NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Increased spinal pain sensitization : a new explanation for highly prevalent painful somatic symptoms in major depressive disorder?

Objectives: Although patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) often complain from painful symptoms, the relationship between pain and depression has yet to be clearly characterized. Only recently have studies employing temporal summation paradigms offered some preliminary insight into the co-occurrence of pain and depression. This study sets out to evaluate the contribution of spinal and supraspinal processes in pain sensitization in MDD using a temporal summation paradigm. Subjects: Thirteen healthy controls and fourteen MDD patients were included in the final analysis. Methods: To induce temporal summation, we used low- and high-frequency intermittent stimulations of the sural nerve. Spinal pain sensitization was quantified by measuring the change in the amplitude of the nociceptive-specific flexion reflex (NFR) response, and supraspinal pain sensitization was obtained by measuring change in subjective pain rating, from the low- to high-frequency stimulation condition. Results: We found an increased sensitization in the NFR response in MDD patients in the high-frequency condition, which did not translate into an increased amplification of their subjective responses during testing. However, we found a positive association between spinal sensitization and painful somatic symptoms in MDD patients. Conclusion: Together, these results suggest increased spinal pain sensitization in MDD, which might explain the high prevalence of painful somatic symptoms in these patients.

Keyphrases: Major depressive disorder, Pain, Nociceptive reflex, Sensitization
Évaluation de l’ototoxicité secondaire au bleu de méthylène chez le cochon d’Inde : étude animale prospective

INTRODUCTION: Methylene blue is widely used in the medical field, especially as a blue dye for staining. It is also used as a photosensitizing agent in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, which once photoactivated is effective for the eradication of several multiresistant bacteria. The objective of this study is to investigate its ototoxic potential. METHODS: Twenty guinea pigs, forming two groups, received respectively intratympanic methylene blue and gentamicin in one ear. The contralateral ears received a control saline solution. We conducted auditory evoked brainstem response (ABR) before and one week after the injection series. Once completed, the cochleas were dissected and analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The mean difference of hearing loss in the saline group compared to the gentamicin group was 66.25dB (p<0.001). However, the mean difference of hearing loss in the methylene blue group compared to normal saline was 1.50 dB, and it was not shown to be statistically significant (p=0.688). Furthermore, uptake of caspase-3 by immunohistochemistry (apoptotic marker) was negative in the group which received injections of methylene blue. CONCLUSION: In light of our results, intratympanic injections of methylene blue did not demonstrate an ototoxic potential. We recommend further studies to precise its usefulness in the otology field.

Keyphrases: Ototoxicity, Middle ear, Methylene blue, Intratympanic, Immunohistochemistry
Coefficients de Clebsch-Gordan de la super-algèbre osp(1|2)

The generating functions for the osp(1|2) Lie superalgebra Clebsch-Gordan coefficients are derived using two approaches. The first one consists of generalizing a method first proposed by Granovskii and Zhedanov to apply it to the case of osp(1|2), an algebra with a twisted coproduct. The second one is based on the realization of the osp(1|2) as the dynamical algebra for a parabosonic oscillator and used an equivalence in this realization between a change of basis from polar to cartesian coordinates and the Clebsch-Gordan problem. A less formal chapter precedes those derivations and present how the Clebsch-Gordan problem can be interpreted as a realization of a fusion algebra. The abstract notion of fusion is introduced, mentionning its importance in physics, and leads to the particular case of the Clebsch-Gordan problem. A brief review of the problem for the osp(1|2) algebra and its uses in mathematical physics concludes this chapter.

Keyphrases: Lie superalgebra, Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, Hopf algebra, Parabosonic oscillator, Generating functions, Coherent states, Twisted coproduct
Anticoagulothérapie à la warfarine : influence de l’apport alimentaire de vitamine K

Recent studies suggest that higher vitamin K intake is associated with better warfarin therapy stability. However, whether the VKORC1 gene, encoding an enzyme involved in vitamin K metabolism and inhibited by warfarin, modulates this association is not well studied. Moreover, it has been suggested that warfarin-treated patients are often instructed to limit their consumption of vitamin K-rich foods in the clinical setting. Yet, the impact of this advice on usual dietary vitamin K intakes is unknown. To gain insight in these issues, 317 warfarin-treated patients from 17 hospital sites in the province of Quebec were questioned on the dietary recommendations they had received at warfarin initiation. Usual dietary vitamin K intake was assessed retrospectively over a 12-month period. Stability of warfarin therapy was measured by the percentage of time in the therapeutic range (n=246) from the 3rd to 12th month following warfarin initiation. Most patients (68%) reported being advised to limit their consumption of vitamin K-rich foods, particularly green vegetables. Adherence to this recommendation was associated with lower vitamin K intakes. Moreover, usual dietary vitamin K intake was positively associated with warfarin therapy stability. This association was not modulated by VKORC1 genotype. These data highlighted the need for better nutritional education in warfarin users, and contributed to the research on the interaction between dietary vitamin K intake and warfarin.

