Innovative Projects Realized

Development of Advanced Smart Medical Bandage Using Memory Polymeric Film/Yarn Actuator

Bandages have been used to provide compression therapy to manage chronic venous disorders such as leg ulcers and other muscle related orthopedic issues. They have several major problems such as pressure loss over time, no external pressure control, and no massage benefit which make inefficient treatment. There is an imperious need of any innovation which could solve these practical issues. Based on the applicant’s research expertise, a stimulus responsive smart memory polymeric material is proposed to use as a film/yarn in the bandage to control the pressure externally. Memory polymer will be synthesized/engineered to actuate around human body-temperature. A novel stress-memory behavior will be systematically investigated, where the force can be externally modulated. The film/yarn will be integrated into textile bandage with nanofibrous sensor to prepare the medical device for real-time pressure monitoring. The performance evaluation will be carried out to ensure the practical feasibility. TO BE CONT’D

Landscape-scale reconstruction of the spatio-temporal attributes and biophysical drivers of mixed-severity fire regimes in the Alberta Foothills – Year two

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) presumes that sustainability is a function of how well we understand ecosystem function and ecological dynamics. This includes understanding relationships among climate, disturbance, vegetation patterns, and ecological services. Recent research on the historical ecology of montane forests in western Canada has challenged the long-standing notion that stand-replacing fires characterized the landscape. Instead, a mixed-severity regime (MSFR) existed in portions of the montane forest. To evaluate the implications of these findings for EBM, new research is needed to quantify the prevalence of MSFRs and describe their ecological dynamics. TO BE CONT’D

Landscape-scale reconstruction of the spatio-temporal attributes and biophysical drivers of mixed-severity fire regimes in the Alberta Foothills

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) presumes that sustainability is a function of how well we understand ecosystem function and ecological dynamics. This includes understanding relationships among climate, disturbance, vegetation patterns, and ecological services. Recent research on the historical ecology of montane forests in western Canada has challenged the long-standing notion that stand-replacing fires characterized the landscape. Instead, a mixed-severity regime (MSFR) existed in portions of the montane forest. To evaluate the implications of these findings for EBM, new research is needed to quantify the prevalence of MSFRs and describe their ecological dynamics. TO BE CONT’D

Feasibility of Micro-scale Wind Turbines in Ontario.

My proposed research will investigate the feasibility of small scale wind turbines in Ontario in

adapting to a changing climate via alternative energy strategies. I shall also be working with

the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to develop a standardized testing of these

small scale wind turbines which will be unique in Ontario. The TRCA will benefit from the

research in the hopes of establishing the research site at the Kortright Centre for

Conservation as the official testing site of these aerogenerators.

Development of Cerebral Perfusion Technology

Medtronic is a global medical device company and leader in patient monitoring technologies that has a key area of interest for developing technology to effectively monitor patients’ cerebral blood flow (i.e., perfusion) in relation to systemic blood pressure.
Maintaining a prescribed intra-operative blood pressure range for patients does not guarantee a healthy cerebral blood flow, as they are two independent feedback mechanisms. Studies have demonstrated that current intra-operative blood pressure ranges may lead to an unhealthy cerebral blood flow in some patients which indicates that a healthy blood pressure range is patient specific. As a patient’s blood pressure begins to increase or decrease outside of this healthy range, so does cerebral blood flow in commensurate fashion begin to move outside of a healthy blood flow range. Sub-optimal cerebral blood flow perfusion during surgery predisposes patients to a higher risk for delirium or stroke. TO BE CONT’D

Phase 1 of Enhanced Measurement-Based Care Effectiveness for Depression (EMBED): A Canada-China Implementation Project (Salary Support for Postdoctoral Research Fellow) – Year two

EMBED (Enhanced Measurement-Based Care Effectiveness for Depression) is a multistage collaboration between mental health researchers and advocates based in Canada, China, USA, and Australia. Jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, this 5-year program is the first major research initiative of the APEC Digital Hub for Mental Health (http://mentalhealth.apec.org), which is hosted at the University of British Columbia in partnership with University of Alberta and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, along with over 15 core partners from ministries of health and academic institutions across the Asia-Pacific region. This project will develop a novel, evidence-based implementation strategy for improving clinical care for depression in Shanghai, China, based on technology-enhanced measurement-based care (eMBC) tools developed by Canadian team members. TO BE CONT’D

Phase 1 of Enhanced Measurement-Based Care Effectiveness for Depression (EMBED): A Canada-China Implementation Project (Salary Support for Postdoctoral Research Fellow)

