NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Comparison of epicardial mapping and noncontact endocardial mapping in dog experiments and computer simulations

Atrial fibrillation is the most common clinical arrhythmia currently affecting 2.3 million patients in North America. To study its mechanisms and potential therapies, animal models of atrial fibrillation have been developed. Epicardial high-density electrical mapping is a well-established experimental instrument to monitor in vivo the activity of the atria in response to pacing, remodeling, arrhythmias and modulation of the autonomic nervous system. In regions that are not accessible by epicardial mapping, noncontact endocardial mapping performed through a balloon catheter may provide a more comprehensive description of atrial activity.   In this study, a dog experiment was designed and analyzed in which electroanatomical reconstruction, epicardial mapping (103 electrodes), noncontact endocardial mapping (2048 virtual electrodes computed from a 64-channel balloon catheter), and direct-contact endocardial catheter recordings were simultaneously performed. The recording system was also simulated in a computer model of the canine right atrium.  For simulations and experiments (after atrio-ventricular node suppression), activation maps were computed during sinus rhythm. Repolarization was assessed by measuring the area under the atrial T wave (ATa), a marker of repolarization gradients. Results showed an epicardial endocardial correlation coefficient of 0.8 (experiment) and 0.96 (simulation) between activation times, and a correlation coefficient of 0.57 (experiment) and 0.92 (simulation) between ATa values.   Noncontact mapping appears to be a valuable experimental device to retrieve information outside the regions covered by epicardial recording plaques.

Keyphrases: Cantact epicardial mapping, Noncontact endocardial mapping, Atrial fibrillation, Balloon catheter, Cardiac computer model
Évaluation du caryotype moléculaire en tant qu’outil diagnostique chez les enfants avec déficience intellectuelle et/ou malformations congénitales

Molecular karyotyping identifies a CNV in 10-14% of individuals affected with intellectual disability and/or congenital abnormalities. Therefore, it is now the first-tier analysis for these patients. However, the diagnostic yield is not as clear in the prenatal context, and the risk of pregnancy termination makes the detection of variants of uncertain clinical significance particularly problematic. We tested 49 fetuses with major malformations and a normal karyotype, using a pangenomic CGH array, and obtained a diagnosis in 8.2% of cases. Furthermore, high-resolution microarrays combining molecular karyotyping and SNP genotyping were recently introduced on the market. In addition to identifying CNVs, these platforms detect LOHs, which can indicate the presence of a homozygous mutation or of uniparental disomy. Since these abnormalities can be associated with intellectual disability or congenital abnormalities, their detection is of particular interest for patients whose phenotype remains unexplained. However, the diagnostic yield obtained with these platforms is not confirmed, and the real clinical value of LOH detection is not yet established. We tested 21 children affected with intellectual disability for whom standard genetic analyses failed to provide a diagnosis, and were able to increase the diagnostic yield from 14.3% to 28.6% as a result of the information provided by LOHs. This study shows the clinical usefulness of pangenomic CGH arrays in fetuses with malformation(s), as well as that of SNP arrays in children with intellectual disability.

Keyphrases: Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), Congenital abnormalities, Consanguinity, DNA copy number variation (CNV), Intellectual disability, Loss of heterozygosity (LOH), Microarray analysis, Prenatal diagnosis, Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Uniparental disomy
Structural rules for the formation of backbone-backbone interactions between closely packed RNA double helices

Although backbone-backbone interactions play an important role in stabilization of the tertiary structure of large RNA molecules, the particular rules that govern the formation of these interactions remain basically unknown. One RNA structural element for which the backbone-backbone interactions are essential is the along-groove packing motif. This motif is found in numerous locations in the ribosome structure; it consists of two double helices arranged such that the backbone of one helix is packed in the minor groove of the other helix and vice versa. The contact area between the two helices is mostly formed by riboses and totally involves twelve nucleotides. Here we analyze the internal structure of the along-groove packing motif and the dependence of stability of the association of the helices on their nucleotide sequences. We show that the proper positioning of the riboses that allows them to form inter-helix contacts is achieved through the particular choice of the identities of the base pairs involved. For different base pairs participating in the inter-helix contacts the optimal identities can be Watson-Crick, GC/CG, or certain non-Watson-Crick base pairs. The proper choice of the base pairs provides for the stable inter-helix interaction. In some cases of the motif, the identities of certain base pairs do not correspond to the most stable structure, which may reflect the fact that these motifs should break and form during the ribosome function.

