NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Homme immigrant cherche homme : (re)formations de subjectivités ethnosexuelles en contexte post-migratoire au Québec

This thesis calls for reconceptualising the dominant narrative about the life course of immigrant men with non-normative sexualities. Far from being a migration from tradition to modernity, from oppression to liberation, their life course is a more complex story of mobility and visibility inscribed in unequal social relations. Far from being torn between a homophobic "ethnic community" and a racist "gay community", their story is one of (re)established bonds over significant social interactions. At the intersection of multiple and conflicting norms, there is a process of (re)formation of subjectivities, both constrained and empowered by these norms.  Two corpuses are combined: a critical discourse analysis of visual and textual representations of ethnic and religious difference in three major gay magazines in Québec and a grounded theory analysis of semi-structured interviews. These interviews were conducted in Montréal with thirty immigrant men who have love and/or sexual relationships with other men.  The images show a tendency to reduce the body of men of color to exotic and erotic objects on magazines’ covers. In addition, the texts bring forward a narrative of sexual liberation by migration which reproduces the dominant dichotomies.  A much more complex story emerges, however, from the interviews’ analysis. On the one hand, the experience of migration is modulated by various social phenomena beyond the single sexual liberation and homophobia is insufficient to understand the status of non-normative sexualities both in countries of origin and "ethnic communities": it is rather heteronormativity that renders inferior some sexual and gender practices. On the other hand, the experience of visibility constraints is only very partially signified by the idea of a "closet": these men rather express the vast potential for experiences in a "tacit" space, allowing many to live their non-normative sexuality without telling it explicitly. Finally, contrary to the rejection of religious accommodations expressed in gay magazines, interviews show a real potential for accommodation of religion and sexuality that, despite tensions, maintains religious faith or spirituality while living sexuality.

Keyphrases: racisation, queer, homosexuality, immigration, racialization, intersectionality
Problèmes de premier passage et de commande optimale pour des chaînes de Markov à temps discret

We consider diffusion processes, deﬁned by stochastic differential equa-  tions, and then we focus on ﬁrst passage problems for Markov chains in dis-  crete time that correspond to these diffusion processes. As it is known in the  literature, these Markov chains converge in distribution to the solution of the  stochastic differential equations considered. Our contribution is to obtain ex-  plicit formulas for the ﬁrst passage probability and the duration of the game  for the discrete-time Markov chains. We also show that the results obtained  converge in the Euclidean metric to the corresponding quantities for the diffu-  sion processes.  Finally we study an optimal control problem for Markov chains in discrete  time. The objective is to ﬁnd the value which minimizes the expected value of  a certain cost function. Unlike the continuous case, an explicit formula for this  optimal value does not exist in the discrete case. Thus we study in this thesis  some particular cases for which we found this optimal value.

Keyphrases: Discrete-time Markov chains, Fnancial mathematics, Diffusion processes, Absorption problems, Difference equations, Wiener process, Special  functions, Optimal control, Principle of optimality
Estimation utilisant les polynômes de Bernstein

This thesis focuses on the presentation of the Bernstein estimators which are recent alternatives to conventional estimators of the distribution function and density. More precisely, we study their various properties and compare them with the empirical distribution function  and the kernel method estimators. We determine an asymptotic expression of the first two moments of the Bernstein estimator for the distribution function. As the conventional estimators, we show that this estimator satisfies the Chung-Smirnov property under conditions. We then show that the Bernstein estimator is better than the empirical distribution function in terms of mean squared error. We are interested in the asymptotic behavior of Bernstein estimators, for a suitable choice of the degree of the polynomial, we show that the Bernstein estimators are asymptotically normal. Numerical studies on some classical distributions confirm that the Bernstein estimators may be preferable to conventional estimators.

Keyphrases: Non-parametric density estimator, asymptotic properties, empirical processes, almost sure limits, simulation study
Caractéristiques des structures turbulentes de l'écoulement et du transport en charge de fond en rivière à lit de graviers lors de la montée d'une crue

