NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Caractérisation du domaine C-terminal de l'ARN polymérase II et de la phosphatase Glc7 dans la terminaison transcriptionnelle chez Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Transcriptional termination of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is the least understood step of transcription. Two models have been proposed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At protein-coding genes, it is proposed that the phosphorylation of Ser2 of the RNAPII C-terminal domain (CTD), in concomitance with the dephosphorylation of Tyr1, triggers the recruitment of termination factors Rtt103 and Pcf11 (CPF-CF complex). At non-coding RNAs, it is proposed that Ser5 phosphorylation is required for Nrd1 recruitment (Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 complex (NNS)). Although the CPF-CF complex is often presented as exclusive to protein-coding genes, some of its components have also been shown to be involved in the termination of non-coding RNAs. Notably, it has been proposed that one of the two phosphatases present in CPF-CF, Glc7, is involved in the activation of the helicase Sen1. These different models of termination have, however, limitations. Indeed, the mechanisms involving the CTD are mainly based on the use of mutants of CTD kinases and phosphatases since most CTD mutants are sick or lethal. In addition, the role of Glc7 in the activation of Sen1 has not been demonstrated in vivo.   The main project of my Ph.D. was therefore to reinvestigate, using genomic approaches, the role of the RNAPII CTD in termination using different ectopic expression systems making possible the use of CTD mutants. As expected, the results obtained demonstrate a global termination defect at protein-coding genes with the Ser2 and Thr4 mutants. Surprisingly, however, no termination defect was observed at non-coding RNAs with the Ser5 mutant. Defects in non-coding RNA terminations were rather observed with the Tyr1 mutant, whereas only a limited number of protein-coding genes was affected in this mutant. In addition, we found that Tyr1 is essential for RNAPII pausing in the 5' region of genes and that these events are essential to allow efficient NNS-dependent termination.  The second project consisted in determining the role of Sen1 dephosphorylation by the phosphatase Glc7. The results obtained demonstrate that Sen1 is a stable enzyme, but also that its stability requires Glc7. In addition, the effect of Glc7 on Sen1 is dependent on the catalytic activity of Glc7 and is proteasome-dependent. Finally, this role of Glc7 is independent of its interaction with CPF-CF or APT.  In conclusion, the results obtained during my PhD allowed for an important update of the role of the CTD in the transcriptional termination and the mechanism through which Glc7 regulates the termination of non-coding RNAs.

Keyphrases: CTD, Tyrosine 1, Nrd1, Sen1, Glc7, Pcf11, Rtt103, Transcription termination, RNA polymerase II, pausing
Se représenter dominant et victime : sociographie de la doxa coloniale israélienne

In a predominantly postcolonial world, Israel sets itself apart as its domination of another people, the Palestinian Arabs, is still ongoing. While a growing number of scholars, including Jews, address the Israeli-Palestinian issue as settler colonialism rather than an ethnic conflict between national groups, the question arises: how is such domination still possible in this mass media era? More specifically, why are there so few Israelis challenging this rule from within, especially considering that it contradicts the public discourse of their state’s manifold attempts to be acknowledged as democratic and enlightened? To answer this question, this thesis proceeds to analyze Israeli common sense knowledge in order to detect the mode of knowledge, embedded in social relations, used to comprehend ethnonational relationships, but also how this doxa legitimizes the domination over the Palestinians. Empirically, this sociology of knowledge is based on a corpus of eight autobiographies written in English by Jewish Israeli politicians and activists, some Zionist (Chaim Herzog, Michael Oren, Shimon Peres and Lea Rabin) and some anti-Zionist (Susan Nathan, Ilan Pappé, Miko Peled and Nissim Rejwan), and published over the last twenty years. Their analysis highlights the mainstream definition of Israeliness—which stresses Palestine as an exclusive Jewish property, the Nazi genocide as a recurrent threat that justifies any military response, and affiliation to the West as a guarantee of moral superiority—and how it fosters a relationship to the world centered on intra-Jewish ethnic solidarity that excludes any identification with Arabness. Moreover, a careful look at the hegemonic relationship to otherness, as reproduced or challenged by these autobiographies, reveals a twofold dynamic of colonial dispossession aimed at discrediting and erasing the relationship to space, time and culture of both the Palestinian Arabs and the Jews who do not abide by a Zionist definition of Judaism.

