NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Sentiment de compétence parentale,  qualité de la relation d’attachement et la fonction paternelle d’ouverture sur le monde chez des pères d’enfant d’âge scolaire

The Paternal Openness to the World Function (POWF) is a recent concept in the father involvement field of research. Links between parental practices and mental representations associated with this form of father involvement, children behaviors and development have yet to be known. This cross-sectional study addressed two objectives. First, to verify the predictive links between the dimensions of the POWF, the fathers Parental Sense Of Competence (PSOC) and the father-child attachment relationship quality. Second, to examine the potential moderator role of the fathers PSOC on the significative links between the dimensions of the POWF and the father-child attachment relationship quality. The data come from a sample of 200 french speaking fathers who filled out a self-reported questionnary. Their child was between 5 (first grade) and 13 years old (sixth grade). Hierarchical linear regression models were used to verify the influence of the moderator effect. The results show significative positive links between the dimensions of “perseverance stimulation” and “disciplinary and tasks teaching” of the POWF and the father-child attachment relationship quality. The dimensions of risk taking and competition stimulation of the POWF are not correlated to the father-child attachment relationship quality. Contrary to expected results, the fathers PSOC has no moderator effect on the significative links, but rather an additive effect which can be translated has transactional relationships between these variables. Complementary analyses reveal a marginally significative moderator effect of the fathers PSOC on the link between perseverance stimulation of the POWF and the “pleasure and security” scale of the Father-Child Attachment Relationship Quality Questionnary (FCARQQ). The fathers propension to stimulate their child to persevere emerge more particularly in playfull activities and contribute to the development of the felling of confidence and personnal security of their child. Results are discussed in light of actual literature in order the have a better understanding of the links between these variables.

Keyphrases: Attachment, Activation relationship, Openness to the world, Father involvement, Sense of competence, Best practices
Phylogénie moléculaire du genre Salix L. (Salicaceae) en Amérique du Nord

Fast growing willows (Salix sp.) are increasingly used in Europe and North America for biomass production and other environmental applications. However, the development of molecular tools is recent. The phylogeny of willows is incomplete, which slows down the selection of suitable native species and the development of improvement programs. The genus Salix includes approximately 500 species worldwide, and these are mainly located in temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. We gathered leaf material from all 121 willows of North America (species native and introduced). We developed three molecular tools-methods: DNA extraction, SSR markers, and nuclear genes. We sequenced two chloroplast genes matK and rbcL and the ITS region. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. The species tree provides strong support for a division of the genus into two subgenera, Salix and Vetrix. Sixteen species have ambiguous positions. A complete molecular phylogeny of American willows has been established. It needs to be confirmed and further resolved using other molecular data. Nonetheless, the genus clearly has two clades.

Keyphrases: BEAST, Classification, ITS, matK, rbcL, Salix, Molecular phylogeny
La mémoire émotionnelle chez les patients schizophrènes consommateurs de cannabis : une étude en imagerie par résonance magnétique fonctionnelle

Context In spite of well-known adverse consequences of cannabis consumption in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), it is recognized that cannabis use reaches levels as high as 40 % in this population. Recently, a number of studies have attempted to get a better grasp of the relationship between these two conditions, which remains unclear to this day. Previous studies, including some from our group, have shown that cannabis abusing patients (SCZCAN) tend to have less prominent negative symptoms, better cognitive abilities, and that their emotion processing is closer to normal. Aim The present study aims to compare emotional memory in patients with schizophrenia with or without cannabis abuse, our hypothesis being that SCZCAN will perform better on an emotional memory task and will activate larger brain regions during functional imaging, as compared to SCZ. Method Three groups of subjects, namely SCZ (N=14), SCZCAN (N=14) and control subjects (N=21) underwent an emotional memory task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Results Our study showed that the group of SCZCAN performed better than SCZ in a functional memory task and activated larger brain regions during functional imaging, in particular those linked to memory and emotional processing (orbitofrontal and temporal cortex, hippocampus). Conclusion The group of SCZCAN demonstrated a relative preservation of their emotional memory as compared to SCZ and activated larger brain regions during functional imaging.

