NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Effets des fluorures sur l'activité antimicrobienne des antibiotiques contre Staphylococcus aureus et Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The  emergence  of  bacterial strains  resistant  to antibiotics is  a  worrying  phenomenon, which  has  spread worldwide. Staphylococcus aureus and  Pseudomonas aeruginosa  are multi-resistant opportunistic pathogenic bacteria  that can cause many diseases. However, they have become difficult to treat with  antibiotics without causing toxicity to humans. It is  therefore  necessary  to develop new molecules against resistant  pathogens  to  combat this problem. Due  to their pharmacological action,  fluorides  have  an antibacterial effect on  tooth  enamel which  suggests that their combination with  antibiotics  could  improve antimicrobial  activity.  Thus,  we  proposed  to  study  in  vitro  activities  of vancomycin (VAN),  oxacillin (OXA), ceftazidime (CFT) and meropenem (MER)  alone or  combined with  sodium  fluoride (NaF)   and   lithium  fluoride (LiF )  that  were  evaluated  against  resistant  and   susceptible  strains   of   S. aureus   and   P. aeruginosa   by   antimicrobial  susceptibility   testing ,  in determining  their  minimum  inhibitory  concentration (MIC),  minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and   kinetics (Time-Kill). The evaluation of cytotoxicity  on  human  red  blood  cells, and determination of stability  at  two  different temperatures (4°C, 22°C) were also performed. Associations of  antibiotics  with fluoride  derivatives showed an improvement by increasing the effect of antibiotics  with  minimal  levels  necessary to achieve the same result by reducing  their toxicity and to properly kill these resistant pathogens. Therefore, antibiotics associated with fluoride derivatives could become  a  treatment  option  against  resistant  strains  and  at  the same  time  reduce the toxicity caused by high doses of conventional antibiotics.

Keyphrases: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas   aeruginosa, Time-Kill, Antibiotics, Resistance, Fluoride derivatives, MIC, MBC, Time-Kill, Cytotoxicity, Stability
Modélisation de l'utilisation de l'habitat du béluga du Saint-Laurent en fonction de ses proies à l'embouchure de la rivière Saguenay et à la baie Sainte-Marguerite

The St. Lawrence beluga is a threatened species in Canada and protected by the Species at Risk Act in Canada. Determining the biological functions of its critical habitat is needed to ensure the recovery of the population. Parks Canada began in 2009 a monitoring of beluga preys in two of its areas of intensive use located in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park: the Saguenay River mouth and the Sainte-Marguerite bay. The study of the abundance and distribution of prey is achieved by hydroacoustic survey along transects using a multifrequency echo sounder. A systematic observation protocol of the beluga is conducted simultaneously with hydroacoustic surveys from land-based stations. The first objective of this study is to develop the methodology for the processing, classification and mapping of these hydroacoustic data. The main objective is to determine whether the abundance and distribution of pelagic prey influence the use of these two habitats by beluga. The mapping of the fish relative biomass was conducted for the surface layer, the depth layer and the entire water column by ordinary kriging for the two habitats for the 29 transects. At Sainte-Marguerite bay, the number of whales observed increases with fish relative biomass in the surface and deep layers. At the Saguenay River mouth, the results are not conclusive. The results suggest that feeding may be one of the biological functions of the Sainte-Marguerite bay.

Keyphrases: St. Lawrence beluga whales, Hydroacoustic data, Cetecean-habitat modeling, Geostatistics, Spatial analysis, SIG, GIS
Amélioration de la prise de greffe hématopoïétique par une thérapie cellulaire à base de cellules souches mésenchymateuses

Cancer treatment using ionizing radiation may lead to significant side effects, including delayed hematopoietic tissue repair and regeneration. The mechanisms mediating these defects remain unknown, thus limiting the development of new therapeutic approaches. Using a mouse engraftment model, our results show that microenvironment damage by irradiation limits hematopoietic homing. Since the microenvironment is mainly composed of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived cells, we evaluated the potential of MSCs to improve hematopoietic tissue regeneration by bone marrow niche reconstitution. This therapy led to remarkable enhancement of hematopoietic homing in irradiated mice. The molecular causes involved in hematopoietic homing remain unknown, but we noticed an increased in “granulocyte-colony stimulating factor” (G-CSF) secretion within the medullary space after irradiation. G-CSF is involved in cellular mobilization and may possibly be harmful to engraftment. We evaluated the therapeutical potential of MSC genetically-engineered to secrete a soluble G-CSF decoy receptor that would transiently sequester G-CSF. Results obtained show that G-CSF blocking improved hematopoietic homing. Overall, the findings presented in this thesis indicate that bone marrow microenvironment and G-CSF levels are important in hematopoietic homing process, and that the decline in hematopoietic tissue regeneration potential following irradiation can be reversed by cellular therapy using MSC genetically modified or not.

