NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Nature et fonction du consentement au sein de l’éthique de la sexualité

What are the conditions under which we can say that sexual acts are morally permissible? More specifically, what role should consent play in determining the moral permissibility of sexual acts? I will first expose the nature of consent and outline its performative character as well as its essential components, whose absence would invalidate consent. On this basis, I will then establish three possible structures: the first structure takes consent to be a sufficient and necessary condition of the moral permissibility of sexual acts; the second structure considers that consent is necessary but not sufficient to moral permissibility; and, according to the third structure, consent is neither sufficient nor necessary to moral permissibility. I will then try to see what other conditions are required to complement or replace the condition of consent. More specifically, I will discuss a theory that Raymond Belliotti proposed in his 1993 book Good Sex, a theory that seems to comply with the second structure. To conclude, I will argue that most conditions that complement or replace the condition of consent in the sexual realm could be thought of either as redundant because they are already included in the initial definition of consent, or as a restriction of the individual freedom inherent to liberal ethics.

Keyphrases: Philosophy, Ethics, Consent, Sexuality
Trouble mentaux graves, toxicomanie et violence : étude qualitative du point de vue des personnes contrevenantes

This thesis offers a first look at the subjective experience of violent behaviour manifested by individuals who present a severe mental disorder and a substance abuse disorder. The first chapter presents an adaptation of Goldstein’s psychopharmacological and economic-compulsive models (1985), based on a literature review. The second and third chapter present a qualitative analysis of a series of interviews conducted with mentally disordered offenders from a Canadian penitentiary who are incarcerated for violent crimes. These chapters explore the inmates’ perceptions of the influence of the substance abuse on the various aspects of their lives and of its contribution in the realization of their crime. The results show that almost half of the subjects were of the opinion that their violent crime resulted from the direct influence of the substance abuse on their mental illness, on their behaviour or on their cognitions. The others attributed the responsibility of their violent crime to the gradual deterioration of their general psychosocial functioning (meaning their gradual inability to hold a job, to feed themselves, to maintain housing accommodations, as well as social, familial and love relationships) that results from the social and economical consequences of substance abuse. Based on these results, the second and third chapter discuss the applicability of the psychopharmacological and economiccompulsive models to this population. All three chapters are presented in the form of a scientific article.

Keyphrases: trouble mental grave, alcool, étude qualitative, severe mental illness, substance abuse, alcohol, drugs, inmates, qualitative analysis
Platanthera blephariglottis : une espèce indicatrice de l’intégrité écologique des tourbières ombrotrophes au Québec

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether White Fringed Orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis var. blephariglottis) can be used as an indicator of Sphagnum bog integrity. Ecological indicators of integrity are important tools as it is impossible to monitor efficiently all components of an ecosystem. Results indicate that White Fringed Orchid abundance is highly linked with floristic quality assessment index (FQAI). FQAI is also a good predictor of presence of the species, with an accuracy of 87%. On the other hand, orchid abundance is negatively affected by anthropogenic activities and the environmental matrix. Similarly, peatlands having low edge effect are characterized by higher orchid abundance than those more influenced by edges. From a descriptive perspective, high orchid abundance habitat is characterized by low surface microtopography, high bryophyte and small ericaceous covers. Globally, this study has shown that White Fringed Orchid has potential to evaluate ecological integrity in Sphagnum bogs in Québec.

Keyphrases: Platanthera blephariglottis, Platanthera blephariglottis, Orchid, Bog, Bog, FQAI, FQAI, Ecological integrity
Régions de susceptibilité dans les remaniements du chromosome Y et mosaïcisme : facteurs de risque du développement sexuel anormal

Sexual development is a complex process which depends on numerous genes, mutations possibly resulting in an abnormal sexual development. Furthermore, chromosome abnormalities can have important repercussions on gonadal determination, especially when it comes to the Y chromosome since it carries the master gene of male sexual development. First, we identified by molecular cytogenetics the breakpoint in 5 patients with an X;Y translocation and 10 patients with an isodicentric Y chromosome. We were thus able to show that some regions are more at risk of being rearranged, especially when they contain palindromes or other repeated sequences. We were also able to establish a relationship between the distance separating the centromere from the breakpoint and instability of isodicentric Y chromosomes during cell divisions. Second, we studied by cytogenetics the gonads of patients with a normal or rearranged Y chromosome and presenting an abnormal sexual development. We demonstrated loss of the rearranged Y chromosome in a majority of gonadal cells of the 10 analyzed patients, explaining their abnormal sexual phenotype. On the other hand, in 11 of the 12 patients with a normal Y chromosome, no mosaicism clearly explaining their abnormal gonadal determination was found. Finally, we also analyzed by immunohistochemistry the dysgenetic gonads of 30 patients with an abnormal sexual developement and a normal or rearranged Y chromosome. We showed the presence of immature germ cells in primitive sex cords as undifferentiated gonadal tissue in 15 gonads, including 9 that evolved in a gonadal tumor. In 13 other gonads, these immature germ cells had disappeared through apoptosis. Altogether, our research demonstrates that the Y chromosome is susceptible to rearrangements and can be unstable through cell divisions, and that mosaicism may have repercussions on gonadal determination. Our work also shows that undifferentiated gonadal tissue can evolve in two entities, a gonadal tumor or a streak following apoptosis of germ cells, thus emphasizing the necessity of studying the gonads of XY patients with gonadal dysgenesis when gonads are left in place.

