NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
La chasse aux trésors subaquatiques : portrait d'une industrie marginale à l'ère de l'internet

Beyond the pole of traditional underwater archaeology, we find an industry composed of commercial companies that enter into contractual agreements and obtain permits which allow them to take objects from submerged sites for financial gain. Their practices create a lively and often heated controversy in the archaeological community. The principal disagreement concerns the sale of objects from sites. The marketing of archaeological heritage awakens protective instincts and actions for the protection of heritage, such as UNESCO’s campaign begun in 2001 for the adoption of a Convention on the protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Unesco.org 2001). Despite all the arguments against « treasure hunting » companies, the Convention is far from being universally accepted by sovereign governments, who do not seem prepared to make the companies’ practices illegal.  The methods used by the companies are also a source of friction with archaeologists. However, knowledge of their field methods seems rather incomplete, and contrary to some preconceived notions, these companies are not « grave robbers » working under the dark, but indeed duly registered companies working in full legality and even entering into contractual agreements with governments.  This thesis aims to shed light on the activities of the underwater treasure hunting industry by studying their methods and operations as they have developed in the last ten years. In order to conceptualise the companies’ practices, we look at the relation between archaeological and business ethics.

Keyphrases: Epave, Tresor, Underwater archaeology, Shipwreck, Treasure, Treasure salvage, Ethics, Commercial maritime archaeology
Génération de lignées de poissons zébrés exprimant le gène muté TARDBP

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease due to motoneurons degeneration. More than 40 mutations of the gene TARDBP, coding for the protein TDP-43 have been found in ALS patients. As the biochemical defects of these mutations are not known, in vivo models are currently the only windows onto the pathology. To study the pathophysiological consequences of one of these mutations, we have generated two stable zebrafish transgenic lines, expressing the human gene TARDBP, either the wild-type version, or the G348C mutated version linked to ALS, under the control of a heat shock promotor. These lines were studied for three generation, after establishing a heat shock protocol sufficient to induce a ubiquitous expression of the transgene. The transgenic embryos of the F2 generation of the line expressing the mutant protein develop a motor phenotype after a 38.5°C heat shock for 30 minutes when the embryos are 18 hours post-fertilization. 60% of these embryos have an abnormal touch escaped evoked response, and a 28% reduction of the pre-branching axonal length of the motoneurons axons. These results indicate that our line expressing the mutant TDP-43 protein is a promising genetic model of ALS, opening perspectives for the pathophysiological understanding of the disease, and the discovery of new therapeutics.

Keyphrases: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, TARDBP, TDP-43, Zebrafish, Motoneuron
Simulations numériques de la dynamique des protéines : translation de ligands, flexibilité et dynamique des boucles

Flexibility is an intrinsic characteristic of proteins who from the moment of synthesis into a linear chain of amino acids, have to adopt an enzymatically active tridimensionnel structure. Some proteins stay flexible once folded and display large amplitude confor- mational changes during their enzymatic cycles. Others contain parts that are so flexible that their structure can’t be resolved using experimental methods. In this thesis, we present our application of in silico methods to the study of protein flexibility. • Using steered molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling, we characterized the binding trajectories of the Z-pro-prolinal inhibiter to the Prolyl oligopeptidase pro- tein and we identified the most probable trajectory. Our simulations also found a possible ligand recrutement mechanism that involves a 19 amino acids flexible loop at the interface of the two domains of the protein. • Using traditional and steered molecular dynamics, we examined the stability of the SAV1866 protein in its closed conformation in a lipid membrane and we studied one of its proposed opening modes by separating its nucleotide binding domains. • We also adapted the activation-relaxation technique ART-nouveau which was pre- viously used to study protein folding and aggregation to the problem of structure prediction of large flexible loops. When tested on loops of 8 to 20 amino acids, the method demonstrate a quadratic execution time dependance on the loop length, which makes it possible to use the method on even larger loops.

Keyphrases: Molecular dynamics, Umbrella sampling, Activation-relaxation technique, SAV1866, SAV186, Prolyl oligopeptidase, Loop structure prediction
L’intégration de modalités sensorielles : l’influence de l’olfaction sur la vision

Most studies on perception isolate one sensory modality in order to better study and comprehend it. Unfortunately, none of our senses represents the only source of information, since sensory integration is underway at all times during environmental perception. The information from one sense is therefore usually in agreement with or in conflict with the input of information from other senses. The goal of the present study was to investigate, by fMRI, the cerebral activations caused by visual and olfactory integration when these two perceptions are congruent. To do this, an image and/or an odour were presented to the subject who then had the task of identifying whether the perceived stimulus was congruent. This protocol allowed the observation of the cerebral activations during stimulus analysis and decision-making depending on the congruity of the presented stimulus. The vision-odour congruent condition activated the visual and olfactory areas more strongly than the control conditions (image only, odour only). These results illustrate a potentialization of the visual and olfactory areas by an integration of the congruent information coming from these two modalities. As a result, the integration of a visual and olfactory congruent stimulus seems to enhance the perception of a stimulus.

