NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Augmenter la vitesse d’injection de la cocaïne favorise l’apparition de comportements de consommation caractéristiques de la toxicomanie

While many people will experiment with drugs of abuse, few will become addicts. Many factors have been implicated in the transition from recreational drug use to addiction. Drugs, formulations and routes of administration that lead to the rapid rise of drug levels in the brain are thought to facilitate this evolution. The reason for this remains unknown. We hypothesized that the rapid delivery of drugs might promote certain changes in the brain leading to increased drug intake and greater motivation to obtain the drug. In order to assess the effects of the speed of administration, we compared drug intake under fixed (FR) and progressive (PR) ratio conditions in rats self-administering intravenous (i.v.) cocaine injections delivered over either 5 or 90 seconds (s). Rats were trained to press a lever for 0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg cocaine injections delivered over 5 s under a FR schedule of reinforcement, before being divided into groups self-administering cocaine delivered over either 5 or 90 s for 1 hour (h)/session. To assess potential differences in drug consumption, access to cocaine was increased to 6 h/session. To assess differences in motivation for cocaine, drug self-administration was determined under a PR schedule of reinforcement both as a function of dose and infusion rate. When animals were given access to i.v. cocaine for 1 h/session, the infusion speed did not influence drug consumption. However, when access to the drug was prolonged to 6 h/session, all animals augmented their drug intake, though the increase was greater in animals self-administering the drug delivered more rapidly (over 5 vs. 90 s). The speed of drug delivery also influenced the motivation for cocaine. Under PR conditions, the dose response curve for the number of self-administered infusions was shifted upward in the 5-s animals relative to those in the 90-s group. Moreover, qualitative differences were observed in cocaine intake under PR conditions. Whereas the intake of rats self-administering cocaine delivered over 5 s was dose-dependent, drug consumption in rats injecting the drug over 90 s did not vary with the dose. Finally, rats self-administering 0.5 mg/kg cocaine infusions delivered over 5 s took more cocaine than the rats receiving it over 90 s, regardless of whether cocaine was delivered over 5 or 90 s during PR testing. Thus, our results show that increasing the speed at which cocaine is delivered to the brain leads to greater drug intake and increased willingness to expend effort to obtain the drug, two important symptoms of addiction.

Keyphrases: Addiction, Motivation, Extended access, Progressive ratio, Self-administration, Speed of drug delivery, Cocaine
Effet du calcium, plomb et cuivre sur la bioaccumulation du cadmium et la production des phytochélatines par Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In contaminated environments, organisms are often exposed to multiple contaminants at the same time. Based upon the current models for predicting metal effects on organisms (e.g., Biotic Ligand Model, BLM, the free ion model, FIAM), the presence of a second metal is predicted to decrease the bioaccumulation and biological effects of the first. In contrast to this prediction, antagonistic, synergistic and additive effects have been well documented in the literature. Phytochelatins (PCs) are a family of thiol-rich peptides with a general structure (γ-Glu-Cys)n-Gly  with n=2-11. PCs are involved in both metal homeostasis and the protection of plants from metal toxicity, through their role as metal chelators. Their synthesis depends upon the metal exposure, the duration of exposure and the biological species involved. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine, in binary mixtures of metals, if the synthesis of phytochelatins could be predicted using equilibrium models, such as the BLM. The study initially examined binary mixtures: Cd-Ca, Cd-Pb and Cd-Cu by comparing the quantity of internalized metal to the amount of phytochelatins produced by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in response to a metal stress. The bioaccumulation results, after six hours of exposure, showed that Cd decreased in the presence of Ca and very high concentrations of Pb and Cu. In contrast, it increased in the presence of Cu and remained unchanged in the presence of moderate concentrations of Pb. For mixtures of Cu and Cd, a good correlation was observed between the production of PC2, PC3 and PC4 and the quantity of internalized metals. Both bioaccumulation and phytochelatin synthesis were considered to be synergistic. For mixtures of Cd and Ca, the amount of PC3 and PC4 produced decreased with the internalized metal (antagonistic effect); however, in the presence of added Ca, GSH and PC2 production was much higher than predicted. The detection and quantification of the PCs were performed using an optimized protocol for high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FL); metal uptake was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Keyphrases: Bioaccumulation, Cadmium, HPLC-FL, AAS, ICP-MS, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Phytochelatins, Calcium, Cooper, Lead
Vers une phénoménologie de la danse : une approche merleau-pontienne

In the present essay, we intend to establish and describe fundamental parameters apt to form the basis of a phenomenology of dance. The lived experience of this art, which flourishes via complex corporeal knowledge, can be approached through the Phenomenology of Perception of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. The latter’s phenomenology, from which derive recognizable behaviors linked to the moving body, space and intersensoriality, will guide us in outlining the existential elements of the dancing body. In pursuing our study of Merleau-Ponty, we will further show that the philosopher’s system proves incapable of sustaining the requirements intrinsic to the qualitative dimensions of dance. In fact, our study shows that Merleau-Ponty’s “body consciousness” is one that ontologically fails to reach the qualia that compose the dynamics specific to the movements of dance. Conversely, we adumbrate herein a phenomenology of dance forms that embraces its poetical nature, the creative sensibility that they require, and the sensuous “work” that they unfold.