Keyphrases: Cannabis, Schizophrenia, Cannabis, Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Emotions, Memory
Optimization Studies to Improve MSC-based Cardiac Cell Therapy : Cytokine Preconditioning and Nanoparticle Coupling

Background: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains a leading cause of mortality in North America. Cardiac cell therapy (CCT) has emerged as a promising therapy to help heal the damaged heart. Among the various candidates for stem-progenitor cells, Mesenchymal Multipotential Stromal/Stem Cells (MSC) is of great promise. However, there remain unresolved issues and challenges that prevent clinical application of MSC-based CCT in IHD. Among the latter, low cellular retention rate, in vivo cell tracking and post-delivery apoptosis. Here in, growth factor preconditioning and MSC coupling to nanoparticles are investigated as methods to optimize MSC. Methods：Lewis Rat MSC (rMSC) and pig MSC (pMSC) were isolated from bone marrow. Rat MSCs were preconditioned with SDF-1a, TSG-6 and PDGF-BB, and then subjected to hypoxia, serum deprivation and oxidative stress.  Wound healing assays were also done with preconditioned rat MSCs. In parallel, novel ferromagnetic silicone core-shell nanoparticles (NP) were synthesized.  Pig MSCs were coupled to NPs following functionalization of the NPs with an antibody to a well-recognized MSC surface antigen, CD44. Subsequently, biocompatibility studies were performed on the pMSC-NP complex and included testing of key cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, proliferation and differentiation properties. Results: Of all cytokines used, PDGF-BB showed greatest capacity to improve MSC survival under conditions of hypoxia, serum deprivation and oxidative stress.  NP conjugation has mitigated effect on the migration and proliferation of pig MSC, but do not change the differentiation capacity of MSC. Finally, the MSC-NP complex was detectable by MRI. Conclusion: Our data suggest that novel strategies, such as PDGF-BB preconditioning and ferromagnetic nanoparticle coupling, can be considered as promising avenues to optimize MSCs for CCT.

Keyphrases: MSC, CCT, Precondition, PDGF-BB, Magnetic Nano Particles, MRI, condition
Induction d’anticorps anti-idiotypiques contre les protéoglycanes de la matrice extracellulaire dans la réduction des lésions athérosclérotiques

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) associated with the proteoglycans of the arterial wall. Chimeric (ch) antibodies that react against glycosaminoglycans (GAG) were generated. We tested the hypothesis that vaccination with chP3R99, a mutant chimeric antibody of the P3 hybridoma, could interfere with the retention of LDL by inducing a cascade of anti-idiotypic antibodies directed against the GAG.Male mice deficient in apolipoprotein E fed with a hypercholesterolemic diet were given five subcutaneous injections of 50 μg of chP3R99 or chP3S98 (a mutant with low reactivity) vaccine. The injections were performed every week or every two weeks. After sacrifice, the aorta was perfused with PBS, excised and analyzed after staining with Oil Red-O. The results were expressed as a percentage of lesions areas on the total area of the aorta. The reactivity of the sera obtained was tested against the chP3R99, chP3S98, heparin, dermatan and chondroïtin sulfate from obtained immunized mice by ELISA. The anti-idiotypic response was measured by blocking the anti-isotypic reactivity by a nonspecific IgG, hR3. In addition, the antibody chP3R99 binding to GAG in the atherosclerotic lesion was shown by an in vivo molecular imaging device. Our results show that the immunogenicity of the antibodies chP3R99 is higher than chP3S98 and that sera from mice immunized with chP3R99 present anti-idiotypic antibodies directed against the GAG. This effect is associated with a 42 % reduction (p <0.01) of atherosclerotic lesions in vaccinated mice. The use of active immunization with antibodies chP3R99 may constitute a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Keyphrases: Vaccine, antibody, chP3R99, atherosclerosis, anti-idiotypic cascade, glycosaminoglycan, apolipoprotein E knockout mouse, cascade anti-idiotypique, Vaccin
Étude Pharmacologique de la Douleur Neuropathique Centrale à la suite d'une Hémorragie Intrathalamique induite chez le Rat

