NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
A zooarchaeological analysis of a late Dorset faunal assemblage from the KcFs-2 site (Nunavik, Quebec)

This thesis presents a zooarchaeological analysis of a faunal assemblage from a Dorset site (KcFs-2) on the Nuvuk Islands in the Canadian Arctic. The faunal data was analyzed through the application of bone density and economic utility indices and bivariate statistical tests. A brief taphonomic study was also undertaken, showing that the assemblage was not heavily affected taphonomically. The faunal analysis revealed a generalized subsistence strategy with an intensified focus on marine mammal exploitation, specifically ringed seals. The predominance of immature ringed seals exposed through the study indicates an abundance of marine resources in the northern Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait regions during the period under study, which correlates well with existing studies concerning Late Palaeoeskimo economy. Occupation of the KcFs-2 site occurred in the Late Dorset period of Nunavik (1500-800 B.P.) and is defined on a multi-seasonal level, from late winter through summer. Analyses of the organic artefact assemblage (harpoon heads and sculpted objects) served to confirm the relative dating of the site and aided in the definition of the cultural affiliation of the inhabitants of the KcFs-2 site.

Keyphrases: Late Dorset, Nunavik, Nunavik, zooarchaeology, palaeoeskimo, subsistence economy
Identification de facteurs de risque d'insuffisance rénale en trauma

Background: acute kidney injury (AKI) has important mortality and morbidity complications. Few studies have looked at predictors of acute renal failure in a trauma patient population. Objectives: we sought to identify factors associated with AKI that can be assessed in the early hospital stay of trauma patients. We also specifically assessed if the administration of radiological contrast was a predictor of AKI. Methods: we conducted a nested case-control study from the trauma registry of an urban Level I trauma center which includes data on more than 6 000 subjects. The cases consisted of 49 patients with a diagnosis of AKI by their treating physician in the first 7 days following their trauma between 2002 and 2007 (March 2007). The controls were randomly selected for a 1:2 case to control ratio. Data were retrieved from the prospective trauma registry database. Additional data were also obtained via the hospital laboratory and radiology databases. Finally, a structured chart review was conducted to obtain the remaining information. Univariate analyses were conducted. Elements with a significance level of <0.1 were included in a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: predictors identified in the univariate analysis were: the first creatinine value obtained (p<0,001), hemodynamic instability (p<0,001), history of coronary artery disease (p=0,007), history of chronic renal insufficiency as per physician’s diagnosis in the chart (p=0,009), surgery in the 48 hours following the trauma (p=0,053), and, injection of contrast in the 48 hours following the trauma (p=0,077). In the final multivariate model, two factors were statistically significant. One factor was the first creatinine value p<0,001, OR 6,17 CI95 % (2,81 – 13,53) for each increase of creatinine by 0,5mg/dL. The other factor was the presence of hemodynamic instability p<0,001 OR 11,61 CI95 % (3,71 – 36,29). Conclusion: easily obtained information in the emergency department can aid in predicting the risk of AKI in a trauma population. Early administration of radiological contrast was not an independant predictor of AKI in this population.

Keyphrases: trauma, acute kidney injury, trauma, hemodynamic instability
Questions à mouvement multiple en bulgare

This study examines multiple Wh-interrogatives in Bulgarian, with particular reference to the mechanisms responsible for the order of fronted Wh- phrases. Apart from describing an interesting and quite complex linguistic phenomenon, this study offers a critical review of the main hypotheses that have been adduced to account for the properties of multiple interrogatives. First, we discuss the different approaches that attribute the order of fronted Wh-phrases entirely to syntactic rules. Next, we examine those analyses which seek to explain the phenomenon by appealing to specific features pertaining to Wh-phrases, namely [animate] or [discourse-linked]. Other topics discussed in the present study include the role of topicalization and focalization in multiple interrogative formation, the possibility that the functional projections of the Bulgarian left periphery may host various Wh-phrases, as well as the role and distribution of resumptive pronouns.

Keyphrases: Bulgarian, multiple Wh-movement, Wh-movement, Slavic languages
Exploración y análisis de las políticas educativas relativas a la educación rural en Centroamérica : casos de Costa Rica y Nicaragua

