NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
La thématique hivernale dans les oeuvres de Maurice Cullen, de 1896 à 1914

This thesis proposes a study of the winter theme in paintings by Maurice Cullen (1864-1936) between 1896 and 1914. It is based on an analysis of political and cultural contexts. To represent the snowy Canadian landscape, Cullen adapts some techniques from modern impressionism, acquired during his first stay in Europe. Despite this foreign artistic influence thanks to his use of a bright color palette and divisional brush strokes, the perspective and the three dimensions reflect his academic principles.  The use of impressionist processes allows Cullen to highlight the features and atmospheric light of his country.  By applying these processes on the snow, Cullen creates a work of rediscovery and praises the territory.  Indeed, this artist’s main focus is the experience one has in the distinct and sensitive environment that is unique to his territory rather than the choice of thematic canvases. All sensory and visual data contained in his works aim to make the viewer aware of the difficulty to locate within its own territory and to accept the harsh conditions inherent in Canada.  His work remains impartial to the conflict of identity between Francophones and Anglophones, although it occurs within the premises of the establishment of a Canadian aesthetic.  This thesis argues that Cullen renews winter imagery and the early part of the process of creating a national iconography. With his peers, he is committed to enhancing the local and he opens a debate on the representation of Canadian territory, which will be continued by the next generation with the “ Groupe des Sept”.

Keyphrases: Maurice Cullen, Art history, Canadian painting, landscape, impressionism
Les déterminants de la présence du programme d'aide aux employés dans les entreprises du secteur privé au Canada

This study aims to explore the links among the characteristics of firms and their workforce and the presence of an EAP. This practice should not be randomly distributed in firms operating in the private sector in Canada. In the literature, there are three factors that are identified to be related to the presence of an EAP : 1- workforce characteristics, 2- firm characteristics, and 3- labour market characteristics.  This study search to evaluate the relative value of each factor in predicting the presence of an EAP.  One hypothesis or one research proposal is made for each factor.  In order to empirically test the hypotheses and the research proposals, secondary data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) are used.  This survey was conducted in 2005 by Statistics Canada. This survey collected data from employers and their employees.  Almost all variables used in this study come from the employers’ database. The sample comprises 5,630 establishments operating in the private sector.  Results show that organizational characteristics are better determinants of the presence of EAP than the characteristics of the workforce. EAPs are not randomly distributed in firms in Canada. Indeed, firms that adopt an EAP often have fewer immigrants. They are more likely to have a larger proportion of employees who have completed a high school level and working full time. EAPs are more likely to be found in larger companies that are unionized, and whose work organizations are more flexible. Compare to firms in the secondary and in the tertiary sectors, it is firms in the primary sector that are more likely to have adopted an EAP. Overall, the results of this study indicate that EAP are available only to the better off workers.  These workers have access to the best social and mental services.  Keywords: Employee Assistance Programs Characteristics of the workforce Organizational Characteristics

Keyphrases: Employee Assistance Programs, Characteristics of the workforce, Organizational Characteristics
Entrelacement de la tradition imaginaire du western et du réalisme contemporain

This research is in two parts: a fifteen minutes short fiction film, and a fifty page reflection on a genre-related set of issues. Most historians agree that there was a certain "exhaustion" of the western genre in the seventies and eighties. Yet, this genre is reappearing in modern cinema, in a renewed and repositioned form. We will try to understand how and why the western genre is making a come-back, by examining the form and meaning of this resumption. This dissertation will start by reviewing the workings of the generic system, before focusing on the western genre, specifically western scenery and cowboy iconography. Finally, we will study three films that are exponents of the genre: The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones, 2005), No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007), and Don’t Come Knocking (Wim Wenders, 2005). We will concentrate particularly on the tension created in modern films between the traditional conception of the western genre and contemporary realism. Produced at the same time, the short fiction film aspires to embody the issues explored in the text.

Keyphrases: Genre, Western, Contemporary, Imaginary, Realism
L’allégorie comme discours politique dans Underground d'Emir Kusturica

Our research is in three parts. The first is a definition of the allegory in general, in the visual arts and in film. The second part analyzes the allegorical dimension of Kusturica film Underground. After having mentioned the main characteristics of Kusturica’s cinema, I will examine the ways in which the director has used the allegory in his film : officially, the allegory was presented as a means to denounce the war in the the Balkans, but we will try to see if there weren’t another reason of the director’s choice of this figure. In the third part, we will discuss the debate that the film started and the political views of the director.

