Innovative Projects Realized

Spatial variability of greenhouse gas emissions in a pre-alpine Bavarian grassland

Agricultural grasslands are a significant source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, uncertainties in estimates of greenhouse gas fluxes from farmlands are still high. Soil models used to quantify and simulate greenhouse gas emissions, generally use average site inputs for soil and vegetation initialization using a limited number of samples and do not account for the spatial variability of soil characteristics and environmental conditions. We will evaluate the representativeness of this “average” modeling approach by comparing simulated greenhouse gas emissions with an average site parameterization against the averaged simulation derived from multiple spatially explicit simulations. We will use the process based LandscapeDNDC model which combines plant growth, micrometeorology, water cycling, microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling and exchange processes with the atmosphere and hydrosphere of terrestrial ecosystems. Results from the model simulations will also be compared with field measurements of soil greenhouse gas emissions previously collected in a Bavarian grassland to quantify uncertainties for the validation of biogeochemical models.

Sublethal effects of neurotoxic pesticides on bats: from cells to behavior

Pesticide application in crops has been considered a potential cause of bat population declines in Europe. However, no research on this topic has been conducted in tropical agrosystems, where the use of pesticides is extensive and bat diversity is higher. Considering that insectivorous bats can eat more than 90% of their body mass every night, species that hunt preferentially in crops could be highly exposed to pesticides through their prey. This study seeks to determine the sublethal effects of pesticides on bat species foraging in or near crops. I will use an integrative approach to evaluate how these substances affect the ability of bats to hunt, fly and combat illness. Understanding the mechanisms and effects at different scales will enable to better predict the implications on populations and communities and help to face this environmental issue.

Engaging Neighbors! [Internship Pair #3]

The United Way of Greater Victoria (UWGV) is spearheading a collaborative community development project with the UVIC Office of Community-Based Research (OCBR) and BC Healthy Communities entitled Community Tables: Engaging Neighbors. Four Mitacs OCBR Interns (plus a fifth supporting intern) will work with 3 neighborhoods and on a broader Capital Region District level with citizens from all walks of life to identify community assets, capacities and visions for change using participatory research, survey, mapping and action planning. Specific attention in the research and action planning will be paid to the United Way’s three priorities for 2011-2014-From Poverty to Possibility, All that Kids Can Be; and Healthy People, Strong Communities.

Investigation on Lateral Torsional Buckling of steel open-sections

As part of my research project dealing with the design of steel open-sections, to be able to realize a 3 months internship at Georgia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with professor Donald W. White would be a real chance.
My research studies aim at providing, reliable and simple to use design formulae for steel open-sections such as I and H shapes, which would be implemented in new versions of codes.
Lateral Torsional Buckling (L.T.B.) represents one of the main behaviors of steel weakness. To benefit from the expertise and large knowledge of professor Donald W. White respecting to L.T.B. would be an important gain for my research subject.
Moreover, professor White has already carried out deep studies on the subject, and this internship would allow me to (i) acquire more knowledge according to L.T.B. particularities, and (ii) work in collaboration with professor White on the interaction between L.T.B. (global behavior) and local behavior.
So far, the local behavior has already been studied. Consequently, this internship aims at studying the interaction between local behavior and L.T.B. This interaction represents one of the main complexities in steel design suggested in current codes.
[…]

The potential effects of a carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) inhibitor, SLC-0149, on AD pathogenesis

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. SignalChem LifeSciences Corp. recently developed a potent small molecule inhibitor (SLC-0149) for targeting CAIX, a hypoxia inducible gene, in the application of treating cancers. Since hypoxia has been implicated as a factor to facilitate AD development, this study aims to explore the potentiality of applying SLC-0149 to treat AD model mice. More specifically, we will focus on the effects of SLC-0149 on two neuropathological features in AD, including A? deposition and Tau phosphorylation. The partner organization will gain novel knowledge of this drug in treating AD, and possibly extend the applicable scope of this compound.

Simulation du transport de nitrate par l’écoulement d’eau dans les terrains agricoles drainés

Les drains souterrains sont des tuyaux perméables installés dans le sol afin d’extraire l’excès d’eau souterraine des terrains agricoles humides dans le but d’améliorer la production alimentaire. Lorsque l’eau souterraine s’écoule vers ces drains, le nitrate utilisé comme fertilisant est dissout dans l’eau et est rapidement déchargé aux rivières et à l’océan. Cela cause des problèmes environnementaux qui sont difficiles à prévoir. Notre projet de recherche vise estimer le bilan hydrologie ainsi que le transport de nitrates aux endroits où ces drains souterrains ont été installés. Pour ce faire, nous prévoyons l’élaboration d’un modèle numérique détaillé avec des essais réalisés au Danemark en partenariat avec le projet danois sur le transport des nitrates. Nous espérons ainsi simuler en détail la dispersion du nitrate provenant des fertilisants utilisés et les quantités apportées par les drains aux eaux de surface. Finalement, nous pourrons quantifier l’impact de chaque région agricole sur la qualité de l’eau pour une meilleure règlementation quant à l’utilisation des fertilisants.

