NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Reforming Federal Systems: Insights from Australia, Canada, Germany and Switzerland

Reform represents a distinct mode of change within federal systems that can be distinguished from passive adaptation. Through reform, political actors deliberately seek to alter parts of the federal institutional architecture so as to modify or even reverse an established historical trajectory. This study systematically explores the variety of reform patterns in federal systems by looking at instances of institutional reforms in four federations (Australia, Canada, Germany and Switzerland) since the early 1990s. It demonstrates that reform patterns exhibit interesting similarities and differences. To a great extent, these are largely contingent on the nature of problems that different types of federalism tend to produce. The study detects similarities between Australia and Canada, where federal reforms sought to strengthen mechanisms of collaboration and to address the vertical fiscal imbalance, and between Germany and Switzerland, where dis-entanglement occurred as the leitmotiv of federal reforms. At the same time, the study finds no systematic connection between one of the two identified reform patterns on the one hand, the sustainability of federal reforms on the other hand. While Australia and Switzerland seem to represent examples of rather sustainable reform pathways, in Canada and Germany the gap between reform rhetoric and reform impact remains large.

Keyphrases: Federal System, Reforms, Institutions, Federations, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany
Shari'a Commercial Law : "old wine in new bottles?"

Following the 2008 global financial meltdown and the various reasons that lead to it, it seemed inconceivable that no ethical and justice-driven alternative for highly lucrative and stable financing existed, or at the very least forgotten about. Deciding to contribute to the already centuries old and continuously developing domain of Shari’a Commercial law, we were first caught by surprise when we discovered one particular problem that sparked the start of this thesis. In France, we encountered interesting debates and doctrinal findings resembling a general and common western perception of the legal nature of Islamic Finance, being Shari’a Commercial law based financing, and the requirements for its full introduction into the French legal system at the time. This initial interest in Islamic Finance then evoked an interest in the ethical and justice driven gems of Shari’a Commercial law as a whole, and as the subject of this thesis.   In today’s modern and global commercial and financial world, transactions are shrouded by excessive risk-taking and speculation akin to gambling, rendering at times colossal damages. To make matters worse, those damages are dislodged onto the public. Therefore, are there any ethical and legal precepts, principles and rules that may provide some form of a safety and social net in today’s financial markets? Is this achievable? This thesis argues that the richness of Islamic jurisprudence and its rules that have not had their benefits fully reaped and regenerated in response to new challenges till today, may still continuously provide solutions, as well as provide reforms to financial products, which exemplify justice and fairness. Within the process, new light will be shed on certain already known topics as part of the intended contribution of this thesis, but will not be the main objective of the thesis.

Keyphrases: Shari'a Law, Shari'a Commercial law, Normativeness, ISDA Agreement, Encompassiveness, Englobasation, Specific Competence, Complex Financial Transactions and Derivatives, AAOIFI Standards
L’adhérence au traitement pharmacologique comme élément de la gestion du risque chez les détenus présentant des troubles de santé mentale

Some inmates present mental health issues that could explain the crimes they committed. It becomes important that those individuals follow their prescription. To explore the relationship between adherence to treatment and recidivism risk management, qualitative interviews were done with parole officers working with inmates particularly at risk: those serving their sentence at the Regional Mental Health Center of the Correctional service of Canada. Main results offer only an exploration of the problematic, especially because the parole officers offer various opinions. Drug trafficking, substance abuse and inmates’ beliefs about mental health and medication are all associated with treatment adherence by the parole officers, but on varying degrees of importance. Although they all link adherence to risk management, they include it differently in their analysis. Some parole officers consider adherence systematically, others on an individual basis; some include it in the inmate’s adaptation to the prison life aspect, others in the inmate’s compliance with the rules. To conclude, more research is needed to clearly define the relationship between adherence and risk management.

Keyphrases: Adherence, Risk management, Recidivism, Criminality, Mental health issues, Correctional service of Canada, Regional Mental Health Center, Addiction, Parole officer
Identification of Genomic Variants Associated with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) in French-Canadian Population

Idiopathic scoliosis is a common spinal deformation occurring without clear reason. This disease affects 2-4% adolescents aging from 10-18 years old in both genders. Of note, girls are more affected in number and severity than boys. Twin studies demonstrated that genetic factors play an important role in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Since 2010, Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been multiplied in AIS researches, aiming to find out candidate genes involved in the disease by an examination of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the entire genome. A genetic test named “ScoliScore” was released for the prediction of curvature progression in Caucasian AIS population using 53 SNPs. However, such association was not replicated in a larger Japanese-population study. Such a discrepancy could be explained by ethnicity, raising the importance of a replication study in an independent Caucasian population of European descent. In that context, we genotyped over 1.4 million SNPs in a French-Canadian cohort: 1) to validate the association in ScoliScoreTM test; and 2) to identify genomic variants associated with AIS in the population of Quebec. As a result, the association of ScoliScoreTM genomic markers could not be reproduced in French-Canadian AIS patients, suggesting that the lack of association of these SNPs in a Japanese cohort is not due to ethnicity. Meanwhile, we identified genome-wide significant variants associated with spinal curve initiation and/or progression in French-Canadian population, suggesting candidate genes involved in AIS pathogenesis.

