La majorité des adolescents québécois auront consommé une substance psychoactive avant la fin de leurs études secondaires. Parmi les facteurs ayant une influence sur cette consommation, on retrouve les normes sociales, dont les normes descriptives. Ce mémoire vise à évaluer l’impact des normes descriptives du milieu scolaire sur les comportements d’usage de cannabis chez les adolescents québécois, ainsi que sur les méfaits attribués à cette consommation. Cette étude examine les liens entre l’écart de perception de prévalence de consommation de cannabis au sein d’une école et la consommation ainsi que les conséquences attribuées à cet usage par les élèves. De plus, elle examine le rôle modérateur des écarts de perception de la prévalence de consommation sur la progression de la consommation, ainsi que sur le lien entre la consommation de cannabis en secondaire 4 et des conséquences attribuées à cette consommation un an plus tard. Provenant de la Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement, l’échantillon de cette étude est constitué de 1601 élèves suivis de secondaire 2 à secondaire 5. Des analyses de régression logistique multinomiale ont été conduites et ont montré que plus les élèves surestiment la prévalence de consommation de cannabis au sein de leur école, plus ils ont de chance de consommer du cannabis et d’attribuer des conséquences négatives à leur consommation un an plus tard. Les résultats ont également montré un effet modérateur positif de l’écart de perception de la prévalence sur la progression de la consommation de cannabis de secondaire 4 à 5, spécifiquement chez les élèves ayant une faible consommation en secondaire 4. Finalement, les résultats ont montré un deuxième effet modérateur de l’écart de perception de prévalence, celui-ci sur le lien entre la consommation de cannabis en secondaire 4 et l’attribution de conséquences négatives à cette consommation un an plus tard. Précisément, les élèves ayant une faible consommation et qui surestiment la prévalence de consommation de cannabis au sein de leur école auront plus de chance d’attribuer plusieurs méfaits à leur consommation en secondaire 5 que d’en attribuer aucun. Par contre, les élèves ayant une consommation de cannabis élevée en secondaire 4 ne rapportent pas plus ni moins de conséquences selon leur estimation de prévalence. Les implications de ces résultats sont discutées. / Substance use in adolescence is a relatively common behavior. By the end of high school, a majority of Quebec teenagers will have experimented with psychoactive drugs or alcohol. Among the multiple factors influencing substance use are the social norms, namely the descriptive norms. This study evaluates the impact of the misperception of descriptive norms within the school context on marijuana use and its related consequences. Specifically, this study examines the relationship between the misperception of prevalence of cannabis use within a high school and the actual use of marijuana and its attributed related consequences. It also examines the moderating role of misperception of cannabis use prevalence on the progression of marijuana usage, and on the relationship between cannabis use in 10th grade and its attributed consequences a year later. Using data from the New Approaches, New Solutions intervention strategy, 1601 high school students were followed from grade 8 through grade 11. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted and have indicated that the more the students overestimate the prevalence of cannabis use, the more chances they have to use marijuana themselves and attribute negative consequences to their cannabis use a year later. Results have also shown a moderating effect of the misperception of prevalence of cannabis use on the progression of marijuana use from grade 10 to 11, particularly with the students using marijuana occasionally in grade 10. Results also indicate a moderating effect of the misperception of prevalence of school wide cannabis use on the relationship between marijuana use in grade 10 and attributed consequences a year later. Specifically, students using marijuana occasionally and who overestimate the prevalence of cannabis use by their school peers will have more chances of attributing more than three consequences to their drug use in grade 11 than to attribute no harm to it whereas students who use marijuana frequently in grade 10 do not attribute consequences in accordance with their estimation of the prevalence of cannabis use by their school peers. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Le présent mémoire s’intéresse aux interventions policières en contexte de crise. Il s’attarde plus particulièrement à l’usage de la force par les structures d’intervention spécialisée. L’intérêt de cette étude découle principalement du manque de connaissances empiriques sur le sujet. L’objectif général de cette étude est de comprendre les éléments qui peuvent expliquer le recours à la force par les structures d’intervention spécialisées et de vérifier si ces facteurs varient selon le type de menace auquel font face les policiers. Nous nous sommes intéressés à 438 événements de crise suicidaire, de barricade et de prise d’otage qui se sont déroulés au Québec, de 1990 à 2011, et durant lesquels est intervenu le groupe tactique d’intervention (GTI) de la Sûreté du Québec (SQ). Pour une meilleure compréhension