Innovative Projects Realized

Lifestyle and cognition: a large-scale approach

Online cognitive testing provides unprecedented opportunities for exploring human brain function among the general population. Cambridge Brain Sciences Inc has created an online cognitive testing platform that has attracted more than 1.5M users and has hosted more than 300 studies of cognition. I plan to leverage their unique dataset to explore the interrelationship between demographic and lifestyle factors, and cognitive performance on a massive scale. For example, I will investigate how factors such as age, sleep, exercise and practice interact within this large population to impact the profile of cognitive performance. I will also conduct a series of large-scale online intervention studies to examine which of these factors causally influence particular cognitive domains and over what timescale. This unique partnership will shed new light on the links between brain function, structure and connectivity, and changes in lifestyle and cognitive performance and will certainly yield an abundance of publishable data.

Characterization and Strength of New High-Strength GFRP Bent Bars by Developing New Testing Protocol

Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures caused by aggressive environment in northern climates compromises the structure’s integrity and threatens the public safety. In Canada, the estimated infrastructure maintenance due to steel corrosion was approximately 57 billion dollars, while in Québec the infrastructure maintenance in 2014 amounted $1018.8 million dollars. The use of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement was emerging as cost-effective alternative reinforcing material to prevent corrosion problems. However, bending the GFRP reinforcement to form different shapes (such as bent bars for bridge barriers or stirrups as shear reinforcement for structural concrete) weakens their strength. Stirrups are mainly located as an outer reinforcement in structural elements and more susceptible to severe environmental effects, which accelerate the deterioration process and reduce the service life of the structure. Therefore, the strength and long-term performance of GFRP bent bars/stirrups shall be addressed to ensure quality/durability of the structure. TO BE CONT’D

Bioactive peptides and joint inflammatory response after in vitro human digestion of collagen hydrolysate

Genacol Canada Corporation Inc. manufactures a bovine-sourced hydrolyzed collagen supplement (Genacol® Original Formula), which has shown efficacy in two separate clinical trials for reducing joint pain. Following digestion, hydrolyzed collagen yields amino acids and peptides that can lead to the health promoting properties of the supplement. However, the specific identity and mechanisms of action of the peptide and amino acids produced from the digestion of the Genacol collagen hydrolysate that support joint health is unclear. Our proposed study aims to identify the bioactivity of the peptides and amino acids generated from digestion Genacol collagen hydrolysate using a dynamic simulated gut digestion model together with human intestinal, liver and cartilage cell cultures. This approach will help to ascertain the bioactive components contributing towards the health promoting properties of the Genacol collagen supplement and will aid in the development of more concentrated and potent hydrolyzed collagen products.

Advanced Materials and Technologies for Medical Imaging Detectors and Techniques

The proposed Mitacs program will provide internships for six graduate (thesis-based MSc and PhD) students, and two Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs) in a competitive R&D environment at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) – Canada’s newest health research institute. Interns will be involved in research projects which aim to develop and commercialize the next generation of customized detectors to improve medical imaging applications, which are chosen on the basis of the demands of the healthcare system and commercial opportunities developed in the TBRHRI. In particular, interns will be working on novel imaging detector materials and technologies which will provide improvements in performance (superior image quality and diagnostic capabilities) for many clinical procedures including anatomical and functional diagnostic imaging as well as for image guided radiotherapy. TO BE CONT’D

Long-Term Transportation Alternatives for Metrotown Redevelopment

Private car dependence represents a significant problem and a major obstacle towards a more sustainable future. A good combination of different modes of transportation can create an opportunity to overcome this issue. In this sense, integrating car sharing into Transit Oriented Development can be an ideal combination to promote a smart and sustainable development. This research will examine specific aspects of the relationship existing between car sharing and the public transit infrastructure. Research findings will then be used to explore how sustainable transportation planning can contribute to long range sustainability in a Transit Oriented Development project in Metro Vancouver.

Development of new therapeutics for castration-resistant prostate cancer treatment

Castration-resistant prostate cancer is a late stage disease and many people die of it due to lack of effective therapeutic drugs. In the current project, we propose to develop new therapeutic drug a to specifically target CRPC’s common weak points, which are MCT4 and eIF4E gene’s proteint products that play very important roles in regulation of cancer cell’s energetic and protein translation pathways. The project aims to develop an antibody drug, an small molecule chemical drug and a nanoparticle drug to target MCT4 membrane protein and eIF4E transcription factor protein. If successful, the project will lead to new drug development for treating this deadly disease.

