NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Manipulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system by HIV-1 : role of the accessory protein Vpr

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), the etiologic agent of AIDS, is a complex retrovirus with several accessory proteins. HIV-1 accessory proteins Nef, Vif, Vpr, and Vpu have been implicated in the modulation of viral replication, enhancement of viral fitness, immune evasion, and progression of AIDS pathogenesis. In that regard, viral protein R (Vpr) induces a cell cycle arrest in the G2 phase by activating the canonical ATR (Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related)-mediated DNA damage checkpoint, but cellular factors and mechanisms directly engaged in this process remain unknown. To identify novel Vpr-interacting cellular factors, we used tandem affinity purification (TAP) to isolate native Vpr-containing complexes. We found that Vpr hijacks a cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, CRL4A(VprBP), composed of Cullin 4A, DDB1 (DNA damage-binding protein 1) and VprBP (Vpr-binding protein). Moreover, we observed that recruitment of the E3 ligase by Vpr was necessary but not sufficient for the induction of G2 cell cycle arrest, suggesting that additional events are involved. In this context, we provide direct evidence that Vpr usurps the function of CRL4A(VprBP) to induce the K48-linked polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of as-yet-unknown cellular proteins. These ubiquitination events mediated by Vpr were necessary for the activation of ATR. Moreover, we show that Vpr forms chromatin-associated foci that co-localize with VprBP and DNA repair factors. Our data indicate that formation of these foci represent a critical early event in the induction of G2 arrest. Finally, we show that Vpr is able to recruit CRL4A(VprBP) on chromatin and we provide evidence that the unknown substrate targeted by Vpr is a chromatin-associated protein.  Overall, our results reveal some of the mechanisms by which Vpr induces cell cycle perturbations. Furthermore, this study contributes to our understanding of the modulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system by HIV-1 and its functional implication in the manipulation of the host cellular environment.

Keyphrases: Virus, ATR, Ubiquitination, Accessory proteins, DNA damage checkpoint, Cell cycle, Ubiquitin ligase
Les enjeux de sécurité dans l'Arctique contemporain Le cas du Canada et de la Norvège

This thesis aims to analyse the nature and the scale of the security issues in the contemporary Arctic by utilising the tools offered by the securitization theory of the Copenhagen School. Five security sectors – military, political, identity, environmental and political – and four variables – geography, identity, history and politics – are used to examine the perceptions, the securitizations and the strategic behaviour of Canada and Norway. The first hypothesis put forward in our paper is as follows: since 2005, in Canada and in Norway, we are witnessing in the Arctic progressive securitizations of non military issues – political, identity, environmental and economical – and the cross-sectoral effects have important consequences on the military sector, such as, an increase in state projects that have mostly military components, as well as on the securitization of their territorial integrity or at least on the insecurity towards it. Our second hypothesis is as follows: the new security perceptions and the strategic behaviour of the regional States increases the insecurities within their societies and have negative effects on confidence between state actors. This increases the political divisions and slows down any regional construction. We conclude that in Canada, their sovereignty, their nordicity and their territorial integrity are perceived to be threatened. These securitizations also seem to be part of a radical global strategic change in matters pertaining to their foreign and defence policies. In Norway, Russia is perceived to be the main actor in the High North and since 2008, their bilateral relation has become securitized. As opposed to Canada, Norway seems to prefer the status quo in matters pertaining to their foreign and defence policies. The three traditional elements of their defence and security policy are applied – deterrence through NATO, but reassurance of the Russians and efforts to enhance East-West relations.

Keyphrases: High North, Grand Nord, Canada, Securitization, Security sectors, Arctic, Circumpolar region, Norway, Russia, United States
Le mythe de la chanson québécoise : 
une étude sur les liens entre la tradition orale et le mouvement chansonnier des années soixante

Is the chansonnier movement of the 1960s in Quebec in continuity or discontinuity with the oral tradition ? Is it a form of neo-folklore or is it a modern type of song ?  The links between songs by chansonniers and oral tradition are complex, as are the relations to discourse and ideology.  The thesis explores these links by using three approaches: a statistical analysis of the presence of oral tradition elements in the general chansonnier corpus, a detailed analysis of Gilles Vigneault’s song La Manikoutai, and a sociocultural analysis of diffusion processes.  In this context, the chansonnier movement, too often interpreted as an epiphenomenon of the Quiet Revolution and of the nationalist movement, can be seen in itself, in its own dynamic and as a parallel development.  The chansonnier movement is linked in a complex way to the a young generation that wants to cut itself from older generations and to a dynamic of distinction which leads to a search for ancient roots to this type of modern song.  It is because of this that the chansonnier discourse is seen as strongly oriented toward an ancient past, but at the same time as a break from the immediate past.  Finally, with the passage of time, the chansonnier movement becomes an element of the past itself, and, together with oral tradition, leads to a double myth of Quebec music, a myth that links two distinct sets of phenomena.

