NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Wait Times to Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Services for Persons with Arthritis in Quebec

Arthritis is a leading cause of pain and disability in Canada. Persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be seen by a rheumatologist within three months of symptom onset to begin appropriate medical treatment and improve health outcomes. Early physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) are beneficial for both osteoarthritis (OA) and RA and may prevent disability.  The objectives of the study are to describe wait times from referral by primary care provider to rheumatology and rehabilitation consultation in the public system of Quebec and to explore associated factors.  We conducted a cross-sectional study in the province of Quebec, Canada whereby we requested appointments from all rheumatology practices and public rehabilitation departments using case scenarios that were created by a group of experts.  Three scenarios were developed for the rheumatology referrals: Presumed RA; Possible RA; and Presumed OA and two scenarios for the rehabilitation referrals: diagnosed RA and diagnosed OA.  Wait times were evaluated as the time between the initial request and the appointment date provided. The statistical analysis consisted primarily of descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics (bivariate comparisons and logistic regression).    Seventy-one rheumatology practices were contacted.  For all scenarios combined, 34% were given an appointment with a rheumatologist within three months of referral, 32% waited longer than three months and 34% were refused services.  The odds of getting an appointment with a rheumatologist within three months was 13 times greater for the Presumed RA scenario versus the Presumed OA scenario (OR=13; 95% Cl[1.70;99.38]).  However, 59% of the Presumed RA cases did not receive an appointment within three months.  One hundred rehabilitation departments were also contacted.  For both scenarios combined, 13% were given an appointment within 6 months, 13% within 6 to 12 months, 24% waited longer than 12 months and 22% were refused services. The remaining 28% were told that they would require an evaluation appointment based on functional assessment prior to being given an appointment. There was no difference with regards to diagnosis, RA versus OA, for the rehabilitation consultation.  RA is prioritized over OA when obtaining an appointment to a rheumatologist in Quebec.  However, the majority of persons with RA are still not receiving rheumatology or publicly accessible PT or OT intervention in a timely manner.  Better methods for triage and increased resource allocation are needed.

Keyphrases: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Wait Times, Rheumatology, Specialist Care, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Prioritization
Investigating the role of the isomerase Rrd1/PTPA : from yeast to human

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutants devoid of Rrd1, a protein possessing in vitro peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase activity, display striking resistance to rapamycin and show sensitivity to the DNA damaging agent 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. PTPA, the mammalian homolog of Rrd1, has been shown to activate protein phosphatase 2A. Our laboratory previously found that overexpression of PTPA leads to apoptosis independently of PP2A. At the outset of my thesis work, the molecular function of Rrd1/PTPA was largely unknown. My work has shown that Rrd1 is associated with the chromatin and interacts with RNA polymerase II. In vitro and in vivo analysis with circular dichroism revealed that Rrd1 mediates structural changes of the C-terminal domain of the large subunit of RNA pol II, Rpb1, in response to rapamycin and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. Consistent with this, we demonstrated that Rrd1 is required to alter RNA pol II occupancy on rapamycin responsive genes. We also showed that upon rapamycin exposure Rrd1 mediates the degradation of RNA polymerase II and that this mechanism is ubiquitin-independent.  Another part of my work was to gain insight into the function of PTPA, the mammalian counterpart of Rrd1. PTPA knockdown did not affect sensitivity to rapamycin, 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide or H2O2. We also attempted to find protein interaction partners for PTPA using tandem affinity purification, but no stable partners for PTPA were found. We also demonstrated that overexpression of a catalytically inactive PTPA mutant did not induce apoptosis, indicating that PTPA activity is required to produce this effect. Finally, we attempted to study PTPA in a mouse model. We first determined that PTPA was expressed in a tissue-specific manner and was most abundant in bone marrow, thymus and brain. We pursued creation of a knockout mouse and successfully generated chimeras, but the mutated allele was not transmitted to the germline.  My data and other data from our laboratory regarding the yeast work suggest a general role for Rrd1 in regulation of gene transcription. Whether PTPA has a similar function in mammalian cells remains unknown, and a different vision of what the protein does in mammalian cells will be required to adequately address this question in the future.