Keyphrases: Olfaction, Vision, Sensory integration, fMRI, Congruency
Of tradition and conversion : a comparative study of two Phuo griottes

This research brings two important elements to the study of ethnomusicology:  the study and comparative analysis between the life and music of a traditional griotte and a griotte converted to Christianity within the Phuo society of Burkina Faso.  It is an illustration of the adaptation of a repertoire which can be comparatively encountered in other musico-cultural contexts.  This incorporates not only an exploration into the life and the music of the feminine Phuo tradition, but also an attempt at a deeper understanding of the griotte, or ‘ƴuo,’ role and function within the evangelical Christian church.  We also present a brief analysis of both repertoires, as well as look into the aesthetic and symbolic elements within their individual vocal practices.

Keyphrases: Griotte, Burkina Faso, Tradition, Conversion, Function, Repertoire, Aesthetic, Symbolic
Les oscillations torsionnelles dans la zone de convection solaire

We study torsional oscillations developping in a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the solar convective layers producing solar-like magnetic cycles (large-scale axisymmetric fields subjected to regular polarity reversals). Since these oscillations are similar to those observed in the Sun, we perform an analysis of large-scale zonal dynamics. We separate the large-scale terms (Coriolis force exerted on the meridional circulation and large-scale magnetic fields) from the small-scale contributions (Reynolds and Maxwell stresses). Upon comparing angular momentum fluxes between each of those components, we find that torsional oscillations are driven by the large-scale meridional flow, itself modulated by magnetic fields. An analysis of energy transfers confirms this result, where we see that only the Coriolis force term directly inputs energy in the flow. An analysis of angular momentum fluxes occuring at the interface between the stable and the convective zones shows that the local dynamics therein undergoes a complete shift in going from the base of the convective layers through the base of the thin tachocline developping just beneath it. We conclude by discussing the mechanism of amplitude saturation in the dynamo operating in the simulation and the possibility of using torsional oscillations as precursors to upcoming solar cycles.

Keyphrases: Convection zone, Magnetohydrodynamics
Hospitalisation pour problèmes respiratoires et exposition aux émissions d’une aluminerie chez l’enfant

The daily exposure to air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), fines particules (PM2.5) and ozone in urban areas is associated with adverse effects on children respiratory health. In industrial environments, cross-sectional epidemiological studies report associations between air pollution and respiratory problems among children such as prevalence of asthma or bronchial hyper-responsiveness. These cross-sectional epidemiological studies cannot assess the health effects of short term exposures. Few studies have assessed the respiratory effects of acute exposures in children, to air pollution associated with industrial emissions. In the present thesis, the association between exposure to daily emissions from a smelter and hospitalizations for respiratory problems (asthma, bronchiolitis) in children of Shawinigan was studied. In order to assess the effects of short term exposures we used the epidemiological design “case-crossover”. With this design, we compared the exposure on “case” days (days of hospitalizations) with the exposure on “control” days (exposure of the same individual, on the same days of the week, in the same month).  The following exposure variables were calculated for children living within a 7.5 km buffer around the industry and for those living at less than 2.5 km from the pollutant monitoring station located close to the industry:  i) the number of hours per day that the residence of each child received the smoke plume from the industry, ii) daily concentrations of PM2.5 and SO2 (mean and maximum) at a monitoring station located near the industry. Conditional logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and their confidence interval at 95% (IC95%). In total, 429 hospitalizations for asthma and bronchiolitis were identified during the study period from 1999 to 2008. The risk of hospitalizations for asthma and bronchiolitis increased with increasing number of hours of exposure per day under the smoke of the industry for children less than 5 years of age. For children 2-4 years old, this association was: OR = 1.27, for an interquartile range of 4.8 hours per day; confidence interval 95% 1.03-1.56. Trends, less pronounced, were also observed with the levels of SO2 and PM2.5. This study suggests that daily exposure to industrial emissions, estimated with the daily hours of wind exposure to the smoke from the industry, may be associated with exacerbation of respiratory problems in young children. In addition, the use of the exposure variable based on the wind, suggests an effect beyond the one of the pollutants measured (SO2, PM2.5), likely associated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Keyphrases: epidemiology, short-term exposure, industrial environment, children, respiratory problem, asthma
La programmation télévisée au Québec et l’auditoire des 12-17 ans : analyse comparative de l’offre et de la consommation

