NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Does Chance hide Necessity? : a reevaluation of the debate ‘determinism - indeterminism’ in the light of quantum mechanics and probability theory

In this thesis the ancient philosophical question whether ‘everything has a cause’ will be examined in the light of quantum mechanics and probability theory. In the physics and philosophy of science communities the orthodox position states that the physical world is indeterministic. On the deepest level of physical reality – the quantum level – things or events would have no causes but happen by chance, by irreducible hazard. Arguably the clearest and most convincing theorem that led to this conclusion is Bell’s theorem. Here the premises of this theorem will be re-evaluated, notably by investigating physical model systems. It will be recalled that other solutions to the theorem than indeterminism exist, some of which are known but neglected, such as ‘superdeterminism’. But it will be argued that also other solutions compatible with determinism exist. One general conclusion will be that the interpretation of Bell’s theorem and quantum mechanics hinges on the philosophical premises from which one starts. For instance, within a worldview à la Spinoza the quantum world may well be seen as deterministic. But it is argued that also much ‘softer’ determinism than Spinoza’s is not excluded by the existing experiments. If that is true the ‘determinism – indeterminism’ is not decided in the laboratory: it remains philosophical and open-ended – contrary to what is often believed.  In the second part of the thesis a model for the interpretation of probability will be proposed. A conceptual study of the notion of probability indicates that the hypothesis of determinism is instrumental for understanding what ‘probabilistic systems’ are. It seems that determinism answers certain questions that cannot be answered by indeterminism. Therefore we believe there is room for the conjecture that probability theory cannot not do without a deterministic reality underneath probability – as Laplace claimed. Throughout the thesis the methods of philosophy and physics will be used. Both fields appear to be solidly intertwined here, and to offer a large potential for cross-fertilization – in both directions.

Keyphrases: Cause, Determinism, Chance, Necessity, Quantum mechanics, Bell's theorem, Spin lattice, Hidden variable theory, Probability
La poétique pathique de Georges Bataille et de Pierre Klossowski

This thesis aims to show how the novel or literature in general embodies its own form of knowledge that Pierre Klossowski names “connaissance pathétique” (pathetic knowledge). This knowledge derives from emotivity rather than reason alone and relies on affects and percepts rather than on ideas and concepts.  The works of Georges Bataille and Pierre Klossowski will serve both as the examples and the objects of this analysis. These two authors’ fictional writings inevitably appeal to a philosophical pathos that implicate the characters as well as the reader. This “pathetic knowledge” that the subject is called to experience comes to be through the literary process seeking to name the unnamable. This particular aesthetic draws upon Nietzsche’s work, the themes of which taken up in Bataille and Klossowski writings and appear on the levels of subject matter and narration. The resulting writing strategy leads the reader along, presenting a system of provocative, contradictory, and ambiguous interpretations that open up an affect-oriented knowing or thinking.  In studying the expression and content of this literary knowing, we will examine how the authors rely on strategies of transgression and simulacra to enable the characters and readers to experience thinking as a form of pathos.    In analyzing this “pathetic” poetics as the privileged form of narration in Bataille and Klossowski, this thesis first examines the works of Nietzsche (and, to a lesser extent, those of Sade) in order to understand their impact on the French authors’ works. The thesis’ second part, which focuses on Bataille’s and Klossowski’s writings, demonstrates how their works provoke in the reader a pathetic experience of knowing, particular to literature, that exceeds the knowing ascribed to rationalism. The corpus explored in this research includes Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy, The Genealogy of Moral and The Gaya Scienza; Bataille’s L’histoire de l’oeil, Divinus Deus and L’abbé C.; and Klossowski’s La vocation suspendue, Les lois de l’hospitalité and Le Baphomet.

