Innovative Projects Realized

The VOiCE LAB: Voicing, Finding Voice, Giving Voice to Artists (and Others) with Vocal Challenges

How are art practices and digital technology useful for people with complex vocal disabilities to achieve creative outcomes, support communication and augment agency? In this research, we seek to address a gap in existing vocal research in Canada by expanding the science / medical model to support aesthetic creation / art making – i.e. encouraging self-expression in excess of mere necessity, rehabilitation and therapy, for passionate, creative individuals who are vocally challenged. This qualitative, community-based project, situated within a new VOICE LAB, will use art practices and digital technology to support, augment, and project voice, build community and enhance awareness. Using Emancipatory Disability Research and Arts-based Emergent Research, this qualitative person-centered project will: 1) take a community-based, participatory methodological approach in design, recruitment, interviewing, and analysis; and 2) will continually and rigorously question quantitative data-based assumptions through exploratory art practice to create new ways of knowing.

Structural health monitoring of offshore structures using Fiber Bragg gratings

Over the last few years, optical fiber sensors have seen an increased acceptance as well as a

widespread use for structural sensing and monitoring in civil engineering. FBG sensors have

all the advantages attributed to the optical fibers. In addition, they can be easily multiplexed

in a serial fashion along a single fiber. The experimental program includes testing of three

two-way reinforced concrete slabs. One normal strength concrete slab (NS) and two high

strength concrete slabs (HS) will be selected for the experimental investigation. Two sets of

FBG and ESG strain sensors will be mounted on tensile rebars. Another FBG sensor will be

embedded inside concrete slabs. All tests will be carried out using a closed-loop (MTS) testing

machine. The load will be applied by means of a hydraulic actuator. During testing, the slabs…

UPnGO with ParticipACTION: Evaluation of the implementation of a national workplace physical activity initiative

In order to improve the health and work productivity of Canadians, ParticipACTION developed a rewards based, PA tracking intervention called UPnGO with ParticipACTION. The UPnGO program aims to increase the amount of PA and decrease the amount of sedentary activities throughout the workday. Before and after the program, worksites will be assessed to determine what components of workplace environment and policy increase the success of the intervention measured by how employees use the UPnGO platform and changes in average daily steps. This data will provide valuable information about how to continually monitor and improve the program to make it more effective and cost-efficient.

Rapid Clean-Out Apparatus for Permeable Pavers

The main contribution by the interns will be to function as a research assistant to help with the labour intensive laboratory experiments, data analysis, and reporting tasks. The students will have a chance to work with the engineering staff at CHI and will provide additional support during the study.

Pharmacogenetic Biomarker Discovery, Personalized Medicine, and Clinical Test Commercialization in Neuropsychiatry – Year two

Pharmacotherapy is one of the primary treatments for psychiatric disorders. Given the variation in individual response, and the current trial-and-error treatment, a more personalized approach is needed. The Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral fellow project involves the use of pharmacogenetic testing to personalize medication prescriptions for patients, and the commercialization of pharmacogenetic testing. A main component of the postdoctoral fellow work is the Individualized Medicine: Pharmacogenetics Assessment and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT) project, a partnership between the University of Toronto CAMH hospital and Assurex Health Ltd. The goal of IMPACT is to increase the success rate of drug response and adherence, and to limit risk of side effects from medications. IMPACT aims to improve response through providing guidance (GeneSight test) to physicians for choosing medications based on a patient’s genetic makeup. The academic/industry partnership goals are to continuously refine the validity and utility of the test and commercialize the test in Canada.

Pharmacogenetic Biomarker Discovery, Personalized Medicine, and Clinical Test Commercialization in Neuropsychiatry

Pharmacotherapy is one of the primary treatments for psychiatric disorders. Given the variation in individual response, and the current trial-and-error treatment, a more personalized approach is needed. The Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral trainee will gain direct experience with all aspects of using pharmacogenetic testing to personalize medication prescriptions for patients, and the commercialization of the test. Our Individualized Medicine: Pharmacogenetics Assessment and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT) project is a partnership between the University of Toronto CAMH hospital and Assurex Health Ltd for test delivery and commercialization. The goal of IMPACT is to increase the success rate of drug response and medication adherence, and to limit the risk of side effects from medications. IMPACT aims to improve response through providing guidance (Assurex GeneSight test) to the physician for choosing the type and dosage of medication based on a patient’s genetic makeup. TO BE CONT’D

Advanced differential mobility mass spectrometry with electron capture dissociation for the characterization of therapeutic proteins – Year two

Many new pharmaceuticals are based on large biomolecules like proteins. Even small differences in the protein structure can cause significant changes in the efficacy and safety of these drugs. Furthermore, these large molecules are difficult to characterize without advanced instrumentation and methods. Current technologies still struggle with robustness and reproducibility. This study aims to introduce new technology to improve the reliability of protein pharmaceutical characterization. It will leverage a separation technique called differential mobility spectrometry and utilize a gas-phase chemical modification called hydrogen deuterium exchange to characterize and verify the structure and shape of various proteins. These technologies will increase our ability to identify novel modifications and structures much more quickly while simultaneously reducing our reliance on less robust liquid-based separation methods. Developing this application will provide the additional push needed to further commercialize and market differential mobility spectrometry equipment.