This research is an analysis of the supply and demand for Québec's French-language television production for youth and more specifically the 12 to17 years old demographic. As a result of low audience figures, the industry has a tendency to invest heavily in imported programs rather than the production of local programs. To better understand the political, economic and social issues surrounding the industry of television production for Youth, we propose to explore and compare the television supply aimed at 12 to 17 year-old and their television consumption. The quantitative and statistical analysis of supply and consumption is achieved in three ways: (i) the analysis of the receiving structure (programs with top ratings, differences between boys and girls and time spent), (ii) the analysis of the structure of programming (schedules, genres, country/province of production, main themes of programs) and (iii) the analysis of thematic structure (themes associated with episodes and characters). From this analysis, several findings emerge: Young people view what producers broadcast for them, despite the limited access to this supply. In addition, several tactics seem to be implemented to sustain the economics of the distribution of these programs, mainly multiple screening. Finally, these programs, aimed at adolescents, are fundamentally different from those for older audiences, not only by the audience they are trying to reach, but also by the themes they address and how they approach them.

Keyphrases: Adolescent, Teenager, Television, Supply and demand, Consumer Youth, Youth programming, Economics of culture, Cultural studies, Quantitative content analysis
Application du concept des transactions pour la modélisation et la simulation multicoeur des systèmes sur puce

With the increasing complexity of SoCs, new challenges continue to emerge in the design of these systems in terms of formal verification and high-level synthesis. Several research efforts around SystemC, considered the de facto standard for system-level design, are underway to meet these new challenges. However, because of the complex concurrency model of SystemC, these challenges remain difficult tasks. Thus, we believe it is important to continue on a better footing by using a more effective concurrency model. Therefore, in this thesis, we study a design methodology that provides a better abstraction for modeling parallel components based on the concept of transaction. We show how, through simple reasoning about transactions, it becomes easier to apply formal verification, incremental refinement and high-level synthesis. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this methodology, we set the goal to optimize the simulation speed of a transactional model by taking advantage of a multicore machine. We present a modeling and parallel simulation environment that we developed. We study different scheduling strategies in terms of parallelism and synchronization overhead. An experiment made on a Wi-Fi 802.11a transmitter model achieved a speed up of about 1.8 using two threads. With 8 threads, although the workload of individual transactions was not significant, we could reach a speed up equal to 4.6 which is a very promising result.

Keyphrases: SOC Design, Parallel Simulation, Transactions, Multi-coeur, Multi-core
Genre et pouvoir : relation entre danseurs nus et clientèle féminine et masculine

Since the 1960s, there has been a glut of female strippers’ clubs in Montreal. Numerous researches have been written on the subject, but only few of them are about their masculine counterparts, male strippers’ clubs for men and women. Our thesis questions the power relation between male nude dancers and their female and male patrons at 281 and Stock bar. Using male and female strippers’ clubs literature, we study the four dimensions of their power relation: the physical and organizational space’s influence, the physical and sexual connection, the monetary exchange and the emotional link. Our objective is to understand the gender influence on this power relation between male strippers and their female and male patrons. To answer our research question, we have made several under cover observation sessions at 281 and Stock bar. In order to analyse our data, we use Judith Butler’s theories and goffmanian sociology. Butler’s phallus concept enables us to see who is dominating by “having” the phallus and who is dominated by “being” the phallus. We conclude that women are always, with a few exceptions, the ones “being” the phallus for the male strippers and masters of ceremony who “have” it. The Ladies’ night’s structure, set according to the predominant heterosexual binary model, makes it very difficult for them to seize it. As regards of male strippers’ and patrons’ connection in a homosexual context, strippers “are” the phallus for the patrons that “have” it. Their relationship is very similar to the one observed in female strippers’ clubs. “Being” the phallus means that female and male dancers have the power to acknowledge or ignore the male patron’s phallus possession, which will enable or undermine his masculine power to provide economically for their material needs and to be desirable in their eyes. In all cases, male strippers enact a different emotional labor according to patrons’ gender, by enhancing men’s social status and decreasing women’s.

