Innovative Projects Realized

Pelvic floor kinematics – a potential indicator of pelvic floor strain induced by physical activity

More than half of all women suffer from some form of pelvic floor disorder over their lifetime, with pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence being the two most common presentations. High impact physical activity is one risk factor for the development of pelvic floor disorders, where it has been postulated that repeated impacts experienced chronically leads to strain in the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissues; however, exercise has also been shown to be protective of pelvic floor dysfunction. Thus, the role of physical activity on the development of pelvic floor dysfunction is unclear. Dr. Hitchcock, supervisor at the host institution, has recently developed an intravaginal device that measures and streams intra-abdominal pressure data while women perform physical activity in the field, and Drs. McLean and Hitchcock are currently collaborating on a study in which this sensor is being used to determine the acute effect of a single bout of running on pelvic floor muscle strain and fatigue in women with and without pelvic floor disorders. The first objective of this project is to integrate an on-board tri-axial accelerometer into the intra-abdominal pressure sensor and to validate acceleration data streamed through the device. “TO BE CONT’D”

Endocrine and Paracrine Control of Spermatogenesis

The proposed project will investigate fish spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules of the testis. Specifically, it will look at the underlying endocrine and paracrine mechanisms that control the different phases of spermatogenesis, with focus on the spermatogonial phase, including the spermatogonial stem cells. This would include studying the in vitro effect of androgens on the zebrafish testis using RNA sequencing, histological, and morphometrical analysis. This would also include identifying specific molecules that can be used as markers for specific spermatogonial stem cells. For example, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) a synthetic thymidine analog nucleoside would be used for experiements. BrdU is frequently used to detect proliferating cells because it is incorporated into newly synthesized DNA. Furthermore, these experiments would include EdU (5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine), a novel alternative for BrdU that also measures DNA synthesis. EdU is also a nucleoside analog of thymidine and is incorporated into DNA during active DNA synthesis. These molecules, along with antibodies, will be used to investigate the spermatogonial phase.

Equity in learning opportunities: Reexamining issues of poverty

For the past fifteen years, People for Education has surveyed schools about measurable

resources in order to understand the impact of policy on schools, and to track changes in the

education system. Public education can and should play an important role in reducing the

extent to which students’ socio-economic background affects their performance in schools

and in creating equal learning opportunities for students to fully participate in society and

realize their potential. In order to ensure that it is fulfilling this commitment, it is important to

report on equities and inequities in the opportunities provided by the public school system.

This research aims to look at equity in the distribution of learning opportunities by examining

the impact of school-level poverty on special education, fundraising, and extended learning

opportunities using data from annual school surveys of People for Education, information

finder of Ministry of Education, and EQAO principal questionnaires.

Quantitative risk measurement techniques for insurers

This project will assist Sun Life Financial to build, implement and validate quantitatively sophisticated state-of-the-art models of its risk portfolio. This will result in a better quantitative and qualitative understanding of company’s risk, liability and capital profile, and thus in more effective risk management decision making process.

Majorana fermions in Josephson Junction

It has been theoretically demonstrated that Majorana fermions in superconducting system obey non-Abelian statistics, which is the most promising platform for topological quantum computing. The success in this search might ultimately prove essential to overcoming one of the grand challenges in the field—the synthesis of a scalable quantum computer.In this project, we aim to generate Majorana Fermions at the interface between a topological insulator and a superconductor. First, we will create bijunctions and realize phase control in Josephson Junction. The outcome of his step is to observe Fraunhofer diffraction in transportation measurement (current vs voltage measurement) . Second, we will create Y-shape trijunctions and vitrify the existence of Majorana fermions at the joints. The Majorana bound state will reveal itself as a zero-energy excitation on the tunneling spectrum, and it can be annihilated with modulating the phase selections. TO BE CONT’D

Neural oscillations underlying perceptual grouping in the auditory domain

Recent neurophysiological studies using the so-called frequency tagging methodology have shown that the human brain is able to track the grammatical structure of spoken sentences even if low-level acoustic (intonational) cues marking phrase boundaries are removed from the speech signal. These results opened a window towards naturalistic investigation of grammar processing and learning. However, currently it remains unclear to which extent the findings in the original studies have been influenced by the processing of covert (i.e., imagined by participants) intonation. Testing the relative role of intonational and grammatical processing on the neurophysiological correlates of sentence processing in frequency tagging experiments is the main aim of the present project. We have collected data from over 40 healthy adults. Having confirmed the prominent role of intonational processing in frequency tagging sentence processing studies, we now are performing advanced statistical analyses to develop a reliable algorithm for testing language learning in naturalistic settings.

