Innovative Projects Realized

Instrumentation and control of an internal combustion engine powered by ammonia.

The proposed research consists in modifying an internal combustion engine with compression ignition to be fueled with ammonia. The engine will be instrumented and monitored to ensure proper operation. The programming of these tasks will be performed on two different platforms. Engine performance will be measured on a test bench.

Cell survival and cell death regulation in gynecological cancers.

BACKGROUND & RATIONALE
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the leading type of female genital cancer in the Western world and ranks fourth among the most common cancers in women. Patients with tumour confined to the uterus are treated with surgery and radiotherapy; however, more than 25% of patients diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma have an invasive primary tumour accompanied by regional and/or distant metastases. Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth most common cancer in women and is the leading cause of death among the female genital tract malignancies. The 5-year survival rate of these women is only 20?30%. The balance between survival and apoptotic factors is crucial in determining tumour cell fate (growth vs cell death), especially during chemotherapy and metastasis. Survival and apoptosis are both regulated at the intracellular level and through extra-cellular hormones. However, how these factors interact to regulate chemoresistance and metastasis is unknown and how they act specifically in these hormone-dependent cancers is not well established. Thus, chemoresistance and metastasis represent the major causes of treatment failure. The process of chemoresistance, tumor growth and progression is linked primarily to the malfunction of apoptotic pathways. Deletion and mutation of tumor suppressor genes are two of the several events underlying the loss of apoptotic pathway. However, such deleted or mutated genes cannot be recruited in therapeutic strategies owing to their permanent loss of function. Therefore, the identification of pro-apoptotic tumor suppressor genes that are functionally silenced rather than mutated or deleted, offers the prospect of reactivating them functionally as a strategy for cancer treatment. One promising candidate gene is prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4). We have recently demonstrated that Par-4 is a direct target of caspase-3 during apoptosis induction and that the resulting cleaved fragment can be responsible for this effect through its translocation to the nucleus. However, how this fragment is regulated and what are its mechanisms of action is unknown. We have evidenced that Par-4 can be downregulated by estrogens.
OVERALL OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESIS: The overall objective of the proposed research program is to examine the role of Par-4 in OC and EC progression and how it regulates apoptosis induction in response to chemotherapeutic drugs. The hypotheses for the proposed research project is that Inhibition of Par-4 expression by 17b-estradiol could increase the apoptotic response and chemosensitivity of OC and EC cells.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of 17b-estradiol in the regulation of Par-4 during cancer cell survival.
INNOVATION & SIGNIFICANCE: These studies should establish the contribution of Par-4 in the processes of OC and EC chemoresistance and invasion/metastasis. Ultimately, this should allow us to propose multiple new avenues that could be envisaged for the treatment of chemoresistant and metastatic cancers, the primary cause of cancer death. This comprehensive program will set the basis and provide crucial clues in understanding the mechanisms of chemoresistance and tumor metastasis.

Energy management of multi fuel cell vehicles

Power train electrification is currently one of the best solutions in order to design cleaner vehicles. Nevertheless, the internal combustion engine is still essential to ensure high vehicle autonomy (over 500 km) and fast re-fuel (under 5 minutes). To obtain a commercially-competitive electric vehicle, important progress must still be realized concerning the energy storage and especially the batteries (power density, lifetime, and cost). Moreover, the total lifetime of the batteries must be considered due to the pollution that can be caused by the waste materials (lithium, nickel, cadmium ?). In order to reduce the problems linked to batteries, Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) may be considered as a promising solution.
Nevertheless, the normal efficiency of a single fuel cell is not constant on the operating power range. When the system has more than one Fuel Cells, the lifetime and operating point can be optimized with a power sharing algorithm.
The internship will be realized at the Hydrogen Research Institute (HRI).The HRI’s members have access to world-class, unique equipment and laboratories to characterize and develop advanced materials for energy applications, as well as energy systems based on renewable energies. HRI is the head of the NSERC Strategic Network H2Can, the largest Canadian research network on hydrogen as an energy vector. For the excellence of its research activities the HRI was awarded the Academic Award of Excellence by the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell association in June 2012. The HRI is a participant in the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence of the US Department of Energy. The Hydrogen Research Institute is also a member of the Quebec Centre for Functional Materials and of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety HySafe.

omics’-based platform and synthetic biology for the elucidation, characterization and production of plant natural products.

