Innovative Projects Realized

Développement d’ingrédients anti-âge

Le présent projet implique le laboratoire d’analyse et de séparation des essences végétales (LASEVE) de l’UQAC et l’entreprise Bio Forextra qui mettent en commun leur expertise afin de pousser le développement d’extraits issus de la biomasse forestière du Québec. Dans un premier temps, il sera nécessaire d’optimiser le procédé d’extraction développé par Bio Forextra afin d’obtenir des extraits d’écorces d’érable rouge et d’épinette noire dans d’excellents rendements et avec un fort pouvoir antioxydant. Dans un second temps, les extraits seront caractérisés de manière détaillée au niveau de leurs activités biologiques telles qu’antioxydante (ORAC, DPPH, peroxydation lipidique, etc.), anti-inflammatoire, etc. Finalement, la composition chimique des extraits les plus intéressants sera évaluée par criblage phytochimique. Ce criblage implique l’utilisation d’approches chromatographiques et des tests spécifiques de révélation permettant d’identifier les principales classes de produits naturels dans les extraits (terpènes, glycosides, etc.). Grâce à ce projet, l’entreprise sera en mesure de mieux caractériser ses extraits au niveau chimique (criblage phytochimique) et au niveau de l’activité biologique (anti-inflammatoire, ORAC, etc.) en utilisant le savoir-faire du LASEVE.

An assessment of women’s abortion experiences in Istanbul, Turkey.

This research project investigates the experiences of women accessing abortions in Istanbul, Turkey. I will conduct interviews with approximately 40 women about their abortion experiences and their experiences with family planning and other reproductive services. I will also interview relevant figures in Istanbul who can speak about the quality of reproductive healthcare in Istanbul, including doctors, politicians, and activists. Although abortion is legal in Turkey, the political climate toward women’s reproductive rights has become increasingly hostile in the last five years. The current President of Turkey has tried to restrict or ban abortion, emergency contraception (e.g. Plan B®) and C-sections. Turkish women have reported difficulty accessing these services therefore my study will help us understand the current access to and quality of reproductive services in Istanbul. I aim to publish two articles in peer-reviewed journals and provide a report of my findings to share through women’s rights networks in Istanbul. I expect that my findings may help support advocacy efforts to protect women’s reproductive rights in Turkey.

Merging traditional and scientific knowledge in assessing wildlife health in relation to mining

As part of the environmental assessment of the prospective Blackwater Mine in British Columbia, New Gold mining company is implementing a ‘Country Foods Monitoring Plan’ to address concerns voiced by First Nations communities over the safety of traditional food sources in anticipation of new mine development and operations. The overall goal of my proposed work is to develop a culturally appropriate participatory wildlife health monitoring program that can be collaboratively implemented by mining companies, government and First Nation communities. It is the philosophy that this program will merge two ways of knowing about animal health. It will merge both scientific and traditional knowledge for the monitoring animal health. This project will help further develop New Gold’s Country Food’s Monitoring Plan. New Gold’s collaboration will not only fortify its position as a leader in progressive mining practices, but can also help to build better relationships between the mining industry and Aboriginal people. To BE CONT’D

Seismic Risk Assessment of High-Speed Railway Bridge System in China

The proposed research project is to develop a robust performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) methodology to quantify the seismic risks of large network of infrastructure such as the high-speed railway system in China. The project is anticipated to accomplish many goals. First, it will develop accurate numerical model to predict the seismic behavior of standard-span length bridge system in high-speed railway. Second, efficient PBEE methodology which account for indirect economic cost due to down time will be developed. Third, seismic performance of different seismic protective systems will be compared by using the developed PBEE methodology. The result of the research will help engineers and designers to quantify the seismic risk of the HSR and make informed risk-management decision.

Formulation d’un produit de santé naturel anti-herpétique et design d’une étudein-vivo

Le projet proposé vise le développement d’un nouveau produit de santé naturel pour le traitement de l’herpès labial. Le stagiaire sera en charge du développement de la galénique du produit en accord avec la règlementation de Santé Canada. Ce produit comportera différents extraits naturels notamment de Cornus sericea connu pour son action directe sur le virus, et des huiles essentielles reconnues pour leur efficacité sur la réplication du virus. Une attention particulière sera portée à la pénétration cutanée de ces actifs au sein de la peau. Dans un second temps, le produit sera évalué en termes de stabilité physicochimique, du profil toxicologique et de l’efficacité. Pour ce faire, le stagiaire réalisera, avec la participation d’Evalulab, la mise en place d’un protocole d’étude clinique afin d’évaluer à terme son efficacité sur l’amélioration du temps de guérison et la prévention de l’apparition de vésicules dès les premiers symptômes (ex. : fourmillement).

Les parcours éducatifs et les représentations de la science chez les jeunes

À même les résultats du projet « Les parcours éducatifs et les représentations de la science chez les jeunes » subventionné par le CRSH, les stagiaires du projet MITACS devront créer, développer et voir à dispenser un ensemble d’activités d’apprentissage et de formation qui s’adressera tantôt aux jeunes, tantôt aux enseignants. Ces activités auront pour but de favoriser, du primaire au collégial, l’engagement d’un nombre accru de jeunes dans des études en mathématiques et sciences et dans des carrières dans ces disciplines. Les stagiaires seront également chargés d’analyser l’efficacité des activités développées, notamment par la cueillette de données auprès des jeunes et enseignants et des travaux d’analyses, d’ajustement et de validation qui permettront de dégager les meilleures pratiques. De là, les Partenaires du Projet MITACS et ceux du Projet CRSH auront accès à une banque d’activités et de savoir-faire éprouvés pour l’apprentissage et l’enseignement des mathématiques et sciences.