Keyphrases: Arts, Kusturica, Underground, Allegory, Arts, Cinema, Kusturica, Underground, politic
Condition physique, performance motrice, comportements et fonctions cognitives chez les enfants ayant un trouble du déficit de l’attention avec hyperactivité

The first purpose of this thesis is to describe fitness and gross motor performance of children with ADHD taking medication or not, in addition with the description of their participation in structured physical activity sessions. The second objective is to evaluate the impact of a physical activity program on fitness, gross motor performance, behaviour and cognition of those children. Three manuscripts are presented. The purpose of the first study is to assess fitness and gross motor performance of children with ADHD, including users and non-users of methylphenidate medication. Fitness level of children with ADHD using medication or not, including body composition, flexibility and muscular endurance, is similar to that of a control group. The only difference is observed for body mass index, which was lower in children with ADHD using medication. Aerobic capacity is also similar when measured by a treadmill test. However, a lower performance is observed when aerobic capacity was estimated using a field shuttle test, suggesting that the methodology used is important. Finally, both groups of children with ADHD present significantly lower scores for locomotion skills. The objectives of the second manuscript are to assess the participation of children with ADHD in structured physical activity sessions and to explore the impact of variables such as weight and motor problems on this participation level. Results suggest that children with ADHD can have an intensity and duration of participation similar to children without the disorder, with a simple behavioural management system for negative behaviours. Furthermore, the intensity of participation is not different for children with ADHD having weight problems or motor skills difficulties. This highlights the fact that children with ADHD can attain effective physical activity participation when they are included in a structured supervised program. Finally, the objective of the third study is to assess the effects of a moderate- to high-intensity physical activity program on fitness, gross motor skills, cognitive functions and ADHD-related behaviour in children with ADHD. Results show that participation in a physical activity program improves muscular capacities, motor skills, behaviour reports by parents and teachers and attention capacity. The results suggest that a structured physical activity program may have clinical relevance in the functional adaptation of children with ADHD. This highlights the need for further research in the area of physical activity with this population. The general discussion presents the links between the three studies using the physical activity engagement model. Gross motor skills difficulties and the clinical impact of physical activity programs in ADHD treatment are proposed as promising research avenues.

Keyphrases: Cognition, ADHD, Physical activity, Exercise, Cognition
Synthèse de motifs biarylés :
fonctionnalisation directe catalysée par des métaux de transition d’espèces aromatiques non activées

This thesis describes the development of two methodologies involved in the biaryls synthesis. The first part is directed towards the use of a directing group or stabilizing group for the palladium catalyzed direct arylation. In all the examples found in the literature, the moiety bearing the directing group has the proton subject to abstraction in the ortho-position leaving the halide to the other coupling partner. We thought that by designing a compound having both a directing group and a halide, at the ortho position, the direct arylation of unactivated molecule species would be possible. This reaction is performed under air and without the use of any phosphine ligand providing a low cost and practical access to the pharmaceutically useful biaryl moieties containing a versatile ester functionality for further transformations. Owing to the ubiquity of C-H bonds in organic compounds, the possibility of directly introducing a new C-C bond (or other functionalities) via a direct C-H bond transformation is a highly attractive strategy in synthesis. Several rhodium, palladium, and ruthenium catalysts have proven to be highly effective in such direct coupling processes. Herein the first general and efficient iron-catalyzed direct arylation of iodo-aryls and iodo-hetereoaryl derivatives using a cost effective and environmentally benign catalyst is described. The reaction is performed under neat conditions and can even proceed at room temperature providing 22 examples of biaryls and heteroaryls construction with moderate to excellent yield. Mechanistic studies showed that the transformation was going through an aryl radical transfer pathway.

