NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
A Hauntology of Sheila Watson's The Double Hook

This thesis consists of a study of haunting, both at the textual and fictional level, in Sheila Watson’s The Double Hook. In this hauntology of the novel, I explore the texts and cultural archetypes that haunt Watson’s novel as well as the ghosts, spectral figures, and haunting spaces and places represented in the novel. The theoretical movement of hauntology introduced by Jacques Derrida in Specters of Marx is a fundamental work in contemporary studies of the tropes of the Gothic and of a more generalized haunting that threatens notions of stability in our understanding of existence. Moreover, the haunting figures and texts in Watson’s novel subvert the heterogenous conception of a national discourse in Canada. The insights provided by scholars such as Marlene Goldman, Margaret Turner, and Cynthia Sugars, who are concerned with what Watson’s use of spectral figures in her narrative accomplishes in relation to writing the settler-colonizer nation of Canada, contribute to informing my argument about the place Watson’s novel occupies in the Canadian collective imaginary. In the first chapter of this thesis, I focus on the textual hauntings in the pages of Watson’s novel. Indigenous myths, Christian rituals, conventions of the western and regional novel, and modernist texts haunt the novel’s structure, content, and the language that constitutes it. In the second chapter of this thesis, I direct my attention towards the haunting and haunted figures that exist in the world created by Watson. In both chapters, my goal is to converse with the specters I see in the novel, to give a voice to what is not explicitly said and to find what lies between the fragments of Watson’s experimental prose.

Keyphrases: Hauntology, Sheila Watson, The Double Hook, Specters, Ghosts, Canadian Literature, Ontology
Les facteurs de risque dynamiques associés à l’agression sexuelle chez les cyberdélinquants

The governments will to fight against child sexual exploitation has contributed to put in place strategies to improve the detection of online offenders and to apply laws that more severely condemn these kind of behaviors (Department of Justice of Canada, 2018). The effective management of these individuals by the criminal justice system involve the evaluation of their risk to reoffend. However, sexual abuse appears to be under detected among internet offenders, with 12 % of all internet offenders officially detected for a contact offense whereas about 50 % of them disclose having engaged in a contact sexual offense when self-report data are examined (Seto, Hanson & Babchishin, 2011). The justice system needs to better detect internet offenders at risk of sexual abuse for prevention purposes and to help these individuals not escalate to contact offending. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the presence of dynamic risk factors and contact sexual offending among online offenders. The sample included 124 offenders who had committed an internet sexual offense and were subsequently classified based on whether or not they self-reported sexual offense (s) not detected by the law enforcement. The sample was comprised of 41 detected online-only offenders, 26 detected mixed offenders (both online and contact offenses), 15 undetected online-only offenders and 42 undetected mixed offenders. Comparisons between online-only and mixed offenders were examined on sexual interest in children, sexual preoccupation, sexual coping, cognitions supporting sexual abuse against children and cognitions supporting online sexual offenses. Results show that the cognitions supporting sexual abuse against children was predictive of a contact offense among online offenders. These results provide support to theoretical models suggesting that antisocial orientation is associated with contact sexual offending.

Keyphrases: Online sexual offender, Sexual abuse, Risk factors, Detection status, Internet sexual offense, Sexual interest in children
Le travail de l’Intelligence artificielle : rapport au travail et coup d’œil sociodémographique

In Montreal, with an abundance of public subsidies and private investment, Artificial intelligence is on everyone's lips. Emerging in Quebec's metropolis is an ecosystem conducive to the development of smart technologies, giving birth to new types of businesses. After illustrating the socio-demographic qualities of the professionals drawn towards this field, this dissertation aims to trace the work-specific relationship developed by young workers who choose to work in this promising sector. Through a qualitative study, the author examines what employment conditions look like in this emerging sector of the tech industry. The findings in this paper highlight the changing culture of work and how it has increasingly become a way of expressing oneself as an individual. It captures in action the construction of meaning that these young and highly qualified workers attribute to their professional sphere in order to escape the flexibility and precariousness responsible for the erosion of the so-called wage society.