Keyphrases: ScoliScoreTM, Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Single nucleotide polymorphism, Genomic variant, Genome-wide association study, Spinal curve progression, Caucasian, French-Canadian, Association analysis, Genotype
Interactions entre les professionnels d'une équipe de 
soins intensifs : les déterminants influençant la collaboration

Teamwork and interprofessional collaboration in critical care are essentials to provide quality of care and patient safety. However, the multiple interactions that require collaboration in the context of acute care are likely to cause tensions, conflicts and inefficient team work. The determinants of this collaboration in critical care are not completely identified. The objective of this research is to identify and evaluate the relative importance of determinants that influence interprofessional collaboration in a critical care team. A survey assessing these determinants was developed and completed by healthcare professionals, working in four intensive care units of an university hospital in Montreal. A total of 312 professionals, including 46 physicians, 187 nurses and 62 respiratory therapists, completed the survey. Various models of multiple hierarchical regression analysis determined that "clarity of the work and processes", "trust and respect", and especially "participation in decisions" are statistically significant determinants which predict collaboration among the critical care team. Analysis of subgroup suggest differences between physicians and nurses perception of these determinants. These results provide new evidences to understand the process of collaboration and teamwork in a critical care team, through the clarification of its determinants. In practical terms, this means that we should : i) promote the development of "collaborative" competence among professionals working in the field of critical care ; ii) aim at teaching and educating the various professionals, taking into account the determinants of collaboration identified in this study.

Keyphrases: Collaboration, Collaboration, Interprofessional collaboration, Critical care, Teamwork, Determinants, Health care workers, Physician, Nurse
Identification et caractérisation génétique et phénotypique de deux espèces de Cryptosporidium après divers passages chez le veau

The study of the variation of the genotype and phenotype has been done with 2 species of intestinal parasites (Cryptosporidium parvum and C. muris) by using an experimental infection with 10 successives passages on calves (Bos taurus). Infection with C. parvum worked well but failed for C. muris. The genotype has been studied with two genes (HSP70 and GP60), amplified with a double PCR and sequenced. Results showed that these genes are not changing after 10 passages on calves. It indicates that the genetic evolution of the parasite is very slow even when passing to a susceptible host. That particularity might be useful for epidemiologic studies when an episode of cryptosporidiosis occurs. It’s important to consider that the parasites used were not taken from the environment but from a company specialised in parasitology (WaterBorne®). A Dot Blot using serum from infected calves has been tried without success. Problems related to oocysts concentration were suspected.

Keyphrases: Cryptosporidium, Passage, PCR, Cryptosporidium, Calve, Passage, PCR, Genotype, Dot Blot, Phenotype
Transmission de Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis dans les troupeaux de bovins laitiers et dépistage de l’infection par la culture de l’environnement au Québec

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne’s disease, a chronic and incurable enteric disease of ruminants that has a worldwide distribution. Many countries have implemented control programs to prevent transmission between and within herds. For these to be efficient, knowledge of the risk factors involved in transmission is essential. Efficient and cost effective diagnostic tests are also necessary to detect presence of MAP. The objective of the first study was to systematically review the scientific literature concerning risk factors associated with MAP transmission to dairy calves. Presence of a significant association between risk factors concerning neonatal environment, colostrum, milk, housing of calves and contact of calves with adult cow feces and MAP transmission were recorded from 23 articles. The contact of calves with adult cow feces appeared to be the most important risk factor in MAP transmission. The 5 categories of risk factors are linked one to each other. The objective of the second study was to evaluate the relation between the number of positive samples for MAP in the environment and the prevalence of individual fecal shedding in Québec tie-stall dairy herds. The number of positive cultures of environmental samples was associated with the prevalence of individual fecal shedding of MAP. A significant association was found between presence of a heavy bacterial load in an individual fecal sample and environmental detection of MAP.

