Innovative Projects Realized

Développement d’outils de valorisation de données pour l’amélioration des performances logistiques

À partir de l’analyse de plusieurs années de données d’historiques de vente, le projet proposé vise à développer des outils d’aide à la décision pour l’amélioration des performances logistiques d’un partenaire industriel. Différents aspects sont concernés. Tout d’abord, le projet vise à (1) améliorer le système actuel de prédictions des ventes, afin de minimiser les stocks en prenant en compte l’historique comportemental de chaque client. Aussi, le projet cherchera à (2) améliorer la logistique d’expédition, notamment la cueillette dans l’entrepôt, par le placement optimal des produits en fonction des corrélations dans les achats observés. Finalement, il s’agira de (3) développer un outil de prédiction des retours de produits. Les retours sont couteux d’un point de vue logistique, il s’agira d’en diminuer la fréquence en signalant au client, lorsque possible, qu’il existe éventuellement une meilleure option de produit qui pourrait le satisfaire, avec une plus faible probabilité de retour.

Blockchain-based Consent Management for Personalized Medicine

This multidisciplinary project will investigate the social, data, and technical issues surrounding design and implementation of a blockchain-based solution for the management of consent for the use of individuals’ “omics” data in medical research. Blockchains are distributed ledgers in which confirmed and validated blocks are organized in an append-only chain using cryptographic links. This project will study how blockchain technology can be used to provide users with greater control of, and reward for, the use of personal omics data, including genomics, proteomics, exposomics, phenomics, microbiomics and metabolomics, in medical research studies. It will also explore how the technical design of blockchain solutions may support privacy-preserving analysis of “omics” data with machine-learning. To achieve these research objectives, project team members will identify legal, regulatory and other requirements for the management of omics data and then use heuristic techniques and agile software development to implement a proof-of-concept blockchain solution that meets identified requirements for user consent of their omics data in studies to be run by the industry partner, Molecular You, as well as those to be run by its partners. “TO BE CONT’D”

Nanotechnology Solving Environmental Protection and Cyber-Physical Security: Smart Power-Grid Application

The ACPS will offer high-reliability and real-time monitoring of the smart-grid infrastructure and the secure CPS will provide secure communication and authentication of the smart-grid devices and components. This results in secure and improved power transmission that can reduce infrastructure maintenance cost for the utility companies and also reduced power-theft attacks from malicious sources. Successful outcome of this project will also reduce cost of power for the end user and benefit the society with secured higher quality of life. Additionally, environmental benefits are also achieved by reducing waste of the infrastructure material and generated power.
Mobility Systems demand new improved methods to authenticate data captured from devices and sensors, to validate user’s identities, and to secure and authorize access to services and information. The protection of privacy and data integrity as well as integration with the Internet through machine-readable features are essential for all potential users. TO BE CONT”D

Remote and local effect of vertical warming structure in the polar region

Recently, the near-surface temperature in the Arctic region has been increasing at a faster rate than the global average. Also, many studies show the distinct vertical profile of Arctic warming is determined by various driving mechanisms. Here, we will show how polar warming of different vertical structure affects the climate responses locally as well as remotely. Understanding the influence of vertical warming profiles in the polar region on the mid latitude and tropical climate will not only improve our confidence in regional climate projection and contribute to reduce financial loss resulting from extreme weather events caused by polar warming. Therefore, the proposed research will provide new perspectives on remote interactions in the climate system, which are essential to understanding and mitigating regional effects in response to global warming.

Application d’une analyse de sélection au comportement de jeu des joueurs de jeu vidéo

Notre but est d’améliorer la capacité des compagnies à concevoir et entretenir des jeux vidéo multijoueur en utilisant les théories développées par les écologistes pour comprendre le comportement des animaux (par exemple pour comprendre pourquoi les lions préfèrent chasser en groupe plutôt que seul). Nous analyserons les tactiques de jeu utilisées par les joueurs dans le jeu dead by daylight pour comprendre comment et pourquoi ces tactiques varient d’un joueur à l’autre et évoluent au fur et à mesure que les joueurs gagnent de l’expérience de jeu. Ce projet devrait permettre de concevoir des jeux vidéo de manière plus efficace dans le futur.

Transitioning from Print to Interactive Digital Publishing

PUBLIC is an innovative print periodical with a 25 year history exploring the intersection between art, design, technology and contemporary culture. This Mitacs fellowship will develop the journal’s open access interactive web platform, PUBLIC:PORTAL, using information visualization and design to showcase the journal’s cutting-edge collaborative and cross-disciplinary work. This project designs and tests graphical user interfaces and information visualization strategies in order to investigate the ways that abstract and complex information can be conveyed through intuitive design. PUBLIC:PORTAL will capitalize on the unique potential of the digital platform to construct a responsive, flexible and adaptive digital infrastructure to facilitate collaborations and experiments between researchers and artists/designers.