In gravel-bed rivers, bedload transport is an intermittent process related to many variables of the fluvial system whose prediction is still unreliable. Available models for prediction of bedload transport use mean hydraulics variables and generally do not consider turbulence even if coherent turbulent flow structures in rivers are highly energetic. New approaches to bedload transport investigation can shed light on this very important process in alluvial channels. In this thesis, we document these components of the fluvial system in a gravel-bed river during a flood. The objectives of the research are to: 1) investigate the effect of discharge on turbulent variables and turbulent coherent flow structures, 2) investigate the effect of discharge on bedload transport events statistics detected with a newly developed and tested algorithm and 3) link turbulent flow characteristics to individual bedload transport events. Turbulence data shows that at high water level, the decelerated flow has a low coherency and an isotropic turbulence where coherent turbulent flow structures have a short duration. These observations differ from those made at low water level where the accelerated flow corresponds to what is generally observed in uniform flows of gravelly channels. Frequency distributions of bedload transport events variables (mean bedload transport rate, event duration and time interval between successive bedload events) have different shapes for the two investigated flood intensity. At high water level, bedload transport is less intermittent that at low discharge where distributions are more characterised by rare events. Flow velocity acceleration on a short time scale has a positive effect on bedload transport, but mainly when the mobilizing flood is under bankfull stage. Results from the study show that turbulence properties and complex relationships between turbulence and bedload transport are a function of discharge.

Keyphrases: Turbulence, Coherent turbulent flow structures, Gravel-bed rivers, Bedload, Flood, Non-uniform flow, Individual bedload transport event
L’analyse et la mise en œuvre du développement d’une communauté virtuelle de pratique pour les infirmières en santé scolaire au Québec

School health nurses, are professionals working in health community network and who perform work with youth and their families in schools. This area of nursing involves an autonomous practice without colleagues nearby, thus limiting advisory access to colleagues. Isolation is a feature of the work of school nurses. This has an impact on their ability to continuing education, which makes this branch of industry demanding and difficult (Smith, 2004). Barriers that contribute to feelings of isolation from the school nurse are physical, social and organizational (Smith, 2004). Barriers that contribute to the sense of isolation of the nurse in the school environment are physical, social and organizational (Smith, 2004). In addition, school nurses have a unique professional role because they lie on the border between the areas of education and health care. The success of school nursing practice requires an understanding of the two environments and effective negotiation with stakeholders of the two sectors.  This requires autonomy of the nurse, a quality that can be difficult to develop. Autonomy, as described by Simmons (2002), is a source of independence, professionalism and innovation. Perceptions that color the practice of school nursing vary depending on the expertise of the school nurse. So there is a need to consider realistic and effective ways to overcome the perceived barriers, promote independence and facilitate knowledge sharing. The development of a virtual community of practice for school health nurses who work in Quebec (CVP-ISSQ) proved to be an innovative tool to address a need. I've started this CVP in 2010 to meet the perceived needs and since no other study only became interested in it.  This work presents a review and an analysis of the concepts followed by the development of a conceptual framework to support the operation and ensure the sustainability of a virtual community of practice for nurses in school health. A conclusion emerged to the effect that the modalities of communication have evolved dramatically in recent years and as all professionals, nurses must take advantage of this tool to share ideas and best expertise.

Keyphrases: knowledge transfer, practice of school nurses, virtual community of practice
Le débat démocratique en neurosciences : possible et
nécessaire

The neurosciences, a dynamic field of biomedical research, are a paradigmatic example to illustrate the responsibilities of researchers and their interactions with society. This comment highlights the importance of public debate in neurosciences.

Keyphrases: neurosciences, neurosciences, public deliberation, knowledge transfer
Developmental trajectories of marijuana use and psychological distress : exploring the co-occurrence of these phenomena in early adolescence

Early adolescence is period of rapid changes where psychological distress and marijuana use experimentation are common occurrences. Longitudinal studies examining the association between these two phenomena have provided mixed results and many questions prevail regarding the nature of this association. The purpose of this study is to examine the patterns of co-occurrence between marijuana use and psychological distress in early adolescence.  A sample of 448 adolescent boys and girls attending two high schools in Montreal, Canada was followed from Grade 7 to 9. From 1999 to 2001, the participants completed an annual survey which included measures of marijuana use and psychological distress (IDPESQ-14).  Using a semi-parametric group based modeling strategy, the study has for objectives to establish the developmental trajectories of marijuana use and psychological distress in early adolescence, to explore how marijuana use or psychological distress measured at baseline is associated with various developmental trajectories and to examine the interrelationship of these two phenomena as they concurrently develop over the span of our study.  Our results provide evidence that marijuana use and psychological distress are phenomena with great heterogeneity as they develop over time.   We identified 3 trajectories of marijuana use: Light Users, Increasers and High Chronics and 3 trajectories of psychological distress: Low, Medium and High. Our findings also demonstrate that adolescents who reported psychological distress at baseline were more likely to follow problematic trajectories of marijuana use when compared to light users and the reverse of the association was also true since adolescent who reported marijuana use at baseline were more likely to follow an elevated trajectory of psychological distress. Our joint trajectory analysis demonstrated that the developmental patterns of co-occurrence of marijuana use and psychological distress are complex.  Our study provides evidence that adolescents following a trajectory of elevated psychological distress are at increased risk of also following a trajectory of elevated marijuana use but adolescents following a problematic trajectory of marijuana use are not necessarily at greater risk of following an elevated trajectory of psychological distress.  Our study highlights the presence of an asymmetrical relationship between marijuana use and psychological distress in early adolescence.