Keyphrases: Artificial intelligence, Relation to work, Youth, Fourth industrial revolution, Sociodemography
Perspectives parentales concernant la santé et le développement des enfants prématurés : contrastes entre la vision parentale et l’évaluation des professionnels de la santé

Objective: Measuring outcomes of premature birth is essential for quality control, research, patient care and information. At 18 months corrected age, children are classified into categories of severe, mild-moderate or no neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). Outcomes of interest have been chosen by physicians and researchers, never including parental perspectives.  The aim of this thesis was to explore parental perspectives regarding their preterm child. Hypothesis: The hypothesis was that parents’ perspectives and concerns would differ from those assessed by professionals.  Method: This survey included 190 infants born <29 weeks of gestational age in one tertiary university health center. Infants underwent detailed developmental assessment and were classified according to NDI. Parents were asked two open-ended questions: “What concerns you most about your child?” and “Please describe the best things about your child”. Open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative methodology, then correlated with level of NDI. Results: In this cohort, 49%, 43% and 8% had no, mild to moderate, and severe NDI. The main positive themes invoked by parents included their child’s personality (61%), happiness (40%), developmental outcome/progress (40%) and physical health (11%). Main themes regarding parental concerns included: neurodevelopment (56%) and physical health (24%). There was no association between positive themes and categories of NDI, but parents of children with mild-moderate NDI reported more concerns about development. Conclusions: Parents of preterm infants have a balanced perspective of their children, mostly positive. Neonatal outcome research would benefit from incorporating parental perspectives regarding their child, balancing prognostic information about preterm birth. This thesis project has led to the creation of a qualitative questionnaire which is now deployed through a CIHR Child-Bright initiative considering parent-important outcomes.

Keyphrases: handicaps, perceptions parentales, very preterm infants, outcomes, development, neurodevelopmental impairment, parental perceptions, parental perspectives, parent-important outcomes
14-3-3ζ overexpression improves tolerance to acute and chronic cold exposure in male mice

Adaptive thermogenesis is a mechanism of heat production primarily mediated by brown fat. In some instances, cold exposure or adrenergic stimuli can convert white adipocytes into brown-like or beige adipocytes during a process termed “beiging”. Both beige and brown adipocytes express higher levels of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and can release energy in the form of heat following lipid oxidation. The activation of these thermogenic adipocytes increases energy expenditure to reduce body weight in rodents, and it has been postulated to be a promising therapy for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. We previously identified an essential role of the molecular scaffold, 14-3-3ζ, in adipogenesis, but its roles in other adipocyte processes is uncertain. An early identified function of 14-3-3 was its ability to regulate the enzymatic activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, which is indispensable in the production of norepinephrine for thermogenesis. Thus, our study aims to investigate whether 14-3-3ζ influences the development and function of beige and brown adipocytes. We report here that one allele deletion of the gene of 14-3-3ζ did not affect acute cold tolerance. On the other hand, transgenic overexpression of 14-3-3ζ in male mice (TAP) improves cold tolerance due to enhanced beiging with a remarkable increase in Ucp1 mRNA and protein in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT). Interestingly, beiging is increased in the TAP mice without any changes in sensitivity to beta-adrenergic stimuli, sympathetic innervation, or norepinephrine content being detected between WT and TAP mice. TAP mice also displayed significantly lower thermal conductance decreasing heat loss during the chronic cold challenge. Collectively, our results point to a novel role of 14-3-3ζ in beiging and increases our understanding of how adaptive thermogenesis is regulated.

Keyphrases: 14-3-3ζ, Beiging, Browning, Adaptive thermogenesis, Brown adipocytes, Beige adipocytes, 14-3-3 proteins
Les effets de la règle de la mise en échec sur les fonctions exécutives et l’état psychoaffectif de jeunes hockeyeurs au cours d’une saison

Athletes from contact sports are introduced to repetitive subconcussive impacts at a young age. Although concussions represent a major concern in public health as they can alter cognitive functions, little is known about subconcussive impacts and the role they might have in the hypothetical neurodegenerescence of the brain. Subconcussive impacts are registered at a smaller velocity than concussive impacts and therefore are not associated with concussion-related sign or symptoms. However, these impacts occur at a higher frequency as they are part of contact sports like hockey, American football and soccer. The brain receives multiple subconcussive impacts during a season or an entire career. Adolescent hockey players are introduced to body checking at the age of 13-14 years old and brain functions like executive functions are not completely developed until the end of adolescence. Also, executive functions are responsible for task planning, inhibition and working memory. Moreover, these functions seem to be afflicted in the long term after one or multiple concussions. The purpose of this project was to explore the effects of subconcussive impacts on executive functions and the psycho-affective state of adolescent hockey players competing with different types of body checking rules. Thirty-eight participants were recruited from the age of 12 to 17 years. They were grouped according to the type of body checking rules they played with during the season, which were physical contact (PC), restrictive body checking (RBC) and full body checking (FBC). Executive functions were assessed using a colour-shape paradigm of the switch task. Psycho-affective state was assessed with self-reported questionnaires. Participants completed this protocol at the beginning and the end of their hockey season. A 3 × 2 × 2 ANCOVA did not reveal any interaction, nor main effect of the type of body checking (PC; RBC; FBC), history of concussion (HOC; no HOC) and time of the season (Pre; Post) on the results of the switch task and the self-reported questionnaires. Therefore, this suggests that the rule of body checking is not sufficient to cause any alteration of executive functions or any change in the psycho-affective state of adolescent hockey players.