Development of Highly Efficient Colloidal Quantum Dot-Polymer Hybrid Tandem Solar Cells

PbS CQDs solar cells have limitations of improving the efficiency due to low open-circuit voltage (Voc) and low absorbance between 600 nm and 900 nm. To solve these problems, PbS CQDs-polymer hybrid tandem solar cell was developed by introducing a low band-gap polymeric photo-active layer, exhibiting high absorbance in the region of 600 nm to 900 nm, which is capable of complementary absorption. Furthermore, PbS CQDs and polymer of the photo-active layers are connected in series so as to maximize the efficiency for increasing the Voc value. When the world’s highest efficiency of PbS CQDs solar cell is achieved by the newly proposed research method, I expect to lead the world industrial market and academia of PbS CQDs solar cells.

Characterization of host regulatory components associated with plant disease resistance

The main goal of this research project is to identify key genes which act as transcription factors (TFs) in downstream of R gene. Since the pathway after the interaction of R gene and its effector is almost unknown, after locating the candidate gene by using the protein-protein interaction, the final step is figuring out the function of those particular gene as a TF in the pathway. In addition, RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis will be performed to identify host genes required for CMV replication.

Deep learning-based steel corrosion and fatigue crack detection using a depth camera

In order to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional approaches to steel structure damage detection and to improve reliability and safety of existing steel structures, this research proposes to develop an innovative autonomous SHM system that offers transformative enhancements over existing steel structure monitoring systems.
This will involve:
1. Collecting
Collecting image data from various steel corrosion and cracks to establish databank to train a deep faster region-based convolutional neural network.
2. Developing Algorithm
Developing a deep faster R-CNN-based steel damage detection system using a 3-dimensional depth camera that is able to provide first warnings of structural damage by localizing and quantifying damage.
3. Application
Developing an automated system to apply this research o real-world problems.
We will install a web camera on a steel bridge to providing monitoring in real-time using a wireless system that will transfer the image data to a base workstation.

Numerical study of load carrying capacity of offshore mooring piles in sand

Pile foundations have been widely used in many offshore structures and oil and gas development

programs such as tension leg platfonn, jack up platfonn, spar platfonn, and mooring of floating

production, storage and offloading (FPSO) units. The FPSO units are usually moored to the seabed

with various kinds of anchors, including offshore piles. These piles are subjected to inclined upward

load from FPSO. The objective of this research is to develop advanced method to estimate load

carrying capacity of offshore mooring piles in sand subjected to inclined loading. The proposed

research is a part of intern’s M.Eng. research at Memorial University. The partner organization will get

advanced tools for modeling soiVstructure interaction, which will be useful for offshore oil and gas

development projects.

Defining the role of gut microbiota in intestinal stem cell development and inflammation

Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most common and deadly disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in preterm infants, accounting for the second highest percentage of neonatal deaths. Although the underlying disease mechanisms are still unclear, the increased incidence of NEC has been associated with excessive antibiotic use during pregnancy. Newborns become exposed to gut microbiota, which coincides with intestinal stem cells (iSCs) differentiation into paneth cells (PCs), a critical cell type controlling immune response. Therefore, we hypothesize that exposure to normal gut microbiota is essential for iSCs differentiation into PCs, thereby preventing NEC. Cellular differentiation involves the dynamic chromatin alterations to direct lineage-specific gene expression patterns. We will define the role of gut microbiota in establishing PCs-specific chromatin structures and regulators by analyzing chromatin and gene expression patterns in mice treated with antibiotics.TO BE CON’T

Efficient harvesting of solar energy: plasmon enhanced upconversion for organic photovoltaics

In a conventional solar cell, over half of the incident sunlight goes to waste, due to failure by the stable semiconductors to absorb the lower energy ranges of the solar spectrum. Attempts to improve the semiconductor absorption capabilities have proved difficult, with relatively little progress made thus far.
An alternative solution is to make the most of existing semiconductor materials by tuning the incident sunlight into more easily absorbed frequencies. The ‘upconversion’ materials used in this technique, which convert the lower frequency light into higher frequency light, have great potential to increase the efficiency of solar cell technology. However, the conversion efficiency of the upconversion technique is currently too low (~1%) to provide substantial improvement.
This project aims to combine the ‘plasmon enhancement effect’, which amplifies local electric and magnetic fields, with upconversion in order to enhance both the absorption and the emission of light. TO BE CONT’D