Projets novateurs réalisés

Real-time electromagnetic navigation of oral cancer resection

Breast?conserving surgery (BCS) is a mainstay in breast cancer treatment. For nonpalpable breast cancers, current strategies have limited accuracy, contributing to high tumor-positive margin rates. Perk-Lab developed NaviKnife, a surgical navigation system based on real?time electromagnetic (EM) tracking.

The goal of the research project is to confirm the further feasibility of intraoperative EM navigation in vitro phantom experimental setup and to assess the potential value of surgical navigation. Hypothesis of using the system is to get improved numbers and success rates of surgical procedures.

Expected results would demonstrate that real?time EM navigation is feasible in the operating room for BCS. Excisions performed with navigation result in the removal of less breast tissue without compromising tumor-positive margin rates. In future use of navigation better surgical outcomes mean better survivability, less morbidity and mortality.

Effets bénéfiques de l’estradiol chez la femelle ovarectomisée soumise à l’hypoxie intermittente : implication de l’AMPK

Le syndrome d’apnées du sommeil touche un milliard de personnes dans le monde et est associé à des pathologies cardiovasculaires et métaboliques telles que l’insuffisance coronarienne et le diabète de type 2. Chez la femme ménopausée, la prévalence et les conséquences du SAS augmentent. Les équipes du Pr. Joseph et du Dr Belaïde utilisent l’hypoxie intermittente (HI); une conséquence majeure du SAS, comme modèle préclinique afin de mieux comprendre cette pathologie et proposer des pistes de traitements complémentaires au traitement actuel dont l’efficacité est partielle. L’équipe du Pr. Joseph (U. Laval) a montré que l’estradiol prévient l’intolérance au glucose chez des souris femelles soumises à l’HI. Or, l’équipe du Dr. Belaidi (U. Grenoble) a montré que l’activation de l’Adenosine MonoPhosphate-activated Kinase (AMPK) améliore la tolérance au glucose chez des mâles. Nous testerons donc l’hypothèse que l’estradiol améliore la tolérance au glucose des femelles ovariectomisées hypoxiques via une activation de l’AMPK.

Development of High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) Iron Aluminide Coatings Reinforced With Hard Ceramic Particles for Wear Resistant Applications

This project aims at developing new coating materials exhibiting high oxidation, corrosion and wear resistance to addresses the specific needs of power generation equipment, which operate under severe erosion and abrasion conditions in corrosive environments.

Supporting adolescent athletes through a team building and mental health program – Year two

Canadian adolescent athletes suffer many mental health challenges such as hyper competitiveness and a culture of silence which often precludes individuals from discussing mental health issues. These challenges have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Unbreakable (the partner organization) have run a highly successful physical activity and mental health program which is implemented through local school boards. The current project will adapt this program by integrating a team building module which will be implemented through coaches of community sport programs. Team building is a highly effective strategy to increase social connectedness in adolescents, which is a vital component of mental health. Further implementing the program through sport coaches offers a promising approach as coaches are influential role models to young athletes and are likely to increase the effectiveness of the program. The current project will also develop a range of online resources which can help sport coaches, administrators, and athletes discuss, understand, and support individuals with mental health issues. Overall, this project will help reduce the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in young athletes and contribute to the de-stigmatization of mental health issues in Canadian sport.

Supporting adolescent athletes through a team building and mental health program

Canadian adolescent athletes suffer many mental health challenges such as hyper competitiveness and a culture of silence which often precludes individuals from discussing mental health issues. These challenges have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Unbreakable (the partner organization) have run a highly successful physical activity and mental health program which is implemented through local school boards. The current project will adapt this program by integrating a team building module which will be implemented through coaches of community sport programs. Team building is a highly effective strategy to increase social connectedness in adolescents, which is a vital component of mental health. Further implementing the program through sport coaches offers a promising approach as coaches are influential role models to young athletes and are likely to increase the effectiveness of the program. The current project will also develop a range of online resources which can help sport coaches, administrators, and athletes discuss, understand, and support individuals with mental health issues. Overall, this project will help reduce the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in young athletes and contribute to the de-stigmatization of mental health issues in Canadian sport.

Inclusion scolaire : le rôle de la recherche dans la conception de l’action publique, la formation et la pratique des professionnels de l’éducation

Dans de nombreux pays, l’inclusion scolaire est devenue un enjeu politique majeur pour renforcer l’égalité d’accès aux savoirs. L’intention politique, accompagnée par les apports de la recherche dans ce domaine de l’inclusion scolaire, s’est concrétisée par des réformes favorisant l’adaptation aux besoins éducatifs particuliers des élèves.
Dans deux contextes, la Suisse et le Québec, ce projet a pour objectif général de confronter et d’analyser de manière croisée, trois niveaux de retraduction et de mise en œuvre de l’école inclusive : dans les politiques éducatives (à travers les lois et l’encadrement), dans la professionnalisation des formations des enseignants, dans l’organisation et la division du travail au sein des établissements scolaires. De plus, il vise à questionner la place et les apports de la recherche en éducation dans ces trois niveaux de retraduction.