New graphene thermoplastics nanocomposites with improved mechanical, electrical properties and EMI shielding effectiveness

In a prior project, promising results were obtained showing the possibility of using graphene/polymer composites as advanced materials having superior properties than the conventional carbon black loaded polymers. The composites obtained presented electrical conductivities with values of about 10-2 S/m when the percolation threshold was exceeded, an increase of more than 12 orders of magnitude with respect to the unloaded polymer. The goal of this project is to optimize these graphene/polymer composites, mainly graphene/thermoplastic composites, in order for them to be use for various applications, such EMI shielding, semi-conductive screens in power cables or stress grading material in high voltage equipment.

Évaluation de la valorisation d’un modèle d’affaires dans un processus de servicisation basé sur l’Internet des Objets : Une étude de cas dans une entreprise manufacturière québécoise

La 4e révolution industrielle (connue comme l’Industrie 4.0) sonne à nos portes. Nous sommes dans une ère de consommation immédiate, rapide, personnalisée et orientée service. Les entreprises manufacturières sont poussées à répondre à cette demande grandissante toujours plus rapidement, efficacement et intelligemment. Plusieurs technologies issues de l’Industrie 4.0 existent pour aider les entreprises à devenir plus durable, comme la fabrication additive (impression 3D), les mégadonnées, l’Internet des Objets (IoT), entre autres. Puisqu’il s’agit d’un domaine encore en émergence, la littérature scientifique sur le sujet est limitée. C’est pourquoi nous avons décidés de faire avancer la science à l’aide d’une étude de cas dans une entreprise manufacturière qui souhaite passer au 4.0. Nous avons comme objectif d’implanter une approche IoT manufacturier afin d’évaluer sa contribution potentielle. TO BE CONT’D

Mobile Robotic Platform for Autonomous Data Collection on Large Complex Construction Projects

Autonomous data collection on construction sites has increasing potential to replace manual surveying methods, which are expensive, non-scalable, and potentially dangerous for the workers involved. In the proposed research the intern will work with industry partners Veerum and Clearpath Robotics to advance the technology which is needed to conduct autonomous data collection on large construction projects using mobile vehicles. Expected tasks include the transfer of technology and software tools that Veerum has developed for automatic data collection onto a Clearpath Robotics unmanned ground vehicle, and to further enhance the software modules necessary for autonomous data collection, specifically GPS waypoint navigation. Veerum and Clearpath will benefit from this project by having a globally scalable commercial solution for autonomous data collection on construction sites.

Live Line Maintenance and Inspection Robotics Manipulation

This project aims at working closely with Manitoba Hydro, to examine existing techniques and further

develop new tools that allow remote access to live transmission lines equipment that cannot be out of

service. More specifically, we aim to employ robots to partially substitute for, and work cooperatively

with, crew directed at service interruption free maintenance and inspection of live transmission lines.

Such operations are often complex, hazardous and labor intensive. We intend to understand the extent

to which advanced robotics technologies can improve productivity and working conditions.

The outcome of this project will offer Manitoba Hydro with a validated technology that, combined

with traditional man-in-the-loop operation, will perform advanced control of a robot mounted on

elevated platforms in order to enhance some of its inspections, maintenance and repair related tasks on

equipment that cannot be out of service. The challenging nature of the project and the industry

involvement will ensure that the research will lead to the discovery of new…

Conception basée sur l’essai à la plaque des sols et fondations routières traitées aux liants hydrauliques

Afin d’obtenir une infrastructure efficace et durable, il est primordial que ses composants résistent aux intempéries et à l’usure des usagers. L’amélioration des sols d’infrastructures et des fondations routières peut se faire de différentes manières, notamment en y ajoutant un liant hydraulique. On décrit alors le résultat

Development of an automated system for counting fetal and maternal red blood cells in clinical KB Test

The Kleihauer-Betke (KB) test is the standard method for quantitating fetal-maternal hemorrhage in maternal care. The critical component of the KB test is the counting of fetal and maternal red blood cells (RBC). However, manual counting still the dominant clinical method for KB test. Manual RBC counting takes ~20 minutes. In a standard procedure, a lab technologist, looking through the eyepieces of a microscope, manually counts about 2,000 RBC and calculates the fetal-maternal RBC ratio. As is common with tedious manual operations, cost, human error and inconsistent subjective judgement are always a concern. To tackle the problem, researchers from University of Toronto and from Sigma Bio-Instrument Inc. are working together to develop an automated cell counting system, which is important for Sigma Bio-Instrument Inc. to remain competitive in the healthcare sector, but also to demonstrate the company’s leadership position in developing health related products. TO BE CONT’D