NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Mineurs à la barre : l’influence d’un programme de préparation à la Cour sur le niveau de craintes des témoins mineurs

Having children and youth to testify in court has been the subject of many discussions, but to this day, the scientific knowledge on the impacts of legal involvement remains fragmentary. There is no consensus among the scientific literature. Some believe that testifying has the potential to exacerbate the psychological distress of youth victims, while others view testifying as a possible restorative experience. Since there are situations where children and youth are required to testify, it is important to consider how best to accommodate them. Few authors have documented the impacts of legal procedures on the mental health of child and youth witnesses. Even fewer authors sought to identify the circumstances under which the adverse effects associated with testifying would be diminished. Since the experience of testifying presents many challenges for child and youth witnesses, court preparation programs such as the Programme Enfant Témoin (PET) have been developed in North America. Yet, to better support child and youth victims of violence and adapt these court preparation programs to their needs, examining their fears regarding court proceedings is a necessary exercise. Thus, the main objective of this Master’s thesis is to assess the nature of child and youth witnesses’ fears while they benefit from a court preparation program. First, using a pre-experimental model, this research assesses the sociodemographic characteristics of children and youth referred to the PET along with their experience with the justice system. The nature of the participants’ fears, as well as the evolution of their fear level throughout the program are then compared at two points in time. Finally, factors associated with the presence of fears at the time of testimony are explored. The sample consists of 54 child and youth victims of crime aged from 6 to 18 years old (M = 12.91 ; SD = 3.19). Of these 54 participants, 46 had to go to court and from these 46 participants, 23 took the stand. Among the participants who completed the questionnaire Mes craintes à l’idée d’aller témoigner at the beginning and end of the program (n = 20), the results indicate a statistically significant decrease in fear levels at the end of the program. Two variables were identified as partially predictive of having fears on the morning of the testimony : 1) the overall fear score obtained at the beginning of the program and 2) the fact that children and youth benefit from psychological or therapeutic services at the beginning of the PET. The results are discussion in relation to the reality of children and youth who have to testify in the Court of Québec, to highlight their fears and to appraise the contribution of court preparation programs.

Keyphrases: children, legal procedures, court preparation, mental health, testifying
Approche biographique d’une expérience de vieillissement dans un contexte de «vieillissement actif»

Quebec, like other places in the world, is experiencing significant demographic changes related to the rapid aging of its population. To take into account the many challenges that accompany this phenomenon, a significant number of governments have developed programs and policies based on "active aging", which has become commonplace in the public discourse. This notion often appears contradictory with the lived reality of aging people. "Active aging" contributes to perpetuate ageist discourses and produce a normative framework as to how to experience and conceive of aging. These discourses tend to put seniors in a straitjacket by offering a linear and homogeneous vision of the aging process while neglecting their singular histories and the social, political, cultural, financial, health that shape aging as heterogeneous, lived, represented and performed in function of the power relations and the social expectations which cross it.  I understand aging as a heterogeneous experience, by putting forward a critical perspective of aging, as a process experienced differently according to social class, language, gender and physical ability which influence life course of people. The journeys and stories specific to each person act as a backdrop to the ways of living, interpreting, communicating and conceiving of aging as a fundamentally heterogeneous and contingent process which varies according to social, political, economic, technological and cultural conditions in which they update themselves. Specifically, I explore women’s aging in Quebec. The greater probability for older women than for older men to be the target of ageist discourse, just like the multiple forms of discrimination articulated and reinforced by public policies on aging, reflects the plurality of logics of domination.  Based on a biographical method and the techniques of life story and visual interviewing, this thesis aims to study the unique lifecourse of my grandmother, a woman in her seventies from a perspective of aging and communication. The research problematic questions aging in Quebec in a context where social discourse and public policies are focused on "active aging", an approach to "aging well" which contributes to perpetuating the prevailing ageism. The analysis of the research interviews bring to the fore three key dimensions to this women’s ageing, namely the negociation of place, the management of appearances and the changing boundaries of old age. Combined, they highlight the uniqueness linked to the history of an aging woman and to correlate her lived experience with that conveyed in public discourse on "active aging".