Alkaloids constitute a diverse class of natural products and due to their potent biological activity, many are commercially exploited. Most alkaloids are derived from amino acids and characterized by a nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring. Recently, the alkaloids produced by Amaryllidaceae plants (e.g. Narcissus (daffodils) and Galanthus (snowdrop)) have been attracting increasing interest due to their multiple biological activities. For example, Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids (AAs) such as lycorine and narcissidine act as pesticides, haemanthamine and narciclasine possess anti-cancer properties whereas galanthamin is used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer?s disease. The commercial development of AAs is restricted to limited availability due to low amount in planta (only galanthamine is produced commercially). Although there are obvious interests in engineering AA production, for crop improvement or development of pharmaceuticals, the lack of information on AA regulation and biosynthetic pathways make this task very challenging, no biosynthetic genes have been identified yet. An improved molecular understanding of AA biosynthesis will contribute to engineered plants with valuable AA profiles and pave the way for biotechnologies such as synthetic biology to improve production and availability. The overall aim of the proposed research is to increase knowledge on the metabolism and regulation of AAs in plants, with special reference to the establishment of ?omic? databases to facilitate discovery of novel genes involved in AA biosynthesis in Amaryllidaceae.

Classification automatique par ordinateur d’images de diatom?es (algues)

Les diatom?es sont des microalgues que l’on retrouve dans les cours d’eau (aussi dans les lacs et les oc?ans). Il a ?t? d?montr? (travaux d’un collaborateur en sc. de l’environnement) que la distribution des esp?ces dans un cours d’eau est un bio-indicateur de l’?tat de celui-ci (pollution, etc.). Les diatom?es sont distribu?es parmi des centaines d’esp?ces, voir des milliers. Le projet consiste ? mettre en place des algorithmes de calcul de param?tres (contours, formes, structures internes) discriminants pour la classification des esp?ces du Qu?bec.

A Knowledge Management System for Knowledge-Intensive SMEs

Knowledge-intensive enterprises (KIE) play an important role in the knowledge-based economy (OECD, 2007). Knowledge-intensive enterprises can be loosely and preliminary defined as organizations that offer to the market the use of fairly sophisticated knowledge or knowledge-based products and services (Doloreux & Shearmur, 2011). Knowledge management is important for both large enterprises and small and medium-size enterprises (SME). As a matter of fact, many topics related to knowledge management in SMEs have not been well studied yet (Durst & Edvardsson, 2012).

Given the importance of effective knowledge management in knowledgeintensive SMEs (KI-SME), there is a special need
for a project on this topic applied for SMEs. An appropriate knowledge management framework for KI-SMEs may help them to manage their business activities effectively, to improve their performance and innovation capacity, and also contribute to the
development of the economy as a whole. The key focus of this project is to build an intranet-based knowledge management system based on an open-source content management platform so that SMEs could reuse and enhance this system as
their solution at lower costs. Further, we intend to experiment our system with some specific knowledge-intensive industries in the fields of business, research and development, educational and health-care services.

Coating Development for Aerospace Parts

We are working on the development of high performance coatings for gas turbines and aerospace parts in collaboration with major aircraft manufacturers.

Perception and Action interactions (New)

