Projets novateurs réalisés

High-precision laser sensor for unburnt hydrocarbon emissions

Improving air quality while supporting clean growth and future transportation technology represents a significant societal challenge for Canada and the UK. Emissions of unburnt hydrocarbon (uHC) fuel directly affects public health, and their reduction from vehicles such as hybrid cars require new solutions. Recent research conducted by Professor Cyril Crua’s team at the University of Brighton has demonstrated that large fuel films on the tip of injector nozzles can be stripped and released in the form of unburnt fuel. However it is not currently possible to establish how much of this liquid fuel is actually released into the exhaust in the form of uHCs. This project will establish a new collaboration with the team led by Prof. Patrick Kirchen at the University of British Columbia to develop a novel high-precision laser-based sensor that can unveil the link between the formation of fuel films inside engines, and the release of unburnt fuel into the exhaust. This will enable both teams to significantly accelerate our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the release of uHCs into the environment, and their impact on air quality.

Albeniz’s Music and the Sentence Principle

The proposed research project will examine the applicability of William Caplin’s theories of formal functions to the music of the 19th-century Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. Caplinian formal-function theory considers the “syntactical” roles played by various parts/sections of particular musical work in relation to the whole, and the capacity of different compositional techniques to express musical temporality, all resulting in well-defined archetypical formal constructions. The importance of this research lies in the fact that it will contribute to diversify our discipline by enlarging the repertoire traditionally dealt with in Music Theory and Analysis. In particular, I will focus on Albéniz’s use of one of Caplin’s “formal types”: the sentence. This work will form one of the chapters of my PhD dissertation, while my larger dissertation research project seeks to elucidate the weight of 18th-century tonal and formal syntax in the music of Albéniz.

A Study of Multimodal Guitar Augmentation for Gestural Expressivity

Although the electric guitar has widely been valued as a vehicle for musical expression, many of the efforts that have been carried out to bring the instrument up to date with the era of digital music fail to capture that richness. Attempts at creating interfaces based on the guitar using either sensors or analysis of the sound produced by the instrument have been carried out in the past but, given the complexity of the analysis of musical gestures and the translation of expressive meaning, these methods have never been widely adopted.
With this research we propose to validate an augmented instrument prototype based on a guitar with sensors and an hexaphonic pickup to detect different kinds of string bending, a technique commonly used by guitarist to raise the pitch of the
string to add articulation to their playing. This gesture has been popularly said to provide singing and talking qualities to guitar playing.
We will extract information from both the audio signals produced by the instrument and sensors that detect string movement to obtain enhanced information enhanced information on how guitarists use this resource.

Machine Learning and Automatic IDS Signature Generation

Founded in 2011, StreamScan is an organization specialized in computer security operational. The company is composed of several experts in the fields of management security incidents, intrusion detection, security audit, penetration testing, security governance, security breach detection and of artificial intelligence applied to cybersecurity. StreamScan’s expertise is used by many cyber-victimized organizations attacks. Its incident response team has supported several companies to minimize the damage from hackers and ensure that cyber threats are eradicated from the company infrastructure. StreamScan’s advanced detection technology of cyber threats has been selected by the Canadian government as an innovation. StreamScan markets the new generation of detection systems for SMEs as well as big enterprises. The proposed project aims at improving the AI algorithms developed by StreamScan and their management.

Outil decisionnel pour I’exploitation miniere : Etude geo environnementaledu gisement Marban, Val d’Or, Quebec

L’etude sera realisee sur la caracterisation des residus miniers, des sols,

des sediments, des eaux et de I’air (associe aux poussieres) effectuant un suivi spatiotemporel

par la speciation physique des elements-traces metalliques (Solubilite et

adsorption des elements dans Ie sol) et la speciation chimique des elements-traces

metalliques ( Solubilite des elements dans I’eau, liens des elements avec les oxydes de Fe et

Mn, liaison des elements avec les carbonates, les sulfures, les elements-traces metalliques

residuels et detritiques) pour permettre de degager les grandes lignes de considerations

environnementales du projet de developpement minier.