Keyphrases: autobiographies, Sociology of knowledge, Settler colonialism, Zionism, National identity, Social memory, Structural discourse analysis
L’État des lieux : l’autonomie gouvernementale des municipalités canadiennes dans la perspective du libéralisme

This thesis argues that the consolidation of the constitutional status of municipalities within the Canadian federation can favour the adoption of urban policies more sensitive to differences between local communities. The argument is based, first of all, on an analysis of the evolution of relations between the municipalities, the provinces and the federal government. Our study then goes on to explain why liberal democracies like Canada must seriously consider giving municipalities the right to self-government. It argues firstly that such a reform promotes the pursuit of a plurality of aspirations and lifestyles in a single political society. Secondly, it argues that liberal democracies must recognize the right of municipalities to self-government, since institutional and social pluralism directly contributes to the actualization of political freedom. This thesis provides three contributions to the policy and normative debates raised by urban governance in Canada. First, it stresses that the identity of municipalities in the Canadian federation cannot be reduced to the constitutional position assigned to them by the courts. Secondly, contrary to what critical thinkers claim, it demonstrates that liberalism is not defined as an ideology based on the principle of sovereignty of the nation-state, and therefore hostile to the exercise of local liberties. Finally, he reminds contemporary liberal theorists that institutional and social pluralism does not inevitably lead to the fragmentation of the political society, nor the erosion of the foundations that ensure its stability. On the contrary, she argues that a constitution that distributes power among several political bodies can strengthen the foundations of liberal democracies like Canada.

Keyphrases: Canada, Constitution, Liberalism, Municipalities, Self-government, Urban governance, Federalism
Political opinions : negotiating between reality and fiction. The case of political series

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to explore and understand the influence of political series as media products often ignored by scholars. We do so through three articles, that analyze data gathered from an experiment and an online survey. The first article examines the causal relation between exposure to political series and political cynicism. We find that after a short exposure (just one episode) people who watched a negative fictional content became significantly more cynical. However, people who watched a positive political scenario did not increase their trust in politicians. Therefore, the experiment reveals asymmetric effects, due to series’ different content; not all political series are influencing viewers the same way. The second article explores perceived realism as mechanism able to explain the influence of fictional politics. Participants in the experiment found the characters and events in one series (the negative one) more realistic than the other (the positive series). Results show that changes in the degree of political cynicism are moderated by how realistic people believe the fictional events and characters in the series are.  The third article uses answers to an online survey to address the question of how people perceive the influence of watching political series on them. We do so by appealing to two psychological mechanisms: transportation into a fictional world and identification with fictional characters. Fans (automatically heavy watchers) who were transported into the world of fictional politics believed that they understand politics better and that their interest in politics grew because of watching that particular series. They also identified themselves with the main character, a villain politician, but this did not affect their impressions about the “benefits” of watching.

Keyphrases: fiction, fans, House of Cards, The West Wing, media effects, political series, fiction, cynicism, perceived realism, transportation theory, identification theory, fans, House of Cards, The West Wing
L’analyse économique des changements climatiques : débat expert, couverture médiatique et influence sur l’opinion publique

Should the current trends continue, anthropogenic global warming will become an existential threat to humanity over the course of this century. To prevent catastrophic climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges to stop greenhouse-gas emission growth by 2030, to halve global emissions by 2050 and to eliminate them by 2100, relative to 2010 levels. In this context, it is of the utmost importance to study the sociopolitical conditions which are necessary to the adoption and the permanence of ambitious climate policy. Within democratic regimes, a strong and stable support from voters is required. This thesis examines the influence of experts in climate economics on the level of support of Canadian voters for climate policy. Four original empirical contributions are presented. A critical synthesis of the field of economic analysis of climate change shows that over the 2000-2015 period economists have formed a large consensus regarding the importance of stabilizing the climate and regarding the most efficient policies to achieve this goal. Important differences nonetheless persist with respect to the pace of policy implementation, the level of ambition policy should aim for, and the magnitude of climate impacts expected if current trends should continue. In the final analysis, major ontological and epistemological differences explain the observed schism in policy recommendations. Media coverage of economics and climate change in the Canadian press is analyzed by studying more than 800 articles published The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the National Post and La Presse from 2000 to 2015. The main dimensions (9) and the main frames (4) of the economy-climate debate have been identified through content analysis. Economic frames of climate used in the Canadian press underline the danger of unabated global warming (danger frame), the opportunity of deep decarbonization (opportunity frame), the short-term costs of climate policies (stability frame), and the technical aspects of climate policies (technical frame). The influence of second order beliefs and of economic frames on voter support for climate policies is demonstrated. Analyses show for the first time that perception of consensus amongst experts of climate economics is associated with stronger support for climate policies amongst Canadian voters. Experimental survey data show economic framing of climate change has mitigated results. The danger and opportunity frames strengthen support for both carbon tax and climate regulations and incentives, but only amongst reactive respondents. The same frames have the opposite effect on support for a carbon tax amongst dogmatic voters.

