Innovative Projects Realized

Structural Design and Development of Fibrous Morphologies

Functional analysis of a novel oxygenase BDA5 in Arabidopsis

Plant diseases damage crops in both yield and quality. Outbreaks of plant diseases can cause huge losses to crops, threatening food security globally. It is of great importance to study plant immunity and understand how plants respond to pathogen attacks in nature. My recent work in the model plant Arabidopsis identified a mutation in a novel oxygenase BDA5 which is involved in plant immunity. However, the biochemical function of BDA5 remains unclear. My proposed research project will reveal the substrate and product of BDA5 and elucidate how these molecules help plant defend against pathogen attack. My research will thus help further our understanding of the plant immune system.

Analyzation of evaluation algorithms for an electrical optical system for fluorescence spectroscopy

Trimming Fault Trees for Synthesis

Relationship between Executive Functions and Categorization

A multiple-systems theory of category learning proposes that an explicit, verbally-mediated system learns rule-defined (RD) categories categorization rules, and a procedural, nonverbal system learns new non-rule-defined (NRD) categories for which there is no easily verbalizable rule. Executive Function (EF) is a broad term that brings together cognitive processes like selective attention, inhibition, and reasoning, plays a key role in the explicit category rule learning or learning RD categories. The multiple-systems theory further hypothesizes that EF does not predict performance in learning NRD categories. The proposed study intends to examine the relationship between EF and category learning through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The SEM procedure will be significantly optimized if Bayesian estimation was incorporated. Bayesian analysis not only facilitate with the creation of more optimized categorization models, it is also highly transferable knowledge that can be applied in any data-driven research that involve inferential statistics. The purpose of this visit is to learn Bayesian statistics through modeling this projects’ data, and investigate the EF and category relationship through interpreting model results.

Aging Behaviour of LEDs Driven by PWM including power supply and electrostatic discharge (ESD)

Tumor-blood vessels communication impacting on cancer progression and metastasis

Tumor-associated blood vessels are a major component of the tumor microenvironment because of their important role in supplying the tumor cells (TC) with nutrients and being the border for metastatic spread. Endothelial cells (EC) of blood vessels communicate with TC through direct interactions via Notch signaling. Our group could show that activated Notch1 receptors are frequently present in EC of human tumors. Therefore, the proposed project will address the role of endothelial Notch1 signaling the interaction of EC and TC. Analyzing differently secreted factors by EC due to the activation of Notch1 receptor will give answers how tumor-associated blood vessels shape the tumor microenvironment. The aim of the project is to address the effects of EC mediators on tumor progression and metastatic potential. Immune cells are one of the main component of the tumor microenvironment and their amount correlates with a poor outcome for patients. Identifying the role of endothelial cell in recruiting immune cells into the tumor could be beneficial for tumor therapy and might improve the therapeutic outcome of patients.

Drying in Fluidized Beds

Étude de la composition et du comportement des boues résiduaires des étangs aérés lors deleur entreposage en vue d’élargir leurs avenues de valorisation

Les étangs aérés sont un traitement des eaux municipales fiable et facile à opérer pour

l’épuration des eaux usées. Au Québec, plusieurs municipalités sont équipées avec ce type

de traitement. Ce traitement génère une boue résiduaire qui consiste en la fraction des

matières non digérées et décantées dans le fond des bassins. Les étangs aérés au Québec

sont en fonction de plusieurs années alors que les boues n’ont jamais été soutirées. Dans

plusieurs cas, les boues ont atteint un niveau où elles doivent être retirées. Les municipalités

sont maintenant au prise avec des boues d’étangs à disposer et, de préférence, à valoriser

(si les coûts sont moins importants que l’enfouissement). Cependant, ce type de boues est

peu connu et n’a pas fait l’objet d’études sur leur stockage et leur valorisation subséquente

pour minimiser les risques de contamination de l’environnement. Les boues issues de ce

type de traitement contiennent différentes concentrations en contaminants chimiques

dépendamment de la nature des rejets provenant du…………………………………………….

Developing microfluidic systems to culture patient-derived tumour organoids for personalized medicine

Personalized cancer therapy has immense potential to improve clinical outcomes of cancer patients because it tailors therapeutic treatment to each patient. To realize the promise of personalized medicine, there is an urgent need to develop new tumour models in the lab that can be easily tested, and also accurately represent responses of the original tumour. Patient-derived brain tumour organoids represent one such model that could potentially address this through the use of primary tissue obtained from the original tumour site. Developing these organoid models, however, has remained challenging because of the lack of laboratory tools that can maintain these organoids in an in vitro environment that closely resembles the tumour microenvironment found in vivo. The objective of this project is to conduct preliminary testing of three conceptual designs of microfluidic systems for culturing patient-derived tumour organoids, and to demonstrate feasibility of applying microfluidics technology as a novel approach to creating a suitable in vitro tumour microenvironment for studying tumour organoids.

Global Initiative to Reduce Obesity and Sedentary lifestyles

The purpose of this project is to ultimately decrease the likelihood of permanent sedentary lifestyles for at risk individuals. This includes overweight and obese men and women who are at risk of chronic diseases, and are in danger of excluding themselves permanently from active lifestyles. By developing and testing individualized behavior changing methodologies, this project aims to improve citizen engagement in active lifestyles. Although the solution to the growing epidemic of obesity is simple (exercise and healthy diet), there are many underlying factor that prevent those at risk to take the preliminary steps to adopt healthy habits. This study aims to provide knowledge for the reasons for sedentary lifestyle, and provides methods for at-risk individuals to make changes in an achievable, effective, and motivational way. The multidisciplinary nature of this research initiative allows for a holistic approach with expertise from different areas to ensure an integrated and comprehensive analysis and conclusions.

Debromination and recycling of styrenic polymers

Polystyrene is a non-biodegradable polymer whose versatility has expanded its applicability to consumer products such as packaging and electronic components. For this reason, end-of-life polystyrene has become an environmental burden and recycling is an alternative to close the cycle of this material, preventing it to reach landfills or to be openly dumped. However, high impact polystyrene (HIPS) is found in electric and electronic components containing brominated flame retardants. Those compounds must be removed from HIPS as hazardous compounds can be released when treating it, which limits its recyclability.
This research project aims to extract the bromine compounds from HIPS using an alkali solvent-extraction at temperatures rounding 190 ºC. The procedure will prevent the degradation of the polystyrene and reduce the production of by-products like oils and waxes, thus, maintaining its after-treatment recyclability in regular process lines. TO BE CONT’D