Various international organizations have studied rural schools in developing countries and the majority of the research shows that these schools do not offer an education adapted to the community in which they are located. This is primarily due to the fact that the schools are integrating administrative and teaching structures of urban schools without taking into consideration the characteristics of child populations in rural zones. In response to the identified difficulties, these organizations proposed various solutions or recommended policies adapted to this particular context.  The goal of this research is to study how these recommendations translate into educational policies and their impact on daily life of rural schools in two Central American countries, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. For this purpose, we’ve created an analysis framework with six categories: socio-economic status, curriculum and pedagogy, school and community relationships, teachers, technology, and lastly, management and governance. With this intention, we’ve analyzed the recommendations made by various international organizations and other organizations from developed countries related to rural education. We’ve compared this information to the political decisions on educational development in rural communities made in the last twenty in these two countries. Lastly, we’ve completed the research with field observations, studying the day-to-day work in rural schools. Working from the hypothesis that there exists sufficient valid information and recommendations to issue appropriate policies that improve conditions in rural schools, this work presents a multi-level analysis (global recommendations, national policies and school practices) by determining convergences and divergences in each of these levels.  The main results of the research show that there is a convergence between school practices and education policies created by the countries, with some minor exceptions. When it comes to convergence between global recommendations and the countries’ policies, we cannot speak of convergence in general. This research proposes the use of national policy profiles for each country, depending on how they deal with the challenges of rural education: assigning resources to extend standard educational services to all children, or generating targeted policies, creating specific programs that highlight the difference of the rural world.

Keyphrases: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, rural education, educational policies, rural school
De la réforme et de l'harmonisation du droit des sûretés dans un contexte de mondialisation de l'économie : vers un retour au paradigme de l'uniformisation du droit?

The reform and harmonization of secured transactions on movable (or personal) property is fostered by international organizations, on the assumption that an efficient regime of secured transactions will give access to affordable credit to a large number of persons and corporations.  Such reform and harmonization process can be explained according to its two main features. Firstly, in Western and developped countries, the focus is on endeavours to harmonize the various regimes internally and to establish special regimes with respect to specific assets (for instance, high value mobile equipment, such as aircrafts, rolling stock or satellites, on the one hand, or incorporeal property, including securities, financial assets or security entitlements, on the other hand).  Even though some differences remains from a systemic point of view, north american and european regimes are based on similar principles and achieve comparable results.  It is therefore possible to see the emergence of a transnational legal order in the law of secured transactions, based on individuals and the enforcement of their rights of ownership, ascertained by the Rule of Law principle. Secondly, international financial institutions are encouraging the implementation of secured transactions regimes in developing countries along the same criteria as those used in Western developed countries, in the context of institutional and legal reforms under governance and rule of law projects.  However, Western regimes must be adapted and customized before they are transplanted into a developing country.  Indeed, for socio-cultural and political reasons, it is not possible to establish the same kind of regime therein.  When individual rights and freedoms, including the right of ownership and the Rule of Law, are not recognized, the reform and harmonization of secured transactions is not likely to happen. The status of advancement of the reform and harmonization of secured transactions in the developed world is illustrated by a comparison between the Uniform Commercial Code, the Civil Code of Québec, the Personal Property Security Acts of canadian common law provinces, the applicable principles under both French and English Law, and the influence of European Law on its member states.  An analysis of the main harmonization instruments proposed by international organizations is also conducted. Finally, the pitfalls of governance and rule of law reform projects are well described by two case studies.  The first one deals with real estate and mortgage law reforms in Egypt, with a goal to encourage affordable access to housing;  the second one is about urban planing and housing reforms in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The existence of a multiplicity of legal orders in these countries explains the difficulties encountered in such reform processes.

Keyphrases: common law, Secured Transactions, Comparative Law, Civil Law, Common Law, Islamic Law, African Customary Law, Rule of Law, Law and Development, World Bank
Modifications de la matrice extracellulaire dans la rigidité artérielle

Within the vascular wall, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts are surrounded by a complex and structured network of secreted macromolecules and proteins, the extracellular matrix. Reciprocal interactions between matrix and cells are essential to growth, development and remodeling. However, in pathological situations, the alteration of these interactions can lead to the development of different disease states. With aging, the extracellular matrix of large elastic arteries undergoes several modifications. The elastic lamellae are fragmented or degraded and calcify, whereas more rigid proteins, such as collagen, accumulate and cause fibrosis. These alterations are associated with the stiffening of arteries, which results in the development of isolated systolic hypertension. In order to study the sequence of events occuring in the development of this pathology, we used an animal model of calcification based on the inhibition of a matrix Gla protein, which physiologically prevents calcification, with warfarin. We observed an acute and transient activation of MMP-9 and TGF-ß, which preceded the phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells, calcification and changes to hemodynamic parameters. Moreover, the inhibition of MMPs and TGF-ß prevented vascular calcification. We also studied the role of an extracellular matrix enzyme, transglutaminase 2, in the development of vascular calcification associated with isolated systolic hypertension. Using a novel inhibitor of this enzyme, we established a key role for transglutaminase 2 in this pathological process. This thesis demonstrates the relevance of directly targeting the extracellular matrix, particularly MMP-9, TGF-ß and transglutaminase 2, as a novel therapeutic avenue in the treatment of isolated systolic hypertension.