de cette problématique, il sera en premier lieu question de comparer, selon leur niveau de risque, les personnes présentant une menace uniquement pour elles-mêmes avec celles présentant une menace pour autrui et les personnes qui présentent une menace tant pour elles-mêmes que pour autrui. En second lieu, malgré le fait que près de 90 % des situations de crise se terminent par une reddition pacifique, il est pertinent de connaître les facteurs qui expliquent l’usage de la force de la part des policiers et de voir si ces facteurs varient selon le niveau de risque de l’individu. Des analyses descriptives ont permis d’établir que les situations où l’individu en crise présente uniquement une menace pour lui-même diffèrent des autres groupes sur la base de certaines variables. Cet individu est davantage jugé comme suicidaire et il possède plus souvent des antécédents psychiatriques. L’élément déclencheur est souvent associé aux problèmes conjugaux, ce qui coïncide avec le fait que c’est souvent la conjointe ou l’ex-conjointe qui appelle les autorités. Des analyses bivariées n’ont pas illustré de profils distincts selon la problématique de la crise. Or, certains facteurs se démarquent des autres de manière générale pour l’ensemble de l’échantillon et les différents groupes. La possession d’une arme par l’individu, le degré d’intoxication, la présence d’antécédents psychiatriques, la durée du premier contact avec les policiers et la qualité de la négociation sont effectivement des facteurs qui semblent influencer à un certain point les opérations. Les analyses de régression logistique indiquent que les policiers interviennent davantage lorsqu’il n’y aucun contact n’est établi avec l’individu. Nous observons également que ces derniers restent davantage en retrait lorsque l’individu, présentant une menace pour lui-même, est en possession d’une arme à feu. D’autre part, il semble que les policiers réagissent plus souvent auprès des individus présentant une menace pour autrui lorsque la négociation est jugée non satisfaisante. Nous pouvons en conclure qu’ils semblent davantage s’attarder à des facteurs précis qu’au type de menace, ce qui rejoint un certain segment de la littérature à ce sujet. / This thesis argues that police intervention in a crisis context focuses specifically on the use of force by specialized intervention teams. The interest in this study pinpoints mainly the lack of empirical data on the subject. Therefore, the main objective is to understand how to explain the use of force by specialized intervention teams and to verify if these factors vary according to the type of threat police encounter in a particular situation. We studied 438 suicidal crises, barricade and hostage-taking situations that occurred in Quebec from 1990 to 2011, supervised by the Sûreté du Québec’s tactical intervention group (GTI). To begin with, for a better understanding of this issue, we will compare individuals according to the level of risk each one represents, i.e. those presenting a threat only to themselves, those presenting a danger to others and those who pose a threat to themselves and others. Secondly, despite the fact that almost 90 % of critical incidents end in a non-violent conclusion, it is interesting to understand the risk factors involved that explain the use of force by the police and to realize that these factors vary according to the level of risk exhibited by the individual in crisis. Descriptive analyses were used to demonstrate that the situation where the individual in crisis was a threat only to himself differed from other instances based on different variables. Overall, the general level of risk for this type of intervention is less significant since the danger appears to be directed specifically to the individual in crisis, taking into consideration that negotiation has been successful, also, considering the subject has limited or no access to firearms, and considering weapons are not frequently used. Bivariate analysis relating the different characteristics of the individual, the situation and negotiation with the use of force by the police, suggest that certain variables can have different effects depending on the type of threat facing authorities. For example, a history of psychiatric issues would increase the risk of police intervention among those who pose a non-aggressive threat to himself, but would decrease the probability of police intervention for those individuals who present a double threat, i.e. to themselves and others. Consequently, bivariate analyses suggest that certain variables, such as the possession of a weapon by an individual, the degree of intoxication, the presence of known psychiatric issues, the duration of the first contact with the police and the quality of the negotiation, could influence the use of force by police officers. Logistic regression analyses indicate that few of these variables resist multivariate analyses. These findings suggest that police intervene more so when there is no contact established with the individual, and this, regardless of the type of threat manifested. On the contrary, a non-satisfactory negotiation would encourage police to use force in cases where the individual presents no threat to himself. In sum, these multivariate analyses show that the police are less influenced by the type of threat, rather preferring negotiation as long as possible.

