Innovative Projects Realized

Developing an Active Worker Strategy for Office Workers

The overall goal for the Active Worker Strategy is to increase movement within the workplace. Office workers tend to be inactive within their working environment, which may cause an increased risk of developing work-related pain later in life. This investigation is going to look into creating office layout guidelines in order to promote a more active worker, and provide an early intervention to possible pain developers. Using technologies such as FitBits, we will attempt to better understand the amount of movement an office worker performs in a day. Mobility strategies will then be introduced to half of the participants to determine if education improves in-office mobility. In addition, it will be determined if worker anthropometric measures, lumbar/pelvis flexibility tests, and eVAS self-report of pain have a significant impact on identifying pain developers from non-pain developers.

Evocult

One major problem in the field of Cultural Evolution Studies is to find a reliable way to integrate the insight of the different disciplines studying aspects of the phenomena (have been identified as the primary “Grand challenge” by the practitioner in the field (Brewer et al., 2017)).

The aim of the project is to offer a precise account of the problem through computer-assisted means by (1) evaluating how does the meaning of core terminology in the field (“fitness”, “selection”, etc.) vary across authors, schools of thought, or subfields and (2) identifying the social structure of the field, and it’s influence the dissemination of knowledge in it.

The project will bring together the expertise of Vincent Larivière (Université de Montréal, Québec), a highly recognized bibliometrician and Charles H. Pence (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgique), notably known for his work in experimental philosophy of science. That interdisciplinary collaboration will allow integration of both the social dimension and the epistemic one in studying knowledge integration dynamic in the field. By doing so, the expertise of both institution will be brought to light by increasing their respective visibility, especially in the domain of multilevel study of science.

Enhancing Concussion Care through Telehealth and AI: Integrating Brainbot with the Concussion Education and Self-Management (CESM) program for Optimal Symptom Management and Patient Empowerment

Brainbot and the TeleNeurorehab Centre for Acquired Brain Injury at the KITE Research Institute are partnering to explore how innovative digital solutions can expand access and enhance the healthcare experience. Interns will delve into the research of a cutting-edge digital tool aimed at improving patient care and management for concussion recovery. Brainbot will gain valuable insights into patient needs and preferences and the efficacy of the application. This project not only promises to elevate the standard of healthcare services but also offers a unique learning and development opportunity for our interns, who will gain hands-on experience in healthcare technology innovation.

Coherent control of spin in color centers found in wide-band gap semiconductors

Spin control is of great importance for characterization of optical emitters in a quantum system. Colour centers are fluorescence defects in a crystal, which can act as single photon emitters for quantum optics. As colour centres can operate at room temperature in an ambient environment, they hold great promise for enabling future small footprint quantum chips. This project will study the spin coherent control of colour centres in wide-band gap materials (such as diamond, boron nitride, Silicon Carbide). Students will learn optically detected magnetic resonance, study Zeeman splitting and Rabi oscillation of degenerate spin state under external magnetic field and measure their quantum coherent times.

Landmark Segmentation and Image Registration of Abdominal Point-of-Care Ultrasound Images using Deep Learning

According to the Canadian Liver Foundation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in Canada, affecting 20% of the Canadian population. Over decades, NAFLD can progress to liver cirrhosis, with deceased liver function and decompensation associated with mortality and requiring consideration of liver transplantation. Thus, early diagnosis is crucial to implement therapeutic strategies that prevent further progression of the disease. Current early detection and diagnosis of NAFLD/NASH include invasive biopsies, elastography, and magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography scans, all of which are expensive, requiring vast medical expertise and complex workflows. The focus of this research is to develop deep learning algorithms for image segmentation, registration and volume estimation of the liver using two-dimensional point-of-care ultrasound images. Oncoustics can leverage these potential algorithms to hardware agnostic software. Such technology would assist clinicians in observing and detecting possible liver disease to improve workflow speed.

Réalité virtuelle sur circuit logique reconfigurable appliquée aux troubles du comportement alimentaire

Avec les avancées technologiques, la réalité virtuelle devient de plus en plus accessible comme outil diagnostique et traitement dans le domaine de la psychologie en général et celui sur les troubles du comportement alimentaire en particulier. Le dispositif actuellement disponible est basé sur un ordinateur. Le manque de mobilité du dispositif et les ressources matérielles limitées constituent des restrictions non négligeables dans la définition et mise à jour des scénarios à utiliser. Cela limite également l’opportunité d’utiliser le dispositif dans différents milieux. Ainsi, l’objectif principal de ce projet de recherche est d’exécuter les calculs nécessaires à l’environnement de la réalité virtuelle dans un circuit logique reconfigurable dont la puissance de calcul est largement supérieure à celle d’un ordinateur

Enhancing Recruitment Application Processing Using Artificial Intelligence Technology

ApplyBoard is a Canadian company that offers an artificial intelligence-enabled recruitment platform to help international students apply for post-secondary studies abroad. Embarking on a collaborative venture with York University, this research project aims to improve the application processing framework at ApplyBoard through the integration of advanced AI technologies. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), we seek to streamline document evaluation processes. This involves enhancing data extraction accuracy, automating verification procedures, and standardizing document analysis protocols. The anticipated outcome includes substantial improvements in processing efficiency and accuracy, leading to reduced operational costs and enhanced user experience for both students and recruitment partners. Ultimately, our endeavor promises to propel ApplyBoard towards a more robust and efficient application processing paradigm, marking a significant stride in the realm of educational administration.