Keyphrases: Transcription, PTPA, Rrd1, PP2A, RNA polymerase II
Développement du modèle de spécificité clinique chez les personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux graves associés à des problèmes de violence et de comportements antisociaux

Since deinstitutionalization in psychiatry, it has often been mentioned that individuals who in the past would have been cared for in psychiatric hospitals are today ending up in forensic hospitals or, worse, in prison. Meanwhile, several authors have reported that individuals with severe mental illness are more likely to commit antisocial acts or violence. In respect of this issue, we support the clinical specificity model. It specifies that psychopathological profiles increase the risk of violence and lead to different types of social functioning. The environment has also a modulating effect on the functioning of the individual distinctiveness. A bidirectional relationship is built between the specific psychopathology and the environment, particularly with regard to interpersonal relationships, socioeconomic background, the pattern of psychiatric services use and the interaction with the justice system that subsequently determine the type of care or patient's legal status. To support this hypothesis, we examined the profiles of patients with severe mental illness based on legal status and care setting (general psychiatry and forensic psychiatry) and the use of seclusion and restraint. Patients were evaluated by sociodemographic measures (indicators of social functioning, interpersonal relationships and socioeconomic background) and measures of psychodiagnostic (SCID-I and II) and psychopathy. In addition, criminal records, official provincial government physician-billing and hospitalization files (MED-ECHO and Medicare) were observed. The designs were retrospectives. Moreover, in order to explore the subjective perception of aggression and violence of mental health workers, the level of interaction that occurs between psychiatric services and the individual suffering from severe mental illness, were evaluated. We considered the impact of this perception on how to provide care, particularly with respect to coercive measures (measures of seclusion with or without restraints) during hospitalization. The five studies have supported the clinical specificity of both the clinical profiles of individuals and the way to deliver services, especially coercion. The characteristics of the individual and the environment seem to play an important role in the type of service received by an individual with severe mental illness. This work opens the possibility in subsequent studies to better determine the etiology of aggression, how to manage violence and to identify the care offered on the issue.

Keyphrases: Major Mental Disorders, Violence, Antisocial Behaviors, Personality Disorders, Mental Health Services, Incarceration, Seclusion, Restraint
Représentation du sexe chez N. Arcan, V. Despentes, M.-S. Labrèche et C. Millet

Since the end of the 1990’s, a new generation of female writers started working on stories about the body and sexuality. Some of the narratives they develop drew attention because of the "shameless exhibitionism" they supposedly include, others because of their violence or what appears as a display of pornography. Those texts are evidence of deep changes occurring in our society, but moreover, they are interesting by their lack of respect for the literary conventions. This essay is about the way sex and body are depicted in À ciel ouvert by Nelly Arcan, Baise-moi by Virginie Despentes, La brèche by Marie-Sissi Labrèche, La vie sexuelle de Catherine M. by Catherine Millet and La nouvelle pornographie by Marie Nimier. The body is politics: it tells us that today, as much as in the 1970’s, sexual identities have to be dissolved and recreated. In addition, reading Arcan’s, Despentes’, Labrèche’s and Millet’s work while focalizing on what kind of subject is expressed via pleasure and desire shows that writing about sexuality can be a way of exploring human being when speech is useless. We will then see how the writers use pornography on a generic level and how they try and reconfigure our literary regime.

Keyphrases: contemporary literature, Quebec literature, Virginie Despentes, Marie Nimier, Nelly Arcan, Marie-Sissi Labrèche, Catherine Millet, french literature, pornographie, pornography, sexuality, motion pictures
Identification des gènes responsables des
hyperplasies surrénaliennes macronodulaires bilatérales familiales avec récepteurs aberrants

The majority of ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia with Cushing's syndrome (AIMAH) is due to the aberrant expression of various receptors in the adrenal cortex. The genes responsible for familial AIMAH with aberrant receptors have not been identified. The aim of this project is to characterize them.   A linkage study to identify the region or regions of the genome comprising the gene or genes that may be involved in familial AIMAH was performed using DNA of family members (10 affected and 7 non affected) born in Quebec and harboring AIMAH and Cushing's syndrome, under the aberrant regulation of B-adrenergic and V1-vasopressin receptors. Various chromosomal regions between patients and non-affected family were highlighted. A total of 707,453 SNPs were obtained, and after statistical analysis, 159 significant SNPs, possibly associated with phenotype, were found between the two groups. It was found that the majority of these SNPs were located on chromosomal regions 1q32.1 and 16q12.2. A transcriptome analysis was conducted using DNA from tumours of two patients of the family, as well as DNA from other adrenal tumours; Statistical analysis identified 15 genes that may be linked to disease (11 up-regulated and 4 under-expressed). Using data from these two studies, we identified six genes on chromosome 1 (ATP2B4, PPP1R12B, SOX13, ADORA1, CACNA1S and PHLDA3), one on chromosome 16 (CHD9) and one on chromosome 13 (SPRY2), to investigate the presence of mutations. The sequencing revealed no nucleotide changes in gene PPP1R12B and SOX13. In ATP2B4, CACNA1S, ADORA1 and PHLDA3, the sequencing not revealed nucleotides changes leading to either amino acid changes or an amino acid changes considered “not-relevant”, because they do not differentiate healthy individuals from affected. The sequencing of CHD9 and SPRY2 identified nucleotide changes causing amino acid changes more frequently in patients compared to healthy subjects.  In conclusion, our work has therefore identified by linkage analysis and DNA microarray candidate genes that can be responsible to this disease, and mutations in two of these genes, CHD9 and SPRY2. These results are promising because these genes produce proteins involved in chromatin remodeling and regulation of signaling protein kinases.   Phenotyping and genotyping of patients should be pursued further.