Keyphrases: Phenomenology, Merleau-Ponty, dance, movement, poetry
Regional Variations in Political Ideology in Canada

It is widely known that electoral results in Canada vary greatly from one region to the next. To explain this phenomenon, it is only appropriate to study how Canadian regions differ from each other politically. The current research is especially interested in regional variations in political ideology. The research relies on data from the 2008 Canadian Electoral Studies. It uses opinion statements to assess respondents’ political preferences to answer the research question. A factor analysis is conducted from these variables to highlight six ideological dimensions. Furthermore, t-tests are used to verify if regional differences on these ideological dimensions are statistically significant. Results show that differences across regions are very often significant and follow hypotheses. However, results regarding the privatization of healthcare and the Midwest run counter to expectations.

Keyphrases: Canada, Regionalism, Ideology, Fragment Theory, Factor Analysis, T-test
Développement d’une nouvelle méthode d’analyse multi-résidus par LDTD/APCI-MS/MS pour la quantification de pesticides et de produits pharmaceutiques dans les eaux usées

A new solid phase extraction (SPE) method coupled to a high throughput sample analysis technique was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine selected emerging contaminants (atrazine, desethylatrazine, 17(beta)-estradiol, ethynylestradiol, northindrone, caffeine, carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole) comprising drugs from different therapeutic classes present in wastewater. Sample pre-concentration and clean-up was performed with a mixed-mode SPE cartridge (Strata ABW) having both cation and anion exchange properties followed by analysis by laser diode thermal desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LDTD-APCI-MS/MS). The LDTD is a new high-throughput sample introduction method, which reduces total analysis time to less than 15 seconds compared to minutes with traditional liquid-chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).  Several SPE parameters were evaluated in order to optimize recovery efficiencies when extracting analytes from wastewater, such as the nature of stationary phase, the loading flow rate, the extraction pH, the various volume and composition of the washing solution and the initial sample volume. The method was successfully applied to real wastewater samples from a primary sedimentation tank. Recoveries of target compounds from wastewater ranged from 78 to 106 %, the limit of detection ranged from 30 to 122 ng L-1 while the limit of quantification ranged from 88 to 370 ng L-1. Calibration curves in wastewater matrix showed good linearity (R2 > 0.991), for all target analytes, and precision (intraday and interday) showed a coefficient of variance below 15%.

Keyphrases: LDTD-APCI-MS/MS, Mixed-mode Solid Phase Extraction, Multi-residue Analysis, Wastewater
Étude du rôle des récepteurs NMDA du mésencéphale ventral dans la récompense induite par la stimulation électrique du mésencéphale postérieur chez le rongeur

The mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, originating from the ventral midbrain and projecting to rostral limbic structures, is part of a neural substrate that controls reward and incentive behaviors. It has been suggested that the rewarding effect is produced by a tonic to phasic shift in dopamine cell firing and a transduction process initiated by the action of glutamate at the N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Given that an alteration in reward signaling is often associated with clinical symptoms of compulsive addictive behaviors and emotional disturbances such as anhedonia, we investigated the role of NMDA receptors in reward induced by intracranial electrical stimulation. Since NMDA receptors are composed of distinct subunits, GluN1, GluN2 and GluN3, we investigated the role of the main GluN2 subunits that are expressed in the ventral midbrain, GluN2A and GluN2B. Results show that ventral midbrain injections of R-CPP or PPPA, preferential GluN2A/2B antagonists, produce a dose-orderly enhancement of reward, an effect that was, at some time after the injection, accompanied by an increase in maximum response rates. These effects were not observed following ventral midbrain injections of a wide range of doses of the selective GluN2B antagonist, Ro-04-5595. These findings suggest that ventral midbrain glutamate exerts a negative modulation on reward induced by electrical stimulation of the posterior mesencephalon, an effect most likely mediated by NMDA receptors composed of GluN2A subunits.