Keyphrases: irradiation, G-CSF, MSCs, hematopoietic homing, bone marrow microenvironment
Avoir ou ne pas être : la constitution possessive de l'organisation

How can an organization act? Can it be considered as an actor in itself or does it need others to act on its behalf? How is it possible to address these questions without presupposing the organization? I would like to put forward a specifically communicational approach to the question of organizational action. Borrowing from A. J. Greimas’ narratology to make salient some of individuation philosophy’s most central ideas, I show that the organization – and any ‘social’ being – acts by being attributed actions. Individuation philosophy is necessary to derive a theory of organizational action from the very manner organizations are constituted. This allows me, among other things, to suggest that organizations themselves also play a part in attribution practices, for inasmuch as they exist “more or less and in a certain way”, they call for further actions. Through the imbrication of mandates and of programs of actions, in a logic of appropriation/attribution, the organization can act by always relying on others to do so. There is no need to invoke an essentialist ontology of organization to state that it acts by itself, for there is no opposition between stating that the organization acts and that others act for it.  In fact, far from opposing, both statements imply each other. Practices of attribution are necessary for legitimate action – I must always act for someone other than myself – but also for acting at all. In other words, to be able to say that this is my action, I need this action not to be entirely my own. The consequences of this proposal on questions of power and ethics are also briefly considered.   I provide my theoretical discussion with a firm empirical grounding through the study of four different fields. I analyse audio and video recordings from a tenants association, the reform project of a French higher education institution, events from the daily work of a New York skyscraper manager and a meeting between Doctors without border representatives and Congolese health administrators. Given the theoretical nature of my proposal, this variety of empirical data allows me to show the usefulness of those ideas to the study of a large array of situations.

Keyphrases: Organizational communication, Narratology, Ethnomethodology, Organizational action, Process philosophy, Organization studies, Conversation analysis, Individuation philosophy, Possession, Possession
La représentation des pionniers et des pionnières dans les récits sur les origines nationales au Canada français

The “ pioneer ” figure has become a fundamental cultural identity referent in the development of Québec folk memory. We show that these cultural objects are integrated and take part in imagined identity representation, devised from within a discourse seeking to establish an identity based in large part on the history of Canadians descending from 17th century French immigrants. The political climate of the 19th century favoured the emergence of a patriotic account and a nationalistic conservative discourse, formulated by certain authors and approved by the political elites and clergymen. This discourse contributed to building the Canadian nation and inserting it in a distant and glorious past of “ imaginary civilizations ”. In this perspective, the construction of a magnified past of the Canadian nation relied heavily on the cultural objects “ pioneer ” and “ King’s Daughters ”. We explore these two pioneer figures’ changing image in accounts of national origins, and their use in developing a French Canadian sense of identity.

Keyphrases: nation, pioneer, King’s Daughters, imagination, narrative, New France
Petrobras, ou comment devenir une grande puissance pétrolière

In the 1950s, a strategy for Brazil's economic policy was proposed with the goal of promoting economic development and independence. This goal would be accomplished through government intervention, state control of markets, and the division of state-owned and private sectors. The state created Petrobras whose purpose was to encourage economic growth within the energy sector. Through Petrobras, the government began to subsidize the infrastructure necessary to build an industrial profile. Petrobras' creation occurred prior the knowledge of the true wealth of Brazilian natural resources and prior to any active drilling. The state believed and trusted in Brazilian ingenuity and capacity for production. Subsequent administrations continued this policy with support from the private sector, though the policy itself has evolved over time to adapt to modern society. This nationalistic policy and economic interventionism was characteristic of both left and right political parties, demonstrating an economic ideology that transcended political idealism. In a sense, the creation of Petrobras was an act of faith on the part of the state to allow for the development of the energy sector, and the faith state showed in Brazilian resourcefulness was rewarded by an ensuing economic prosperity for the entire country.

Keyphrases: Developmental state, Voluntarism, Political economy, Public company, Oil energy sector
Les conditions de vie dans l'enfance en milieu urbain et la longévité : le cas de la ville de Québec en 1901

This thesis is part of a project, financed by the CRSH, aiming at the study of early-life conditions and survival later in life. The increase in longevity in industrialized countries over the last century has lead to emergence of a research trend seeking to identify the causes of this progress. It has been remarked that the life conditions during childhood may have played a role in this progress. The goal of this thesis is to put forward the determining factors that are in cause by studying the mortality beyond the age of 40 of the population of a French Canadian city going through an industrialization phase, i.e. Quebec City at the beginning of the twentieth century. More specifically, a descriptive analysis of the population studied will be done and will follow a statistical analysis with the help of Cox proportional hazard models that will take the different aspects of life conditions into account. At the heart of this thesis is the elaboration of a database based on the Canadian Families Project, created from the 1901 Canadian census. The latter has allowed us to draw a portrait of the living conditions during childhood of the studied population, as they were at the turn of the 20th century. We collected information from the BALSAC project files for weddings and from files of the civil status for the age at death of sampled individuals to complement the database. We were able to see that individuals who spent their childhood within a complex type of household had lower risk of mortality (nearly 35% lower) than those who grew up in simple family structures. Moreover, children who lived in a household whose head was bilingual or skilled have mortality risk reduced by almost a third. We also found that residents of the Basse-Ville have higher risk, up to 50%, than residents from other districts of the city.

