NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
La littérature aux limites du lisible : singularités de l’expérience littéraire dans le champ poétique français contemporain

This dissertation focuses on the readability of literature—on the readability of a certain literature: French, contemporary, a literature that is more often than not classified in the poetic field. At first, a simple observation: some books are difficult to read. Sometimes we even get so far as to say they are unreadable; if this judgment cannot provide a rigorous concept to describe the texts, it nevertheless raises a number of questions which are at the heart of this dissertation. For there is nothing unreadable in itself: the unreadable is not a property, but a judgment that translates an impasse in reading. Thus, the verdicts of unreadability have varied causes and consequences. The unreadable is situated: it is difficult to approach it outside of its circumstances, since it refers less to a specific content than to an experience.  The objective here is not to alleviate the misunderstanding that can be felt in front of certain texts, but rather to question the place it occupies in our ways of reading and our relation to literature. This dissertation proposes to reflect on these questions by approaching the works of Jean-Michel Reynard, Christophe Tarkos, Denis Roche, Anne-Marie Albiach, Christian Prigent, Valère Novarina and Pierre Guyotat. These works do not all have the same place in this dissertation. In this sense, the aim is not to exhaust them but to raise a number of questions through them. Different questions according to the works, according to the writers, but which are crossed by a common thread: the literary experience.  From singular situations, the goal is thus to understand certain aspects, certain modalities of the literary experience. The two poles of this experience are writing and reading—related to those are the figures of the writer and the reader, which occupy an important place in this dissertation. Therefore, the perspective is broad, which raises questions sometimes of poietic, centred on the way writers live the creation of their works, and sometimes more of poetic, even politic, which rather refer to the ways in which readers, on their side, experience these radically singular texts.  In short, the objectives of this dissertation are: 1) to study these works from a new angle; 2) through their problematic example, to lay the foundations for a reflection on readability that gives a large place to the writers’ posture and the way they live the creation of their works; and 3) to contribute to studies on creation, reception and mediation of literary works by reflecting on our ways of living (with) literature.

Keyphrases: sens, Jean-Michel Reynard, Christophe Tarkos, Denis Roche, Anne-Marie Albiach, Christian Prigent, Valère Novarina, Pierre Guyotat, Literary experience, Readability, Meaning, Singularity and community, Poietic, Poetic
Qualifications paysagères de la ville : l’espace aérien des toits de New York dans le cinéma américain (1980-2011)

This research takes place in the general context of life in the city today, a life in the city which accompanies a strong interest for the question of landscape and the question of quality of life and urban environment, all while keeping in mind sustainable development of the city. In a specific context in which densification and redevelopment encompass a more intensive and multifunctional use of spaces, it seems appropriate to focus on the issue of flat rooftops of the great North American city, spaces that are traditionally forgotten and underutilized.  Taking into account the current interest in rooftops and the issues about the urban landscape, in terms of social demand, design and research, we took interest in the question of the landscape valorization of the aerial city through the representations of New York City rooftops in contemporary American cinema. Using the discursive constructionist approach as well as the concept of representation and the concept of landscape, we developed a mixed methodology which uses film content analysis and landscape valorization analysis. In total, we analyzed more than 185 films released between 1980 and 2011.  By linking cinematic representations with historical uses of New York City rooftops, we identified three main patterns of New York rooftop landscape valorization: the emblematic New York, the romantic New York and the domestic rooftop. Both multiple and dichotomous, but not homogeneous nor monolithic, these valorizations are rooted in the New York rooftop landscape invention that came together mainly at the end of 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. These landscape valorizations represent a modernized take on the New York rooftop landscape invention and in that sense are different from the major landscape inventions of the last three centuries in the following aspects:  the reduced emphasis on nature, the role of cinema in the process of the invention of landscape and the role of man and their uses of rooftops in that process. The latter, which is the sociological perspective resulting from human presence, uses and movement through the process of landscape valorization, is also one of the key elements of this research as well as one of its two main contributions. The second main contribution being the data collection method which takes into account the factual dimension and the sensory one, thus positioning itself among new trends of landscape study where these two dimensions, rather than oppose, are considered integral parts of the landscape.

Keyphrases: New York, Landscape valorization, Invention of landscape, Urban landscape, Representation, Uses, Rooftop, Cinema, New York City
Romanzo Criminale : la série dans un récit transmédial

This paper analyzes the Italian TV series Romanzo Criminale through the concept of quality soap, trying to describe a new cultural and social phenomenon that is transmedia storytelling. This study has been developed combining an analysis of the show’s narratological structure with an experimental ethnographic study of its reception, with an emphasis on online spaces dedicated to discussion and parodic practices, in the context of the "participatory culture".

