Uk-Canada Innovation

UK-CANADA INNOVATION

The British Council-National Research Council Partnership 1998-2005 Published by British Council Canada, 80 Elgin Street, Ottawa K1P 5K7 CANADA Telephone: (613) 364-6236 / Facsimile: (613) 569-1478 [email protected] www.britishcouncil.org/canada

Contents 3

Table of Contents

Foreword 4

Introduction 4 Success and Recognition 6 Cooperative Research Project Awards 7

Projects in profile: Silicon goes organic 8 Fighting infection 10 Cooler fuel cells 12 Stress test 14 Magnetically charged 16 Damage Control 18 A polymer-ceramic barrier 20

Researcher Exchange Awards 22

Projects in profile: Protection and regeneration 24 Curbing Big Brother 25 Mitigating environmental risk 26 Arresting viral infection 27 Protecting the herd 28 Frustrated magnetism 29 Accelerating production 30 Advancing COTS 31

Contact Information, Acknowledgements 32 4 Foreword

Foreword

Modern science truly is an international game. Innovation Big breakthroughs in science are famously said to come is a global issue, one rooted in nations’ ability to create, from fortuitous events or apparently random workings of exploit and transform new knowledge into innovative an individual mind. But much more realistically they are products and services that can compete successfully in traceable to the intersection of ideas in a space deliberate- world markets. While scientists have always cooperated ly made for that purpose. As the United Kingdom’s interna- informally across borders in their research, formal nation- tional organisation for educational opportunities and cultur- to-nation agreements are now recognized as a corner- al relations it is the British Council’s business to create such stone of success in today’s global knowledge economy. frameworks. We were therefore ideally placed to respond Such cooperation is vital to each nation’s ability to access to the call, made in 1997 by the Canadian and British Prime new knowledge, expertise and leading edge facilities, to Ministers, for our two countries to embrace a modern and build essential knowledge networks, to forge lasting rela- dynamic relationship in the 21st century.Scientific research tionships, and to stake a place in R&D domains that are and innovation is at the heart of this process. It was thus a strategically important to its economy and its future. self-evident step for us and for the National Research Council of Canada to join together to fund a programme of The British Council - National Research Council Canada cutting-edge investigation, much of it off the beaten path, Initiative has, for the past six years, supported forefront into a number of carefully targeted questions each contain- research in advanced materials, biotechnology and com- ing real possibilities for human advancement. munications technologies that has clearly pointed the way to promising new results in these important fields. The BC-NRC programme ran for six years from 1998 to 2005 and has delivered distinctive value both in scientific The research has been led by investigators of the highest and methodological terms. The scheme brought together, calibre and international reputation from both sides. Each through rigorous peer-reviewed competitive selection, project has encompassed world-leading interdisciplinary complementary talents and facilities at the highest levels of research that has advanced existing technologies or science in Canada and the UK. It has pointed the way to helped build the foundations for entirely new ones. The several promising advances and served as a model for col- Initiative has also brought together critical resources— laborations between Canada and other countries. facilities, equipment and talent—that would otherwise have been inaccessible to individual partners. While pro- This publication aims to capture, for record and wider viding opportunities for investigators to pursue their own reflection, the basic elements and achievements of the pro- research, it has further proved to be an excellent training gramme to date: 13 Cooperative Research Projects linking ground for young scientists from both countries. NRC laboratories across Canada with laboratories throughout the UK; over 50 Researcher Exchange Awards. It is The results of the Initiative have underlined clearly the true written with a wider audience in mind than the scientific potential for knowledge creation, the economic benefits of research community. Although the formal term of the col- collaboration, and the lasting value of cooperative relation- laboration has now been completed and remarkable out- ships between scientists and nations alike. For its part, comes are revealed in these pages, much is yet to come. NRC will continue to seek out R&D collaboration opportu- New relationships have been fostered and exciting work nities in the United Kingdom as part of its commitment to continues. building worldwide networks and global scientific capacity. It is a matter of pride for the British Council to have been a partner with the NRC in this venture and we pay special tribute to the role of Dr. Arthur Carty, National Science Adviser of Canada and former President of NRC. Dr. Carty served alongside Dr. Lloyd Anderson, British Council Pierre Coulombe, Ph.D., P.Eng. Director of Science, as co-chair of the Steering Committee President for the programme and was a champion and driver of the National Research Council Canada scheme from its conception. I also acknowledge the outstanding work of Dr. Keith Preston who managed the Secretariat of the programme throughout with impeccable attention to detail and a deep knowledge of and infectious enthusiasm for the science.

Peter Chenery Director British Council Canada Introduction 5

Introduction

At the Denver G8 Meeting in June 1997, Canadian and British Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Tony Blair issued a Joint Declaration calling for a modern and dynamic relationship, appropriate for the new millennium, between the two nations. The declaration was the inspira- tion and catalyst for a unique collaboration established a year later: the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the British Council created a joint Science and Technology Fund to promote collaborative research between British public sector laboratories and the NRC.

Under the agreement, each side pledged to contribute up to £100,000 (CAD $250,000) per year for three years in support of cooperative research projects (CRPs) and researcher exchange awards (REAs), the latter being designed to fund visits between laboratories. In 1998 and again in 2000, researchers on both sides of the Atlantic were invited to make joint submissions in three areas of mutual strength: advanced materials, biotechnology and communications technology. Submissions were subjected to peer review before a steering committee decided which of them would receive funding. In May 2001, the joint S&T fund was extended for a further three years. By the time it closed in April 2005, it had funded a total of 13 CRPs and 52 REAs. The following pages contain stories of some of those projects.

Overwhelmingly, the researchers involved agree that the initiative—formally known as The British Council - National Research Council Canada Initiative—met a pressing need for international schemes that fund both sides of a collaboration, and for national schemes that fund only one. It sprang from the British Council’s natural inclination to think globally (its mission being to promote Britain abroad) and the NRC’s intimate understanding of scientists’ long-term needs.

It was an exceptional departure from the British Council’s normal practice of providing small sums of money to seed collaborations; the Council agreed to fund major projects over several years. Meanwhile, the NRC extended its funding portfolio to include British as well as Canadian scientists.

The resulting programme stimulated collaborations between people who had met at conferences, but who would not otherwise have been able to pool their expertise or work together due to lack of resources. In so doing, it highlighted the importance of personal relationships in science. Many of the successful submissions for CRPs came from researchers who were already at the top of their fields, and who have continued to produce excellent results. The REAs, too, exceeded the steering committee’s expectations in the quality of the work they generated.

Many of the participating researchers say they will continue to collaborate after the official end of the initiative, though they hope that their governments or other funding bodies will take up the baton from NRC-BC. There are already promising signs that the scheme’s value has been recognized: the model has been copied in Germany, Spain, Japan and Singapore. 6 Introduction

Success and Recognition

The following are just some examples of scheme successes:

Nano-wire self-assembly The collaboration between Dr. Robert Wolkow of the NRC (now also Professor at the University of Alberta) and Professor Andrew Fisher of University College London got off to a flying start when, in 2000, Professor Wolkow’s group published a description of the first self-assembling nano-wires in the scientific journal Nature. They went on to detail the mechanism behind that self-assembly and to explain how one of the most popular tools in modern science—the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM)—alters the surface of the material it is probing.

