NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Base moléculaire et rôle du courant potassique transitoire I(A) des interneurones de l'hippocampe chez le rongeur

Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory in mammals are incompletely understood. The theta rhythm in the hippocampus constitutes the « on-line » state of this structure which is crucial for declarative memory. In the CA1 hippocampal area, LM/RAD inhibitory interneurons exhibit intrinsic membrane potential oscillations (MPOs) that could be important for the generation of theta rhythm. Preliminary work suggested that K+ current I(A) could be involved in the generation of these oscillations. Nevertheless, little is known about the identity of the principal and auxiliary protein subunits underlying I(A) current and the extent of the functional contribution of this K+ current in hippocampal interneurons.    Thus, this Ph.D. thesis shows that I(A) current underlies MPO generation in LM/RAD interneurons and that Kv4.3 proteins form channels that contribute to this current. Also, it deepens the knowledge on the mechanism controlling the interactions between Kv4.3 channel-forming principal subunits and KChIP1 auxiliary proteins. Finally, it reveals that KChIP1 modulates native I(A)-Kv4.3 current and the action potential discharge frequency in interneurons.    Our work takes part in advancing the knowledge on the field of modulation of excitability in hippocampal inhibitory interneurons and allows a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the function of the hippocampus and possibly memory in mammals.

Keyphrases: Kv4.3, KChIP1, hippocampus, theta rhythm, interneurons, excitability, membrane potential oscillations, I(A) current
Expression et localisation du système endocannabinoïde dans la rétine du singe

The effects of marijuana, a drug that has been used by men for millennia, on the visual system are poorly understood. A better understanding of the distribution of the endocannabinoid system in the retina will help us explain how this drug affects vision. This study aims at characterizing the distribution of the endocannabinoid receptor CB1 (CB1R) and the enzyme degrading CB1R ligands, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) throughout the Green monkey retina (Chlorocebus sabaeus). In addition, it seeks to determine which sub-population of neurons expresses CB1R and the degrading enzyme FAAH. Most data on the endocannabinoid system have been acquired in rodents and studies on monkeys are rather scarce. We attempted to fill this void by using immunohistochemical methods to locate CB1R and FAAH at various eccentricities of the monkey retina, from the center to the far periphery. Our results, in agreement with our hypothesis, demonstrate that CB1R and FAAH are expressed throughout the retina. At the level of the photoreceptors, CB1R is expressed preferentially in cones rather than in rods, and this expression pattern follows the photoreceptors distribution. In the outer plexiform layer, CB1R immunoreactivity is predominantly concentrated in the cone pedicles. Although foveal cones are the main expressers of both CB1R and FAAH, these are also found in rod bipolar cells. The ganglion cell axons strongly express the CB1 receptor and the enzyme FAAH. These data suggest that the presence of CB1R throughout the retina may be responsible for the visual effects commonly reported by cannabis users, such as the increase in photosensitivity and alterations in color discrimination.

Keyphrases: Cannabinoids, Retina, Immunofluorescence, Immunofluorescence, Microscopy
Les stratégies d'organisation syndicale dans les multinationales du secteur des services traditionnels : le cas de Wal-Mart Canada Inc

This research tries to identify the type of link between union organizing strategies and the result of the campaigns. Using the case of the United Food and Commerce Workers (UFCW) campaigns in Wal-Mart stores in Quebec, we examined the impact of different variables on the success of a campaign. A review of the literature on union renewal led us to identify three types of campaigns, the traditional campaign, the comprehensive campaign and the social movement campaign, and to postulate that the type of campaign has an effect on the impact of the campaign. Our results enable us to arrive to three conclusions. Firstly, we note that two tactics from the traditional campaign had a positive impact on the result of the campaigns: the use of the blitz technique and the significant involvement of employees in the campaigns. Secondly, the employer’s degree of opposition to unions seems to have an impact on the degree of success of a campaign. Thirdly, the analysis of the results demonstrates the impact of the legal framework. One of the most important elements is the card-check accreditation compared to the accreditation following a vote.

