NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Automates à contraintes semilinéaires = Automata with a semilinear constraint

This thesis presents a study from the theoretical computer science perspective of computing models combining finite automata and arithmetic constraints.  We focus on decidability questions, expressiveness, and closure properties, while opening the study to complexity, logic, algebra, and applications.  This thesis is presented through four research articles.  The first article, Affine Parikh Automata, continues the study of Klaedtke and Ruess on Parikh automata and defines generalizations and restrictions of this model.  The Parikh automaton is one of the starting points of this thesis.  We show that this model of computation is equivalent to the constrained automaton that we define as an automaton which accepts a word only if the number of times each transition is taken satisfies a given arithmetic constraint.  This model is naturally extended to affine Parikh automata, in which an affine transformation is applied to a set of registers on taking a transition.  We also study the Parikh automaton on letters, that is, an automaton which accepts a word only if the number of times each letter appears in the word verifies an arithmetic constraint.  The second article, Bounded Parikh Automata, focuses on the bounded languages of Parikh automata.  A language is bounded if there are words w_1, w_2, ..., w_k such that every word in the language can be written as w_1...w_1w_2...w_2 ... w_k...w_k.  These languages are important in applications and usually display good theoretical properties.  We show that, over the bounded languages, determinism does not influence the expressiveness of Parikh automata.  The third article, Unambiguous Constrained Automata, introduces the concept of unambiguity in constrained automata.  An automaton is unambiguous if there is only one accepting path per word of its language.  We show that the unambiguous constrained automaton is an appealing model of computation which combines a better expressiveness and better closure properties than the deterministic constrained automaton.  We show that it is decidable whether the language of an unambiguous constrained automaton is regular.  The fourth article, Algebra and Complexity Meet Constrained Automata, presents a study of algebraic representations of constrained automata and affine Parikh automata.  We deduce expressiveness and complexity results from these characterizations.  We also study how classical computational complexity hypotheses help in showing separations and nonclosure properties in affine Parikh automata.  The thesis is concluded by a presentation of possible future avenues of research, through several open problems.

Keyphrases: Automata, Parikh automata, Semilinear sets, Affine functions, Decidability, Bounded languages, Regular languages, Typed monoids, Rational series, Model-checking, Model-checking
Ethnobotanique de la Nation crie d'Eeyou Istchee et variation géographique des plantes médicinales antidiabétiques

Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions among Canada’s aboriginal populations and affects on average 29% of adult Cree of Eeyou Istchee (CEI). In collaboration with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay and the CIHR team in Traditional Antidiabetic Aboriginal Medicines, interviews were held in the CEI communities of Wemindji and Oujé-Bougoumou to identify potential antidiabetic plants. Using a quantitative approach, species mentioned were ranked and compared to the pharmacopoeia of other participating communities. Sixteen and 25 plants were mentioned in Wemindji and Oujé-Bougoumou respectively. Seven new plant and one fungal species were added to the list of potential antidiabetic species, although most of those mentioned were common to the general CEI pharmacopoeia, thus supporting the cultural importance that they hold. Phytochemical analyses of two of these species, Rhododendron groenlandicum and Sarracenia purpurea, were made from accessions harvested throughout Eeyou Istchee. While no pattern was detected in the variation of S. purpurea’s biologically active compounds, phenolic compounds from R. groenlandicum, specifically (+)-catchin, (-)-epicatechin and quercetin-3-galactoside, varied spatially as a function of insolation parameters such as solar radiation or photoperiod. Samples from the latter, tested in vitro in the 3T3-L1 murine adipocytes adipogenesis bioassay, increased the intracellular accumulation of triglycerides, thus conferring it a glitazone-like antidiabetic activity. This activity, however, was weaker in accessions with high quercetin content, which could have an impact on the quality of a natural health product made from this species.

Keyphrases: Rhododendron groenlandicum, Type 2 diabetes, Sarracenia purpurea, Ethnobotany, Eeyou Istchee Cree, First Nations, Phytochemistry, Photoinhibition, Geographical variations, Adipogenesis, Medicinal plants, Natural health products
Beat deafness: développement d'un outil de dépistage et nouveaux cas

Beat deafness is a form of congenital amusia related to time that has been documented through a single case very recently (Phillips-Silver et al., 2011). The main goal of this study was to identify new cases. Toward this goal, we screened for deficits in beat perception and synchronization in a sample of 100 healthy university students. We assessed perception, first with an on-line test in which participants had to detect perturbations in metric structure, then with a task in which participants had to judge whether short piano pieces were marches (binary metrical structure) or waltzes (ternary metrical structure). We assessed synchronization with a finger tapping task in which participants had to tap to the strong beats of the same marches and waltzes. Four participants showed a parallel impairment in both perception and synchronization assessments and are therefore considered as new beat-deaf cases.