Dr. Werner Hofer, who originally worked in Dr. Fisher’s group, is now a full collaborator with the other two partners and heads his own group at the University of Liverpool.

In a recent related development, Drs. Wolkow and Hofer and their colleagues have made and tested the first single- molecule transistor using STM technology.This pivotal dis- covery and its potential for miniaturization of electronics captured media attention worldwide following its publication in the June 2005 issue of Nature.

Laser-controlled electron and molecular dynamics The collaboration between Professor Peter Knight, FRS, of Imperial College London and Dr. Paul Corkum of the NRC helped to establish lasers as useful tools for controlling electron and molecular dynamics.

In 2003, Dr. Corkum won the Tory Medal of The Royal Society of Canada, which described him as Canada’s most creative and original laser physicist. More recently, he has been honoured by the Optical Society of America with the Charles H. Townes Award and by the IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society with the 2005 Quantum Electronics Award. He was also inducted in 2005 as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for his pioneering work on intense short-pulse lasers.

Neutron scattering Professor Roger Cowley, FRS, of the University of Oxford and Dr. William Buyers of the NRC used neutron scattering techniques to study the magnetic properties of high temperature superconductors in an attempt to solve the mystery of how they work. For their research, Professor Cowley was awarded the 2003 Walter Hälg Prize by the European Neutron Scattering Association and Dr. Buyers won the 2001 Canadian Association of Physicists’ Medal of Achievement in Physics.

Frustrated magnets In 2003, Dr. Jason Gardner of the NRC (now at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Centre for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Maryland) and Professor Steven Bramwell of University College London published a paper in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter on the properties of frustrated magnets. It was named one of the journal’s top papers of that year. Introduction 7

Cooperative Research Project Awards

1998 Awards 2000 Awards

Interactions between the molecular chaperones of the Development of nitride-based semiconductor materials endoplasmic reticulum for high-speed device applications Professor Stephen High, School of Biological Sciences, Dr. Ian Harrison, Department of Electronic and Electrical University of Manchester and Dr. David Thomas, NRC Engineering, University of Nottingham and Dr. Jim Webb, Biotechnology Research Institute. Epitaxy Group, NRC Institute for Microstructural Sciences. Funding: $124,000 (GBP50,000) Funding: $199,000 (GBP80,000)

Simulation of manufacturing processes: process Regulatory networks in the fungal pathogen, Candida modelling and validation using neutron diffraction albicans techniques Professor Alistair Brown, Institute of Medical Sciences, Professor Roger Reed, Department of Materials Science, University of Aberdeen and Dr. Malcolm Whiteway, University of Cambridge and Dr. John Root, Neutron Genetics Group, NRC Biotechnology Research Institute. Program for Materials Research, NRC Steacie Institute for Funding: $245,000 (GBP98,000) Molecular Sciences. Funding: $215,000 (GBP86,000) Precision modification of transparent materials Professor Peter Knight, Department of Physics, Imperial Organic modification of semiconductors College London and Dr. Paul Corkum, Femtosecond Science Professor Andrew Fisher, Department of Physics and Program, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences. Astronomy, University College London and Dr. Robert Funding: $379,000 (GBP152,000) Wolkow, Molecular Interfaces Program, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences. Novel synthesis of new oxide ion conductors Funding: $264,000 (GBP106,000) Dr. Stephen Skinner, Department of Materials, Imperial College London and Dr. Isobel Davidson, Energy Materials Toughness, fatigue crack propagation and fracture of Group, NRC Institute for Chemical Processing and oriented impact modified polymers Environmental Technology. Professor Ian Ward, Interdisciplinary Research Centre Funding: $238,000 (GBP95,000) in Polymer Science & Technology, Leeds University and Dr. Abdellah Ajji, NRC Industrial Materials Institute. Evaluating electrochemical and mechanical properties Funding: $164,000 (GBP66,000) of Composite Sol-Gel (CSG) coatings Professor Anne Neville, School of Engineering and Surface treatments for advanced electronics materials Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and devices and Dr. Howard Hawthorne, Materials Development and Professor George Thompson, Corrosion and Protection Engineering Group, NRC Innovation Centre. Centre, UMIST, Manchester and Dr. Michael Graham, NRC Funding: $311,000 (GBP124,000) Institute for Microstructural Sciences. Funding: $160,000 (GBP64,000) Characterization and modelling of short crack growth in single crystal superalloys Metal clusters and ultrafine wires in zeolites Dr. Philippa Reed, School of Engineering Sciences, Professor Peter Edwards, School of Chemistry, University University of Southampton and Dr. Jean-Pierre Immarigeon, of Birmingham and Dr. Christopher Ratcliffe, NRC Steacie Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre, NRC Institute Institute for Molecular Sciences. for Aerospace Research. Funding: $134,000 (GBP54,000) Funding: $313,000 (GBP125,000)

Low dimensional magnetism: quantum fluctuations, superlattices and switchable devices Professor Roger Cowley, Department of Physics, University of Oxford and Dr. William Buyers, Neutron Program for Materials Research, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences. Funding: $74,000 (GBP30,000) 8 Great strides in the miniaturization of electronics

Silicon goes organic

When Professor Robert Wolkow and his research team at the NRC’s Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences in Ottawa published a paper in the journal Nature on the first self-assembling nano-wires, the scientific community heralded the dawnofanewgenerationof electronic devices.

The new breed would com- bine the electronic capabilities of a silicon computer chip with the biological potential of organic molecules and have major implications for the fields of medical diagnostics and telecommunications. Wolkow’s paper spurred an exciting collaboration between Professor Wolkow (now at the University of Alberta) and UK colleague Professor Andrew Fisher of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. Together, the two set out to explore the properties of hybrid silicon- organic devices. UK-Canada Innovation 9

Their first achievement was the development of a unique method for growing ordered lines of molecules on a silicon surface.

