NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Urban Detection From Hyperspectral Images Using Dimension-Reduction Model and Fusion of Multiple Segmentations Based on Stuctural and Textural Features

This master’s thesis presents a new approach to urban area detection and segmentation in hyperspectral images. The proposed method relies on a three-step procedure. First, in order to decrease the computational complexity, an informative three-colour composite image, minimizing as much as possible the loss of information of the spectral content, is computed. To this end, a non-linear dimensionality reduction step, based on two complementary but contradictory criteria of good visualization, namely accuracy and contrast, is achieved for the colour display of each hyperspectral image. In order to discriminate between urban and non-urban areas, the second step consists of extracting some complementary and discriminant features on the resulting (three-band) colour hyperspectral image. To attain this goal, we have extracted a set of features relevant to the description of different aspects of urban areas, which are mainly composed of man-made objects with regular or simple geometrical shapes. We have used simple textural features based on grey-levels, gradient magnitude or grey-level co-occurence matrix statistical parameters combined with structural features based on gradient orientation, and straight segment detection. In order to also reduce the computational complexity and to avoid the so-called “curse of dimensionality” when clustering high-dimensional data, we decided, in the final third step, to classify each individual feature (by a simple K-means clustering procedure) and to combine these multiple low-cost and rough image segmentation results with an efficient fusion model of segmentation maps. The experiments reported in this report demonstrate that the proposed segmentation method is efficient in terms of visual evaluation and performs well compared to existing and automatic detection and segmentation methods of urban areas from hyperspectral images.

Keyphrases: Images AVIRIS, Gradient, AVIRIS images, Fusion of label field, GLCM, Hyperspectral image, K-means clustering, Line segment detector, Non-linear dimension reduction, Histogram, Urban area, Detection and segmentation, Features extraction
Adolescents agresseurs sexuels : l’alliance thérapeutique et la motivation au changement en contexte d’autorité

The scientific literature pertaining to adolescent sexual aggressors indicates that it is a population which often seems to be resistant to change (Rich, 2003).  It is important to identify the reasons that promote or compromise the intervention with this clientele. The therapeutic alliance and the motivation to change are among the factors that have demonstrated a positive influence. However, taking into consideration the dynamic nature of the latter, few studies have documented the particularities of their respective development, especially when the adolescent sex offenders are placed in a context of authority. The current study makes it possible to better understand the contribution of individual and environmental traits on the development of a therapeutic alliance and the process of change with this youthful clientele.  Based on a quantitative data from 166 adolescent sex offenders tracked in different centers specialized in sexual delinquency in Quebec, the results from correlational and multi-varied analysis show a significant relationship between a set of individuals and environmental characteristics, and the development of the therapeutic alliance and motivation to change. Indeed, different personality traits, cognitive distortions, social skills, post-traumatic stress and coping strategies are more or less linked with the establishment of a helping relationship and motivation to change behaviour. In addition, the characteristics of the institutional environment and the perception of social support received, appear to be factors that generally positively influence the variables under study.  The Transtheoretical Model of Change enlightens the results in such a way that the factors explaining the motivation may differ from one step to another in the cycle of change. Thus, the services available to youth who have committed a sexual assault must take into account the degree of motivation, since it seems to be associated with specific individual and environmental characteristics.  Finally, it is important to note that the findings of this study do not establish causal relationship between variables in the study. Nonetheless, the results show the importance of awareness of the changing factors, which can differ from one step to the next in the cycle of change and those associated with the development of a therapeutic alliance.

Keyphrases: Intervention, Young sexual offenders, Readiness to change, Therapeutic alliance
L’art de raconter une bonne histoire : une analyse de la couverture médiatique des gangs de rue au Québec

The media attribute a great significance to criminal events. However, those are not all reported in the same way. The media treatment of one generally depends of its sensationalism. The more impressive the event is, the more importance will be given by the media. Although street gangs have been very much present in the news content for several years, very few studies have assessed the extent to which the phenomenon is appealing to the media in relation to all criminal news. Considering the importance of media content and its impact on our society, the present study focuses on this question in order to determine whether the news about street gangs are treated differently. The sample of this study consists of 417 reports from Radio-Canada’s TV channel and Internet content, from that 210 are related to street gangs and 207 don’t bear on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the audiovisual and digital media present a more specific aspect of the phenomenon. Reports about street gangs are also more detailed and benefit from a greater mediatic treatment, regardless the medium of information used. Independently of the components that determine what make good news, the events involving street gangs and their members seem to receive a special media treatment.