Central post stroke pain is a debilitating condition for which treatment is often difficult and unsuccessful. The goal of this project was to reproduce an animal model of this condition by performing a stereotaxic injection of collagenase solution inducing a localized hemorrhage within the ventroposterolateral thalamic nuclei of rats. Behavioral tests to evaluate motor coordination, sentivity to mechanical, hot and cold stimuli were performed regurlarly to establish if neuropathic pain was present. Then, the effects of ketamine, amitriptyline, gabapentin and carbamazepine on such pain were evaluated. Induction of an intrathalamic hemorrhage produced bilateral persistent mechanical allodynia as well as transient cold allodynia in some animals without notable changes in motor coordination. High doses of ketamine did reverse mechanical allodynia but with significant impairment in motor coordination. Similarly gabapentin also reversed mechanical allodynia without undesirable effect on coordination. The others two drugs failed to show any significant effect. Histopathological evaluation of the brain revealed a well localized lesion in the area of interest. These results show that an intrathalamic collagenase injection produced a reliable model of central neuropathic pain. Ketamine was able to reverse mechanical allodynia but with significant side effects. Gabapentin appeared to be a promising drug for the treatment of this condition. The role of NMDA receptors and voltage dependant calcium channels, that target ketamine and gabapentin respectively in the maintenance of this pain, needs to be further defined.

Keyphrases: Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, Rat, Central neuropathic pain, Stroke, Ketamine, Carbamazepine
Modélisation de l'espérance de vie des clients en assurance

In this master’s thesis, we develop a statistical method to estimate the lifetime expectancy of clients in the insurance domain. The forecasts are personnalized according to the clients’ own features, the most notable being the fact that they can have any combination of automobile and residential insurance products. Three approaches are compared. The first approach is the simple Markov model which assume homogeneity and stationnarity of the transition probabilities. The other model suggested – which is implemented both by direct computation and by simulation – allows for heterogeneity of the transition probabilities, thus providing forecasts which evolve in time along with the characteristics of the clients. The transitions probabilities are estimated using multinomial logistic regressions.

Keyphrases: Lifetime expectancy, Markov chain model, multinomial logistic regression, insurance
The anti-inflammatory properties of intravenous immunoglobulin in a murine model of allergic airway disease ; effects on the development of regulatory T-cells