Keyphrases: urbanization, early-life conditions, childhood, Quebec, mortality, longevity
Incidence et facteurs de risque d’hémorragie intracrânienne et d’infarctus aigu du myocarde chez les personnes vivant avec le virus d’immunodéficience humaine

Objective: To study the risk of intracranial hemorrhage, acute myocardial infarction and their determinants in HIV-infected patients. Methods: I conducted two matched cohort studies within the database of the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec. I identified the cohort of HIV-infected patients and compared the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage and myocardial infarction with that in an age and sex matched cohort of HIV-negative patients. To study the association between these events and exposure to antiretrovirals, I conducted two matched case-control studies nested in the HIV-positive cohort. Results: HIV-infected patients had increased risk of developing intracranial hemorrhage, particularly if they had AIDS. They were also at greater risk of suffering from myocardial infarction. Exposure to some antiretroviral drugs was associated with greater risk of myocardial infarction.  Conclusion: Administrative health data can be used to study the non-infectious complications of HIV infection, but validation studies are needed to evaluate data quality.

Keyphrases: Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS, Antiretrovirals, Myocardial infarction, Intracranial hemorrhage, Helorrhagic stroke, Administrative heatlh database
Liens entre défavorisation extrême chez des enfants à la maternelle et engagement en classe en 3e année du primaire

This study sought to verify the link between certain conditions indicating deprivation in kindergarten children attending school in low income neighbourhoods and subsequent classroom engagement in third grade. Participants are from the Montreal Longitudinal Preschool Study (n = 341). For the deprivation variable, kindergarten teachers reported upon the frequency that children arrived to school hungry, not adequately clothed, late to school or tired. For the classroom engagement variable, third grade teachers reported on children’s task-orientation, persistence, and autonomous learning behaviour in the classroom at the end of the school year. A series of multiple regression analyses were used to verify the possibles links, first by the unique contribution of each deprivation variable and subsequently by attempting to determine which specific deprivation variable which contributed the most weight in the prediction of classroom engagement. Each deprivation variable made its unique contribution independent of child and environmental controls; however, arriving late and being tired seemed to matter most in terms of predictive power. Although cognitive skills and behavioral skills matter in school readiness, this study suggests the importance of teacher input when identifying children at risk of later learning-related behavioral difficulties. More inferential research needs to be conducted on this prospective relationship in order to better understand its dynamics and offer strategies for preventive intervention.

Keyphrases: Poverty, Learning-Related Behavior, Classroom Engagement, Kindergarten, Self-Regulation
Étude exploratoire du conflit de loyauté chez des enfants exposés à la violence conjugale

Abstract  The purpose of this research is to explore any conflict-of-loyalty that may be present in children exposed to domestic violence after their parents have separated. Our initial objective was to describe the context of the childrens’ relationships with each of their parents. A second goal was to evaluate its presence and to describe, if it existed at all, the nature of this conflict-of-loyalty and its consequences for the children. A third objective was to identify sub-groups of children who had similarities in their verbalizations about a conflict-of-loyalty. Our final aim was to investigate any change in intensity of the conflict-of-loyalty over a specific period of time. Our research used a qualitative methodology to determine the childrens’ perceptions about a possible conflict-of-loyalty they may have had between their father and their mother. Twelve children who previously had services from women’s shelters expressed themselves about their experiences pertaining to conflict-of-loyalty. The mothers of each of these 12 participants gave us their perspectives regarding the exposure of their children to conjugal violence, as well as about their children’s relationships with each parent. Also, the perceptions of the shelter workers about possible conflicts of loyalty among the children they cared for, as well as about the childrens’ relationships with each of their parents, added to this research. A description of the childrens’ relationships with their mothers and fathers showed that the relationship between children and their fathers did not always seem easy, while the one with their mothers was more positive. The shelter workers assumed that all of the 12 children experienced a conflict-of-loyalty, while only 11 of the participants themselves stated they had. An initial qualitative analysis of the childrens' verbalizations allowed us to say that none of the 11 children identified either their father or their mother as having been the sole initiator of the conflict-of-loyalty. Issuing from the children’s verbalizations, two groups were identified according to the extent they responded (extensively or minimally). The children clearly identify both their parents as initiating the conflict-of- loyalty. However, results show that there are differences among fathers and mothers in the way they trigger such a conflict in their child. Our principal findings allow us to determine that the degree of conflict-of-loyalty that had been initiated by the mothers remained stable over time, although it was greater over time when it had been introduced by some of the fathers.