Keyphrases: age and old age, ageism, critical approaches to aging, biographical method, active aging, feminine aging
Cannabidiol : exploring new synthetic pathways for late-stage functionalization

The increasing interest around the therapeutic possibilities offered by cannabinoids was the motivation for the project described in this Master’s thesis. The efficient synthesis of various CBs has become critical to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms behind the medical properties of cannabinoids as well as for the development of novel drug treatments. Cannabidiol is of particular interest as the molecule exhibits anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. This work aims to explore different routes to enable the late-stage functionalization of cannabidiol in order to easily access derivatives of the natural compound. The first part of this work focuses on developing a route enabling the functionalization of the cannabidiol precursor utilizing the affordable and commercially available starting material 1,3-Dimethoxybenzene. The proposed six-step approach relies on a Diels-Alder reaction to generate the bicyclic adduct of cannabidiol. Several routes were then explored to obtain the functionalization of the precursor namely a Hartwig-Miyaura borylation and a bromination of the aromatic ring. The second part of this project focuses on the functionalization of cannabidiol relying on the Weinreb amide functionality. This work led to the development of an efficient and sustainable route for the synthesis of olivetol, a key fragment for the large-scale production of cannabidiol within the pharmaceutical industry. The method relies on a four-step approach relying on a Weinreb amide synthesized using the affordable 3,5-Dimethoxybenzoic acid. The synthesis of the Weinreb amide followed by the formation of the corresponding ketone, subsequent Wolff-Kishner reduction, and finally demethylation of the substrate allowed to generate the desired product. The versatility of the approach allows for variations in functionalization, enabling potential formation of various olivetol derivatives.

Keyphrases: Cannabidiol, Weinreb amide, Olivetol, Derivatives, Post-functionalization
Étude cinétique du mécanisme de transfert de proton dans une réaction acidobasique en milieu aqueux

The details of the acid-base reaction mechanism are still rather vague among the scientific community. The results shown in this document suggest a general mechanism predicated on the transition state theory for the acid-base reaction in an aqueous environment. This model is offered after a meticulous analysis of 56 computational simulations presenting a proton transfer reaction between a phenol derivative and the acetate ion in water. The number of actors greatly varies from one reaction to another, including the acid, the base and the numerous water molecules engaged in the transfer. This general model encompasses many sub-mechanisms leading to the proton transfer completion. Mostly, the processes involve different amounts of bridging water molecules (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). Yet, it also showcases scenarios where the acid interacts directly with the base and some situations where the acid deprotonation seems to behave independently from the base. This proposal further offers a new, quantitative distinction between the concerted and sequential mechanisms rather than the until-now qualitative description in the literature.

Keyphrases: Simulation, Molekel, Molecular Dynamics, Aqueous complex, water molecule, Proton transfer, Kinetics, Acid-base reaction, Computational chemistry, Concerted mechanism, Sequential mechanism
Contrôle des effets de surfaces pour minimiser la délocalisation du gras viscéral en Imagerie par Spectrométrie de Masse

Lipids represent an essential class of biomolecules for the normal functioning of living organisms. Because of their high complexity and diversity, lipid analysis generally requires the combination of an analytical separation method with mass spectrometry detection. Although these methods present many advantages, they also generally require sample homogenization prior to analysis. This implies the loss of analyte spatial localization information within the sample. Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a frontier technology that allows to generate molecular cartography of thin tissue sections without prior homogenization of the sample. This technique allows to characterize a vast variety of analyte without the use of any specific markers. IMS molecular cartography can be combined to staining methods for optic microscopy to precisely correlate results with the underlaying histological features. On the other hand, potential delocalization of analytes throughout the section would prevent correlation of the IMS results with any histological landmarks and lead to severe misinterpretation by an unaware analyst. The work in this master’s thesis presents the development, characterization and use of a new slide for IMS analyses allowing a drastic decrease the delocalization of triglycerides (TAG) abundant in visceral fat. In the first part of this work, TAG delocalization on and off tissue section and its effect on phospholipids (PL) delocalization was characterized. Subsequently, the extend of TAG delocalization was evaluated on 12 different slides and both surface topography and hydrophobicity studies allowed to better understand the relationship between surface chemistry and TAG delocalization. Finally, the ability of an optimal aluminum oxide slide to decrease visceral fat delocalization was investigated using fat-marbled beef sections and kidneys surrounded by significant fat bundles. This new aluminum oxide slide presents a strong segregation for TAG in comparison to commercially available ITO-coated slides. Overall, this new aluminum oxide slide can considerably limit TAG delocalization and improve IMS fidelity and will enable the analyses of multiples organs and samples presenting large amounts of fat such as kidney, adrenal medulla, muscles, and breast cancer, otherwise very difficult to analyze using traditional slides.

