Innovative Projects Realized

Evaluation échographique de la fonction diaphragmatique sous ventilation mécanique chez les patients de réanimation par rapport à la stimulation phrénique bilatérale – technique de référence

Les patients hospitalisés en réanimation sont le plus souvent placés temporairement sous respirateur artificiel. Cela peut induire une faiblesse du diaphragme, conséquence de sa mise au repos sous respiration artificielle. Cette faiblesse, appelée dysfonction diaphragmatique, provoque une dépendance des patients à leur respirateur et prolonge le séjour en réanimation. Pour détecter une dysfonction diaphragmatique, les réanimateurs ont besoin d’outils fiables et facilement disponibles. La méthode de référence requiert un appareillage lourd et couteux la rendant indisponible pour la plupart des patients. L’objectif de notre projet est de comparer la technique de référence à une évaluation de la force diaphragmatique par échographie tout en suivant quotidiennement l’activité diaphragmatique. L’échographie est un examen disponible dans toutes les unités de réanimation, facile à réaliser,

non douloureux et ne nécessitant qu’un apprentissage simple. Notre projet a reçu un avis favorable du Comité de Protection des Personnes Ile de France VI. Nous espérons que notre étude confirmera que l’échographie peut remplacer la technique de référence et qu’ainsi tous les services de réanimation pourront diagnostiquer et prendre en charge plus facilement les patients avec une dysfonction diaphragmatique.

Modéliser les données multi-relationnelles comme des séquences / Modeling multi-relational data as sequences

The objective of the project is to automatically learn missing information in knowledge bases (KBs), which are becoming essential tools to deal with big data, since they provide means to organize, manage and retrieve all this knowledge. These databases are huge directed multi-relational graphs, whose nodes correspond to entities connected by edges representing a certain relationships between them. These databases are far from being complete, so new tools are needed to complete them by adding new facts; this is termed link prediction. This project proposes to tackle this problem by learning representations for each of the elements of the graph. However up to now, all proposed solutions do that by modeling of triples in isolation. We have

observed several limitations in these models that we attribute to this fact, so we aim at modeling sequences of triples, that could capture longer–term interactions. We propose to do such modeling using Recurrent Neural Networks, which have recently shown to be very powerful for dealing with sequences.

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy as a tool to study the transcription rate of Bicoid targets during Drosophila embryonic development

In embryos, cell differentiation occurs via the formation of spatial gradients of molecules called morphogens, which control the expression of a number of target genes determining cell identity. A common model system to study morphogen is the Bicoid gradient, which determine anterio-posterior patterning in the Drosophila fly. Here we propose to apply novel methods in both fly genetics (to label the nascent mRNA of

target genes) and fluorescence imaging (to detect the fluctuations in signal caused by the periodic creation of new mRNA at transcription sites) in order to measure the rate of transcription of a target gene of Bicoid, hunchback, in each nucleus along the anterioposterior

axis of Drosophila flies. Systematic measurements will allow determining which factors influence this transcription rate (e.g. the concentration of Bicoid, the concentration of Hunchback), especially in the border region where there is a switch between expression and no expression.

Investigation of Borohydride Oxidation by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) for the Application on Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells

The direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs) are a much simpler system compared to the hydrogen fuel cell, in terms of fuel infrastructure. The mystery behind the borohydride oxidation reaction mechanism hinders its commercial utilization. To effectively tackle the challenges with DBFCs, it is crucial to identify a highly active catalyst and understand the nature of BH4- and its interactions with the solvent and the electrode surface environments. The proposed project aims to address the above mentioned issues, particularly to investigate the first oxidation wave of BH4- in alkali electrolytes via in-situ surface sensitive techniques such as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), to identify reaction intermediates. Through this opportunity we hope to foster knowledge exchange between our universities and between disciplines in engineering and analytical chemistry.

Tailoring the Anisotropy of First-Row Transition Metal and Their Interactions

The proposed collaboration project between the Richeson and Journaux groups has a primary purpose of identifying new magnetic phenomena derived from common, inexpensive transition metals. The focus is on compounds containing cobalt and iron metal centers since these metals have larger than usual magnetic anisotropies. In order to design these compounds, specific chemical groups will be bonded to them in order to direct their behaviour. Prior research has shown promising candidates for this approach using bis(imino)pyridine, which will be a good starting points. The effect of studying the correlations between different bonded substituents, variation of the metal centers and these effects on the magnetism of the compounds will lead to the discovery of novel magnetic compounds in a rational way. These magnetic molecules can then be used to create single molecule magnets (SMM) which have a wide range of application including quantum computing, high density information storage and magnetic refrigeration.

Gouvernance des territoires côtiers soumis aux changements –analyse comparée Canada-France

Une nouvelle « révolution industrielle » émerge des mers et des océans, venant défier les cadres réglementaires et légaux existants, et nous demandant de changer la façon dont nous pensons la gouvernance de l’espace en mer. Cette révolution, par le développement de « nouvelles » activités industrielles, vient modifier en profondeur les rapports que les hommes entretiennent avec la mer, en termes de fonction économique (production énergétique vs production alimentaire), valeur socio-culturelle (privatisation vs bien « public-commun »), et cadre politique (planification spatiale marine). Dans ce contexte, l’information des activités humaines en mer, par leurs cartographies, est essentielle. C’est dans ce cadre informatif, que notre travail s’attachera à développer une méthodologie prompte à produire des données permettant d’affiner les dynamiques des activités humaines en mer, et ainsi alimenter les outils actuels d’aide à la décision pour une gestion durable de l’environnement marin.