Speech Analysis for 9-1-1 Calls and Surveillance Audio

This research project has two goals. The first goal is to design and test software that will analyze the content of transcribed 9-1-1 emergency calls. We will use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to perform an evaluation of the operator performance during the 9-1-1 call and generate an evaluation form in the format required by the Alberta government. The second goal is to improve existing software that automatically transcribes long surveillance audio clips into English text. Whisper, a new AI-based Speech Recognition package from OpenAI, will be applied to segments of calls and then adapted to better handle unique features of surveillance audio, such as noisy backgrounds, unintelligible speech, conversational speech, numeric values, and code words. The research project directly addresses the Edmonton Police Service’s two most pressing needs for cheaper transcription that cannot be met by existing software.

Mesure de la maturité et de la transformation numérique de la Ville de Laval

Les entreprises manufacturières de la Ville de Laval au Québec affichent un retard significatif dans l’adoption des technologies numériques, attribué au manque d’alignement avec le modèle d’affaires, la difficulté à établir des indicateurs clés de performance, et le déficit de compétences internes et de motivation des employés. Ce projet vise à évaluer la maturité numérique des entreprises lavalloises et la compétence numérique des individus à travers des questionnaires destinés aux gestionnaires. Une comparaison est ensuite établie entre le niveau de maturité numérique de Laval, du Québec, et du Canada, en utilisant des indicateurs liés à la transformation numérique. Enfin, une démarche stratégique est suggérée pour aligner les parties prenantes de l’écosystème, offrant à la Ville de Laval un outil pour prioriser ses efforts et soutenir les entreprises dans leur transformation numérique, améliorant ainsi leur compétitivité.

Développement d’un additif inhibiteur de corrosion vert pour un formate de potassium destiné au dégivrage et l’antigivrage des ponts et routes

La recherche envisagée vise à relever le défi critique de combattre la corrosion induite par l’utilisation répandue de sels de déglaçage, tels que le NaCl et le CaCl2, sur les infrastructures routières. Cette problématique majeure entraîne une détérioration accélérée des structures en béton, avec des conséquences coûteuses sur l’entretien et la durabilité des infrastructures. L’objectif central de cette étude est de développer un additif inhibiteur de corrosion vert, inspirer de la nature, pour un produit de dégivrage innovant à base de formate de potassium, produit par électrolyse du CO2 par Electro Carbon, qui présente une efficacité de dégivrage supérieure aux sels courants.
La méthodologie proposée implique la recherche d’additifs inhibiteurs de corrosion durables, le développement d’un additif pour le formate de potassium puis l’évaluation en laboratoire de la performance du produit développé en termes de corrosion des métaux et dégradation des bétons et en conditions hivernale en termes de dégivrage, d’antigivrage et de glissement.

A techno-economic analysis of the potential for the capture and transportation of carbon dioxide for utilization as an industrial feedstock in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia plans to become a major player in the global hydrogen market. The province wants to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia using renewable electricity. Hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are three precursors to products that will be essential to a sustainable future: Methanol can be produced by combining green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, a versatile chemical used in various applications, including sustainable aviation fuels and fertilizers can be produced with ammonia from the combination of hydrogen and nitrogen.
Producing methanol and urea requires a source of carbon dioxide. Obtaining carbon dioxide while reducing emissions involves: identifying current and potential future sources of CO2 emissions; assessing the carbon capture technologies; and analyzing methods for transporting CO2 from the sources to industrial facilities producing the value-added products.
Overall, the research will analyze the economic feasibility of different carbon-capture technologies and methods of transporting to industrial plants for its utilization. Nova Scotians will gain from this research, as the capture of carbon dioxide will not only reduce the province’s emissions, but its utilization will create employment opportunities and foster economic benefits.

Innovation of Breakfast Cereals and Snacks for Control of Appetite and Post-Prandial Glycemia

Obesity and high levels of blood glucose are major risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Controlling food intake and blood glucose responses after a meal may help prevent the development of these diseases. Research suggests that people who consume breakfast cereals are at lower risk of cardiometabolic disease than those who skip breakfast. Given their health benefits, further improving the composition of breakfast cereals/snacks may further help regulate appetite and blood glucose responses. We will examine whether certain food constituents (e.g. dietary fibres, protein, resistant starches) added to breakfast cereals/snacks help regulate appetite, food intake and blood glucose in healthy adults, as compared to a traditional breakfast cereal. The proposed research will allow the partner organization to develop breakfast products that help individuals regulate their food intake and their blood glucose response after a meal, thus reducing their risk of developing cardiometabolic disease