Keyphrases: Paratuberculose, Transmission, Paratuberculosis, Johne’s disease, Dairy cattle, Risk factors, Bacteriologic culture, Environment
Prevalence of Salmonella in retail whole chicken carcasses in Hanoi, Vietnam

In Vietnam, the data on the prevalence of Salmonella contamination in retail chicken meat is limited. We wanted to compare that prevalence at traditional and modern supermarkets, as well as in fresh versus frozen carcasses, and to verify the inner carcass temperatures at time of purchase. A collection of 245 whole chicken carcasses were purchased from traditional markets and supermarkets, in seven urban district areas of Hanoi in June and July, 2011. Sampling plan included 110 fresh chickens from traditional markets (F/M), 109 fresh chickens from supermarkets (F/SM) and 26 frozen chickens from supermarkets (FZ/SM). The inner carcass temperature was measured at the time of purchase. Salmonella was isolated from carcass rinses and isolates were serotyped. The overall prevalence of Salmonella-positive carcasses was 66.5% (163/245). The Salmonella prevalence in the three types of chickens varied significantly, 84.55% (93/110) from F/M, 59.63% (65/109) from F/SM and 19.23% (5/26) from FZ/SM (P< 0.05). A total of 25 serovars were recovered. The predominant serovars were Agona (24.78%), Albany (20.43%) and Corvallis (10%). Two different serovars were isolated and coexisted on the same carcass in 66 samples (26.9%). The inner carcass temperatures of fresh samples from traditional markets and supermarkets were significantly different (P <0.05) with a mean inner carcass temperature of 27.3oC and 15.8oC respectively. This study revealed a high prevalence of Salmonella sp. from retail chickens in Hanoi and uncovered the difficulty encountered by all market types to store broiler chicken carcasses at a safe temperature.

Keyphrases: Salmonella, Vietnam, chicken carcass, prevalence, serovar, inner carcass temperature
Etude d'un anticoagulant oral (le rivaroxaban) sur les paramètres hémostatiques de chiens en santé

In dogs, thrombosis is a major complication detected in many conditions. The limits of the current available anticoagulants in veterinary medicine are their variable effects from one patient to another, bleeding complications and subcutaneous injections for heparin administration. Rivaroxaban is a novel oral anticoagulant approved for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis in humans. It is a direct factor Xa inhibitor.   The objectives of the study were to determine the haemostatic effects of rivaroxaban in healthy dogs by evaluating the following coagulation assays: prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), anti-factor X activity, thrombin generation (TG) and thromboelastography (TEG®).  An in vitro study was conducted: citrated platelet poor plasma from 20 healthy Beagles was aliquoted and mixed with rivaroxaban to obtain solutions ranging from 0 to 1000 mg/L of the anticoagulant. Rivaroxaban exerted a concentration-dependent anticoagulant effect. Rivaroxaban solutions at 0.024 and 0.053 mg/L cause 50% inhibition of the propagation of TG and of the optical density of anti-factor X activity respectively. These assays were the most sensitive to detect the anticoagulant effect of rivaroxaban.  Secondly, 24 healthy Beagles were randomly divided in 3 groups (n=8) and received one placebo pill orally, or 20 mg rivaroxaban once or twice at 8h interval. Fifteen citrated blood samples were collected from each dog over 30h. For each coagulation assay except for TEG®, there was a significant difference in assay results between placebo and rivaroxaban groups (p<0.0001). The duration of the rivaroxaban anticoagulant effect was 7.9-18.7h in the group receiving rivaroxaban once, and 17.5-26.8h in the group receiving rivaroxaban twice. The peak of action of rivaroxaban appeared 2h after the dose. Only R parameter of TEG® was significantly affected by rivaroxaban administration.   To conclude, rivaroxaban is an efficient anticoagulant in healthy dogs at 2 mg/kg. A twice daily administration seems appropriate to exert a 24h anticoagulation.

Keyphrases: Coagulation, Rivaroxaban, Pharmacodynamie, Dog, Thrombosis, Pharmacodynamy
Évaluation de l’endométrite clinique chez la vache laitière et efficacité d’un traitement de céfapirine sous forme d’une infusion intra-utérine

This study validates the benefits of intra-uterine cephapirin treatment on cows diagnosed with clinical endometritis (PVD+) by vaginoscopy.  The diagnostic threshold of PVD+ was determined using the negative impact on the reproductive status at 120 days postpartum for each class of vaginal discharge. Observations of 1247 cows of 18 herds examined at 34 ± 7 days postpartum   led to the positive threshold of PVD+ being cloudy vaginal discharge with or without flecks of pus. The prevalence of PVD+ was 21.6%. The risk of pregnancy at fixed time first insemination after a reproductive program was 1.89 times less for PVD+ cows.  Cephapirin treatment was randomly administered during the first visit. It improved significantly the reproductive performances of PVD+ cows even without significant clinical cure after two weeks. Treated PVD+ cows had 1.85 times more chances of getting pregnant on 1rst insemination compared to PVD+ control cows. They also presented a median time to pregnancy improved by 38 days.

