Researchers in Ontario use various digital tools, technologies, and services to help with their work. This includes software, hardware, and people with technical expertise. Compute Ontario helps ensure that researchers have access to the digital resources and services that they need to complete their research. The demand for these resources is growing in Canada, and it is important that researchers in Ontario have the tools they need to complete their studies and assist in discovery.

Chronic pain is a devastating disease that lacks safe and effective treatments. Development of new pain therapeutics depends on understanding the spinal circuitry underlying chronic pain, but most previous studies focus on this circuitry in male rodents. Our previous work has developed tools for studying the spinal cord pain system using human organ donor tissue to address the translation gap in pain research. Here, we will expand on our human tissue models to study the spinal cord circuitry that underlies chronic pain using cutting-edge technology.

This project pilots “Earth Diver” an online digital ‘land-based’ creation, curation, and exhibition site in the virtual world platform Second Life. The project re-imagines the digital gallery space as a virtual expression of Indigenous pedagogies, land relations, and sovereignty.

Smartpods, located in Dieppe, New Brunswick, have developed a new product “the Pulse Quest”. The Pulse Quest is a digital monitoring technology that transforms an ordinary electric adjustable desk into a “smart” desk. Not only does the Pulse Quest automate the movement of the sit stand desk, it simultaneously collects data on a battery of employee health measures. This project would bring together the research expertise from Dr. Cardoso’s Laboratoire de Performance Occupationnel (LPO) (l’Université de Moncton), Dr.

Many First Nation communities are now exploring and developing post-harvest livelihood activities related to the purchase, transformation, and sale of catch from band harvesters. This research will assess post-harvest businesses currently operating within NS Mi’kmaq communities, and new livelihood opportunities currently being considered by Mi’kmaq Band Councils and entrepreneurs. This assessment will focus on the overall sustainability of the fishery operations, including social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors, among others.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada indicates that approximately 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are suffering with mental illness; however, only 20% receive proper treatment. Studies have shown that the pandemic impacts children’s physical and mental health, and children are now experiencing increased mental health and physical challenges as a result of COVID-19. Do we — as parents and early childhood educators — have plans to protect, recast, and reinvigorate children’s physical and mental health in the new normal?

A large proportion of people require vision correction, and about 10% of them prefer using contact lenses. However, one of the key questions that has arisen is whether wearing contact lenses is safe during this pandemic. Currently this question remains highly debated and further scientific studies are required to adequately answer this question. Two important factors that may help removal of the viruses from contact lenses are the use of cleaning solutions and the human blinking reflex.

Osteoporosis is a generalized skeletal disorder common in older adults, in which a reduction in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) decreases bone’s strength and can result in an increased risk of fragility fractures. One of the sites commonly affected by osteoporosis is the proximal femur (“hip”), the fracture of which greatly decreases mobility and function, as well as being responsible for high health care costs for society (estimated at $619M annually)1,2.

We have developed novel image processing techniques to extract much more information from each clinical DXA scan than simply a BMD measure.

This project will undertake research on the governance of shipping Canada (a) to explain its global and domestic structures, frameworks, actors, interconnections, and processes in the simplest terms possible and (b) to analyse contemporary major drivers of change in the system. Four transformative issue areas will be addressed, namely the interface between shipping and Indigenous rights, the significance of marine spatial planning for shipping, the growing role of risk governance and self- regulation, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occupational health and safety of seafarers.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can be divided into three clinical phenotypes: relapsing remitting (RRMS), secondary progressive (SPMS) and primary progressive (PPMS). RRMS is characterized by episodic worsening followed by full or partial recovery, whereas SPMS and PPMS are characterized by steady accrual of disability.Progressive MS remains poorly understood and generally fails to respond to therapies that are effective in RRMS. This may be related to fundamental differences in the biology that underlies relapsing vs.