NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Examen des difficultés psychosociales chez des adolescents, neuf (9) mois après une tragédie ferroviaire

Objectives: To examine the psychosocial difficulties in a group of exposed adolescents aged 14 to 18 nine months after the railway accident. Compare adolescents who reach the clinical level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to those who do not, depending on range severity of exposure and on symptoms of depression, anxiety and other related issues. Methods: The analyses were conducted on a suitability sample of 227 young people, with an average age of 15.96 years, in secondary levels III, IV and V, and living in the Mégantic sector of the Eastern Townships in the province of Quebec. Results: Almost half (41.5%) of adolescents report being severely exposed to the railway accident and one third (29.6%) has described severe PTSD symptoms reaching the clinical threshold. In addition, there appears to be a tendency for a higher proportion of girls compared to boys to have PTSD problems and depression and anxiety symptoms. The majority of adolescents report a non-problematic use of psychoactive substances, while 8% are at risk or problematic. Delinquency, mainly non-violent, is more common among boys. Adolescents who reach a clinical threshold of PTSD symptoms have been more severely exposed to the tragedy and report feeling more depressed and anxious. There was no significant relationship between PTSD and externalized behaviours. Conclusion: The results of the study highlight the relationship between a traumatic event such as the railway accident and the presence of PTSD symptoms as well as of internalized behaviours in a group of adolescents.

Keyphrases: adolescents, consommation de substances psychoactives, Railway accident, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, use of psychoactive substances, delinquency
Étude de la cyclisation de lactones à 9 membres par réaction de métathèse et formation catalytique de liens benzyliques asymétriques

Previously, a synthesis of aliskiren, a renin inhibitor developed for the treatment of hypertension, was developed in the Hanessian group. As part of that synthesis, they used a ring-closing metathesis which led to the formation of a nine-membered lactone, a key intermediate of the synthesis. During the reaction, we observed a difference in reactivity between the various diastereoisomers leading to the formation of mono- and dilactones, inciting us to study the various factors involved. The present master’s thesis reports and details the results of the study of monomers versus dimers formation by cyclization using Grubbs’s catalysts and the effect of various reaction conditions and relative configuration on the reaction.  An interest for the formation of benzylic bonds drove us to deepen our comprehension of a methodology of diastereselective nucleophilic substitution catalysed by acids. The rational brought forth by the Bach and Olah groups served as a basis for our understanding of the mechanism involved upon which we based our following observations. We focused our attention on the alkylation of arenes, phenols and sulfonamides. Various regioselectivities and diastereoselectivities were observed on substrates derived from the aliskiren’s synthesis, nitroaocohols and azidoalcohols while using various Lewis and Brønsted acids.

Keyphrases: Aliskiren, Macrocycle, Catalyse acide, Diaryles, Sulfonamide, Empilement π – π, Nine-membered ring lactone, Dimerization, Ring-closing metathesis, Acid catalysts, Benzylic carbocation, Diaryls, Diastereoselective alkylation, Benzylic ethers, π – π stacking
Regulation of chromosome condensation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during mitosis

Chromosomal condensation is a vital process required for sister chromatid separation during cell division and for maintaining the structural integrity of the chromatin. The central effector of this process is a highly conserved pentameric protein complex known as condensin. The condensin complex is found in all eukaryotes and is essential for viability.  However, it is not clearly known how condensin initiates chromosome condensation at the onset of mitosis. Condensin is a target for various cell cycle kinases during mitosis. So we hypothesized that post-translational modifications might play an important role in activating condensation in early mitosis. Consistent with our hypothesis, we showed that Cdk1 phosphorylates Smc4 in the condensin complex during early mitosis and initiates chromosomal condensation process. Importantly, the Smc4 phospho-mutant experienced defects in condensation. We have also uncovered an intermediate stage during this process, the intertwist. We further demonstrated that the CDK-dependent modification of condensin regulates the dynamic binding of the complex to chromatin, thereby promoting effective chromatin compaction during cell division. We showed that the dynamic binding of condensin is regulated by VCP/p97/Cdc48 (AAA-ATPase), a molecular chaperon known for extracting chromatin-bound proteins. Supporting this idea, we have observed chromosome condensation defects in three conditional-lethal mutants of CDC48 (cdc48-3, cdc48-6 and cdc48-9). We determined that the role of Cdc48 in chromosome condensation requires the activity of Cdc48 co-factors Ufd1-Npl4 and also this process depends on protein ubiquitylation. Finally, we show that the kinetics of condensin mobility on chromatin is dependent on Cdc48. These observations suggest that Cdc48 is acting as a molecular chaperone to facilitate the removal of condensin from chromatin thereby promoting chromosome condensation. Taken together, our work highlights novel regulatory mechanisms responsible for effective chromosome morphogenesis during cell division.