Keyphrases: opinion publique, Canada, climate change, climate economics, public policy, public opinion, political communication, economists, framing, mass media, climate policy support
Étude transversale comparant des enfants de 5 à 10 ans sur huit dimensions des relations d’objet mesurées par le SCORS-G

Object relations theories suggest that the child internalizes the first patterns of interaction with his significant figures through internal representations of oneself and others, which become a fundamental component of one's psychic functioning and future interpersonal relationships. Although changes in object relations (ORs) on a continuum of immaturity to maturity have been described theoretically, they have rarely been empirically explored in children.   A quantitative and multidimensional method of analyzing verbal material that captures some unconscious elements of object representations called the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS), developed by Westen (1991a, 1991b), has been used in developmental research of OR. However, the latest version of the scale (SCORS-G) has been poorly studied in children, and results concerning the developmental nature of the dimensions have not been conclusive.  The main objective of this research is to describe and compare the ORs of a non-clinical sample of 156 Chilean children aged 5 to 10 years grouped into three age categories as well as to observe the interaction between age and sex. The stories obtained from the 10 plates of the Children's Thematic Appetite Test (CAT) were analyzed through the eight SCORS-G’s dimensions.  Our results indicate that seven dimensions would follow a developmental trajectory. Children aged 5-6 years old would exhibit more immaturity than older children in the "Complexity of representations (CR)", "Affective quality (QA)", "Emotional investment (IA)", "Values and moral standards (IN)", "Understanding of Social Causality (CC) ", "Aggressive Impulses (AR)" and " Identity and coherence of self (ICS) " scales. In parallel, children aged 7-8 and 9-10 years old would behave similarly in these dimensions, even if a slight developmental tendency was observed at the older ones. Boys would show more maturity in IA, and an interaction between sex and age was observed in the “Self Esteem (ES)” dimension in favor of girls aged 7-8 years old. Our results with respect to sex, however, are not conclusive enough.  In our research conducted with children using the SCORS-G, we opted for a broader age range within a theoretical continuum of psychosexual development. This enables to presuppose that crossing the Oedipal stage is crucial in the psychic development of the child. Since the latency period it seems there is a significant affective and cognitive increase in OR, supporting Westen's postulates and previous research findings that some OR dimensions continue to evolve beyond the Oedipal stage.  The normative benchmarks obtained for our population are a contribution to the multicultural research of the object relations development. This preliminary contribution could further promote a better understanding and distinction between normal and psychopathological psychic functioning in children.

Keyphrases: SCORS-G, Object relations, children development, Oedipal, latency
Implication de la connectivité anatomique dans les caractéristiques des fuseaux de sommeil

Sleep is a state of consciousness distinct from waking and necessary in multiple brain functions ranging from the metabolism of waste products in the central nervous system to brain plasticity, memory, and cognition. Sleep spindles (SS), these fusiform oscillations with a frequency which varies between 12 and 16 Hz, constitute a marker of neuronal synchrony prominently observed during non-rapid eye movement sleep. SS are one of these brain oscillations associated with sleep maintenance, memory consolidation, and intelligence. SS characteristics show an important intra- and inter-individual variability, and are known to be affected by factors such as age and sex. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms implicated in this variability are yet to be discovered. The generation and the propagation of SS depend on the communication between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex which rely on white matter (WM) fibre bundles. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the implication of the anatomical connectivity as assessed through WM, in the inter-individual variability of SS characteristics. We will also evaluate whether the age and sex differences in SS characteristics could be explained by the WM. The first study evaluated whether WM integrity could explain age-related changes in SS amplitude and density. Increased WM integrity in the main WM tracts connecting the thalamus to the frontal cortex was associated with an increased SS amplitude and electroencephalographic signal power in the sigma frequency band. These results were observed exclusively in young subjects suggesting that other factors could explain age-related changes in SS. The second study aimed at evaluating whether the length of the thalamo-cortical (TC) fiber bundles would predict the inter-individual variability of SS frequency and amplitude. We found that shorter fiber bundles between the thalamus and the frontal regions of the brain predicted a faster SS frequency. Moreover, a mediation analysis showed that the sex-related differences in SS frequency was completely explained by the indirect effect of sex on the length of the WM fiber bundles. Our results suggest that SS amplitude and frequency reflect specific aspect of the WM projections underlying the TC loop. Indeed, SS amplitude was associated with the integrity of neuronal connections and the synchrony of nerve impulses, whereas SS frequency was associated with the timing of the nerve impulses in the TC loop and to quantitative measures of WM projections between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. This thesis therefore brings a first neuroanatomical hypothesis in explaining the inter-individual and sex-related variability of SS characteristics.

