Innovative Projects Realized

Annual Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Family-based Childhood Healthy Lifestyle Program

Living a healthy life is really important to keep kids from becoming overweight and having long-lasting health problems. Generation Health (GH), is a 10-week program for families in British Columbia. Families can join inperson or through the internet. It has shown some good results in getting kids to exercise more and eat better since it started in 2018. Every year, the program gets checked to make sure it’s still working well and to make it even better. Our team is going to look at how well GH works in the real world and how it’s being put into practice. We will ask kids and parents questions before and after the program to see if it’s helping them be more active, eat healthier, feel better, and have a better life. This will help us understand the effectiveness of the program.

Atmospheric cold-plasma modification as a sustainable clean technology for improving protein functionality, digestibility and tribological properties

With the increased global protein demand, it is necessary to effectively utilize protein extracted from plants, particularly with limited uses, which has poor digestibility and techno-functional properties. Therefore, the proposed project will aim at developing novel protein ingredients from alternative plant proteins with improved techno-functional properties using innovative, sustainable, nonthermal clean processing technology, thereby improving competitiveness and sustainability in protein industry.

Computation of inverted singlet-triplet energy gaps by machine learning enhanced computational chemistry methodologies

Ce projet est axé sur l’amélioration de la conception des matériaux, en particulier pour des applications telles que les diodes électroluminescentes organiques (OLED). Des modèles d’apprentissage automatique modernes et des méthodologies spécialisées en chimie quantique sont utilisés pour enquêter systématiquement sur ces matériaux. L’initiative consiste à établir un ensemble de données complet issu d’une sélection minutieuse de matériaux connus, servant de base à la formation de modèles avancés d’apprentissage automatique. Cette approche accélère l’identification de matériaux présentant des applications prometteuses pour les OLED et optimise les routines de simulation en chimie quantique existantes, réduisant ainsi les coûts computationnels. De plus, les méthodologies développées sont conçues pour s’étendre au-delà des OLED, contribuant à l’étude efficace de matériaux divers, tels que ceux utilisés dans les panneaux solaires. L’objectif principal est de rationaliser et d’améliorer le processus de conception des matériaux, favorisant l’efficacité et l’applicabilité dans divers domaines.

Design and evaluation of congestion control algorithm for fluctuating bandwidth at extreme condition scenarios of 5G-advanced and 6G mobile networks

The applications of the future will require support for ultra-low delay, high bandwidth, and multiple data streams into the gigabit-per-second range. 5G-Advanced and 6G networks with the assumption that width bandwidth will be available through the utilization of high-frequency spectrum. However, this increased bandwidth comes at the cost of unpredictable scenarios, such as sudden changes in channel conditions due to mobility or obstructions and lengthy delays in long-distance connections. Such fluctuations affect the performance of upper-layer Internet protocols employed by applications such as TCP and QUIC. Questions that need to be answered include the ability to adapt after a drastic change in network conditions and whether the adaptation time is sufficient for applications to take advantage of the high-capacity channel before a new fluctuation occurs. The project aims to design and evaluate a congestion control algorithm capable of efficiently adapting to the fluctuating bandwidth of extreme condition scenarios of 5G-A/6G mobile networks. Thus, after the implementation of 5G-advanced and 6G in mmWave, it will be possible to create advanced services through demanding applications such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), Remote Surgery, and Telemedicine, Smart Manufacturing, among others., with high performance under these new scenarios.

Numerical modelling of unsaturated frozen soil using OpenGeoSys

The proposed research project addresses the critical issue of the ground responses of frozen soils in cold regions, specifically focusing on the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of frozen soils during freeze-thaw actions. During the ground freezing process, the freezing front penetrates progressively downward in soils and frost heave can be generated. Frost heave is a common cause of engineering disasters in cold regions (e.g., pipe rupture and foundation damage). Upon ground thawing, geo-disasters like large ground settlements or landslides may be triggered. Reliable models are needed to quantify the freeze–thaw actions in soils as a porous media containing solid soil particles, ice, liquid water, and air. However, most previous numerical tools have a limited capacity for simulating large-scale problems. The application to a field-scale geo-engineering problem is limited. Thus, the codes are subject to be implemented through a high-performance platform. We propose to collaborate with the hosting supervisor Prof. Thomas Nagel from Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany to implement our previous FEM code through OpenGeoSys. The developed numerical package using OpenGeoSys will be applied to simulate a ground response under ground-source heat pump (GSHP) operations in a permafrost region of Canada.

Traitement des matériaux de gypse

Ce nouveau stage propose de tester la faisabilité sur le terrain des méthodes expérimentées au laboratoire par la mise en place d’essais pilotes sur les sites d’enfouissement. On testera également la méthode qui consiste à recouvrir les sites d’enfouissement par des matériaux de recouvrement. Cette technique peut s’avérer très efficace du fait qu’elle regroupe l’ensemble des mécanismes physique, chimique et biologique dans la réduction de l’impact des panneaux de gypse sur l’environnement. Ces matériaux peuvent être :
? Le compost de boue riche en fer, les écorces et copeaux de bois : adsorption, minéralisation de la matière organique (Processus Redox).
? Les résidus de béton fin (d<2 mm) ou la chaux, Ca(OH)2, CaCO3 pour leurs propriétés alcalines. ? Le sable : grâce à ses propriétés physiques. ? Un mélange 3:1 de cendre et d’oxyde de fer, l’oxyde de fer : propriété d’oxydation. Les données expérimentales recueillies permettront d’ouvrir la voie sur la possibilité de modéliser les mécanismes liés aux propriétés des panneaux de gypse placés en conditions naturelles des décharges.