Keyphrases: Adrenal glands, Adrenal cortex, Cortico-adrenal tumors, ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH), Cushing's syndrome, Aberrant G-protein coupled receptors, Microarray
Erotismo, poema y budismo tántrico : Octavio Paz y los caminos del éxtasis

This research studies a key subject in the work of the Mexican poet and essayist Octavio Paz (1914-1998): the analogies between eroticism, poetry and the sacred as three human ways of union, reconciliation, and liberation that are particularly reinforced in his work since his journey to and stay in the East –especially in India- between 1951 and 1968. During the period called Hindu cycle (‘ciclo hindu’), Paz was interested in different traditions of oriental thought such as Buddhism, especially in its tantric orientation. This study analyses the significant contributions of Buddhism to Paz’s work. The examination of concepts like vacuity, silence, another shore (‘otra orilla’), ecstatic transcendental union, and liberation proves that Paz studied the analogies between eroticism, poetry and the sacred in depth, broaching them not just as reconciliation experiences but taking them further (‘más allá’) to the transcendental level of ecstatic union in vacuity. Although a large number of Paz’s works are considered, from El arco y la lira (1956) to Vislumbres de la India (1995), particular attention is dedicated to two poetics texts which are the most representative of his encounter with the East - Ladera Este (1969) and El mono gramático (1974) - where we can observe the analogies that Paz established between eroticism, poetry and tantric Buddhism, through the experiences of ‘otherness’, which proposes to man the search of the ‘other’ to reconcile in unity, and dissipate in vacuity.  The general conclusion of the study emphasizes that eroticism, poetry and tantric Buddhism are proposed in Octavio Paz’s work as three parallel ways of revelation from which human being can achieve plenitude, which is manifest in the ecstatic experience.

Keyphrases: Octavio Paz, Eroticism, Tantric Buddhism, Otherness, India, Reconciliation, Vacuity
Un corps à soi : socio-anthropologie des corps vulnérables au féminin dans La cloche de verre (2004), Malina (2000) et Tout comme elle (2006) de Sibyllines

Body movement is at the centre of Quebec director Brigitte Haentjens’ theatical productions. Through her direction, the body becomes an instrument which has a profound effect on the audience. The purpose of this research is to determine how this director is able to establish a strong link with her audience through the use of the female body. We discuss three works having similar themes of women’s oppression, La cloche de verre (2004), Malina (2000) and Tout comme elle (2006). Our hypothesis is that the connection between the audience and the bodies on stage depends on the vulnerability of these bodies. Each production is looked at through the lens of Patrice Pavis’ vectorization method. In addition, we employ Eugenio Barba’s theater anthropology to identify the energy on stage and sociological theories to link the female characters’ submission to the rules established by society. Throughout this paper, we provide a detailed review of Brigitte Haentjens’s representations of the vulnerable body.

Keyphrases: Théâtre contemporain, Brigitte Haentjens, Contemporary theater, Body, Feminity, Brigitte Haentjens, Vulnerability
L’architecture engagée du «Case Study House Program» de la revue Arts and Architecture de 1945 – 1966 : une confluence génératrice

Dwelling schemes, whether single family or collective have been and remain an important challenge for architects since the advent of modernism. The beginning of the 21st century has seen an explosion of lifestyles, localized demographic challenges, and an ever-changing landscape of mobility. These changes are the underlying factors that influence housing demand and the invention of new housing organizational strategies. What can be learned from the experiments undertaken, in this field, in post World War II USA ? This Master’s thesis examines the case of an initiative in architectural exploration and experimentation commanded by the Californian Arts and Architecture magazine from 1945 to 1966. «The Case Study House Program» instigated by the editor in chief John Entenza, brought together some of the most talented and engaged architects of the era including, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra, Craig Ellwood, Raphael Soriano and Pierre Koenig, all well known for their canonical contributions to the history of modern architecture. The detailed analysis and investigation of the case study houses and their influences will help reveal the critical importance of the CSHP (case study house program) on multiple levels. In its challenge to the traditional housing industry that continues to dominate the housing market today, in the program’s limitations in remaining relatively marginal in the post-war demand for housing, and in revealing the forward looking proposals and strategies in dealing with the needs of 21st century living, particularly the aspects of evolving demographic and mobility patterns. We hope to expose the value of the CSHP as an example of the potential engagement of the field of housing by architects and their essential social resistance, from an esthetic, cultural and technical point of view.

