Innovations Realized

A community-based ethnography on multiculturalism in practice in a Canadian context

The objective of this proposed research is to examine how multiculturalism is experienced and practised in community by women from different cultural backgrounds. Drawing on everyday life stories created by the study participants, we aim to obtain empirical knowledge about impacting factors that positively influence immigrant integration and resettlement experience. Such knowledge will contribute to the construction of effective multicultural communities. We will use an ethnographic approach to conducting research, including narrative life writing collection, interviewing, and ethnographic observation. The multiple sources of data will provide a firsthand account of the impact of growing diverse populations and of possible causes for social integration and/or exclusion. The findings of this study will contribute to making an important connection with on-the-ground realities experienced by community members and providing evidence for decision makers regarding effective resettlement and social integration services.

2020 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship: Legacy Development Project

The International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) Women’s World Championship tournament is the most significant women’s hockey event outside of the Winter Olympic Games. International events like this are often considered to bring benefits to the local sport community; however, research has systematically demonstrated that hosting alone will not guarantee a legacy. In order to deliver sport development and participation related benefits, host organizations must engage in extensive planning to leverage the event and incorporate hosting into an integrated strategy that matches identified and existing needs. This project will develop, along with partners Hockey Nova Scotia and Hockey Canada, a plan to help identify potential legacy initiatives, collaborate with stakeholders on leveraging legacy-related interventions, and to evaluate the impact of hosting the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on the development of ice hockey for women and girls in Nova Scotia.

Just-In-Time Scaling of Cloud Based Video Games using Machine Learning

Ubisoft’s cloud-based video game ecosystems experience the workload up to 5+ millions players in a typical week. Workloads on game servers are of different scales, ranging from tens of clients per game server to thousands of clients for traditional workloads. To guarantee game player user experience, a pool of servers is launched to react to demands but servers are idles in most of the time. Scaling down servers is even more complex because of the persistent connections to maintain the states and records of players and games. Current scaling tends to guarantee service requirements but incurs significant hosting costs of idle servers. This project aims to investigate a Just-In-Time scaling of game servers. We develop machine learning models to produce more accurate workload in terms of active servers needed. Our approach applies decision fusion to achieve better workload forecasting. Machine learning models are integrated to game platforms of Ubisoft. The success of this research forms a base for a larger scope of collaboration that incorporate more games and online game servers towards a Just-In-Time cost saving scaling system on cloud resources.

Contactless Length Measurement System for Forestry Applications using Optical Flow

Current dangle-head processor measuring systems used in logging operations are prone to a number of problems including component wear and inaccuracies due to inconsistencies in bark thickness, density, and texture. This project aims to mitigate the majority of these issues by implementing a contactless measuring system that utilizes computer vision. With no moving parts, components will be replaced less often, reducing downtime and losses. A measuring system that uses computer vision also creates the possibility of future work involving tree species classification and quality control checks. Axis Forestry Inc. is looking to bring modern, intelligent technologies to a vital industry in Canada that can improve overall operator efficiency and optimize tree usage for less waste.

Green technology for the derivation of pharmaceutically important compounds from marine invertebrates and subsequent development of platform for controlled drug delivery

Some species of marine invertebrates are rich source of diverse bioactive molecules with variety of therapeutic properties including immunostimulatory, anticancer and antimicrobial. This research aims to develop an integrated process for the sequential extraction and fractionation of pharmaceutically important from a selected marine invertebrates using supercritical carbon dioxide. The newly developed process will be a greener alternative to the conventional extraction methods and eliminate/reduce the use of toxic organic solvents, employed in the conventional process. Our proposed approach will also address the concern over the presence of residual solvents in pharmaceutical products. The goal also extends to fabrication of novel hydrogel for controlled drug delivery using the components present in marine invertebrates. This project will result in generating fundamental knowledge and development of green technology in the area of natural products.

Ensemble-based Dimensionality Reduction Model for Wireless Time-Series

The new wireless network technology will provide users with a higher communication quality. However, we will face two critical problems: the wireless traffic will increase considerably, and the wireless signals will contain noise. The Wifi signals are represented as time series, but processing and removing noise from such huge-volume, high-dimensional and complex data pose great challenges. Learning from time-series is an ambitious problem, and the curse of dimensionality makes machine learning algorithms incompetent.

Dimensionality Reduction Algorithms (DRAs) can effectively address the problems above. Still, the DRA application to time series has been limited due to data complexity. We will first examine the characteristics of the wireless data and investigate which DRAs are the most suited. Next, we will define strategies to combine DRAs, a challenging task but significant to improve the DRA accuracy. By conducting an empirical analysis, we will develop the ensemble DRA that best maximizes the network performance.

