Innovative Projects Realized

Establishment of a Pressure Ulcer Biobank from Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a major health problem in people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). PUs increase hospital admissions, with 25% of SCI treatment cost linked to PU management. Currently, treatment is limited and new therapeutic options are required. Wound fluid from PUs is invaluable for researchers as it allows a detailed study of the disease. However, no system is in place to systematically collect and store SCI PU wound fluid in British Columbia. In response, the aim of this proposal is to collaborate with the Rick Hansen Institute (RHI) to establish a PU biobank. The RHI have access to large numbers of SCI patients and have developed a non-invasive technique to extract would fluid from PUs. Together, this biobank will provide an invaluable tool for researchers and assist with the overall goal of RHI to accelerate the translation of discoveries into improved treatments for people with SCIs.

Analysis of Nanofilter Fouling in Potable Water Treatment

The province of Manitoba has many lime/soda water treatment plants unable to meet the latest provincial quality standards for chlorine disinfection by-products – trihalomethanes (THMs). As a result, many municipalities are looking for other alternatives. One suitable alternative is a dual membrane plant using ultrafiltration and nanofiltration (NF). Typical surface water sources in Manitoba contain major membrane foulants in relatively high concentrations, specifically DOC and hardness. Control of membrane fouling allows for longer filtration runs and for less water to be rejected, which is directly related to the operating cost of the plant. Membrane fouling is influenced by the quality of local water, and the effect of the water of the Canadian Prairies on membrane filtration is not well understood. We propose to study the mechanism for NF membrane fouling in a Manitoba plant, and gain knowledge that will enable its control.

Dinosaur bonebed amber: paleoecological and paleoenvironmental reconstructions

Amber, or fossilized tree resin, is a natural trap that provides a valuable source of palaeontological data on insects in ancient ecosystems. The chemistry and composition of the amber itself can also be used to explore which trees produced each amber deposit, and what conditions these trees lived under. Western Canada contains multiple amber deposits near the end of the Cretaceous period (66 million years ago), and small quantities of amber have been found in the sediments of dinosaur bonebeds. The proposed project will sample amber from two dinosaur bonebeds in Saskatchewan (the quarry of “Scotty” the T. rex, near Eastend), and Alberta (the Pipestone Creek Pachyrhinosaurus Bonebed near Grande Prairie). This amber will be used to learn about conditions in the surrounding terrestrial habitats, and will help fill in a gap in the fossil record of insects that occurs near the end of the Cretaceous.

Visualization of Single and Multiphase Flow in Porous Media

Unconventional hydrocarbon require novel technologies to improve the recovery factor of the vast reserves in North America. An alternative to increase the reserves is enhanced oil recovery (EOR). EOR is a technique that reduce capillary effects and/or improve the mobility ratio by the injection of materials not normally present in the reservoir. This summer research project aims the mechanism understanding of multiphase flow in porous media using in situ visualization. The research activities include: (I) laboratory training, (II) laboratory-scale visualization of single and multiphase flow, (III) data collection and processing, and (IV) results analysis. The expected outcome will be a better understanding of the defined system in order to evaluate the potential results for a field test.

Axiomatizing complementarity in infinite dimensions

Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of particles in sub-atomic levels. A feature of quantum mechanics is that measurable properties of physical systems occur in complementary pairs : one can ‘know’ the value of only one of the paired properties at any point in time. For example, measuring the position observable changes the value of the momentum observable since they are complementary.

Recently, a mathematical framework has been developed in which one can describe many quantum phenomena including complementarity using simple diagrams. The diagrammatic framework is developed using Category Theory which is a branch of modern mathematics. The framework can currently describe only finite-dimensional quantum systems. However, there are important quantum systems which are infinite-dimensional such as quantum computers that compute over continuous variables. Hence, there is a practical need to extend the current diagrammatic framework to include infinite-dimensional systems and to describe quantum phenomena in the extended framework. In this project, we generalize the existing diagrammatic framework to describe infinite dimensions and attempt to formalize complementarity in this new framework. We will also apply the formalization to describe some of the existing infinite-dimensional quantum protocols.

User experience heuristics in extended reality

We now live in a world where people can communicate, in real-time, both directly and remotely (e.g., Skype); and where new technologies (e.g., virtual reality, robots, driverless cars) are blurring the traditional lines of human-human and human-computer interactions. The digital world of industry is experiencing a revolution. Products that have traditionally been displayed on computer screens, smart phones, and tablets as two-dimensional (2D) experiences are now beginning to be displayed in 3D, as augmented, mixed, or virtual reality. To what extent the heuristics regarding the delivery of effective 2D experiences applies also to 3D interactions is largely unknown. The aim of the present work is to address this issue.

Generation of decidua specific decorin knockout mice.

Dysfunctions of the placenta leads to a serious pregnancy associated disease of the mother called preeclampsia (PE) and certain forms of fetal growth restriction (FGR) that are hard to treat or prevent. Our laboratory has shown that overproduction of decorin, a molecule made by the pregnant uterus, leads to placental defects resulting in PE and FGR. We found that elevated decorin levels in the maternal blood can predict PE before clinical signs appear. My research is to create a mouse model of preeclampsia in which the uterus over-produces decorin. This model will help us to develop drugs that can prevent the appearance of PE in susceptible mothers and possibly FGR. This knowledge is fundamental to understanding the origin of PE and FGR that can be exploited to improve maternal and fetal health.