Keyphrases: Auto-stimulation, NMDA, Reward, Glutamate, Self-stimulation, NMDA, Ventral midbrain
Acoustic composition : exploring metaphorical and perceived connections between patterns of sound in the Opera The Beast in the Jungle

The last fifty years has seen much progress made in the understanding of how we comprehend and hear music. Unfortunately, the terminology of music and philosophy of composition have not developed to reflect this progress. As a result of this obstacle the Theory of Patterns was conceived and developed. The Theory of Patterns focuses on the nature of musical perception, and the assimilation of patterns. This philosophy is meant to provide a method of composition in which the primary focus is the relationship of patterns with the objective of creating music that by fulfilling the pattern’s nature and tendencies, is full of life. This Philosophy was developed through, and used in the creation of, a new one act opera: The Beast in the Jungle. In analyzing the different forms and patterns found in the opera, the practical elements of the Theory of Patterns are judged and discussed.

Keyphrases: Patterns, Modèles, Opera, Perceptibility, perceptibilité, Meaning in music, Sens musical, Form
Études des fuites excitoniques dans des familles de boîtes quantiques d'InAs/InP par PLRT par addition de fréquences

This thesis focuses on the mechanisms of relaxation and leakage of excitons in systems of quantum dots (QDs) InAs / InP. The systems are composed of a substrate of InP volume, called matrix (M), of a quantum well of InAs, named wetting layer (CM), and of QD families of InAs. The distinction between the families can be explained by the number of monolayer-thick boxes that are wider than high. A literature review highlights the main relaxation mechanisms and leakage of excitons in systems. Then, different models on the thermal leakage of the QD excitons are compared.Then, a presentation of the different types of characterizations already and of the specifications on the samples growths. The approach used for this thesis is to temporarily characterize the dynamic of the QDs with transient absorption and upconversion. The transient absorption experiment’s results are not very convincing, but are minutely explained. PLRT measures were used to follow in temperature the excitons effective lifetime in the QDs families. Then, with a detailed balance model, which has been well explained, it was possible to identify the role of theMand CM in relaxation and leakage of excitons in QDs. As shown by the adjustement, the escape of carriers in the QDs is made in a correlated electron-hole pairs form.

Keyphrases: Quantum dot, time resolved photoluminescence, Exciton, Exciton, Wetting layer, Thermal leakage
Idées, espoir et grande illusion : quand le compositeur s'engage

The subject of the present study is film soundtracks from the 1930s in France. The music under examination originated during a decade which saw the birth and early development of talking films. French cinematographic productions from this period are examined on the basis of their artistic status and their role in the transmission of ideas. The pandemic economic crisis, combined with international political upheavals, were actual incentives for artists, writers, and composers to redefine their societal role through an innovative artistic medium, and to give voice to new types of artistic engagement. The choice of the three cinematographic works in this study is based on these conditions; their soundtracks are analyzed in relation to composers’ motivations and expectations of what cinema had to offer them. By closely examining the musical components of these films, the author also aims to define the ways in which music, among other artistic communication processes, was a vehicle for composers to defend their own ideas while endorsing those of a film’s director and/or producer. At what point does the composer’s personal engagement coincide with the requirements of the film industry during the period under examination? What are the limitations of the musical expression of ideas, in the context of an art form in which music was only a component part?  These questions are at the heart of this study, with the music itself as the primary focus of research.

Keyphrases: engagement, histoire, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Joseph Kosma, Berthold Bartosch, music, film, engagement, politics, analysis, history, semiotics
Syndrome de détresse respiratoire aiguë (SDRA) : étude de mécanismes impliqués dans la phase exsudative

Although much has been learned about the mechanisms leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), mortality remains high: ~ 40%. This syndrome is associated with lung injury where alveolar edema and excessive inflammatory response can progress to abnormal epithelial repair and fibrosis.  The hypothesis of the work presented in this thesis is that attenuation of edema or of the inflammatory response in the initial stage of the acute lung injury would decrease the severity of injury.  I evaluated this hypothesis in an ARDS acute phase, modeled by an intratracheal instillation of bleomycin in mice, using two distinct experimental strategies.   The importance of edema clearance was studied in a transgenic (Tg) ENaC mouse, a mouse known to be sensitive to the formation of edema. However, our results show that these Tg mice were not more susceptible to the development of the ARDS acute phase induced by bleomycin. Furthermore, we have been able to show that bleomycin itself did not interfere with the ENaC channel function of alveolar epithelial cells type II (AT II).   The treatment of the inflammatory response associated with ARDS by glucocorticoid therapy is subject to controversy. In our mouse model, glucocorticoids decrease the level of cytokine in the alveolar milieu but did not decrease the severity of lung injury. Using in vitro experiments, we show that this lack of response could be secondary to the impact of the treatment on the epithelial repair capacity of AT II.  In summary:  The ENaC channel expression did not have an impact on the development of the exudative phase, suggesting that the regulation of edema is not sufficient to alter the course of ARDS.  The modulation of inflammation by glucocorticoids was ineffective, possibly because of impaired repair of the epithelium.  These results suggest that the control of edema or inflammation separately does not modify the evolution of lung injury. The heterogeneity of the ARDS origins and the redundancy of cellular mechanisms involved in lung injury will require therapy aimed at multiple pathophysiological targets to permit the resolution of lung injury.

