Innovative Projects Realized

Nisga’a Business Alliance Corporation Industry Research

The Nisga’a Business Alliance Corporation is creating a strategy for economic development activities

within the Nation and requires innovative business research to facilitate this initiative. As such, this

research cluster is comprised of six projects:

• Project 1: Commercial Recreation Tenure Investigation

• Project 2: Harbour Enhancement Feasibility Study

• Project 3: Nisga’a Nation Tourism Market Research Investigation

• Project 4: Nisga’a Economic Assessment

• Project 5: Greenhouse Opportunity Assessment

• Project 6: Shellfish Aquaculture Investigation

Impact of Targeted Rehabilitation Programs on Kinematic Gait Parameters in Lower Limb Amputees

This research project will be a sub-component of a more extensive three year project called Gait Rehabilitation Analysis for Amputee Locomotion (GRAAL). The aim of GRAAL is to improve the rehabilitation and follow up of individuals with lower limb amputations (LLAs). The research project I will take part in will utilize gait analysis as a measurement tool of compensation strategies in participants with LLAs. Kinematic data in slope and step terrains will be gathered and assessed to identify the gait compensation strategies in participants. Furthermore, the results from the analyses conducted will inform the development of a four week targeted rehabilitation program for each participant. The rehabilitation program will be implemented during the project and the research participants will be re-administered a gait analysis after the completion of the program.TO BE CONT’D

Advocates: How citizens engage law to address water governance in Cape Town and Accra

This environmental citizenship study loks at how underserved residents understand and influence laws and governance to solve water problems in their communities. The field work was conducted in Cape Town and Accra, a multi-sited approach which draws from activists and legal professionals to consider a broader range of legal rules (human rights, customary law, local ordances) rather than state law only. The reserach has two main objectives. First, identify the relationship between different forms of water governance and how citizens understand their environmental citizenship (as expressed through rights, responsibilities, and participation). Second, to learn how these choices are understood by the participants to relate to their objectives and to help them improve water access.
The work in France will involve engaging and working with similar researcher to bring additional depth and scope to my project beyond what can be found at my home institution. TO BE CONT’D

Micro-structure and formation history of the ureilite meteorite parent body, a potential lost planet?

Mary Spencer will investigate the mineralogy, microstructure and geochemistry of ureilite meteorites. This study will bring new constraints on the deformation and the shock conditions these meteorites have experienced, and where they initially formed in the Solar System in relation to the Sun and Earth before being transported to the asteroid belt. For this, she will use electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy at the Université of Toulouse to study their mineralogy and microstructure of minerals such as olivine, enstatite, graphite and diamonds. She will be able to further address the origin and formation processes of the diamonds (solar nebula, shock or high pressure deep in a planetary interior). TO BE CONT’D

La valeur économique du réseau des zecs du Québec : Une analyse de la demande sociale et de la contribution des écosystèmes au bien-être des collectivités

Le Réseau Zec regroupe 63 zecs (Zone d’Exploitation Contrôlée) qui couvrent 48 000km2. Ces territoires sont multi-usages et l’on y pratique des activités récréatives telles la chasse, la pêche et le camping, ainsi que des activités forestières. Elles sont généralement situées sur les terres de l’état puis administrées par des organismes à but non-lucratif qui se chargent de l’aménagement, de l’exploitation et la conservation de la faune, tout en gérant l’accès aux territoires pour les usagers. Afin d’outiller le Réseau Zec et les gestionnaires de zecs dans la gestion de leurs territoires, quatre activités de recherche sont proposées et visent à déterminer la valeur économique et sociale des zecs, ainsi que les meilleures pratiques de développement durables qui pourraient y être implantées.

Molecular Topological Features of Catalytic Reactions

This research targets the apparent contradiction between quantum mechanics (wherein molecules are composed of electrons and nuclei) and the language of chemistry (wherein molecules are composed of atoms and bonds) by developing topological tools for describing the output of quantum mechanics computations in chemical language. Specifically, the topology of various descriptors based on the molecular electron density will be studied, and the changes in topology will be correlated to the changes in molecular structure that accompany multistep catalytic reactions. The focus is on reactions catalyzed by complexes of first-row transition metals with noninnocent ligands because these complexes are especially difficult to model with traditional methods. By understanding how these complexes catalyze reactions, we can design ligands that improve their performance, so that these catalysts based on earth-abundant elements can replace toxic, and expensive, catalysts based on rare earth elements that are currently used in the chemical industry.

