NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Étude de l’immunité antivaricelleuse chez l’enfant transplanté au moyen de moelle osseuse ou de sang de cordon ombilical

Primary infection with VZV and reactivation of latent VZV are commonly observed following BMT and UCBT, leading to serious complications in patients. As a result, antiviral prophylaxis is systematically administered to BMT and UCBT recipients, yet there is no consensus that defines its optimal duration. To resolve this problem, our objective was to develop and validate a VZV-IFN--ELISpot with which reconstitution of VZV immunity can be followed in BMT and UCBT recipients, providing clinicians a practical tool to gauge the need for and adjust antiviral prophylaxis in individual HSCT recipients. First of all, threshold values for anti-VZV immunity in healthy pediatric subjects were generated. Based on our results, a child exhibiting > 190.0 VZV-specific SFU /106 PBMC should be protected against a possible VZV infection. To validate these results, a prospective study on the recovery of VZV-specific T cell immunity was performed on 9 children following BMT or UCBT. Preliminary results demonstrated that there was no significant recovery of VZV-specific T cell immunity in the first 18 months post-transplantation in 8 of 9 cases.  Results of these experiments will yield important new information regarding reconstitution of anti-VZV immunity following BMT and UCBT and could lead to improvements in clinical management of BMT and UCBT recipients.

Keyphrases: Varicella-zoster virus, Zona, ELISpot, Herpes zoster, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Le design urbain au Québec : étude de la transposition des prescriptions empiriques dans la pratique urbanistique

Urban design, a dimension of urbanistic practice, principaly consists in urban forms manipulations according to a formal and targeted approach. Approaches are numerous and diversified, altought they can be classified in two categories: those who consider the urban form as an object including the city's formal organisation and those who consider the work on the urban form as a way to organise the city's humane dynamics. Both of them support specific planning approaches that contribute to the urban form and location dynamcs developpement.   Among these, the empirical type vision targets the pedestrian scale urban experience. Litterature and theories are various and pertinent. The present research concerns transposition of empirical prescriptions in the planning of a project that includes an urban design approach. Threw a case study, Montreal's Cité du Multimédia, the goal is to understand more specificaly how the public space, urban design's master grid, is studied considering the empiric dimension of the developpement. What are the markers or components allowing the empirical dimension to develop in the planning of a project that includes reformulation of the urban form?

Keyphrases: Design, Urban, Design, Space, Neo-empiricism, Neorationalism
Polymorphisme de la capside des papillomavirus appartenant à l’espèce
9 des alphapapillomavirus

The L1 gene encodes for the major capsid protein of human papillomaviruses (HPV). There is limited information on the polymorphism of L1 for types related to HPV-16. This report explores the polymorphism of L1 in phylogenetically-related types 31, 33, and 35 compared to HPV-16. Genital specimens collected from 732 HIV-seropositive and 323 HIV-seronegative women were screened for HPV DNA with consensus L1 PCR. Cervical samples positive for HPV-16 (n=74), -31 (n=78), -33 (n=37), and -35 (n=58) were further characterized by PCR-sequencing of the complete L1 gene. The number of nucleotide substitutions within L1 ranged from 19 for HPV-33 to 52 for HPV-31. The ratio of the number of variants/number of isolates tested was higher for HPV31 (56.4%, p=0.05) and HPV-35 (60.3%, p=0.04) compared to HPV-16 (40.5%), while this ratio was lower for HPV-33 (24.3%), although not significantly (p=0.14). The maximal distance between HPV variants was greater in the five putative surface-exposed loops of L1 than in sequences outside the loops (p<0.01). Synonymous variations were encountered in 1.7% (95% CI 1.1-2.3) of nucleotides inside the L1 loops and 2.4% (95% CI 1.2-3.7) of nucleotides outside the L1 loops. Non-synonymous variations were encountered in 1.8% (95% CI 1.1-2.5) of nucleotides within the L1 loops and 0.2% (95% CI 0-0.4) of nucleotides outside the loops. dN/dS ratios were below 1.0 in extra-loop and intra-loop regions, but they were lower in extra-loop regions. These results suggest that sequences within and outside the hypervariable loops of L1 were under selective constraint.