Keyphrases: Children exposed to domestic violence, Conflict of loyalty, Childrens' perceptions, Domestic violence post-separation
La pensée navale et le débat sur la torpille en Angleterre au cours de la décennie 1880

Great Britain saw in the 1880s, at the end of a period of intense technical change and before the publication of Mahan’s classic on Sea Power, the decline of the material way of thinking about naval affairs and the rise, from the years 1885 and 1886, of the historical school of John Knox Laughton. Proponents of a material method established the idea that technological change altered naval warfare in a fundamentally way. They were, however, opposed by the partisans of a historical method who supported the idea that naval warfare is set on some timeless principles which can be discovered by the use of the methods of the new historical profession. Throughout the decade, the material method, successful in an era of rapid technological change, quickly subsumed to Mahan’s precursors. In a debate originally dominated by tactics, we observe the introduction of strategy by the French materialist Jeune École. Consequently, strategy became the core of the historical school and seems closely linked to the rise of strategy as a subject of reflection.  The Jeune École believed that the torpedo would democratize Sea Power in making the powerful navies to use its mastery over the oceans. The Jeune École’s original success was so great, in France and abroad, that it influenced the English’s debate. Although materialists in Great Britain where more moderate than in France, they finally got marginalize by the historical school using the Jeune École’s wildest claims to disqualify the materialist point of view. Studying the debates through the Royal United Service Institution Journal, this thesis shows the existence, in Great Britain, of a debate centered on two method of thinking naval warfare and contributes to reassess current historiography which still focuses solely on the rise of Mahan’s precursors.

Keyphrases: France, Jeune École, Royal United Service Institution Journal, Royal Navy, England, Strategy, Tactic, Naval thought, Torpedo, Torpedoist, Naval warfare
La "migration de remplacement" au Québec : à quel point peut-on compter sur l’immigration pour contrer les problèmes démographiques appréhendés?

Quebec, as most Western societies, is facing the ageing of its population, producing many economic, political and social impacts. One solution often considered is to rely on immigration to reduce, delay or even counter certain consequences. For this purpose, replacement migration is sometimes seen as a solution : it aims to establish the number of immigrants needed to reach specific demographic targets, which are, in this study, to prevent total population decline, to prevent working-age population decline and to prevent that the percentage of those 65 years and over exceeds 25% of the total population.  The results show that it could be possible for Quebec to prevent the decline of its population if fertility is not decreasing and if immigration is well managed : replacement migration is not excessively high. However, raising the immigration level too quickly could impede to reach this objective. The decline of the population aged between 20 and 64 years is inevitable : no matter the level of fertility, replacement migration is much higher for the next two decades that what has been planned for Quebec. Finally, immigration has no significant impact on the age structure of a population: it is quite unrealistic to expect this component to prevent that the percentage of those 65 years and over in the total population exceeds 25%. The only way to reach this objective is a rapid increase of fertility at the replacement level. This means that immigration can in no way prevent the ageing of the population or have a significant impact on the process.

Keyphrases: Replacement migration, Quebec, Immigration, Immigration, Demography, Population, Population, Ageing, Workforce, Fertility, Projection, Projections, Working-age Population
Analyse des relations entre plasticité architecturale des buissons et prolifération de leurs populations

Qualitative and quantitative studies of the pattern of invasive plant development is now considered a key aspect in understanding invasiveness. This work was performed to determine relationships between shrub architectural plasticity and proliferating behaviour. We selected five shrub species (Cornus sericea L., Cornaceae ; Prunus virginiana L., Rosaceae ; Rhamnus cathartica L., Rhamnaceae ; Rhus typhina L., Anacardiaceae ; Zanthoxylum americanum Mill., Rutaceae) known to arrest plant succession under certain conditions in Southern Québec, Canada. Architectural analysis revealed species’ structural units and their ontogenic changes. These ontogenic changes need to be calibrated if a full description of phenotypic plasticity is to be obtained. Analysis of the plant structural units reveals that they are of different functional significance: the higher the level of organization, the greater the capacity for phenotypic plasticity and competition. We defined three architectural strategies related to individual behaviours and which can relevantly explain the population proliferation of shrubs.

Keyphrases: Plant architecture, Ontogenesis, Phenotypic plasticity, Shrub, Landscape ecology, Population dynamics