Design of foot orthosis with customized variable stiffness structure using 3D printing techniques

There is a large need for custom orthotic insoles that meet user’s needs in terms of comfort, pressure distribution correction and impact absorption integrated a in more extensive and flexible way. The limited reliable control of these factors in current manufacturing processes has led to frequent orthotic adjustments, reduced device compliance, lowered effectiveness and increased time and expense from both the orthotic provider and the patient. Using 3D printing technology, this proposal aims to develop the next generation of custom orthotic insoles through tuning the mechanical characteristics of the insole within its structure. Upon project completion, results will lay a framework for designing optimized custom orthotic insoles.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN MINE PLANNING AND DESIGN

Canada is a leader in the global mining industry. At a time of increasing scrutiny of the role of business in society, mining executives now cite social risk as a key challenge to providing resources for global growth and sustainable development. This proposed research aims to assess approaches for mining companies to engage with stakeholders and better manage social performance during the mine life cycle. Specifically, the research seeks to determine whether and how mining can be a catalyst for sustainable development in resource rich regions. The research will produce a case study focussed on stakeholder engagement and local economic development associated with a proposed gold mine in Mongolia. The mine will be the largest in Bayankhongor province, generating employment and supply opportunities for local residents and businesses. The findings will assist the partner – Erdene Resource Development – to strengthen its engagement with communities during design and permitting of the proposed mine.

Promoting Water Stewardship Through Citizen Science with Water Rangers

Water Rangers uses citizen science to acquire baseline data for water bodies across Canada by giving and selling testkits to volunteers across Canada. This project will explore who is most likely to take part in water testing, what engagement strategies reduce dropout rates, and how testing water increase environmental concern by changing values and people’s connection with nature. Using a mixed method approach involving surveys and interview questions, 275 participants will be recruited. They will receive a free tiny testkit, a subsidized mini testkit or borrow a large testkit. Three different engagement strategies using reminder emails, social proof principles, and gamification principles will be tested. The surveys will help build a profile of participants, understand how testing the water impacted their values and their relationship to their local watershed. Finally, some participants will be interviewed to get a deeper understanding of what motivated them to test water. Overall the project will help Water Rangers understand how to focus their resources when recruiting participants, reduce dropout rates, and how their work can train people to be better water stewards.

Building Navigation Skills Through a Health Literacy Program for Immigrants Living in Rural Communities

This project involves adapting and delivering a health literacy program for immigrants living in rural British Columbia. The goal of this program is to build confidence and knowledge about health care. Participants learn about the health care system and how to access health services in their community. After attending, participants will report feeling confident in their abilities to navigate the health care system. A second outcome will be the addition of this program to the regular community programming so future newcomers to the community will have a chance to learn about health care.

Enhancing Electrical Neuromodulation of Bladder Function in Anesthetized Rats

Overactive bladder (OAB) is an incurable, chronic medical condition that is characterized by symptoms of urgency, frequency, nocturia and urinary incontinence. It affects approximately 18% of adults and over 30% of the elderly population. Saphenous nerve stimulation is a novel therapy aimed at treating OAB patients. It offers an alternative to bladder medication, which can have severe side effects such as dry mouth, cognitive impairments and hypertension. And, unlike sacral nerve stimulation, this novel treatment can be delivered to patients in a non-invasive manner. Recent clinical trials show that saphenous nerve stimulation can effectively reduce OAB symptoms in patients (e.g., 75% response rate), but there is still room for further improvements in clinical outcomes. The goal of this project is to investigate novel stimulation waveforms that further augment the bladder-inhibitory effects of saphenous nerve stimulation.

Indirect effects of predator control: Examining predator habitat selection and competitive interactions following wolf control in northeastern Alberta

Global demand for natural resources is resulting in unprecedented landscape change. In northeastern Alberta, woodland caribou persistence is threatened by habitat loss associated with natural resource extraction, and increased predaiion by grey wolves as a result, due to their ability to capitalize upon landscape disturbance via increased movement on linear features. Wolf control via culling is a common wildlife management strategy to conserve woodland caribou. While previous research has sought to understand prey response to wolf control, indirect impacts on the ecological community have not been measured to the same extent, despite evidence to suggest that predator control has repercussions at multiple trophic levels. Using camera trap data collected discontinuously between 2011 and 2019, this project will examine the impacts ·of a government wolf control program beginning in 2016 on predator habitat selection and competitive interactions. This project will provide critical information to the partner organization on the community-wide effects of predator control in an increasingly
human-disturbed landscape, and help to inform woodland caribou recovery.