Keyphrases: Cancer, Vaccin, Polymorphism, HPV-16, Capsid, Cancer, Vaccine, HPV, Polymorphism
Physiological and behavioural effects of dextroamphetamine on Beagle dogs : a placebo controlled study

Several veterinary behaviour texts/handbooks used in practice, distinguish hyperactivity or hyperkinesis from over-activity by using the physiological and behavioural responses of dogs given amphetamines. It is presumed that true hyperactive or hyperkinetic dogs given 0.2 - 1.0 mg/kg dextroamphetamine orally will paradoxically calm down, and have at least a 15% reduction in heart and respiratory rates. The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of an oral dose of 0.2 mg/kg dextroamphetamine on heart rate, body temperature, motor activity, and discrete behaviour sequences in Beagle dogs. Reliability of a collar mounted accelerometer, Actical® as an objective measure of motor activity was also investigated.  The study design was a placebo controlled cross-over study. Twelve research colony Beagle dogs (13 - 20 months old) received an oral dose of 0.2 mg/kg dextroamphetamine as treatment. Baseline and post-treatment values for body temperature, heart rate, motor activity, and general behavioural changes, were obtained using rectal temperature, video recordings and Noldus® software, Polar® monitor (heart rate), and a collar mounted Actical®. A repeated measures model indicates that dogs receiving an oral dose of 0.2 mg/kg dextroamphetamine had a significantly (p = 0.044) reduced heart rate compared to placebo. There was no effect of treatment on the dogs’ body temperature, motor activity, or other behaviours such as “lip-licking”, “panting” and “yawning”. There is a significant linear and positive relationship between the gross motor activity as measured by observational video and the Actical® counts (p < 0.0001). Results from this study indicate that Beagle dogs may display some paradoxical effects in the 90 minutes following an oral dose of 0.2 mg/kg dextroamphetamine.

Keyphrases: Beagle, Canin, Hyperkinesis, Dextroamphetamine, Accelerometer, Hyperactivity, Activity, Beagle, Canine, Behaviour
Évaluation du lactate sanguin chez les chiens atteints de cancer

Cancer is considered a cause of type B hyperlactatemia in dogs. However, studies evaluating cancer as a cause of clinically relevant type B hyperlactatemia (≥2.5 mmol/L) are lacking. It is well accepted that cancer cells have a higher lactate production due to increased aerobic glycolysis, known as the Warburg effect. The mechanisms through which aerobic glycolysis occurs are not well elucidated but it has been suggested that neoplasia may cause type B hyperlactatemia via this process.  The aim of this study is to determine if canine malignant tumors could be associated with a clinically relevant type B hyperlactatemia (≥ 2.5 mmol/L).  Thirty-seven dogs with malignant tumors were included: 22 with hematopoietic and 15 with solid tumors. Histology was used to confirm the diagnosis (cytology was considered appropriate for lymphoma). Confounding factors associated with hyperlactatemia were excluded. Lactate measurements were obtained from a free flow jugular whole blood sample and immediately analyzed using the LactatePro®.  All dogs had lactate values less than 2.5 mmol/L. The mean blood lactate concentration was 1.09 mmol/L. The mean blood lactate concentration for solid and hematopoietic tumor was 0.95 mmol/L and 1.19 mmol/L respectively. Dogs with lymphoma (n = 18) had a mean blood lactate concentration of 1.15 mmol/L.  Malignant tumors were not considered a cause of clinically relevant type B hyperlactatemia. Therefore, cancer related type B hyperlactatemia in dogs with cancer is uncommon and its diagnosis should prompt careful investigation for causes other than cancer.

Keyphrases: Lactate, Cancer, Warburg, Lactate, Cancer, Warburg, Hyperlactatemia, Dog
L'ALÉNA et la marchandisation de l'eau douce

Since it came into force in 1994, the NAFTA has and continues to bring up questions regarding its implication in regards to the freshwater resources of its parties, Canada, the United States and Mexico. The main criticism is that freshwater could be considered a product under NAFTA. NAFTA’s wording does not prohibit the commodification of freshwater, nor does the 1993 Joint Declaration issued by the governements of Canada, the United States and Mexico, because of its formulation, content and legal status. The pressures to allow the commodification of this vital resource are powerful. Yet, the commodification of freshwater has negative impacts that need to be addressed in this master’s thesis.

Keyphrases: Canada, NAFTA, free trade, water, commodification, United States, Mexico
Étude des transitions de phases dans le modèle de Higgs abélien en (2+1) dimensions et l'effet du terme de Chern-Simons

We investigate, via Monte Carlo simulations, non-perturbative properties of a 2+1 dimensional Abelian Higgs model without and with the Chern-Simons term in the symmetry broken phase in terms of its topological excitations: vortices and anti-vortices. The aim of the present work is to understand what phases exist for the system in that sector and the effect of the Chern-Simons term on the confining potential induced between external charges found by Samuel. We formulate a lattice description of the effective model starting from a tetrahedral tessellation of Euclidean three space to generate non-intersecting closed vortex loops. In the presence of the Chern-Simons term, for a given configuration, we formulate and compute the linking number between different closed vortex loops. We analyse properties of the vacuum and compute the expectation value of Wilson loop operator, Polyakov loop operator at different temperatures and the 't Hooft loop operator in the presence of the Chern-Simons term.  In the absence of a Chern-Simons term, as we vary the mass of the vortex loops, we find two distinct phases in the symmetry broken sector, the usual Higgs phase and a novel phase which is heralded by the appearance of the so-called infinite loops. On the other hand, we find that the force between all external charges is screened, corresponding to a perimeter law for the Wilson loop implying no confinement. However, after the transition, we find that small external charges are still screened, but after a critical value of the external charge, free energy diverges. In the presence of Chern-Simons term, and in the limit where the coupling constant is low for Chern-Simons we find that the behavior of Wilson loop does not change: it is still a perimeter law, implying no confinement. Moreover, the Chern-Simons term does not contribute to the Wilson loop. 'tHooft loop behaves like a perimeter law too.