Keyphrases: Transmedia, Convergence, Gender, Quality soap, Reception
L’impact de l’utilisation d’un budget de référence sur le niveau de générosité du soutien financier minimal dans les pays de l’OCDE

In the last two decades, many academics have studied factors that have an impact on the generosity level of minimum income protection in OECD countries. Studies have shown, for example, that benefit generosity was positively linked with high GDP, a high level of centralisation of social assistance schemes, and the presence of universal social insurance programs. Likewise, in recent years, academics have shown a rising interest about the budgetary approach based on beneficiaries’ needs as a mean of determining the minimum social assistance benefit level. However, no important study has verified if the use of reference budgets for determining and adjusting social assistance benefits was correlated with a high or low benefits level. This correlation is what this paper attempts to ascertain. The main conclusion of this research is that the simple use of reference budgets is not directly linked with a high level of benefit generosity. However, if a state uses a budgetary model that allows to achieve a decent and reasonable standard of living, it is very probable that the generosity of assistance to the able-bodied poor will be high. The case of Quebec shows moreover that the use of a reference budget aiming to reach a minimum level of subsistence can contribute to a decrease of benefit generosity. The Swedish case, however, demonstrates that the use of a reference budget allowing a decent living standard and social participation has influenced positively the generosity of social assistance benefits. This study also shows that political and economic concerns and pressures have had important, and generally negative, impacts on the generosity level of social assistance benefits over time.

Keyphrases: Social assistance, Last resort scheme, Benefit level, Benefit generosity, Benefit adequacy, Reference budget, Budget approach, Welfare state
« Opening Night » et la remédiation théâtrale. « Film-balade » ou film « tragique »?

Drawing both on Deleuze’s critique of “the new Hollywood” and on the metaphysical dialectics of Apollo and Dionysus as expressed in Nietzsche’s "The Birth of Tragedy", this essay will look at some of the means through which theater inhabits the movies. Then, it will slightly shift from the usual focus — and shed new light — on the concept of adaptation by delving on the “filming of theater” (as opposed to the more generic “theater on film”). Its starting point will be the 1977 movie "Opening Night", shot by John Cassavetes, in which the director (and cinema in general) exploits the middle-age crisis of an actress to create anew for the theater.

Keyphrases: Deleuze, Gilles, Nietzsche, Friedrich
Revue réaliste des modèles de services de première ligne

Background: It increasingly appears that the sustainability of health systems depends in part on expanding the care provided by primary care teams. There are many examples of successful primary care models in several countries. However, Quebec generally fails to meet its objectives of accessibility, equity and efficiency. There is growing evidence on the importance of nursing care in primary health services, but it provides little actionable advice on how to reform primary care models given the diversity of clinical settings. The complexity of the interventions needed to reform primary care models is a challenge. Objective: This research reports the results of a realist review on optimizing the contribution of interprofessional and nursing teams in primary health care. Method: An analysis of the literature based on the realist review and the logic analysis was conducted to determine the desirable structural characteristics of health care services models that tend to an extended or optimized contribution of interprofessional teams. Results: The realist review helped to develop two analytical typologies to establish coherent operating bases to improve the performance of models of primary health services. Practice implications : These typologies ultimately aim to facilitate the use of evidence for decision makers to support the necessary transformation processes of primary health care in Quebec.

Keyphrases: Performance, Accessibility, Comprehensiveness, Primary care, Nursing contribution, Realist review, Logic analysis
Étude in vitro des changements physiologiques des cellules épithéliales du moustique Aedes aegypti en réponse à une exposition aux toxines du bacille de Thuringe

Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis (Bti) produces four insecticidal toxins used around the world to control disease-borne and harmful dipterans populations: Cry4Aa, Cry4Ba, Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa. They each present their lethal effect on different dipterans, but combined, they generate a synergistic activity and a reduced resistance is observed. Though these synergies are well documented and supported by toxicity bioassays, little is known regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these synergies. Here, by using freshly isolated midguts from the mosquito Aedes aegypti, an important malaria vector, and glass microelectrodes, we measured the electrical potential of the apical membrane when exposed to these toxins alone or in combination. We observed a depolarisation when treated with Cyt1Aa and Cry4Aa. Toxin mixture assays only revealed a faster depolarisation of the membrane when the above two toxins were combined together, and a variety of responses with other toxin mixtures. Microspectrofluometry using the calcium probe Fura-2 on an immortal cell line from Anopheles gambiae (Ag55) showed massive effect of Cyt1Aa, but very little effect of the Cry toxins alone or in mixture. Microspectrofluometry experiments were also conducted on freshly dissociated cells from Aedes aegypti. Though these experiments are innovative and the results preliminary, it was observed that some cells responded differently to Cyt1Aa and Cry4Ba, showing the various ways these toxins affect cells, by inducing either intracellular calcium change, or by entirely losing the probe, or by cell lysis. The mixture of these toxins is very efficient and almost instantaneous.

