Tag: canada
New pipelining method for heavy oil: Stabilising the flow of high viscosity fluids during transportation
Professor Ian Frigaard and Dr Parisa Sarmadi from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia specialise in industrial applications of non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics and mathematical modelling of Complex Fluids. They developed a method to overcome interfacial instabilities of lubricated pipeline flow during the transportation of higher viscosity fluids, such as heavy oil, coatings, and cements. They […]
Reconciling forest and tree conservation with food security
Forests and trees are a critical resource for human communities. However, conservation efforts to prevent biodiversity loss increasingly conflict with the rights and access of communities using forests for their livelihoods and crucially to meet their nutritional needs. Prof Terry Sunderland of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, has long pointed to the importance of forests in contributing to food […]
Classic biomolecules continue to surprise with unexpected reactivity
Biological hydrides like NADH and folates were identified by early biochemists for their importance in fermentation and hydrogen transfer and are today some of the most thoroughly studied biomolecules. Dr Michael Denk, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Guelph, PhD candidate Nicholas Milutinovic and PhD candidate Katherine Marczenko have been performing research which has shown that these old biomolecules […]
Energy futures: A new equilibrium model for resource extraction and investment decisions
Increasingly sophisticated technologies developed in the current century to extract natural resources from costlier fields have changed the current and expected futures prices of resources, with important consequences for energy self-sufficiency and economic growth stability. In a recent paper, Alexander David, Professor of Finance at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary in Canada, develops a new model that […]
Brand governance in National Sport Organizations
How can non-profit National Sport Organizations in Canada create effective brands, especially on social media, from which they can co-create value with stakeholders such as athletes, fans, sponsors, and the media? In a three-phase project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Marijke Taks, Benoit Séguin (University of Ottawa) and colleagues examined the challenges faced in […]
Trans-actional autopoiesis: A relational view of human language
Throughout history, and even now, our decisions and worldviews are continually sculpted as we share knowledge with each other by means of language. Dr Mónica Sánchez-Flores at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia argues that the nature of these exchanges is ‘trans-actional’ in the Deweyan sense and rooted in ‘autopoiesis’. Her ideas present important new questions about how we conceive […]
Moving toward climate-resilient crops and sustainable agriculture
Forage crops like alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) comprise a fundamental component of the agricultural industry. The consumption of forage species by livestock is far from energy-efficient, resulting in implications for livestock health and the health of the environment through the release of greenhouse gases. Additionally, the prevalent force of climate change challenges crop resilience and sustainability. Research scientist Dr Stacy […]
Oral anticancer therapy: Improving safety, empowering patients
The ability of patients to administer potentially toxic oral anticancer medications by themselves in the comfort of their homes allows freedom and control of their treatment away from a hospital setting but does come with some risks. Audrey Chouinard and team from Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal assessed the success of group education sessions to educate and empower patients […]
Off-the-shelf immunotherapy could lead to more accessible cancer treatment
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that harnesses the immune system to destroy cancerous cells. Dr Li Zhang and colleagues at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the University of Toronto, are pioneering a new type of “off-the-shelf” treatment using a type of immune cell—a double negative T (DNT) cell. Dr Zhang‘s work shows that DNT cells are a […]
Proteomics reveals new possibilities in the fight against infection
The work of Dr Jennifer Geddes-McAlister at the University of Guelph investigates the interactions between hosts and pathogens to uncover new treatment options to combat infections. Her lab uses a range of techniques centered around proteomics, the study of proteins, to progress knowledge of fungal and bacterial infections in humans and agricultural crops. The results of this research can be […]