Les technologies de stimulations transcrâniennes – tel que la tDCS ou la TMS – présentent à l’heure actuelle d’intéressantes perspectives thérapeutiques, tout comme diverses améliorations cognitives chez le sujet « non-malade » dont découlent des applications neuroamélioratives, plus ou moins imminentes, en dehors du cadre clinique ou investigatoire. Est proposé ici d’analyser les risques associés à ces applications, détournées des objectifs premiers de recherche, et aux préoccupations éthiques qui les accompagnent (autonomie, justice, intégrité physique), via un concept généralement associé aux recherches avec des perspectives de sécurité nationale et associées à un niveau de risque élevé. Révisant la trivialité d’une définition dichotomique aux usages « bons » et « mauvais », est proposé d’étendre le concept de « double-usage » pour l’appliquer à la neuroamélioration comme un mésusage de la recherche en neurosciences. Faisant référence au conflit entre, d’une part, le respect de la liberté académique et, d’autre part, la protection de la sécurité et de la santé publique, ce concept s’avère être un outil diagnostique pertinent pour l’évaluation des risques associés à l’usage mélioratif desdites technologies, et plus particulièrement de la tDCS, afin d’alimenter la réflexion sur la régulation de ces dispositifs en amont de leur utilisation, selon un principe de précaution inhérent au double-usage de la recherche. Ce concept permet ainsi de réfléchir à la mise en place d’une gouvernance proactive et contextualisée impliquant une responsabilité partagée d’un large panel d’acteurs, nécessaire au vu des avancées rapides du domaine des neurosciences et de l’imminence de l’arrivée sur le marché de ces dispositifs. / Transcranial stimulation technologies – such as tDCS and TMS – currently provide promising therapeutic outcomes, as well as various cognitive improvements in healthy individuals, leading to different and relatively prospective neuroenhancement applications outside clinical or research contexts. In this thesis, a concept that has typically been associated with research regarding national security implications and prospects associated with a high level of risk – i.e., the concept of “dual-use” – will be deployed to analyze the risks of neuroscience applications being diverted from their primary research objectives, along with the related ethical concerns (e.g., autonomy, justice, physical integrity). By revising the dichotomous definition of dual-use research as involving either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ uses, I propose to extend the concept in order to consider neuroenhancement as a misuse of neuroscience research, with reference to the conflict between, on the one hand, protecting academic freedom and progress, and on the other, promoting security and public health. This concept is a pertinent diagnostic tool for the evaluation of risks associated with a neuroenhancement use of those technologies – and more especially tDCS – when considering how best to regulate these devices prior to the appearance of their utilisation, due to the precautionary principle inherent in dual-use research. This concept can also help to set out proactive and contextualized governance mechanisms based on the shared responsibility of a broad range of stakeholders, something that is necessary given the rapid advances in neuroscience research and the imminence of such devices coming onto the market.