Keyphrases: Pulsation, Congenital amusia, Beat deafness, Beat, Metre, Synchronization
La violence constituante

In the context of this paper, we try to contribute to the understanding of the processes that govern the relationship between the parent and the infant, by focusing more specifically on the primacy of the other as a necessary component of the child’s psyche, as understood in psychoanalysis. Knowing that the child development depends greatly on the quality of the mental and physical care they receive, we try nonetheless to show how the parent-child relationship must still take the form of a « violence ».  We base our analysis on the theories developed by Piera Aulagnier and Jean Laplanche. Using the concepts of primary and secondary violence developed by Aulagnier and  the notions of « implantation » and « intromission » theorized by Laplanche, we try to define and identify how and in what forms the violence that takes place in the mother-infans relationship brands the psychic development of the latter. Through the comparative analysis of these theories, we will try to see the differences and agreements between the thought of these two authors in order to get a richer understanding of the phenomenon of violence.

Keyphrases: Psychoanalysis, Mother-child relationship, Violence, Jean Laplanche, Piera Aulagnier
Probabilité et temps de fixation à l’aide de processus ancestraux

The expected time for fixation given its occurrence, and the probability of fixa- tion of a new mutant allele in populations subject to various biological phe- nomena are analyzed using the approach of the ancestral process. First, the paper of Tajima (1990) is analyzed, and the missing or incomplete proofs are fully worked out in this Master thesis in order to familiarize ourselves with calculations of fixation times. Our study of Tajima’s paper helps to show the importance of the fixation time in some biological phenomena. Thereafter, we extend the work of Tajima (1990) by introducing the effect of natural selec- tion in the model. Using a diffusion approximation, the work of Mano (2009) provides an interesting result about the expected time of fixation given its oc- currence. We derived an alternative method that uses an ancestral process that approximates well Mani’s result. Simulations are made to verify the accuracy ofthenewapproach.Finally,onemodelsubjecttogeneconversionisanalyzed, since this phenomenon, in the presence of bias, has a similar effect as selection. We deduce an analytical result for the probability of fixation of a new mutant in the population. Finally, simulations are made to determine the probability of fixation and the time of fixation given its occurrence when rates are too large to be calculated analytically.

Keyphrases: Statistical Genetics, Genetic variability, Ancestral inference, Ancestral selection graph, Fixation time, Probability of fixation, Genetic conversion
Représentation OWL de la ressource lexicale LVF et son utilisation dans le traitement automatique de la langue

The LVF dictionary (Les Verbes Français) by J. Dubois and F. Dubois-Charlier is one of the most important lexical resources in the French language, which is characterized by a highly relevant semantic and syntactic description. The LVF has been available in an XML format to make access to information more convenient for computer applications such as NLP applications for French language. With the emergence of the Semantic Web and the rapid diffusion of its technologies and standards such as XML, RDF/RDFS and OWL, it would be interesting to represent LVF in a more formalized format for a better and more sophisticated usage by natural language processing and semantic web applications. We present in this paper an OWL ontology version of LVF by demonstrating the mapping process between the data model elements of the XML version and OWL. We give account about its use in the field of natural language processing by presenting an application of semantic annotation developed in GATE.

Keyphrases: LVF, Les Verbes Français, Ressource lexicale, OWL, XML, Transformation XSLT, Ontology population, Lexical resource, Semantic web, Information extraction, XSLT transformation, French verbs
Prédation économique et poursuite des dynamiques micro-conflictuelles au Nord et au Sud Kivu : individus, groupes criminels et entreprises multinationales. 

L’ouverture du secteur extractif congolais au marché international, un facteur d’échec au processus de paix ?

This study analyzes the impact of the liberal peace process on the continuation of violence in the provinces of North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The study finds that conflict dynamics in the two regions are maintained by the establishment of an inclusive power sharing program that is paired with the application of liberal economic reforms. By focusing on reforms in the security sector and on the harmonization of national politics (with the post-conflict elections of 2006 in view), the peace process neglects local political and socio-economic issues. The disengagement of the state and the liberalization of the mining sector increase the corruption levels of the transition government and reinforce the illegal exploitation of resources by armed groups. This research supports that the massive establishment of multinational mining companies in the provinces of North and South Kivu contributes to the deformation of the local socio-economic fabric, increasing the dependence of local populations to informal governance networks and strengthening the diverse armed groups present in the region. Thus, the structural reforms carried within the framework of the liberal peace process perpetuate violence and cause new conflict dynamics centered around the control of local resources, whether economic or political.