Keyphrases: Mucus trouble, Cephapirin, Endometritis, Vaginal discharge, Cloudy, Dairy cows, Vaginoscopy
Fécondité, réseaux familiaux et scolarisation des enfants en milieu urbain au Burkina Faso

Lower fertility allows couples to invest more in each of their children’s schooling, a phenomenon that has been observed in Western rich countries, Asia and Latin America. This postulate is a key rationale of family planning policies in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet most studies on Africa have found no correlation or even a positive relationship between the number of children in a family and their educational attainment. These mixed results are usually explained by African family solidarity and resource transfers that might reduce pressures on household resources occasioned by many births, and methodological problems that have afflicted much research on the region. The main objective of this thesis was to contribute to a better understanding of the methodological and substantive aspects relating the links between fertility and schooling. Specifically, the thesis has assessed 1) the role of family networks in the schooling of children, 2) simultaneous decisions on the number of children and their education, 3) the causal impact of the number of children on their schooling and 4) parents' perceptions on the school and the costs and benefits of child schooling and how these perceptions are taken into account in their reproductive strategies. Four articles were written from four complementary sources of data: the Ouagadougou population Observatory (OPO), the Demtrend survey, the Baseline Health Survey and a qualitative survey; all of these surveys are based on the OPO study population. In the first article, the results show that large families receive more support of family networks for schooling than small families. In addition, family networks would be able to offset the negative effect of a high number of children on schooling, but only for a part of the population that excludes the poorest. Thus, the family solidarity for the schooling is far from universal. The results of the second article show that children whose mothers intentionally limited their fertility have better schooling than those with subfecund mothers who could not attain their desired family size. Therefore, fertility is not independent to schooling aspirations; the assumption of natural fertility is not tenable in this context. The third article show, in contrast to most prior studies on sub-Saharan Africa, a net negative effect of sibship size on the level of schooling achieved by children, one that grows stronger as they progress through the educational system. In the fourth article, the discourse of respondents collected by a qualitative survey indicate that the emergence of this negative relationship between the number of children and their schooling in the outskirts of Ouagadougou is closely linked to perceived changes in the costs and benefits of children's schooling. In present day Ouagadougou, school expenses appear to fall almost exclusively to biological parents.

Keyphrases: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Fertility, Family size, Family networks, Schooling, Quality-quantity tradeoff, Endogenous, Reproductive strategies, Educational strategies
La bilittératie chez les jeunes élèves allophones à Montréal : une réflexion en vue d’améliorer l’enseignement-apprentissage du français

This article pursues a double objective. The first one is to report the importance of the concept of biliteracy for research and practice in education. The second one opens the reflection on the different didactic and pedagogical issues related to biliteracy among young allophone students in Montreal. To this end, two complementary models which are part of the theoretical matrix of our research project will be approached. It is about the common underlying proficiency model of Cummins (2008, 1991, 1981, 1979), as well as the continua model of Hornberger (2004, 2003). The text illustrates the necessity to reconsider the practice of teaching French – language of instruction in Quebec – given the sociolinguistic reality in which these allophone students evolve.

Keyphrases: Transfert, Biliteracy, Allophone student, First language, Second language, Transfer, Teaching-learning, Bilingualism, Multilingualism, Island of Montreal
Étude de la cinétique de biomarqueurs d’exposition à la perméthrine dans des conditions d’exposition réelles chez les travailleurs agricoles au Québec

Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide widely used in agriculture worldwide. This study aimed at obtaining data on the time courses of biomarkers of exposure to permethrin in agricultural workers following typical exposure conditions. Twelve workers (an applicator, a supervisor and ten harvesters) exposed to permethrin were recruited from a corn production farm in the Montérégie (Quebec). They provided all their urine voided over a period of three days following the onset of a spraying episode of permethrin or work in a treated area. Three major metabolites of permethrin, cis-/trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylycyclopropane carboxylic acid (cis-/trans-DCCA) and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadripole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS). For the applicator, a progressive rise in excretion values was observed with a single peak being reached about 30 h following the onset of the 3.5 h exposure and ensuing elimination with a half-life of 8 h. For the supervisor and one harvester excretion profiles of trans-DCCA and 3-PBA were more compatible with multiple entries in the treated area during the 3-day sampling period and rapid elimination between exposure episodes. The applicator would have been indirectly exposed by hand-to-mouth contact, while other workers would have been exposed by the dermal route. Time-dependent variability in excretion values of workers confirms the need for serial urine sampling of at least two biomarkers of exposure for routine biomonitoring, with minimally pre-exposure, end-of-shift sample the day of the onset of exposure and following morning void.

Keyphrases: DCCA, 3-PBA, Permethrin, Pyrethroids, Occupational health, Toxicokinetics