Innovative Projects Realized

Canadian Communities of Practice in Global Health: meeting the SDG challenge

Canada’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has implications for both domestic and foreign policy in a complex, shifting, and interdependent global health system crowded with multiple actors and stakeholders. The array of activities involved with global public health practice necessitates engagement with health policy and systems research (HPSR), and Knowledge Translation (KT) is critical to bridging the gap between knowledge generated through research and the knowledge that is used to inform policy, practice, and programs. My proposed two-year Fellowship, with the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and the University of Ottawa, advances KT through deepened engagement with the Canadian global public health community for the integration of SDGs within health systems in Canada and internationally. TO BE CONT’D

Inclusive and Accessible Energy Governance: Recommendations for the National Energy Board Modernization

A series of high-profile pipeline proposals and controversial changes to federal environmental legislative have created a “crisis of confidence” in the National Energy Board (NEB). As a result, the federal government has initiated a review and modernization of the NEB in conjunction with a broader review of federal environmental legislation. The purpose of this project is to support the Pembina Institute’s ongoing engagement in the NEB modernization process by undertaking policy research and developing recommendations to facilitate inclusive and accessible regulatory processes. Specifically, the research examines proposed institutions for public and stakeholder engagement and the accessibility of energy and climate data.

Probiotics and their role in an intestinal inflammation: Use of a novel in-vitro model to understand mechanisms of action

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the role the gut plays in our overall health and wellbeing. Changes to this gut microbial population has been linked a host of disorders, ranging from metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Depending on lifestyle factors, diet, antibiotic use and age, certain populations can be at a greater risk of microbial imbalances. In order against such conditions, probiotics are used as therapeutic agents. However, there has been limited success in developing long term solutions, mainly owing to the lack to understanding the relationship between these supplements and the gut microbes. Our proposed study aims to bridge this gap by using a novel model developed in our lab to study these interactions in more detail and help develop more targeted therapeutic strategies.

Modélisation et mesures thermofluides de l’écoulement d’air dans une maquette alternateur

Ce projet s’inscrit dans un vaste programme de diagnostic et pronostic visant, à l’aide de simulations multiphysiques et de mesures expérimentales, à caractériser la ventilation dans les alternateurs hydro-électriques. Une meilleure connaissance du refroidissement de ces machines permettrait de les opérer de façon optimale afin de prolonger leur durée de vie et ainsi d’éviter des remplacements prématurés. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, une maquette alternateur a été construite à l’institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec dans le but d’obtenir une base de données expérimentales permettant de valider les outils numériques. En effet, la dynamique de l’écoulement dans les parties tournantes et fixes demeure très complexe à modéliser mais une fois que ces outils auront été validés, il sera alors possible d’optimiser les équipements présentant des anomalies de ventilation et de proposer des nouveaux concepts de ventilation.

Elucidating the Impact of Probiotics on the Fungal Microbiome: Mechanisms of Interkingdom Interactions

Interactions between bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous. One environment where these interkingdom interactions are crucial for maintaining human health is the vaginal microbiome. A decline in abundance of bacteria can lead to overgrowth of fungi such as Candida albicans, which occurs in ~75% of healthy women at least once in their lifetime. This imbalance is associated with significant economic costs and has a negative impact on quality of life. Probiotics normally present in the vaginal microbiome have emerged as a strategy to restore homeostasis, though the mechanisms involved remain unknown. This research will assess the capacity of Lallemand probiotic species to impair C. albicans filamentous growth, a key virulence trait, and will elucidate the mechanisms involved. This research enable the development of the most suitable probiotics for future nutritional programs. Ultimately, this program has potential to stimulate economic growth and to improve the quality of life of women globally.

Stagiaire en gestion de portefeuille TI

Ce projet concerne premièrement la gestion de projet, sois le processus de gestion de processus de dévelloppement d’une idée à ça réalisation en équipe. Les avancer informatique nous permettent maintenant de mieux suivre le processus de l’idéation à la création pour permettre au gestionnaire de l’équipe une meilleur compréhension de la progression et ainsi décider de façon plus rationnelle plus rapidement et de façon ciblé. Le système de suivi répertorie ainsi les projets, les tâches, les différentes équipes de travail, les efforts mis sur les tâches et les contraintes. Le gestionnaire prend donc ces données actualisées au fils du processus pour évaluer les problèmes et difficulté de l’équipe pour ensuite réagir de la bonne manière et corriger le tir avant que la situation ne s’enivre. Ce projet à pour objectif de prévoir ces problèmes et enjeux pour permettre au gestionnaire d’agir en amont.