Keyphrases: MALDI, Surface, Imaging mass spectrometry, IMS, Triacylglycerols, Delocalization
Développement d’un réacteur électro-membranaire utilisant l'électrolyse pour la production d'hydroxyde de lithium

In recent years, the development of Li-ion batteries has revolutionized our lifestyles. Given the exponential demand for batteries, the requirement is for base materials, which are synthesized from high-purity lithium salts. Nemaska Lithium, a partner in the project, is recognized as a new producer of lithium hydroxide, using a patented electromembrane process. Compared to the conventional process, this solution is one of the most economical and environmentally friendly methods worldwide. In order to further reduce the energy costs of the process, the use of a hydrogen depolarized anode ((HDA); H2(g) ⇄ 2H+(aq) +2é; E0=0,00 V) is considered. This approach requires some understanding and optimization of the electrode for electrolysis adaptations. Thus, this fundamental and applied work was conducted to study the phenomena occurring at the HDA. First, a study on the kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction using a rotating disk electrode is performed. The influence of lithium ions and a composite catalytic layer on the efficiency of the reaction was demonstrated. The identification of system limitations allowed the optimization of the DHA using a design of experiment. The components of a HDA have intrinsic properties which have a direct impact on its efficiency and durability. They consist of an ionomer, a catalyst, and a catalyst support. Consequently, for a performance and optimization study, several membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configurations were considered in order to vary the proportions of the different components with a design of experiment. This study provided a better understanding and development of this new membrane electrolysis technology.

Keyphrases: Platine, Li-ion battery, Membrane electrolysis, Hydrogen depolarized anode, Hydrogen oxidation reaction, Platinum, Electrochemical reaction kinetics, Optimization, Design of experiment
Journalisme et immédiateté : des pratiques journalistiques en évolution

This research-creation dissertation aims to better understand the perception that journalists have on the daily work in the digital age. More specifically, we try to understand how these perceptions have evolved since the integration of new technologies, such as the Internet and social networks, within media companies in the last 10 years. Drawing on Harmut Rosa's concept of social acceleration, we wanted to examine how immediacy conditions the perceptions that the press workers have on journalistic practices on a daily basis. To demonstrate this, we interviewed eight Canadian journalists from four different media - television, radio, print and the web. Other factors such as age, work experience and gender were taken into consideration in the selection process of participants in order to gain different perspectives on the phenomenon under study. Thus, the participating journalists were questioned about their ways of working and their production, but also about their pace of work, their relationship to time, the integration of technologies into their work and the impacts of these on their work. The results, presented in the form of a news website, show that journalists are under the impression that they work more, work faster, are under more pressure, are more autonomous and required to multitask, but also that the evolution of working methods has repercussions on the quality of the news. These topics are all covered in the articles written for the website (Appendix 1) that was created for the creative part of this dissertation. To get to these results, we opted for a thematic analysis. Of course, the small sample of the study does not at any time allow us to offer generalities in this area. Despite this, the number of common elements in each of the interviews demonstrates reasoning that suggests that the work of journalists has indeed evolved since the onset of the digital age.

Keyphrases: research-creation, social acceleration, journalistic practices, technology, technologies
L’organisation spatiale : un comportement clé de Néandertal et d’Homo sapiens : analyse spatiale des couches moustériennes (MS1-MS2) et protoaurignaciennes (A1-A2) de Riparo Bombrini (Imperia, Italie)

The site of Riparo Bombrini (Liguria, Italy) offers a unique setting to compare the spatial organization of Neandertal and Homo sapiens occupations in a single archaeological site. The disappearance of the Neandertals is one of the greatest debates in prehistory since the period of their decline corresponds to the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe. It is thus often assumed that fundamental differences distinguish the two populations, and the ability to structure space within the sites they occupied into distinct activity areas is often invoked as a key distinctive trait of our species. However, this behavior has never been assessed for both groups at a single site, making direct comparisons impossible so far. This project thus aims to objectively evaluate the degree of spatial organization in the earliest Protoaurignacian levels (A1-A2, associated with Homo sapiens) as well as the latest Mousterian levels (MS1-MS2, associated with Neandertals) at Riparo Bombrini in order to establish whether these alleged fundamental differences between the two species do exist. Combining GIS and quantitative methods allow the study of the spatial distribution of artefacts and features in these levels, showing that Neandertals indeed organized their living spaces like Homo sapiens. The results of the analyses indicates that there is a logic behind the distribution of artefacts and the use of the space suggesting similar cognitive capacities for both anatomically modern humans and Neandertals. This contributes new data to the ongoing debates over ‘behavioral modernity,’ suggesting it is not limited to our species alone.