Keyphrases: Architecture, Case, Study, House, Program, Modern, Housing, Mobility, Demographic, Changes
Étude de l’association supramoléculaire bi- et tridimensionnelle d’oximes et d’hydrazones trigonales

The concepts of supramolecular chemistry can be exploited advantageously to control the structure and properties of molecular materials. In a productive approach, the molecular components of a material can be specifically selected to engage in strong and predictable interactions with their neighbours. This strategy, called molecular tectonics, is based on designing particular molecules called tectons (from the Greek word tectos, meaning builder) that self-associate in predictable ways via multiple non-covalent interactions, thereby generating a desired architecture. This process is reversible and guided by the presence of complementary chemical functions, named supramolecular synthons, specifically oriented to direct intermolecular interactions. This predisposes neighbouring molecules to be positioned in a predetermined fashion. The constraints arising from these interactions often tend to counter the natural tendency of molecules to form compact structures, thereby leaving significant volume within the material for guest molecules that do not directly contribute to the main architecture. When applied to crystallisation, this approach can generate potentially porous crystals similar to zeolites.  Hydrogen bonds are an ideal non-covalent interaction for the strategy of molecular tectonics because of their strength and directionality. The field of crystal engineering has evolved greatly through exploration of various chemical functions known to assemble through hydrogen bonds. Such exploration has revealed a variety of new materials. A classic molecule that well represents the tectonic strategy and has had a larger impact in the field of supramolecular chemistry is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, commonly referred to as trimesic acid. Trimesic acid imparts a trigonal orientation to three carboxyl groups (COOH), favouring the formation of a hexagonal network supported by hydrogen bonds characteristic of these groups.  We aimed to replace the COOH groups of trimesic acid by less-commonly used synthons in supramolecular chemistry derived from oximes and hydrazones. Herein, we report the synthesis and crystallisation of a series of trigonal trioximes and trihydrazones analogous to trimesic acid. Crystals were analysed by X-ray diffraction and their structures were determined. Self-assembly of the trioximes and trihydrazones in 2D by adsorption on graphite was also studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Together, our results enabled us to compare the 2D and 3D organisation of different analogues of trimesic acid.

Keyphrases: Oxime, Hydrazone, Supramolecular association, Crystal engineering, Hydrogen bond, X-ray diffraction, Scanning tunneling microscopy
Localisations métropolitaines et mobilité quotidienne : relation entre l’équilibre emploi-résidence et le navettage à Montréal

Over the past decades, many cities have been facing an important decentralization movement resulting in major changes in territorial dynamics, especially in terms of spatial organization and mobility. Growing interest in these questions led many authors to investigate the subject. However, facing the wide variety of factors and the influence of local specificities, these studies regularly show diverging or even contradictory results. Hence, the real impact of the decentralization movement remains uncertain. Does decentralization improve home-work connections in metropolitan regions? What are the consequences of these reorganizations on commuting? Mobility is not only a key factor in the development of cities but it is also a key player in terms of GHG emissions. As the decentralization movement progresses, this study aims to analyze the most recent forms of distribution patterns in metropolitan activities with respect to commuting characteristics.  It also aims to evaluate these tendencies in a sustainable perspective. The specific case of Montreal, considered atypical in North America in terms of spatial organization, will be observed. This study contains three main parts. First, the Montreal metropolitan area was characterized in relation to the typology developed in France. This methodology refers to criteria based on job and resident location.  Second, using the established typology, an analysis of commuting between 2003 and 2008 gave a better understanding of major tendencies with respect to commuting within the metropolitan area. Finally, these results were opposed to a more traditional analysis, based on a centre-suburban-peripheral characterization.   Results suggest that, as some previous studies showed, proximity of home and work locations on its own is not sufficient to induce more sustainable commuting patterns. On a methodological basis, this study showed the adequacy of combining multiple approaches as the two typologies employed in the present case revealed complementary results.

Keyphrases: Multipolarity, Commuting, Urban form, Job-housing balance