Dr. Werner A. Hofer Professor Wolkow brought to bear his extensive expertise as a pioneer in the use of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM)—a technique that produces highly detailed 3D images of atomic surfaces using a scanning needle tipped with a single atom. Professor Fisher contributed his extensive knowledge of the transport of electrons through molecules and solids. Their first achievement was the development of a unique method for growing ordered lines of molecules on a silicon surface. Using STM, they were able to remove a single atom from the silicon surface and create a reactive unpaired silicon atom that would bond to an overlying adsorbed organic molecule. The molecule, rendered unstable and reactive, would then rearrange internally and stabilize itself by pulling a hydrogen atom off a neigh- bouring molecule. A chain reaction was triggered, the process repeated, and the attached organic molecules aligned with an orientation and spacing determined by the crystalline structure of the silicon substrate. The collaborative efforts of the researchers were further buoyed when Dr. Werner Hofer joined their team. A postdoctoral researcher (who now heads his own group at the University of Liverpool), Professor Hofer predicted that the ordered lines of molecules Drs. Wolkow and Fisher had created would constitute one-dimensional conducting chan- nels that could potentially act as interconnects on a silicon-organic chip. The advances did not end there. The team next set out to better understand the role of STM in the observation process. STM works because electrons are transferred between the tip and the sample, setting up a ‘tunnel current.’ A map of the sample’s surface is created by measuring variations in the distance between tip and sample required to maintain a constant current. The researchers knew the distances involved in their experiments were tiny—fractions of a nanometre—and recognized that, at such short distances, the STM tip was actually inter- acting with the surface. In fact, Drs. Fisher and Hofer discovered that the tip was pulling and pushing at the surface, changing it in a systematic way.They realized that if they could understand the nature of that transformation, they could use STM to describe both the mechanical and electronic properties of the surface—and manipulate the surface mechanically in a controlled way. In other words, they determined how to mould the surface into conformations useful for the construction of nano-devices.The researchers’ description of this quantitative relationship between the tunnel current, atomic forces and surface displacements in STM was praised by the American Physical Society (in its November 2001 Physical Review Focus) as a “tour de atomic force”.

[email protected] [email protected] 10 Understanding a pathogenic yeast

Fighting Infection

More than half the human population Professor Alistair Brown of the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Medical Sciences and carries the fungal yeast Candida Dr. Malcolm Whiteway of the NRC’s Biotechnology albicans. For most people, the Research Institute in Montreal have been working pathogen is harmless. For others, it together to gain a clearer understanding of C. albicans—to discover what triggers an increase in its vir- can cause infections such as thrush, ulence. Specifically, they have been studying the and in individuals with compromised yeast’s unique responses to various forms of stress and observing the signalling pathways that are acti- immune systems such as transplant vated as a host defends itself against infection. patients, it can produce life-threatening Recognizing that one of the ways C. albicans responds to a changing environment is through mor- systemic infections. phogenesis—switching from an ovoid form (better for blood travel) to a filamentous or ‘hyphal’ form (better for invading tissue)—Professor Brown and his team have been studying the transcriptional networks that regulate gene expression in C. albicans. Meanwhile, Dr.Whiteway’s group has focused on the yeast’s signalling pathways; they have constructed DNA microarrays to aid in identifying the genes involved in those pathways. UK-Canada Innovation 11

Starting with the premise that stress regulatory pathways are likely to be involved in mor- phogenesis, between them they have discovered that major components of the pathways in C. albicans are identical to those in other non-pathogenic yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). This is a key finding, since the stress pathways of S. cerevisiae are much better understood than those of C. albicans. Dr. Whiteway’s team has also discovered that the responses of C. albicans to various stresses differ from those of model, non-pathogenic yeasts in many important respects. First, C. albicans generally appears to be hardier, showing lower responses to conditions that other yeasts find stressful. For instance, C. albicans is not stressed at a human body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, while other yeasts are.

Collaborators can now hone in on the genes that control the stress responses of C. albicans and the pathways that modulate its virulence.

Second, Professor Brown’s group has made the surprising finding that key transcription factors known to regulate stress pathways in model yeasts play different roles in C. albicans. The researchers conclude that stress responses have diverged during the evolution of pathogenic and benign yeasts, and though their stress pathways share common components, those components are now used in different ways. The implication of this control of the pathogenic C. albicans is significant. Collaborators can now hone in on the genes that control the stress responses of C. albicans and the pathways that modulate its virulence. Ultimately,they hope to identify suitable components for drugs to fight this ubiquitous and sometimes lethal pathogen.

[email protected] [email protected] 12 Ceramic electrodes enable cheaper energy production

Cooler fuel cells

Fuel cells are batteries that don’t run down, as long as they are supplied with fuel and air.

Fuel cells generate electricity through chemical reactions between fuel and ions at one of two metal electrodes immersed in a conducting medium (or ‘electrolyte’). Because they convert chemical energy directly into electricity and heat more efficiently than conventional combustion-based technologies—and with fewer emissions—they offer great potential as replacements to combustion as a power source. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) offer further advantages. In these, fuel can be pure hydrogen or hydrogen chemically bound in a hydrocarbon such as propane or natural gas. SOFCs work by drawing oxygen ions through a solid electrolyte to react with the fuel at an electrode then release electrons to the outer electrical circuit. Because they are stackable as small modules, they have the potential for use in domestic-energy supply or may be scaled up for industrial applications. However, SOFCs are not yet durable, reliable or cheap enough to be commercially viable.

“With NRC-BC support, several new materials with properties that are both scientifically intriguing and of practical value have been discovered.” - Dr. Isobel Davidson UK-Canada Innovation 13

Giulio Torlone

Dr. Stephen Skinner of Imperial College London’s Department of Materials and Dr. Isobel Davidson of the NRC’s Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology in Ottawa hope to bring a new breed of SOFC components closer to market. Together, they have been exper- imenting with forming SOFC components using novel ceramic materials. Dr. Skinner and his team have expertise in testing new fuel cell materials, as well as specialized testing equipment; Dr. Davidson is a solid-state chemist with experience in developing battery materials. At the start of their collaboration, the researchers set out to generate materials for SOFC cathodes using a process called microwave synthesis, which promised faster production at lower temperatures. Because of the unique way in which microwaves interact with inorganic materials, the technique (a special interest of Dr. Davidson’s group) had potential for use in creating materials with different crystal structures—materials that might improve SOFC performance. As it happened, microwave synthesis did not fulfil its promise. While it enabled faster, cheaper production of materials, the structural advantages gained were lost once the materials were further processed into the dense bodies needed for use in fuel cells. It was then that the researchers turned their focus to finding novel ceramic materials suitable for use as electrodes. And in this realm, they have made notable progress. Dr. Skinner and Dr. Davidson have discovered that one material in particular, nickel cobaltate, appears to have the mixed electronic and ionic conductivity needed for use in SOFCs. More testing is to be done, but the implication of this finding is enormous: while existing SOFCs operate at close to 1000 degrees Celsius, a fuel cell constructed with nickel cobaltate could potentially operate at almost half that temperature, significantly reducing running costs. [email protected] [email protected] 14 Mitigating the risk of jet-engine failure

Stress test

Safety and reliability are of paramount importance in the aerospace industry—and the performance of critical components, such as jet engines, is obviously a primary concern.