Keyphrases: ENaC, inflammation, AT II, ARDS, bleomycin, transgenic mice, edema, glucocorticoids, epithelial repair
Écologie saisonnière des parasitoïdes des oeufs de l'arpenteuse de la pruche

This study focuses on the seasonal ecology of egg parasitoids of the hemlock looper (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a major forest defoliator in the province of Quebec (Canada). At first, we describe the seasonal occurrence of parasitism in sentinel hosts by Telenomus coloradensis, T. droozi, T. flavotibiae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Trichogramma spp., in the Lower St.Lawrence region. Telenomus flavotibiae and Trichogramma spp. rarely parasitize eggs of the hemlock looper, while T. coloradensis and T. droozi are very abundant in spring. In the laboratory, the host suitability for T. coloradensis decreases rapidly with their embryonic development in spring, affecting negatively the levels of parasitism, as well as the survival, size, development time and longevity of offspring. Accordingly, female T. coloradensis and T. droozi are active very early in season, when temperature is cold (4° C), presumably to benefit from low embryonic development of the host. From developmental parameters measured in the laboratory, we estimate that the spring progeny of T. coloradensis emerges in mid-summer, when eggs of the hemlock looper are totally absent from the forest environment. The new generation of female parasitoids is thus expected to enter in a early reproductive diapause : our laboratory results show that an extended host deprivation period negatively affects parasitism by T. coloradensis. This may contribute to explain the very low levels of parasitism of hemlock looper eggs in fall. Our laboratory tests also show that unfertilized eggs in the fall do not allow the development of T. coloradensis. Surprisingly, however, host eggs in early-diapause (in autumn) are energically more suitable than hosts in post-diapause (in spring). While previous studies have shown that T. coloradensis may overwinter as immature eggs inside the host, our field and laboratory results indicate that it is mainly the fertilized females of this species that overwinter in reproductive diapause, with a supercooling point of -30.6 °C in fall.

Keyphrases: Telenomus, Seasonal ecology, hemlock looper, natural control, thermal response, host quality, host availability, winter biology
Composition d'oeuvres pour hyper-flûtes et traitement audionumérique interactif

This dissertation presents the compositional processes of six pieces with live interactive electronics for hyper-flutes: flutes equipped with electronic motion sensors connected to a computer. Instrumental techniques are thus augmented by electroacoustic components that can be controlled by the performer.   A significant portion of this document is focussed on the research framing these works. A brief history of «musique mixte» is presented, underlining the contribution of the flute to electroacoustic music. The challenges associated with the synchronization of instrumental and electronic sounds with which composers have been faced since the 1950’s are then addressed, providing the context for establishing the essential nature of interactive composition. After having defined the notion of instrumental gesture, particularly as it concerns flute techniques, details of the electronic design of the hyper-flute and the hyper-bass-flute are considered. The descriptions of these techniques are prefaced by observations about other augmented instruments and more specifically the different known flutes.  This part concludes with a presentation of the interaction and mapping strategies of gestural data as it relates to the corresponding audio elements.  The sections that follow focus attention on the compositions. I begin by elaborating my own perspective on interactive composition and improvisation. Six chapters then provide detailed descriptions of each of the pieces, starting with the sources of inspiration and a brief formal analysis. I go on to explain their instrumental and electroacoustic components, detailing the types of interactions used. Of particular note is the fact that four of these works were developed based on poetic texts.  Lastly, a short conclusion summarizes the artistic objectives realized during my doctoral tenure as well as the potential opportunities for the continuation of my creative work with the hyper-flutes.

Keyphrases: Hyper-flute, Live electronics, Gestural interaction, Musique mixte, Interactive composition, Improvisation, Sensors, Hyperinstrument, Poetry
Structure et interactions de bulles d'espace-temps en relativité générale

We analyze space-time bubbles of finite thickness in general relativity. We use the energy conditions to restrict their structures. In the case of static, spherically symmetric bubbles, we get a set of four differential inequalities. If the effective gravitational potential is taken of a particular form, we show that they can be further reduced to a set of two differential inequalities.  We then parameterize the bubble's wall in a particular way, simplifying the inequalities, and easing the application of boundary conditions on our solutions. We then treat four different cases of bubbles that all have a Schwarzschild de Sitter exterior. We show that in the limit where the thickness of the bubble's wall goes to zero, we recover the standard results.  Lastly, we treat gravitational waves propagating in a dilute gas of non-interacting space-time bubbles.

Keyphrases: Lanczos, Energy conditions, Lanczos, Black hole, Gravitational wave