Innovative Projects Realized

Addressing obstetric violence in Brazil: Multi-stakeholder perspectives, empowerment, and care in the context of Brazil’s National Humanization of Labour and Childbirth Policy (Joao Pessoa)

This research will explore the vision of professionals, women, partners, and decision –makers about the implementation of the Brazil national policy of humanization of childbirth. This research will review the specific roles of health promoters, nurses, physicians, social workers, psychologists and midwives in different health care organizations to educate women about their rights during the pregnancy, child delivery and post-partum. The research will promote a debate about the needed changes to improve the quality of care for those women and the collective level of awareness about the obstetric violence against women at their most vulnerable condition.

Genome Sequence Compression Algorithms Using Locally Consistent Parsing

The high throughput sequencing (HTS) platforms generate unprecedented amounts of data that introduce challenges in computational infrastructure. The requirement of large investments for this purpose almost signaled the end of the Sequence Read Archive hosted at the NCBI, which holds most of the sequence data generated worldwide.

Currently, most HTS data is compressed through general purpose algorithms such as gzip. These algorithms are not designed for compressing the data generated by the HTS platforms; for example they do not take advantage of the specific nature of the sequence data. Fast and efficient compression algorithms designed specifically for HTS data may be able to address some of the issues in data management, storage, and communication. Here we propose a “boosting” scheme based on Locally Consistent Parsing technique that reorganizes the reads in a way that results in a higher compression speed and compression rate, independent of the compression algorithm in use.

Nutrient balances (phosphorus and nitrogen) in Lake St. Charles, Quebec, and the evaluation of effectiveness of remediation scenarios for nutrient reductions on the lake’s water quality – Year two

Lake St. Charles is the primary drinking water reservoir of Quebec City, Canada, providing water to about 300,000 people. Over the past decade, several occurrences of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom have been recorded, affecting the quality of water in this strategic reservoir. Evaluation of observed data collected over the past decade indicates that the water quality of the lake is undergoing fast degradation due to anthropogenic activities around the lake and in the watershed. Further evaluation of field observations and their interpretation showed that the biweekly gaps between measurements, especially at high flow events, and lack of inclusion of all tributaries in previous studies produce uncertainties that decrease their suitability for making sound management decisions. Hence, to make better use of available data and to support decision making, this project aims to link water quality data from different sources with geomorphic, hydrometric and meteorological data through a comprehensive water quality model; providing a framework to assess the effect of various sources of nutrients on the water quality of Lake St. Charles. Model outcomes would help quantifying the relative amount of nutrients from each source to the lake.

Nutrient balances (phosphorus and nitrogen) in Lake St. Charles, Quebec, and the evaluation of effectiveness of remediation scenarios for nutrient reductions on the lake’s water quality

Lake St. Charles is the primary drinking water reservoir of Quebec City, Canada, providing water to about 300,000 people. Over the past decade, several occurrences of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom have been recorded, affecting the quality of water in this strategic reservoir. Evaluation of observed data collected over the past decade indicates that the water quality of the lake is undergoing fast degradation due to anthropogenic activities around the lake and in the watershed. Further evaluation of field observations and their interpretation showed that the biweekly gaps between measurements, especially at high flow events, and lack of inclusion of all tributaries in previous studies produce uncertainties that decrease their suitability for making sound management decisions. Hence, to make better use of available data and to support decision making, this project aims to link water quality data from different sources with geomorphic, hydrometric and meteorological data through a comprehensive water quality model; providing a framework to assess the effect of various sources of nutrients on the water quality of Lake St. Charles. Model outcomes would help quantifying the relative amount of nutrients from each source to the lake.