Keyphrases: Friedrich Nietzsche, Georges Bataille, Pierre Klossowski, connaissance pathétique, Literature, Simulacrum, Reception theory, Epistemology, Pathetic knowledge, Transgression
Analyse didactique du volet numérique du programme Fluppy au préscolaire

The thesis focuses on the qualitative analysis of didactic situations incorporated in the prevention program, Fluppy, intended for preschool children. Originally designed for the prevention of violence and school dropout (Tremblay et al., 1992; Tremblay et al.,1995), over the last decade, this program has abundantly been enhanced of different intervention components, including French and mathematics teaching. This program, which is now part of a multimodal approach, has been the subject of an impact assessment in 2002-2004 (Capuano et al., 2010). The quasi-experimental instrument, has however failed to conduct a proper analysis of the methodological framework, the didactical engineering (Artigue, 1990); basis of the theory of didactical situations in mathematics.  The thesis undertakes the internal validation of three numeric sequences –from the mathematical component– such as they were tested in two preschool classes in 2011-2012. The first sequence studies the development of C-knowledge regarding the designation of quantities. The second one tackles the numerical comparison, and the third one studies the additive composition of numbers.  Analyzes reveal: 1) some discrepancies between the didactical proposal and the actual situations, 2) the development of students’ c-knowledge, and 3) the strengths and limitations of the a priori analysis. The interpretation of the results broadens the a priori analysis of didactical situations as well as arises new considerations on the devolution and institutionalization phenomena within the framework of preschool teachers’ appropriation of didactical situations.

Keyphrases: Programme Fluppy, Mathematics, Preschool prevention program, Didactical situation, Numbers, Devolution, Institutionalization, Fluppy Program
Le règne de la scientificité : histoire de l'étiologie des maladies infectieuses dans la presse médicale du Québec, 1840-1880

The rise of bacteriology is one of the most celebrated phenomenon in medical historiography. Historian’s approaches taken to address the issue since the turn of the twentieth century were gradually modified to pass, most often, from an endogenous interpretation of scientific development, where medical concepts, theories, and methods are seen as developing in isolation from the social context in which they occur, to the opposite, sociological approach, where every element of the medical-scientific enterprise is rather seen as being influenced by its context in an interaction by which the public, governmental and professional instances involved in medicalization, forming an impassive dynamic, change the course of every aspect of medical history. But beyond the professional elements, is the development of medical and scientific thought invariably subjugated to this social dynamic? Could not the ideal of scientificity advocated by doctors, forging an archetype in which professional rigor is meant to be isolated from these extrinsic factors, confer to the medical and scientific endeavor a genuine stability towards fluctuations in the socio-political and professional environment in which they evolve? Our study addresses these questions by the exhaustive analysis of the discourse defined by the Quebec medical journals between 1840 and 1880. It is based on two new developments, one that presents the methodological foundations of the audit - that is to say, the definition of the medical archetype, its role in professional recognition, the scientific criteria that it determines, and a typology of discourse that can be inferred from it - and the other, the results. The study shows that the archetype described by the Quebec medical profession, far from being solely a discursive tool by which the profession has been socially recognized in the nineteenth century, exerted a decisive influence on the formation of the professional attitude towards etiological novelties presented by the pioneers of bacteriology. Thus, in addition to revealing the exact framework of the development of causal thinking in Quebec, the thesis shows the complementarity of internal and external approaches to medical historiography. It contributes to a fairer representation of the processes at work in scientific development.

Keyphrases: History, Medicine, Professionalization, Typology of Medical Discourse, Scientificity, Bacteriological Revolution
Rôle de la structure du génome viral sur la réplication du virus de l’hépatite C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 3% of the world’s population, and it is estimated that 30% of chronically infected patients will develop liver fibrosis. The HCV genome is a single-strand positive sense RNA, encoding an open reading frame flanked by two highly-conserved untranslated regions (UTR). Several factors can influence the HCV life cycle, two of which have been studied in this thesis.  First, we examined the effect of HCV RNA genome structures on its replication. The 5’ and 3’ ends of the HCV genome contain RNA structural motifs called cis-acting elements which regulate viral translation and replication. The HCV 3’UTR is very important for HCV replication. This region is a tripartite structure comprising a variable region, a poly(U/C) repeat and a highly-conserved sequence called X-tail. From in vitro data the 3'UTR is predicted to form several dsRNA hairpin structures. However, the state of intracellular structures as they exist in the 3'UTR of the complete HCV genome was unknown. To elucidate this question, we developed a method to localize single-strand and double-strand RNA elements in situ within the 3’UTR of the HCV genome. In conformity with prior predictions, in situ examination of the genomic HCV 3'UTR showed dsRNA elements in the X- tail. Surprisingly, when the poly(U/UC) repeat was presented as part of the whole HCV genome, this region formed a novel dsRNA structure with sequences located outside the 3'UTR. Prior studies have postulated that such RNA elements in the 5’ and 3’ ends of the HCV genome are involved in both HCV translation and replication. This suggests that there is cross-talk between the ends of the HCV genome to modulate these two processes. In this context, we have demonstrated the existence of a new long range RNA-RNA interaction, involving domain II of the 5’UTR and the NS5B coding sequence in the HCV genome. This distal RNA-RNA interaction between the ends of the HCV genome suggests that the HCV genome can circularize. Further, we showed that this association affects the replication of HCV RNA.  In parallel, we studied the impact of an immunomodulatory drug on HCV replication. A major disease manifestation of chronic HCV infection is liver fibrosis. It had been shown that the immunomodulatory drug thalidomide could reduce fibrosis in HCV-infected patients. However, its impact on HCV replication was unknown. Therefore, we studied the effect of this drug on HCV replication in vitro and demonstrated that thalidomide enhances HCV replication by inhibiting NF-kB activity. These results highlight the importance of the NF-kB signaling pathway in controling HCV replication, and should be considered when evaluating treatment options for liver fibrosis.