Simulating Canada-France Imaging Survey Observations for Weak Lensing Bias Calibration

Weak lensing, the subtle distortion of galaxy shapes due to matter along the line of sight, is an effect that can be used to measure the mass of galaxies and clusters. The effect is sensitive to both stellar and dark matter, which makes the technique extremely valuable for constraining cosmological parameters. Through observations of weak lensing, dark matter and dark energy properties, as well as the growth of large scale structure in the universe, can be constrained. In order to achieve the required level of precision, exquisitely accurate measurements of the shapes of galaxies are required. However, it is known that shape measurement algorithms are biased in the presence of noise. The success of the Canada-France Imaging Survey (CFIS), a large, $7 million international collaboration, depends on being able to characterize and correct for the bias in galaxy shape measurements. TO BE CONT’D

Partitionnement des alizés et des vents continentaux à basse pression pour expliquer la distribution des nutriments en désert côtier.

Le projet évalue les deux principales directions du vent et la minéralogie des particules échantillonnées, pour améliorer la compréhension du rôle et l’impact de la taille des poussières minérales retenus par les petites dunes avec vegetation ainsi que les distributions chimiques tout au long du processus de transport. Les investigations vont donc chercher à quantifier l’enrichissement des éléments nutritifs dans le processus de transport afin d’évaluer les propriétés biologiques et les différences de rayonnement et des aérosols minéraux du sol parent. Cela permettra d’accroître la capacité de prévision des tempêtes de poussière et leurs impacts sur la société et l’environnement naturel en zone côtière de Namibie.

Bifunctional Metal-Binding Scaffolds for Activation of the p53 Y220C Mutant in Cancer

The p53 protein plays a major role in cancer prevention, and over 50% of cancer diagnoses can be attributed to mutated p53. The main function of p53 is to prevent uncontrolled growth of damaged cells and inhibit tumour formation. A common mutation, Y220C, creates a cavity at the protein’s surface and causes protein unfolding. Our objective is to stabilize the mutant and restore its function. I have synthesized a series of compounds and initial cell testing concluded that our lead compounds are more cytotoxic than the front-line drug cisplatin. We plan to further investigate the ability of our compounds to induce programmed cell death in cells harbouring the Y220C mutation, and determine if this results in restoration of p53 protein function. Expected outcomes for this proposal is that we will gain insight into the mechanism of action of our compounds, allowing us to develop more efficient chemotherapeutics moving forward.

RBC / U of T / University of Waterloo GTA Quantum Communication Network

A quantum network built on RBC infrastructure and performing secure commercial transactions using quantum-generated secure keys in the integrated classical communication network.

Regional heterogeneity in lake morphology in Ontario

Lake size and shape are important factors determining the function and structure of lake ecosystems.

Moreover, Lake morphology is important for both biotic and abiotic processes, including species

richness of zooplankton, macrophytes, and fishes. In particular, Ontario has tens of thousands of

natural ecosystems that make up a large part of Canada’s dominant share ofthe Earth’s surface

freshwaters and of global freshwater biodiversity. In addition, fish community (e.g. lake trout, walleye,

smallmouth bass) in these lakes support human uses having both high economic and social values (e.g.

commercial and recreational fishery worth 2 billion dollars annually and subsistence and ceremonial

fisheries, providing 69kg/person annually). Thus, this intern will develop a comprehensive data base

documenting geographical heterogeneity in lake size and shape among 1000 Ontario lakes. This

proposed project link the intern at University of Toronto with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to

quantitatively examine how lake size and shape differ across Ontario. Insights from this collaboration…

Regulatory networks controlling pathogenesis of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen which is the leading cause of invasive candidiasis, an increasingly drug resistant disease that attacks vulnerable populations. Candida albicans is interesting because it is a commensal organism present in human tissues that can become deadly in response to specific environmental cues. Understanding what governs the shift from harmless to invasive has become a focus of intense research around the world. Naturally, complex interactions at the sub-cellular level are responsible for recognizing the signals from the outside environment that cause physiological changes. This project builds on existing research and new technologies to gain a deeper understanding of these disease-causing interactions that exist at the DNA level. Specifically, we will use a novel ‘ChIP-SICAP’ technique to identify (co-)regulators of gene expression at the DNA level. Confirmatory studies will then be performed using ‘qPCR’ and ‘CRISPR/Cas9’ techniques to decipher the regulatory networks. TO BE CONT’D