Keyphrases: cytogenetics, Y chromosome, infrastructural rearrangements, susceptibility regions, mosaicism, gonadal tissue, sexual development, disorders of sex development, undifferentiated gonadal tissue
Automaticité dans le coeur ischémique : analyse de bifurcation d’un modèle mathématique de cellule ventriculaire humaine

Acute ischemia (restriction in blood supply to part of the heart which can result in myocardial infarction) induces major changes in the electrophysiological properties of the ventricular tissue. Extracellular potassium concentration increases in the ischemic zone, leading to an elevation of the resting membrane potential that creates an “injury current” between the infarcted and the healthy zone. In addition, the lack of oxygen impairs the metabolic activity of the myocytes and decreases ATP production, thereby affecting ATP-sensitive potassium channels. A frequent complication of myocardial infarction is tachycardia, fibrillation and sudden cardiac death, but the mechanisms underlying their initiation are still debated. One hypothesis is that these arrhythmias may be triggered by abnormal automaticity. We have investigated the effect of ischemia on myocyte automaticity by performing a comprehensive bifurcation analysi(fixed points, cycles and their stability) of a human ventricular myocyte model (Ten Tusscher, 2006) as a function of three ischemia-relevant parameters: extracellular potassium, injury current, and ATP-sensitive potassium current. In this single-cell model, we found that automatic activity was possible only in the presence of an injury current. Changes in extracellular potassium and ATP-sensitive potassium current significantly altered the bifurcation structure as a function of IS, including the occurrence of early-after-depolarization. The results provide a sound basis for studying higher-dimensional tissue structures representing an ischemic heart.

Keyphrases: Ischemia, coeur, cardiac, myocyte, bifurcation, infarction, automaticity, bifurcation, arrhythmia
Adorno et le projet d'une théorie dialectique de l'oeuvre d'art

The project of a dialectical theory of the artwork is probably one of the most complex aspects of Theodor Adorno’s thought. The aim of this thesis is neither to summarize this project nor to do justice to its full complexity. What I propose, more specifically, is to present three interrelated ways of understanding Adorno’s project. The first concerns the aim and relevance of contemporary philosophical aesthetics. The question here is how Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory contributes to a revitalization of philosophical aesthetics. By juxtaposing traditional categories, which seem inappropriate to the experience of modern art, and contemporary aesthetic experience, I show how Adorno’s negative dialectical philosophy provides a relay of sorts between the traditional and the modern, made necessary by modern art itself "at a time when it is becoming an object of reflection". The second perspective concerns questions of interpretation and presentation, centered on Adorno’s explorations of the essay as “form” and the concept of parataxis, as discussed in Notes to Literature. Here I focus on how these explorations intersect with key concepts in his Aesthetic Theory and his early essay on “The Actuality of Philosophy”: interpretation, truth content, and enigmaticity. Finally, I propose a more specific reflection on dissonance that illustrates and “materializes” aspects of the first two perspectives.

Keyphrases: Adorno, art, dissonance, philosophy, adorno, dialectic, aesthetic, art, dissonance
Les TIC à l’école élémentaire : étude du processus de construction des usages pédagogiques des TIC chez des instituteurs sénégalais