Keyphrases: Folklore, Distinction, Anthropology, Ethnology, Music, Poetic, Folklore, Modern, Traditional, Past, Imaginary, Distinction
Réécriture et dialogue avec la tradition 
dans l’œuvre de Irmtraud Morgner : 
de Schahrazade à Mnèmosunè

This dissertation entitled, «Rewriting and dialogue with tradition in the works of Irmtraud Morgner : from Schahrazade to Mnèmosunè», tries to understand how and why, in her works, East German writer Irmtraud Morgner turns to strategies of rewriting as a mean of establishing a dialogue with tradition. The analysis examines various cases of rewriting found in Hochzeit in Konstantinopel, Gauklerlegende, Leben und Abenteuer and Amanda, the narrative shifts thus introduced and the way in which narratives interlock with one another. It makes it possible to identify a narrative structure which organizes the work of rewriting into three distinct moments : first, that of a storyteller using the idiom of romanticism, second, that of a narrator whose critical discourse represents the Enlightenment heritage, and third, that of an author who intervenes to underline the limits of critical thought imposed by the narrator. This structure of rewriting in three stages is shown to organize the work of narrative experimentation in all the texts under study. It applies in each case to a different narrative material inherited from various traditions : the fairy tale, minstrel stories, the courtly novel, as well as modern narratives such as History, Science and Memory. The third rewriting, which Morgner assigns to the figure of the author is the most significant since it characterizes the nature of this « Tat », of this «work» of rewriting which Morgner is attempting to define for herself and her women narrators as that, which would open the possibility of maintaining a living relationship with History, Memory and Tradition. By reframing the question of the nature of the relation to tradition within the larger context of an interrogation on the question of Representation, Morgner manages to rethink the question of the relation to tradition in terms other than those established by the Erbedebatte or by Marxist and feminist theories of re-appropriation of tradition. Thus her fictional works contribute to the reflection on contemporary literature, on the evolution of the novel and on the heritage of the tradition of storytelling in modernity. Her work shares a questioning about contemporary literature which go far beyond the narrower frame through which East German literary production has usually been defined. This suggests the need for a reevaluation of Morgner’s works within German literature.

Keyphrases: Erbedebatte, Roman, Narration, Carnavalesque, East German Literature, Erbedebatte, Novel, Narration, Carnavalesque, Representation, Memory, History
Une étude sur le rôle modérateur de la situation familiale sur la relation entre les conditions de l'organisation du travail et la détresse psychologique

The main objective of this thesis is to verify the moderating effects of the family situation on the relationship between work organization conditions and psychological distress in the Canadian workforce. As a secondary element, the thesis looks at the direct effect that each variable can add to psychological distress. To complete this study, data from Statistics Canada’s ‘Canadian Community Health Survey’ (CCHS), cycle 2.2, was used.  The completed multivariable analyses demonstrated that an irregular work schedule was associated with the risk of experiencing psychological distress. In terms of family situation, we conclude that being in a couple acts as a protective factor against psychological distress. In addition, income sufficiency increases the risk of psychological distress.  Moreover, the results partly show a moderating effect of the family situation, as only household economic status modifies the relationship between decision-making authority and physical exertion at work in explaining psychological distress. As such, these two workplace factors increase the risk of developing psychological distress when economic status is taken into account. As a consequence, the effects of certain workplace organization conditions influence psychological distress differently depending on the household’s economic situation.

Keyphrases: Psychological distress, Workplace organization conditions, Family situation, Canadian active population
Identification et caractérisation d'un domaine de transactivation dans l’hélicase E1 des papillomavirus humains

Papillomaviruses are small DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa. They cause warts and can also lead to the development of cancers, including cervical cancer. Replication of their genome requires two viral proteins: the E1 helicase and the E2 transcription factor, which recruits E1 to the viral origin of replication. To facilitate the study of viral genome replication, a quantitative and high-throughput assay based on luciferase expression has been developed. In parallel, a transactivation domain has been identified in the N-terminal regulatory region of the E1 protein. Characterization of this domain showed that its integrity is important for DNA replication. This study suggests that the E1 transactivation domain is an intrinsically unstructured protein region that allows regulation of viral genome replication by its interaction with diverse proteins.