Active cancellation of Interior Noise

The project’s goal is to create a system for cancelling unwanted noise in an area by using arrays of speakers and microphones. This system will perform active noise cancellation, as seen in high-end headphones, but does not require those benefiting from the system to wear any hardware. This permits active noise cancellation to support applications such as conferences or surgeries which benefit from quiet but must sometimes be performed in regions with many noise sources. The interns will create simulation models of the system to evaluate sensor and speaker configurations. The simulations will also be used to experiment with different signal processing algorithms. This project will allow the partner organization to evaluate different design possibilities for physical implementations of the active noise cancellation system. The interns will obtain valuable experience on how product development and testing are performed in industrial settings.

Caffeine, genetic variation and athletic performance

Caffeine is among the most widely consumed performance enhancing substance used by athletes at all levels. However, studies that have investigated the effects of caffeine on athletic performance report inconsistent findings and the role of an individual’s genetic make-up in influencing how a person processes caffeine is becoming increasingly important. As a result, there is a need for a properly designed study to determine the effects of caffeine at varying doses on athletic performance that considers whether genetic variation modifies any of caffeine’s effects. There is currently no genetic test for athletes that provides actionable advice based on any aspect of nutrition and athletic performance. This project will result in the creation of such a genetic test for caffeine advice, which will directly benefit the partner organization, Nutrigenomix Inc., a developer of genetic tests for personalized nutrition that aims to become the leading provider of personalized nutrition information.

Modeling and Evaluation of Freeway Travel Time Estimation with Different Traffic Detection Technologies

To support research and practices that aim to analyze and improve traffic systems, accurate traffic state estimation is required, which is usually based on ground truth data obtained from monitoring infrastructures. The most common way to monitor traffic nowadays is by using inductive loop detectors, the costs of which are too high to be used for the entire road network. Alternative traffic detection methods include radar sensors, global positioning system (GPS), and GPS-enabled smartphones. The objective of this project is to evaluate the accuracy of data obtained from these three traffic detection systems, develop mathematical models to describe the differences among them, and provide suggestions for future traffic detection technology development. The City of Edmonton and the CT Protein Biotech Inc. will provide data and technical support to help develop this project.

Prestations de services logistiques dans la filière de commerce en ligne : Consultation auprès d’entreprises actives en eCommerce

Le MEIE étudie la faisabilité de créer un pôle logistique de commerce en ligne. Pour préciser l’aménagement de ce pôle, nous avons besoin de déterminer les besoins des utilisateurs potentiels en prestations logistiques. Ce projet réalisé avec l’entreprise partenaire Frank & Oak a pour but de ce projet supervisé est de consulter les besoins de 10-15 entreprises vendant des produits en ligne aux individus (B2C) et d’analyser les résultats. De plus, une revue des pratiques logistiques appliquées aux opérations de commerce en ligne sera effectuée. Suite à la consultation des entreprises, l’étudiant produira un rapport aux partenaires sur l’état de situation des prestations logistiques réalisées par d’importantes entreprises québécoises (dont Frank & Oak) dans ce domaine, sur les besoins et irritants exprimés et sur les facteurs clés pouvant assurer le succès d’un pôle logistique dans ce domaine. Ce rapport inclut des commentaires et recommandations sur les thèmes et informations convenues. TO BE CONT’D

Stakeholder Issues for Canadian Building GHG & Energy Benchmarking Regulation

The proposed research is intended to identify stakeholder issues that should inform the City of Vancouver’s proposed Fall 2015 public consultations on its proposed building GHG and energy reporting and public disclosure policy and regulation. A literature review and interviews with key stakeholders such as building owners and managers, utility conservation programs and public sector policy makers would provide insight for the City into the issues, interests, potential support and opposition, capacity, and desired support for industry stakeholders; best practices and strategies to encourage their support and participation; and desired actions by allies such as the provincial and federal governments and utilities.

Modus Planning, Design & Engagement would gain similar knowledge; understanding of the objectives and capacities of various City, provincial and federal government policy makers; and insight into how proposed regulations could impact climate change policy and planning in future.

Ecology, Conservation and Welfare of Captive Wildlife

A joint research agreement was adopted between Concordia University and Zoo de Granby in the spring 2014. The firm BBA joined this partnership in November 2014. The aim of the initiative is to foster the training of highly qualified personnel in conservation and welfare of captive wildlife, by allowing Concordia students to get hands-on experience at the zoo. The Zoo de Granby wants to improve the animal’s welfare and needs more scientific data to achieve this; and BBA wants to know whether the type of habitat they recommend to the zoo is suitable for the animals as well as for the security of the visitors and the zoo staff. The program will focus on behavior, reproduction,
activity budget including animal welfare and space use of captive animal at the zoo de Granby or elsewhere. Also the effect of visitor numbers, change of habitats and enrichment of these variables. With the results of these projects, we hope to shed light on the species-specific needs of zoo-housed animals. It will therefore give the opportunity to BBA to develop novel design more appropriate for animals, zoo staff and visitors. TO BE CONT’D