Keyphrases: Bti, Cyt1Aa, Cry4Aa, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae, Synergie, Cry4Ba, Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis, Synergies, Microelectrode, Fura2-AM
Studies on the extra-neuronal cholinergic system in HIV-1 infection

Acetylcholine (ACh) is an important neurotransmitter produced in the nervous system. However, the molecule is also produced by non-neuronal cells in the body. CD4+ T cells, the main targets of HIV-1, produce it abundantly. ACh exerts its effects on cells via its nicotinic (n) and muscarinic (m) receptors that are expressed on both immune and non-immune cells in the body. ACh is well known to exert anti-inflammatory effects on immune cells. The main receptor that is indispensable for the anti-inflammatory effects of ACh is the α7 nicotinic receptor. Another molecule, secreted by activated T cells and by other cells is SLURP-1 (Secreted Ly6/uPAR-related Protein-1), which acts as an allosteric ligand for α7 and fine tunes the effects of ACh on T cells. Little is known as to how this extra-neuronal cholinergic system (ENCS) is regulated in HIV-infected individuals.  Our results show that the circulating levels of ACh and SLURP-1 do not change significantly in HIV-infected individuals, as compared to the circulating levels in healthy controls. Interestingly, higher levels of these soluble mediators were detected in HIV-infected long-term non-progressors (LTNP) who control the viral replication for more than seven years without any chemotherapy. It is tempting to speculate that the increase in levels of these two soluble mediators of the ENCS present in HIV-infected LTNPs may play a role in their ability to control HIV replication. The results from this study show that an α7 agonist decreased HIV replication, whereas a receptor antagonist increased its replication in vitro in human PHA blasts. Furthermore, hemicholinium (HC-3), a compound that inhibits the ability of the cells to produce ACh, by competing with their uptake of choline, increases the viral replication. The expression of the α7 receptor on peripheral blood CD4+ T cells, but not on monocytes, was significantly reduced (p<0.01) in HIV-infected individuals, and it was not fully restored by antiretroviral therapy (ART). Interestingly, the expression of the β2 adrenergic receptor was decreased significantly (p<0.01) on both monocytes and CD4+ T cells in HIV-infected individuals. These cells respond to norepinephrine via this receptor and secrete ACh.  Overall, the results of this study suggest that HIV causes significant modulation of different components of the ENCS in virus-infected individuals. This system could be manipulated to reduce viral replication and inflammation in these patients.

Keyphrases: HIV, Acetylcholine, α7 nicotinic receptor, SLURP-1, SLURP-1
Détermination judiciaire des faits et erreurs judiciaires : perspective narrative sur le processus judiciaire criminel et la recherche de vérité

This master’s thesis proposes a narrative conceptualization of the criminal justice system. The author employs the narrative theory framework that conceives the adversarial trial as a contest between different stories. This comprehensive theory offers a lens through which the author analyzes and explains multiple aspects of the judicial processing of facts including evidence at trial, fact-finding, appellate review and the law governing these aspects. The concept of “story” allows a broader perspective than the concept of “evidence” which is limited to the trial. This umbrella theory is therefore used to explain, organize and provide a united understanding of various aspects of the judicial system, such as the investigatory process, the laying of charges, the theory of a case, the cross-examinations, as well as how facts are chosen and organized before being presented and processed at trial as “evidence”. At trial, the global perspective of the narrative theory challenges the traditional (or rationalist) atomist approach to evidence, which explains fact-finding as a decision based on the truthfulness or the falseness of each individual piece of evidence adduced at trial. The narrative perspective, rather, suggests a holistic approach – fact-finding is a decision regarding the relative plausibility between two competing stories. Thus, these insights from the narrative theory call into question the traditional assumption that trials lead to accurate findings of fact. After her demonstration of the heuristic value of the narrative theory, the author applies the narrative framework to recent studies on miscarriages of justice. She concludes that the law enables triers of fact to reach only a hybrid truth, halfway between what happened in reality and an assessment of the consistency between the evidence adduced at trial.

Keyphrases: Evidence law theory, Rules of evidence, Fact-finding, Factual accuracy, Miscarriages of justice, Criminal trial, Rationalist model of adjudication, Law and literature, Narrative theory of trial, Epistemic goal of trial
Mixed Identity and Cultural Transmission : Narratives of Mixed-Blood Women from a First Nations Community

In this master’s thesis, I examine the implications of the Kahnawà:ke membership and residency law on six mixed-blood women from the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk community. With the use of qualitative research methodology, I analyze the participants’ narratives of their experiences with growing up racially mixed. In this context, I explore some of the factors that facilitated or mitigated their sense of cultural identity and belonging. I also explore the question of cultural transmission to the future generation. The findings from this study suggest that Mohawk cultural identity and ways of life are perpetuated intergenerationally in these women’s’ families. The participants make tenacious efforts to re-appropriate their culture and find ways to create their space of belonging. These participants’ detailed accounts add to the Canadian body of research on mixed-race identity and cultural transmission in an Indigenous context.