Senegal has elected to use ICT as a strategic lever to improve teaching and learning outcomes in elementary schools. However, this option raises questions, for instance, how and why to develop pedagogical uses of ICT. This study aims to describe and analyze the process and factors involved in ICT integration into the teaching practices of Senegalese elementary school teachers. It is based on an ICT integration model drawn from Sandholtz, Ringstaff, and Dwyer (1997), Karsenti, Savoie-Zajc, and Larose (2001), and Poellhuber and Boulanger (2001). Six elementary school teachers in Dakar’s education system who have been working for at least four years on integrating ICT into classrooms were selected for a multi-case study. Six semi-structured individual interviews were conducted, complemented by a questionnaire, observation of ICT integration practices, and a documentary analysis for additional information and triangulation. The results are presented in three articles, each providing an in-depth examination of one aspect of the research objective. What emerges is that the six participants use ICT according to their specific profile. They use ICT at home for information gathering, communication, and classroom preparation, and in the classroom for research and documentation, editing and publishing, and thematic and subject learning with students. The comparative analyses show that their training (initial and in-service) has inadequately prepared them to integrate ICT into their teaching practices. Instead, pedagogical teams have initiated projects for ICT integration, and teachers have used individual self-training and organization strategies as well as collective and cooperative training strategies to improve their use of ICT and overcome difficulties. This process is supported by various contextual, institutional, and social factors. In addition, they share attitudes, beliefs, and epistemic and psychosocial approaches, which drive them to continuously upgrade their ICT integration practices. This study aims to better understand the process by which an elementary school teacher progresses from personal to professional and pedagogical ICT use, and the factors that influence the cooptation and appropriation processes involved. Models of ICT implementation and ICT integration stages are proposed. These can be shared and incorporated into teacher training materials. The results of this study could help educators define use contexts and to design pedagogical and psychosocial tools for ICT training. The hope is that teachers will develop behaviors and attitudes that favor ICT integration into teaching practices.

Keyphrases: Elementary school, Teaching practice, ICT pedagogical integration, ICT integration factor, ICT uses
L'influence d'un modèle sur le chant des amusiques : une solution au chant faux?

Our goal was to examine to what extent poor musical memory affects singing in congenital amusia. Eleven amusic individuals and 11 matched controls were asked to sing a familiar melody on the original lyrics and on the syllable /la/. Participants first sang the melody from memory, and then imitated the melody either after or in unison with a pre- recorded model. The results show that amusic individuals benefit from singing by imitation (after and along with a model). The amusics who exhibited severe memory impairment benefited most from the model, particularly when singing on the syllable /la/. These results point to music memory as a source of impairment leading to poor pitch singing, and to imitation as a useful aid for them.

Keyphrases: Imitation, Congenital amusia, singing, memory, model, imitation, pitch errors
Impact de la récolte sur la survie et la croissance de deux plantes médicinales cries, Sarracenia purpurea et Rhododendron groenlandicum, dans le Nord du Québec

Over the past few decades, the popularity and use of medicinal plants have increased in Western civilisation. Consequently, harvesting plants from wild populations has increased. Using this perspective, the principal goal of my thesis is to assess the impact of harvest on two medicinal plants (Sarracenia purpurea and Rhododendron groenlandicum) used by the Cree Nation of Northern Québec. To achieve my goal, the simulation of four harvesting intensities (S. purpurea) and of two harvesting methods (R. groenlandicum) were setup in experimental plots and an annual follow up were conducted on establishment and growth. Results show that harvesting methods used on R. groenlandicum should exclude new shoots, since their exploitation results in high mortality rates. For S. purpurea, harvesting of individuals does not seem harmful under 20% of harvest, but is critical when 50% or more are collected. Furthermore, a matrix population model of S. purpurea demography was built from field observations.  This model was used to simulate population projection in time under different levels of harvest when varying the number of years between harvests. These results demonstrate that collecting 20% of individuals should be done only once every 20 years to remain sustainable. A more efficient and regular harvest of 5% every three years would be sustainable. My project allowed defining acceptable levels of harvest in order to insure sustainable exploitation of two Cree medicinal plants bearing interesting potential for treating type II diabetes related symptoms.

Keyphrases: Conservation, Conservation ecology, Ethnobotany, Medicinal plant, Matrix modeling, Population dynamics, Sustainability, Harvesting simulation, Cree nation
Étude structurale conformationnelle des toxines de l’anthrax par cryo-microscopie et dynamique moléculaire

The anthrax toxins are part of the A-B toxin family in which the B moiety binds to the cell membrane allowing subsequent translocation of the A moiety. In the case of anthrax, the B moiety consists of the Protective Antigen (PA), and the A moiety is composed of the two proteins Edema Factor (EF) and the Lethal Factor (LF). After being recruited by the cell receptors (CGM2 or TEM8), PA organizes itself into a heptamer. It can bind up to three ligands (either EF or LF) before being endocytosed. Current models suggest that the decrease of pH inside the endosomes allows a conformational change of PA from a prepore form to a pore form that allows the EF and LF ligands to pass through the pore and enter the cytoplasm. However, the pore diameter is about ten times smaller than the diameter of the ligands (10Å versus 100Å). A process of ligand folding / unfolding has been proposed, but remains controversial.   To identify the mechanism by which EF and LF enter the cytoplasm, we have used cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional image analysis to determine the 3D structure of the PA-LF complexes in the pre-pore and pore conformations. Then, we used molecular dynamics to modelise at high resolution the different interactions that occur within the complex.   The 3D structure of the pre-pore complex bound with three LF ligands has been determined at 14Å resolution. We also calculated a preliminary structure of the LF-bound pore complex. These structures have never been reported before. They provide the necessary information to study in depth the mechanism of anthrax infection in vivo.