Keyphrases: Peace building, Structural reforms, Economic liberalisation in post-conflict situation, Democratic Republic of Congo, North-Kivu, South-Kivu, Micro-conflict dynamics, Mining, Liberal peace, Banro corporation
La décoration intérieure de l’église Saint-Romuald de Farnham peinte par Ozias Leduc (1905-1912)

The present master’s paper analyses, from iconographic and formal points of view, the interior decoration of the church Saint-Romuald of Farnham, painted by Ozias Leduc between 1905 and 1912. This program, ordered by the parish priest Joseph-Magloire Laflamme, allows a transition between two important periods in Leduc’s career: the decoration of the church of Saint-Hilaire (1896-1900) and his great symbolic landscapes (1913-1921). During the fulfilment of this commissioned work, a gradual change occurs in the thought and in the style of the painter which is studied efficaciously in regards to the three periods of his artistic production at Saint-Romuald: 1905-1907, 1909-1910 and 1911-1912. That chronology appears in the correspondence concerning the program’s realization. It is also illustrated by the development, at Saint-Romuald, of the artist’s ideology and of his technique, about which we will briefly discuss in the present master. Even though Leduc is not the sole responsible of the decor, he refers, more than once, to his historical context and he unifies the entire decoration so that the paintings, the architecture of the church, the color of the walls, the frames, the decorative motifs and the symbols create a whole. The study of each work of art, within these parameters, will allow identifying the theme, namely the institution of the Catholic religion, and the sub-theme, the education. This iconographic program as well as several other links existing between those paintings serve as a vehicle for Leduc’s cherished ideals, which he will continue to convey in his subsequent other religious decorations. Moreover, in order to begin to follow the development of the artist’s style, it is essential to notify the paintings’ state of preservation. Several of them were partially or completely painted over in 1952. Despite these repaints, as we will briefly establish, the style of Leduc, influenced by symbolism, is still very present. The iconographic and stylistic analysis will allow to place the decoration in the artist’s complete works.

Keyphrases: Ozias Leduc, Joseph-Magloire Laflamme, Restauration, Joseph-Magloire Laflamme, Quebec religious art, Murals, Iconography, Symbolism, Restoration
La détermination de la peine dans les cas de filicide

The purpose of our study is to understand the process of sentencing in cases of filicide from an analysis of criminal and legal criteria on which judges base themselves as well as from an analysis of penal functions aimed by the sentences issued for this type of homicide. The sample studied in this paper consists of fourteen sentencing judgments rendered by the judges at the sentencing. These judgments were all issued in Quebec between 1996 and 2008 inclusive. It is clear from our analysis that the guilty plea recorded by the accused, the lawyers' sentence suggestions, the method of filicide, repetition of misconduct or not in the parent, the number of victims, the age of the accused, the presence or absence of criminal history of the accused as well as the professional occupation of the latter may influence judges' decision concerning the sentence. These elements, however, do not necessarily carry the iv same weight in the process of sentencing from one judge to another. Nevertheless, we observe that the discretionary power the judges have does not seem to be used in a biased or inadequate manner. In fact, every sentence is clearly justified according to reasonable arguments and none is far from other sentences that have made jurisprudence.

Keyphrases: Filicides, Sentencing, Filicide, Purpose and principles of sentencing, Discretionary power
Sur l'interprétation Heideggérienne du chapitre "Du schématisme des concepts purs de l'entendement" de la critique de la raison pure de Kant

The subject of this analysis is the schematism of the pure concepts of understanding, as presented by Emmanuel Kant in The Critique of Pure Reason and interpreted by Martin Heidegger. The reading proposed by Heidegger is criticized by a large number of commentators because they consider that his interpretation only serves to give value to his own philosophical theories on Dasein and on fundamental ontology. Our approach is different from theirs in that we are trying to understand the reasons that justify Heidegger in his interpretation of schematism. Our study dwells on Kant's text in order to extract the elements that allowed Heidegger to build up his thoughts, as he presented them in 1929 in Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics. The method used is comparative, since our goal is to demonstrate the relevance of Heidegger's interpretation against the commentators who have insufficient reasons to criticize him. In short, the theme of Kant's schematism is analyzed thoroughly and the conclusion we come to is that Heidegger allowed for considerable philosophical progress with his hermeneutics of the Critique and that it is necessary to give them the attention they deserve.