Keyphrases: Phylloquinone, VKORC1, Warfarin, Anticoagulant therapy, Vitamin K
La construction de la conjugalité chez des conjoints de couples formés sur des sites de rencontre en ligne : une perspective interactionniste symbolique

The couple is at the beginning of the family, which is the fundamental cell of the society and one of the main places of people solidarity. Though, from a few years, the inrush of internet has favoured the establishment of new social rules in relationship that we can identify in the new way of encountering somebody or fall into love. The appearance of dating websites has namely favoured to individuals to encounter a partner on a website at the convenience. This study aims to a better understanding of the social phenomenon of the marrital construction from the meeting from a dating website and going from the own perceptions of the participants interviewed. Our purpose was to demonstrate as Marie-Chantal Doucet (2009) that the action of the individual on the dating websites was not due to some determinations but benefited rather of a scope allowing him to perform codes and to make clear senses to his action as to the others actions because the individual is performing a character on the dating website. In order to carry out this study, we have adopted a theoretical framework which is a part of the symbolic interactionism perspective by supporting an grounded theory approach. It emerses from the qualitative method that we have carried out that the marrital construction is, above all, the result of the face to face dating after dating the partner on the dating website because dating on a website is still labelled by a stigma and it is the place of the human body commoditification that the dating website are not conducive to the feeling of closeness which favor the development of a matrimonial bond.

Keyphrases: Internet, Web, Couples, Stigma, Cyber-amoureux, Internet, Web, Conjugality, Cyber-Dating, Couples, Stigma, Interactionism, Constructivism, Hypermodernity, Cyber-Lovers
Logiciel de génération de nombres aléatoires dans OpenCL

clRNG and clProbdist are two application programming interfaces (APIs) that we have developed respectively for the generation of uniform and non-uniform random numbers on parallel computing devices in the OpenCL environment. The first interface is used to create at a central computer level (host) objects of type stream considered as parallel virtual generators that can be used both on the host and on parallel devices (graphics processing units, multi-core CPU, etc.) for generating sequences of random numbers. The second interface can be used also on the host or devices to generate random variables according to different continuous and discrete probability distributions. In this thesis, we will recall the basic concepts of random numbers generators, describe the heterogeneous systems and the generation techniques of parallel random number, then present the different models composing the OpenCL environment. We will detail the structures of the developed APIs, distinguish in clRNG the functions that allow creating streams from the functions that generate uniform random variables and the functions that manipulate the states of the streams.We will describe also clProbDist that allow the generation of non-uniform random variables based on the inversion technique as well as returning different statistical values related to the distributions implemented. We will evaluate these APIs with two simulations, the first one implements a simplified example of inventory model and the second one estimate the value of an Asian call option. Finally, we will provide results of experimentations on the performance of the implemented generators.

Keyphrases: Rng, OpenCL, Gpu, Parallel computing
Détection de mouvement par modèle biologique de fusion de donnée inspiré de la rétine humaine

This master thesis revolves around motion detection in sequences recorded from a fixed camera. This situation is challenging since we must ignore insignificant recurring motions such as oscillating branches, shadows, or waves on the surface of the water. Those must be classified as belonging to the background and static. Most motion detection techniques used nowadays are based on the simple and low level principle of background modeling and subtraction. These techniques are simple and fast but they reach their limit when they have to deal with complex or noisy images (from snowy, rainy, sunny weather, etc.). This research consist of proposing a technique aiming to improve those algorithms by mimicking two essential characteristics of the Human Visual System (HVS). To obtain a clear vision of an object (static or mobile) and then to analyse and identify it, our eye doesn't analyse the scene continuously but operates through several sweeping motions, or saccades, across the object. During each moment when the eye stays fixed, the image is projected on the retina and then interpreted as described by log-polar coordinates, where the center is the point fixed by the eye. Low level detection treatment should then operate on this transformed image which is centered on a particular point of view of the scene. The second step (the trans-saccadic integration of the HVS) is to combine all those data gathered from different points of view.

