Innovative Projects Realized

Visual Histories of Decision Processes for Business Intelligence: Part 2

The current study is a part of the project on designing a solution to support decision processes for collaborative Business Intelligence (BI) through the use of dynamic visual histories and linked repositories of collaborative decision-making. The research project includes design investigation of collaborative history tools, specification of requirements for, design and evaluation of visualizations of ongoing processes and history to facilitate collaboration in the sense-making and analytical process.

The goal of this study is to discover, prioritize, validate and identify issues and requirements for designing collaborative history visualizations.

Social Enterprises as Revenue Generation for the Non-Profit Sector in Canada

IL Canada would like to increase their revenue streams through inititating market-based approaches. The organization has struggled to identify appropriate social enterprise opportunities that can be replicated across the country. Examples of social enterprise opportunites for a NFP include: adding fee-for-service consulting; starting a new for-profit company that donates all profits to the organization; and offering new products which will be sold by the organization. This Mitacs intern will conduct a study and prepare a report that outlines social enterprise options for IL Canada. Specifically, data will be collected from within IL Canada on examples from one location that might be replicated elsewhere, and also data will be collected from other organizations regarding best practices that might be replicated. Based on the findings, IL Canada can then implement business activities. The ultimate benefit for IL Canada will be new products or services, and thus an increased revenue. IL Centres are looking for models that make up for the loss of core funding (around $50,000 per centre), as other funding streams do not cover operational costs. Increasing revenue activities would help make up for these loses.

Effet des hautes pressions hydrostatiques sur la stabilité d’une purée d’ail biologique

Végétamix Inc, commercialise des jus de légumes traités par des hautes pressions (HPP) et désire développer une purée d’ail biologique pour l’ajouter à sa gamme de produits. L’ail transformé est très instable et on doit ajouter des agents de conservateur pour palier à plusieurs problèmes comme la diminution de la valeur nutritive et le changement de goût du produit, ainsi que la modification indésirable de la couleur. Celui-ci (changement de couleur) qui passe du blanc au vert fluorescent est dû à la réaction de l’alliinase avec l’alliin et l’isoalliin. L’objectif du projet est de sélectionner la variété d’ail biologique apte à la transformation adéquate, déterminer la période appropriée de transformation et appliquer les HPP pour inhiber la réaction de coloration et assurer la stabilité de la purée biologique sans sel ni agents de conservation. Des analyses microbiologiques et physico-chimiques seront réalisées pour mettre au point le produit final.

Photoredox Fluorination: Selectively Synthesize 2-fluoro-2-methyl-2-deoxyarabinolactone Derivatives via a Radical Pathway

Nature’s ability to convert solar energy to chemical energy in photosynthesis has inspired the development of a host of photoredox systems in efforts to mimic this process. The capacity of fluorine atoms to engender a variety of useful properties in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and performance materials has driven significant research efforts toward the invention of novel fluorination reactions. We
proposed to construct C-F bonds by photoreodox catalysis via a radical pathway. Our project will bring potential benefit to academia and industry. (1) Due to the novelty of the proposed idea using photoredox catalysts in C-H functionalization, it will be a highly efficient process to construct C-F bonds and applicable to a broad range of academic fields. (2) 2-fluoro-2-methyl-2-deoxyarabinolactone derivatives were selectively synthesized, which has many intrinsic advantages such as higher atom economy, cheaper starting materials, easier manipulation and more environmentally benign. Undoubtedly, this project will be of considerable interest for chemical industry and other related fields

Structural, Vibrations and Aerodynamic Analysis of Composite Trailer Tail System

The proposed project is to develop a design tool box with the cooperation R&D team in Transtex Composite, research fellow and academic supervisor. The design toolbox help the engineers in design department of Transtex Composite to design the trailer tail structure based on finite element analysis to be developed by research fellow. Therefore, this package saves time and design cost for different trailers which is added value for Transtex Composites. In addition research fellow will gain industrial experience in studying design requirements and standards for new product in North America market. This product improves the fuel efficiency of the trailer trucks which is beneficial for Canada environment. The proposed study will reduce the design cost, and the product market price which makes this product more popular.

Characterization of the state of health and aging effects of Li Ion Batteries

From cell phones to laptops, from electric vehicles to medical portable devices, from renewable energy storage to emergency backup units, batteries have become an integral part of modern day electronic devices and systems. As batteries get aged, due to repeated charge and discharge cycles, the health of the battery deteriorates. The poor health of a battery can result in malfunctioning of electronic devices and therefore, it is pertinent to accurately predict the state of health of the battery so that a timely replacement could be performed. However, determination of health of a battery is a complex task, which requires sophisticated techniques and cutting edge equipment. The aim of this study is to enhance the battery health monitoring methods and hardware equipment to make it robust and efficient. Since, Cadex Electronics Inc. specializes in designing and manufacturing battery analyzer devices that determine the health
of a battery, this findings of this study will be used to improve existing battery analyzing technology.