Keyphrases: Protective Antigen, Cryo-EM, Lethal Factor, conformations, Molecular Dynamics, 3D structure, Anthrax toxins
Les relations d’accords : proposition pour un système d’organisation harmonique structurelle au sein d’un discours non-tonal

The composer of instrumental music inevitably finds himself, in the act of writing, faced with the problem of pitch organization, a key element of musical structure in the Western practice. Following in the footsteps of many composers and theorists of the twentieth century, the research presented here tries to elaborate a harmonic system which possesses a syntactic structure in a non tonal environment, based on the importance of patterns for music perception and for establishment of hierarchical relationships essential to musical organization. The development of this system - based on the linking of groups of chords in an attempt to constitute significant structural units - was carried out as part of a research-creation approach via the composition of two major works. The first, Pictures of a Revolution, is a work in five movements for symphonic orchestra, a musical testimony of historical events that marked the countries of Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain : Warsaw 1944, Budapest 1956, Prague 1968, Gdansk 1980 and Berlin 1989; and the second, 24 Preludes after Chopin, is an exercise in appropriation of a landmark work of the piano classical heritage. The detailed description of the chord relationship system and the in-depth analysis of annexed works are preceded by a discussion of the relationship between the composer and his composition system, relationship approached from the point of view of semiology through the concept of tripartition proposed by Nattiez and Molino.

Keyphrases: Music, Composition, Composition, Piano, Piano, Twentieth century, Harmony, Atonality, Perception, Perception, Semiology, Chopin, Chopin
Étude du travail collaboratif dans les blogs au sein d’un cours à l’Université de Montréal

New operations of distance learning represent new education’s modalities in higher education. These operations imply use of adapted learning environment, which promote collaborative work situations. Collaboration within these tools result from interaction between students and also from modalities work and support put in place by teachers in order to make sure that these interactions are clear for students. Thus, the question that leads this study case is as follows. What characterizes the collaborative work of students in blogs under ETA 6538 course? Specifically, we want to understand how students collaborate within blogs and what indicators are conducive to such collaboration. Following our study, we propose a list of recommendations to promote the establishment and conduct of collaborative work in blogs, as well as indicators that can be used for evaluation of the collaboration. The concepts used in this thesis are related to the process of acquiring knowledge from the collaboration from the interactions among ICT, online learning systems, especially blogs. We used a type of both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Blogs of eight students were tested. The results of these studies show that students have collaborated in blogs and together they have emerged from new knowledge and skill.

Keyphrases: Collaboration, Collaboration, Blog, Blog, Interaction, Interaction, ITC, Elearning, Asynchronous elearning
La théâtralité de la prose narrative dans les"Chroniques du Plateau Mont‐Royal" de Michel Tremblay 

What happens when a successful playwright attempts to play the part of a chronicler? How does the influence of the theatre manifest itself in his narrative prose? At a time when the question of the canonic genres seems to have become obsolete and where the notions of intergenericity and hybridism seem more apt at explaining modern esthetical practices, we chose to target the various ways in which theatricality inscribes itself in Michel Tremblay’s Chroniques du Plateau Mont-Royal. Our first chapter looks at the ostensive manifestations of theatricality in the six stories. Through recourse to figures such as hypotyposis and other distancing processe, like mise en abyme, the address to the reader and the aside, the reader witnesses a recurrent manifestation of the spectacular device. Our second chapter targets the dramatization process of the novelistic. Through an impetuous movement that makes comic and tragic, reality and fantasy, sublime and grotesque, excess and lack alternate and even cohabit, the author claims not only a mix of genres and tonality within his works but he also provokes an outbidding of processes which aim at triggering a catharsis within the reader. Our third chapter outlines the theatricality modes of the novelistic voice. Through the implementation of a double discursive regime which oscillates between the author’s self-effacement and enunciation and rhapsodisation, the writer’s novelistic word reflects the great stakes of contemporary playwriting.

Keyphrases: Prose  narrative, Grotesque, Narrative  prose, Theatricality, Dramatization, Distance, Mimesis