Innovative Projects Realized

Needle segmentation from 3D ultrasound images

In this project I propose to develop a robust and efficient needle segmentation method, which

will be used to localize and track the needle in three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) guided

focal ablation therapy. 3DUS guided biopsy and minimally invasive therapy involves guiding

a needle into the lesion for biopsy (removal of tissue for pathological examination), and

ablation therapy (destruction of tissue). The Peters laboratory has developed image-guided

interventional technology, which makes use of 3D ultrasound imaging. Thus, fast

identification and segmentation of needles in a 3DUS image will allow improved guidance of

insertion of the needle and verification of the location of the needle with respect to the lesion

being biopsied or ablated.

A study on the application and mechanism of action of the lichen Umbilicaria muhlenbergii fractions on osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma cells as a promising anticancer source

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the lichen Umbilicaria muhlenbergii fraction(s) on osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma cells. MTT assay will demonstrate the activity of these fraction(s) against cancer cells. Appoptosis and inhibition growth analyses will be examined. The following objectives in the allocated time of five months (June 1-October 30, 2019) are planned:
1. Investigate the anticancer effects of selected fractions of U.muhlenbergii extracts on osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma cells
2. Investigate and characterize the cell cycle control and apoptosis for the most effective lichen compound on cancerous cells
3. Detect and verify cell proliferation using a Ki-67 protein marker
The proposed experiments will allow us to compare the effect of lichen fraction(s) on bone cancerous cells. TO BE CONT’D

Surveying Shallow Water Habitats and Bathymetry in the Baltic Sea

Coastal areas are some of the most biodiverse environments in the world, and are constantly changing. Therefore, mapping projects for this near-shore area are extremely important. Many mapping procedures include optical methods, such as satellite imagery or underwater video, which is limited in effectiveness by cloud cover or water clarity. Other instruments, such as boat and autonomous underwater vehicle mounted sonar are limited by the vehicle’s maneuverability in very shallow waters or environments with many obstacles. A proposed solution to these limitations is an autonomous hovercraft, which can fly seamlessly from water to land, and begin collecting sonar data in waters as shallow as 10 cm. While the hovercraft was built and tested in Nova Scotia, I hope to expand this project to Germany and use this platform to map eelgrass. TO BE CONT’D

Stage de recherche, culture cellulaire pour la confection d’échafaudages dentaires

Dans le cadre du régime coopératif de l’Université de Sherbrooke, les étudiants au baccalauréat en génie biotechnologique doivent faire 5 stages. Celui-ci serait en fait le 4 ème du cursus de l’étudiante.

Ce stage est offert au centre de recherche CSPBAT, qui est en partenariat avec l’Université de Paris 13 avec, comme superviseure de stage, Mme Géraldine Rohman, chercheuse associée et maître de conférences à l’Université de Paris 13. Dans le cadre de ce stage, des entrevues avec le personnel du service de stage et de placement de l’Université de Sherbrooke (SSP), ainsi qu’un rapport traitant sur les compétences développées seront remis. Les compétences visées par le SSP sont suivies depuis le début du cursus académique de l’étudiante, et seront questionnées dans le but de les améliorer jusqu’à la fin de ce cursus. TO BE CONT’D

Gender Testing in the International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (ICO) has been conducting sex tests since 1968, with a hiatus from 1990 to 2009, to determine the biological sex of self-identified female athletes. There have been three iterations of these tests: visual examinations, chromosomal tests, and hormonal tests. This research seeks to understand the justifications used in favor a particular test when it came to determine which would be best and develop a policy based on that decision. To do so, I will first work on archives which hold documents that pertain to the genesis of endocrinology. This will help understand the state, and genealogy, of the knowledge on which these decisions were founded. The focus in this part of the research will be on testosterone, its’ discovery, and the treatments and experiments it was used in in the early 20th century. TO BE CONT’D

Estimation and detection under differential privacy constraints: applications to air transportation systems

Large scale monitoring and control systems are being increasingly deployed around us, from intelligent transportation systems to smart grids. In exchange of the benefits supplied by these systems, participating agents are required to continuously share data with these complex systems. This data often consists of highly privacy-sensitive information, including but not limited to location, power consumption traces or medical records, which can be used to compromise these agents’ privacy. For example, crowd-sourced road traffic prediction and routing applications, such as Waze and Google Maps, improve their accuracy by using
location data provided by smart-phones, but also continuously leak location information about the users of these devices. In the last few years, we have started to understand how to design signal processing schemes that formally preserve the privacy of data providers when some aggregate signal derived from this data must be shared. TO BE CONT’D

