School-based physical activity promotion in Mexican adolescents

The proposed research is a study to test the effectiveness of a health promotion campaign to increase physical activity delivered via WhatsApp to Mexican adolescents. We believe that adolescents who receive three weekly PA promotion messages via WhatsApp will increase their physical activity. Youth aged 15-17 will be recruited from three regional high schools. Changes […]

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Plasticity of gene expression and chemical defences in an invasive weed

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an invasive plant in North America that produces glucosinolates and flavonoids as defensive chemicals. Production of these chemicals includes both plastic and genetic components, but the genes involved in these responses have not been characterized. We propose to use high-throughput sequencing and comparative genomic tools to characterize the complete set […]

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Studies on the Biosynthesis of Nucleocidin in Streptomycetes

Approximately 80% of currently used antibiotics were first discovered from Streptomyces. In addition, many pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, are halogenated. In particular about a quarter of the top-selling pharmaceuticals are fluorine-containing compounds. The overall objective of my doctoral thesis is to elucidate the complete biosynthetic pathway of the fluorinated antibiotic, nucleocidin, in Streptomyces. Elucidating the biosynthesis […]

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The impact of social distancing on biological rhythms and mental health: a study of the effectiveness of interventions in biological rhythms and sleep

Under the conditions of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, most individuals are experiencing a major shift in daily routines. For some, having a flexible work schedule may be beneficial to their natural bodily rhythms. For others, the lack of structure that was previously provided by an external schedule may impose misalignment on behavioural circadian […]

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Luminescent Solar Concentrator Waveguide Encoded Lattice (LWELs)

The principal objective of this project is to design and fabricate optically functional, slim, flexible, dielectric coatings – luminescent wavelength encoded lattices (LWELs) – that enhance sunlight harvesting and therefore, within the short term, have a measurable, significant impact on the efficiency of commercially available solar cells. LWELs will combine two powerful approaches to incandescent […]

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Cow Geographies: Ecologies of Power across the World

Domesticated over 12,000 years ago, cows are currently found in every country across the globe yet very little is known about their varied histories, geographies, and lives. This despite cows’ centrality to human pursuits of agriculture, colonization, and capitalism as well as their implication in climate change. Furthermore,even as social research on cows begins to […]

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Investigating Trace Element Distribution in Cortical Bone Microstructures of Human Children for Information about Diet and Social Status

In archaeology, chemical analysis of elements in bones can unlock a wealth of anthropological information. Individuals are exposed to various elements throughout their lives, (from sources including food, drinking water, and cookware), which are stored in bone tissue. Because bone tissue regenerates continuously, skeletal remains contain a record of an individual’s lifetime of exposure to […]

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Health’s Wayward Sisters: An Examination of Diet, Disease, and Mortality Using a Syndemic Perspective

My proposed Mitacs-funded research will study health and disease in the medieval (11th-15th centuries AD) population from St. Peter’s Monastery in Osor, Croatia through a study of disease patterns, biochemical analysis of diet, and mortality trends. I will use syndemic theory to frame my research, which maintains that diseases and health conditions can interact with […]

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Etude expérimentale des décharges électriques en milieu liquide.

Le couplage d’un plasma avec un milieu liquide est un projet de recherche très original, en termes des applications dans différents domaines et en termes de physique fondamentale. L’objectif du projet est de réaliser une étude expérimentale des décharges électriques dans ou en contact avec l’eau. Cela permettra d’identifier des caractéristiques physico-chimiques associées aux décharges […]

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