Keyphrases: Sleep spindles, Polysomnography, Electroencephalography, Brain white matter, Diffusion tensor imaging, Tractography, Mediation/moderation analysis, Normal aging, Sex effects
Diagnostics spectroscopiques de plasmas RF en régime de pulvérisation physique et en présence de générations successives de poussières dans les chimies organosiliciées

The research presented in this Ph.D. thesis characterizes, first in isolation and then in combination, thin-film deposition processes by physical sputtering of a silver target and addition of an organosilicon precursor. In the physical sputtering regime, we have shown from mass spectrometry measurements that the energy distribution function of the ions in the vicinity of the substrate can exhibit an energetic tail, an effect that we have also been able to model by considering an incomplete thermalization of sputtered species following their interactions with the plasma species. A new method for calculating sputtering yield of the target atoms based on Langmuir probe measurement and optical emission analysis has also been developed. This was later used to characterize the phenomenon of target (silver) poisoning caused by the addition of the hexamethyldisiloxane precursor (HMDSO). In this hybrid regime, we confirmed the relevance of a pulsed injection of the precursor to reduce poisoning. Finally, the growth of nanoparticles, or dusts, in the hybrid plasmas containing a silver target and the pulse-injected HMDSO precursor is studied both by optical emission spectroscopy measurements coupled with a collisional-radiative model and by mass spectrometry measurements. Under these conditions, the plasma is characterized by dynamics over multiple time scales; the pulsed injection of the precursor takes place over periods of 5 seconds while the complete cycle of formation and disappearance of the dust takes several hundred seconds. This multi-scale evolution makes it possible to separate the phenomena and to correctly characterize the impact of HMDSO and the dust formation on the fundamental properties of the plasma, in particular the density and the temperature of the electrons, the population of the atoms in a metastable level, as well as the kinetics of fragmentation of the parent molecule. The role of walls and electrodes in the hydrocarbon formation dynamics acting as a precursor to the formation of nanoparticles is also demonstrated.

Keyphrases: Physical sputtering, Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, Dusty plasmas, Electrical and spectroscopic plasmas diagnostics
Formation et transport de poussières en plasma magnétisé basse pression

Since the late 1980s, dusty plasmas have been the subject of a large number of studies. Several fields of plasma physics are confronted with the presence of these particles: astrophysics, deposition or etching processes, or controlled thermonuclear fusion plasmas. However, few dusty plasma studies have been reported in low pressure microwave discharges. Fifteen years ago, it was accepted that dust particles cannot be formed in the plasma volume, due to the low probability of recombining reactive species, because of the low density of the gas. At LAPLACE, incandescent dusts are observed in RECR acetylene plasma. The present study aims to provide some answers on the mechanisms related to the formation, transportation and heating of dust particles. This document presents the results obtained during these four years of theses. Chapter 1 briefly introduces the emergence of the topic of dusty plasmas, as well as some important theoretical aspects of multipolar discharges. Chapter 2 details the experimental setup and the different diagnostics used during this study: Langmuir probe, Mach probe, wall probe current and rapid imaging. Chapter 3 details the mechanisms for charging and heating dust. In this part, experimental measurements and a model are coupled to explain the incandescence and to estimate the particles charges. Chapter 4 describes the characterization of dust transport in acetylene plasma by rapid imaging. In this chapter, we discuss the forces that can be responsible for this transport. Finally, Chapter 5 reviews the results obtained on the plasma-surface interaction, using ex-situ analyzes as well as measurements of wall probe currents.

Keyphrases: Plasma magnétisé, interaction plasma-surface, Magnetized plasmas, Dusty plasma, Incandescent dust, Dust transport, Plasma surface interaction, Fast imaging