Keyphrases: Imagination, Philosophy, 18th century German philosophy, Schematism, Synthesis, Espistemology, Ontology, Temporality, Metaphysics, Kant
La question nationale chez Machiavel

The aim of this essay is to defend the thesis according to which Machiavelli is an Italian nationalist, and to demonstrate that the concept of Italian nationalism can philosophically be used as a thread between the Prince and the Discourses on Livy.

Keyphrases: Machiavel, Prince, Discours, Machiavelli, Nationalism, Italy, Philosophy, Prince, Rhetoric, Discourses
La traduction intersémiotique et l’hybridité dans la Nueva coronica y buen gobierno de Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala : analyse des rapports de pouvoir ethniques

The end of the 15th century introduces a new era in America. The arrival of Spanish explorers, conquistadors and colonists on the New Continent marks the beginning of American History. In works written during the first decades of colonization, most Natives merely take on the role of objects. Following the indoctrination of part of the Native population, this passive role becomes more active when some Natives decide to make their voices heard by the means of writing. This is exactly what Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala decides to do in his 1615 Nueva coronica y buen gobierno, written to King Phillip III of Spain. This project studies a selection of pictures from the chronicle as intersemiotic cultural translations of colonial society that translate colonial events, including the ethnic power struggles within the social hierarchy, using semiotic units belonging to various culture codes (Spanish, Catholic, Andean). Our goal is to show that the hybridity that shapes the semiotic system used in the target text reveals the foreignizing nature of the translation, and in turn, the antagonistic relations with the official colonial ideology.

Keyphrases: Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, Nueva coronica y buen gobierno, Charles S. Peirce, Inca, Intersemiotic cultural translation, Hybridity, Alienizing translation, Colonization
Auto-poïétique de deux expériences de montage sonore : d'une écoute à l'autre

This research-creation project finds its roots in two film sound designs to which I contributed as a sound editor or sound designer. These films – and their respective soundtracks –, by their form, their content, but also by the dynamics that pulsed their creation, have redefined certain aspects of my own sound work. In this study, by the means of an autopoietic analysis, I explore the creative conditions at play in the elaboration of my sound designs, as they answer to technical matters – the film Saint- Denys Garneau – or aesthetic matters – the film Ma famille en 17 bobines. In each case, I also seek to deepen poetic and practical problems. From deep in the combination of these conditions emerge mediation tools, human relations, aesthetic movements and modes of listening that shed new light on my sound practice.

Keyphrases: Film, Sound, Editing, Poietic, Creation
Murine et Listerine : la santé et la beauté comme arguments de vente dans les publicités commerciales au Québec, 1925-1950

This thesis is interested in the Murine eye drops and Listerine antiseptic advertising campaigns published in Québec magazines between 1925 and 1950, a period that corresponds to the beginning of mass publicity. The advertisements for these body products insist on two selling points: beauty and health. How were these ideas presented by the ad creators motivated by increasing their sales, here is the main question that guides our research.   Our analysis is more particularly about the selling strategies concerning the ideas of beauty and health and shows that they are many and varied for each product. Our study also aims at emphasizing the evolution of selling strategies through the context, the norms and the values current between 1925 and 1950. We support the assumption that advertisers could change the image and even the function of these products without modifying their components, by insisting more or less on one particular selling point, adjusting their message to socio-economic and cultural events.

Keyphrases: Murine, Listerine, Québec, XXe siècle, Advertising, Health, Beauty, Selling strategies, Body products, Quebec, Twentieth century
Mainmise sur la gouvernance? Le contrôle territorial des bidonvilles par les gangs de rue et la réponse étatique au Brésil et au Salvador

This dissertation compares the activities of street gangs operating in Brazil's favelas and the barrios of El Salvador to determine the extent of the threat they pose to national security and state legitimacy. In analyzing the conditions of inequality and violence plaguing these marginal urban agglomerations we suggest that the gangs have effectively taken control of the territory by filling the void left by an absentee state. In response to the impact of organized street gangs that disrupt social order and the rule of law, the governments have respectively applied radical solutions that serve only to exacerbate the situation and do not lead to the expected results. Finally, the evolution of MS-13 in the Americas and the police interventions in the favelas of Rio in preparation for the World Cup have situated the power struggle between gangs and state at the heart of political debate.

Keyphrases: Gangs, Favelas, El Salvador, Urban Violence, Brazil, Police intervention, Intervention policière