During their lifecycles, jet engine components such as compressor discs and turbine blades are subject to great physical stresses. Understanding the impact on performance over time is critical. Currently, manufacturers use computers to simulate stresses, predict their effect, determine a part’s longevity, discover opportunities for design improve- ments and, as much as possible, reduce the risk of failure. The software modelling tools they rely on are, however, only as effective as the underlying descriptions of the materials’ behaviour. It is crucial, therefore, that those descriptions be verified through experimentation, and that the tools be calibrated according to the best available data. Two very different NRC-BC collaborative projects have attempted to improve on existing knowledge about how these materials behave in extreme conditions. The first brought together two key partners—Professor Roger Reed, then based at Cambridge University’s Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy (now at Imperial College London), and Dr. John Root, director of NRC’s Canadian Neutron Beam Centre (CNBC). Professor Reed is an expert in modelling manufacturing processes such as welding, and works closely with companies like Rolls Royce to test components. Dr. Root runs the neutron beam laboratory at Chalk River, Ottawa. With NRC researchers Drs. Kelly Conlon and David Dye (himself a former member of Professor Reed’s group at Cambridge who went to Chalk River to learn about neutron scattering), the team set out to calibrate some of the tools used for modelling titanium alloys. The effort used neutron scattering to analyze a titanium alloy’s deep structure. With this technique, a neutron beam diffracts from the atoms towards a detec- tor, producing a diffraction pattern. As the material is subjected to stress, the atoms move apart, causing a phase shift in that pattern that correlates with changes in interatomic spacing. Through their experiments, the collaborators gathered a great deal of information on how one particular alloy,Ti-834, deforms under stress. This allowed them to verify models of stress in that alloy, and to extrapolate from those models to other titanium alloys. They were also able to measure accurately how materials respond to thermal stresses caused by laser bending, a relatively new technique used to rapidly manufacture certain components without using expensive dies or stamps. UK-Canada Innovation 15

Aeronautical engineers can now better predict the lifecycle of a turbine blade under the extreme operating conditions of a jet engine.

As a result of this collaboration, CNBC is now at the forefront of research in measuring strain in materials used in the aerospace industry, and the British group has developed invaluable expertise in neutron scattering techniques. The second NRC-BC collaboration brought together Dr. Philippa Reed of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Southampton and Dr. Xijia Wu of the NRC’s Institute for Aerospace Research in Ottawa. These researchers pooled their respective expertise in experimental techniques and analytical models to investigate a longstanding mystery in materials science: the process by which short cracks form and spread in the single crystal, nickel-based superalloys used to make jet-engine turbine blades. The propagation of small cracks can determine the fatigue life of a turbine blade—whether it will sur- vive for 15,000 cycles or 150,000—so predictability is key. Until now, predictions have been based on the assumption that small cracks grow in roughly the same way as large defects artificially introduced in test specimens. As Drs. Reed and Wu discovered, that assumption turns out to be invalid. Dr. Reed and her team carried out a series of experiments, observing and measuring naturally occur- ring and complex, sometimes star-shaped, propagations of small cracks in alloys subject to various forms of stress. Her findings formed the basis of a new approach to modelling short cracks in single- crystal superalloys developed by Dr. Wu’s group. Further experimental observations seem to reinforce the model well. These findings are of major import to the aerospace industry. Now aeronautical engineers can better predict the lifecycle of a turbine blade under the extreme operating conditions of a jet engine.

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 16 New revelations about the behaviour of superconductors

Magnetically charged

Low-temperature superconductors have been studied for a century, but about 20 years ago another type was discovered that superconducts up to around 130 Kelvin.

Since that time scientists have debated whether these high-temperature superconductors behave in similar ways to the low-temperature breed. An NRC-BC collaboration has offered some insight. Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without resistance when cooled below a certain temperature. The best known and most studied of these become superconductive at very low temperatures—below 30 Kelvin. In these conditions, electrons ‘buddy up’—they move in pairs through the material unimpeded by molecular obstacles. This phenomenon is known as phonon-mediated coupling. Scientists disagree as to whether high-temperature superconductors also work by phonon-mediated coupling or by an exchange of magnetic entities. UK-Canada Innovation 17

Professor Roger Cowley of the University of Oxford’s Clarendon Laboratory teamed up with Dr. Bill Buyers of the NRC’s Canadian Neutron Beam Centre at Chalk River to study the magnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors using neutron scattering techniques. Though electrically uncharged, neutrons have magnetic properties that enable them to detect the magnetic spin of electrons and infer the magnetic behaviour of materials. Professor Cowley uses the British neutron source ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory near Oxford to generate pulses of neutrons. The neutron beam Dr. Buyers uses at Chalk River, by contrast, is continuous. With the help of several young scientists supported by the programme, such as the NRC’s Dr. Zahra Yamani, the researchers carried out experiments on high-temperature superconductor specimens using both sources. Together, they observed that the neutron-scattering patterns produced were indeed characteristic of magnetic materials.

Together, Roger Cowley and Bill Buyers observed that the neutron-scattering patterns produced by the high-temperature superconductors were indeed characteristic of magnetic materials.

They published their results in 2004. In that same year, two other research groups published the results of similar experiments. Those findings suggested that if magnetism is involved, it isn’t magnetism as it has traditionally been known. Because magnetic properties at low temperatures are dominated by the effects of quantum mechanics, Dr. Buyers and Professor Cowley are now continuing their study with the same two neutron sources in an attempt to learn more about magnetic quantum fluctuations and to determine whether they are responsible for high-temperature superconductivity. At the same time, they have also been studying the magnetic behaviour of ultra-thin films con- taining rare earth and transition metals. Researchers at the Clarendon Laboratory grow these crystal structures (known as Laves-phase superlattices), then hand them on to the Chalk River facility for study.Composed of alternating layers of magnetic materials, their magnetic properties are determined by the materials used and the thickness of the layers. Professor Cowley’s and Dr. Buyers’ experiments are revealing how it might be possible to tailor those properties for applications such as magnetic sensors and computer disks.

[email protected] [email protected] 18 A leap ahead in the race from electronics to photonics

Damage control

Information technology lives in an electronic world where the oft-heard rallying cry is ‘smaller, faster, better.’ For that dream to be realized, radical new approaches to chip design may be required.

Traditionally, electrons that carry information have been rout- ed through silicon-based chips in which semiconductors and metals act as integrated circuits. In the future, however, if we want to store more information on smaller devices that perform better, scientists will need to exploit the power and speed of photons—the carriers of light—in the design of miniature optical devices. Consider the medium through which the carrier is channelled. What semiconductors and metals do for electronics, solid, transparent materials that transmit light do for photonics. It follows that to build integrated photonic circuits, scientists must learn to sculpt the internal structure of those solid materials. Today, most devices using light are sculpted by hand—a labour-intensive and inordinately expensive task that has kept photonics in the early stages of development. The solution must lie elsewhere. Professor Peter Knight, head of Imperial College London’s Department of Physics, and Dr. Paul Corkum, who leads the Femtosecond Science Program at the NRC’s Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences in Ottawa, have demonstrated that the way over the ‘handcrafting’ hurdle may lie in the use of lasers. Professor Knight is an expert in quantum optics; his lab brought powerful computing capacity to the project, allowing the researchers to develop complex models of the interaction between lasers and target material. Dr. Corkum—an international authority on laser excitation of materials—came armed with the experimental expertise to test and refine a number of theoretical models. UK-Canada Innovation 19