Keyphrases: Papillomavirus, E1, Transactivation, Papillomavirus, Helicase, E1, DNA replication, Luciferase, Transactivation, Protein disorder
Étude de la polyubiquitination en lysine 63 dans les effets proinflammatoires de l'angiotensine II in vitro

Several studies have demonstrated that the proinflammatory and growth promoting actions of Angiotensin II (Ang II) are implicated in cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in Ang II actions are still not completely elucidated. Most of the known biological effects of Ang II are through the activation of several cell signaling pathways, such as the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways (MAPKs; c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), p38 kinases and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)), and nuclear factor kappaB transcription factor (NF-κB) pathway by IKK complex activation. Recently, another post-translational modification, polyubiquitination of the IKK complex sub-unit NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO) has been demonstrated to be implicated in Ang II signaling. The objective of my research project was to illustrate the importance of K63-linked polyubiquitination, and characterizing the proteins involved in the modification of NEMO in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) exposed to Ang II. Using siRNA, we show that Ubc7 and Ubc13 together are involved in MAPK, IKK and Akt phosphorylation in VSMC exposed to Ang II. Moreover, our results show that TRAF6, a ubiquitin ligase, is involved in Ang II signaling. Finally, our study reveals involvement of K63-linked polyubiquitination in Ang II signaling by chromatography affinity. Here, we report K63-linked polyubiquitination involvement in Ang II signaling and also identify Ubc7 and Ubc13 as a ubiquitin conjugating enzymes involved in MAPKs, ERK and NF-kB signalling pathway suggesting a role of these proteins in Ang II-dependent vascular remodelling and proinflammatory effects in VSMC.

Keyphrases: Polyubiquitination en lysine 63, Ubc13, NF-kB, Atherosclerosis, Angiotensin II, K63-linked polyubiquitination
Représentation de trajectoires spatiotemporelles dans un système d’information géographique : le cas des activités d’observation de mammifères marins dans le Parc marin du Saguenay – Saint-Laurent

The considerable volume of commercial boat trips associated with whale-watching activities (WWAs) in the Saguenay-Saint-Laurent National Marine Park (PMSSL) may have negative impacts on the health of the whales visiting the Saint-Lawrence River estuary. This situation has led park officials to seek an appropriate information management system in order to better monitor WWAs.  This paper contributes to the design of such a tool by modeling excursion patterns of WWAs, resulting in a database.  Based on the space-time path concept used for the study of activity-based travel behavior as well as the mobile-object geomatical concept, our data-model enables us to plot the trajectories of the excursions and the sequence of activities taking place during those excursions. The model is object-oriented and built into a Geodatabase (an ArcGis-processable relational database). The objects in the database are based on data collected by the Marine Mammal Research and Education Group (GREMM) during a three-year WWA monitoring program. Finally, this report demonstrates that geographic information systems can be effectively used to process the database in a way that serves the needs of park officials, and that the representation of excursion data in a GIS opens up new avenues for research on the space-time pattern of observation activities and the travel behavior of boats.

Keyphrases: Whale watching activities, commercial boat trips, object relational data model, Geodatabase, Geodatabase, ArcGIS, ArcGIS, Space time path, activity based travel behavior, mobile object
Nutrition et état de santé : études paléochimique et paléopathologique de la population exhumée du cimetière protestant Saint-Matthew, ville de Québec, Canada (1771-1860)

Ninety-five human skeletons from archaeological excavations at the protestant Saint-Matthew burial ground (Quebec City, 1771-1860) were studied with respect to two major aspects of palaeonutrition: palaeochemistry and palaeopathology. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between nutrition and health in this preindustrial population. Direct information on the types of food consumed was obtained from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen, and indirect information was acquired by quantifying health status. Palaeopathological methods used are the “health index” method (Steckel et al.,2002) for interpopulational comparison, and then quantifications using more precise severity degrees for assessing intrapopulational variation. Data analysis revealed a relatively bad health status compared to other contemporary North-American groups despite a relatively similar nutrition. Food differences in relation to palaeodemographical data (age, sex) were noted, in particular about the variability of weaning process achievement. Furthermore, a diet depleted in C4 (corn, sugarcane) and in animal resources (meat, fish, dairy products) was noted for children between two and seven years old in comparison to older individuals. Finally, a possible relationship between pathologies severity (cribra orbitalia, periostitis) and the consumption of C4 and/or marine resources and animal products rich in protein was highlighted while comparing all the data.