Keyphrases: saccades, changedetection.net, Image processing, motion detection, change detection, background detection, HVS, image corticale
A heuristic algorithm for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Synchronized Pick-ups and Drop-offs : a case study for medications delivery and
supervision in DR Congo

In post-emergency contexts such as in Western Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DR Congo, one of the crucial challenges that rural hospitals face is maintaining a pharmacy with essential medications and supplies. There is significant negative humanitarian impact when hospitals do not have essential medications for treatable life-threatening diseases; hospitals also incur financial losses when too much medication is ordered and it expires. Moreover, the cost of transporting medications and providing onsite supervision to remote hospitals is an extremely expensive endeavour. In some cases the transportation costs alone can surpass the cost of the medications. Using the province of Bandundu, DR Congo as a case study, we attempt to determine the feasibility (in terms of both problem complexity and potential savings) of a synchronized routing problem for medication delivery and on-site supervision visits. We propose a Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem formulation that handles several novel requirements including activity-wise synchronization, precedence, and two activity frequencies. We implement a novel cluster-first, route-second heuristic with a geospatially-enabled database to solve the problem. We also present a Web-based tool to visualize the solutions in a map. The preliminary results of the research suggest that a synchronized solution could allow rural hospitals to increase the accessibility of medical services to rural populations with only a modest increase in transportation costs.

Keyphrases: GIS, logistique post-urgence, post-emergency logistics, precedence
La réaction de stress physiologique à la violence  au travail

The main goal of the thesis was to study the relationship between violence at work and salivary cortisol variation. Specifically, we assessed the moderation effect of internal locus of control on the relationship between sexual and physical harassment and interpersonal conflicts at work with variations in salivary cortisol concentrations. Questionnaire data and saliva samples for cortisol analysis were collected on 391 day-shift workers employed in Canadian workplaces. Workers provided five saliva samples a day (awaking, 30 min after awaking, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., bedtime) repeated 3 times (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) on a week. Data was collected during the SALVEO Canadian study by the Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale (ERTSM) throughout 2009 - 2012. Multilevel regression models were performed from cortisol measurements at each occasion within a day at level-1, workers at level-2 and workplace at level-3. Controlling for sex, age, body mass index (IMC), tobacco, alcohol, physical activity, medication, sampling season and health problems, results revealed significant variations in salivary cortisol concentration between sample, workers and workplace. Workers with high interpersonal conflicts have a lower salivary cortisol concentration at 4 p.m. and bedtime. Results revealed no significant relationship between sexual and physical harassment at work and salivary cortisol. Internal locus of control moderated the relationship between interpersonal conflicts and salivary cortisol variation. Higher interpersonal conflicts are associated with higher salivary cortisol concentration at bedtime for men with a strong internal locus of control than for men with low internal locus of control and for all workers. Overall, results suggest the interpersonal conflicts are a chronic stress significantly associate with salivary cortisol variation during a working day. Organisations should encourage the development of human resources management practices focusing on resolving interpersonal conflicts of their members. These HR practices help to prevent health problems associated with violence at work.

Keyphrases: Work stress, Violence, Interpersonal conflict, Bullying, Salivary cortisol, Workplace, Locus of control
Les croyances sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage des étudiants en formation des maîtres : enquête menant à une proposition d’intervention

Since the beginning of the year 2000, the different sets of belief and faiths are the object of a particular interest in the field of education. This interest stems from researchers who are preoccupied that beliefs can be an obstacle to the progress of knowledge and to the adherence to educational practices based on scientific facts. The interest in beliefs in education is also based on making sure that they remain close, as much as possible, to scientific knowledge in regards to teaching and learning. The goal of this study is to paint the portrait of the beliefs of students in teacher’s education. It also aims at proposing ways of intervening for the students attending the Bachelor’s program in preschool and primary education. These interventions would ensure that belief can be kept away from scientific knowledge and from ministerial expectations in education.  Based on the available literature, a display of the diverse definitions of the concept of beliefs which we find in the human sciences and describing the beliefs of the students in teaching was realized in order to isolate a single belief held by the students of the Bachelor’s program in preschool and primary education.  Finally, a committee was created in order to maintain the “isolated belief” of these students during the course of the program.  The results reveal that the beliefs who are far from scientific knowledge favorable to the success of the pupils is correlated to the integration of the handicapped pupils or those who have trouble adapting or learning in a regular class. The literature (Raths, 2001; Paquay, 2004; Beckers, 2007) reveals that in order to favor the professional development of the future teachers, it is necessary to design the teacher’s training so as to develop and strengthen their abilities in auto evaluation by the reflexive practice throughout their initial training.

Keyphrases: beliefs, students, pre-teaching, teachers, pedagogical practices, learning, teaching, scientific knowledge
Dérivation de diagrammes de séquence UML compactes à partir de traces d’exécution en se basant des heuristiques

We propose an approach for extracting sequence diagrams from object-oriented programs by combining static and dynamic analysis. Our objective is to derive compact yet informative diagrams to ease the understanding of a program’s behavior. To this end, we define a set of heuristics to filter unimportant execution events and abstract control structures such as loops and recursions. We also group objects based on their respective types. To cover variations of the same behavior, our approach considers and aligns multiple execution traces. Our approach was evaluated on an ATM Banking simulation system. The case study shows that our approach produces concise, yet informative sequence diagrams.