Keyphrases: Wal-Mart, Multinationales, Case study, Union organizing, UFCW, Wal-Mart, Union campaigns, Union renewal, Multinationals
Hubert Aquin et la Gnose

To reestablish contact with the realities of the soul, to reopen the source from which Being eternally resurges: such is the occult and unspeakable ideal from which Hubert Aquin’s poetics proceeds. From his youth onwards, Aquin secretly seeks to unravel the mesh of consciousness, in order to retrace the path leading back towards the dark nether regions of the Self, towards the Pleroma of the naked life. Thus he operates exclusively in the service of the impersonal intentionality inscribed in the depths of his psyche, as the instrument of the blind will that acts inside of him “like an inertial force”. His work does not fulfill itself in the text, but rather runs counter to the text, even counter to language itself; it deploys as an exhilarating confrontation with the Negative, with the sacred Word issuing from the abyss. In other words, Aquin’s work takes the form of a Gnosis: an exercise in de-subjectivization and self-destruction that consists in attaining participative knowledge of the imaginal seal imprinted behind the bars of finitude.  This thesis, principally devoted to an analysis of the gnostic dimension of Hubert Aquin’s œuvre, aims to show that to decipher the mysterious hieroglyph engraved in the depths of the soul is no simple task: it is rather an opus contra naturam, involving great dangers (of which the first is the risk of psychic inflation); yet, to the author’s eyes, only this task is really necessary and truly worthy of being undertaken, for only by this means can the human being escape from engulfment in death – by being reborn. As Aquin writes in an early work, to open oneself unconditionally to the Negative (i.e., self-destruction) is “a special way of experiencing life and a prerequisite to any artistic enterprise”; it is equivalent to “a superior mode of knowledge” of an “impersonal” kind, promising immediate salvation.

Keyphrases: Hubert Aquin, Hubert Aquin, Gnosis, Gnosticism, Nihilism, Pleroma, Plenitude
Le rapport geste-son en musique électroacoustique

This master's thesis is about the creative process that lead to the composition of three electroacoustic pieces. The main objective of that process was to establish a clear connection between gesture and sound.  A critique of the means of production in electroacoustic music is formulated. It is argued that the tools available do not allow the use of expressive gestures. A clear link between gesture and sound would help to restore the playfulness that exists when playing an instrument as well as to strengthen the connection with the audience during concerts. It is suggested that using interfaces better adapted to musical expression could be a mean to reach that goal.  Afterward, a few interfaces are reviewed and criticized. The conclusions drawn from those reviews are used as the bases for the design of the sponge, the interface used for the performance of two of the three pieces attached to this thesis.  The questions of expressivity and virtuosity in such a context are addressed.  The sponge is described in details : construction and sensing techniques.  The three compositions are then presented. Musical discourse, sounds used, structure, spatialization and mapping are all discussed individually for each work.

Keyphrases: Interface, Geste, Mapping, Composition, Electroacousic, Interface, Mapping, Composition, Sponge, Gesture
Étude et modélisation de la cinétique orale de l'amoxicilline chez le porcelet

It was reported that the oral bioavailability of amoxicillin in swine is about three times lower than in human beings. To elucidate the reasons for this difference, arterial, portal venous and urinary pharmacokinetics was documented at intragastric dose amounts ranging between 4 and 30 mg/kg, and several physiologic compartmental models were developed for data analysis. The maximum oral bioavailability of amoxicillin was recorded at 4mg/kg with a mean value of 52%. The portal-systemic plasma concentration differences of amoxicillin and its urinary clearance revealed an increase in hepatic clearance up to the 30 mg/kg dose. A compartmental model with two parallel absorption route (time-constrained Michaelis- Menten and first-order processes), two distribution compartments (central and peripheral) two elimination pathways (urinary and biliary excretions) best fitted the experimental data. These results highlight the paramount role of the PepT1 carriermediated, saturable absorption at low oral amoxicillin doses, as well as the increasing role of passive absorption at high doses.

Keyphrases: Swine, Amoxicillin, Pharmacokinetics, Compartmental modeling, Bioavailability, PepT1 Transporter
Musique mixte et vidéo : intégration et interaction, piste vers une nouvelle esthétique

In this research, we shall address a hybrid genre born from the mixture of mixed music and videomusic. Contrary to videomusic which is on a fixed medium, the video approached in this project is interactive. This interaction will figure as the main aspect of this research because it is necessary to achieve a good integration between the performer and the video.  We will dwell more specifically on the methods allowing the video to follow the music because it is the field in which there is more to discover. We are going to analyze four little experimental pieces composed in such a way as to find which methods are the most efficient, elegant and versatile. We will draw our conclusions.  A final piece has been composed from these conclusions and we are presenting a detailed analysis. This last piece is a larger-scale piece for a bigger ensemble with a longer length. The main goal was to communicate a poetic vision in the most efficient way.  We also thought about the visual integration of the performer and the video to allow a unified visual composition between them. To achieve this integration, we have experimented different video projection types and stagings.