Adaptable Balconies: Sustainable Development Strategies for Toronto’s Aging Neighbourhoods

The majority of mid-20th century high-rise concrete housing stock have reached the end of their first lifecycle in terms of structural integrity and environmental performance, and the urban planning ideals with which they were designed have made these neighbourhoods irrelevant to the contemporary culture of the city. Solutions for economical, structural, social and technological barriers to developing a secondary system to the building envelope and the restructuring of existing balconies for the overall renewal of tower neighbourhoods will be investigated and proposed in this project. In this process, high-density infill projects and as well as smart building technologies and strategies will be investigated. This project will be conducted in partnership with Diamond Schmitt Architects, and the benefits to the partner include the gaining specialized expertise in infill development and re-densification of existing neighbourhoods, social sustainability, and smart city design and technologies. TO BE CONT’D

Development and validation of analysis methods for classification of environments: classification by sound, time, and place

Hearing aids are now fully digital, advanced signal processors that monitor the type of sound coming in to the hearing aid. The sound type is automatically classified into one of several types, such as speech in a quiet place, versus telephone listening, versus in a noisy car. These sound types may require different signal processing from the hearing aid. Accordingly, the hearing aid an automatically switch into different signal processing when the sound type changes. Current methods for sound type classification do not monitor the user’s location. Yet, with increasing smartphone linkage, it may be possible in future to make use of location to help improve the accuracy of classification of the listener’s environment and what type of signal processing might be most helpful. In this project, we will collaborate to build a prototype location-informed sound classifier.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Refractory Low Back Pain in Patients withFailed Back Surgery Syndrome.

This project will examine and compare two types of implantable patient leads,

one which is more minimally invasive vs. one which requires a more extensive surgical procedure. Medtronic will utilize

the data from this pilot study to determine the need and or value of conducting an International Multi-Centre Study.

Based on the clinical outcomes from this study, Medtronic will be better able to establish which type of medical specialists

will be needed to optimize patient care and assist physicians in the development of their programs. The results will provide

insight as to the need for more or less operating room time, as cost savings may be beneficial with either procedure when all

factors our considered.

Proposed Research:

• Background and review of relevant prior work

• Overall program objectives

• Methodology and novelty of approach and/or application

• Project milestones

• Relevance to the partner

Turning off the “switch”: Preserving the analgesic actions of the endogenous opioid pathway in IBD

Abdominal pain is a debilitating symptom for many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An endogenous opioid system emerges in the intestinal tissues during chronic inflammation that acts to dampen such pain and could prevent the need for strong opiate drugs like morphine that can cause serious side effects. However, we have discovered that psychological stress, common in patients with IBD, can block the beneficial analgesic actions of these endogenous opioids and paradoxically can cause them to actually stimulate rather than relieve pain. Similarly, sustained higher dose opioid drugs also block the beneficial actions of the endogenous opioid pathway. Together, these effects on the endogenous opioid system lead to increased pain and if opioid drugs are needed, escalating dosing and potentially serious side effects. TO BE CONT’D

Raccourcissement de la période d’anovulation post-partum chez la vache laitière

En 2016, l’industrie laitière du Canada, avec un peu plus de 1,4 millions de têtes, a produit plus de 84,7 millions d’hectolitres de lait, équivalent à plus de $6 milliards. Cependant, l’industrie laitière souffre d’un déclin de la fertilité, particulièrement lors de la période post-partum, ce qui représente des pertes massives pour les producteurs. Une absence d’ovulation (anovulation) prolongée durant la période post-partum contribuerait à la baisse de fertilité des vaches laitières. En effet, cette période aurait un impact important sur la reproduction. Il est donc nécessaire d’avoir une bonne connaissance de la période post-partum afin d’améliorer la performance reproductive des vaches laitières et la rentabilité des troupeaux d’animaux de consommation. Notre objectif à long terme est de développer un traitement en utilisant des molécules appelées interleukines présentes dans le follicule ovarien. Le but de ce traitement en période post-partum serait de favoriser la reprise de l’ovulation. Nous pensons que la période post-partum serait associée avec des changements dans la nature des interleukines présentes dans l’ovaire et ces changements peuvent être responsables de l’absence d’ovulation. Nous utiliserons des approches de biologie moléculaire pour identifier et établir le profil des différentes interleukines dans l’ovaire de vaches en période post-partum.

Wind Turbine Power Curve Modelling for Reliable Power Prediction Using Isotonic Regression and Different Loss Functions

Electrical power generation based on wind energy has been one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources. An important area of research in wind energy is to find different ways to improve the power reliability of systems. Modeling wind turbine power curve using past data is often used as an efficient way to use empirical power curve instead of manufacturer company power curve.
As wind-power data are often so noisy, fitted wind turbine power curves could be very different from the theoretical ones that are provided by manufacturers. For example, most wind turbine power curves are monotonic for a specific range of speed, however, fitted models do not necessarily have this property. In this research we first develop methods for fitting wind turbine power curve models that preserve the monotonicity of the curve. TO BE CONT’D
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