NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Conflit travail-famille, dépression et épuisement professionnel : l’influence du temps consacré aux rôles professionnel et familial

This thesis investigates role salience through time spent on professional and family roles, implicating two important relationships. Firstly, time spent on family role intervenes between work to family conflict and depression. Secondly, time spent on the professional role occurs in the relationship between family to work conflict and long-term exhaustion (burnout).    The data used to conduct this research are those of the Research Team on Work and Mental Health (ERTSM). The sample consists of 410 employees of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM).  Multiple regression analysis confirmed the moderating effect of time spent in family role in the relationship between work to family conflict and depression. However, the moderating effect of time devoted to the professional role in the relationship between family to work conflict and burnout is infirm. However, additional analyses allow finding a difference between men and women regarding the association between family to work conflict and burnout with the time devoted to the professional role.

Keyphrases: Work, Family, Depression, Burnout, Identity, Role, Time
Characterization of antimicrobial resistance in Aeromonas and Vibrio isolated in Canada from fish and seafood

Multiple studies have examined antimicrobial susceptibility in bacteria from aquacultured products microorganisms and their environment. However, no information is available concerning antimicrobial resistance in bacterial flora of fish and seafood available at the retail level in Canada. This is particularly true for the common aquatic commensals, Aeromonas and Vibrio, for which some species are known zoonotic pathogens. In the course of this study, the antimicrobial susceptibility among Aeromonas spp. and Vibrio spp. from domestic and imported fish and seafood was characterized. Aeromonas and Vibrio spp. isolates cultured from finfish and shrimp samples were evaluated for antimicrobial susceptibility by broth microdilution and/or disk diffusion techniques. Antimicrobial classes examined in detail included: tetracyclines (TET), folate pathway inhibitors (sulfadimethoxine-trimethoprim, SXT), florfenicol (FLO), and the quinolones (nalidixic acid / enrofloxacin, NA/ENO). Epidemiological cut-off values (ECV’s) for Aeromonas/Vibrio were established using normalized resistance interpretation (NRI) of disk diffusion data. Isolates were further examined by PCR and microarray for genes associated with their antimicrobial resistance. Of 201 Aeromonas and 185 Vibrio isolates, those classified as resistant were as follows, respectively: TET (n=24 and 10), FLO (n=1 and 0), SXT (n=2 and 8), NA (n=7 and 5) and ENO (n=5 and 0). Various combinations of tet(A), tet(B), tet(E), floR, sul1, sul2 and intI1 genes were detected with tet(E), intI1, sul2 and tet(B) being the most common. Vibrio and Aeromonas species isolated from retail fish and seafood sources can harbor a variety of resistance determinants, although their occurrence is not high. The risk represented by these resistances remains to be evaluated in view of the potential for bacterial infection and their role as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance.

Keyphrases: Aeromonas, Vibrio, Antimicrobial resistance, Normalised resistance interpretation (NRI), Microarray, PCR, Resistance genes
Justice réparatrice et théorie de la responsabilité : problématique de la réconciliation dans un contexte de transition : les cas du Chili, de l’Argentine et de l’Afrique du Sud

The rulers of state policy emerging from conflict – civil war, dictatorship – face irreconcilable demands that their authors consider, however, essential. They face the requirements of criminal justice formulated by victims and the demands of impunity emanating from the perpetrators, often constituted by former officials in charge of the state. The punishment, indeed, does not allow neither the peace nor the democratization. It is therefore clear that the exit of the crisis can take ways other than the punishment. Restorative justice appears as a kind of justice that may grant the requests of offenders and offended by promoting the peace and the democratization. Yet it faces critics relating to the disempowerment of individuals and the criminalization of everyone in the execution of the committed crimes. The ultimate goal is to foster discussion between the offenders and the offended. It is, however, necessary to protect such a dialogue against the risk of instrumentalization. In Truth Commissions, the discourse turns essentially around the themes of human rights, apologies, forgiveness and amnesty. However the use of these concepts does not magically make disappeared the hatred of some victims.

Keyphrases: Justice, Argentine, Reparations, Responsibility, Truth, South Africa
Comment les armées innovent en temps de guerre : les États-Unis en Irak, 2003-2007

This master is about wartime military innovation and more precisely about the transition of the US armed forces from conventional warfare to counterinsurgency during the Iraq war. This case of military innovation is interesting because it marks a radical change in the practices of the US Army and the US Marine Corps all the more so as they both have been frequently trying to avoid counterinsurgency missions in their history. This research will try to explain how the US armed forces have innovated in the Iraq war. We consider that the transition from conventional warfare to counterinsurgency is the result of a process of innovation produced simultaneously at the bottom and at the top of the US military. First of all, from the bottom-up, we think that units from the Army and the marines have developped new counterinsurgency capacities following an exploration process of new tactics and techniques on the battlefield. Then, from the top-down, we believe that counterinsurgency is the consequence of a strategic change in the operations of the Army and the marines. This research will be divided in four chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the military innovation models. The second chapter will present a brief narrative of the Iraq war from 2003 to 2007. Chapters 3 and 4 will offer an analysis of the counterinsurgency innovation process respectively from the bottom-up and the top-down.