Keyphrases: marijuana use, psychological distress, depressive symptomatology, early adolescence, co-occurrence, semi-parametric, developmental trajectories, joint trajectory analysis, marijuana, adolescence
Un aspect méconnu de l’île de Montréal : les occupations amérindiennes du Sylvicole supérieur à la fin du XVIIe siècle

The main aim of this thesis is to define and characterize the native presence on the island of Montreal during the period extending from the Late Woodland to the end of the 17th century, and to attempt to understand the role of the Mount Royal within this context. On the basis of landscape archeology theories, we study the human landscape’s creation and the way by which these places affect the behavior and identity of their occupants. Using the continuity of repetitive tasks associated with the concept of taskscape, we have tried to establish a model of occupation reflecting the dynamic and strategic use of the landscape with regard to colonial policies. The method adopted is a holistic approach based on archeological, historical, ethnohistorical and ethnographic data from archeological excavation reports, oral traditions and various colonial documents dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. This study has made it possible to determine various areas associated with different perceptions of landscape reflecting a continuity strategy regarding the conceptualization, organization and manipulation of space following land appropriation by the colonial government.

Keyphrases: Canada, taskscape, Montreal, First Nations, colonialism, contact culture, landscape archaeology, taskscape
L'état de stress post-traumatique-complexe : un concept novateur à explorer

Maltreatment is a risk factor that may hinder the normal development of children. The principal objective of this thesis is to better understand complex posttraumatic stress disorder, by evaluating it and documenting its relationship with other variables. This thesis includes two empirical articles. The objective of the first article is to develop a measure of complex posttraumatic stress disorder for French-speaking adults. The psychometric properties of the translated version of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress-Self-Report (SIDES-SR) were tested through preliminary analyses with 438 French-speaking adults from the general population and the University of Montreal. Results demonstrate that the instrument has a factor structure of five factors similar to the English version of the instrument. The factors obtained are: 1) pessimistic beliefs about others and future, 2) managing emotions, 3) avoidance of physical and sexual contact, 4) somatization, and 5) risk-taking behaviours. The internal consistency of 4 of the 5 factors varies from acceptable to very satisfactory, while their temporal stability and convergent, divergent and concurrent validity are acceptable. The purpose of the second article is to examine the contribution of complex posttraumatic stress disorder found in mothers and parenting practices (monitoring and abusive punishment) on psychological symptoms reported by children victims of sexual abuse. Symptoms of 96 mothers and their rearing practices were assessed using self-report measures, while children’s symptoms were measured with an instrument designed for children. Results demonstrate that, after controlling for sociodemographic variables and characteristics of the child sexual abuse, complex posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with several symptoms in children. The moderating role of maternal monitoring in the relationship between complex posttraumatic stress disorder of mothers and symptoms of depression and opposition of children is also demonstrated. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed concerning the results obtained in this doctoral project.

Keyphrases: Complex posttraumatic stress disorder, Sexual abuse, Assessment, Parental Practices, Externalizing symptoms, Internalizing symptoms
Estimation des corrélations phylogénétiques entre paramètres d'évolution moléculaire et Traits d'histoire de vie

In recent years, molecular evolution seeks to characterize the variation and intensity of selection through the ratio between non-synonymous and synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS). The dN/dS measure was either used to study the history of the variation of the intensity of selection over time or to detect episodes of positive selection. Correlations between selection and variations of the effective population size interfere in these measurements. The Comparative method can measure correlations between quantitative traits along a phylogeny. They are also be used to test hypotheses of correlated evolution of life history traits, like the body mass, and the substitution rate. We propose an approach combining the comparative method based on the principle of independent contrasts and a model of molecular evolution in a Bayesian probabilistic framework. By integrating along a phylogeny both ancestral reconstructions of lines and of dN/dS we estimate the covariance among traits and between traits and parameters of the model of molecular evolution. A hierarchical model was implemented in the software coevol published during this master. This model allows the simultaneous analysis of multiple genes within a single model. Parallel calculations allow increasing the size of the model to the genome scale. We studied placental mammals, where many complete genomes and phenotypic measurements are available. Based on theories of life history traits, our method is expected to characterize the association of groups of genes in biological processes related to the studied phenotypes.

