The LiNX prosthetic system combines microprocessors, sensors, and actuators for simultaneous control of the prosthetic foot and knee. Bi-directional electronic communication coordinates responses to variations in terrain and speed, adjusting for a transfemoral amputee’s situational needs. This study will use state-of-the-art virtual reality technology (CAREN-Extended system) to compare how people with transfemoral amputations walk with […]

This research project regards the rehabilitation programs of stroke patients, and how to improve the understanding of their effectiveness. Although it is recognized that rehabilitation programs help stoke patients with motor recovery, the extent and progression of raw neural adaptation over the rehabilitation process often remains invisible to the physiotherapist, despite the presence of biomedical […]

To achieve the goal of commercializing striped bass aquaculture in Nova Scotia, the obstacle of high (up to 100%) overwinter mortality among young-of-year fish needs to be overcome. Mortality is restricted to fish that are under one year old (underyearlings, 500g) suffer negligible mortality. Potential factors for such low survival rates identified through four years […]

Sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to hair cells, the sensory transducers of the auditory system, and/or the auditory neurons that transmit this information to the brain. Once these cells are lost the body does not naturally regenerate them. Elsewhere it has been shown that cells of one type may be converted into another cell type. […]

Clinical experience demonstrates that canine patients commonly suffer from neuropathic pain and little is known to address this issue. Our study aims to investigate different tools for the diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain. Forty dogs with naturally-occurring neuropathic pain will be included in a prospective, randomized, masked clinical trial using appropriate inclusion and exclusion […]

Chez plusieurs espèces d’oiseaux, les parents travaillent ensemble pour élever leurs jeunes et les traits physiques et comportementaux des parents sont reliés à la survie des petits. Par exemple, ces traits influencent la capacité à disposer d’un bon territoire, à défendre le nid et à trouver de la nourriture. Est-ce que les traits physiques pourraient […]

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an incurable progressive myopathy, caused by the absence of the dystrophin protein. It is characterized by permanent myofiber necrosis, leading to continuous activation of muscle stem cells (MuSCs), that eventually cannot support muscle repair leading to replacement of the muscle by fibro/fatty tissue. We have observed that epigenetic changes in […]

Introduced non-native species are altering the ecology of natural communities at an unprecedented rate, threatening the services they provide, and becoming another driver of climate change. On the Canadian archipelago of Haida Gwaii in 1878, non-indigenous Sitka black-tailed deer were introduced, and in the absence of predators, deer populations have exploded, with detrimental impacts on […]

L’administration de molécules actives au cerveau est sévèrement limitée par la présence de la barrière hématoencéphalique (BHE) qui sépare le compartiment sanguin du système nerveux central (SNC). L’utilisation de nanoparticules polymères, transportant des actifs, pourrait permettre d’améliorer le traitement des maladies touchant le SNC en permettant la traversée de la BHE. Les interactions entre les […]

En 2016, 25 700 Canadiennes développeront un cancer du sein, représentant 26.1% de tous les cancers diagnostiqués et on estime que 5000 femmes en décèderont cette année. Contrairement à un diagnostique, un pronostique nous permet de prédire l’évolution d’une maladie. La recherche de nouvelles méthodes de pronostic non invasive d’un cancer est importante pour déterminer […]

As individuals age, there is not only a decrease in physical fitness and health, but mental fitness and health as well. Therefore, certain measures must be taken in order to slow down this mental health decrease, as it can lead to devastating life events, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and strokes. Oxidants are normally found in […]

L’utilisation de l’approche par traits fonctionnels dans les études de biodiversité connaît une popularité croissante étant donné son utilité dans la compréhension des mécanismes expliquant l’assemblage des communautés et les processus des écosystèmes. Il s’agit de décrire les espèces non pas que par leur nom taxonomique, mais par des caractéristiques morphologiques, physiologiques, phénologiques et comportementales […]