Athletes Embodied: Developing and disseminating a sport-specific body image program

The goal of the project is to develop relationships between academic and non-academic partners to gain insight and knowledge that can be used to inform the Athletes Embodied program. This initial partnership is the first step in establishing an effective and feasible program to reduce body image concerns in girls’ sport, enhance sport experiences, and contribute to retaining female adolescents in sport. The Canadian Eating Disorder Strategy, informed by NEDIC, has identified sport as a significant area of concern among female body image and disordered eating. Athletes Embodied will aim to address the needs of this population and enhance the sport experience among female adolescents

Développement d’un test d’efficacité et identification de biomarqueur permettant d’évaluer la capacité du lait maternel à prévenir l’entérocolite nécrosante

L’entérocolite nécrosante (NEC) est la plus commune et la plus meurtrière des maladies inflammatoires de l’intestin. Elle affecte 5 à 10 % des enfants prématurés ayant un poids inférieur à 1500 g. Le lait maternel constitue l’approche la plus efficace pour prévenir ou traiter la NEC. En effet, il a été montré que l’alimentation avec du lait maternel réduit de trois à dix fois le risque de NEC chez les prématurés nourris au lait maternel comparativement à ceux nourris au lait maternisé. Le lait maternel contient plusieurs éléments susceptibles d’expliquer sa capacité à prévenir la NEC. En effet, il contient plusieurs éléments (molécules bioactives) qui favorisent la survie des cellules humaines de l’intestin. Ces facteurs préviennent l’inflammation ce qui empêche le développement de la NEC. Ce projet vise à élaborer un test d’efficacité permettant de prédire la capacité des lots de lait maternel produits par Héma-Québec à prévenir l’apparition de l’inflammation.

Origin and geochemistry of the Upper Cambrian slope carbonates of the Martin Point reference section in western Newfoundland

The proposed investigation will combine the petrographic and geochemical techniques to better understand the geochemistry of the Martin Point slope carbonates in comparison with their modern biotic and abiotic counterparts to evaluate the degree of preservation of primary geochemical, a cornerstone of building reliable interpretations. This work is beneficial from a planning and costing exercise to the partner and provides further contribution to body of work for the country as a whole.

Mesurer l’impact socio-économique d’initiatives en éducation financière dans un pays en voie de développement : Méthodologies proposées

De nombreuses ONGs implantent des plans éducatifs dans des pays en voie de développement. Habituellement, des indicateurs de l’atteinte des objectifs sont proposés afin d’évaluer les retombées directes du projet. Mais qu’en est-il des retombées indirectes auprès des populations impliquées dans le projet? Comment utilisent-elles les nouveaux apprentissages dans les autres domaines de leur vie? Comment évaluer ces retombées indirectes lorsque des participants adultes ne savent pas lire ni écrire? L’objectif général du projet est de fournir un répertoire de méthodologies qui peuvent être appliquées dans des populations émergentes afin d’évaluer des retombées indirectes d’une formation. Nous effectuerons une recension des écrits afin de sélectionner les textes qui peuvent nous être utiles. À ce répertoire, nous ajouterons les méthodologies que la chercheure et les doctorants ont utilisées dans le cadre de divers projets internationaux.

Investigation du potentiel des argiles témiscabitibiennes dans la confectionde ciments écologiques destinés au remblayage minier

Le remblai minier en pâte cimenté (RMPC) est une pratique courante ayant de multiples avantages prouvés.
Toutefois, le remblayage par RMPC est, désormais, confronté à diverses problématiques liées aux liants utilisés
pour assurer sa cohésion : il s’agit surtout de leurs coûts, du caractère polluant de leurs procédés de fabrication
et des coûts additionnels pour leur transport. La recherche de sources locales de ciments écologiques et ayant
des coûts abordables pour le RMPC s’avère une solution pertinente afin de rendre l’opération de remblayage plus
économique et écologique. Dans ce sens la valorisation des argiles de la région d ’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, en tant
que source de ciments à empreinte carbone réduite s’avère une alternative prometteuse. Ce projet vise, donc, à
évaluer le potentiel des argiles témiscabitibiennes en tant qu’additif pour la formulation d’un nouveau remblai
minier en pâte écologique.

Enhancement of Canine Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Immune-Modulatory Properties and In Vivo Feasibility Testing in Elbow Dysplasia Patients

Osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability in dogs. Today, the therapeutic role of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as a potential treatment for immune and inflammatory disorders is well-defined. We are interested in exploring the immune-modulatory property of canine MSCs with the aim of exploiting it as a potential therapy in dogs with Elbow Dysplasia. This foundational work will support future funding applications to conduct a randomized clinical trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. This project will provide a baseline for a long-term research program to discover new drugs and/or cell-based products that can develop novel treatment strategies to help osteoarthritis patients.

Sustainable Community Development in London, Ontario

The student intern will compile a report on the best practices available to developers for inclusion in a sustainable community development project. Additionally, the student intern will conduct a cost-benefit analysis as well as a feasibility analysis in order to determine the feasibility of the creation of a sustainable neighbourhood in London, Ontario. The best practice report, cost-benefit analysis, and feasibility analysis will be used in conjunction with the suggestions of the student intern in order for Sifton Properties Limited to determine which researched practices to include in the design of their sustainable community development project.