Keyphrases: Abelian Higgs, Confinement, Chern-Simons, Vortex-antivortex pair, Vortex loop, Linking number, Simulations Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo simulations, Phase transition
Étude de l’effet des médicaments antiplaquettaires sur la fonction plaquettaire : de la variabilité de réponse à l’effet rebond

By inhibiting the formation of blood clots, antiplatelet drugs significantly reduce the risk of acute ischemic events. However, a subpopulation of patients suffering from coronary artery disease presents with an inadequate inhibition of platelet function despite taking acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) daily. The first part of this thesis demonstrates that accelerated platelet turnover could partly explain the variability in the persistence of the antiplatelet effect of ASA in some coronary artery disease patients. These results suggest that increasing the frequency of administration of ASA from once to twice daily may be beneficial in selected patients. Meta-analyses have suggested that an inadequate platelet response to ASA may increase the risk of recurrent ischemic events.  The retrospective nature of these analyses forbids the inference of causality.  In the second part of this thesis, the results of a prospective study comparing the clinical relevance of 6 platelet function tests commonly used to assess platelet response to ASA are presented.  The results show that none of the commonly used platelet function tests predict the occurrence of acute ischemic events in stable coronary artery disease patients. However, discontinuation of ASA is an important predictor of thrombotic events. Discontinuation of antiplatelet drugs has often been associated with thrombotic events in the days following cessation.  If the occurrence of these events is due solely to the withdrawal of a protective drug or rather platelet sensitization is a topic of some debate.  In the third part of this thesis, data are presented demonstrating that clopidogrel discontinuation, after the period recommended by current guidelines, leads to sensitization of newly formed platelets to physiological platelet stimuli.  These results encourage research on different ways to mitigate the increased risk of thrombosis in coronary artery disease patients scheduled to discontinue clopidogrel therapy.  In conclusion, this dissertation presents studies aiming to identify subpopulations of patients who are at increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events.  In this context, the personalization of treatment is a promising therapeutic avenue, where each patient can receive a targeted therapy according to his needs and contraindications.  This shift in paradigm from empirical therapy based on population data retrieved from large clinical studies to therapy tailored to individual needs opens a vast field of research, where the majority of discoveries remain to be made.

Keyphrases: antiplatelet drugs, clinical pharmacology, individualized treatment, platelets, platelet function tests, variability of response
Le totalitarisme en mouvement :
propagande, politique eugénique et la création d’un « homme nouveau » dans le Troisième Reich

The aim of this memoir is to examine and compare what could have been the consequences of the Third Reich’s totalitarian eugenics, considering the context in which this regime had the opportunity to fulfill its political ambitions. In fact, the NSDAP, the state and the authority’s structure; the various steps that led to the establishment of the Hitlerian totalitarian regime; the numerous propaganda and indoctrination exercises taken on Nazis in order to achieve the german unification; the practical purposes as well as the eugenics related discourse within the Reich and all of the occupied territories, are some of the most important aspects explaining the evolution of the Hitlerian totalitarian movement. These factors clearly demonstrate why a movement that is constantly changing its opinion about the elites and the reprobates could never have put to an end the racial purge that was in place at that time. Consequently, the ordinary German citizen would have been practically nonexistent. The Third Reich would therefore have created a new type of people through elimination and by continuously manipulating the notion of class and social ranking. The nazi conception of power, the state, race, and national unity was based on an arbitrary and erratic ideology that was, to a certain extent, acquired from the invaded people. A great many generations later, this new human being would have represented the main ethnic group of the newly formed Aryan population, a nation built upon the dead bodies of the majority of the ancient people living on the European continent, including the German.