Keyphrases: Homo sapiens, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, spatial analysis, Neandertal, behavior, modernity
Another kind of team : an ethnographic look at contemporary Inuit dog race in Nunavik

This project in ethnology examines the contemporary Inuit dog sledding practices (Inuktitut: qimutsik) and their place in modern Inuit society in Nunavik, Québec, Canada. In particular, this project attempts to document and analyze the Ivakkak race, an annual Inuit dogsled race in Nunavik, from the Inuit cultural perspective. The project presents an ethnographic portrait of the event, as complete as it could be, given the circumstantial limitations imposed by the 2020 Covid pandemic. The findings presented in this document cover key features of Ivakkak, including its administrative and sportive dimensions, its pan-regional communal aspects, its performative and athletic traits, and most importantly, its multi-species cultural-social integration specific to the contemporary Inuit life in Nunavik. The findings show that, although largely underrepresented in the mainstream media (sport and cultural outlets), Ivakkak encapsulates a unique universe, built and sustained by dog-human partners in ways unrivaled by any modern dogsledding competition in the Northern hemisphere.

Keyphrases: qimutsik, Inuit, dogs, dogteam, dogsledding, Ivakkak, Nunavik, human-dog relations, sports
Le socialisme de marché chinois : analyse comparative de la structure économique de Chine de l’époque des réformes et de l’URSS durant la NEP

This thesis presents an analysis of the Chinese mode of production since the economic reforms of 1978. Our research takes the form of a comparative analysis of the economic and social structure of the Soviet NEP and Chinese reforms using a Marxist theoretical framework. Our thesis postulates that the modern Chinese mode of production follows a logic similar to the Soviet mode of production during the NEP era. In the light of the NEP experience, our research shows that the Chinese development strategy should not be understood as a neoliberal evolution, but rather as an original evolution of Marxism, in line with the tradition of Marxism-Leninism, adapted to the cohabitation with a globalized capitalist system. The NEP model is one of the earliest examples of a type of socialism based in part on market relations. In the USSR as in China, the critical structures of the economy, strong regulations and a certain level of economic planning are the basis of this socialist market model. Soviet market socialism is based on peaceful compromise with the peasantry as well as on market relations between peasants and between small and medium public firms. Chinese market socialism is based on the extraversion of the economy within a framework of technological modernization. Market relations are also important in China in the allocation of resources to companies. Economic planning is at the basis of the Chinese model but is carried out within the context of economic coordination. The economic model of the NEP and the Chinese reforms both share the same objectives which are theorized in the Marxist current as being the foundations of a socialist society: technological modernization, the construction of a working-class, industrialization and improvement of the quality of life of the population. Through the study of the present Chinese economic and social structure, it is possible to verify that great progress has been made in achieving these goals.

Keyphrases: Chine, NEP, China, USSR, Economic reforms, Socialism, Marxism, Market
L'accès du public aux terrains privés pour la randonnée pédestre au Québec : quelle compatibilité avec l'exercice des droits de propriété?

This paper focuses on the collaboration between two groups of actors who make nature trails accessible to the public on private land: landowners and hiking trails managers. Often based on right of way agreements, their partnership meets a growing social demand for outdoor recreation, which is even stronger near urban areas. However, it is based on a precarious foundation. Given the limited knowledge we have on these issues in Quebec, this exploratory research aims to understand the extent to which public access to formal hiking trails located on private land can be compatible with the exercise of private property rights. We identify both the factors influencing this compatibility and the strategies mobilized by managers and owners to use these factors as levers or, on the contrary, to reduce their scope. A qualitative field survey was conducted in two phases: first with hiking trail managers located in several regions of Quebec (first phase), and then with managers and private landowners in Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval (case selected for the second phase). The research results show that public access can be compatible with the exercise of private property rights when associated with two major factors: the actors’ ability (1) to accomplish their own uses and representations of the land and (2) to trust each other. The manifestations of these factors and the strategies employed by the two groups of actors are outlined. Then, we identify the main issue for each of them. The private landowners want to keep on benefitting from the property despite and beyond the presence of the trail. The managers – aware of the asymmetrical nature of the relationship between them and the owners – try to build trust with the latter while dealing with limited resources. Finally, a reflection on possible avenues of intervention is initiated based on the solutions mentioned by the participants and an examination of various urban planning tools. The research presents its contribution on the theoretical, methodological, and practical levels. It was an opportunity to revisit the scope and limits of the exercise of property rights in Quebec and to demonstrate the heuristic value of access theory. Its exploratory, iterative approach, and the methods used have generated new empirical knowledge for Quebec. The reflection on possible avenues of intervention could enlighten land use planning professionals.

Keyphrases: outdoor recreation, private property, public access, natural resources management, multifunctionality, right of way