Innovative Projects Realized

Design of a Spatially-Based Conservation Decision-Making Platform for the Peace River Break – December 2013

The Peace River Break is in the north east section of the province situated at the narrowest point of the Rocky Mountain range allowing for critical movement and ecological connections east-west over the Rockies and north-south between the mountain national parks and the Muskwa-Kechika Management area to the north. The purpose of this research project is to investigate the best practices to a) develop a publically accessible geo-spatial database (Digital Conservation Atlas) for the Peace River Break that brings together both community and traditional knowledge and values along with scientific and technical information and b) to develop a prototype for that database. This information will then be used by partners, Landsong Heritage Consulting, Ltd and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative to help shape conservation planning and implementation strategies for the Peace River Break

High-Performance Ethylene Production via Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Using Cu Diatomic Catalysts

As atmospheric CO2 levels rapidly increase due to industrialization, electrocatalytic reduction technology using renewable energy to convert CO2 (CO2RR) into valuable multi-carbon products such as ethylene, ethanol, and propanol is in the spotlight. Copper is the only metal that can form these C2+ products due to its unique properties. Despite many studies, morphological and chemical changes during the reaction reduce the efficiency of copper, affecting product selectivity and stability. To overcome these challenges, in this study, we attempted to develop stable and efficient Cu diatomic and cluster catalysts by modifying their electronic structure by adding other metals (e.g., P, S) to improve ethylene selectivity by controlling the binding energy of the intermediate. Explore. This study seeks to make CO2RR processes more economical and scalable, aiming to use less metals and increase stability, and to provide new insights into the catalytic mechanisms potentially involved.

Molecular interrogation in LPHS: Unraveling the cellular and molecular mechanisms of LPHS

Loin pain-hematuria syndrome (LPHS) is a rare human disease with a reported prevalence of 12 per 100,000. It is predominantly observed in women with the age at symptom onset ranging from the first to sixth decade of life, with most patients being in their late 20s or early 30s. The characteristic features of LPHS are unrelenting loin pain and the presence of blood in urine. In most cases, the pain is so intense that the patients have to quit their jobs, require anti-depressants, go on long-term disability, and many contemplate suicide. LPHS imposes a significant health and economic impact in terms of loss of productivity and quality of life in a young population as these patients are shuffled among numerous healthcare providers in search of a diagnosis. Due to an inadequate understanding of what causes LPHS, the goal of management has been limited to symptomatic pain relief using narcotics, which in many cases leads to opioid dependency. This study is the first discovery-based proteomics study in the LPHS field. We anticipate that the results from this study will help unravel possible molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for LPHS, thus, eventually guiding the development of precise diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Integrating Lean in SOPs to obtain continuous improvements in building construction

Building construction sector plays important roles in Canadian economy, which also has high demand. Studies in
this field can make substantial contributions to the society. This study is proposed to explore the usage of a
standard documentation, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that are a set of detailed and concise written
instructions that describe the sequential steps required in jobs and projects.
While the SOPs have been widely used, however limitations exist when creating, following, and updating SOPs.
Therefore, this project will rely on the industry partner as a practical case to (1) develop a clear guideline of how
to develop SOPs for building construction operations; (2) propose a Lean SOP and its implementation strategies;
(3) propose a follow up procedure to track the alignments of real operations with SOPs. Eventually, it is expected
that thought the Lean SOP, we can increase the efficiency of construction by reducing wastes, time, and injuries
as well as optimizing production processes.

Studying weak-to-strong-generalisation using influence functions

A crucial reason that it is possible to train ML systems to outperform human experts in narrow domains such as protein folding or chess, is because for these well-defined problems, it is easy to produce a reliable reward signal. However, current techniques for aligning frontier models with human goals, such as human feedback, are only as good as the human’s ability to evaluate the model’s output. Safety concerns arise when models are trained in more complex domains which humans don’t yet know the answers to and where human feedback may therefore be unhelpful at directing the AI towards the intended goal. The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of a phenomenon known as weak-to-strong generalisation, which demonstrates that models are in fact able to generalize beyond human performance even when the training feedback is unreliable. Specifically, this project will test hypotheses for why weak-to-strong generalisation is possible by studying which training examples contribute most to the model’s predictions. Progress on these questions would have substantial implications for AI progress, as well as for approaches to aligning AI systems with human preferences.

Wi-Fi Blocking Wallpaper Testing and Characterization

This project seeks to develop a wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi signals for shielding rooms and buildings. A thin layer of conductive ink is printed onto the wallpaper using a repeated pattern that is designed to reflect signals from the two Wi-Fi frequency bands. The pattern has been designed by the applicant in partnership with G Group, a local development company that invests in new technologies, and can be integrated into traditional building techniques. In this project, the intern will test prototype wallpaper samples in the lab to confirm that shielding occurs at the correct Wi-Fi frequencies and then will conduct box tests where the shielding effectiveness of the wallpaper is measured using a smartphone as a receiver.

Mesure de performance de l’implémentation de l’autogestion des horaires au CHUSJ.