Keyphrases: Adolescence, Subconcussive impacts, Adolescence, Concussion, Executive functions, Switch task
Anomalies oculaires chez le modèle murin C57Bl/6Toupee : implications sur la variabilité phénotypique du syndrome CHARGE et sur le rôle de FAM172A dans le développement oculaire

CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic disease for which the acronym stands for the main characteristics initially identified to describe the syndrome: coloboma, heart problems, choanal atresia, retarded growth and development, genital anomalies and ear defects. Patients present highly variable combinations of anomalies, even between members of the same family. The main cause of this syndrome is a mutation in the CHD7 gene, but new genes whose mutation can also give rise to this syndrome, such as FAM172A, were recently identified. The Fam172a gene is mutated in the Toupee mouse model, which presents the main characteristics of CHARGE syndrome. Interestingly, while FVBToupee animals present coloboma in a strong proportion, 55% of B6ToupeeTg/Tg individuals and 16% of B6ToupeeTg/+ individuals present microphthalmia and anophthalmia.  First, detailed characterization of these ocular anomalies revealed that microphthalmia and anophthalmia are much more frequent in the right eye of B6Toupee mice, with varying degrees of severity.  Then, comparative analysis of ToupeeTg/Tg and Chd7Gt/+models in FVB and C57Bl/6 genetic backgrounds further revealed significant differences in penetrance and phenotypic presentation, suggesting that the identity of the causative gene and the genetic background both modulate phenotypic outcome of CHARGE syndrome.  Finally, characterization of FVBToupeeTg/+;Chd7Gt/+ double heterozygotes confirmed a moderate genetic interaction between Fam172a and Chd7 while investigations of Chd7Gt/+ neonatal mortality allowed to suspect feeding problems.

Keyphrases: Fam172a, Chd7, CHARGE syndrome, Phenotypic variability, Genetic background, Neonatal mortality, Coloboma, Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia, Eye development
Pathways to recovery among homeless people with mental illness: Is impulsiveness getting in the way?

Objective: This study investigates the association between impulsiveness and six dimensions of recovery among homeless people with mental illness.  Method: The sample was composed of 418 participants of a randomized controlled trial of Housing First, a recovery-oriented program that provides immediate access to permanent housing. The reliable change index method was used to provide an estimate of the statistical and clinical significance of the change from baseline to 24 months (i.e., clinically meaningful improvement), on outcomes that pertain to recovery dimensions: psychiatric symptoms (clinical), physical health and substance use problems (physical), residential stability (functional), arrests (criminological), community integration (social), and hope and personal confidence (existential). We tested for the effect of impulsiveness, assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–11, on clinically meaningful improvement on each specific outcome, adjusting for age, gender and intervention assignment, as both intervention arms were included in the analysis.  Results: For every increase in total impulsiveness score by one standard deviation, the odds of experiencing clinically meaningful improvement decreased by 29% (OR = 0.71, 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.91) on the clinical dimension and by 53% (OR = 0.47, 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.68) on the existential dimension. However, changes in outcomes pertaining to physical, functional, criminological, and social dimensions were not significantly influenced by impulsiveness.  Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of addressing impulsiveness in the context of recovery-oriented interventions for homeless people with mental illness. Further research may be required to improve interventions that are responsive to unique needs of impulsive individuals to support clinical and existential recovery.

Keyphrases: Recovery, Impulsiveness, Mental illness, Homeless
Research and Industry Practices in Designing Clothes for Optimal Participation of Persons with a Physical Disability

Background: Clothing is important in human societies and could play a central role in optimizing participation of persons with physical disabilities. It is unclear whether the fashion industry understands the clothing needs of these individuals. Objectives: 1) Examine the role of clothing on participation of persons with physical disabilities, 2) Explore perspectives of representatives of the fashion industry vis à vis the literature and factors influencing uptake of this knowledge. Methodology: 1) A scoping review including six research databases, Google, and multiple expert consultations was performed. 2) Semi-structured interviews with fashion industry representatives were conducted. Results: 1) Fifty-seven articles and 88 websites were retrieved. Clothing-related issues impacting Mobility and Self-Care were frequently reported as were various personal factors. Forty-nine percent of articles reported essential clothing design features. 2) Five interviews found that acquiring knowledge for designing adapted clothing is important and time-, manufacturing-, marketing-, and purchasing-related barriers exist in the industry. Increased resources, exposure, guidance, and engagement within the fashion industry may help advance the field of adapted clothing. Conclusion: Clothing has a multidimensional influence on participation. Solidifying collaborations between researchers, clinicians, persons with disabilities, and the fashion industry may add credibility to future clothing designs.

