Machine learning in the operating room: focus, performance, and the medical record

This proposed study will significantly enhance our current understanding of how specific intra-operative factors can impact patient outcomes. Our proposed work will provide a proof of concept that machine learning can objectively predict a specific, high-impact post-operative complication, allowing us to move forward with scaling this work to a wide variety of surgical settings. Moreover, […]

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Synergistic Effects of Environmental Factors on Electrochemical Corrosion and Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) of a High?Strength Pipeline Steel

Sour corrosion originated from hydrogen sulfide in the pipeline has detrimental impact on the material’s surface of the pipeline, which ultimately causes cracks and pipeline failure. The mechanism behind this sour corrosion is complex because several environmental factors control the degree of sour corrosion, such as, temperature, acidity of the environment, hydrogen sulfide concentration, chloride […]

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Carbon cycling, transport, and fate in Canada’s forests under a rapidly changing climate: Scale matters in systems with short biogeochemical attention spans

In order to better understand the role of Canada’s vast forested area in our country’s carbon budget, further work is needed to monitor ‘hot spots’ of carbon activity – the boundaries between land and lake, and how these landscape positions will react to a changing climate. Further, less is known about the timing around the […]

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Separating Syntax and Semantics for Semantic Parsing

Study of language disorders, theoretical linguistics, and neuroscience suggests language competence involves two interacting systems, typically dubbed syntax and semantics. However few state-of-the-art deep-learning approaches for natural language processing explicitly model two different systems of representation. While achieving impressive performance on linguistic tasks, they commonly fail to generalize systematically. For example, unlike humans, learning a […]

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Performative Construction: Configuring a Computer-controlled Robotic Manufacturing Setting for Composite Wood Buildings

This research project will explore and devise a digital simulation platform for architects with which custom-designed buildings can be manufactured by robotics from composite wood paneling systems. In a practice-based approach, the intern will develop a simulation tool for a unique manufacturing setting by linking and modifying computer software. The digital platform supports architects in […]

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Transcritical CO2 Pulverization

Crushing and grinding rock is the largest consumer of energy at a mining operation. Breaking rock by expansion within is a lower energy process than crushing or impact from outside, since rock tensile strength is significantly lower than rock compressive strength. This research intends to explore and develop a novel method for rock comminution using […]

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Developing and evaluating multi-functional rain gardens

Rain gardens are shallow planted depressions in the ground that infiltrate, and evaporate urban rainwater. They are a kind of green infrastructure that provide an alternative to putting polluted urban runoff into the storm sewer system. The researchers will build and test new designs and installation methods for rain gardens. The new designs will incorporate […]

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Automated clinical note generation from clinician-patient dialogues

This project will investigate improvements to models for automatically generating physician notes from transcripts of conversations between physicians and patients. The model will capture important medical information such as symptoms, treatments, and medications, and automatically formulate a free-text note that mimics the style of the physician’s manually entered notes. The model will use context and […]

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Synthesis of Fluorinated Cannabinoids

The recent legalization of marijuana has sparked renewed interest in studying the health benefits of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBO, 1, Figure 1) has emerged as a promising medicinal candidate due to its potential for the treatment of anxiety, and chronic pain. In 2018, the first CBD-containing drug, Epidio1ex, was approved by the FDA for […]

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Wearable Technologies for Inferring and Enhancing Vestibular Balance Function

The vestibular organs detect head movement and are involved in the coordination of standing balance. With balance problems being a common and expensive healthcare cost internationally, there is a growing need for new diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices that target vestibular balance function. In particular, a wearable device that could be used outside the clinic […]

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Spatio-Temporal Human Activity Recognition on Manufacturing Floors

In industry, inspection of manufacturing floors is handled by humans. The drawback of using humans for this repetitive task is that collected data can be highly prone to bias due to small sample size and industrial engineers can miss relevant details during the cycle time analysis. Calculations often misinterpret the real factory situation. This research […]

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