Keyphrases: Surge, Military innovation, United States of America, Counterinsurgency, Iraq war
Assessing the Activity of Agonistic Autoantibodies in Systemic Sclerosis and their Effects on Cultured Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a devastating autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. Immune dysfunction, fibrosis and vasculopathy are the three major features of the disease; however, the interactions between these components are poorly understood. A novel link between autoimmunity and fibrosis has been proposed by the presence of stimulatory autoantibodies to the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) on fibroblasts. These autoantibodies were capable of stimulating reactive oxygen species and subsequent activation of ERK1/2. If the anti-PDGFR autoantibodies are present in the systemic circulation of SSc patients, they will most certainly encounter vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The latter are known to express the PDGFR and response to PDGF, which is a known phenotypic modulator of VSMCs. The work presented here seeks to readdress the presence of stimulatory anti-PDGFR autoantibodies in serum derived from SSc-patients and to characterize the effects of SSc-IgG on VSMCs by measuring the activation of specific signaling cascades and the induction of genes involved in fibrotic responses.  Our results demonstrate the presence of an IgG fraction stimulating a phenotypic response in cultured VSMCs. Notably, a significant up-regulation of the pro-fibrotic gene tgfb1 and a significant down-regulation of the anti-fibrotic gene tgfb2 were observed in VSMC exposed to SSc-IgG fractions. Positive IgG fractions for ERK activation were present in most, but not all, SSc samples (68%, 19/28), and they were less present in controls (27%) (3/11). Although, the SSc-IgG fractions were able to significantly immunoprecipitate the PDGFR, the use of a selective PDGFR inhibitor, AG1296, did not inhibit the activation of ERK mediated by SSc-IgG fractions. Altogether, our findings suggest the presence of stimulatory autoantibodies with profibrotic activity in serum derived form SSc patients. Work is in progress to identify the molecular entity responsible for the IgG response observed in cultured VSMCs.

Keyphrases: CMLV, PDGFR, Systemic Sclerosis, vascular smooth muscle cells, PDGFR, autoantibodies
Application du SPR dans le criblage des ligands synthétiques du CD36 et sa validation

CD36 is a class B scavenger receptor expressed at the cell surface of macrophages, endothelial cells and platelets, among others. This multiligand receptor is implicated in various diseases such as atherosclerosis, angiogenesis and malaria through the specific binding of ligands, such as oxidized low-density lipoproteins, thrombospondin-1 and the PfEMP-1 protein, respectively.  Growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRP) were identified as the first CD36 synthetic ligands. In order to identify new CD36 synthetic ligands, the development of a high-throughput method is essential to unveil compounds of high binding affinity. We have expressed a recombinant CD36 ectodomain protein in Sf9 insect cells. The soluble and affinity purified protein was immobilized on a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for binding studies. Synthetic ligands were analyzed by SPR spectroscopy for determination of their respective dissociation constant (KD). A structure-activity relationship of CD36 ligands was established. To validate the SPR binding signal, a good correlation was observed between KD and the IC50 values obtained from the inhibition curves of the MAPK kinase JNK1/2 phosphorylation induced by an oxidized phospholipid, the POVPC, in the presence of increasing concentrations of CD36 ligands in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.

Keyphrases: CD36, GHRP, SPR, Growth hormone-releasing peptides, Surface plasmon resonance
Une exploration des effets de la satisfaction au travail des sages-femmes sur le «burnout», l’intention de quitter et la mobilité professionnelle : une étude
longitudinale au Sénégal

In the context of a health workforce crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, a better understanding of how health professionals are experiencing their work and how it is affecting them is needed. This longitudinal study focuses specifically on Senegalese midwives, given their strategic role in the promotion of mother and child health in the country. A cohort of 226 midwives from 22 hospitals across Senegal participated in the study. Their job satisfaction was measured in 2007-8 using a multifaceted instrument developed in West Africa. Three purported effects were measured two years later: burnout, intention to quit and turnover. Descriptive statistics compared the midwives who stayed and left their posts during the study period, and a series of exploratory regressions investigated the correlations between the 9 facets of job satisfaction and each effect variable, while controlling for individual and institutional characteristics. Relatively low turnover was found over 2 years (18%) despite high levels of intention to quit within a year (58.9%), particularly in pursuit of a new professional specialty. Departures were largely voluntary (92%) and entirely domestic. The midwives reported themselves least satisfied with their remuneration and work environment, and a large proportion experienced “high” levels of emotional exhaustion (80.0%) and depersonalization (57.8%). However, they were found to be satisfied with their morale and the stability of their work, and only 12.4% reported diminished personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion was related to being dissatisfied with remuneration and job tasks, actively searching for jobs was associated with dissatisfaction with job stability and voluntary quitting was associated with being unhappy with continuing education. This study shows that although midwives seem to be burned-out and unhappy with their working conditions, they retain a strong sense of confidence and accomplishment in their work. It also suggests that strategies to retain them in their positions and in the profession should emphasize continuing education.