Advanced differential mobility mass spectrometry with electron capture dissociation for the characterization of therapeutic proteins

Many new pharmaceuticals are based on large biomolecules like proteins. Even small differences in the protein structure can cause significant changes in the efficacy and safety of these drugs. Furthermore, these large molecules are difficult to characterize without advanced instrumentation and methods. Current technologies still struggle with robustness and reproducibility. This study aims to introduce new technology to improve the reliability of protein pharmaceutical characterization. It will leverage a separation technique called differential mobility spectrometry with an advanced mass spectrometry technique called electron capture dissociation to identify, characterize and verify the structure and shape of these therapeutics along with the presence of dangerous contaminants. These technologies will increase our ability to identify novel modifications much more quickly while simultaneously reducing our reliance on less robust liquid-based separation methods. Developing this application will provide the additional push needed to further commercialize and market both differential mobility spectrometry and electron capture dissociation.

Developing Single Use Performance Enhanced Raman (SUPER) spectroscopy probes for bioprocessing reactions

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analysis technique in which a chemical sample is illuminated by a laser and the molecular identity of the sample is revealed by measuring the precise wavelength shifts of the reflected laser photons. Raman methods are being adopted in many different business sectors, but they are particularly well-suited to the requirements of the bioprocessing/biopharma industry, where many different chemical constituents, namely peptides and sugars, must be precisely quantified in real time to optimize the growth and yield of the cell cultures. However, commercially-available Raman analyzer equipment is not compatible with the new generation of “single-use” bioprocessing reactors. We propose a project to develop and commercialise Single-Use Performance Enhanced Raman (SUPER) probes which creates an optimized optical interface between single-use bioreactors and Tornado Spectral Systems’ best-in-class Raman analyzer. TO BE CONT’D

An analysis of the potential for Nova Scotia?s COMFIT program?s to improvethe province?s energy security

To meet the targets set out in Nova Scotia’s Renewable Electricity Plan (REP) on April 2010, the

province is establishing a Community Feed-In-Tariffs (COMFIT) program, which sets out to

encourage communities to develop renewable energy projects. The REP stipulates that 100

megawatts of renewable electricity projects are to be supplied through COMFIT.

The proposed research project will document the challenges and opportunities that Wind

Prospect Inc. and other respective stakeholders face in developing renewable energy projects for

the Nova Scotia COMFIT program. The final research paper produced will inform Wind Prospect

and other interested individuals for identifying and addressing policy barriers posed by COMFIT

and relevant legislation. It is my hope that the research can be useful tool for Wind Prospect Inc

in developing successful COMFIT projects and applications.

Identification des critères de sélection des gestionnaires de portefeuille externes et développement d’une procédure systématique de sélection

Le choix ou la sélection d’un gestionnaire de portefeuille est déterminant sur la constitution et gestion d’un portefeuille notamment sur la performance du portefeuille, son erreur de suivi par rapport aux indices de référence, son risque de sous-performance et la bonne utilisation des frais de gestion versés aux gestionnaires. Une firme qui a une meilleure capacité de sélection peut offrir à ses clients des portefeuilles de qualité dont la perf entraînera une création de valeur au-delà d’un portefeuille passif. L’objectif du projet de recherche est d’identifier le potentiel de sélection des gestionnaires de portefeuille en utilisant différents signaux émanant de la performance antérieure du fonds et de ses caractéristiques.

Equity and Justice in a Decarbonizing Canadian Economy: Effort Sharing, Just Transition, and Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

To avoid climate change, economies all over the world, including in Canada, must phase out the use and extraction of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas and transition to cleaner sources of energy, for example from sun, wind, and water. This transition will require substantial effort and this effort should be shared according to principles of justice. This research project will calculate the fair share of the overall effort for Canadians at different levels of income and will then compare these results with the actual contributions they make under the pan-Canadian carbon price when it begins in 2018. Further, this transition can also potentially generate winners and losers – either finding new opportunities building the energy systems of tomorrow, or losing opportunities because they are dependent on oil, coal, or natural gas. TO BE CONT’D