Keyphrases: interaction, composition, videomusic, music, mixed, integration, interaction, video
Groove, Fanfare & Finale pour quintette de cuivres ; Voyage pour orchestre ; et Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre

This memoir contains a musical analysis of three musical works. These works were composed as part of my master’s degree in instrumental musical composition. The analysis will focus on some important aspects for each of these works, and will detail the structure of each.  The works analyzed in this memoir are: 1. Groove, Fanfare & Finale for brass quintet; 2. Voyage for orchestra; 3. Fantasia for piano and orchestra.  The composition of these works has provided a tremendous opportunity for me to develop a personal musical style. This style is characterized by highly contrapuntal textures, economy of means, a constant search for efficient transitions between musical ideas and an emphasis on structural unity.

Keyphrases: Composition, Composition, Brass quintet, Piano concerto, Contrepoint, Counterpoint, Economy of means, Transitions musicales, Musical transitions, Structural unity
Facteurs de risque de ventilation mécanique prolongée aux soins intensifs pédiatriques : étude épidémiologique descriptive

Rationale. Invasive mechanical ventilation is associated, if prolonged, with higher morbidity and mortality. Up to 64% of children hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) require invasive ventilation but little epidemiological data are available on children requiring prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation. Objectives. To determine the incidence rate and early risk factors for prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation in children. Methods. We conducted a retrolective longitudinal cohort study over a one-year period. All consecutive episodes of invasive mechanical ventilation in the PICU of Sainte-Justine Hospital were included. Risk factors for prolonged (≥ 96 hours) versus short (< 96 hours) ventilation were determined by logistic regression.  Results. Among the 360 episodes of invasive ventilation, 36% had a length ≥ 96 hours. Following multivariate analysis, significant risk factors for prolonged acute invasive mechanical ventilation were: age <12 months, PRISM score ≥ 15 at admission, mean airway pressure ≥13 cm H2O on day one, use of continuous intravenous sedation on day one and use of non-invasive ventilation prior to intubation. Conclusion. Prolonged acute mechanical ventilation occurs in approximately one third of ventilated children. Younger children (aged <12 months) may be different from older patients and may require different strategies to decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation. Severity of illness, the aggressiveness of ventilatory support required and the use of continuous intravenous sedation on the first day of ventilation are also risk factors to consider in trials aimed at reducing mechanical ventilation duration.

Keyphrases: Morbidity, intensive care unit, pediatric, epidemiology, mechanical ventilation
Le droit à un environnement de qualité au Québec : une réponse aux problèmes de pollution diffuse?

The quality of the environment has become a growing concern in the recent years for Quebec citizens. Phenomena such as climate change, persistent organic pollutants and the depletion of the ozone layer are caused by several sources, the effects of which cannot be distinguished one from the other and/or linked to a specific event. Furthermore, these phenomena have yet to create damage to Quebec residents in order to create the necessary standing for the introduction of legal proceedings. Also, the scientific uncertainty related to the source of potential damage and to the proof of said damage makes it impossible to legally attack the emitters of the pollutant contributing to this type of environmental phenomena under 1457 C.C.Q. or 976 C.C.Q. We have identified the 3 potential sources of a right to a clean environment which could entitle Quebec citizens to go before the courts in environmental matters, even in the absence of specific damages to their person or property. We have analysed the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Environmental Quality Act and looked at the potential right to a clean environment possibly contained therein and the legal actions that could be taken to ensure their respect. Considering the weakness of what our legal system had to propose, we have developed solutions that could be put forward in order to allow the war against climate change and other environmental phenomena of the same nature to become legally actionable.

Keyphrases: Environment, climate changes, persistent organic pollutant, ozone layer depletion, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, right to a clean environment, right to life, Environmental Quality Act
Explaining legal norm transmission using an epidemiological model : the case of employment drug testing

In this thesis, I construct an epidemiological model to explain the transmission of legal norms governing drug testing in the workplace from the United States to Canada and their subsequent spread across the jurisprudence. Employment drug testing norms thus serve as both the starting point for a reflection on how norms spread and a case study for the empirical testing of a theoretical model. I begin with the premise that many explanations of legal change – such as transplant and harmonization – are grounded in metaphors, and then argue that such metaphors work by inviting the hearer to make comparisons between the familiar and the unfamiliar. When this process of comparison is systematized, the metaphor becomes a model.  This process of systematization is applied; extending a viral metaphor into an epidemiological model. After reviewing the literature on social epidemics, I set out those aspects of epidemiological theory that may be profitably transposed to the domain of law. I then operationalize the model by applying it to a dataset composed of tribunal decisions (n=187) using computer assisted text analysis.  The results support the hypotheses generated by the model. 90% of decisions that cited American sources met the model’s criteria for infection, compared to only 64% of those that didn’t cite American sources. This supports the hypothesis of a common reservoir epidemic. Citation to those infected decisions was also positively correlated to infection: 87% of the citing population was infected, compared to only 53% of the remaining population that cited neither an American source nor one of the infected decisions that cited an American source. Similar results were obtained for third generation decisions.  This supports the hypothesis of a serial-transfer epidemic subsequent to contact with the reservoir. Positive correlation to infection was also demonstrated for particular sub-populations hypothesized to be act as points of infection and to a hypothesized vector.  In the conclusion, I argue that it is only after we have gone through the process of constructing a model and seen the strengths and limits of its application, that we have access to the full scope of the insights into the role of metaphors and models in the explanation of legal phenomena.