Keyphrases: Rna structure, Ribosomal Rna, Along-groove packing motif, Ribosome structure, Molecular dynamics
Étude sur l'utilisation de liquides ioniques à base imidazolium pour l'extraction sélective de phosphopeptides

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications because it is involved in multiple physiological processes such as growth, differentiation, apoptosis, etc. Despite its importance, the analysis of phosphoproteins remains a difficult task due to their dynamic nature (phosphorylation of proteins is a reversible process) and their low abundance. Indeed, the determination of phosphorylation sites is difficult because phosphopeptides are often difficult to detect by conventional chromatographic analysis and by mass spectrometric (MS) methods.  Recent studies have shown that the existing methods of enrichment of phosphopeptides are not complete, and the total number of phosphopeptides detected does not overlap completely with those detected by these methods. The gaps in existing enrichment methods need to be filled in order to have more complete phosphoproteomic analyses. In the current study, ionic liquids (IL), specifically imidazolium salts, have been used in an alternative enrichment technique with potential for selective extraction of phosphopeptides from solution. Imidazolium salts were chosen because their physicochemical properties are readily adjustable depending on the nature of the substituent attached to the imidazolium core and the counter-anion.  Monoimidazolium and bis-imidazolium salts with linear chains having respectively 4, 12, and 16 carbon atoms and with different anions were synthesized and used to carry out liquid-liquid and solid-liquid extractions of a phosphorylated peptide from a solution. At first, liquid-liquid extractions were carried out using an ionic liquid (IL) with a linear chain of 4 carbon atoms. These extractions performed with bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide 3-butyl-1-methylimidazolium (BMIM-NTf2) and hexafluorophosphate 3-butyl-1-methylimidazolium (BMIM-PF6) did not show a considerable extraction of PPS comparatively to the PN. Secondly, solid-liquid extractions were done by first functionalizing solid-phase particles with the imidazolium salts. The extractions were carried out using the phosphopentapeptide Ac-pTyr-Ile-Gly-Glu-Phe-NH2 (PPS) and its acidic non-phosphorylated analogues. It has been shown that the C12 chain imidazolium salts were better to extract PPS than the other two peptides PN (Ac-Ile-Tyr-Gly-Glu-Phe-NH2) and PE (Ac-Glu-Tyr-Gly-Glu-Phe-NH2).  The extraction efficiency of these peptides was estimated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Keyphrases: Phosphorylation, Phosphopeptide, Extraction liquide- liquide, Extraction solide-liquide, Proteins, Post-translational modifications (PTMs), Synthesis, peptides, Imidazolium salts, Liquid-liquid extraction, Solid-liquid extraction, Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), High Performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
Sécurité et stabilité : quelles sont les conditions qui ont poussé l’Égypte, la Syrie et Israël à entrer en guerre en 1967?

This thesis looks at the conditions that led to the outbreak of the 1967 Six Day War in the Middle East. Specifically, my thesis investigates the domestic dynamics that influence the political decision-making process. The main hypothesis suggests that the type of societal management chosen by the government in power will influence and determine the foreign policy options available. A regime may choose between two types of societal management: exclusion and inclusion, which can be applied to greater or lesser degrees. Depending on the type of societal management chosen, the government will need more or less resources to implement and maintain it. The quantity and nature of resources used domestically will determine the foreign policy options available to the regime.  In the Middle East, wars and foreign policy are often interpreted according to realist principles: the quest for power and safety are said to be the main determinants of foreign policy. This thesis seeks to highlight the importance of domestic dynamics in the process of political decision-making, but also the influence of the Arab-Israeli conflict on the structure, development and society in the countries involved.

Keyphrases: Omnibalancing, Six day war, Domestic level explanation, Foreign policy, Neo-classical realism, Arab-Israeli conflict, Egypt, Syria, Israel, Omnibalancing
Socrate et Krishnamurti, pour ne pas perdre la Raison

Important figures in the history of thought includes Socrates and Krishnamurti. The former was proclaimed the "father" of western philosophy while the latter was regarded as one of the five great "saints" of the 20th century by the prestigious journal Time. This case focuses on tne connections it is possible to show between these two thinkers regarded by posterity as "unclassifiable". Which brings them together with at the outset however, it is clear concern for the universal theme of self-knowledge. It is therefore on this shading that we have approached the studies of the similarities between them. They appear especially in their unwavering commitment to the search of truth with respect to the principles of virtue. We tried to establish a number of facts which demonstrate that their speeches were in substance on the merits of the reflection for a human to understand that he had any interest to concern itself with the relationship  he has with his thinking to better understand itself.