Keyphrases: Smc4, Cdk1, Cdc48, Ufd1-Npl4, Phosphorylation, Ubiquitination, Chaperon, Condensin, Chaperone, Cell cycle
Préformation et épigenèse en développement : une analyse épistémologique de l'Entwicklungsgeschichte après Darwin et de l'Entwicklungsmechanik

The main goal of this dissertation is to demonstrate the existence of a logic of embryological discovery which contributed to the genesis of Entwicklungsmechanik, and which renewed the opposition between preformation and epigenesis. On the one hand, the synthesis between a typology of development and a mechanistic heuristic led to a causal reductionist account of phenomena. Embryological experimentation, on the other hand revealed complex processes of epigenetic regulation which forced biologists to transform their models of explanation. This dissertation begins with an analysis of the role of Darwinism in the development of a mechanistic heuristic applied to morphology. Ernst Haeckel's Entwicklungsgeschichte proposed a synthesis between Karl von Baer's embryological program and Darwinism, which led to a physiological-reductionist view of typological epigenesis on the basis of the recapitulation law. A physiology of development thus frees itself from Haeckelian methodology and its phylogenic framework. While relying on Wilhelm His' physics of development (1874), Wilhelm Roux carried out a physiological synthesis of Darwinism in Der Kampf der Theile im Organismus (The Struggle of Parts in the Organism 1881). The third part of this dissertation examines the Entwicklungsmechanik and its relationship to August Weismann's Neo-Darwinism. The essential steps of the nuclear-idioplasmic theory of heredity are then described. The discoveries of mitosis and fertilization (1873-1884), combined with Carl von Nägeli's theory (1884), served as preconditions to Weismann's Neo-Preformationism. By 1885 Weismann postulates the existence of an internal predetermination of development, which would be carried out by unequal division of inherited qualities located in the nucleus chromatic architecture. This theory is first supported by experiments on blastomere destruction (Chabry 1887, Roux 1888), but it ends up being challenged by the discovery of Theilbildung (Hans Driesch 1892). The coordinated actions of differentiating cells which led to the reorganization of their morphogenetic fates (Umdifferenzierung) could not be accounted for by a mechanical model of development. Two outcomes are then examined: (1) the development of the first model of embryonic induction (Driesch 1894) coupled with a Neo-vitalistic epigenesis; (2) Oscar Hertwig's organicism, which combined principles of cell theory with a rejection of the use of mechanistic causality in biology. An epistemological analysis of experimental embryology's founding principles thus shows how a logic of discovery has structured the evolution of contemporary developmental biology by taking into account preformationist ideas and mechanistic models.

Keyphrases: Entwicklungsmechanik, Haeckel, Roux-Weismann, History of science, Epigenesis, Epistemology, Embryology, Mechanism, Biology, Logic of discovery, Vitalism, Teleology
Émergence d’un paradoxe religieux dans un contexte esclavagiste à la Martinique aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles : analyse psychanalytique des signifiants d’une conversion

He converted to Christian «philosophy» - not to Christa in religion – once said Maurice Sachot, (2007, p.112) regarding Tertullien’s conversion, circa 197 CE.  If establishing a relationship between Christianity, philosophy and religion as the foundation of the conversion raises doubts, then how about the slaves conversion fifteen centuries later ?   No one has affirmed that Black slaves from the West Indies converted to the Roman Catholic Church. However, in the name of the Bible, Black Africans had been reduced to slavery and it is this same Bible that re-humanized them. Though they remained considered ignorant and were thought to live in servitude. Moreover, our research aims to analyse Black slaves «conversion », to Christianity in the light of the psychoanalysis. This revelation could explain to some extent the contradiction between the two seemingly paradoxical perspectives of submitting versus re-humanizing. By strictly describing this passage as a «conversion », we would be ignoring the human tragedy which exists at the core of it.  As such, this scene reveals a religious paradox which demonstrates both a religion promoted by masters and a religion of the Gospels. We must understand that this religion was the object of a belief and de facto, that of emancipation. This work tends to be an analysis which reveals "signifiants" that refer to the conversion of Black slaves.