Selling Awareness: Comparing Media Representations of Domestic Violence in France and Canada

Both Canada and France evidence high levels of domestic violence and, as such, various governmental and non-governmental bodies attempt to address the problem through media awareness campaigns. The Mitacs Award will support the media analysis of recent French media campaigns developed to create awareness around domestic violence, comparing these with depictions of domestic violence employed to sell products. What is innovative about this research is that I will also consider how similar images in anti-domestic violence campaigns and consumer ads impact audiences and investigate a puzzling hypothesis that representations of gender-based violence in consumer ads create more buzz than awareness campaigns. Studying with Dr. Karine Berthelot-Guiet, a leader in the field of social semiotics, this project promises to support the development of a strong international network as the findings will be compared with an analysis of media campaigns in Canada, conducted after the completion of the analysis of French media campaigns.

Le pouvoir des femmes kaingangs pentecôtistes

La question de la relation entre la religion et la conceptualisation des rôles des genres commencent à préoccuper chercheurs du monde entier. Dans une

religion en forte expansion comme le pentecôtisme, où plus des deux tiers sont des femmes, cette question mérite d’autant plus d’attention. Depuis 20

ans, le nombre d’adeptes du pentecôtisme a significativement augmenté au sein des communautés autochtones du Brésil, notamment chez les

Kaingangs, une communauté du Brésil méridional. À l’aide d’une méthode de recherche qualitative, je compte explorer la manière dont le pouvoir, le rôle et l’identité féminine des Kaingang au Brésil se construisent et se transforment à travers le pentecôtisme. Considérant que ceux-ci se sont approprié les

principes du Pentecôtisme tout en gardant une continuité avec les traditions kaingangs, existe-il des répercussions sur les représentations de la femme

kaingang? Comment les rapports de genres se transforment au sein du pentecôtisme et influencent la sphère privée?

The development of olfaction in Sepia officinalis

As a complex species of mollusk, the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, has a unique

physiology with multiple traits, such as their complicated brains that are similar to vertebrates.

With these similarities, S. officinalis provides a novel perspective for understanding olfaction.

Critical across the animal kingdom, olfaction allows for complex behaviors such as detection of

food, shelter, mates, and danger. Although arthropods and vertebrates are the archetypal

models of olfactory organization, since both systems are composed of basic functional units

called glomeruli, investigating the olfactory system in a cuttlefish provides new insights into the

evolution of olfactory mechanisms and information processing of complex metazoans. We

expect to find glomeruli, or glomerular-like structures, in S. officinalis through whole mount

immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization and we will identify the development and

differentiation of the embryonic cephalopod olfactory system.

Improving bend gesture accuracy using simulated tactile properties

Bend gestures on flexible devices allow users to provide subtle and continuous input to a computing device by bending a corner or a side of the device in question. The depth of bend can be used to control, for example, the speed at which the user scrolls through a document. This kind of input could be made more precise through the incorporation of tactile, or touchbased, feedback. By embedding a flexible device with vibrating elements, we will be able to

simulate the properties of real-life materials. As the user performs a bend gesture, the device makes subtle ‘click’ sensations, like a volume knob on a stereo. By being able to feel the degree of bend they are performing, I predict that users will be able to use bend gestures with increased accuracy. Through this project I seek to determine the effect that tactile feedback has on bend gesture accuracy. It is also exploratory research, looking to ways this type of feedback can be used to expand the vocabulary of bend gesture input.

Modelling of Surgical Workflows

Minimally invasive interventions are becoming increasingly common as they improve patient outcomes such as recovery time and infection risk; however,

these procedures can be difficult for operators to learn. To improve surgical training efficacy, computer-assisted training, which must provide feedback in the form of instruction and skill evaluation, can be used. The training system must have a sufficient model of the procedural workflow, which can be described surgical process models. These surgical process models, combined with methods for automatically determining the current phase of an intervention can be used to automate instruction. For this project, I propose investigating surgical process modelling for the technical subcomponents of needle-based interventions. Subsequently, these surgical process models can be combined with a previously developed workflow segmentation algorithm to provide automatic instruction. The resulting system will be integrated into the opensource PerkTutor platform (www.perktutor.org) for image-guided intervention training.

Justice sociale et enjeu ethnolinguistique dans le travail d’organisation communautaire à Montréal. Etude en sociolinguistique urbaine d’un organisme de l’arrondissement Verdun

L’arrondissement Verdun à Montréal est un espace de pluralité sociale et linguistique (plurilinguisme historique, immigration, rénovation urbaine, etc.) dans lequel coexistent nécessairement, comme ailleurs, une multitude de représentations et d’attitudes vis-à-vis des espaces, des langues et des identités. Cette diversité sociale, et les enjeux de justice qui l’accompagnent, pourraient s’interroger via les discours (et donc les pratiques et représentations linguistiques et langagières) des organisateurs communautaires locaux. Comment ces derniers conçoivent-ils cette idée de justice et quel est leur rapport à cet enjeu central de leur activité ? Comment les langues et pratiques langagières (et donc les locuteurs) du quartier sont-elles reconnues, valorisées, légitimées, représentées, au sein de ces organismes ? Où ? Par qui ? Quelles implications cela a-t-il sur leurs exigences de justice sociale ? Comment l’étude sociolinguistique de leurs pratiques et représentations, liées aux positions sociales des uns et des autres, et interrogées via leurs discours pourrait-elle participer à cet idéal de justice ? C’est cette question à la fois pratique et théorique qu’il s’agit de poser ici