EMBED (Enhanced Measurement-Based Care Effectiveness for Depression) is a multistage collaboration between mental health researchers and advocates based in Canada, China, USA, and Australia. Jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, this 5-year program is the first major research initiative of the APEC Digital Hub for Mental Health (http://mentalhealth.apec.org), which is hosted at the University of British Columbia in partnership with University of Alberta and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, along with over 15 core partners from ministries of health and academic institutions across the Asia-Pacific region. This project will develop a novel, evidence-based implementation strategy for improving clinical care for depression in Shanghai, China, based on technology-enhanced measurement-based care (eMBC) tools developed by Canadian team members. TO BE CONT’D

Using bioelectrochemical approaches to study microbes associated with oil and gas operations – Year two

Microbial activities in oil and gas operations can be beneficial or detrimental which economically impact the energy industry. Microorganisms can be responsible for souring and microbiologically influenced corrosion which damage oil and gas infrastructure, but they can also play a beneficial role in enhancing energy production, recovering chemicals from waste streams, bioremediation, and biofuel production. The threat of global warming and diminishing fossil fuel resources is creating an ever-increasing drive to implement new technologies for renewable fuel production. We propose to design a simple bioelectrochemical system (BES) in order to study different metabolic activities of microorganisms associated with oil and gas systems. Bioelectrochemical systems can interconvert electrical and chemical energy enabling electricity generation, biofuel and chemical synthesis, wastewater treatment, desalination, microbial corrosion monitoring, and bioremediation. The innovation of the proposed research is in the use of BES systems to carry out multiple desirable tasks simultaneously. TO BE CONT’D

Using bioelectrochemical approaches to study microbes associated with oil and gas operations

Microbial activities in oil and gas operations can be beneficial or detrimental which economically impact the energy industry. Microorganisms can be responsible for souring and microbiologically influenced corrosion which damage oil and gas infrastructure, but they can also play a beneficial role in enhancing energy production, recovering chemicals from waste streams, bioremediation, and biofuel production. The threat of global warming and diminishing fossil fuel resources is creating an ever-increasing drive to implement new technologies for renewable fuel production. We propose to design a simple bioelectrochemical system (BES) in order to study different metabolic activities of microorganisms associated with oil and gas systems. Bioelectrochemical systems can interconvert electrical and chemical energy enabling electricity generation, biofuel and chemical synthesis, wastewater treatment, desalination, microbial corrosion monitoring, and bioremediation. The innovation of the proposed research is in the use of BES systems to carry out multiple desirable tasks simultaneously. TO BE CONT’D

Investigation of mechanical and electrical properties of polymeric nanocomposites under erosion – Year two

In the upstream pipelines, the application of the internal pipeline coatings with specialized polymer has been utilized to protect pipeline from corrosion and abrasive wears. The coatings are rearranged or re-lined when the coating wears out. However, there is no direct and continuous monitoring for the integrity of internal pipeline coatings. Thus the rearrangement or re-lining of the coating is performed pre-emptively before fully utilizing the coating. It is required to develop a novel technique, not only for the efficiency but also to prevent pipeline leakage. The proposed project will develop a system embedded inside the coating, changing its electrochemical properties upon damage. Various nanocomposite compositions will be tested, leading to the optimized sensor system. The proposed project gives ROSEN group advantages in the pipeline industry as they could extend the lifetime of coating and ensure the safety of pipeline.

Investigation of mechanical and electrical properties of polymeric nanocomposites under erosion

In the upstream pipelines, the application of the internal pipeline coatings with specialized polymer has been utilized to protect pipeline from corrosion and abrasive wears. The coatings are rearranged or re-lined when the coating wears out. However, there is no direct and continuous monitoring for the integrity of internal pipeline coatings. Thus the rearrangement or re-lining of the coating is performed pre-emptively before fully utilizing the coating. It is required to develop a novel technique, not only for the efficiency but also to prevent pipeline leakage. The proposed project will develop a system embedded inside the coating, changing its electrochemical properties upon damage. Various nanocomposite compositions will be tested, leading to the optimized sensor system. The proposed project gives ROSEN group advantages in the pipeline industry as they could extend the lifetime of coating and ensure the safety of pipeline.

Simulation of the foamy oil flow during the solution gas drive production of heavy oils – Year two

Foamy oil behavior is a unique phenomenon associated with cold production of heavy crude oils. It is believed that the foaming mechanism has a significant impact on the abnormally high production rate of viscous crude oils observed in many heavy oil producing reservoirs through solution gas drive.
Due to the non-equilibrium nature of the foamy oil flow, the mathematical modeling of this process involves few challenges. The main non-equilibrium process exist between solution gas and free gas that leads to a significant supersaturation of dissolved gas in the oil phase. Even though different models on foamy-oil behavior with a diverse experimental data are available in literature, there is scarcity of published experimental data for a heavy oil reservoir with a Canadian origin. This research will be focused on developing a kinetic model which is developed and tuned for a heavy oil reservoir with a Canadian origin.TO BE CONT’D