Keyphrases: Clothing, Fashion, Participation, Rehabilitation, Physical Disability
Connectivité fonctionnelle entre le noyau sensoriel principal du trijumeau et le noyau moteur du trijumeau

Masticatory movements are generated by a brainstem neuronal network known as the central pattern generator (CPG). Increasing evidence associate the trigeminal main sensory nucleus (NVsnpr) to the rhythmogenic heart of the masticatory CPG, despite the fact that it is conventionally seen as a sensory relay to the thalamus. The present study provides new evidence of a functional connectivity between NVsnpr and the trigeminal motor nucleus (NVmt), known to contain all the motoneurons (MNs) innervating jaw muscles. Our results indicate that neurons projecting to NVmt are located in the dorsal ¾ region of NVsnpr. Electrical stimulation of the dorsal NVsnpr induced multiphasic excitatory synaptic responses in trigeminal MNs while BAPTA application, which causes NVsnpr neurons to fire rhythmically, also induced rhythmic firing in some MNs, further emphasizing the functional relationship between these two nuclei in terms of rhythm transmission. In our calcium imaging experiments, electrical stimulation of NVsnpr evoked calcium responses in MNs located mainly in the jaw-closing region of NVmt and revealed a specific pattern of connectivity between the two nuclei. The organization of the projections seemed to depend critically on the dorsoventral location of the stimulation site within NVsnpr. The dorsolateral region of NVmt received mainly inputs from the dorsal NVsnpr (R1 and R2), whereas the ventromedial region of NVmt was found to receive inputs from R2 and R3 which account for the major part of the intermediate division of the NVsnpr. This study confirms and develops earlier experiments by exploring the physiological nature and functional topography of the connectivity between NVsnpr and NVmt that was demonstrated in the past with neuroanatomical techniques.

Keyphrases: Mastication, NVsnpr, NVmt, trigeminal, motoneurons, jaw muscles, burst firing, connectivity
Differential effect of deletions and duplications on general intelligence and social responsiveness

Deleterious deletions and duplications (copy number variations, CNVs) are identified in up to 11% of individuals referred to neurodevelopmental pediatric clinics. However, only few recurrent CNVs have been formally associated with neurodevelopmental disorders because the majority are too rare to perform individual association studies. We recently developed a new framework to estimate the effect size of undocumented CNVs on non-verbal intelligence quotient (NVIQ) and sought to extend this approach to another score measuring autistic traits.  We identified CNVs in an autism sample from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) and MSSNG, in their first-degree relatives, in a neurodevelopmental cohort and in individuals from an unselected population. Statistical models integrating scores of the genes encompassed in the CNVs were used to explain their effect on general intelligence and on social responsiveness.  Deletions and duplications decreased NVIQ and the effect of duplications was three-fold smaller than deletions. There was also a differential effect on social responsiveness: the ratio of the impairment conferred by deletions and duplications was 2:1 and this effect was mainly driven by NVIQ. Models estimates for general intelligence and social responsiveness were consistent with previously published observations. Our models, trained on CNVs encompassing >4,500 genes, suggest highly polygenic properties of CNVs with respect to cognition and social responsiveness. These models will help interpreting CNVs identified in the clinic.

Keyphrases: SRS, Copy-number variants, General intelligence, IQ, Social responsiveness, Autism, Statistical models, Genetic scores
Le pollen, de la protohistoire à l'ère industrielle : paysage végétal et société à la pointe à Callière, Montréal, vers 1590 à 1879

This thesis describes the vegetal landscape at the Pointe à Callière (BjFj-101) in Montreal from about 1590 to 1879, drawing on pollinic data associated with archaeological and historical data to construct time graphs representing the variation of pollen through different layers dated archaeologically. This project covers the initial proto-historic and historic occupations until the industrial age: it aims to describe the conversion of the wooded glades landscape shaped by Indian occupation into the commercial backlot vegetation of the 19th century. The pollinic analysis of a horticultural area and a fireplace dated from 1615-1640 radiocarbon specifies the sequence of occupation from the late 16th century to the early 17th century, highlighting a proto-gardening phase. New data on the Callière gardens helps to better understand the organization of 18th century crops, and the urbanization of landscape at the dawn of the 19th century. The study of pollinic and chemical traces left in the soil by subsequent commercial occupations allows us a glimpse into the commercial and industrial vegetation of the Montreal port area. Spanning almost 300 years, the pollinic sequence of these events highlights the changing socio-environmental relations and offers a referential chronology on a prominent colonial and urban site in North America.

Keyphrases: archaeopalynology, pollen, landscape archaeology, colonization, environmental archaeology, urban archaeology, pointe à Callière