The immediate problem they encountered was one of intensity.The greater the intensity of a laser directed at a transparent material, the more extensive the structural damage it causes. The challenge was to find a way to direct a high intensity beam at the material in such a way as to ensure that the damage was controllable—in effect, so that they could “write” onto it. They found that when they used femtosecond laser bursts—pulses lasting less than a trillionth of a second—they were suddenly able to control the extent and direction of the damage. The laser pulse did more than just etch a hole in the material, it stimulated an ionised chain reaction in which the damage radiated out along predictable geometric patterns. At this point, the researchers programmed computers to model those patterns of growth, called ionisation dynamics, which looked much like the spread patterns of forest fires when the wind blows. (Both are, in fact, self- organising systems described by the mathematics of fractals.) Knowing that track thickness determines what can be written, Dr. Corkum made painstaking measurements of the thickness and direction of the tracks left by the femtosecond laser pulses. Then, by feeding those measurements into the computer models, Drs. Knight and Corkum and their research teams developed a tool that allows them to modify the interior of transparent material with very little effort, and in a controllable way—the first step, perhaps, to mass production of integrated photonics circuits and a whole new IT revolution. [email protected] [email protected]

They discovered that the laser pulse did more than just etch a hole in the material, it stimulated an ionised chain reaction in which the damage radiated out along predictable geometric patterns. 20 Increased protection against electrochemical activity

A polymer-ceramic barrier

Protective surface coatings are widely used in industrial and commercial technologies to help prevent metal components from the destructive effects of electrochemical activity.

Electrochemical activity can occur whenever a metal or other electrically conducting solid makes contact with a liquid composed of electrically polarized molecules (such as water). Sometimes, this activity is useful—as in the case of battery power—but in other cases it can be corrosive. Ceramic is used in some of the most popular protective coatings because of its durability. These coatings tend to be fabricated with a sol-gel process: the metal part to be protected (a turbine blade, for example) is dipped in a starting gel of alumina or other ceramic slurry, then baked to harden it. The coating’s properties can be adjusted by altering the composition of the starting gel— for instance, by adding reinforcing alumina fibres or particles to an alumina slurry.In this case, the coating is described as a composite sol-gel. While these coatings are widely used as a means of protection, scientists working in the field of fuel cell technology are also exploring their potential usefulness in modifying the electrochemical properties of fuel cell components. UK-Canada Innovation 21

CB-CSG The results of their combined experiments suggest that this new generation of protective coatings POLY M E R could be up to 40 percent more durable than existing composite sol-gel coatings. SUBSTRATE

Professor Anne Neville of Heriot-Watt University’s Department of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering (now based at Leeds University’s School of Mechanical Engineering), and Dr. Howard Hawthorne, formerly of the NRC’s Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (IFCI) in Vancouver, combined their expertise in search of novel ceramics for surface coatings, and in an attempt to improve on existing composite sol-gel technology. Dr. Yongsong Xie of IFCI took over from Dr. Hawthorne in 2004, and the group also joined forces with Dr. Thomas Troczynski of the University of British Columbia’s Department of Metals and Materials Engineering, an expert in sol-gel processing. Drs. Hawthorne and Xie are interested in the science of friction and wear, also known as tribology, while Professor Neville’s expertise lies in corrosion processes. With Dr. Troczynski, they have come up with a new generation of composite sol-gels in which the metal part is coated in various different layers in a sandwich structure. The part is first dipped in a polymer that forms an impermeable barrier, and then in the durable, ceramic composite sol-gel. Professor Neville’s group carried out experiments testing these coatings for resistance to corrosion and measuring changes in the transfer of charge across the coated surface over time. Dr. Hawthorne’s team tested them for robustness against abrasion. Their combined results suggest these new coatings could be up to 40 percent more durable than existing composite sol-gel coatings. The research team has also made progress in identifying electrochemically active coatings that might be useful to the fuel cell industry.The implications for implementation in industrial processes may be significant.

[email protected] [email protected] 22 Researcher Exchange Awards

Researcher Exchange Awards

1999 Dr. Cornelius Ncube, Centre for Human Computer Professor Alistair Brown, Institute of Medical Sciences, Interaction Design, City University, London, visited the University of Aberdeen, and Dr. Malcolm Whiteway,NRC NRC Institute for Information Technology,Ottawa, to fur- Biotechnology Research Institute, undertook exchange ther collaboration in the development of commercial visits to discuss a potential collaboration on fungal mor- off-the-shelf (COTS) software. phogenesis and virulence. Dr. William Buyers, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Professor Sue Bayliss, Solid State Research Centre, De Sciences, visited the Risø National Laboratory in Montfort University, Leicester, and Dr. David Lockwood, Denmark and the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Germany to NRC Institute for Microstructural Sciences, undertook undertake joint experiments on quantum magnetism exchange visits to develop a research collaboration on with Professor Roger Cowley’s team from the biological neuron attachment to silicon nanostructures. Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford.

Dr. David Crampton, NRC Herzberg Institute of Dr. Sam Amartey, Forest Products Research Centre, Astrophysics, visited the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, visited and the Institutes of Astronomy of the Universities of the Microbial and Enzymatic Technology Group of the Cambridge, Durham, Oxford and London to develop UK- NRC Biotechnology Research Institute to develop a Canada collaborations in astronomy and associated tech- research collaboration in the bioremediation and biocon- nologies for both ground-based and space-based facilities. version of preservative-treated wood wastes.

Dr. Andrew Cox, NRC Institute for Biological Sciences Dr. John Loveday, School of Physics, University of visited the Department of Paediatrics, University of Edinburgh, and Drs. Dennis Klug and John Tse, NRC Oxford, to further an existing collaboration on the devel- Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, undertook opment of inner core lipopolysaccharides (LPS) as exchange visits for collaborative experimental and theo- potential new vaccines for the prevention of childhood retical studies of high-pressure phenomena in ice and bacterial diseases. clathrate hydrates.

Dr. William Buyers, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Mr. Michel Kenzelmann, Clarendon Laboratory, Sciences, visited the Risø National Laboratory,Denmark, University of Oxford, visited the NRC Steacie Institute to collaborate in joint experiments on quantum magnet- for Molecular Sciences for neutron scattering studies of ism with Professor Roger Cowley’s research group from quantum spin chain systems. the Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford. Dr. Dolf Landheer, NRC Institute for Microstructural 2000 Sciences, visited the Department of Chemistry,University Dr. Denis Laroche, NRC Industrial Materials Institute and of Durham, for discussions with Dr. Paul Low and his Mr. Paul Collins, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing organometallics research group on the potential of lan- Engineering, Queen’s University, Belfast, undertook thanide organometallic compounds for chemical vapour exchange visits to develop a long-term collaborative project deposition of thin oxide films in transistor technology. on the modelling of slip effects and heat transfer in the thermoforming and stretch blow-molding of plastics. 2001 Dr. Jeremy Bradshaw, Royal School of Veterinary Dr. William Buyers, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Edinburgh, visited the NRC Sciences visited the Clarendon Laboratory, University of Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences for discussions Oxford, to follow up successful earlier joint experiments and studies of the interactions between peptides and bio- at the Risø neutron facility in Denmark. logical membranes by neutron scattering techniques.