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a therapeutic preparation of normal human polyclonal IgG derived from pooled plasma from a large number of healthy donors. Initially used as replacement therapy for patients with primary and secondary immune deficiencies, IVIg is now also widely used for the treatment of a variety of autoimmune, allergic and systemic inflammatory disorders, at high immunomodulatory doses. The beneficial effect of IVIg in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases has been attributed to different mechanisms. Increasing evidence shows that IVIg induces expansion and enhances the suppressive function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in different experimental animal models and human subjects, through an unknown mechanism. Human inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are known to be associated with Treg deficiency. Therefore, a more precise understanding of the mechanisms by which IVIg modulate Treg populations seems to be needed for more rational use of this compound as an alternative therapy in context of various inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Using a robust antigen-driven model of allergic airway disease, we have demonstrated that IVIg markedly attenuates airway inflammation and this effect is associated with the induction of Tregs from non-regulatory T cells in pulmonary tissues. We have also demonstrated that the antiinflammatory actions of IVIg, in our model are dependent on a population of pulmonary CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs), as the action of IVIg could be completely replicated by adoptive transfer of CD11c+ DCs from IVIg-treated mice. we have shown that tolerogenic DCs involve in the peripheral induction of Tregs. Given the requirement of DCs in the induction of Tregs, we explored the mechanism by which IVIg interacts and modulate these cells and for the first time demonstrated that the purified sialylated fraction of human IgG (SA-IVIg) (that consists 2-5% of whole IgG) interacts with an inhibitory C-type lectin receptor on dendritic (DCIR) and this interaction triggers an ITIM intracellular signaling cascade. This subsequently results in rendering tolerogenic activities to DCs and peripheral induction of Tregs. The anti-inflammatory activity of SA-IVIg has been shown in previous studies, but the mechanism by which it modulates DCs functions is not well understood. We also demonstrated that DCIR facilitates the internalization of IgG molecules into DC and this internalization appears to be a crucial step for induction of Tregs. IVIg is a costly therapeutic compound. Characterization of the mechanism of action of IVIg can lead to a better application of this plasma based therapy in a wide range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Keyphrases: Intravenous immunoglobulin, Asthma, Airway inflammation, C-type lectin receptor, Dendritic cell, Regulatory T cell, Autoimmune and inflammatory disease
Étude génétique et fonctionnelle des Interferon-producing Killer Dendritic Cells

The idea that a cell could kill transformed cells, like a Natural Killer (NK) cell, all the while exhibiting also the capacity to present antigens to T cells, like a Dendritic Cell (DC), may seem farfetched. However, in mice, a cell presenting these specific properties was identified in 2006. These cells were named Interferon-producing Killer Dendritic Cells (IKDC) and extensive studies revealed that they were endowed with an important immunological potential. Indeed, the fact that IKDCs exhibit properties of both DC and NK cells conferred them with an exceptional anti-tumor potential. Notably, on a per cell basis, the in vivo anti-tumor activity of IKDCs is more efficient than NK cells. Therefore, following their identification, IKDCs showed great therapeutic promise.   However, a debate on the cell lineage origin of IKDCs emerged. Several independent groups could not replicate the finding that IKDCs showed functional antigen-presentation properties similar to DCs. Also, additional studies revealed that IKDCs are very similar to NK cells. These and other observations led the scientific community to believe that IKDCs were activated NK cells.  Despite this controversy, IKDCs clearly exhibit a unique and outstanding anti-tumor potential, highlighting the relevance to further explore these cells. We must first close the debate regarding the lineage origin of IKDCs. We subsequently need to identify a means to specifically target IKDCs to facilitate their use in novel anti-tumor therapies. Thus, the objective of my thesis is first, to define the identity of IKDCs and second, to determine the genetic factors implicated in the regulation of these cells. For the first objective, we demonstrated that IKDCs do not represent activated NK cells, as previously suggested. We show that IKDCs are highly proliferative and exhibit a unique phenotype associated with very immature NK cells. In an attempt to verify if IKDCs could acquire a mature phenotype, we conducted an adoptive transfer experiment. We found that, after adoptive transfer, IKDCs adopt a mature phenotype, but also surprisingly differentiate into NK cells. These findings indicate that IKDCs represent an intermediate in NK-cell differentiation. For the second objective, we demonstrated that the IKDC proportion was highly variable between strains of different background origins, indicating that these cells are regulated by genetic factors. A genetic study revealed that genetic factors in distal arm of chromosome 7 associate with the proportion of IKDCs. The results presented in this thesis represent an important breakthrough for the research on IKDCs. They allowed to define the cell lineage origin of IKDCs and to identify a genetic region involved in the regulation of this cell type. These discoveries are valuable knowledge for the identification of human IKDCs and the development of novel anti-tumor therapies.