Keyphrases: virus, legal theory, epidemiology, virus, memetics, discourse analysis, qualitative research methods, labour law, drug testing, human rights, privacy
Triangulation of rights, balancing of interests : exploring the tensions between freedom of conscience and freedom of religion in comparative constitutional law

Freedom of religion, often recognised as “first freedom” in numerous legal traditions, also reflects the different conceptions of the place of the individual and the collectivity in society. Our study will analyse the Canadian, American and European constitutional models of freedom of religion and conscience. In a first chapter, we will examine the theoretical conceptions of religion in the social sciences as well as from the perspectives of legal approaches in order to discern the manner in which religion is conceived and to better understand its various influences. In this way, we hope to enhance our understanding of both identity and to a greater extent, culture, both in and out of law. In the second and third chapters, we will attempt to characterise the relationship between freedom of conscience and freedom of religion in Canada, as well as identify unresolved issues. In the final chapter, we will observe how freedom of conscience has been interpreted in the American legal setting as well as in the European Union, by way of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). We hypothesise that a better understanding of the relationship between the freedoms of conscience and religion can be arrived at by clarifying the theoretical conceptions of religion and conscience in comparative constitutional law.

Keyphrases: Canada, Constitutional law, Freedom of conscience and religion, Canada, European Convention on Human Rights, United States, comparative law
Le régime juridique international de la responsabilité du transporteur maritime de
marchandises sous connaissement : un échec?

Lawyers, academics and practitioners who are involved in law of carriage of goods by sea are used to working with a complex regime of carrier’s liability. The coexistence of multiple international conventions governing the regime of liability of the maritime carrier and their different and inconsistent legislative styles, have become the main reason for lack of uniformity in the field of the carriage of goods by sea. The Brussels Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Bill of Lading signed in August 25, 1924 and its Protocols amending 1968 and 1979 are based on presumption liability regime with a list of "excepted cases". A second Convention known as the Hamburg Rules of 1978 established a regime based on the presumption of fault of the carrier with two exceptions: fire and assistance or salvage. Finally, in 2009 the United Nations adopted the Convention on Contract for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea based on a ''special'' regime. This study of the three conventions attempts to analyze their legal mechanisms and the sources of their dysfunction. By analyzing the positive texts, jurisprudence, opinions and thoughts of scholars on this matter, we found that the different legal approaches adopted under these various laws do not ensure predictability and legal certainty sought out by maritime actors and courts. To overcome this complex reality, this thesis proposes an approach that will simplify the applicability of the rules of carrier’s liability, which is the objective approach.

Keyphrases: excepted cases, damages, bill of lading, carrier, due diligence, ship-owner, cargo, delay, presumption of liability, presumption of fault, seaworthiness, predictability
Promoting while checking self-interest : a conflict-based governance approach to rebalance corporate power disequilibria in Canada and the United States

The delegation of power to corporate directors and officers (Insiders), an essential trait of modern firm management in the context of capitalism, presents desirable efficiency advantages. However, it also confers broad discretion to Insiders . This discretion, when unchecked, may lead to self‐interested opportunistic behaviour detrimental to the firm and to the outside shareholders (Outsiders) who supply finance to the firm but do not have management power. Conflicts between Insiders and Outsiders may emerge from either general governance decisions or from particular transactions (ie. takeovers). In extreme cases, these conflicts can lead to the bankruptcy of the firm or, in more typical cases, to the extraction of private benefits for Insiders, shareholder expropriation and value‐reducing actions for the firm. We take the perspective of an outside shareholder to explore corporate governance mechanisms available in the US and Canada. After reviewing in Part 1 the core theories underlying the study of power in the modern corporation (separation of ownership and control and agency conflicts), we focus in Part 2 on the (1) internal governance, (2) regulatory and (3) market mechanisms through which both Insiders and Outsiders draw power. We examine how Outsiders can harness these mechanisms to check Insiders, as well as to prevent and resolve various types of conflicts. In Part 3, we explore a corporate power equilibrium that helps to minimize Insider opportunism, while reserving sufficient Insider discretion for effective firm management. We make the case for strengthening protections for shareholders and provide an overview of potential legislative reform paths.

Keyphrases: Corporate governance, Shareholder rights, Elections, Compensation, Compensation