Keyphrases: Slaves, Re-humanized, Psychoanalysis, "signifiant" of conversion, Religious paradox
Le développement de collections de jeux vidéo dans les bibliothèques universitaires en Amérique du Nord : étude exploratoire

Video games are culturally and socially important; they are part of daily life for most North Americans and were the most profitable leisure industry of 2014. Interest in this document was sparked in the academic community and several disciplines have studied it, such as psychology, sociology and information science. Some universities have created entire departments devoted to the study of video games: Game Studies. This rise in interest sometimes leads to the creation of a video games collection in academic libraries; this issue is not addressed in academic literature, however, only professional. This research aims to bring a scientific and objective viewpoint to an issue many academic libraries may experience. To do so, we conducted a multiple case study and interviewed librarians, members of the libraries’ staff, teachers and students of two universities, one Canadian and the other, American. This qualitative approach was chosen to answer our four research questions: [1] What are the elements influencing the development of video game collections?, [2] How do professionals treat video games in their collection development activities?, [3] How are video games used by patrons of academic libraries?, and [4] What is the impact of video games on the libraries’ employees tasks?  The results show that the elements influencing the development of video game collections in academic libraries are mostly organisational and financial and that technological elements have to be taken into account when doing retrospective collection development. The development of video game collections differs from that of traditional documents in academic libraries, because librarians choose titles one by one and the important selection criteria include the users’ demands and the support to access the information in the game. Furthermore, clerks and other employees may have to clean and repair objects that are not working properly. The potential users of these collections – teachers and students using video games for teaching or for research – do not use the library’s resources, mainly because they are unaware of them, but also because they cannot borrow them and bring them home. Finally, other than the tasks related to the development of the video game collection, the impact on the employees is minimal, notably because these resources are isolated in the libraries and because employees do not work with other types of documents.

Keyphrases: Academic libraries, Audiovisual documents, Collection development, Video games
De l’accaparement des terres aux investissements agricoles internationaux responsables : la construction de l’acceptabilité sociale

June 25, 2011, Kofi Annan, said « the problem of climate change, global food and nutrition security is the challenge of our time. » As forecasts estimate the world population will achieve nine billion in 2050, the question of how the world is to be fed is thrust into startling focus. In this context, the emerging phenomenon of international agricultural transactions is on the spot.  While the World Bank encourages agribusiness in developing countries, social movements denounce "land grabbing", with a total area of land that changed hands, estimated between 48.9 and 63.1 million hectares. The agricultural world is in crisis, and the subject of land grabbing has become a must in the media. This interdisciplinary research is intended to be exploratory and aims at identifying how the construction of the social acceptability of the agricultural industry at international level could be started, based on the representations of the actors of what is “unacceptable”.  Having identified the main issues of the agricultural world, the central question of the legitimacy of public decisions, that is to say decisions having a public scope, whether taken by private or public actors, will be addressed. Subsequently, a parallel will be drawn with the mining sector, which has been confronted for several years with the notion of "social risk", focusing in particular on hybrid regulatory instruments, which emerged in response to the crisis of legitimacy of the sector. The research will therefore concentrate on the process of homogenization of the judgment of social acceptability within the agricultural industry, analyzing the media coverage of the phenomenon, and reinforcing the analysis by semistructured interviews with different actors working in international NGOs, international organizations (such as the World Bank or the International Finance Corporation), a large multinational involved in mining, or responsible investment groups.

Keyphrases: Sustainable Development, Land grabbing, Social acceptability, Social license to operate, Corporate social responsibility, Mining
Les Rastafaris : dans les poumons de l'hégémonie :
matérialisme symbolique d'une négation idéologique

This work explores Rastafari culture through its symbolic structuration, focusing on three cultural manifestations of significance: Nyabinghi Assembly, Ceremonial Chants and Iyaric language. I have sought to study the way Rastafari’s symbolic order establishes itself through Jamaican History and through multiple cultures of resistance. My objective is to study symbolism from a materialist perspective, namely showing that symbolism is both determined and determinant, that History shapes just as it is shaped by History. Rastafari culture, making a break with the established order, proved to be a fertile context for the research and analysis of a symbolic materialist approach in anthropology.  I have grounded my approach in a yearlong Jamaican research residency where I socialized with various Rastafari communities, both in rituals spaces and at the crossroads of interaction between Rastafari adepts and ordinary Jamaicans. This stay reasserted to me the importance of guiding this research with a theoretical framework allowing to grasp particularities in the cultural dynamics involved while at the same time enabling bridges with other cultures of resistance through a given universalism.  A framework addressing culture through ideology, counter-hegemony and heterotopia as much as recognition’s dialectic had guided this research. These theories allow deeper analysis and discussion concerning the collected data of three symbolic spaces; ritual assembly, ceremonial chants and the construction of a language.

