Innovative Projects Realized

Immigrant Identity, Belonging & Integration in a settler society vs. ethnic nation

The research aims to compare and contrast the integration and ‘belonging’ of newcomers in Canada and Germany through following research questions:
• Canada is considered to be a “settler colony”, and Germany an “ethnic
nation”. How does this affect their immigration policies and integration of
newcomers?
• How do the newcomers identify themselves in these ‘multicultural’
countries?
• Since 2015, both the countries have seen a shift in the national discourse
and a rise in Right-wing populism. With increasing number of immigrants,
how will their integration look like in such a polarized environment?

In order to answer the following questions, the relation between migration, settlement, displacement and subordination of Indigenous peoples (historically and even today) will be studied through political, social and historical lens.

Validation de divers algorithmes de reconnaissance de cristauxappliqués à la tomographie d’émission par positrons.

La tomographie d’émission par positrons (TEP) chez le petit animal présente des défis par

rapport à son pendant clinique, particulièrement au niveau de la résolution spatiale. Une

façon de minimiser ce problème est d’utiliser deux cristaux scintillateurs par photodétecteur

pour améliorer la résolution sans augmenter le nombre de voies électroniques. Cette astuce

permet d’améliorer la résolution à faible coût, mais nécessite de bons algorithmes

d’identification des cristaux afin d’obtenir la meilleure précision possible. Plusieurs

algorithmes ont déjà été conçus et testés par simulation, mais n’ont jamais été implantés

dans les tomographes. L’objectif de ce stage est de faire l’inventaire de tous ces algorithmes,

de les tester avec différents types de cristaux pour identifier les plus performants et de

procéder à leur implantation sur les scanners LabPET. Des modules de détection basés sur

de nouveaux scintillateurs seront aussi testés afin d’éprouver les algorithmes de

discrimination choisis.

Urban ecosystem service valuation: Exploring participatory greenspace planning processes that support more equitable outcomes for residents of the Greater Toronto Area

How urban residents perceive and value nature within our cities shapes how we manage it for current and future generations. Given the diversity of perspectives and beliefs brought to bear on an urban system, we can expect that not everyone will enjoy nature the same way, or for the same reasons. If democracy is our goal, then we must create processes that allow people to express their opinions about where they want greenspace, what they want to use if for, and how it ought to be managed. When disagreements or trade-offs arise, we need to be able to navigate a path forward that fairly considers all options. This research will explore novel decision-making tools that are designed to encourage stakeholder deliberation about management choices for greenspace in cities. The intent is to provide planners and greenspace managers with tools and knowledge that will support more participatory and inclusive land use planning.

Using observational learning to examine retrograde interference when learning with different limbs.

People have to constantly adapt the way they move to achieve their daily goals. For example, an individual needs to use more force when walking through water than on dry land, and further adapt the direction of those forces if the water develops a current. Similar adaptations are needed when wearing a new pair of gloves, using a new tool such as a golf club or hammer, or when moving in virtual reality for the first time. In many situations, motor adaptations suffer from a strong presence of retrograde interference (i.e., competition between the previous and the to-be-learned movement pattern which negatively affects the learning of the new movement). The proposed project will determine if observational practice (watching someone else perform a task) can eliminate the potentially negative after-effect experienced when learning to adapt to a new movement environment. Observational practice might help limit this retrograde interference effect because the processes that underlie observational learning are similar to, but different in important ways from the processes that lead to learning when people physically practice a movement. The results of this study will help us understand the learning process and, as a result.. TBC

pH equilibrated water for pets

VETWATER (Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville, QC) produces pet equilibrated water under the commercial name of “VETWATER urinary solution for cats” (VC), which helps preventing urinary crystals and stones (urolithiasis) by equilibrating pH strictly in the 6.2-6.4 range. Besides urolithiasis, feline lower urinary tract diseases (FLUTDs) affect the urinary bladder and urethra of cats without any obvious underlying cause- so called “feline idiopathic cystitis” (FIC). Differently, depending on various patterns, dogs are prone to urolithiasis either due to struvite (pH< 6.4) or cysteine, oxalate and urate (pH > 7.0), requiring the formulations of two different “VETWATER urinary solution for dogs” (VD). VETWATER aims at launching on the market two new product lines. i) A new VC that prevents a wider spectrum of urinary pathologies in cats, i.e. urolithiasis and FIC at the same time, by the addition of LT to the current commercial formulation; ii) A new VD line with pH balanced either at 6.2-6.4 or 7.1-7.4 and containing bioactive antioxidants at the same time. In this project we formulate stable “VETWATER urinary solution for cats” and “VETWATER urinary solution for dogs” that minimize urolithiasis by equilibrating the pH and TBC.

Endogenous pain modulation in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Redesign and Optimization of SmartRING Strander Facegear and Knife Clamping System

The SmartRING strander was developed in the mid-nineties to address the need in the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) industry for a higher capacity machine over the SmartDISC strander. Since being introduced to the market, the ring strander has not had any significant improvements and/or upgrades. Although, it is deemed the preferred machine by OSB customers over our one competitor (i.e. retains 75% market share).
With the development of our new knife cutting system, Integrated Scoring Knife (ISK), an opportunity exists to change the clamping mechanism to improve reliability over the current nutrunner bolted system. The nutrunner clamping system has been identified by customers as an area of deficiency, whereby causing significant downtime.
The development of a new and reliable knife clamping mechanism will enhance customer confidence in the SmartRING strander, and differentiate it from our competition.

Robust stabilization of linear control systems

The role of lipid metabolism in macrophage polarization

Epigenetics and enhancer in mouse development

The Key to Faster Production Planning

L’optimisation de l’utilisation d’une plateforme BIM dans lagestion des équipements de la Ville de Montréal.

Le projet consiste en une etude sur I’utilisation d’une plateforme HIM developpee par la

flrr11e Archidata pour la gestion du parc immobilier municipal de Montreal. Des etudes

considerent que Ie plus grand potentiel du BIM mais aucune etude ne vient corroborer

ces hypotheses. Cette recherche permettra de jeler des bases emplriqLles sLir la valeur

de I’utilisation du 81M dans la gestion iinmobiliere sur lesquelles les deux parten aires

pOLirront s’appuyer pour ameliorer et faire conna1tre leurs pratiques ou technologies,