A novel scaffold for tympanic membrane repair – Year two

The ability to hear, and the quality of our hearing, depends on the health of the eardrum. Eardrum perforations due to diseases and accidents can be treated using grafts, such as autologous grafts, allografts and xenografts. These replacements suffer from various limitations such as donor site morbidity, long operation time and healing time, and risk […]

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Comparative effectiveness, and network meta-analysis of pre-insulin oral hypoglycemic drugs in the treatment of type II diabetes

The proposed project is two-phased. The first phase involves a study that will use specialized research analysis techniques to compare the effectiveness of pharmaceutical drugs used to treat type II diabetes and to identify if a group of drugs are producing similar benefits in terms of controlling the disease. The applicant’s clinical and epidemiological background […]

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Education in the field; using behavioral wildlife research to inform the interpretive program of an eco-tourism operation – Year two

Knight Inlet Lodge is an eco-tourism resort specializing in grizzly bear viewing, and caters to both national and international clients. The business requires research to improve their interpretive program by informing guide naturalists on the function of observed bear behaviour. Research is required to: 1) assess the relatedness and movements patterns of regularly observed bears, […]

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Identifying the molecular mechanisms of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and screening NETosis-suppressing drugs to treat cystic fibrosis lung disease

Recent discoveries show that neutrophils mainly die by formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in Cystic Fibrosis airways. Therefore determining mechanism and identifying FDA-approved drugs that inhibit NETosis could provide novel options to treat CF lung disease. We aimed to do the comparative gene expression analysis during NETosis induced by different NET inducing agents (PMA,LPS,A23187) […]

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Predictive Models for the Manitoba Bio-Economy Atlas

The intern will develop a multi-year model of a biomass supply chain for Manitoba, which will comprise the back end for a web based Bio-Economy Atlas tool. The tool will create feasibility level assessments of the volume, consistency, variability, accessibility and logistics costs of the biofuel resource in Manitoba, including both conventional sources, such as […]

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Multiple shock dependencies with applications to insurance risks

Traditional insurance models build on the assumption of independence of risks. One of the main causes of the recent financial crisis, this assumption has facilitated the quantification of risks for decades, but it has often lead to risks’ under-estimation and as a result under-pricing. Importantly, one of the prime pillars of the novel concept of […]

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Developing a newly tunable Phase-Mask Interferometer for Fiber Bragg Grating inscription – Year two

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have attracted considerable interest in the past three decades as a key technology in different applications. The intention of this project is to develop a FBG writing technique based on a scanning tunable Phase-Mask Interferometer using different UV lasers. The project includes optimizing the tunability of the interferometer, and analyzing the […]

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Impacts of hydroelectricity production on aquatic ecosystems: Development of key environmental indicators for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach – Year two

In boreal and temperate regions, dams are mainly constructed to provide ecosystem services such as hydroelectricity production. River impoundment and the alteration of natural hydrological regimes are suggested to be major disturbances to aquatic ecosystems. To meet long-term environmental objectives for sustainable development, Hydro-Quebec recently adopted the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. LCA is an […]

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Development of new generation of tool steels by modification in chemical composition, grain refinement, and cryogenic treatment

DK SPEC is a major producer of cutting tool steels for the Canadian wood industry. A combination of High strength, good toughness, and wear resistance determines the quality of a tool steel. In the framework of Engage, EngagePlus and MITACS acceleration projects, an advanced heat treatment cycle by cryogenic cooling at temperatures as low as […]

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End-User Understanding of Web Certificates

“Much of life is online, so online security is critical. While many aspects of security are infrastructural, users must make key decisions. In particular, users must decide which websites to trust and which to avoid. How can users know if a website is truly what it claims to be? This is a pivotal issue. When […]

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Real Time Inverse Scattering for Optical Coherence Tomography

A critical challenge today in neuro-surgery is the determination of tumor boundaries intraoperatively. There are means of doing this using high-resolution MRI machines, however, these can be prohibitively costly. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers a promising, cheaper, label-free alternative. However, the basic models used for clinical, real-time OCT limit its usefulness and depth of focus. […]

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Photonic sensors for rapid and selective detection of bacteria in water – Year two

In recent years monitoring and protection of food and water resources became a priority of governments worldwide. Bio-hazards are potential threat for these resources thus need to be addressed both in industry and in academia. Therefore, developing an accurate, fast and cost effective technique for detection of pathogenic strains called for increased demand on the […]

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