Projets novateurs réalisés

Controlled release of analgesics for opioid-free post-operative pain control

Amacathera Inc. has developed a novel, injectable, hydrogel platform technology that extends the release of drugs over time in the body. The company’s lead program is targeted at pain relief following surgery. They have combined their hydrogel with an anesthetic in order to provide pain relief for up to 72 hours. This eliminates the need for the prescription of opioids, as well as reduces patient healthcare costs to the hospital. In this project, the intern will work with the hydrogel to conduct experiments to 1) provide further proof that the hydrogel is able to release the anesthetics for 72 hours and 2) develop new formulations of the hydrogel which will further increase the length of release for other drugs, for example, a release of 1 month. Amacathera Inc. will use the information in its initial meeting with the FDA and to enter into phase 1 clinical trials, as well as to expand its product portfolio and disease areas.

The Skyscraper : a viewing instrument for the metropolis

My doctoral research deals with the summit of the skyscrapers, considered as a dual device: as seen from the city below, and as looking at it, thanks to the viewing decks they deploy.
Whereas their exterior shapes mark the skyline, they offer vantage points for the discovery of the metropolis by the local residents and the tourists alike.
Together with a historical analysis of the main stages in the design of the skyscrapers and their summits, the focus is a comparative analysis of a set of observation desks, located in cities such as New York, Paris and Montreal, and considered in their latest developments.
Shanghai has been an extraordinary stage for high-rise structures for the past twenty years. The investigation of Shanghai’s buildings is particularly relevant to my research, both in terms of the quantity of observation decks located in the city and in terms of their design and operation. Besides the development of the thesis, the research stay will generate publications and support the development of a collaboration on high-rise buildings between Jiao Tong university and UdeM.

Cluster local and global network embeddedness: implications for learning and innovation

Clusters are a geographically proximate group of inter-connected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities. They have long been recognized as motors of regional economic development. Numerous studies have found their positive influence on entrepreneurship and innovation compared to non-cluster regions. Indeed, there is an ample evidence explaining why clusters are beneficial for regions and why they generate positive externalities: it has been established that they give common access to a regional pool of talent and specialized labor, foster interactions between firms and associated research institutions thereby provoking the exchange of resources and knowledge.

At the same time, due to advances in transportation and communication technology and other globalisation-related trends, firms located in clusters have started to fine-slice production processes and disperse activities over multiple locations as an effective value-creation strategy. In addition to dispersing their value chains, firms also started to form different partnerships and strategic alliances with firms located outside their clusters. Despite the obvious importance of these processes, minimal attention been given to understanding how these transformational processes affect local cluster performance and innovation. […]

Effet des probiotiques sur le métabolisme osseux : étude chez la souris

La scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescent (SIA) est une maladie de cause inconnue, affectant 4% de la population pédiatrique et qui implique une croissance anormale et désynchronisé de la colonne vertébrale. Notre laboratoire s’intéresse à la composition de la flore intestinale (appelée microbiote) pour tenter d’expliquer le développement et la progression de la SIA. Dans ce projet collaboratif, nous voulons tester l’hypothèse que certaines souches de probiotiques (des micro-organismes vivants qui ont un effet bénéfique pour la santé de l’intestin), identifiées dans le laboratoire de Dr.Vidal à Lyon, pourraient avoir un impact sur le métabolisme osseux et ainsi être bénéfiques dans le cadre de la maladie. Nous voulons étudier chez des souris l’effet de probiotiques candidats sur l’expression de certains gènes et protéines en lien avec le métabolisme énergétique et osseux. L’étude du microbiote intestinal et des probiotiques est une avenue nouvelle pour contrer le développement ou la progression de la SIA et nos résultats pourraient mener à de nouvelles pistes de traitements.

Effects of changes in mechanical load on cardiac autoregulation in vivo

The heart beats 3-4 billion times in a person’s lifetime, making it the only part of the body that continues to work – without a break – for one’s entire existence! For this to occur, the heart must be highly regulated, so that is continues to function normally. Much of this regulation occurs within the heart itself, with the most important factor being tissue stretch. This allows the heart to adapt to changes in physical demands to keep blood flow in balance. Current studies looking at the regulation of the heart in response to stretch are performed primarily in isolated tissue and cells. In this Mitacs project, my goal is to study cardiac regulation in the intact animal, to understand how it works at the whole organism level. The research team at Colorado State University has developed a method for this, which I will learn, combine with my current techniques for measuring cardiac function, and then bring back to Dalhousie University to further explore cardiac regulation in healthy and diseased states […]

Bridging the Gap: Minerva Canada Teaching Module Project, Phase II

This project is an undertaking in coordination with Minerva Canada which aims to address a

gap between industry and the graduates of engineering programs in terms of attitudes,

knowledge and applied skills pertaining to health & safety in engineering practice. Through a

series of phases from curriculum planning to implementation, the project’s end product will

include stand-alone teaching modules that can be integrated into each year of an engineering

program related to health & safety for universities across Canada. The project is currently in

phase II, the development of a curriculum plan for content and integration into all four years of

engineering.