Le CHU Sainte-Justine (CHUSJ), spécialisé dans les soins pédiatriques, joue un rôle crucial dans le système de santé du Québec. En tant que plus grand hôpital mère-enfant au Canada, le CHUSJ cherche constamment à être à l’avant-garde des pratiques de gestion en santé. Les défis actuels, accentués par la pandémie de COVID-19, ont créé des tensions, notamment une pénurie de personnel, rotation fréquente des employés, et des revendications du personnel.

Pour répondre à ces défis, le CHUSJ lance un projet pilote d’autogestion des horaires, visant à impliquer le personnel dans la gestion flexible du temps de travail. L’objectif principal est d’améliorer la rétention du personnel en offrant des horaires plus adaptés à la conciliation travail-vie personnelle. De plus, cette démarche vise à responsabiliser les employés, alléger la charge des gestionnaires, et renforcer la cohésion d’équipe. La présente recherche examine les dispositifs favorisant l’autogestion des horaires, avec une évaluation de son impact. Les résultats aideront à mesurer la satisfaction au travail, le taux de roulement et la communication entre les employés, contribuant ainsi à l’amélioration continue de ces pratiques novatrices au CHUSJ.

La Brigade d’entraide : vecteur d’un chez-soi stable, sécuritaire et sain.

Même si une personne a accès à un logement social, il peut arriver que celle-ci a de la difficulté à prendre soin de son logement. Des troubles cognitifs par exemple peuvent l’empêcher de constater que son logement est devenu insalubre faute d’entretien de sa part. La Brigade d’entraide, un organisme communautaire de la ville de Québec, fournit gracieusement des services de grand ménage pour de telles personnes. Les travailleurs effectuant ces tâches sont des personnes ayant des problèmes de santé mentale. Leur vécu aide à établir une relation de confiance avec les locataires. La recherche vise à documenter cette pratique d’accompagnement domiciliaire.

Biomatest pets

The gut microbiome plays a highly important role in metabolic health of animals, as has been demonstrated by several studies in the last decade. It encodes a series of enzymes and produces compounds which are not available in human cells, that play a role in functions as important as the breaking down of complex food components, the production of neurotransmitters, the stimulation of the immune system, the assimilation of antioxidants, the generation of precursors for hormones and a healthy metabolic function. In dogs, which are one of the most important and abundant companion animals for humans, the role of the microbiome is also crucial but is rarely tested and there no available tests. This project is developed under an alliance with a food company and a biotechnology company, towards the development of an integral solution to both test and nourish the gut microbiome of dogs.

Détermination des cycles de feux et de la biomasse (arbres) dans le secteur de la rivière Romaine

Les émissions anthropiques de gaz à effet de serre sont les principales responsables des changements climatiques en cours. Ainsi, les industries se doivent de mesurer et contrôler leurs émissions afin de réduire leurs impacts sur l’environnement. Les réservoirs créés lors la construction de barrages hydroélectriques relâchent des quantités importantes de CO2 et de CH4 dans l’atmosphère. Ces émissions résultent en grande partie de l’inondation de surfaces forestières : la dégradation de la biomasse inondée entraîne le relâchement du carbone y étant stocké. En forêt boréale, l’occurrence fréquente de feux occasionne le même phénomène et doit ainsi être prise en compte dans les calculs d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre des réservoirs. Ce projet vise à déterminer les cycles de feux ainsi que la biomasse (arbres) du secteur de la rivière Romaine (Côte Nord, Québec) où un nouveau complexe hydroélectrique d’Hydro-Québec est présentement en construction. Les résultats obtenus représentent une première étape du calcul des émissions totales de gaz à effet de serre de ces réservoirs.

Stable frequency comb generation using integrated micro-ring resonators (MRRs) for entanglement distribution networks

The quantum internet is predicted to have a substantial impact on our modern society, enabling the transfer of information through networks (so-called quantum networks) with unprecedented security compared to our current, classical protocols. Although small-scale, proof-of-principle quantum network experiments using photons (quanta of light) have already shown great promise, the scaling of these experiments into real-world networks faces numerous challenges. This project will focus on one of these important challenges, that of ensuring the photon frequencies used in the various elements of the network do not change over time. Changes in the frequencies can lead to degradation of the signal being transmitted, so limiting the usability of the network. The project will use an existing integrated technology to generate many different frequencies (a frequency comb), all of which will be stabilised to a common, stable reference frequency. These multiple frequencies can subsequently be used to synchronise and stabilise the different quantum technology platforms that will be used in future quantum networks, both at the University of Geneva, at the University of Calgary, as well as at other institutions around the globe.

Le culte des champions des jeux panhelléniques

L’objectif principal de ce projet de recherche consiste à mener une étude approfondie sur les hommages dédiés aux champions des jeux panhelléniques. Cette recherche sera spécifiquement axée sur l’identification de preuves archéologiques, telles que statues, inscriptions et céramiques, visant à documenter l’existence d’un culte associé à la gloire athlétique dans l’Antiquité.