Keyphrases: Interferon-producing Killer Dendritic Cells, Cellules Natural Killer, Immunogenetics, Natural Killer cells, Dendritic cells
Les figures de l’intimité en situation de rue : une pluralité d’expériences chez les jeunes à Montréal

The objective of this study is to understand how street-involved youth in Montreal experience their intimate relationships. Most studies focused on sexual health and HIV infection risks. However, little is known about the meanings they give to their intimate relationships and how they are influenced by the street life. In this study, the relationship between intimate experiences and street experiences of young street-involved people is explored.  Inspired by the sociology of experience (Dubet, 1994), this study focuses on the construction of the intimate experience of street-involved youth, assuming a dynamic relationship between their agency and the social and material conditions of the street life. This analytical framework allows us to overcome the empirical works which present these youth as passive victims of precarious living conditions or as careless and reckless when it comes to sexuality. Individual interviews were conducted with thirty-two street-involved youth (18 women and 14 men) aged from 18 to 27 years old (mean = 22 years old). The testimonies were analyzed within a qualitative typological framework (Schnapper, 2005), allowing the construction of ideal types of intimate experiences in the street life, the “figures of intimacy”.  Five figures of intimacy in the street life among young people were constructed based on the testimonies analysis: criminal success, withdrawal, survival, commitment and confinement. Each of these figures offers a unique dynamic description between intimate experiences and street experiences of the participants. The analysis shows some overlaps between the figures. Youth from the criminal success and the commitment figures build a sense of belonging to a peer group in the street situation, while youth from the withdrawal and survival figures perceived the street situation as disqualifying and try to stay away from other street-involved young people. Also, participants from the criminal success and survival figures reported a subjectivation of the intimate partner through emotional commitment. In contrast, youth in the withdrawal and the commitment figures showed a tendency to instrumentalize sexuality in order to satisfy various needs. This study illustrates the importance of understanding the dynamic between intimate relationships and the street life to capture the diversity and the complexity of the life experiences of the street-involved young people.

Keyphrases: Amour, Recherche qualitative, Street-involved youth, Intimacy, Love, Sexuality, Experience, Sociology of experience, Tactic, Qualitative research, Typology
Cauchemars et mauvais rêves : impact différentiel des méthodes de collecte et analyse descriptive de leur contenu

The overall goal of this thesis was to further our understanding on disturbed dreaming (bad dreams and nightmares) along two main lines of inquiry. First, we examined the methodological implications associated with the different instruments used to measure dream recall frequency (articles 1 and 2). Second, we investigated the actual content of disturbing dreams, a dimension for which empirical data remain surprisingly scarce (article 3).  Study 1 compared the frequency of nightmares and bad dreams obtained with retrospective methods and with two types of prospective instruments (narrative and checklist logs) in 411 participants. In addition to replicating findings showing that when compared to daily logs, retrospective self-reports underestimate current nightmare and bad dream frequency, we showed that these frequencies were not differentially affected by the type of prospective log. Our second study extended these findings by comparing the differential effects of narrative and checklist logs on general dream recall in 358 participants. The results indicate that checklist logs yield higher prospective dream recall frequency than narrative logs, and that prospectively measured dream recall frequency tends to peak at the beginning of the log and then remains stable over time. Thus, improved dream recall arising from subjects' increased attention towards their dreams is short-lived and the effect quickly offset by motivational factors. Our third article presents a comprehensive and comparative description of the content of 431 bad dreams and 253 nightmares collected prospectively from 331 participants. The results indicate that although nightmares and bad dreams share many content characteristics and features, they also differ along several dimensions: nightmares tend to involve physical threats whereas psychological threats predominate in bad dreams; nightmares are more likely than bad dreams to contain fear as their principal emotion as well as being significantly more emotionally intense; and when compared to bad dreams, nightmares are more bizarre and contain significantly more aggressions, failures, and unfortunate endings. Taken together these findings support the view that nightmares represent a more intense expression of the same basic phenomenon and that this intensity manifests itself along a number of content dimensions. These results are discussed in relation to different theories on the etiology and function of dreams.

Keyphrases: Nightmares, Bad dreams, Dream content, Dream recall, Dream recall frequency