Innovative Projects Realized

Hey Neighbour! Evaluation and Understanding Social Connections and Engagement

The Hey Neighbour! pilot program evaluation intends to draw conclusions about the potential of social policy interventions into urban neighbourhoods. First, we will review the multidisciplinary research trends and approaches related to the question of improving social quality in urban neighbourhoods and communities. This will include review of the terminology, definitions of related terminology, overlapping usages across disciplines, co-citations, and different methodological approaches in the past generation, in the scholarly literature. Secondly, we will engage in a formative evaluation of the Hey Neighbour! pilot, an initiative created by the Social Connections Table around which both the Vancouver Foundation and City of Vancouver sit. This pilot establishes a new role of “resident animator” in two participating multi-unit residential buildings, with the objective of increasing social cohesion and sense of community. Intended outcomes of this work will include a report and scholarly manuscript based upon the bibliometric analysis of social connections research, and pilot program reports for the intended audiences of local decision-makers, property management companies, and other Hey Neighbour! project stakeholders about this pilot initiative.

Keeping the Spark Alive: How Novelty and Responsiveness Can Enhance Intimate Relationship

Romantic relationships play a key role in happiness but keeping the spark alive over time in relationships is challenging. One route to maintaining passion and desire is to engage in self-expanding activities with a partner. Although novel, self-expanding experiences tend to promote desire and passion, introducing novelty into a relationship can be intimidating. In a recent study, we found that individuals who were asked to engage in exciting sexual activities over the course of two-weeks reported greater passion and sexual desire, though there was no influence on intimacy. It is possible that while novelty provides excitement and fosters passion, it is accompanied by uncertainty and the risk of being vulnerable with a partner. Having a partner who is responsive or is attuned to and motivated to meet a partner’s needs, may promote both intimacy and passion through novel experiences. TO BE CONT’D

Development and validation of blood-based biomarkers for improved heart failure management

Chronic heart failure (HF) is an epidemic affecting approximately 1.5-2% of Canada’s population (12% in patients over 80yrs) and the current one-year mortality rate after HF diagnosis remains disturbingly high at 25-40%. Even with treatment, many HF patients require hospitalizations during the course of their disease; in Canada HF is responsible for $3 billion in hospital costs annually. HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are two phenotypes of heart failure with different underlying etiologies but similar clinical presentation, and mortality rates. The purpose of this research is to identify predictive blood-based biomarker signatures that can discriminate different heart failure phenotypes. In addition, prognostic biomarker panels of heart failure outcomes will be identified in subjects with advanced heart failure. Method development of integrative algorithms for big data will be utilized on heart failure datasets. TO BE CONT’D

Social Procurement Value Proposition

This project aims to develop a tool for cities and municipalities to use to negotiate and evaluate how large real estate development projects coming into communities, especially vulnerable neighbourhoods, can provide benefits back to that community. The specific focus of these benefits is on providing work and training opportunities for local residents, as well as purchasing from local small businesses (called social enterprises) already focused on employing local residents who face a variety of challenges to getting and keeping a traditional 9 to 5 job. This project will also gather academic research and local success stories to share existing knowledge on these agreements with developers, as well as on purchasing from social enterprises, with the broader public.

Social Matching for Health Researchers

The Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute is interested in addressing an organizational challenge associated with its size and the geographical location of its partners, which form a research community that is spread over multiple sites located in distant parts of the city. The large number of researchers and physical disconnection of the buildings limit social interaction amongst researchers, and lead to unawareness about opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. To address this problem, the Institute desires to evaluate innovative solutions based on online social matching. The objective is to create a research collaboration network designed to break down social and physical barriers. We will evaluate possible algorithms to match and connect researchers automatically based on their interests, expertise, program affiliation, and discipline. We will integrate the algorithms into a social network, and perform a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the system.

Towards automatic tree selection through fusion of mobile lidar and computer vision information

The aim of this project is to explore the automation of tree selection, which consist of selecting which trees to cut in a forest harvesting operation. When selecting a tree, one must consider multiple characteristic of the tree: its size, its position relative to other trees, its health and many other things. We begin this endeavor by developing a method to precisely measure the diameter and the position of trees in a given area. To do this, a combination of a laser scanner and a camera will be used. This has already been achieved using a laser scanner only, albeit with insufficient precision for our intended application. In selective tree cutting, you need to know which trees are big enough to be cut and their location. Typically, this is done manually by a qualified forest technician for each site. TO BE CONT’D

Développement de modèles multi-capteurs pour le suivi de la turbidité issue des effluents miniers de la région de Schefferville

La turbidité des lacs fait référence à la teneur de l’eau en matières en suspension (MES) qui la troublent. Elle peut être causée soit par des particules : organiques (matières animales ou végétales), ou inorganiques (limon, argiles ou composés chimiques). En 2010, Tata Steel Minirals Canada (TSMC) s’est établie dans la région de Schefferville pour l’exploitation de trois gisements de minerai. Conformément aux Lois de Terre Neuve et Labrador et du Québec, les sociétés minières sont tenues de réaliser un suivi de présence des MES sur leurs sites d’exploitation. L’échantillonnage in situ est le moyen le plus utilisé. Cependant, pour des impératifs budgétaires évidents, il demeure couteux et est limité dans le temps et l’espace. L’utilisation des données satellites peut présenter une alternative intéressante. Ainsi, l’objectif de ce travail est de développer des modèles multi-capteurs (PLanet, Landsat et Sentinel-2) pour le suivi de la turbidité des eaux douces de la région de Schefferville.

