Use of fly ash (FA) in concrete started in United States in early 1930’s. Standardized FA (SFA) by Canadian Standard Association (CSA) is frequently used as partial replacement of cement in manufacturing binary or ternary concrete mixtures. In addition to economic and ecological benefits, use of FA in concrete (a) improves workability (due to increased […]

Kruger Energy has built and commissioned a 23-MW biomass cogeneration plant at Kruger paper mill in Brompton (Québec) in 2007. The plant includes a hog boiler which burns papermill sludge, bark, and other wood residue (were firstly disposed in earth), as well as a steam turbine which generates electrical energy and provides steam required to […]

The molecular mechanisms that explain how the host triggers a first antiviral response against virus infection has been the focus of numerous studies over the past decades. This first line of response involves key signaling cascades that permit the expression of antiviral and proinflammatory genes. Recently we have demonstrated that the production of reactive oxygen […]

The objective of this particular project is the synthesis and characterisation of novel bimetallic photocatalysts which are able to produce hydrogen gas from water using sunlight. Currently, hydrogen is made through steam reforming, which produces carbon dioxide as a side-product, or by electrolysis, which uses more energy to produce hydrogen than you get from its […]

Opioids are the most efficacious analgesics known, and elective in the treatment of acute severe pain. In contrast, their use in the management of chronic pain syndromes remains limited, requiring a compromise between preserving analgesic efficacy and controlling side effects such as respiratory depression, somnolence, nausea, constipation as well as abuse, dependence and analgesic tolerance. […]

Bacteria within biofilms can withstand the host immune responses, and they are significantly more tolerant to antibiotics and disinfectants. Our laboratory found that some coagulase-negative staphyloccal (CNS) isolates can efficiently block biofilm formation by other CNS species or Staphylococcus aureus. Hypothesis: Some CNS isolates produce antibiofilm molecules that can lead to the development of new […]

Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent rhythm disorder in humans (nearly 250,000 patients in Canada). It often leads to severe complications such as heart failure and stroke. Diagnosis of this arrhythmia is mainly performed through the inspection of electrical signal recordings (electrograms and electrocardiograms). To develop and validate new diagnostic tools, it is necessary to […]

A synthesis of current social, cultural and legal issues associated with international sustainable development law. How these aspects interconnect to impede or support sustainable development especially in particularly vulnerable populations such as indigenous peoples.

The goal of the project is to hack an Emotiv EEG headset such that it allows for the development of a motor imagery (left and right hand) based brain-computer interface (BCI). As sold, the Emotiv headset does not posses electrodes over the sensorimotor area; however, if the headset is worn backwards some electrodes would be […]

Speech signals propagating in enclosed environments are distorted by two important, environment-related factors: a) the multiple reflections of the signal from the walls and other objects present in the room, which are called coloration and reverberation, for early and late reflections respectively, and b) competing acoustic signals coming from other sound sources than the speaker, […]

Our research group examines techniques for mitigation of impairments in optical communications links and for increasing the capacity of those links. We address both optical and digital signal processing (DSP) solutions from a systems perspective. Maximizing the capacity of fiber communications is the rally cry for research in optical communi-cations this decade, with focus on […]

Building structures with asymmetric setbacks possess both vertical and in-plan irregularities. The former is due to the abrupt changes in the plan dimension at the level of the setback while the latter results from the asymmetry between the upper tower portion and the lower base portion. An asymmetric setback introduces mass, stiffness and resistance eccentricities […]