Keyphrases: Socrate, Krishnamurti, Étude comparative, Conscience, Thought, Comparative study, Reflection, Knowledge of self, Soul, Spirit, Ethics, Conscience
L'apport du réaffûtage à la variabilité morphométrique des pointes de projectile aurignaciennes en bois de cervidé

This project combines experimental archaeology and morphometric analysis with a comparison with the archaeological assemblage from Abri Cellier (Dordogne, France) (N = 12) to quantify the contribution of resharpening to morphometric variability of Aurignacian projectile points made of antler. A morpho-functional re-analysis was performed on the experimental series produced by Knecht (N = 79), and combined with a recent experiment (N = 9) which showed that tip damage depends on (1) the projectile velocity, (2) the nature of the impacted target and, (3) the raw material’s biomechanical properties. On the other hand, resharpening depends on (1) the curator’s experience and, (2) the employed technical sequence. Also, resharpening is considered a standardized behaviour that remains independent of the point or tip damage type. Morphometric changes incurred by this behaviour can be summarized by (1) a gradual shift of the point’s shoulder from the base to the tip of the point, (2) a tendency of the tip to become more obtuse, and (3) a concentration of the curation stigmata at the distal third of the tip. Since use and resharpening are two processes that can’t be distinguished metrically on archaeological specimens, we propose a new metric the Proximo-Distal Ratio (RP/D), which translates the intensity of these two converging processes and allows inter-assemblage comparison.

Keyphrases: Aurignacian, Projectile points, Resharpening, Morphometric analysis, Antler, Upper Palaeolithic, Experimental Archaeology, standardisation, Standardization
Facebook et la réalité des amis virtuels

The last decade was marked by the advent of social networking sites, Facebook, with 900 million users, is by far the most popular of these sites (Facebook, 2013). The inherent characteristics of this platform, such as the information archived online as well as the public nature of the interactions, require a reflection on its social potential. Many authors suggested that the use of Facebook could lead to an increase of social capital and more specifically bridging social capital. Based on this theorization of social network established by Putnam (2001), this research questioned the involvement of Facebook during the restructuration of young adults’ social network. Data was retrieved using a questionnaire and interviews from 176 students newly arrived at the University of Montreal. This procedure allowed comparing students online interactions with their offline interactions. It is clear from this research that Facebook secures emerging social ties and facilitates the formation of groups in a new environment. In addition, the use of this platform accompanies the young adults throughout their life trajectories and is part of an evolutionary process.

Keyphrases: Facebook, Extraversion, Social Capital, Social networking sites, Self-esteem, Young adults
Impossible Identification : Contemporary Art, Politics and the Palestinians in Israel

This thesis explores what it means for the Palestinian indigenous minority in Israel to produce art in a setting that has simultaneously controlled their movements and excluded them from full citizenship. It takes on the question of how Palestinian artists face discrimination within a monolithic state structure that defines itself primarily along religious and ethno-national lines. Most writing about art in colonial and postcolonial contexts tends to see art as a resource for asserting repressed ethnic, racial and indigenous identities in the face of ongoing control and domination. Art, in other words, is considered a political act of recognition through the assertion of a counter identity. The central question of this thesis concerns what happens when artists contest the colonial conditions within which they live without having recourse to identity-based claims about equality and rights.  Based on intensive ethnographic fieldwork in the region, this research demonstrates that for Palestinian artists the political aspect of art is not related to claims about identity and that the relationship between art and identity is not homologous. Specifically, it explores artistic processes within a context in which spatiotemporal regimes of identification are being disrupted by an indigenous national minority. It establishes that politics in the case of Palestinian artists in Israel is a form of disidentification that is articulated through the figure of the present absentee. The central tropes found within the works of these artists can be seen as disruptive aesthetic acts, a “taking place” of politics that is between art and non-art, and outside of given identities; that is, a scene for the rupture of the “sensible order” of Israeli society through the affirmation and verification of an already existing equality.