Keyphrases: UTR, Structures, Thalidomide, NF-kB, HCV, Genome, Structure, RNA, Circularization, Replication, Fibrosis
An approach to compatible new buildings in historic urban environments : case study in the Arabian Gulf region

This thesis contributes to the current state of knowledge on the compatibility of new buildings with historic urban environments. It follows a classic mode of presentation: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Research Findings, Discussion and Conclusion. The problem under study is insufficient guidance to integrate the processes of development and safeguarding in established contexts. Recent literature reveals that preservation rules, also known as standards and design guidelines, cannot guarantee a compatible relationship between an intervention and its surroundings. Contemporary thinking in the field of heritage conservation and management, therefore, urges the exploration of other means for relating new architecture to old. Accordingly, the present research project explores an alternative approach to preservation rules with a view to achieving the goal of compatible new buildings and improving values-based decision-making. To generate specific and convincing results, a case study was selected. The latter is a city in the Arabian Gulf region: Kuwait City. The main research finding is the development of an approach, implemented by asking probing questions about the location, design and construction of new buildings. The questions suggested in the thesis put emphasis on heritage values and design options to enable thoughtful change in historic urban environments. They also help assess new project proposals on a case-by-case basis. To demonstrate how this approach might be presented to, and used by, applicants and evaluators, a theoretical model is proposed. This model was later discussed with local and international practitioners who identified its strengths and limitations. In conclusion, the overall research findings show that the provision of rules and/or probing questions is not a satisfactory solution because there are other important issues that must be addressed: how to effectively apply guidance once it has been created, how to develop the skill of values-based decision-making and how to embed heritage conservation in the mentality of local government and communities. When actions will be taken to deal with these issues, heritage could become a part of the planning process, which is the ultimate goal. Lastly, five research directions are recommended to further explore the ideas introduced in this study.

Keyphrases: Alternative approach, Compatibility, Design, Context, Historic urban environment, Assessment, New building, Heritage, Preservation rules, Values-based decision-making
Parenté fluide : la quête des origines au Brésil et au Québec : dialogue entre parenté, droit et science

The subject of this thesis is the biogenetic origins in Brazil and Quebec. It aims to highlight the  reasons, consequences and constraints of the search for origins undertaken by persons conceived by  gamete donation and adopted persons. The question of origins is here analyzed from three perspectives: kinship, law and science. The  proposed framework combines the following approaches: 1) kinship, through its hybrid nature, can  analyze social and biological tensions between nature and culture, 2) law, associated with notions of  what is right and just are taken as principles of action, 3) science, constructed in terms of truth and how  links between genetics and transmission may underlying social behaviours. Different representations of  origins are put forward in this thesis where certain areas can influence the personal decision whether to  undertake the search for its origins and possible decision to introduce a "foreigner" in the family. These  prospects will help us to understand the role of each of the characters involved and describe the  conditions associated with the search for biological identity and parenthood. The construction of the thesis is based on the literature and the history of adoption and assisted  reproduction (AR) in Brazil and Quebec. The comparison between these two countries cannot be  confined to identify their differences in socio-economic terms, it has to take into account the cultural  and legal particularities in both countries only through the concept "civic epistemologies". Kinship, law  and science provide the context for understanding the reasons brought into play in the search for  origins. In a sense, the valorization of social aspects of kinship dialogue, among other things, with the  curiosity for genetic information, likewise the law comes as a mediation between kinship and science. The study of similarities and differences in the practice of adoption and AR in Brazil and  Quebec allows, in this thesis devoted to the question of the origin of adopted children and donor  offspring, to follow the steps going through the discover of the conditions of their affiliation, their  search for the biological origins and the eventual "reunion". The thesis also examines the debate  between the slopes of personal and collective identity through the analysis of the discourses and  practices of associations of people adopted, infertile couples and LGBT families around the theme of  origins. The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the importance to dialogue kinship