Discovery of potent beta-lactamase inhibitor peptides to overcome beta-lactamase-mediated antibiotic resistance

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major threat to our ability to treat bacterial infections. The beta-lactams, a group that includes the penicillins, are a widely used group of antibiotics. However, bacteria can become resistant to beta-lactams by producing beta-lactamases, enzymes that inactivate these antibiotics. There has been great success in treating infections caused by beta-lactam antibiotics by administering these antibiotics alongside a beta-lactamase inhibitor (BLI). Due to the continuing evolution of resistance, new BLIs are urgently needed. The intern will work in a collaborative research environment to test and apply a new biosensor-based screening platform for BLI discovery developed in the lab of the host supervisor. Peptides derived from natural beta-lactamase inhibitor proteins will be screened and optimized, testing for activity against a panel of beta-lactamases. Hits will be validated against clinical strains of beta-lactamase-producing bacteria to test their efficacy. This strategy could yield new BLIs that can rescue the use of beta-lactam antibiotics as therapeutics. Furthermore, this project will promote further collaboration between the labs of the host and home supervisors towards the development of other new BLIs.

Analytic tools for assessing the predictability and trustworthiness of social AI systems

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more developed and integrated into society, it will no longer consist of single isolated systems, but networks of AIs interacting with humans in socio-technical systems interwoven into the functioning of our society. When systems have many interacting components, they start to interact in unexpected ways and become hard to predict — similar to weather systems, where temperature can have many effects on the atmosphere, oceans, ice caps, land surface, and living organisms which interact in web in unpredictable ways. This complexity and unpredictability can be made worse when a system’s components are interacting, not just physically as in the weather system, but socially with signals and gestures, which can often be misinterpreted and lead to confusion. Therefore, as we make AI more socially intelligent and interconnected, it is important to assess how this changes their predictability; specifically, when do AI systems become unpredictable? In this research, we will explore the dynamics of noise in systems. We will use evolutionary game theory to determine social conditions or tipping points. This will assist in evaluating the trustworthiness of AI systems with this form of social intelligence.

Modelling and characterization of periodically patterned optical ring resonators

Optical gyroscopes are instruments capable of measuring rotations. The creation of miniature optical gyroscopes could lead to the development of self-navigating small crafts such as drones. Microresonator-based optical gyroscopes, where light is trapped in a ring-like structure and propagates differently depending on whether it is moving clockwise or counter-clockwise, are the best candidates to create such miniaturized devices. The detection limit (the slowest rotation they can measure) of resonator-based gyroscopes depends on the losses of the resonator, quantified by a number called the Q-factor. When the losses are low, corresponding to a high Q-factor, the detection limit becomes smaller. To make these gyroscopes able to detect very slow rotations, it is important to maximize the Q-factor. One way to achieve this goal is by making a ring with a grating-like pattern. This project involves computer modelling and theoretical analysis of integrated photonic ring resonators including grating patterns with the goal of predicting where the best optical resonances are and to minimize their losses. In addition, there is an experimental component of the project which is the implementation of experimental techniques that can measure resonant modes with ultra-high Q-factors in silicon nitride ring resonators.

Cross-functional teams to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions – Part G

THIS IS A GENERIC TEXT PUT IN PLACE AS THERE WAS NO PROJECT OVERVIEW

Diagnostic des communications – Municipalité d’Eastman

La municipalité d’Eastman a développé au fil des ans une multitude de canaux de communication pour joindre sa population, et ce, sans plan formel de communication. Dans une perspective de rationalisation, la municipalité souhaite revoir ses pratiques info-communicationnelles afin d’optimiser le choix de canal et la fréquence des communications en fonction des différents types de contenus à communiquer et de ses contraintes budgétaires.

L’objectif de l’intervention est d’effectuer l’évaluation des pratiques actuelles de communication de la municipalité d’Eastman et d’élaborer un plan de communication préliminaire pour celle-ci. Cet objectif pourra être atteint par :
1. Le diagnostic des pratiques actuelles de communication (canaux, fréquence, contenu, ressources requises, appréciation des citoyens) incluant l’intégration des données existantes extraites du sondage mené par le comité arts et culture;
2. L’identification des meilleures pratiques de communication en milieu municipal;
3. L’analyse comparative des coûts entre les différentes pratiques info-communicationnelles (incluant les dépenses liées aux salaires pour la rédaction du contenu);
4. L’élaboration d’un plan de communication préliminaire.

Les réseaux thermiques comme stratégie de transition énergétique urbaine et de décarbonation – le potentiel de l’hydrothermie

Dans le cadre de ce stage, nous renseignerons le potentiel porté par l’hydrothermie fluviale comme source d’énergie. Ce potentiel sera étudié en considérant le territoire montréalais comme zone d’étude et dans un contexte de transition énergétique et de lutte au changement climatique. Nous suivrons une approche méthodologique et scientifique et développerons un argumentaire visant à promouvoir la solution après avoir identifier les facteurs facilitant et contraignant de l’hydrothermie fluviale.