Keyphrases: Activation C-H, Direct arylation, Iron catalysis, C-H bond functionalization, Radical transfer, Biaryls synthesis, Palladium catalysis
Synthesis and characterization of main-chain bile acid-based degradable polymers

Bile acids are natural compounds in the body. Their biocompatibility, facial amphiphilicity, rigidity of steroid nucleus, and ease of chemical modification make them excellent candidates as building blocks for making biodegradable materials used in drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.  We have prepared main-chain bile acid-based polymers having high molecular weights. Macrocyclic monomers were synthesized from dienes, which consist of flexible alkyl chains attached to a bile acid core through either ester or amide linkages, via ring closing metathesis using first-generation Grubbs catalyst. They were polymerized using entropy-driven ring-opening metathesis polymerization using second-generation Grubbs catalyst. Copolymers were also prepared from monolactone of ricinoleic acid and cholic acid-based cyclic triester monomer via the same method. The thermal and mechanical properties and degradation behaviours of these polymers have been investigated. The properties can be tuned by varying the chemical linking with the bile acid moiety and by varying the chemical composition of the polymers such as copolymerization with ricinoleic acid lactones. The tunability of the physical properties of these biocompatible polymers gives access to a range of interesting attributes. For example, shape memory properties have been observed in some samples. This may prove useful in the design of materials for biomedical applications.

Keyphrases: Bile acids, Biocompatibility, Amphiphilicity, Ring closing metathesis, Ring opening metathesis polymerization
L’expérience de l’isolement de contact à l’hôpital pour des 
personnes âgées lors d’une infection au Clostridium difficile

Summary  The current situation of nosocomial infections in health facilities is a concern. With regard to Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), its emergence and its impact on morbidity and mortality is well known. Moreover, the aging population is at high risk of having diarrhea associated with C. difficile and, therefore, of being in contact isolation. Seniors are already made vulnerable by a hospitalization, then what about when there is a contact isolation related to an infection with C. difficile? In this perspective, since knowledge about the experience of older people being isolated is not quite developed, this study examined the experiences of seniors during the isolation contact and the effects of this isolation on their experiences.           The purpose of this phenomenological study, building on the Theory of human becoming of Parse (2003), was to describe and understand the experience of people aged 75 and over and hospitalized in a contact isolation, caused by infection with C. difficile. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five seniors who agreed to participate in the study, and the transcript of their remarks was analyzed by the method suggested by Giorgi (1997). From this analysis emerged three themes: 1) Living the effects of Clostridium difficile, 2) Living anxiety and 3) Living the disappointment in the relationship with the nursing staff. Pushing further the analysis of themes and sub-themes, it was possible to propose that the essence of the experience of people aged 75 and over hospitalized in a contact isolation caused by infection C. difficile, was “to live both in conjunction with the need to be isolated to protect their world and separation from the need to receive care which respects their dignity, despite the vulnerability induced by their state of health”. These results may sensitize caregivers who accompany elderly on a daily basis in isolation. Understanding their experience will encourage the development of care that takes into account their concerns, their fears and the importance of preserving their dignity.  Keywords: Psychological impact, experience of isolation contact, Clostridium difficile, elderly, phenomenology, theory of human becoming.

Keyphrases: Clostridium difficile, Psychological impact, Experience of isolation contact, Clostridium difficile, Elderly, Phenomenology, Theory of human becoming
Fonctionnalisation covalente des nanotubes de carbone : propriétés, réversibilité et applications dans le domaine de l'électronique

The general subject of this thesis is the covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes and its applications in electronics. First, the properties of the carbon nanotubes, their functionalization, and the principal techniques used to characterize them are presented. Second, the repercussions of the grafting of phenyl addends and dichloromethylene addends on the properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) are investigated. A decrease of light absorption and a modification of the Raman spectra of the nanotubes are observed as well as, for the phenyl derivatives, an important loss of their electrical conductivity. Third, the reversibility of the functionalization is examined. The study shows that the addends are detached from the sidewall upon annealing, leading to the reconstruction of the graphene structure. Most of the original properties of the SWNT are then recovered. In addition, it is observed that the temperature of defunctionalization depends on the nature of the addends, but it is not influenced by the diameter of the SWNT (Range studied: phenyl derivatives, Ømoyen= 0,81 nm, 0,93 nm et 1,3 nm; dichlorométhylènes derivatives, Ømoyen = 0,81 nm et 0,93 nm). Fourth, a new method to reliably self-assemble networks of dense SWNT onto patterned substrates is presented. The method is based on covalent functionalization and electrostatic interactions. Its suitability for making electronic devices is demonstrated. Last, this thesis investigated the covalent functionalization of double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNT). A spectroscopic study revealed that the grafting of the phenyl addends occurs exclusively on the outer wall. Furthermore, the identification of the metallic or semiconductor character of each wall of the DWNT is realized using electrical measurements taken before and after the functionalization.