Keyphrases: Calcification, Transglutaminase, MMP, TGF-beta, Extracellular Matrix, Isolated systolic hypertension, Calcification, Arterial stiffness, Transglutaminase, MMP, TGF-beta
Micelles polyioniques ternaires pour la libération intracellulaire d’oligonucleotides

Antisens oligonucleotides (ONs) present great potential as therapeutic agents. However, their physicochemical properties hinder their use in gene therapy. Targeting systems, such as polyion complex micelles (PICMs), have been proposed to circumvent the main hurdles related to ON delivery. Their unique core/shell structure can protect the ON against premature degradation and the coupling of a ligand on their surface can increase their specificity and internalization. In other systems, a polymer with pH-sensitive properties can be added to facilitate the release of the ON from the endosome and increase its efficiency. The present work was aimed at optimizing ternary PICMs targeted for the delivery of antisens ON. Such systems would provide both cellular internalization of cargo by interaction with receptors on the surface of cell membranes and escape from the endosome through a mechanism of destabilization of the endosomal membrane. PICMs composed of cationic copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-bloc-poly((alkylamino)ethyl methacrylate) with a methacrylic acid copolymer adjuvant were prepared. Their physicochemical properties suggest that efficient complexation of nucleic acids was obtained, regardless of the nature of the cationic polymer and the nature of the nucleic acid. Finally, a synthetic approach was developed for the conjugation of an antibody fragment directed against the transferrin receptor via a labile disulfide bond at the end of the cationic copolymer. In conclusion, the work presented herein displays the versatility and potential of ternary PICMs as vehicles for the delivery of ONs and also provides a method for the conjugation of a ligand to generate targeted ternary PICMs.

Keyphrases: pARNi, polyion complex micelle, antisens oligonucleotides, cationic copolymer, membrano-lytic copolymers, antibody, atome transfert radical polymerization, siRNA
L’erreur lexicale au secondaire : analyse d’erreurs lexicales d’élèves de 3e secondaire et description du rapport à l’erreur lexicale d’enseignants de français

This research aims to describe 1) francophone students’ lexical errors in writing and 2) teachers’ relation to lexical errors (conception of error, vocabulary evaluation practices, feedback provided). The first part of the research consists in a three-level error analysis: 1) a linguistic description based on an error typology, 2) an evaluation of error gravity and 3) an explanation of the possible sources of error. The corpus analyzed is composed of 300 texts written in French class by 3rd year high school students. The analysis revealed 1144 lexical errors. The most common are semantic problems (30%), errors related to morphosyntactic properties of words (21%) and the use of colloquial words (17%). This distribution shows that half of the lexical errors are due to a lack of knowledge of word properties other than meaning and form. The evaluation of error gravity is based on three criteria: their acceptability according to dictionaries, their impact on comprehension and their degree of integration to language. Problems related to register are usually those perceived as less serious and semantic problems represent the vast majority of serious errors. The third level of analysis concerns the possible causes of the errors and identifies three main sources: influence of oral language, semantic proximity and formal similarity between the word used and the target word. The second part of the thesis concerns French teachers’ relation to lexical errors and is based on the analysis of 224 corrected essays and eight interviews. When correcting, teachers focus their attention on errors involving morphosyntactic properties of words (gender, invariability, government pattern), which they consider as grammatical errors. The more genuine lexical errors (semantic errors, use of colloquial words and collocation errors) are rarely pointed out, and comments provided regarding these types of errors are vague and inconsistent, giving students very few hints for correction. The evaluation of vocabulary in written production is always subject to a qualitative assessment, based on the teacher’s general impression rather than specific criteria, the only clear indicator being repetition. The explanations teachers provide about lexical problems rely heavily on intuition, which shows some deficiencies in their training in regards to vocabulary.

Keyphrases: Correction, Lexical error, Vocabulary, Error analysis, French teaching, Written production, Correction, High school, Error treatment in L1 writing, Error gravity, Meaning-Text Theory
Une sagesse qui ne vient jamais : esthétique, politique et personnalité 
dans l’œuvre de Guy Debord