Keyphrases: Saint-Matthew, Bioarchaeology, Palaeonutrition, Palaeopathology, Carbon, Nitrogen, Health index, Saint-Matthew, Quebec
Étude des aimants quantiques et supraconducteurs non conventionnels

The first part of this thesis consist of the analysis the magnetic ground states of two magnetically frustrated insulator compounds SrDy2O4 and SrHo2O4. A study of the low temperature specific heat in magnetic fields has been carried on in order to detect phase transitions. The magnetic contribution to the specific heat has been determined using the isostructural but non magnetic compound SrLu2O4. The observed behaviour does not conform with conventional magnetic phase transitions. Also, the calculated magnetic entropy shows only a partial recovery of the entropy normally associated with magnetic ions in the systems. In the second study, I measured and analyzed de Haas-van Alphen quantum oscil- lations in LuCoIn5, a compound related to the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. The obtained results show a Fermi surface topology greatly differing from the CeCoIn5 and LaCoIn5, having a much more tridimensional behaviour, compared to the characteristics cylinder exhibited by the other members of this family. In the last part of my thesis, I’m am describing the set up of a PIXE detection system used for the nuclear analysis of thick samples in order to calculate the concentra- tion of each element present. The analysis has been carried on a series of samples of YbxCe1−xCoIn5, where the variation of concentration has major repercussions on the electronic and magnetic properties of the system.

Keyphrases: PIXE, Magnetic ground state, Quantum magnet, Superconductivity, PIXE
L'excès de poids chez les enfants québécois

Objectives: Analysis of trends of overweight among children in Quebec between 4 and 8 years and evaluation of the role of various risk factors of persistent excess weight. Data: based on the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD 1998-2010). This survey is being conducted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec with a cohort of 2120 children born in Québec in 1998, being followed annually from the age of 5 months. Methods of analysis: univariate, bivariate, semi-parametric modeling, logistic and loglinear (Poisson) regression analysis. Main results: i) The persistent excess weight in children aged 4 to 8 years is a fluctuating phenomenon, which does not vary significantly by sex; ii) The act of breastfeeding children does not seem to have a protective effect with regard to children being overweight; iii) Regarding the birth weight, the available data do not allow us to draw any conclusion; iv) Having a less than excellent health at birth appears to increase the risk of persistently being overweight; v) Primary influences are always eating too much or too fast, or living in a family with one or two parents who are overweight; vi) Mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have children who are overweight than those who did not smoke.

Keyphrases: Longitudinal analysis, Childhood obesity, Overweight, Risk factors, Body mass index
Créer : le phénomène de la création en donnant la réplique à Antonin Artaud

The creation phenomenon within a discourse on creation – the literary and artistic production – is not self-evident. The task to define it as an object is antinomic; the experience of discourse is in itself creative. While written language seems often to “suppress” the author, the creation process actually implies a creative “self” who thinks, lives and transforms itself, and whose thoughts are overlapping into its object, which is thus “suppressed” because it is not outside of thought, but bound to it. This work, showing the complex relationship between object, criticism, subject and comment, is focussed on the “before”, “during” and “after” portions of the creative process, in an act of memory that stems from a literary performance about creation. From the shapeless and unconscious forces at its origin, to the its shaping, and then transmission, which gives it back its shapeless form feature, creation is in motion as knowledge is always captive of the work in progress. Tributary of Antonin Artaud, the text acts as an existentialist archetype of the artist and refers to him constantly to show creation without separating it from life and its experiences. To access the mystery of the creative process, linked to subjective, non-objectivable tought irreducible to linear discourse, this work focuses on the associations within the mind that proceeds, expressed through an ever present and exemplary “self”, tainted by experience, but in the ambiguous position of author. The processes of life, thought and creation are not only intertwined but infused by the “outside”, which is historical, global, social and in perpetual evolution. The creator's function is not to create based solely on his external knowledge, but from within himself – from his multiple selves and his mind filled by what he reads, what goes through his mind and inhabits him at a given time – to eventually shape a coherent text, a specific engraving of the soul as it marches towards the knowledge always hiding in the becoming.

Keyphrases: Artaud, Artaud, creation, process, creative self, become, shape, others, transmission, transmission, knowledge, Deleuze, Deleuze
Effet de la thérapie de resynchronisation cardiaque sur les fonctions ventriculaires gauche et droite

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was introduced to reestablish the synchronism in left ventricular of heart failure patients. At the present time, more than 30% of these patients do not respond to the resynchronization treatments. In order to better understand the effect of CRT on the cardiac function, a biventricular pacemaker was implanted in healthy dogs and in dogs with induced heart failure. Results from this study show that using the QRS duration in order to optimize CRT is not recommended. In addition, they confirm that an individualized optimization of the CRT is necessary to maximize the effect of the therapy on the left ventricle and that the modulation of the resynchronization delay has a significant impact on the right ventricular function. More precisely, right ventricular systolic function is optimal with an early activation of the left electrode.

Keyphrases: Cardiac resynchronization therapy, Heart failure, Radionuclide ventriculography, Optimization, Right ventricular function