The influence of experience on visually- and haptically-guided grasping.
Because the visuomotor system must update information, moment to moment, as the body and the visual world moves, it has been considered to operate ?online,? and its computations are performed without conscious awareness. Some studies however, have shown that reach-to-grasp movements are susceptible to the influence of practice or experience. In one study we showed that awkward grasps (grasps made using the thumb and ring finger) are initially sensitive to a visual illusion. One hour of practice with the awkward grasp for three consecutive days reduced the effect of the illusion on the grasp to an extent where it resembled the more common pincer grasp (i.e. thumb and index finger). Cavina-Pratesi et al. explored the effects of long-term training on grasp kinematics by using professional magicians with years of experience and asking them to either pick up or pretend to pick up an object. In control participants the two types of grasped differed considerably in their kinematics, but they were strikingly similar in the group of magicians. The authors concluded that prolonged practice may enable the visuomotor system to calibrate actions based on visual inputs displaced from the action. We have begun to investigate the effects of short-term practice on visually- and haptically-guided grasping. The proposed project will specifically address the following question: Can a short grasping experience modify body size representation? Recently it has been shown that although we are very accurate in estimating the length of our own body this representation is remarkably plastic. The perception of the length of our arm is significantly greater after 15 minutes of practice with a tool (i.e. rake) that extends the arm?s capability for reaching. We will investigate if this remarkable experience-dependent plasticity of body representation extends to the hand and whether it occurs without the use of a tool. Estimates of hand size will be recorded before and after participants continuously grasp objects for 15 minutes. Objects (spheres) will be either, large, affording a full extension of the hand, or small, affording a pincer grasp. If this experience can modify body representation then we expect participants? perceptions of their hands to be larger after they had practiced with the large objects and the opposite for the small objects.

Use of Predictive Analytics to Forecast Patient Recovery Through Chiropractic Care

This project will create an iPad application that will be able to gather data about a patient at a chiropractic clinic and predict their recovery based on various symptoms  compared to similar cases. This will allow a chiropractor to better educate their patient about the benefits chiropractic care. It will also better engage the patient in their care by providing more analytical feedback, and allow them to see for themselves how they are progressing. It will also give patients realistic expectations about their recovery over time. The partner organization should be able to customize this software to fields other than chiropractic care. The organization has already had several inquiries about this project from other clinics and potential investors.

Assessing comprehensive life history and phenotypic impacts of radiation on a short-lived model of aging and free radical biology: linear versus hormetic dose responses

The goal of our proposal is to clarify the impacts of low doses of radiation on key biological aspects in a short-lived animal model (the cricket). Current assessments of radiation exposure mainly emphasize cancer. Our model will allow us to more broadly assess important features like growth, maturation, survivorship, reproduction and life span as well as specific measures related to sensory, cognitive and motor functions, stress resistance and immunity. Radiation causes damage by creating reactive molecules that can attack cells and their DNA. At low doses, however, such molecules are essential biological signals. In particular we will test a theory called “hormesis” that suggests that low-dose radiation may actually improve rather than harm biological functions. Such information will help our industry partner to better address the concerns of the public and regulatory agencies regarding radiation safety. In addition, we will examine whether antioxidant supplements can offset negative impacts of high-dose radiation and provide additional health benefits at low doses of radiation exposure.

Effects of forest harvest on population dynamics, distribution, and stoichiometry in lynx-hare-plant food webs in Newfoundland

The research team will investigate how plants and animals are affected by forestry. We will measure nutrients in the plants (specifically carbon and nitrogen) in areas with forest harvest and nearby Terra Nova National Park. We will collect plant samples to analyse in the lab for carbon and nitrogen content. We will also live-trap and mark snowshoe hares (which feed on plants) and live-trap lynx (which feed on the hares) and fit them with radio-collars. By tracking where the animals travel, we can relate that to the available nutrients and the effect of forest activity on animal movement. We will use this information to build predictive models to project how animals might be affected by forest activity and changes in available food and nutrients in other parts of the boreal forest. This will help our partner (Corner Brook Pulp and Paper) more effectively manage their forests to minimize impacts on the ecosystem.

Exploration of Innovative Digital Consumer Research and Marketing Strategies

This project will analyze the current digital marketing strategy for an online jewelry seller. With this, a better understanding of the current competitive environment of online jewelry retailing will be developed, different customer profiles will be identified, and shopping behaviors will be identified. Finally, the research will examine the impact of online shopping experience on jewelry shopping
behavior. Based on the findings, new digital marketing and branding strategies will be recommended. This project will bring benefits to the organization by providing an external analysis and assessment of the current online marketing practices and improvement opportunities and new strategies to implement; the latter can bring potential improvements in sales and customer satisfaction.