The goal of this project is to further develop the JGI technology CRAGE, which enables the insertion of large DNA fragments into the chromosome of a host organism. Over the course of the 3 months, the CRAGE system will be adapted for the E. coli EPI300 strain that is host to the Hallam Lab functional […]

The environmental stress of altitude and heat have both been shown to elicit divergent adaptive responses and are used by elite athletes to augment training adaptation and subsequent performance. Indeed, 3-4 weeks at moderate altitudes can increase the body’s natural erythropoietin (EPO) responses, raising hemoglobin by 4-6% and enhancing endurance performance. Conversely, as little as […]

Il est possible avec des techniques spécialisées de rendre des cerveaux de souris transparents permettant ainsi de les analyser pour mieux comprendre leur fonctionnement. Toutefois, ces méthodes demeurent en développement et il est très difficile de perfectionner ces techniques rapidement. Le projet consiste à développer un microscope ayant une vision très large permettant ainsi de […]

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) is an invasive pest with a large host range that includes many economically important fruits, vegetables, and row crops. Native to Asia, BMSB was first detected in North America in 1998 and since has become established in British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario; and 44 American states. In […]

Wetlands provide critical habitat and valuable ecosystem services. Land use conversion in Ontario, however, has led to substantial wetland loss. The restoration of wetlands on agricultural properties has the potential to offset wetland loss, yet these wetlands are also susceptible to contamination by pesticides. Our research will therefore establish: (1) to what degree restored wetlands […]

Wetlands provide critical habitat and valuable ecosystem services. Land use conversion in Ontario, however, has led to substantial wetland loss. The restoration of wetlands on agricultural properties has the potential to offset wetland loss, yet these wetlands are also susceptible to contamination by pesticides. Our research will therefore establish: (1) to what degree restored wetlands […]

Plant-based beverages are inappropriate alternatives to bovine milk, due to lower protein content and not sufficient amount of essential amino acids. To produce nutritionally complete plant-based beverage with high overall acceptability, the technological interventions and fortification techniques need to be developed. Oat is one of the promising raw material for preparation of functional plant-based milk […]

Mounting evidence shows that boreal and mountain forests are not solely driven by high severity fires that kill most of the above-ground vegetation (i.e. stand-replacing fires). Indeed, wildfire severity can be highly heterogeneous, leading to spatially complex forest landscapes, with multiple species and uneven ages. Many existing fire dynamics models do not explicitly consider the […]

Mounting evidence shows that boreal and mountain forests are not solely driven by high severity fires that kill most of the above-ground vegetation (i.e. stand-replacing fires). Indeed, wildfire severity can be highly heterogeneous, leading to spatially complex forest landscapes, with multiple species and uneven ages. Many existing fire dynamics models do not explicitly consider the […]

Each and every one of us has distinct visual representations of persons, familiar objects and scenes. We all acquire and form these visual representations in our brains through our unique experiences, but how exactly do we acquire these representations? What specific visual information supports the conceptual representation of objects in our brains and what part […]

Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), a threatened species in Ontario, breed primarily in either banks at lakeshores or at exposed surfaces in man-made aggregate pits that occur with and without waterbodies. Pits are suspected to be ecological traps for this species but the relative trade-offs in nesting at pits vs. natural sites are poorly known. Availability […]

When two brains are engaged in a social interaction, specific brain activity emerges that causes the two brains to become ‘in sync’. This discovery was made possible by ‘hyperscanning’, a technique where two people are simultaneously scanned in two Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners to record their brain activity while interacting with each other in […]