Publications by authors named "G Gagnon"

Induction-based breathing sensors in automobiles enable unobtrusive respiratory rate monitoring as an indicator of a driver's alertness and health. This paper introduces a quantitative method based on signal quality to guide the integration of textile inductive electrodes in automotive applications. A case study with a simplified setup illustrated the ability of the method to successfully provide basic design rules about where and how to integrate the electrodes on seat belts and seat backs to gather good quality respiratory signals in an automobile.

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The world's first full-scale, 280 nm UV LED reactor for wastewater disinfection was tested at flows of 545 and 817 m day. The system achieved > 3 average log reduction of total coliform at 545 m day and the 817 m day flow rate achieved over > 2.5 average log reduction for all operational conditions.

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This study introduces a green method for preparing self-assembly hydrogels via polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) coacervation using chitosan, sulphated polysaccharides (chondroitin sulphate or fucoidan), and hydrolyzed collagen, followed by treatments, such as centrifugation, nanocellulose incorporation, algal fucoidan substitution, freezing-thawing, saline solution addition, and dialysis. Chitosan alters the non-gelling characteristics of chondroitin sulphate, fucoidan, and hydrolyzed collagen, initiating quick gelling. This study compared the effects of biopolymer concentrations, pHs, and treatments on hydrogel properties.

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Occupational Applications: Our analysis of construction firm accident data in Québec, Canada, spanning from January 2019 to June 2022, provides critical insights for ergonomics and human factors practitioners. The predominant accidents involved being struck by objects (31%) and falls (15%), with lacerations and bruises comprising 37% of injuries. Notably, carpenters had the highest accident rate (22%), prompting attention to task-specific safety measures.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for effective viral tracking in aqueous environments, particularly for non-enteric viruses. Despite advances in wastewater monitoring, surveillance of viruses in freshwater remains limited due to traditional sampling challenges. This study refines GAC-based passive sampling protocols by determining optimal extraction and elution methods for enhancing the recovery of viral nucleic acids in freshwater.

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