Keyphrases: Bayesian, molecular evolution, phylogeny
Lier les présents aux absents : 
regards sur la condition d’exilé dans les littératures libano-québécoise et arabe contemporaine

Exile is a condition of displacement and a phenomenon that affects great masses of people today. Although this experience exists since the proverbial beginning of time, its parameters are changing in the present context of globalization, which transforms the role of nations and where societies are characterized by greater mobility and cultural diversity. The profound psychological and cultural transformations of identity – inward and outward – to which people are confronted through displacement can be understood as a condition per se, an exilic condition. This condition with moving marks, and which develops in a discontinuous temporality and as a necessarily painful experience, has been the source of prolific literature and of literary studies in the 20th century and before. How, differently then, does the 21st century gaze at this condition ? In this thesis, four works are analyzed in which the authors present different visions of the exilic condition. Two main lines of thinking have been explored around this condition: Edward Said embraced a critical and political posture while Julia Kristeva conceived of exile in its psychological dimensions. Within these analytic perspectives, Mourid Barghouti’s autobiography has affinities with Said’s approach as it inaugurates an autonomous condition. Through Rawi Hage’s novel, a more psychological experience of exile is observed, one that is more violent and traumatic. It sheds light on the undeniable impact of the environment on the experience of exile in the host country. If the relation to the host country stays dysfunctional, a pathological attitude to the exilic experience may develop. Abla Farhoud’s novel explores the possible overcoming of the pathologies of exile through distance, age, time, and words, the distance needed for Dounia. Finally, the psychological limitations of exile can be overcome by translating the “unspeakable” in violence, by a return to the pre-exilic traumas, and by a collective sharing of this restorative work. Mouawad’s play also exposes the psychological dimension of exile, but it also maintains its critical and political ones. We observe through these analyses that the exilic condition demands a redressing of the traumas that preceded exile, understood as another trauma, so that the exiled can exist in an autonomous, creative and committed way in his or her society of adoption. For the last three authors, this society is Québec, which shows openness to, and comprehension of, the major issues of the exilic condition in the 21st century.

Keyphrases: Migration, Violence, Exile literature, Loss, Displacement, Heritage, Trauma
Détection et caractérisation de naines brunes et exoplanètes avec un filtre accordable pour applications dans l'espace

This thesis determines the capability of detecting faint companions in the presence of speckle noise when performing space-based high-contrast imaging through spectral differential imagery (SDI) using a low-order Fabry-Perot etalon as a tunable filter. The performance of such a tunable filter is illustrated through the Tunable Filter Imager (TFI), an instrument designed for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).  Using a TFI prototype etalon and a custom designed test bed, the etalon’s ability to perform speckle-suppression through SDI is demonstrated experimentally. Improvements in contrast vary with separation, ranging from a factor of 10 at working angles greater than 11 lambda/D and increasing up to a factor of 60 at 5 lambda/D. These measurements are consistent with a Fresnel optical propagation model which shows the speckle suppression capability is limited by the test bed and not the etalon. This result demonstrates that a tunable filter is an attractive option to perform high-contrast imaging through SDI. To explore the capability of space-based SDI using an etalon, we perform an end-to-end Fresnel propagation of JWST and TFI. Using this simulation, a contrast improvement ranging from a factor of 7 to 100 is predicted, depending on the instrument’s configuration. The performance of roll-subtraction is simulated and compared to that of SDI. The SDI capability of the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS), the science instrument module to replace TFI in the JWST Fine Guidance Sensor is also determined.  Using low resolution, multi-band (0.85-2.4 um) multi-object spectroscopy, 104 objects towards the central region of the Orion Nebular Cluster have been assigned spectral types including 7 new brown dwarfs, and 4 new planetary mass candidates. These objects are useful for determining the substellar initial mass function and for testing evolutionary and atmospheric models of young stellar and substellar objects. Using the measured H band magnitudes, combined with our determined extinction values, the classified objects are used to create an Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for the cluster. Our results indicate a single epoch of star formation beginning 1 Myr ago. The initial mass function of the cluster is derived and found to be consistent with the values determined for other young clusters and the galactic disk.

Keyphrases: Astronomical instrumentation, Brown dwarfs, Planetary mass objects, Fabry-Perot etalon, Extrasolar planets, Data analysis and techniques, JWST, Spectral differential imaging, Orion