Keyphrases: adoption, science, kinship, assisted reproduction
Essays on numerically efficient inference in nonlinear and non-Gaussian state space models, and commodity market analysis

The first two articles build procedures to simulate vector of univariate states and estimate parameters in nonlinear and non Gaussian state space models. We propose state space speci fications that offer more flexibility in modeling dynamic relationship with latent variables. Our procedures are extension of the HESSIAN method of McCausland[2012]. Thus, they use approximation of the posterior density of the vector of states that allow to : simulate directly from the state vector posterior distribution, to simulate the states vector in one bloc and jointly with the vector of parameters, and to not allow data augmentation. These properties allow to build posterior simulators with very high relative numerical efficiency. Generic, they open a new path in nonlinear and non Gaussian state space analysis with limited contribution of the modeler. The third article is an essay in commodity market analysis. Private firms coexist with farmers' cooperatives in commodity markets in subsaharan african countries. The private firms have the biggest market share while some theoretical models predict they disappearance once confronted to farmers cooperatives. Elsewhere, some empirical studies and observations link cooperative incidence in a region with interpersonal trust, and thus to farmers trust toward cooperatives. We propose a model that sustain these empirical facts. A model where the cooperative reputation is a leading factor determining the market equilibrium of a price competition between a cooperative and a private  firm

Keyphrases: State space model, Numerical efficiency, Nonlinear, Stochastic volatility, Stochastic conditional duration, Cooperative, Reputation, Non-Gaussian
Le langage de Claude Vivier : essai d’approche endogénétique d’un style musical

This research proposes the panoramic description of the musical melodic style of Quebec composer Claude Vivier (1948-1983) from a perspective identified as endogenetic. The endeavour is based on the analysis of sixteen (16) works composed between 1973 and 1982, from Chants to Samarkand. This entails considering them in their chronological order of composition, so as to determine which stylistic traits are present in each work, how these are transformed from one work to the next, and what new stylistic melodic traits appear. In some cases, a single trait is used to propel an entire work: thus, an element that is one among many in certain works–the mélodie principale (principal melody), additive melodic construction based on pitch, accords-couleurs (colour-chords)–appears as the principal element of a particular work, to then be reintegrated into a subsequent work, this time in a subordinate role to some other element. Taken as a whole, these analyses lead to a dynamic description of Vivier’s style as having evolved in spirals rather than in a linear fashion. This dissertation is comprised of three chapters preceded by an introduction that is dedicated to the biographical elements of Vivier’s life, to a review of analytical literature devoted to the composer, and to a discussion of style as a concept. Chapter One presents the selection process of the works chosen for analysis and the methodology applied, in particular the fundamentals of paradigmatic analysis, used systematically for each of the sixteen works analyzed. The analytical overview for each of the works forms the core of the central chapter of the dissertation, facilitating the production of style index cards whose results are compiled in a summary chart that provides the foundation for the final chapter, where a synthesis of the endogenetic evolution of Vivier’s melodic style is presented. In the second part of the dissertation, an annex contains the paradigmatic analyses of all sixteen works, as referred to in Chapter Two during discussion of the analytical overview. In particular, this research has demonstrated the presence of similar paradigmatic axes between works, which has resulted in a standardization of the naming structure of these axes from one work to another; these are explained in detail at the beginning of the second chapter. Although the chosen methodology allots particular importance to the melodic parameter, the other musical parameters are also brought to light during the analytical overviews.

Keyphrases: Claude Vivier, mélodie, Claude Vivier, melodic style, aesthetics, musical language, musical analysis, endogenetic perspective, paradigmatic analysis, style traits, recurring choices