Keyphrases: Street gangs, Audiovisual media, Digital media, Components of newsworthiness, Media coverage
Arrestation et placement en détention avant jugement : points de vue et expériences des justiciables

This thesis aim to understand and analyze the experiences of individuals placed in pretrial detention. More specifically, this study aims to clarify that lived on the judicial and prison components involved in a remand. We want more free from the felling of such an investment. Finally, we wanted to reflect on the use of pretrial detention from the perspective of justice based on risk management and on the logic of efficiency, effectiveness and accountability. To do this, we used a qualitative approach to conduct our twenty-three interviews with men and women incarcerated awaiting trial in four detention facilities in Quebec. From these interviews, two main themes emerged, namely The judicial and prison experiences of the accused, marked by uncertainty, incomprehension, helplessness, dependency, difficult conditions of detention, losses and expectation and Sentiments from a remand, marked by suffering, injustice and the urgency out of this temporary situation. It is clear from our analysis that the way the system is administered justice, public opinion and the policies in effect have an impact on how to manage the use of remand in promoting the opposite of its original. Thus, the measurement is to be conducted at the expense of the main actor: the accused.

Keyphrases: prison, prison, detention before trial, process, system of justice, lived, experiences, representations
La légende urbaine des snuff movies : histoire, théorie, esthétiques, technologies

The following study proposes a historical analysis of the urban legend of snuff movies. First, it examines the emergence of this rumor in the American media landscape of the 1970s, while focusing on the cinematic objects having reinforced its credibility, mainly stag and mondo movies. This memoir subsequently analyzes the major influence two events had towards implementing this urban legend into the collective imaginary, namely the assassination of Sharon Tate and the circulation of the Zapruder film. After studying the persistence of the rumor, this essay focuses on the promotion and exploitation of Snuff (1976), offering, in addition, an analysis of this feature film. Following this, this essay addresses two types of snuff representation in fiction film, as well as their impact on the authentication of the urban legend. First, there is the issue of the staging of snuff in popular cinema, taking inspiration from the rumor in order to update it in return. Secondly, is studied the representations of snuff as fake documents, namely the works attempting, through various processes, to pass for genuinely illegal films, thus authenticating the objects they are a reference to. Because this study analyzes the evolution of the media surrounding the urban legend, it concludes on its displacement from the cinema to the Internet, and the new credibility allowed by macabre videos, child pornography and the recent Magnotta case.

Keyphrases: Snuff movies, Snuff movies, Aesthetics, Death on film, Fake documents, Cinephilia, Film mediations, Exploitation cinema, The imaginary
L’idiotie du réel : de Clément Rosset à Hong Sangsoo

In this master’s thesis we will focus on the idiocy of reality in the work of two authors: Clément Rosset, a French philosopher, and Hong Sangsoo, a South-Korean filmmaker. As a hypothesis we will defend that both Rosset and Hong, through their theory of reality, come to the same conclusion: the reality is “idiot”, not in the sense of stupid, but in its primary meaning, in other words “singular, without any glare or double” (Rosset). To verify this assumption we will first build a theoretical framework based on Clément Rosset’s definition of the “réel”. This theoretical framework will allow us to problematize the use of the zoom, the narrative construction and the temporal games present in three Hong Sangsoo movies that we will analyze: “The Power of Kangwon Province” (1998), “Night and Day” (2007), “The Day He Arrived” (2011). Finally, in the last chapter we will discuss and observe what may be the consequences of recognizing or not the idiocy of any reality, in philosophical terms and for cinematographic creation.

Keyphrases: Hong Sangsoo, Clément Rosset, réel, zoom, Night and Day, contemporary cinema, contemporary philosophy, real, reality, idiocy, musicality, repetition, The Power of Kangwon Province, The Day He Arrived, hazard
Tendances de la fécondité canadienne au XIXe siècle : analyse des recensements canadiens de 1852 et 1881

This mémoire presents a detailed, indirect analysis of fertility levels of the Canadian population in the nineteenth century. The use of Canadian censuses of 1852 and 1881 is made possible through the Programme de recherche en démographiehistorique (PRDH) and is the source of data on which this mémoire is based. A critical analysis of the 1852 Census of Canada, one-third of which was destroyed prior to microfilming, establishes that it is representative with respect to the gender, the age, the marital status, the place of birth and the sort of house; the total or partial absence of data on cities is mitigated by the fact that less than 10% of the population in 1852 was city-dwellers. The use of census microdata allows the opportunity to elaborate different measures of fertility, including child-woman ratios and own-child measures of effective fertility. The use of the 1852 census allows us to extend this analysis backward to the mid-nineteenth century. A differential analysis of the risk that married women aged 40 to 49 lived with children aged 0 to 4 years demonstrates that effective fertility was highest among Canadian-born Catholics, aged between 40 and 44, living in a rural area and married to a farmer. We conclude that these associations were evident both in 1852 and in 1881.