Advanced Composite Membranes for Water Vapour Separations

Membrane based energy recovery ventilation (ERV) is now a key component of most energy efficient modern buildings. The ERV market is estimated to grow to $3.8B by 2022. ERVs improve the indoor air quality of buildings through ventilation and reduce the energy cost of ventilation by using building exhaust air to pre-condition fresh building supply air. In cooling conditions heat and humidity are removed from the incoming air and in heating condition heat and moisture are added to the incoming air. The membrane in the device allows the transport heat and moisture without transport of other gases and contaminants from the exhaust air to the supply air. Current polymeric membrane ERV technology is durable and has moderate performance, but new materials are required to further increase the membrane vapour transport performance and function to make more efficient devices. TO BE CONT’D

Development of a calibration method for Mecademic’s Meca500 robot arm

Mecademic manufactures the smallest and most precise six-axis robot arm. The repeatability of this robot is better than 0.005 mm, but like any industrial robot, the robot’s accuracy is far worse. Although all robot parts are machined and assembled precisely, the only practical way of improving the robot’s accuracy is to calibrate each individual robot. While various methods for the calibration of six-axis robot arms have already been developed in the past, the proposed research project differs in several aspects. First, the applicant will use a CMM to measure the position and orientation of the robot’s end-effector. One novelty of the project will be the possible use of a datum cube as an artifact to be attached to the end-effector and probed with the CMM. This will significantly reduce the time needed for calibrating a robot. Finally, since the applicant will have full access to all physical characteristics of the robot, an attempt will be made to develop a simpler mathematical model, so that the model can be used in real time.

Towards Diversity in VR: Impact and Evaluation

The proposed project provides an intervention on the exclusionary practices, expectations, and development of contemporary VR. The project seeks to produce a Diversity Toolkit document for developers and designers working with VR. Analyzing relevant study data based on ongoing initiatives, the student will draft areas of interest, detailing the contexts conditions that are necessary for equity, diversity, and inclusion within the VR industry and the Game Industry more generally.

Acute effects of single arm muscle fatigue on bilateral cortical inhibition and functional connectivity

Diseases and injuries can affect essential activities of daily living like holding objects or walking. Investigating ways to optimize motor learning and performance is important for patient (i.e., stroke patients) and healthy populations (i.e., athletes). Exercising muscles to fatigue on one side of the body may improve motor tasks executed by the opposite limb. This study looks at short-term effects of exercising one arm to fatigue on nervous system activity and handgrip strength of both arms. Forty-five participants from the University of Oxford, UK will be assigned by chance to one of three conditions: single arm fatiguing exercise, sham (non-fatiguing exercise), or rest. Brain scans and handgrip strength measures before and after will be taken for all groups. By determining the effectiveness of using exercise-induced fatigue to improve motor learning in the fatigued and non-fatigued limb, this study may have substantial clinical implications for recovery from single-limb injury or impairment.

L’itinérance des femmes Kanaka Maoli: regard empirique sur les conditions de (sur)vie

Dans l’intention de parfaire notre compréhension des conditions de (sur)vie liées à l’itinérance féminine à Honolulu, ce mémoire empirique cherche à observer quels sont les vécus subjectifs de ces femmes à l’aide de l’approche biographique. Ce projet de maîtrise s’attarde spécifiquement à l’itinérance des femmes autochtones hawaiiennes afin de comprendre, de manière spécifique au genre et aux conditions autochtones, quelles sont les conditions subjectives de vie de celles-ci. Ce désir de compréhension du vécu subjectif s’insère dans une observation plus large des mécanismes sociaux ayant des répercussions sur les femmes rencontrées, notamment en ce qui a trait à l’exclusion, à la marginalisation, à la violence, etc. L’intention méthodologique est de réaliser des entrevues semi-dirigées auprès d’un petit nombre de femmes acceptant de participer à mon étude afin d’en dégager diverses similitudes dans les vécus subjectifs.

Advancement and evaluation of novel a quantitative ultrasound method for tissue characterization in dental diagnostics.

Gingival thickness (biotype) and quality of soft tissues have a significant impact on the outcome of dental restorative and regenerative therapy for many patients. Assessment of periodontal biotype is critical when selecting appropriate protocols in the field of dental surgery. Chosen methodology will have significant ramifications on the restoration of the soft and hard oral tissues, healing time, success rate and overall oral health. Currently used gingival biotype determination methods are limited to visual and invasive assessment; user-dependent, inaccurate and result in misinterpretation. Other invasive methods such as mechanical trans-gingival penetration (bone-sounding), transparency or radiography techniques are presently available, but all have proven to be inadequate in dental practice. A device has been developed that consists of a miniaturized probe with a specifically designed ultrasonic transducer that can address the needs in this field. This project will evaluate and optimize the performance of this device to meet clinical usability requirements.