CuO/ZnO electro-catalysts for CO2 electro-reduction.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide recycling offers an attractive approach to the synthesis of fuels and chemical feedstocks using renewable energy. However, fundamental and applied science hurdles remain on the path to the deployment of this technology. Integrating catalytic design and mechanistic understanding will lead to scientific insights and advance the technology towards industrial relevance. Catalysts must produce valuable carbon-based products with better selectivity, lower overpotentials, and improved current densities with long-time testing. In this project proposal, effort will be placed on the electrode optimization of CuO/ZnO composite oxides, which will be designed in different morphologies and compositions. Testing the catalysts in flow-cell to investigate the influence of active sites, morphology, and composition on the CO and C+2 products.
The expected outcome of the project is that the different morphologies of ZnO/CuO lead to different selectivity and efficiency during CO2 electrolysis. In addition, the fabrication of the electrode using different additives and techniques will allow us to understand the effects on the stability and efficiency of the electrode for long testing.

Ayazazi

AYAZAZI (meaning ‘Knowing Themselves’ in Zulu) was a CIHR funded youth-centred, multi-site, interdisciplinary, prospective cohort study focused on HIV prevention among 425 adolescents and young adults (aged 16-24 years) residing in Soweto and Durban, who reported HIV-negative or unknown status at enrolment. AYAZAZI is guided by a youth engagement framework, which prioritizes youth-friendly spaces and opportunities for young people to be meaningfully involved throughout the research process. Currently, there 12-18 months of follow-up data among AYAZAZI participants, including questionnaire data on socio-demographics, health service use, SRHR, mental health, substance use, and use of technology, clinical data including HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and biological data which includes markers of inflammation. Our team is currently collecting qualitative data to explore youth’s perceptions of a scale (the sexual relationship power scale) that was included at 6, 12, & 18 (Soweto only) months. We have also recently submitted a project grant to determine the social determinants of health that contribute directly or indirectly to immune activation and chronic inflammation among the 253 young women who participated in the AYAZAZI study.

An examination of the sex-specific psychophysiological markers of risk for physical and mental health problems across modes of cannabis use

The interns for this proposed project will work under the supervision of Dr. Thompson to extend our understanding of the health risks associated with different modes of administration and investigate sex and gender differences in cannabis use, practices, effects, and outcomes. Identifying indicators of negative health outcomes is an important step in developing effective cannabis prevention and intervention practices and policies. Through engagement with the partner organization (CCSA), the interns will develop skills and expertise in knowledge synthesis, written and verbal communication, and meaningful engagement with stakeholders. CCSA will benefit by obtaining new knowledge concerning the health and social impacts of cannabis on young people. The evidence generated from this research will support CCSA in their efforts to strengthen the development of policies, programs and practices that will optimize a public health approach to non-medical cannabis use, as well as inform the legislated three-year review of the Cannabis Act.

No (or low) biocide antifouling coatings for aquaculture

Biofouling is the process where marine organisms adhere to surfaces used in aquaculture and marine applications, such as tanks, netting, plumbing, and hull surfaces. The additional weight and drag on surfaces and narrowing of openings in netting or plumbing strongly affect energy costs and efficiency of operations. Conventional anti-biofouling coatings contain tin or copper, which are ecologically damaging and are or will likely be regulated in these applications. The intern, in cooperation with Kavacha, will evaluate coating materials that contain no or low amounts of biocides, but will rather rely on physical properties, such as surface energy and the generation of micro- and nanostructures to retard biofouling processes. The coatings will be evaluated for their efficiency and potential ecotoxicity using methods developed by the intern and university partner for Kavacha, the industrial partner, as part of their product development process.

Segmentation automatique de dents à partir des scans oraux

L’automatisation des tâches de fabrication dans les laboratoires de prothèses dentaires revêt un intérêt considérable, à la fois pour les techniciens et pour les patients. En effet, une partie importante du travail consiste en des tâches répétitives, longues et qui exigent un effort de concentration et de minutie soutenu. Par conséquent, il existe une grande variabilité dans la qualité de la production des laboratoires et l’automatisation par l’intelligence artificielle (IA) constitue une solution prometteuse à cet égard. Dans le présent projet, les étudiants stagiaires auront pour tâche de constituer un jeu de données servant à entraîner un modèle d’IA pour le traitement automatique de scans oraux servant à la conception de pièces en laboratoire dentaire. Le premier objectif de leur travail sera d’étiqueter chaque dent d’un ensemble de scans de patients de sorte à entraîner un modèle à étiqueter automatiquement les dents à partir de scans. Par la suite, le second objectif consistera à segmenter manuellement des scans pour extraire l’anatomie de chaque dent, de sorte à entraîner un modèle à réaliser la segmentation automatique des dents, étape préliminaire à la conception automatique de dents, soit dans le cadre de la production de couronnes dentaires ou d’implants.

Stress Monitoring in Potash Mines

Mining induced stress in the area around tunnel openings represents a major design consideration in today’s potash mines. The actual induced stress is currently monitored using an array of techniques derived from the hard rock mining industry, one of the key assumptions being linear-elastic deformation behaviour of the rock. When using these methods in an evaporite like potash, issues can arise with the accuracy of these assumptions. The purpose and objective of this research is to assess the accuracy of current standard practice for stress monitoring, and ultimately recommend test an improved procedure. Improved accuracy will lead to better stress models for mining activity in soft rocks, allowing for more proactive engineering controls to be implemented at lower cost than reactive methods.