Conservation, agroforesterie, agrotourisme et modes de vie Hani: étude d’un projet-pilote au Yunnan, Chine

Cette recherche vise à analyser les impacts de l’implantation du projet de conservation Red River Innovation Center sur les modes de vie de la communauté locale, qui appartient majoritairement à la minorité ethnique Hani. Situé dans la province du Yunnan, dans le sud-ouest de la Chine, le projet de conservation vise à la fois le développement d’activités touristiques, d’un centre d’étude scientifique et la mise en valeur de pratiques agricoles inspirées de l’agroforesterie. Plus précisément, je déterminerai dans quelle mesure le projet offre de nouvelles opportunités d’accès ou des contraintes pour les populations locales. J’analyserai aussi comme le projet catalyse la diversification des activités au centre des modes de vie Hani coutumiers. La recherche mènera à l’élaboration de recommandations qui seront prises en compte par les responsables du projet (dont l’établissement hôte, l’Académie chinoise des sciences) pour la suite du développement du Centre d’innovation.

Identification of water and energy synergy and trade-off potentials in the Peruvian mining industry

My MASc thesis involves the assessment of water management options proposed for two mine projects in Peru, with the overarching objective of identifying whether water and energy impacts are being considered and accounted for in a coupled manner during the selection of the mine’s water management strategy. In addition, an early attempt to benchmark the water and energy consumption of both mine projects to similar operations will be explored to allow a broad assessment of water and energy efficiency. I have identified two key aspects in my research that would benefit most through the Globalink Research Award. First, in order to evaluate both water and energy impacts in a coupled manner in a mine water system it is necessary to develop a framework – currently inexistent – that jointly assesses and accounts them. I would be interested in whether and how this is being explored by researchers at SMI-UQ. Second, efforts by mining operations to reduce water and energy consumption can be gauged by comparison against benchmarks. “TO BE CONT’D”

Evaluation and Optimization of the Peroxide Regenerated Iron Digester Enhancement (PRI-DETM) Technology for Enhancement of the Anaerobic Digestibility of Mixture of Primary and Secondary sludge.

Anaerobic digestion of waste for biological methane and hydrogen production can be a sustainable source of renewable energy as well as an efficient waste management technique. Significant research efforts on digester design, process enhancement, and odors control are vital. In 2009, US Peroxide (a wholly owned subsidiary of Trojan Technologies) developed the peroxide regenerated iron digester enhancement (PRI-DE™) to enhance the anaerobic digestibility and reduce odor and scaling. This technology combines the use of iron salts with hydrogen peroxide (to regenerate the iron to Fe2+ and/or Fe3+) under pressure. Though successfully deployed for collection system and primary clarification applications, the PRI-DE™ technology has yet to be validated experimentally in lab and field trials. In this study, the effect of using the peroxide regenerated iron digester enhancement (PRI-DE™) on the sludge characteristics will be investigated taking into consideration different process parameters such as hydrogen peroxide dose, level of pressure, pH….

Safety and Security for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Currently, the automotive industry is going through a very significant transformation—one that is blending cars with modern IT, involving technologies such as: multiple CPUs for in-car computing, ad-hoc networking and Internet connectivity, computer vision and sensing technologies, entertainment and artificial intelligence for automated driving and real-world congestion control. Connected and intelligence vehicles are also raising cyber-security concerns. Several recent attacks provided enough evidence, showing that vehicles are indeed vulnerable, and some of these vulnerabilities can be literally “deadly” to drivers and road users. To address these exploitation possibilities, with Irdeto Canada’s existing solutions to improve connected car security, the interns will be involved in developing more advanced software protection technologies, such as, runtime application self-protection and a secure operating system. The range of systems from keyless entry using mobile devices to autonomous driving systems will all benefit from increased security, reliability, and safety.

Tropospheric delays in ground-based GNSS reflectometry – Assessment of ad-hoc models against ray-tracing simulations

Global Positioning System (GPS) multipath reflectometry (GPS-R) has recently emerged as coastal sea level altimetry technique. GPS-MR is based on the simultaneous reception of direct and reflecting satellite signals, exploiting the signal-to-noise ratio measurements. Atmosphere affects the GPS signals proportionally to the height of the antenna and results to underestimation of the tidal amplitudes. Over the last decade, atmospheric error (or delay) was accounted for in GPS-MR to varying degrees. Two simple-to-use formulations have emerged based on different properties of refraction. The project explores the capabilities and limits of these formulations and proposes a new comprehensive method to account for the atmospheric delay. Additionally, employing a ray-tracing procedure estimates the delay rigorously and compares it to the results of the existing and proposed formulations. To gain insight, decomposition of the delay to its components takes place. Finally, the dependence of the error on satellite elevation angle, station altitude, and antenna height is assessed. The expected outcomes will aid in understanding of the atmospheric error in GPS-R and offer an improved modelling of the latter. “TO BE CONT’D”