Keyphrases: Nanotube de carbone, Carbon nanotube, Covalent functionalization, Reversibility, Self-assembly, Spectroscopy Raman, Conductivity, Thermal stability
L’influence d’activités en arts plastiques sur l’expérience d’appréciation musicale d’élèves de sixième année du primaire

Since 2001, the Quebec school program states that an « appreciation » competency has to be taught within all four artistic school disciplines. This study describes the influence of activities integrating visual arts and music on the appreciation experience of 6th grade students. More specifically, this study aims to relate the different dimensions that can be found in the students’ verbal account of their appreciation experience and to show how the interdisciplinary activities affect their verbalization of these dimensions. Five case studies conducted with 6th grade elementary school students are presented. These five students, along with the other students in their class, have participated in one intradisciplinary activity and two interdisciplinary activities integrating visual arts and music. Following each activity, the students were met for semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to share their appreciation experience. Four tendencies have emerged from qualitative data analysis: a more insightful listening, a more accurate description of perceptual elements, a more accurate description of the student’s feelings and finally a form of distraction from the music. It appears that appreciation activities which integrate visual arts and music could be, if not a systematic approach, a way to differentiate teaching in a way that could be helpful to some types of learners.

Keyphrases: Appreciation experience, Aesthetic experience, Musical listening, Competency, Interdisciplinarity, Music teaching, Art teaching
Le «translateur» translaté : l’imaginaire et l’autorité d’un romancier médiéval à travers le cycle post-vulgate et son adaptation portugaise

The Portuguese translation of the Post-Vulgate Cycle completed towards the end of the 13th century and entitled A Demanda do Santo Graal offers an interesting prism to grasp, within the context and through a set of displacement and of reconfiguration, the characteristics of the Queste Post-Vulgate’s imagination, otherwise difficult to access. The Demanda do Santo Grail gives the reader access to the imagination of the Medieval French novel while tracing the different aspects of its evolution outside of its linguistic borders in an era where the writer is no longer a translator, but becomes an auctor. This work mainly shows how the Queste Post-Vulgate, read in conjunction with the Portuguese translation/adaptation, illustrates the evolution of the novel and the concept of author while distinguishing between the translator, the creator and the writer. This important distinction between the different representations of the writer during the medieval period allows one to understand their literary subjectivity in the narrative from the beginning to the end of the Middle Ages.

Keyphrases: Demanda do Santo Graal, Queste Post-Vulgate, Demanda do Santo Graal, Queste Post-Vulgate, translation, writer, imaginary
La protection du territoire agricole de la région métropolitaine de recensement (RMR) de Montréal dans un contexte d’étalement urbain

Urban sprawl represents a challenge to society of concern for all the players in regional land use planning. The development of urbanised areas on the edges of cities for residential, industrial, commercial and infrastructure purposes is characterised by low density development and a loss of farmland. The consequences are important because these losses are irreversible.  This research project analyses current trends of urban sprawl in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Region and the surrounding area as well as its impacts on agricultural areas. There are three secondary objectives. The first one is to analyse the importance of the multi-functionality of agriculture and how it has been taken into account in the strategies for agricultural planning and revitalisation in the Regional Municipal Counties (RMC). The second one aims to establish the linkages between these strategies and the urban pressures in the Montreal metropolitan region. Urban pressures are analysed in the context of 88 municipalities as a function of the increases in population and households and the number of construction projects initiated as well as the requests for modification of their agricultural zones submitted by the municipalities to Quebec’s Agricultural Land Protection Commission between 2000 and 2009. The final objective aims to identify those RMC which have developed strategies in their regional land use development plan for their agricultural zone, in order then to compare the intentions and actions of the RMC with the urban sprawl which has actually taken place in their territory since 2000. To accomplish this, two criteria were used: a typology of the planning and revitalisation strategies for the agricultural zones and the positions adopted by the players involved in formulating the requests for modification. By way of conclusion, the 5 RMC analysed in detail requested the withdrawal of between 2.1 % and 2.6 % of their own agricultural zone during the last 10 years, regardless of their own agricultural development plan and the actual urban pressures they had experienced.

Keyphrases: Urban sprawl, Protection of farmland, Montreal Census Metropolitan Region