Keyphrases: Job satisfaction, Burnout, Intention to quit, Turnover, Midwives, Senegal
Interactions entre le sommeil, l’attention et le contrôle postural chez des sujets jeunes et âgés

Falls are an important cause of injuries and mortality, especially in the work force and in the elderly population. This thesis investigates the effects of sleep loss on postural control according to age and explores the influence of attentional, perceptual and motor resources on the relationship between sleep and postural control. Young and older participants completed various postural tasks on force plates after a night of sleep and after 25 hours of sleep deprivation. Center of pressure range and velocity were measured with eyes open and with eyes closed while participants performed an interference task, a control task, and no cognitive task.  Sleep deprivation increased the range of center of pressure in both age groups and center of pressure speed in older participants only. Moreover, in elderly participants, the destabilizing effects of sleep deprivation were more pronounced with eyes closed. The interference task brought younger participants to adopt a more static postural strategy when sleep deprived. However, in older participant, the interference task did not alter postural control beyond the destabilization induced by sleep loss.  These observations suggest that sleep loss has greater destabilizing effects on postural control in older than in younger adults, especially when vision is altered. It is therefore proposed that sleep debt may be a significant risk factor for falls.

Keyphrases: vision, cognition, sleep, postural control, vision, cognition, ageing
La transgression dans Dracula de Stoker et Frankenstein de Shelley : infection du corps et de l'esprit humains

This memoire is a comparative analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula on the subject of transgression. It explores the ways in which each author uses the figure of the monster to represent the transgression of limits that have been established by society and nature. The monster transgresses the limits imposed by nature at the moment of its creation and by its composition. Its body is also at the frontiers of the possible and the impossible by being simultaneously a representation of life, death, humanity and bestiality. The presence of the monster is also a transgression in itself as it is the embodiment of a part of the human psyche. Finally, the monstrous being's actions categorize him as an outsider and thus, it feels no need to respect the laws imposed on humanity by society. Order must then be re-established for humanity to survive.

Keyphrases: Dracula, Frankenstein, Transgression, Dracula, Frankenstein, Transgression, Limits, Creation, Body, Double, Laws, Behavior, Repressing
Transfert de connaissances dans les entreprises multinationales : efficacité et influence des facteurs contextuels

The aim of this research is to investigate the process of transfer of intra-organizational knowledge within multinational corporations. Taking into consideration the following three postulates: that organizational knowledge represents a source of competitive advantage for a firm (Barney, 1991; Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998); that access to a large pool of knowledge disseminated across the world and the transfer of this knowledge across the organization constitutes la raison d’être of MNC (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000); and that internal organizational mechanisms are more efficient than the market (Williamson, 1987) for the transfer of this knowledge between organizational units, for the purpose of this study we were particularly interested in the factors that can affect the effectiveness of this process of transfers. Having identified in past research various theoretical approaches to study this phenomena, we proposed and tested the integrative theoretical model helping to analyse the impact of contextual factors on each of the following three stages of the process of transfer: the determination of knowledge to be transferred, the selection of mechanisms of knowledge transfer and finally, the evaluation of the effectiveness of transfer.   Our research confronts two theoretical perspectives currently dominating the field of knowledge transfer in multinational corporations. The strategic approach and the resource-based view of the firm emphasize the importance of internal organizational factors for the effectiveness of any organizational action (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1998; Barney, 1991). On the other hand, the institutional approach considers rather that organizational choices and actions are conditioned by the external environment (Ferner, 1997; Kostova, 1999; Scott, 1991). The results of our research show that in spite of the existence of institutional and cultural constraints, the effectiveness of the entire process of transfer of knowledge related to HRM is determined by internal organizational conditions, such as the involvement of top management, the role of RH function and the alignment between corporative strategy, HR strategy and the organizational culture.  Our methodological approach is based on a qualitative case-study of three multinational companies (two Canadian and one French) working in metallurgical and telecommunications sectors. Our empirical data stems from seventeen semi-structured interviews conducted with the top HR managers of these companies, who are actively involved in the process of knowledge transfer at HQ or at its subsidiaries in Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland. We also used a large amount of publicly available information from these companies.