Analyse structurale prédictive des pegmatites aurifères, projet Cheechoo, Baie James

Un nouveau gisement d’or est en cours de découverte à Cheechoo, à la Baie James. Il s’agit de filons à caractère magmatique, des pegmatites, enrichies en or, le tout encaissé dans une lame de granite. Le projet vise à déterminer d’abord les différents types de filons, puis, pour chaque famille, de mesurer la distribution spatiale de ces filons. On utilise pour cela des mesures systématiques de la largeur des filons et de leurs écartements. On dispose ensuite de modèles mécanique et géo-mathématiques qui permettent de modéliser la distribution. On peut en extraire des éléments sur la genèse de la minéralisation, et on peut calculer un potentiel en or. Le projet de recherche permettra de mieux connaître ce nouveau style de minéralisation, d’aider la compagnie à orienter son exploration et l’éventuelle mode de production.

Contrôle de la croissance des arbres en milieu urbain et péri-urbain

Le contrôle de la croissance des arbres est une activité très importante pour Hydro-Québec puisqu’il assure la qualité et l’efficience de son réseau de distribution d’électricité. Ce projet de recherche vise à (1) améliorer nos connaissances sur les mécanismes de base régissant la croissance des arbres, (2) développer de nouvelles techniques et approches pour émonder et élaguer la couronne des arbres, (3) développer de nouveaux indicateurs de probabilité de bris de branches ou chute d’arbres, (4) mettre au point un modèle interactif en 3D de croissance des arbres qui nous permet de simuler toutes sortes de conditions de croissance et d’émondage afin de tester nos hypothèses et faciliter les travaux sur le terrain, (5) mettre au point un modèle de prédiction de la croissance des arbres en fonction de paramètres biophysiques à l’échelle du Québec, TO BE CONT’D

Leaching of chemical elements from Canadian Natural Oceanic Clay

This objective of this research is to investigate the properties of Oceanic Natural Oceanic Clay harvested by the Iron wood Clay Company in British Columbia, Canada. When the clay is applied to the skin, various cations and positively charged impurities on the skin can be removed by ion exchange mechanism. However, the clay materials can be both collectors and donors. It is likely that various elements are leached out from the clay material surfaces under different conditions that may interact with skin surfaces and cause irritation. For the subsequent fully understanding of the interactions of the clay with skin surfaces, it is critical to firstly assess what elements can be leached out and under what conditions they can be leached out, which is the focus of the current study.

CRISPR-Cas9-based screening and engineering of novel biologics to target the vulnerabilities of primary and recurrent glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary adult brain tumor. Even with surgery, standard chemotherapy, and radiation, tumor recurrence and patient relapse are inevitable with a median survival rate of <15 months. The overall goal of this proposal is to identify new targets for treatment by using cutting edge CRISPR technology to screen for molecular interactions in GBM. Identification of new therapeutic targets that drive GBM that is resistant to current treatment will allow us to continue our work toward developing novel immunotherapies that harness the immune system and target specific cell surface receptors on GBM cells. Our ultimate goal is to undertake preclinical evaluation of novel potential therapeutic antibodies using our unique animal model of human GBM recurrence. Promising lead targets and novel therapeutics will be translated into early clinical development at the partner organization, CCAB, and its network of industry partners and start up companies with the hope of generating novel targeted therapies to GBM

Contribution of Achilles tendon mechanics to torque steadiness of the intact limb of unilateral lower-limb amputees

Torque steadiness (TS) is the ability to maintain torque around a given target torque level and is representative of functional movement control. In unilateral lower-limb amputees, plantarflexor TS is reduced. The Achilles tendon plays a critical role in the required transfer of torque from muscle to bone to maintain TS. To-date, no study has investigated how Achilles tendon properties are altered in the intact limb of amputees who adopt a hopping or swing-style gait, and how tendon mechanics contribute to plantarflexor TS in this population. Thirty unilateral amputees and fifteen non-amputee controls will perform plantarflexion contractions while the Achilles tendon is recorded on ultrasound. It is hypothesized that tendon stiffness will be higher in amputees with hopping gait, reducing torque fluctuations and increasing TS compared to controls and amputees with swing-style gait. This study will help understand how tendon properties are altered in amputees and contribute to reduced control of movement.

Improvement of fluorescent bead detection and classification algorithms for CD4 cell counting in portable flow cytometers

This research project focuses on the development of software for a device that can diagnose HIV and monitor its severity by taking a small sample of the patient’s blood. The software will count the number of immune cells present in the sample by taking images of the patient’s blood as it flows through the device. It will then report the cell count to the medical professional who will be able to make a diagnosis.
This project will ease the process of HIV diagnostics, and make HIV testing more accessible in general. This could greatly improve outcomes for patients in developing countries, where access to healthcare is sub-par and the need for accessible medical equipment is growing.