Dr. Stephen Marsh, NRC Institute for Information Professor Steven Bramwell, Chemistry Department, Technology, visited the Department of Information University College London, and Dr. Jason Gardner of Management, Napier University, Edinburgh, to collabo- the NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences rate with Professor Elisabeth Davenport on the develop- undertook exchange visits to discuss joint studies by ment of a novel formalization for the concept of trust in neutron diffraction of the phenomenon of “frustrated” co-operative situations between agents. magnetic materials.

Dr. David Parkins, Lubrication Research Group, Open Dr. David Head, National Physical Laboratory,Teddington, University, Milton Keynes, visited the NRC Institute for visited the NRC Institute for National Measurement Aerospace Research to establish a research collabora- Standards for discussion with the NRC Thermometry tion in the development of new bearings for aerospace Group of the deuterium triple point as a potential candi- applications. date for a new fixed point on the International Temperature Scale. UK-Canada Innovation 23

Dr.Tian Jian Lu, Department of Engineering, University of Professor Pamela Briggs, Northumbria University Cambridge, and Dr. Louis-Philippe Lefebvre, NRC School of Psychology and Sport Sciences, visited the Industrial Materials Institute, undertook exchange visits NRC Institute for Information Technology (IIT) to estab- to discuss long-term collaboration in the development of lish new collaborations with IIT and Carleton University, metallic foams as industrial materials. Ottawa, in areas of socially and culturally adept technologies, trust in human computer communication and Dr. Jorge Lago, Chemistry Department, University ethics in online research. College London, visited the TRIUMF muon spin reso- nance facility in Vancouver for joint experiments with Dr. Jonathan Underwood, Open University Department researchers from the NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular of Physics and Astronomy, visited the NRC Steacie Sciences on the low temperature magnetic properties of Institute for Molecular Sciences to develop ultra fast spin ice materials. pulse laser techniques for “freezing” molecular rotation in gas phase diffraction studies. 2002 Dr. Robert Smith, Institute of Biomedical & Life Dr. Sheng Hou, NRC Institute for Biological Sciences, Sciences, University of Glasgow, visited the NRC visited Glasgow University’s Institute of Biomedical and Institute for Biological Sciences for work on the mecha- Life Sciences to continue collaboration with Dr. Robert nisms of neurotoxicity. Smith on neuroprotective agents for the limitation of brain damage following stroke or epilepsy. Ms. Dinah Parker and Mr.Tom Fennell, graduate students in the Davy-Faraday Laboratory of the Royal Institution, 2004 London, and Dr. Jason Gardner of the NRC Steacie Drs. Elaine Brown and Ben Whiteside, Bradford Institute for Molecular Sciences undertook exchange vis- University Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Polymer its to discuss neutron diffraction of new magnetoresis- Science, and Drs. Cheng Kuei Jen and Yuu Ono, NRC tive materials and of spin ices. Industrial Materials Institute, undertook exchange visits to establish a collaboration on in situ monitoring of Professor Kevin Kendall, School of Chemical micromolding processes for the mass production of Engineering, Birmingham University, visited the NRC micro and nano devices. Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology for preliminary discussion of a potential col- Dr. John Macdonald, Bristol University Civil Engineering laboration in the field of solid oxide fuel cells. Department, visited the NRC Institute for Aerospace Research Aerodynamics Laboratory for collaboration on Dr. John Loveday, School of Physics, University of the dynamic response of cable stayed bridges to wind. Edinburgh and Drs. Dennis Klug and John Tse, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, undertook Dr. Jeanine Bossé, Molecular Infectious Disease Group exchange visits for continuing collaborative experimental of the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, and theoretical studies of high-pressure phenomena in returned to the NRC as part of an ongoing collaboration clathrate hydrates. with the NRC Institute for Biological Sciences (IBS) on actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APL), a parasite of the Dr. Janine Bossé, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College porcine respiratory tract. London, visited the NRC Institute of Biological Sciences for collaboration on the bioinformatic analysis and genet- Drs. Christine Szymanski, John Kelly and Lorna Millar of ic manipulation of A. pleuropneumoniae, the causative the NRC Institute for Biological Sciences paid visits to agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and to the University of Birmingham to meet with UK 2003 and Swiss researchers with a common interest in the Dr. Carlos Minguez, NRC Biotechnology Research mucosal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, the leading Institute, visited the Department of Biological Sciences, cause of food borne illness in the world. University of Warwick, to discuss and formulate a new collaborative effort aimed at improving the catalytic char- 2005 acteristics of soluble methane monooxygenase. Dr. Robert Smith, University of Glasgow Division of Neuroscience & Biomedical Systems, returned to the Dr. David Dye, Department of Materials of Imperial NRC Institute for Biological Sciences as part of an ongo- College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, ing collaboration with Dr. Sheng Hou on neuroprotection, and Dr. Kelly Conlon, NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular the prevention of cell death during stroke or epilepsy. Sciences, undertook exchange visits for collaborative studies of load partitioning in aerospace materials at their respective institutes and at the Los Alomos Neutron Science Center. 24 New possibilities for brain-disease therapy

Protection and regeneration

Dr. Rob Smith of the University of Glasgow’s Institute of In this first session, the researchers were able to identi- Biomedical and Life Sciences and Dr. Sheng Hou of the fy genes that control the pathways through which the NRC’s Institute of Biological Sciences in Ottawa share a kainic acid acted to cause neuronal damage. During sub- common fascination: uncovering the underlying causes sequent visits—one by Dr. Hou to Glasgow and a second of brain disease—specifically excitotoxins, substances by Dr. Smith to Ottawa—they turned their attention to that damage or kill nerve cells through overstimulation. substances that might prevent this kind of cell death, and even encourage nerve-cell regeneration. Excitotoxins may originate outside the body—alcoholic The researchers’ collaboration is set to continue, as they substances, for example—or they may be produced by follow up intriguing clues that one brain protein in particu- the body itself under specific circumstances. This latter lar—glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)—has the type—endogenous toxins—are thought to be involved in properties they seek. The developing testis is a rich stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as source of GDNF, and is constantly producing new cells in Parkinson’s disease, though no one knows their role exact- ly. In the summer of 2002, Dr. Smith and Dr. Hou set out The researchers were able to identify genes that to learn more. During Dr. Smith’s first visit to Dr. Hou’s lab, they carried control the pathways through which excitotoxins out experiments designed to shed light on the biochemi- cause neuronal damage. cal pathways through which excitotoxins act. Dr. Smith had previously studied these pathways in cell cultures, and Dr. the form of sperm. Injected into the brain, the researchers Hou’s group had been interested in the genes involved in believe GDNF could potentially have neuroprotective and nerve cell death, both in cell culture and animal models. possibly also regenerative effects—with obvious implica- Together, they studied the effects of the model excitotox- tions for future brain-disease therapies. in kainic acid on cultured brain cells. [email protected] [email protected] Trust and the regulation of ambient intelligence 25

