Role of metabolic inflammation in depressive behavior

Obesity and diabetes are significant risk factors for mood disorders. Diabetes doubles the incidence of depression and as many as 1 in 3 people with diabetes has depressed mood at a level that diminishes functioning, glycemic control, adherence to treatment and increases the risk of diabetes complications. Over consumption of energy-dense foods significantly contribute to […]

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Musculoskeletal modeling for estimating muscle force in human: C++ optimization strategies for real-time analysis

Thanks to recent research in biomechanics, the estimation of human muscle forces during a dynamic movement becomes more and more feasible. Applications of such tools can be directed at improving sport performance, diagnoses of musculoskeletal diseases and monitoring progress made in rehabilitation. Still, due to the human body over-actuation (more than one muscle can produce […]

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Evaluation of a robotic orthosis for the rehabilitation of the locomotion in children suffering from cerebral palsy.

This project is about the use of a robotic device for the rehabilitation of locomotion in children suffering from cerebral palsy. This multidisciplinary research will grant the candidate an experience in biomechanical research, with the use of technologies at the edge of clinical rehabilitation. Cerebral palsy is the main factor of locomotion troubles in children. […]

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The impact of climate change on maternal-child health in Canada

Climate change is a fairly new phenomenon and its impact on health is poorly understood. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, but the effect on vulnerable populations such as women and children is largely unknown. One particular problem that limits research on the impacts of extreme weather on health is the lack of indicators […]

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Development of Biocompatible and bidegradable Mg alloy stents for cardiovascular implant applications

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of premature death in developed countries like Canada. Many such diseases are now treated by inserting medical devices (e.g. intracardiac occlusive devices, intra-vascular stents) implanted through percutaneous or minimally invasive approach. Most implants are of permanent materials (stainless steel, cobalt) that may cause long-term erosion, irritation, inflammation, perforation, infection […]

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Magnetometry with spin-based sensors

The summer intern will participate in a project aimed at using single defect centers in diamond to map out the magnetic fields generated by driven ferromagnetic circuits. Nanoscale magnetic circuits are critically important to computer hardware, especially in applications that use ferromagnetic domains to encode information. For example, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) could potentially […]

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Hydrogen trapping at nanoscale alloy carbides in high-strength steels

Hydrogen, when dissolved in metal or alloy lattice, can render the otherwise ductile material brittle. This phenomenon, namely hydrogen embrittlement (HE), has been a persistent obstacle for the application and development of high strength steels. One effective means to enhance the high strength steel’s resistance to HE is to introduce nanoscale alloy carbides (NACs) into […]

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Statistical challenges in individual patient data meta analysis

In a typical meta analysis, estimates of the parameter of interest (e.g. odds ratio) are extracted from the literature or by contacting researchers and pooled together. In contrast, for IPD-MA line-by-line patient data are obtained from each study. IPD-MA data permit researchers to define exposures and outcomes consistently across studies, and to analyze the association […]

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Regulating Innovation: Law and the Creative District

We will investigate the relationship between law and innovation in our newly globalized era. We will draw on well-documented innovative districts in Montreal and Silicon Valley to assess how law promotes or hinders such innovation. We will consider emerging initiatives such as the Blueseed startup community, which is a proposed un-regulated innovation zone to be […]

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Developing new viscoelastic substrates for cell mechanics studies

Traction force microscopy is a well-established methodology to measure the local contractile forces exerted by a cell, and is accomplished by measuring the deformation of a soft elastic substrate by cell forces. From this measured deformation, the strain is calculated, and by knowing the elastic modulus of the substrate, the forces are calculated. Key changes […]

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Energy-efficient thermal management in deep underground mines

It is well known that underground miners are exposed to one of the most dangerous working environments on earth. As miners delve deeper into the earth, the rock pressure and temperature rise, which in turn have an adverse effect on the environment and thus lead to higher operating costs. Furthermore, in coal mines where methane […]

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Perioperative use of opioids and risk of ovarian cancer recurrence and metastasis

Objective. The primary objective of this cohort study is to determine if use of opioids increases the risk of ovarian cancer recurrence and metastasis. The specific objectives are to determine whether: 1) use of IMM opioids during surgery increases the risk of cancer recurrence or metastasis when compared to NIMM opioid use, among patients undergoing […]

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