Archaeology of Fashion Film

The Archaeology of Fashion Film project investigates the history of early fashion films (1900-1929) and their impact on contemporary fashion and visual culture. It brings together scholars from the fields of film history, fashion history and media studies to explore the influence of various forms of fashion imagery on the industry itself, and the complex relationship between art, fashion and commerce. Through conferences, exhibitions, workshops, and a website, the project encourages exchanges between academics and industry professionals on topics including design, the representation of race and gender on film, self-presentation, and factory work (both historically and in the fast fashion and globalization age). This internship represents a unique opportunity to work alongside some of the most prominent researchers in fashion and media theory. It provides a chance to conduct archival research at institutions including the Gaumont-Pathé Archives, the Cinémathèque française, and the British Film Institute.

Enhancement of xylose fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via integration of a kinase-phosphatase redox cofactor balancing system

Xylose is one of the most abundant sugars in nature and makes up a significant portion of lignocellulose. In order to profitably use lignocellulosic biomass for sustainably producing ethanol and other chemicals, it is important that all of its sugars be efficiently co-fermented. The current organism of choice for such fermentations, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s yeast), is unable to do so given its poor consumption of xylose. Engineered strains of S. cerevisiae have arisen from the introduction of a xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase (XR-XDH) pathway native to other fungi, which allows yeast to better metabolize xylose. However, under anaerobic conditions, the XR-XDH pathway leads to an imbalance of the redox cofactors NADH and NAD+. The goal of this study is to introduce a kinase-phosphatase system into S. cerevisiae which recycles NADH independently of the presence of oxygen, thereby reducing the accumulation of certain intermediates as well as by-products of the XR-XDH pathway. This is expected to increase significantly the ethanol yield from xylose, enabling subsequent engineering approaches for the production of other value-added chemicals.

Application of Nano-particle for EOR Process

Nano-particles are effectively a bridge between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures.

Application of nano-silica for EOR process, especially for low permeability oil field has broad development prospects. The future work in the host institution will focus on two parts.

First, find an economic way to manufacture and modify nano-silica. There are a lot of methods to create nano-silica. I will try both physical or chemical methods. Nano-silica has high chemical activity due to the particle surface exist many unsaturated bonds and different types of hydroxyls. The purpose of the chemical modification is replacing the surface hydroxyls with the target groups, such as alcohol, amine, silane coupling agent, hence change the physicochemical property of nano-silica. Under the guidance of Dr. Li, I will select the appropriate reagents for modification according to the oil property from Saskatchewan oil field.

Second, verification performance experiments will also be taken. The creation method of nano-silica will decide by the grain size and stability in water. The modified nano-silica should change surface wettability and/or reduce interfacial tension.

Enabling Surface Chemistry with Plasmon-mediated Catalysis

When a light source is focused onto a metallic nanoparticle, a phenomenon called localized surface plasmon resonance occurs and can be utilized to guide light, perform highly sensitive spectroscopy measurements and induce efficient surface chemistry reactions. The “hot-electrons” generated by the light excitation are triggering the chemical reactions that could not be initiated otherwise. This project aims at exploring plasmon-mediated reactions and to impart new functionalities at the surface of the metallic particles that could in turn be used as sensing units. When suitable reactants are located in the vicinity of the metal nanoparticle, the hot-electrons participate in chemical reactions by enabling surface reactivity. In this way, we can catalyze chemical reactions on surfaces with metal nanoparticles. An example of this is the reduction of diazonium salts in the vicinity of gold nanoparticles […]

Curiosity and methodological skepticism in Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature

In his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume proposed a new philosophical approach based on what he called “the science of human nature”. This science consisted in a kind of cartography aiming to establish the epistemological possibilities of the human mind considered on the base of its passionate and social dimensions. I argue that at the heart of this new approach to philosophy there is a skeptical attitude, according to which the epistemic aspirations of the researcher should be constrained by an emotional standard: a moderated curiosity. I contend that such a suggestion implies the existence of a methodological skepticism in Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature. During my stay at Yale’s Philosophy Department, I will work in order to show how Hume’s skeptical epistemology, in particular the skeptical arguments he deploys and the crisis he enacts in part 4 of book one of Treatise, fits his methodological skepticism. The tangible products associated to this stage of my research project will be a draft of a chapter to be included in my dissertation and a paper to be presented to The Society for Early Modern Philosophy at Yale (SEMPY) […]

Community Tables: Engaging Neighbors! [Internship Pair #2]

The United Way of Greater Victoria (UWGV) is spearheading a collaborative community development project with the UVIC Office of Community-Based Research (OCBR) and BC Healthy Communities entitled Community Tables: Engaging Neighbors. Four Mitacs OCBR Interns (plus a fifth supporting intern) will work with 3 neighborhoods and on a broader Capital Region District level with citizens from all walks of life to identify community assets, capacities and visions for change using participatory research, survey, mapping and action planning. Specific attention in the research and action planning will be paid to the United Way’s three priorities for 2011-2014-From Poverty to Possibility, All that Kids Can Be; and Healthy People, Strong Communities.