Keyphrases: Palestine, Visual Art, Aesthetics, Politics, Palestine, Israel, Disidentification
The expression and production of piano timbre : gestural control and technique, perception and verbalisation in the context of piano performance and practice

This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary, systematic study of the expression of piano timbre by advanced-level pianists in the context of musical performance and practice. To begin, general issues and aims are introduced, as well as differing definitions and perspectives on piano timbre from scientific and musical points of view. After the conception of piano timbre is presented as documented by pianists in pedagogical treatises, the perception and verbalisation of piano timbre is investigated with experimental and quantitative scientific methods. The words that pianists use to describe and talk about different timbral nuances are studied quantitatively, according to their semantic relationships, and a semantic map of common piano timbre descriptors is drawn out. In two separate studies, the perception of piano timbre by highly skilled pianists is investigated. Results suggest that advanced pianists can identify and label performer-controlled timbral nuances in audio recordings with consistency and agreement from production to perception. Finally, the production and gestural control of piano timbre in musical performance is explored using the Bösendorfer CEUS piano performance recording system. The PianoTouch toolbox, specifically developed in MATLAB for extracting performance features from high-resolution keyboard and pedalling data, is presented and used to study the expressive production of piano timbre through touch and gesture in CEUS-recorded performances by four pianists in five timbral nuances. Gestural spaces and portraits of the timbral nuances are obtained with differing patterns in intensity, attack, balance between hands, articulation and pedalling. The data represents common strategies used for the expression of each timbral nuance in piano performance.

Keyphrases: Piano, Timbre, Expression, Performance, Gesture, Touch, Perception, Description verbale, Verbal description, Bösendorfer CEUS
Porteurs de pays à l’air libre : jeu et enjeux des pièces asymétriques dans la musique traditionnelle du Québec

There are numerous examples of asymmetrical tunes in Québécois traditional music repertoire. Familiarly called “tounes croches” (crooked tunes) by musicians, those melodies do not respect the dominant square model consisting of 16 or 32 beats per section of a tune. Without being exclusive to the Quebec tradition, the performance of crooked tunes raises several ethnomusicological questions. The main objectives of this research were to study the musical “dialect” found in asymmetrical tunes, and to look at various issues concerning the performance of asymmetrical tunes by contemporary Québécois traditional musicians. After a chapter that presents an overview of the history, repertoire, playing styles, and performance contexts of Québécois traditional music, asymmetrical tunes are analyzed as a musical object. The comparison of square and asymmetrical versions of tunes, taken mainly from the historical recordings available on the Virtual Gramophone, yields a typology that considers three main categories of asymmetries: syntactical; morphological; and pulsative. Syntactical asymmetries include about twenty different types, all involving a lengthening or a shortening at various positions of a section. Asymmetries at the end of a section are the most common. Morphological asymmetries concern the macrostructure of tunes such as the playing order of sections or the number of their repeats. Asymmetrical tunes in the repertoire of other musical traditions from Europe and North America are also analyzed. This allows us to confirm the existence of a coherent asymmetrical musical system that is partly distinct in the case of the Québécois tradition. Origin, identity, aesthetic, and performing issues are next studied based on the results of a survey done among 18 traditional musicians. Those surveyed explain the origin of asymmetrical tunes by cognitive, choreographic, and artistic reasons. Their discourse indicates that the performance of asymmetrical tunes touches several dimensions of their identity such as national, regional, generational, contextual and individual. An aesthetic choice, a desire for freedom in creation, a link to the past, and a need of distinction from a standardized traditional music repertoire motivate contemporary Québécois traditional musicians to perpetuate and to enrich the repertoire of asymmetrical tunes.

Keyphrases: Tounes croches, Traditional music, Quebec, Repertoire, Asymmetry, Identity, Aesthetic, Origin, Crooked tunes
La construction identitaire d'une ONG par la communication : le cas de Médecins sans frontières

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the co-construction and the negotiation of organizational identity through speech in everyday interactions. This study focused on a humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and more specifically on a mission carried out in the North-Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Data were collected by using shadowing, that is, by filming MSF actors in their daily interactions, particularly in our case, a head of mission. These data were analyzed, in turn, by using conversation analysis. The methodology used to analyze the video recordings was inspired by conversation analysis and ethnomethodology. The key concepts of this research are « ventriloquism » and « presentification », both developed by François Cooren of the Montreal School of Organizational Communication. Specifically, our analyses show how MSF actors cultivate the identity and image of their organization through « identity conversations ». In other words, it is through these conversations that MSF actors construct and establish the identity of their organization, as well as their own identity.

Keyphrases: image, interactions, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), social construction, identity, image, organizational identity, ventriloquism, presentification, Montreal School of Organizational Communication, shadowing, speech, identity conversations, interactions, Doctors Whitout Borders (MSF)