Driver behaviour in response to potential hazards in a simulated environment

Driver error is a contributing cause of most motor vehicle collisions. Consequently, accident rates are much higher in scenarios where safe transit requires increased reliance on driver ability and decision-making. Intersections, for example, are potential conflict zones, because unexpected hazards are common. For accident reconstructionists, like those at Kodsi Engineering, understanding hazard response enables comparison of ongoing assignments with typical driver behaviour. This analysis further helps to inform expert opinions during insurance claim litigations and can affect the distribution of liability and compensation. While some experiments have been conducted to investigate unexpected hazard scenarios, there is limited research on right-turning and left-side approaching vehicles. Given the risks associated with studying driver behavior, these studies are most safely conducted in a simulator like the Oktal complete driving simulator at the University of Guelph. TO BE CONT’D

CFD Simulation of a Gas Turbine Combustor

The work to be conducted in this intemship consists of the transient numerical modeling of a

combustion device using commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. Validation

of the various sub-models is required and once the final model is complete various design

changes can be researched. The model will allow for variations in geometry, spray and

ignttion characteristics and timing of the combustion device. The work will coincide with a

current new engine project being carried out by the partner organization. The academic

supervi.ors have a wealth of knowledge with combustion and fluid modeling and will serve to

support the intem along with the partner organization in the completion of several tasks. In

completion the partner organization will have gained a useful combustion model and design

insights while the intem will have gained valuable research experience.

Health Data Extraction Review Analysis Learning Device in Nephrology (HERALD-RENO)

Data has become a central part of any organization’s day-to-day operation. Organizations are looking to turn this information into actionable insight. The Dialysis Measurement, Analysis and Reporting System (DMAR) is designed to track healthcare quality indicators where changing practice will have high impact. The DMAR system applies rigorous methods to measure key health care performance measures and efficiently implement and measure change. By developing and implementing an engine like the Health Data Extraction, Review and Analysis Learning Device (HERALD), information could be automatically programmed directly within DMAR. OMM will benefit from research using HERALD because DMAR software would be perceived as more innovative and better able to scale since many of the organizations struggling with data quality do so because of high data volumes and manual preparation. Furthermore, using machine learning would ensure that data is coded and validated consistently.

PetriCORE : Un outil pour aider à l’optimisation du code sur un supercalculateur

En recherche académique, les besoins d’analyse des chercheurs dépassent souvent les capacités de leurs ordinateurs à effectuer ces analyses. Calcul Canada est un organisme qui s’assure que les chercheurs canadiens puissent avoir un accès gratuit à des serveurs de calcul performants à la grandeur du pays. Nous tenons non seulement à un accès équitable aux ressources pour tous et à une utilisation efficace des ressources par nos membres, mais aussi à assurer une formation adéquate des nouveaux utilisateurs. C’est pour cela que nous aurons besoin d’un étudiant qui travaillera à l’élaboration d’un portail qui permettra aux chercheurs à la fois d’en apprendre plus sur leur code, mais aussi d’apprendre comment utiliser nos ressources plus adéquatement. Nous pourrons également cibler les utilisateurs ayant plus de difficulté pour leur offrir le support dont ils ont besoin pour éviter de reproduire des erreurs fréquentes.

An assessment of the welfare and productivity of slow growing genotypes of broiler breeders

The meat poultry industry is facing concerns about sustainability and animal welfare at the same time as productivity increases to satisfy the growing global demand for chicken meat. The current fast growth rate of modern meat chickens (broilers) is negatively associated with the reproductive performance of their parent stock (broiler breeders). Current feeding management of broiler breeders involves feed restriction to limit growth rate. However, feed restriction is a welfare concern as broiler breeders display signs of chronic hunger and high feeding motivation. Some of these behavioural signs include overdrinking and drinker pecking (high water usage), feather pecking and aggressive behaviours. Indeed, the level of feed restriction increases every year as broilers are continually selected for fast growth. In order to solve this problem, this project proposed to examine the sustainability (in terms of productivity and welfare outcomes) of alternative strains of broiler breeders in North America.

Magnetorheological Fluid Actuators for various industries (part 2)

Exonetik designs, develops and manufactures magnetorheological (MR) actuator systems that enable novel functionalities to satisfy unmet customer needs. In collaboration with Exonetik engineers, interns will participate in the design, development and testing of customized magnetorheological actuators for robotics applications. The expected results of these subprojects will be prototypes that will be tested to demonstrate the added value that the technology can provide.