresh produce are well established there are continuing food safety issues, high wastage and water consumption. To enhance safety and shelf-life it is common practice to pass produce through a post-harvest wash using chlorine as sanitizer. Chlorine is reactive and forms disinfection byproducts from constituents released from produce during washing. The byproducts are considered environmental pollutants but also has low antimicrobial activity. To counter this issue, processors use increasing concentrations of chlorine and large volumes of fresh water. The project will develop a water treatment that sequesters the chlorine reactive products thereby reducing the chlorine demand of wash water. This will enable lower volumes of both chlorine and water to be applied without losing antimicrobial activity. This will save the industry significant costs and also contribute to environmental sustainability.

Adopting Knowledge Management Practices in the Creation of a Tribal Archives in Rural Québec

Different groups of people like to find and use different kinds of information. This is true of First Nations as their information and knowledge needs extend beyond the walls of libraries or archives and into museums and the communities themselves. The collaboration between tribal and nontribal Archives can be mutually beneficial but first it is crucial to understand what information is needed and how they prefer to find and make use of it. This project looks at a collection of tribal archives in a rural Quebec First Nations community and how their community archives or “tribal archives” can be an alternative tool for self-governing, a means to become independent from other external institutions, and help further develop a sense of autonomy. Particular importance will be placed on the sharing and preservation of tacit (difficult to articulate) knowledge as it is typically shared and preserved through traditional oral storytelling.

Ordonnancement des opérations de mise à niveau d’une flotte de navires

Thales développe un logiciel pouvant ordonnancer les activités de remise en état d’une flotte des navires militaires. Ce logiciel possède donc un ordonnanceur capable de positionner sur une ligne du temps les différentes tâches à accomplir. L’ordonnancement produit doit tenir compte de la disponibilité des ressources (main-d’oeuvre, équipements, espaces de travail) tout en minimisant les heures supplémentaires nécessaires pour respecter les échéances. Un tel problème est très difficile à résoudre dans un temps raisonnable (quelques heures). La programmation par contraintes s’est déjà montrée efficace pour résoudre le problème de Thales. Cependant, lorsque le nombre de tâches devient grand, il devient impossible de résoudre le problème rapidement. L’objectif du projet est d’améliorer les techniques et algorithmes utilisés par la programmation par contraintes pour accélérer la résolution du problème. Pour ce faire, trois pistes d’amélioration ont été identifiées et chacune d’elles sera explorée et comparée à l’état de l’art pendant le stage.