Keyphrases: Femmes clientes, Phallus, Village gai, Stripper's club, Male strippers, Female patrons, Male patrons, Gender, Phallus, Power relation, Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Gay village, Montreal
La diversité culturelle sous l'égide de la Convention de l'Unesco, une analyse du rôle des États-nations et du marché

This research treats about cultural diversity under the perspective of the “exception culturelle”. In this Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, cultural diversity gains a central position in regard to the cultural policies applied at the national, European and international levels. The objective of this research was to outline the meaning of cultural diversity in order to reveal the different tensions between the role of the nation-state and the power devolved to the open market of goods and cultural products on a supranational level. Thus, we hypothesize that the concept of cultural diversity takes different meanings in order to rally the different parties in the best interest of the Convention. Based on these evidences and Bourdieu’s hypothesis underlining the present homogenization of cultures, we ask ourselves : how can the Convention reconcile the open market of cultural goods and services and the protection of cultural diversity ? Who orchestrates cultural diversity in the Convention ? Is cultural diversity organized by the nation-state in charge of defending its own cultural expressions ? Or is cultural diversity organized by the open market that controls the market of cultural expressions based on the principle of supply and demand ? To answer those questions, we did a discourse analysis of the Convention in order to expose the underlying tensions in the concept of cultural diversity. We noticed that the concept of cultural diversity usually refers to the diversity of cultural expressions. Therefore, the concept of cultural diversity implies different perspectives. Nation-states do have the right to take measures and adopt cultural policies in order to protect their own cultural products and cultural expressions, but at the same time, the Convention promotes regional, bilateral and international cooperation between Parties. Cooperation is based on free trade, free movement and unlimited access of cultural activities, goods and services. Therefore, cultural diversity is directed at the same time by nation-states and relies upon the laws of the open market. The different mechanisms of the Convention try to ensure a certain balance between these dual perspectives of the Convention.

Keyphrases: cultural diversity, nation-state, cultural activities, goods and services
Fréquence et contenu des cauchemars des victimes de maltraitance dans l'enfance

Sleep disturbances and nightmares play a prominent role in trauma victims’ clinical profile. This dissertation, consisting of a theoretical article and an empirical study, aims to clarify the relationship between the frequency and content of nightmares and exposure to trauma.  Specifically, the first article presents a systematic review of the literature on the frequency and content of disturbing dreams following trauma exposure. The frequency of everyday dreams, bad dreams, and nightmares is examined as a function of trauma characteristics and variables related to the individual.  Finally, the dream content reported by victims of specific types of trauma is reviewed and explored in order to clarify how dreams are impacted by different traumas. The second article presents the results of an original study that examined the relationship between a history of childhood maltreatment, the frequency of disturbing dreams (i.e. nightmares and bad dreams), their associated distress, and waking psychopathology. Participants (n = 352 women) completed questionnaires assessing dream recall, frequency of disturbing dreams, nightmare distress, level of depression and anxiety, and a history of childhood maltreatment. Four groups were formed and investigated based on the type and severity of childhood maltreatment experienced. Women reporting more severe forms of maltreatment reported higher frequencies of disturbing dreams, higher levels of nightmare distress, and greater psychopathology. Waking distress associated with disturbed dreaming and level of psychopathology mediated the association between childhood trauma and the frequency of disturbed dreaming. The implications of the literature review and empirical findings presented in the dissertation are discussed in light of theoretical models suggesting an emotional regulatory function to dreams. The central role of dreams in trauma adaptation is highlighted as is the clinical and empirical importance of assessing waking distress associated with nightmares independently of their frequency.

Keyphrases: Sleep, Dream, Nightmare, Trauma, Maltreatment, Abuse, Neglect, Distress, Psychopathology
Escherichia coli STb toxin induces apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cell lines

Heat-stable toxin b (STb) is one of the toxins produced by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains implicated in the development of diarrhea.  A previous study conducted by Goncalves et al. (2009) showed that cells having internalized STb toxin demonstrated apoptotic-like morphology. The change in the mitochondrial membrane potential observed by Goncalves et al. (2009) prompted us to verify the ability of STb toxin to induce apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway in HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells.  Both cell lines were treated with purified STb toxin for a period of 24 hours, harvested, and examined for apoptotic features. Activation of caspases-9 and -3, but not -8, was observed in HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells as determined with the use of fluorescent substrates specific to each caspase.  Extracted DNA revealed DNA laddering when migrated on agarose gels.  Nuclear condensation and fragmentation of Hoechst 33342 stained DNA of HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells were visualized by fluorescence microscopy.  Apoptotic indexes of HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells treated with increasing amounts of STb toxin revealed dose-dependent responses in both cell lines.  The activation of caspase-9 is an indication of the intrinsic pathway being activated in HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells by STb toxin.  The lack of caspase-8 activation demonstrates that the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis is not involved in the programmed cell death mediated by STb.

Keyphrases: caspase, ETEC, apoptosis, cell death, DNA laddering, nuclear fragmentation, STb toxin