Performance-Based Seismic Assessment of Irregular Bridges

The current project is designed to assess the level of damage that a realistic irregular bridge will undergo after the occurrence of an earthquake. This study encourages an improved understanding of post-seismic return to service and repair of an irregular bridge. A more sophisticated approach will be used to analyze the complex vibrations of the bridge in response to a seismic excitation and to simulate the progressive collapse of the bridge during an earthquake. If the damage in bridge exceeds a predetermined safe and repairable level, a seismic retrofit plan will be proposed to control the post-earthquake damage level and safeguard the bridge against catastrophic failure. In addition, the outcome of current study is expected to improve the current seismic analysis methods of bridges with considerable irregular geometry.

Effects of a probiotic product from Lallemand Inc. on growth performance and intestinal morphology of chickens raised under suboptimal conditions

According to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada produced 1.2 billion kilograms of chicken with chicken products worth $2.5 billion. Domestic consumption of chicken in 2016 was 32.5 kilograms per person. Canada exported over 5.3 million chicks worth over $13.4 million, mainly to the United States. That same year, 134.1 million kilograms of chicken meat and edible bi-products, worth $453.1 million, was exported to 60 countries, with the largest importers being the United States and Philippines. In order to maintain the healthy development of the industry, Canada’s chicken farmers continue to evolve their production practices in response to consumer preferences. The industry has developed strategies for antibiotic usage on the farm for reduction, surveillance, stewardship and research and innovation. After elimination of Category I antibiotics throughout the chicken sector in 2014, Chicken Farmers of Canada announced in 2017 that the chicken sector would be eliminating the preventative use of Category II antibiotics by the end of 2018. To maintain chicken’s health, probiotics are one of the alternatives to antibiotics. This proposed project will promoter the Canadian company to develop a product for Canadian poultry industry.

Étude sur l’utilisation des jeux vidéo chez les enfants de 4 à 12 ans

Notre étude a pour objectif d’évaluer les habitudes de jeux chez les enfants âgés entre 4 à 12 ans. Nous souhaitons préciser les profils de joueurs et les types de jeux en fonction des tranches d’âge et du sexe, mais aussi de comparer l’usage entre des enfants avec et sans difficultés développementales. Nous aimerions aussi étudier les associations entre les symptômes de dépendance aux jeux vidéo et les symptômes d’inattention et d’hyperactivité chez les enfants TDAH. Enfin, nous aimerions aussi connaître la perspective des parents. Nous voulons réaliser notre étude dans des milieux communautaires (écoles, camps de jour) et dans des hôpitaux avec des cliniques de pédopsychiatrie. Pour ce faire, nous remettrons aux parents intéressés des questionnaires à remplir en une fois (sur les caractéristiques de l’enfant et ses habitudes de jeux entre autres). Les résultats de ce projet ont le potentiel de nous aider à mieux comprendre les enjeux des jeux vidéo chez les enfants. À plus long terme, certaines recommandations ou tout du moins orientations pourraient en ressortir pour guider les parents concernant l’usage des jeux vidéo chez leurs enfants.

Grassland butterfly conservation and headstarting program

Grasslands are one of the most endangered habitat in North America. In Manitoba, over 90% has been lost in the last 100 years and with it a suite of prairie adapted species. The Poweshiek skipperling is one such species which in recent years has plummeted in abundance for unknown reasons. Less than 500 individuals remain in the wild and the grasslands of southeastern Manitoba represent one of the species’ last strongholds. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is partnering with other organizations to establish a headstart program for this endangered butterfly in hope to stabilize its population in the province. This project will develop the needed expertise and novel methodologies to raise and release this butterfly back into suitable grasslands.

Diversity Snapshot of Hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

This project will provide a snapshot of diversity in hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). There

are a number of culturally diverse groups (e.g., visible minorities, women) who face barriers to

accessing healthcare services in Ontario as well as preventing their full workforce partiCipation. In

order to identify and address these barriers, diversity strategies (e.g., practices, processes, policies)

will be examined in six key areas: leadership and governance; strong and transparent human

resources practices; quality of life and organizational culture; measuring and tracking diversity;

integrating or mainstreaming diversity across the value chain and developing the pipeline. In such a

highly diverse region as the GTA, an examination of diversity strategies would yield examples of

successful practices – aimed at creating higher quality, client-centred, and accessible healthcare as

well as to increase the labour force participation of diverse groups – that can be adapted and applied

elsewhere.