Keyphrases: Canada XIXe siècle, reproduction, historical demography, fertility, 1852 and 1881 Canadian Census, Canada nineteenth century
Le jour où la Terre en avait vu d'autres. Tome 1 ; suivi de La tension ajarienne

The creative part of this Master’s thesis is based on curiosity about the main character, at first enigmatic, who is to be revealed in an unpredictable way with continuous focal and temporal changes. Nathan lives in an era in which humanity came close to extinction, and where everything is to be rethought after the annihilation of the virus that brings the dead back to life. As a saltimbanco, he travels from community to community, in which each one has made choices to recreate the world. His will to advocate art in the social reconstruction and his pursuit of a lost image will always drag him further in his peregrinations, towards realities that will lead him to redefine his universe. The essay part examines the literary techniques that create the narrative tension of novels authored by Émile Ajar, pseudonym of the accomplished writer, Romain Gary, who reinvents himself anonymously. The attention is centered on the narration, actantial roles of the characters and formal organization of the story, to ascertain if they are similar enough to link them in a unified series. This reflection searches for the essence of Ajar’s work which, along with the moving existential quests of the characters, have been an inspiration for writing Le jour où la Terre en avait vu d’autres. Nathan’s dreams are related in a first person narration, in accordance with some of Ajar’s modalities where the characters’ psyches reveal themselves through that perspective. The ponderings on the narrative tension have been the trigger for this first fiction writing experience, even though it takes place in a completely different setting.

Keyphrases: Émile Ajar, Apocalypse, Communities, Existential quest, Dream, Living dead, Humanity, Narrative tension, Writing techniques, Series
Le rôle modérateur de la pratique d’un sport organisé  dans la relation entre les amis déviants et l’intoxication à l’alcool et la consommation de cannabis à l’adolescence

Substance use generally emerges during adolescence and, even if prohibited, is widespread at that age. However, it can have severe consequences on human development. It is important to better understand the factors that influence the frequency of drug use in order to reduce risk. This research project aims to examine the role of deviant friends and organized sport practice in the development of alcohol abuse and cannabis use in adolescence. More specifically, this study aims to determine whether an organised sport practice held a moderating effect on the relationship between deviant friends and alcohol abuse and cannabis use. Analyzes were performed separately for alcohol and cannabis. The sample is drawn from the longitudinal study of New Approach, New Solutions and includes 4219 adolescents. Probit regressions were performed and showed, as expected, that deviant friends are associated with alcohol abuse and cannabis use. In addition, the results support the protective moderating role of organized sport practice for alcohol. Youth who has deviant friends and participate in organized sport generally consume less alcohol that youth who has deviant friends and is not involved in organized sport activity. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Keyphrases: Cannabis, Adolescence, Longitudinal, Substance use, Alcohol, Cannabis, Deviant friends, Organised sport participation, Adolescence, Protective factors, Longitudinal
La RNase P mitochondriale chez Neurospora crassa

Abstract Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an endonuclease that cleaves 5’- leader sequences from tRNA precursors and a few other small RNAs. In most cases, the enzyme is a ribonucleo-protein complex (ribozyme), containing an RNA subunit (P-RNA; encoded by the rnpB gene) that carries the active centre of the enzyme, plus one or more protein subunits. P-RNAs in Bacteria, Eukarya and Archaea have a highly conserved secondary structure including the core P1 and P4 helices. P4 forms the catalytic site of the ribozyme, and P1 pairs the RNA termini, stabilizing overall structure and protecting from nuclease degradation. For processing of mitochondrial (mt) tRNAs, certain eukaryotic species (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus nidulans) have separate mtDNA-encoded P-RNAs (of bacterial origin). Mt P-RNAs are often less conserved, and difficult to discover. To identify rnpB genes, we have developed a search tool based on sequence plus secondary structure profiles. It predicts all known eukaryotic (nuclear and organellar) rnpB genes with high confidence (based on E-values).  In fungi, many ascomycetes encode a mitochondrial rnpB gene, including all members of Aspergillus. Yet, the closely related Neurospora crassa, Podospora anserina and Sordaria macrospora lack an mtDNA-encoded gene version. Instead, they contain two nuclear gene copies with slightly different sequences. My project aims to elucidate the evolution of mitochondrial RNase P in these three closely related species.  We have established secondary structure models based on comparisons with the universal minimum consensus secondary structure for all nuclear gene mtP-RNAs copies in all three species. By comparison of these secondary structure models, we have established that the two nuclear copies of rnpB gene are quite distinct in sequence and structure, suggesting a specialization of function. In N. crassa, both P-RNAs are modified most likely by capping, and 5’- 3’ termini perfectly conform to P-RNA structure models that have an elongated P1 helical pairing. Furthermore, we find that the two nuclear copies of rnpB gene are present at about the same level in the cytoplasm, and that the shorter form of P-RNA (Nc1) translocates into the (soluble) mitochondrial matrix. When tracing P-RNA in different mitochondrial sub-fractions of a native gel, the presence of Nc1 and mitochondrial RNase P activity are associated. A proteomics characterization of a P-RNA complex isolated by native gel electrophoresis reveals that it contains at least 87 proteins, 73 of which are of known mitochondrial localization. Like in yeast, the complex contains proteins potentially involved in other DNA/RNA processing activities, but also in translation, in metabolism, and in protein folding. Only three proteins are of unknown function.