Keyphrases: Rastafari, Nyabinghi, Iyaric, Altérité, Materialism, Symbolism, Structuralism, Ideology, Counter-Hegemony, Heterotopia, Otherness
L’enseignement centré sur la forme et l’apprentissage du vocabulaire en français langue seconde

In this thesis, the author examined the question of vocabulary learning/teaching in French as a second language (L2). L2 research has been interested in the effects of different approaches of lexical instruction on vocabulary learning. Some researchers (e.g. Krashen, 1982, 1989) contend that L2 learning, vocabulary and morphosyntax, occurs incidentally through the exposure to comprehensible input and through meaning-based activities such as reading. Others (e.g. Laufer,  2005, 2006) advocate a more explicit approach to vocabulary teaching, focused on the form of lexical elements. The effects of lexical form-focused instruction (FFI) have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly its different modalities and timing (integrated FFI vs isolated FFI), hence the relevance of this research.  Three experimental studies were conducted to examine the effectiveness of different vocabulary teaching approaches in French as an L2. Forty-two L2 French learners participated in two multiple case studies (n = 9 and n = 10) and a quasi-experimental study (n = 23). Among other things, the first two studies were designed to serve as pilots for the methodological design of the third study. The experimental intervention (four periods of 45 minutes each) targeting 36 words was carried out through three experimental conditions (integrated FFI, isolated FFI and repetition) and a control condition (incidental learning through reading). Each participant benefited from all the conditions. In other words, among the targeted words, some had to be learned incidentally, some through repeated exposure and some were taught by the integrated FFI and the isolated FFI. Lexical tasks were administered before intervention started and twice after it ended (immediate posttest and delayed posttest). Results indicate the advantages of FFI compared to incidental learning and repetition. However, there is no significant differences between the isolated FFI and the integrated FFI. The conclusion of this thesis emphasizes the importance of FFI in order to improve the vocabulary learning, while specifying the necessity of the retrieval activities to reduce learning loss.

Keyphrases: Vocabulary teaching/learning, French as a second language, Form-focused instruction, Integrated approach, Isolated approach, Incidental learning, Reading, Repetition, Receptive and productive knowledge
Thérapie cellulaire pour le glaucome : régénération tissulaire grâce aux cellules souches mésenchymateuses

Stem cells have been presented as the key to regenerative medicine, where organ repair, cures for degenerative diseases and even the creation of new tissue could be achieved. Adult stem cells already possess a certain level of differentiation, which limits their potential effect to the organ where they were isolated. But one subtype, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), possess a versatility which makes them ideal candidates for many treatments. It is commonly accepted that MSCs exert their effect through paracrine factors, but their precise mechanism of action remains uncertain.   As such factors could have a positive effect in many degenerative diseases, we wanted to study their regenerative potential in one of the most widespread ocular disease, open angle glaucoma. This disease is characterised by the destruction of retinal ganglion cells following a rise in intraocular pressure. This pressure rise is mostly caused by a dysfunction of the trabecular meshwork, the tissue regulating the outflow of aqueous humor from the eye.    Glaucoma progression can currently be controlled, but the disease cannot be cured. Meanwhile, trabecular regeneration could halt and even reverse disease progression. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to evaluate MSC potential in the regeneration of the trabecular meshwork and to understand any underlying mechanisms. To this end, we injected MSC or their secreted factors in a model of trabeculoplasty induced glaucoma.  We demonstrated that MSC can regenerate the damaged trabeculum and lower ocular pressure by reactivating progenitor cells located in the ciliary body. These cells proliferate and restore the trabeculum within one week after the initial treatment. We also demonstrated that MSC factors produced under hypoxic conditions induce progenitor cell activation. Such activation does not occur with MSC factors produced under normoxic conditions.   We have also observed that factors produced under hypoxic conditions are incapable of reactivating progenitor cells in an ex vivo setting. Thus, we wanted to verify if any other regenerative factors are produced in vivo after MSC injection. We have discovered that macrophages produce one such factor after their migration in the area of damage. Production of the macrophage factor requires contact with MSC paracrine factors. We have also observed that MSC regeneration was completely blocked following macrophage elimination from the organism. This positions macrophages as an essential intermediate in MSC-mediated tissue regeneration.   The results presented in this thesis represent an important step forward for the use of MSC in regenerative medicine.  They have established a basis for an open angle glaucoma treatment and added an important element for the comprehension of MSC regenerative mechanisms. This knowledge should have a significant impact for the treatment of ocular diseases and other illnesses in many different organs.

Keyphrases: macrophages, Mesenchymal stem cells, Open angle glaucoma, ocular regeneration, trabeculum, paracrine factors, macrophages