Keyphrases: Third Reich, Propaganda, Nazism, Germany, Indoctrination, Eugenics
Extension of Wu-Peters bounds to Catmull-Clark and 4-8 subdivision

The Catmull-Clark and Loop methods are de facto industry standards. On the other hand, the 4-8 subdivision method is well suited for adaptive subdivision, because this method increases the number of faces or vertices by only a factor of 2 at each step. It is therefore more convenient when trying to achieve a given practical level of precision.     In this thesis we will introduce a method to parametrize the subdivision surfaces of Catmull-Clark and 4-8 subdivision. As a consequence, many algorithms developed for parametric surfaces will be able to be applied to Catmull-Clark and 4-8 subdivision surfaces. In particular, we can produce bounds on surface patches which are both guaranteed and realistic, similar to the bounds given by Wu-Peters [24] for the Loop method

Keyphrases: Subdvision surface, Local subdivision matrix, Patches de surface, Surface patch, parametrization
Les niveaux et les facteurs déterminants de la mortalité infantile en Nouvelle-France et au début du Régime Anglais (1621-1779)

During Quebec’s colonial era, children often died before reaching their first anniversary. Parents accepted with wisdom and resignation the death of their children; thus was the will of the Almighty. Thanks to the Registre de la Population du Québec Ancien (R.P.Q.A.) put together by the Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique (P.R.D.H), the level of infant mortality has been measured, some determining factors analyzed and an intergenerational component identified. Covering for the first time the entire French colonial period, our results confirm the importance of infant mortality in the 17th and 18th centuries (from 140 to 260 per thousand before applying corrections to account for the under-registration of deaths).   Significant disparities on account of sex, birthplace and father’s profession have been observed. Inequalities in probabilities reflect physiological differences between males and females with a 20 per cent higher risk for boys and the influence of urban or rural residence: the city of Quebec’s children died on average 1,5 à 1,2 times more than rural children. Montreal, showing extraordinarily high levels of infant mortality, still unexplained, lost 50 per cent of its children before age one, which represented 1,9 times more infant deaths than those of rural children who enjoyed a better environment. The deleterious effects of wet-nursing practices, concerning more than half of children born in wealthy urban families, devastated more and more their descendants. Furthermore, the study of the endogenous and exogenous components of infant mortality revealed that the mortality of exogenous causes explains more than 70 per cent of all infant deaths. The recurrence of infectious diseases, the lack of personal hygiene, and the insalubrities of urban environments posed serious dangers for children.   From a familial and intergenerational perspective, which views each child as an integral part of a sibship, significative risks have been observed for several determining characteristics. Teenage mothers (<20) or mothers over 35, a high birth rank (8+), a short birth interval (less than 21 months) and the death of the previous child increase infant mortality of the index child from 10 to 70%, because a child’s fate is not independent of his mother and sibling characteristics. We also found that infant mortality clustered within certain families. A positive relationship between infant mortality experienced by mothers and daughters has been found. The observed distribution of daughters having lost at least 40 per cent of their children when their mothers also lost the same proportion of their children is 1,3 to 1,9 times higher than the one expected. An intergenerational transmission of infant mortality probably existed, when controlling for period and sibship size.

Keyphrases: Mortality, Children, Family, Diseases, Wet-nursing, Sibling, Familial component, New-France
Engagement affectif, comportemental et cognitif des élèves du primaire dans un contexte pédagogique d’intégration des TIC : une étude multicas en milieux défavorisés

Conducted in low socio-economic environments, this study looks at student engagement among third cycle elementary pupils (5th and 6th grade in Québec) in the context of the pedagogical use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at school. The goal of this multiple case study was to analyze the engagement of those students using ICTs at school. Thereby we have attempted to describe ten teachers’ pedagogical ICT integration practices, to report the quality of engagement of their 230 students during ICT tasks, and to measure the evolution and quality of their engagement in accordance with the school’s socio-economic status. A cross-cultural exploratory validation of a psychometric questionnaire was therefore carried out. This essentially interpretive and descriptive research employed a mixed methodology of data collection and analysis.   This research notes that the concerned teachers granted an important pedagogical value to the use of ICTs varying in the frequency of their use, those uses most valued, and in the manner in which they are integrated in class. They largely privilege word processing and Internet research, yet few other significant uses are steadily applied. The majority preferred using four in-class computers for easier use of ICTs, rather than only having access to the school laboratory. Furthermore, they unanimously perceive that the use of ICTs has an important influence on their students’ emotional dimension during planned activities, a moderate influence on their behavioral dimension, and a more disputable influence on their cognitive dimension. More globally, the students themselves display a relatively high academic engagement. In six months, the quality of their emotional engagement remained stable, the behavioral aspect was on the rise, but the cognitive engagement declined. The results also demonstrate that those students from underprivileged environments displayed a different evolution in the quality of their engagement in accordance with their school’s level of income.   This research therefore demonstrates the importance the use of ICTs has on the quality of engagement during ICT tasks, the latter often proving to be better than in other types of learning tasks. Without being able to generalize, this study also allows one to greater grasp how student engagement is qualified and evolves for pupils at the end of elementary school in underprivileged settings. Recommendations for the setting and paths for future research are presented taking into account the limits and strengths of this doctoral thesis presented by articles.

Keyphrases: Student engagement, TIC, ICT, Socio-economic environment, Pedagogical practices, Validation transculturelle, Cross-cultural validation, Computers, Elementary school