Category: public posts
The select public posts from syn·op·sis, written and reviewed by iSci students at McMaster University. Each post is interdisciplinary in nature, and a wide variety of subject matter is covered. So sit back, relax, and start learning.
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From Relapse to Recovery: How Neuromodulation Techniques Could Revolutionize Addiction Treatment
Substance use disorder (SUD) claims an estimated 67,000 lives annually in Canada, highlighting the devastating impact of the drug epidemic (CAMH 2025). SUD is a chronic illness that causes symptoms of impaired judgement, impulsiveness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, and mood changes. These symptoms can lead to significant impairments in health, social function, and voluntary substance…
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Skin Pigmentation Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurements
Pulse oximeters have revolutionized modern medicine, enabling continuous, accurate, and non-invasive monitoring of functional oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (SpO₂) (Chan et al. 2013). Taken as a fifth vital sign, the device’s use is routine in emergency care, general ward, intermediate/intensive care unit, the operating room, and in general practices (Bosch et al. 2024). However, with…
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Holistic Hoof: Examining the Ecological Importance of Wild Horses
Wild horses (Equus ferus) roam as unspoken architects of the land, shaping environmental interactions and nurturing ecological balance through their untamed presence. Often found in landscapes that support domestic livestock, such as in the midwestern United States, wild horses are frequently regarded as an invasive species (Lönker, Fechner, and Abd El Wahed 2020). With complex…
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The Emergence of Allergic Diseases in Immigrants: A Probiotic Solution
First-generation immigrants face numerous challenges when adapting to new cultures: language barriers, discrimination, invalid credential recognition, and growing mental health concerns. While some of these challenges may be temporary, a long-term issue that remains unresolved within the immigrant population is the growing prevalence of allergic diseases (Lombardi, Passalaqua, and Walter Canonica 2009). Surprisingly, a potential…
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License to Kill: The Impact of Insect Road Mortality
Spotted across the large stretch of highway it can’t be missed, each of your five eyes in utter disbelief as a lush field speckled with wildflowers fills your vision. Stumbling forwards you catch whiffs of lavender and milkweed as you gesture to the swarm around you towards the prospect of sugary delight. According to traditional…
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Tuning Into the Language of Music
Language is a uniquely human invention that allows us to communicate and differentiates us from any other species. It is a hierarchical system, with smaller units making up larger parts (Pino et al. 2023). This is analogous to another human system: music. Although they are often considered separate systems, they share substantial overlap, so much…
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Your Chemistry Teacher Lied to You
Throughout an individual’s chemistry education, it is typically taught that we see one, two, or three bonds between atoms, also known as a bond order of one, two, and three respectively. It is instilled in students that elements can not have more than four bonds, but that is not entirely true. Certain properties of transition…
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CAGE in Transdermal Drug Delivery
Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are unique classes of liquids with remarkable properties. Traditionally they have been used in industrial settings and as green solvents, however, their use in drug delivery has been a topic of recent interest (Mitragotri 2024; Shukla et al. 2023). While very similar, ILs and DESs are separate…
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Preferences and Product Positioning
Impulsive purchases, trending products, and other transactions all share a commonality: they are often driven by carefully designed advertising strategies. Over the past few decades, digital advertising has revolutionized consumer engagement, enabling the advertisement industry to expand significantly (Baslandze et al. 2023). Strategies like product positioning are utilized throughout online media and physical establishments, effectively…
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Protein or Poison: The Rise of the Glorified Candy Bar
Marketed as a convenient source of nutrition for busy and health-conscious individuals, protein bars have sky-rocketed in popularity on the global market. Although initially intended to boost post-workout recovery for physically active individuals, the abuse of protein bars as low-carbohydrate meal replacements or snacks by all consumers has become prevalent (Jovanov et al. 2021). However,…