Keyphrases: Program comprehension, Reverse engineering, UML sequence diagram, Execution traces, Traces reducing, Traces alignment
Identification de régulateurs de la voie de signalisation du suppresseur tumoral PAR-4/LKB1 chez C. elegans

The gene lkb1 codes for a highly conserved serine/threonine kinase. The orthologue of lkb1 in the nematode Caeonorhabditis elegans, termed par-4, regulates early polarization and asymmetric cell division in the embryo. A mutation in par-4 causes embryonic lethality by perturbing three main cellular processes: asymmetric segregation of cell fate determinants, asynchronic regulation of cell cycle progression and contractility of the actomyosin network. To identify regulators of the PAR-4/LKB1-dependent pathways, we performed a screen for suppressors of the embryonic lethality associated with a mutation in par-4. We identified 6 genes that have conserved homologs with defined activities including protein phosphorylation, ubiquitination, proteolysis and scaffolding. We used quantitative imaging of specific PAR-4-dependent cellular events to determine which of these are controlled by each suppressor during early C. elegans embryonic development. Molecular analysis of these suppressors revealed details on the mechanism through which PAR-4 regulates cell polarization and promotes asymmetric cell division.

Keyphrases: PAR-4/LKB1, Caenorhabditis elegans, Asymmetric cell division, Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome, Cell cycle regulation, Embryogenesis, Cell signalling, Microscopy, Quantitative imaging, Cell polarization, PAR-4/LKB1, Caeonorhabditis elegans
Les capitaines des troupes de la Marine de 1683 à 1739 : la carrière militaire en Nouvelle-France

In 1683, the French monarchy decided to send three companies of infantry of the Marine to quell the Iroquois, who were waging war against the colony that was then under Marine jurisdiction. Unable to put an end to the threat, the king sent more companies whose officers had Marine or infantry experience. The war, now extended to the British colonies forced the Marine to station troops  permanently in Canada. They called by the administrators : troupes de la Marine.  Another sign that this colonial army had become permanent is the opening of the officer corps to the local nobility. A few decades later, the officier corps nearly entirely consisted of Canadian noblemen. Some of the officers, most of them born in Canada, have been the subject of biographies. Some historians have studied the military noblesse as a social group. The military career of the officers of the troupes de la Marine has not, however, been studied has a whole. The captains, that is, the men who reached the top of the hierarchy of the troupes de la Marine before 1739, are the subject of this analysis. The study examines the main stages of their colonial military experience, while taking into account the officers birthplace, so as to highlight certain trends of Ancien-Regime society.

Keyphrases: TROUPES DE LA MARINE, NEW-FRANCE, TROUPES DE LA MARINE, OFFICERS, CAPTAINS, MILITARY CAREER
Analyse quantifiée de l'asymétrie de la marche par application de Poincaré

Gait plays an important part in daily life. This process appears to be very easy and natural for healthy people. However, different kinds of diseases (neurological, muscular, orthopedic...) can impede the gait cycle to such an extent that gait becomes tedious or even infeasible. This project applied Poincare plot analysis to assess the gait asymmetry of a patient from a depth map acquired with a Kinect sensor. To validate the approach, 17 healthy subjects had to walk on a treadmill under different conditions : normal walk and with a 5 cm thick sole under one foot. Poincare descriptors were applied in such a way that they assess the variability between a step and the corresponding complete gait cycle. Results showed that variability significantly discriminates between a normal walk and a walk with a sole. This method seems promising for a clinical use as it is simple to implement and precise enough to assess gait asymmetry.

Keyphrases: Gait asymmetry, Poincare plot analysis, Depth map, Kinect sensor
Les frontières culturelles et politiques du monde mycénien

The Eastern Mediterranean region in the late Bronze Age is a heterogeneous entity composed of several interwoven cultures: Egyptians, Hittites, Minoans and Mycenaeans mingle and interact on many levels. A meticulous survey of the archaeological and epigraphic evidence can restore some order in this chaotic picture in order to clarify the various interactions between these cultures. This study focuses especially on the Mycenaean culture. Although mainland Greece is unanimously considered as the core location of this culture, Mycenaean artefacts are found from Italy to the Levant and from Thrace to Egypt. According to the importance and nature of these artefacts, archaeology organizes the regions penetrated by Mycenaean culture in three classes, while Egyptian and Hittite documents challenge our conception of the organization of Mycenaean society and the localisation of its borders.

Keyphrases: Ahhiyawa, Tanaja, Bronze age, Mycenaean world