Development of a Novel Sustainable Adsorbent Unit for Indoor Air Purifiers – Year two

This project is with Airpura – a developer of indoor air purifiers. We plan to develop a prototype and upscale the technology of recyclable coated iron-oxide systems, incorporated in the design, from the laboratory-scale to final consumer product use. The newly introduced adsorbent system serves to increase the removal efficiency of the volatile pollutants less amenable to adsorption on activated carbon. The modules are intended to be recyclable following periods of use in the indoor air purifiers. The research will involve: 1) the efficiency and comparability experiments with other techniques, 2) testing of different configurations of the filtration/adsorption module assembly, and 3) recyclability tests of the prototype adsorption modules. Based on this project, Airpura is expected to have a new product with leading air purification efficiency for a wider range of pollutants and recyclable adsorption modules. Both features will provide an edge over the competition by introducting the technology to reduce the environmental impact of Airpura’s products and increase their marketability on the domestic and export markets as the ability to remove ketones and aldehydes and recyclability will be novel and unique characteristics setting Airpura’s products apart from the currently dominating products on the market.

Development of a Novel Sustainable Adsorbent Unit for Indoor Air Purifiers

This project is with Airpura – a developer of indoor air purifiers. We plan to develop a prototype and upscale the technology of recyclable coated iron-oxide systems, incorporated in the design, from the laboratory-scale to final consumer product use. The newly introduced adsorbent system serves to increase the removal efficiency of the volatile pollutants less amenable to adsorption on activated carbon. The modules are intended to be recyclable following periods of use in the indoor air purifiers. The research will involve: 1) the efficiency and comparability experiments with other techniques, 2) testing of different configurations of the filtration/adsorption module assembly, and 3) recyclability tests of the prototype adsorption modules. Based on this project, Airpura is expected to have a new product with leading air purification efficiency for a wider range of pollutants and recyclable adsorption modules. Both features will provide an edge over the competition by introducting the technology to reduce the environmental impact of Airpura’s products and increase their marketability on the domestic and export markets as the ability to remove ketones and aldehydes and recyclability will be novel and unique characteristics setting Airpura’s products apart from the currently dominating products on the market.

User Interface Research for Stereoscopic 3D Animation System

Janro Imaging Laboratory (JIL) will work with researchers at Concordia and Emily Carr universities to develop 3D motion-tracking based interference tools for drawing and content creation in spatial drawing applications. As a basis for applied design research, researchers will use an alpha version of the “Optical Wand,” a product currently in developement at JIL for use with SANDDE, a software system under development at JIL. Unlike any other available 3D animation system, with SANDDE, the animator works in the stereoscopic environment itself, and can therefore make changes intuitively and rapidly to the spatial composition of their work in 3D, and in real time. The expected result of this project is the invention of an optimal gesture-based interface for drawing directly in 3D steroscopic space in professional animation applications. The resulting invention would be an unprecendented interface tool, which can be produced using Direct Digital Manufacturing and as such, is likely……………..

Novel Macrocyclic Drug Candidates Targeting the Delta Opioid Receptor for Therapeutic Applications

Increased awareness of the issues associated with using opioids such as morphine that target the mu-opioid receptor – namely, that these drugs tend to lead to dependency and significant, often life-threatening, side effects – have led researchers to identify the delta opioid receptor as an alternative, and potentially safer, target for the management of chronic pain, which may avoid the addictiveness of the mu subtype. Drug candidates that interact with the delta receptor and exhibit biased functional activation can also be investigated for applications in the treatment of other medical conditions such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In collaboration with Professors Yves Dory and Louis Gendron at Université de Sherbrooke, Cyclenium Pharma has identified a lead series of novel macrocyclic agents able to target this receptor in a highly specific manner. The main objective of this project is to design, synthesize, and thoroughly characterize the pharmacological properties of additional lead candidates, thereby driving the development of these promising pharmaceutical agents towards clinical trials, potentially for multiple therapeutic applications. In the long term, these macrocyclic drug candidates may offer positive strategies for mitigating the current opioid crisis and addressing unmet medical needs in mental healthcare in Canada.