Keyphrases: ribozyme, N. crassa, ribonucleoprotein, ascomycetes, mitochondrial processes, maturation of tRNA precursors
L'impact de la violence conjugale post-séparation sur la maternité de femmes de minorités visibles au Canada

Although a woman can be denigrated, humiliated, abused and controlled, it is not easy for her to leave her abusive partner. Some of them will try to get out of this context, yet will often face post-separation violence. Contrary to popular belief, violence does not necessarily cease once the woman has left the abusive partner. The former violent partner may use tactics such as harassment, threats, refusing to give financial support, etc. (Bourassa,2010) For some cultural communities, enormous pressures are reserved for women who want to separate from her spouse: they will dishonor their entire family (Carbonneau, 2005). These mothers will see their victimization added up to other barriers such as living in a racist society, not speaking the language of the country, being isolated, being afraid of deportation, not knowing the resources available to them, or to cope with unsuited services. Although the post-separation violence has similar and varied consequences, the impact of culture and values can influence the perception of the problem. Thus, peer pressure and family values can make a woman decide to remain silent in front of both conjugal and post-separation violence.

Keyphrases: Violence, Conjugal, Abuse, Post-separation, Racism, Victim, Domestic, Maternity, Minority, Ethnic, Oppression
Perceptions et discours d’adolescents en difficultés de comportement face à leur consommation d’alcool et de drogue

Adolescent drug and alcohol consumption is a major concern, and the focus of much research.   This paper aims to explore adolescent perception of, and influences on, drug and alcohol consumption, through a qualitative, secondary analysis of 30 interviews of adolescents with behaviour problems. The first chapter of this report reviews the literature on the various factors influencing drug and alcohol consumption in teens with behavior difficulties, including the different environments in which they live. Two theoretical constructs are used to explore adolescent consumption: the bioecological approach, which positions the teenager in the context of his or her global environment; and the theory of social representations, which highlights the internal perceptions of those concerned.   The second chapter of this paper describes the qualitative methodology used in the collection and analysis of data.  The third chapter presents the results of this research, which reveal that the young participants were able to identify the different factors influencing their consumption in various levels of the different contexts, even if they did not overtly describe the macrosystem. The results indicate two different profiles of consumption: one for young people who start using earlier and then later decrease their consumption; and one for those who start later, and whose consumption has continued to increase. In terms of the frequency of use, many participants in this study follow the former profile, thus they have already started reducing their consumption. Participant speech is similar to what is indicated in the literature.  The fourth chapter of this study schematically presents what is indicated in the scientific literature along with what the participants say, and also identifies some of the key concepts that emerge from the adolescents’ descriptions. The paper concludes with some reflections on practice and ideas for future research.

Keyphrases: Adolescents, Behavioural problems, Drug or alcohol consumption, Social representations, Influences
Activité électrocorticale lors du traitement de stimuli émotionnels et différences sexuelles associées à la schizophrénie

Prominent disturbances in the experience, expression and emotion recognition in patients with schizophrenia have been relatively well documented over the last few years. Furthermore, sex differences in behavior and brain activity associated with emotional processes have been reported in the general population. It is therefore surprising that so little has been done to further our understanding of potential differences between sexes in schizophrenia. In the present study we compared the behavioral and electrophysiological responses related to emotional processes of individuals with schizophrenia and individuals from the general population, while taking into consideration the valence and arousal of presented stimuli, as well as sex of tested participants. These data were measured with the help of event-related potentials (ERP) during passive viewing of emotional pictures. Activation of components P200, N200 and P300 were compared in 18 schizophrenia patients (9 women and 9 men) and 24 controls (13 women and 11 men). The ERP analysis revealed that valence and arousal influences early and late components independently, which demonstrates the importance of investigating these two emotional dimensions. Moreover, several significant differences between groups (i.e. clinical vs. control and men vs. women), attributed to the valence and arousal, were found in the ERP data in the stream of emotional processing. Also, data from gonadal hormones show that progesterone may have a functional impact on emotional processes among women and men. However, further studies are needed to better understand the role of gonadal hormones in neuropsychopathology.

Keyphrases: Schizophrenia, Event related potential, Emotions, Sex differences