Keyphrases: Knowledge transfer, Human resources, Multinational firm, Strategic management, Institutional approach
Évaluation in silico des pompes d’assistance ventriculaire de type écoulement mixte

Heart failure is a disease with a high incidence rate that is difficult to treat definitively. Ventricular assist devices have been proposed as alternative long-term therapeutic options, but the technology is fairly recent and depending on the design, axial or centrifugal, the device will favor hemolysis or blood flow stagnation. Mixed flow devices, which combine properties of the two previous types, have therefore been proposed as intermediate solutions. To evaluate their performance, we did a numerical comparison between eight pumps (two axial, two centrifugal, and four mixed) using a Windkessel model of the cardiovascular system with parameters optimised for heart failure and solved using a Radau IIA3 method, an L-stable method used to numerically solve systems of ordinary differential equations that belongs to the family of implicit Runge-Kutta methods. Our results suggest that in terms of optimal performance, mixed flow pumps are modest improvements over the other two types, and more tests would have to be performed using a more complete model with, among other modifications, neural control systems implemented.

Keyphrases: Cardiovascular system, Numerical modeling, Ventricular assist devices, Heart failure
Une conception naturaliste et normative de l'axiologie scientifique contemporaine : analyse et dépassement de la théorie de Laudan

This master proposes a naturalist and normative conception of contemporary scientific axiology, i.e., of science's and scientists' goals. We start off by discussing some naturalistic positions in philosophy of science, their scientific, methodological and ontological dimensions as well. We review the naturalistic fallacy and the normativity objection against naturalistic approaches, mostly in light of Quine's (1969) naturalized epistemology. We then illustrate these themes - naturalism, normativity, and scientific axiology - by discussing Laudan's (1987) naturalistic and normative theory of scientific axiology. We underscore the unsatisfying character of his theory, and propose instead a richer and more detailed one. In order to do that, we analyse some relations between science, industry, government and society. We identify and discuss a pragmatic axiological trend in particular. Finally, we sketch an instrumental normative framework for thinking about scientific axiology.

Keyphrases: Science, Larry Laudan, Axiology, Naturalism, Normativity, Philosophy of science, Pragmatism, Instrumentalism
Caractérisation fonctionnelle chez le poisson zèbre de l'isoforme protéique WNK1/HSN2 mutée dans la neuropathie héréditaire sensitive et autonome de type 2

Human sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 2 (HSNA2) is a rare human hereditary pathology characterized by an early onset severe sensory loss (for all modalities) in the distal limbs. It is due to autosomal recessive mutations confined to exon HSN2 of the WNK1 (with-no-lysine protein kinase 1) serine-threonine kinase; the specific exon confers nervous system specificity to target isoform WNK1/HSN2. While this kinase is widely studied in the kidneys, little is known about its role in the nervous system. Due to its role in HSAN type 2, we hypothesized that the truncating mutations present in the HSN2 exon lead to a loss-of-function of the WNK1 kinase, impairing development of the peripheral sensory system. In order to investigate the mechanisms by which the lack of the WNK1/HSN2 isoform acts to cause HSAN type 2, we examined its expression pattern in our zebrafish model and observed strong expression in neuromasts of the peripheral sensory lateral line system.  We then knocked down the HSN2 exon in zebrafish embryos using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides. Our three approaches to knockdown the WNK1/HSN2 isoform led to embryos with a defective lateral line. In order to establish a pathogenic pathway involving the WNK1/HSN2 isoform, we investigated the reported interaction between the WNK1 kinase and neuronal potassium chloride co-transporter KCC2. This transporter is a target of WNK1 phosphorylation and also has a known role in promoting neurogenesis. We have also showed its expression in mature neuromasts of the posterior lateral line, and observed an increased expression of KCC2 in WNK1/HSN2 knockdown embryos by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, lending credence to our interaction hypothesis. Furthermore, overexpression of human KCC2 RNA in embryos led to an impaired mechanosensory lateral line system, phenocopying the WNK1/HSN2 knockdown. We then validated these results by obtaining double knockdown embryos, both for WNK1/HSN2 and KCC2, which alleviated the lateral line defect phenotype. These results led us to suggest a pathway in which WNK1/HSN2 is upstream of the KCC2 co-transporter. WNK1 is believed to regulate the level of activation, and possibly level of expression, of KCC2 and we therefore hypothesize that the loss-of-function of the specific isoform causes an imbalance in the levels of activated KCC2. This would then lead to decreased progenitor proliferation and hindered differentiation of neurons, causing the defects associated with HSAN type 2.

Keyphrases: zebrafish, neuropathie sensorielle, sensory neuropathy, HSN2, HSAN2, WNK1, KCC2