Mining of population-based routinely collected health data to determine risk factors associated with pediatric morbidity in Ontario, Canada

ICES is a non-profit organization tasked with housing and conducting research of Ontario’s health administrative data. Data is available on all legal residents of Ontario, Canada most populous province. In addition, these health administrative data are being supplemented with data from other sources, such as maternal and newborn clinical data, newborn screening data, and immigration data. The rate of immune-mediated disease (such as Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease) is increasing rapidly in Ontario children. Most of this increased risk is thought to be secondary to environmental factors. This study will use advanced data mining methods to determine early-life environmental, sociodemographic, and clinical risk factors of chronic diseases in Ontario children. This will be the first study to use data mining techniques on Canadian health administrative data. ICES will benefit in terms of establishing new methods and research processes that will allow for advanced assessment of health data.

Development of negamycin, a novel class of antibiotic for Gram-negative bacterial infections

Antimicrobial resistance threatens effective prevention and treatment of microbial infections. Over two million hospitalized patients acquire infection from antimicrobial resistant microbes resulting in more than 23,000 deaths in North America. Therefore, development of a novel class of antimicrobials is in urgent need. The goal of our research project is to develop a novel antibiotic for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections. This antibiotic targets ribosome to inhibit protein synthesis. We are introducing chemical modifications and analyzing antimicrobial activity in order to select a more potent analogue of this antibiotic for clinical use. The company is in developing stage and will benefit from the academic expertize and established experimental set-ups to speed up their research program.

Synthèse et implémentation de correcteurs robustes d’un microréseau électrique

Les réseaux et les microréseaux électriques sont rarement accessibles pour effectuer des tests. Le recours à des simulateurs à temps réel est une solution efficace pour permettre l’étude de ces réseaux électriques. Le réalisme de ces simulateurs à temps réel est étroitement lié à la précision des modèles utilisés ainsi que leurs lois de commande. Le projet vise à développer et mettre en oeuvre
des correcteurs robustes sur un système de simulation temps-réel, afin d’inclure un nouveau volet dans les simulateurs temps-réel développés par OPAL-RT Technologie. Ce nouveau volet permettra de réaliser des études comparatives pour la validation de tels correcteurs pour les microréseaux, augmentera l’attrait de ces systèmes et sera d’une grande importance dans les milieux de recherche
et industriel.

Feasibility of Pelletizing Sludge Product for Burning and Agricultural Uses from Paper Mill Process Effluent

Domestic demand for wood pellets in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has dramatically increased in recent years. Consumer angst resulted in one retailer trucking three tractor trailer loads of bagged pellets last winter (2014-2015) from British Columbia, which sold out in a few days. Port Hawkesbury Paper LP (PHP) has an opportunity to both solve a waste product issue at their Point Tupper mill location, but also tap into this international and domestic market through investigating the feasibility of pelletizing sludge (comprised largely of isolated softwood fibers) produced on site as a component of their waste stream. Currently, a portion of this PHP sludge is dried to appropriate moisture content and sold to Nova Scotia Power to augment their biomass burner, although a surplus remains that could be converted into a value-added product such as wood pellets for consumer or industrial applications.

From Sewage to the Ocean: Microplastics in Marine Ecosystems of BC

Contamination of marine ecosystems with microplastics (particles <5mm) is recognized as significant problem. There is limited information available as to its origin, but much is thought to originate from land-based activities (wastewater effluent, run-off, rivers the productivity of fisheries, and reduce the quality and commercial value of seafood, valued at $1 billion annually in BC. Moreover, reduced coastal ecosystem health directly affects ecotourism, valued at $2 billion annually in BC. To identify sources of microplastic in the NE Pacific Ocean, the Vancouver Aquarium is developing a microplastics research capacity. The proposed project will establish a collaborative relationship with UBC’s Department of Civil Engineering. The Vancouver Aquariums will benefit directly from the collaboration with the UBC Department of Civil Engineering as it gains access to state of the art laboratories and the UBC pilot wastewater treatment plant.

Determination of ground beef adulterated with beef and pork offal by vibrational spectroscopy

With the increasing numbers of economically motivated food adulteration, sensitive, rapid, portable, and cost-effective detection techniques for food fraud is highly demanded. Ground beef products have the potential to be adulterated by the livestock’s by-products, such as beef and pork offal. Traditional techniques failed to meet the requirements by government, food industry, and consumers (i.e. all parties). Therefore, innovative techniques are necessary to avoid food fraud issues. Vibrational spectroscopies, providing the fingerprinting chemical profiles of samples, have the potential to achieve the demands. Techniques include Raman, Fourier-transformed infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies will be studied in this research project. Feasibilities of using these three types of vibrational spectroscopies for beef adulterated with offal will be examined. Moreover, results obtained from different types of spectroscopies will be compared and the best solution will be proposed based upon the conformability to the requirements by all parties.