Development and validation of B1R-targeted antibodies for cancer therapy

In recent years, significant scientific breakthroughs have opened the door to harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. One potential group of targets, known as G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), have proven challenging due to their membrane localization and the existence of several close analogues, which often leads to ineffective or even non-specific mode of action of small molecules, (the chosen avenue for most major pharmaceutical interventions). Over the past 3 years, a multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers from Université de Sherbrooke and Immune Biosolutions has been tackling this problem. We now propose to evaluate the therapeutic potential of recombinant antibodies with antagonist properties targeting GPCR kinin B1 receptor for the treatment of solid cancers. This receptor’s expression is induced in prostate and breast cancer, among others, and its activation by agonist ligands has been shown to promote growth, migration, and invasion; thus highlighting the relevance for the development of anti-B1R antibodies with antagonist activities. If successful, we will be one step closer to establishing a working framework for new drug development that can be re-applied by Immune Biosolutions to rapidly identify and validate new antibodies acting at GPCRs for the treatment of other types of cancers as well.

Recycling of Urea-Formaldehyde Resin-Bonded Particleboard and MDF – Year two

The large global production quantity of particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF) creates equal quantity of particleboard and MDF waste after completing their service life. Given increasing demand for green products and the new government’s environmental policies, it is urgent to develop technologies to recycle these used composite panels into valuable raw materials for manufacturing composites again.
This research will focus on the development of recycling solutions for waste Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin-bonded particleboard and MDF.
Thermohydrolytic (treated with steam and heat) treatment with chemical catalyst will be applied to recycle the waste particleboard and MDF. And the recovered particles or fibers will be used as raw materials with different substitution of fresh materials to manufacture particleboard or MDF panels. The quality of the resulting particleboards or MDF will be evaluated by determining their performance and formaldehyde emissions.
Moreover, this research will lead to develop a complete environmentally friendly recycling process. Waste mixture aqueous produced during the wood panels recycling, which is rich in chemicals, will also be separated and purified to recover the chemicals.
This project can accelerate innovation process for recycling waste UF-bonded wood composite panels and facilitate the collaboration between FPInnovations and the industry, governments and Laval University.

Recycling of Urea-Formaldehyde Resin-Bonded Particleboard and MDF

The large global production quantity of particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF) creates equal quantity of particleboard and MDF waste after completing their service life. Given increasing demand for green products and the new government’s environmental policies, it is urgent to develop technologies to recycle these used composite panels into valuable raw materials for manufacturing composites again.
This research will focus on the development of recycling solutions for waste Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin-bonded particleboard and MDF.
Thermohydrolytic (treated with steam and heat) treatment with chemical catalyst will be applied to recycle the waste particleboard and MDF. And the recovered particles or fibers will be used as raw materials with different substitution of fresh materials to manufacture particleboard or MDF panels. The quality of the resulting particleboards or MDF will be evaluated by determining their performance and formaldehyde emissions.
Moreover, this research will lead to develop a complete environmentally friendly recycling process. Waste mixture aqueous produced during the wood panels recycling, which is rich in chemicals, will also be separated and purified to recover the chemicals.
This project can accelerate innovation process for recycling waste UF-bonded wood composite panels and facilitate the collaboration between FPInnovations and the industry, governments and Laval University.

RECHERCHE ET DÉVELOPPEMENT DE SOLUTIONS INNOVANTES POUR LE CONTRÔLE NON-DESTRUCTIF DE PLANCHER RÉSERVOIRS PÉTROCHIMIQUES – Year two

Nucleom est une entreprise canadienne proposant des services de contrôle non destructif (CND) pour diverses applications telles que l’inspection de réacteurs nucléaires ou de pipelines. Ce projet de recherche fortement appliquée permettra un transfert de connaissance entre le laboratoire d’accueil et le partenaire industriel. Le projet principal aura pour objectif d’évaluer les possibilités d’inspection ultrasonore du fond d’un réservoir similaire à ceux généralement utilisés pour le stockage des liquides dans l’industrie pétrochimique. Actuellement, avec les outils de CND disponibles il est nécessaire de vider entièrement le contenant afin d’effectuer une inspection par perte de flux magnétique depuis l’intérieur du réservoir. Cette méthode couteuse en temps et en ressources permet de détecter les détériorations généralement introduites par la corrosion. Dans ce projet, plusieurs méthodes innovantes basées sur les ondes guidées seront comparées dans le but de développer un dispositif permettant d’inspecter le fond des réservoirs depuis la surface extérieure.