Keyphrases: Mixte-Autochtone, Mohawk, Kahnawake, Identity, Belonging, Transmission of culture, Mixed-Indigenous, Mohawk, Kahnawake, First Nations
L’engagement paternel et la relation d’activation père-enfant chez l’enfant âgé entre 12 et 18 mois : l’effet modérateur de l’alliance parentale

The conjugal relationship between parents has been studied profusely as to better understand its influence on the socio-affective development of the child. However, a better proxy to conceptualise the level of cooperation and the involvement of the parents in the education of the child is the parental alliance. This alliance could have an important influence on the father-child dyad, or more specifically the activation relationship. The present study is designed to verify the existence of a link between the paternal involvement in regard to its function of openness to the world and the activation score of the child, aged from 12 to 18 months, as well as the possible moderator effect of the parental alliance on this link. Data was collected among 58 father-child dyads. Results show no link between father involvement in its function of openness to the world and the activation score. Furthermore, the parental alliance does not moderate this link. The results also show some differences between boys and girls. Fathers are more engaged with their daughter and boys are more optimally activated than girls.

Keyphrases: parental alliance, paternal involvement, openness to the world, father-child activation relationship, 12-18 months, risky situation
Complexes de type Morse et leurs équivalences

In this thesis, we study aspects of Morse theory and the chain complexes that derive from it : the Morse complex, the Milnor complex and the Barraud-Cornea complex. Using different techniques from differential topology and Morse theory, which will be presented in the first chapters, we carefully build these complexes before proving their equivalence. This thesis synthesises and compares three points of view in Morse theory in a document accessible to beginning graduate students.

Keyphrases: CW-complexes, Morse theory, Morse complex, Critical points, CW-complexes, Connecting manifold, Blow-up of the unstable manifold
Estimation simplifiée de la variance pour des plans complexes

In a complex design framework, standard variance estimation methods entail substantial challenges. As we know, conventional variance estimators involve second order inclusion probabilities, which can be difficult to compute for some sampling designs. Also, confidentiality standards generally prevent second order inclusion probabilities to be included in external microdata files (often in the form of bootstrap weights). Based on Ohlsson’s sequential Poisson sampling method (1998), we suggest a simplified estimator for which we only need first order inclusion probabilities. The idea is to approximate a survey strategy (which consists of a sampling design and an estimator) by an equivalent strategy for which a Poisson sampling design is used. We will discuss proportional to size sampling and proportional to size cluster sampling. Results of a simulation study will be presented.

Keyphrases: Variance estimation, Sequential Poisson sampling, Poisson sampling, Proportional to size sampling, First order inclusion probabilities
Classification automatique de textes pour les revues de littérature mixtes en santé

The interest of health researchers and policy-makers in literature reviews has continued to increase over the years. Mixed studies reviews are highly valued since they combine results from the best available studies on various topics while considering quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. These reviews can be used for several purposes such as justifying, designing and interpreting results of primary studies. Due to the proliferation of published papers and the growing number of nonempirical works such as editorials and opinion letters, screening records for mixed studies reviews is time consuming. Traditionally, reviewers are required to manually identify potential relevant studies. In order to facilitate this process, a comparison of different automated text classification methods was conducted in order to determine the most effective and robust approach to facilitate systematic mixed studies reviews.   The group of algorithms considered in this study combined decision trees, naive Bayes classifiers, k-nearest neighbours, support vector machines and voting approaches. Statistical techniques were applied to assess the relevancy of multiple features according to a predefined dataset. The benefits of feature combination for numerical terms, synonyms and mathematical symbols were also measured. Furthermore, concepts extracted from a metathesaurus were used as additional features in order to improve the training process.   Using the titles and abstracts of approximately 10,000 entries, decision trees perform the best with an accuracy of 88.76%, followed by support vector machine (86.94%). The final model based on decision trees relies on linear interpolation and a group of concepts extracted from a metathesaurus. This approach outperforms the mixed filters commonly used with bibliographic databases like MEDLINE. However, references chosen for training must be selected judiciously in order to address the model instability and the disparity of quantitative and qualitative study designs.

Keyphrases: Automated text classification, Systematic review, Mixed study, Research method, Health care, Decision tree, Support vector machine