Curbing Big Brother

Increasingly,technology is becoming invisible. Consider cept of trust in the context of ambient intelligence, and Prof- the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags now being essor Briggs is an expert in the social psychology of trust. affixed to clothes in retail outlets, or mobile phones In 2004, during Professor Briggs’ visit to Dr. Marsh’s lab, tucked into briefcases, pant pockets and jackets. Though they developed a number of scenarios through which these tools make our lives easier in many ways, they they explored the issue of trust. One considered was also raise questions about the personal information appropriate behaviour in the case of a medical emergency. they transmit about their users—a phenomenon that Specifically, the scenario looked at the need for personal- has been called ambient intelligence. data sharing when someone has been involved in a car accident. In this instance, an individual may wish for his As these technologies become more widespread, the medical history to be transmitted to the hospital ahead of need for parameters to guide the transmission of person- his arrival, to facilitate appropriate treatment. In this way, al data will be critical—rules that dictate when it is social- hospital doctors become a trusted party. ly acceptable (or in some cases imperative) for personal In a different situation, a different subset of people data to be shared, and when privacy takes precedence. might need to be granted trust privileges, so the rules would change. “Professor Briggs’ presence in the lab helped Dr. Marsh and Professor Briggs’ scenarios are now being worked into film scripts, with funding from the UK’s tremendously to develop ideas, tools and Economic and Social Research Council. The films will be mindsets.” - Dr. Stephen Marsh shown to focus groups, and feedback will be gathered, so that the researchers may establish rules of trust for ambi- Dr. Stephen Marsh of the NRC’s Institute for Information ent intelligence. This represents an important step in the Technology in Ottawa and Professor Pamela Briggs of prevention of serious threats to personal freedom. Northumbria University’s School of Psychology and Sport Sciences have been working to solve this conundrum. [email protected] Dr. Marsh has developed software that represents the con- [email protected] 26 Bioremediation solves the challenge of wood-waste disposal

Mitigating environmental risk

Each year,massive volumes of wood waste are generated around the world; Britain alone generates more than two million tonnes. Much of this wood has been treated with preservatives such as CCA (copper, chromium and arsenic), making disposal an environmental headache.

Currently, this impregnated wood waste is burned or Dr. Denis Groleau of the NRC’s Biotechnology Research buried in landfill sites. These processes are costly, howev- Institute in Montreal and Dr. Sam Amartey of the Forest er, as they must be completed in adherance with strict Products Research Centre at the Buckinghamshire government regulations designed to prevent air and soil Chilterns University College teamed up to explore a new pollution. As a result of an NRC-BC collaboration, a new option for wood-waste disposal: bioremediation. Together, alternative has emerged. they set out to determine if they could identify micro- organisms that would harmlessly break down the wood preservatives, making it possible to recycle the wood and Inside the bioreactor, carefully selected also mitigate environmental risk. fungi separate the heavy metals in the The researchers first consulted in 2000 during Dr. Amartey’s visit to Dr. Groleau’s facility.Partly as a result preservatives from the wood itself, of that visit, Dr. Amartey went on to develop a bioreactor. allowing the metals to be recycled into Inside this device, carefully selected fungi separate the heavy metals in the preservatives from the wood itself, new preservatives and the wood into allowing the metals to be recycled into new preservatives, compost. and the wood to be recycled into compost suitable for use in gardens. Dr. Amartey now aims to evolve the technique, which he calls controlled composting, to make it viable on an industrial scale.

[email protected] [email protected] New discoveries about cell-membrane destabilisation 27

Arresting viral infection

As cells grow and divide, their membranes continuously Combining Dr. Katsaras’ expertise in neutron diffrac- merge and separate. Proteins that fuse and interact tion with Dr. Bradshaw’s knowledge of protein-mem- with the membranes control these processes. Some brane interactions, they analyzed a particular class of enable viruses to fuse with host cell membranes and small proteins—viral fusion peptides. These proteins cause infection. Through a NRC-BC collaboration, the enable a virus such as influenza or human immunodefi- field is learning more about possibilities for halting the ciency virus (HIV) to fuse with a host cell membrane and spread of infection. infect the cell. The researchers published the results of their studies As cells grow and divide, their membranes continuously in a series of papers. In recognition of their progress and merge and separate. Proteins that fuse and interact with the in support of an extended collaboration, they received a membranes control these processes. Some enable viruses Researcher Exchange Award. to fuse with host cell membranes and cause infection. In July 2001, Dr. Bradshaw returned to Chalk River Through a NRC-BC collaboration, the field is learning more where he, Dr. Katsaras and Dr.Thad Harroun of the NRC’s about possibilities for halting the spread of infection. Canadian Neutron Beam Centre—a former member of Until now, scientists’ understanding of the merging and the Edinburgh group—investigated a fusion peptide from separation of membranes has been limited. The knowledge the simian immunodeficiency virus (a relative of HIV). that does exist was derived from crystallography, the study Again using neutron scattering techniques, the of the structures of crystallized protein-membrane complex- researchers deduced in outline how fusion occurs, and in es. But because cell membranes are hard to crystallize, only detail how the peptide positions itself in the host cell a few such structures have ever been deciphered. membrane. With the use of computer modelling, they now hope Using neutron scattering techniques, the to use this atomic-level information to explain how the peptide destabilizes the lipid molecules of the cell mem- researchers deduced in outline how fusion brane, allowing the cell to become infected. This research occurs, and in detail how the peptide positions is of major importance, as it could lead to the develop- itself in the host cell membrane. ment of new and better antiviral drugs. [email protected] In 1998, Dr. Jeremy Bradshaw of the University of [email protected] Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and [email protected] Dr. John Katsaras of the NRC’s Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, Chalk River, teamed up to acquire new information about cell-membrane destabilisation using a method other than crystallography. 28 New learning about a naturally transforming bacterium

Protecting the herd

Porcine pneumonia is a devastating disease among pigs that spreads rapidly by aerosol transmission. It can The researchers have combined their expertise to wipe out whole herds in a day, and is a major threat to build DNA screens, identify some of the genes the pig industry.The vaccines that exist are only partial- ly effective because each vaccine protects against only involved, and analyze the DNA-uptake sequences one, or a few, of 15 known serotypes of the disease- of the bacterium. causing bacterium Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Dr. John Nash of the NRC’s Institute for Biological Drs. Nash and Bossé have compared the genomes of Sciences in Ottawa has been sequencing the genome of A. pleuropneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, a that bacterium. Dr. Janine Bossé of the Faculty of bacterium of the same family that causes disease in Medicine at Imperial College London has been studying humans and whose DNA uptake sequence is known. the molecular mechanisms of virulence in the bacterium. They found a similar sequence in A. pleuropneumoniae. Together, the researchers have combined their expertise To determine whether that sequence performs the same to build DNA screens and identify some of the genes function as the uptake sequence in H. influenzae, the involved in the bacterium’s virulence. next step will be to work out the significance of varia- In particular, Drs. Nash and Bossé are interested in the tions between the two. bacterium’s ability to naturally transform itself. A. pleuropneumoniae belongs to the Pasteurellaceae family, some of [email protected] whose members can take up DNA from the environment. [email protected] Their ability to do so can be exploited in the lab to manipulate the bacterium genetically, but it also means that virulence genes can potentially spread within natural popula- tions, with implications for vaccinated animals. It is therefore important that the researchers understand if and how this DNA uptake can occur in A. pleuropneumoniae. New insights into physical states of matter 29