This thesis offers a critical reappraisal of the work of Guy Debord through a close study of his literary and cinematographic self-portraits. The research offers a reading of Debord that sheds light on the author’s attempts at a “writing of the self”.  Such writing, according to Debord, is intimately connected to the creation of a legend. The introduction shows how Debord’s unique trajectory blurs the traditional boundaries that divide aesthetics and politics. It explores the various means through which Debord attempts to redefine the status of the artist and the function of writing through a transformation of everyday life. In this context, artistic production becomes entirely subservient to Debord’s character, to his singular personality that manifests itself through the creation of a “Grand style”. By emphasizing the importance of lived experience over that of the work itself, Debord’s maneuvers are entirely within the modernist tradition. Indeed, chapter II shows how Debord attempts to participate to the politicization of aesthetics, a project that is also central to that of the historical avant-garde. Special emphasis is placed on how Debord’s work was constructed on the ruins of surrealism. To distinguish himself from his immediate predecessors, the Situationist movement substituted the Surrealist infatuation with dream states with a poetics of intoxication based on dérive (urban drifting) and on the intensification of the self. The last section of this chapter explores how both Surrealism and Situationism attempted to create modern forms of myths. Chapter III deals specifically with the mythological construction of Debord’s character. It situates Debord’s late memorialist project in a distinct French tradition of the “writing of the self”. It also explores the economy of Debord’s classical sources, underlying his fascination with the aristocratic ethics of the “Grand Siècle”. Finally, the question of the baroque worldview is analyzed in relation to Debord’s various strategies of manipulation. Chapter IV considers the question of identification. Whenever Debord speaks of his life, he only ever does so by using external elements, through the “détournement” of various literary and popular sources. We look specifically how such “détournements” participated to a complex revealing of the self.  We then explore the question of Debord’s political imaginary, which constantly conjures up images from the nineteenth century (the so-called “dangerous classes”, conspirators, bohemians). This last chapter concludes with an interpretative analysis of Debord’s recurring allusions to well-known criminal figures (such as Lacenaire) in his work, in order to explain the preeminent function that crime and transgression play in the author’s sensibility.

Keyphrases: Guy Debord, Grand style, Avant-garde, Baroque, Identification, Conspiration, Transgression, Guy Debord, Autobiography, Grand style, Avant-garde, Myth, Baroque, Strategy, Identification, Conspiration, Transgression
Le Sylvicole inférieur au Méganticois : le cas du site Nepress (BiEr-21)

The discovery of the Nepress site (BiEr-21) in 2004 and the subsequent excavations have revealed many archaeological remains. This thesis has seeks to determine the cultural identity of the site’s occupants, taking into account their ritual activities and their lithic procurement strategy. To achieve this, a morpho-metric analysis of the lithic assemblage was undertaken. The intra-site artifact distribution was also taken into account. A chronological sequence for Northeastern North America going back to the Early Woodland is presented. The Early Woodland appears to dominate the occupation of the Nepress site. This is characterised by the presence of diagnostic artifacts of the Meadowood culture. These objects are a  triangular bifacial Meadowood scraper, as well as an imitation of a projectile point.

Keyphrases: Prehistory, Northeastern archaeology, Hunther-gatherers, Lithic analysis, Early Woodland, Meadowood culture, Lithic raw material procurement strategy
"Les Journées nationales" suivi de "Quand les huissiers se saisissent de la scène : l'absurde bureaucratique dans le théâtre contemporain"

"La Journée nationale du pardon", "La Journée nationale de la lutte contre l’embonpoint" and "La Journée nationale de la frivolité", the three short plays collected in "Les Journées nationales", all spring from the same, seemingly eccentric idea : the obligation to celebrate any social aspect as long as it is dictated by a majority. By "legalizing" an implicitly imposed moral conduct, "Les Journées nationales", short social satires laden with black humour, dissect and analyze social norms and generally acknowledged values in order to highlight their incoherencies.  "Quand les huissiers se saisissent de la scène : l’absurde bureaucratique dans le théâtre contemporain" is an essay that analyzes the processes and also points out the stakes at work in the theatre of the "bureaucratic absurd". The "bureaucratic absurd" is a phrase used to designate plays that, through nonsense, a playful and creative use of bureaucratic jargon and through the importance given to the characters’ and locations’ social connotations, express the terror felt by the playwrights towards the institutionalization of human relationships. Using four plays (Arthur Adamov’s "Le Professeur Taranne", Michel Vinaver’s "Les Travaux et les Jours", Lydie Salvayre’s "Quelques conseils utiles aux élèves huissiers" and Normand Chaurette’s "États financiers"), theoretical works on the theatre of the absurd (Esslin, Hubert), sociocriticism (Duchet) and sociology (Crozier and Friedberg, Le Breton), we will show that, through the expression of a constant tension between the intimate and the professional, the bureaucratic absurd offers a glimpse of the individual’s power and of the persistence of  personal responsibility within social organizations.

Keyphrases: Théâtre, Absurde, Bureaucratie, Theatre, Absurd, Bureaucracy, Comic, Actor, System, Responsibility, Sociology