Frustrated magnetism

Traditionally known magnets are materials that consist Professor Steven Bramwell of University College of atoms which align or form other ordered patterns to London was the co-discoverer in 1997 of the most frustrat- produce magnetic properties. Frustrated magnets ed magnetic material known, holmium titanate or spin are a different breed; their chemical bonds do not ice—so-called because it shows the same kind of disor- permit their atoms to form simple patterns. Through a der exhibited by the hydrogen atoms in ice. NRC-BC collaboration, new insights have been gained Having been honoured with a set of researcher into frustrated magnetism in ice. exchange awards, Dr. Bramwell was able to advance his studies of frustrated magnetism. He made several visits to The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that, as the the NRC’s Chalk River facility to work with an expert in temperature drops to absolute zero, the structure of a neutron scattering—Dr. Jason Gardner of the NRC’s material becomes more ordered. In an attempt to obey Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (now at the this law, at low temperatures the atoms in frustrated mag- National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Center for nets contort themselves into exotic patterns that confer Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Maryland). interesting properties on the material. Ice is a famous Using the facilities at Chalk River, Drs. Bramwell and exception to the Third Law in that its structure is disor- Gardner were able to probe the low-temperature magnet- dered at absolute zero. ic properties of spin ice. They also worked with the muon source at the TRIUMF particle and nuclear physics lab in British Columbia. Muons are particles similar to electrons, “Steve was the co-discoverer of these spin ice but with roughly 200 times the mass; they are considered materials. His insight into the compounds was the most sensitive probe of magnetism. indispensable to the interpretation of the data Professor Bramwell’s and Dr. Gardner’s experiments have helped to elucidate some of the exotic structures collected at TRIUMF and Chalk River.” adopted by spin ice, and have also provided insights into - Dr. Jason Gardner the unusual properties of normal ice. [email protected] [email protected] 30 New spray-on sensor speeds micro-moulding process

Accelerating production

With the explosion of the micro- and nanotechnology “In 2003, with the unique and precious oppor- industries has come a huge growth in demand for miniaturized parts—from lenses in mobile phones to tunity provided by the NRC-BC programme, medical diagnostic labs-on-chips. In turn, the moulding IMI was able to introduce smart, miniature industry responsible for manufacturing these parts is being pressured to increase the speed of production. ultrasonic sensors to the UK micromoulding interest group.” - Dr. Cheng-Kuei Jen The current process for efficient production of larger parts involves the use of pressure sensors. These sensors reflected signal and its time-of-flight. This sensor can func- detect when a part has solidified and begun to contract tion at high temperatures and high ultrasound frequencies away from the walls of the mould. The part is then flipped to provide sensitive data about the product’s consistency out of the mould, and the next injection follows. Pressure and cooling characteristics during the micro-moulding sensors aren’t as effective in the production of small-scale process. parts, however. Drs. Jen and Ono have made several visits to Bradford Dr. Elaine Brown and Dr. Benjamin Whiteside of the to work with Drs. Brown and Whiteside in incorporating University of Bradford’s School of Engineering, Design and this novel sensor into their micro-moulding machines. Technology work in one of the world’s leading research Their collaboration, which gained impetus from a groups in the area of micro-injection moulding, or micro- Researcher Exchange Award, has major implications for moulding. One of their focuses is to optimize the efficien- the moulding industry: the new versatile spray-on sensor cy of the micro-moulding process for small-scale parts. may increase process efficiency and help with identifica- At the NRC’s Industrial Materials Institute (IMI) in tion of product defects. Meanwhile, researchers at the Boucherville, Québec, Dr. Cheng-Kuei Jen and Dr.Yuu Ono University of Bradford are considering adapting the sensor have developed a new solution—a spray-on sensor that for larger, more conventional moulding applications. can be applied to the external surface of a mould, where it acts as both a sensor and a source of ultrasound waves. [email protected] The waves pass through the mould and the part, reflect [email protected] off the internal surfaces of the mould cavity, then travel [email protected] back to the sensor which records the strength of the [email protected] Requirements technology comes of age 31

Advancing COTS

In the past few years, large organizations have moved which the City University and NRC groups were prominent. away from using proprietary software packages Dr. Ncube used his exchange visit as a springboard to pursue developed in-house and have begun using less costly, ideas for constructing large-scale COTS packages that would commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software. As this satisfy the needs of large enterprises over the long term. shift has occurred, computer scientists have been He and Dr. Dean agreed on the importance that COTS faced with the challenge of designing versatile COTS packages be evaluated against user requirements. For packages that can easily be adapted by users to meet instance, a project management software tool should take their specific needs. into account such factors as the number of people who will use the tool and over what time period, and it should In 2000, Dr. Cornelius Ncube of City University’s Centre be flexible enough to allow tailoring to accommodate the for Human Computer Interaction Design in London visited requirements of other users. Mr. John Dean of the NRC’s Institute for Information This approach, dubbed requirements technology, will Technology to discuss how COTS could evolve to meet ensure the COTS industry evolves and grows in a com- emerging demands. mercially viable way. At that point, Dr. Ncube felt there had been insufficient discussion among the world’s leading research groups in [email protected] the field of COTS-based systems engineering—a field in [email protected] 32 UK-Canada Innovation

Contact Information

For further information on scientific aspects, please contact the scientists at their research institutions. For all other information, please contact British Council Canada.

Acknowledgements

British Council Canada is grateful to the following organizations and individuals for the provision of graphic material used in the production of this brochure:

The National Research Council of Canada and Mr. Harry Turner in particular.

Page 9: Dr. Werner A. Hofer, currently of the Surface Science Research Centre, University of Liverpool, UK

Page 10, 11: Anne Marcil, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada

Page 12: National Research Council of Canada

Page 13: Giulio Torlone, Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology, National Research Council of Canada

Page 14: Dr. David Dye (presently of Imperial College, London UK) PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2000

Page 15: National Research Council of Canada

Page 16: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

Page 17,top: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

Page 17,bottom: National Research Council of Canada

Page 24: National Research Council of Canada

Page 24, inset: Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada

Page 25: Daniel Gamache, Institute for Information Technology, National Research Council of Canada

Page 27: Dr. Thad Harroun, currently of Dept. Physics, Brock University, St. Catherines, ON

Page 28, inset: National Research Council of Canada.

Page 29 : TRIUMF

Page 30: Juken Kogyo Co. Ltd.

Page 31: National Research Council of Canada