« L'indépendance de la durée de vie d'un droit face à l'érosion qui touche inéluctablement un bien ou une valeur protégée », voilà quelle paraît être la définition la plus révélatrice des droits civils perpétuels en droit français contemporain. Cette dernière ressort d'une analyse au terme de laquelle il semble que le système normatif actuel est peu enclin à reconnaître des droits survivants à leurs titulaires. Pis, les instruments juridiques permettant de circonscrire leur domaine sont nombreux, à l'image du plus efficace d'entre eux : la prescription extinctive. Mais ces instruments restrictifs ne sont pas isolés. La nature même du droit peut porter en elle le germe de sa disparition. C'est alors que sont renversés de vieux préjugés. Les droits réels ne sont pas davantage voués à la perpétuité que ne le sont les droits de la personnalité. En outre, là où la prohibition devrait s'imposer aux droits personnels, certains s'en émancipent en fait. C'est alors que la perpétuité se dévoile dans trois droits civils en particulier : le droit de propriété, le droit moral de l'auteur et le droit au nom. Restreints dans leur nombre, ces droits sont cependant privilégiés dans leur régime. En effet, selon la qualité qu'ils revêtent, ils bénéficient de moyens de mise en œuvre et de protection supplémentaires, comme en témoignent la théorie des droits subjectifs ou la reconnaissance de droits fondamentaux. Selon qu'ils sont interprétés comme les premiers ou les seconds, ou voire même les deux simultanément, leur justiciabilité est clairement renforcée / « The independence of the life span of a right confronted to the erosion which unavoidably affects a belonging or a protected value », here is which seems to be the most revealing definition of perpetual civil rights in contemporary French Law. This definition springs from an analysis which leads us to think that today's normative system is reluctant to admit surviving rights to their holders. Even worse, there are numerous legal instruments which can be used to restrain their fields of activity, like the most efficient of all: negative prescription. However these restrictive instruments are not isolated. The very nature of a right can carry in itself the germ of its own disappearance. This is on these occasions that old prejudices are knocked over. Real rights are not more dedicated to perpetuity than individual rights. Moreover, if prohibition should be imposed on personal rights, in fact some of them manage to do without it. This is when perpetuity appears in three civil rights in particular: the right to property, the author's moral right and the right to the name. Limited in their numbers, these rights however are privileged in their schemes. Indeed, depending on their quality, they benefit from supplementary means of implementation and protection as the theory of subjective rights or the recognition of fundamental rights testify. Whether they are read as the former or the latter or even both simultaneously, their justiciability is clearly reinforced. However the conclusion of the study may be disappointing as, to tell the truth, perpetual rights are sometimes the victims of real incursions on behalf of the lawmaker or the co contracting party

Candida parapsilosis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans causing a variety of infections. Immunocompromised individuals represent the most threatened group of patients. The increasing frequency of infections and occurrence of drug resistant strains are the main reasons for research focused on novel antimycotic compounds. Inhibition of secreted aspartic proteases (Sap) of pathogenic Candida spp. appears to be a potential target of therapeutic intervention. The genome of C. parapsilosis contains at least three genes coding for secreted aspartic proteases, denominated SAPP1-3. Protease Sapp1p has been well biochemically and structurally characterized, whereas Sapp2p and Sapp3p have been given less attention. The first part of the thesis is focused on structural analysis of Sapp1p complexes with selected peptidomimetic inhibitors binding to the active site of the enzyme. In addition, complex of the isoenzyme Sapp2p with the well-known secreted aspartate inhibitor Pepstatin A has been analyzed. The second part is related to the fact that C. parapsilosis belongs to the Candida spp. with the unique ability to translate standard leucine CUG codon mostly as serine. Even though it is a non-conservative substitution of hydrophobic amino acids for a hydrophilic one, this unique ability is maintained for more...

Lenka Šimáková Způsoby a motivace užívání sociálních sítí Facebook a Nyx a identita jejich uživatelů: Kvalitativní komparativní studie Mediální studia, IKSŽ, FSV UK, 2012 Abstract The key goal of this thesis is to find correlations between motivation and usage of social network(ing) sites and how they influence self-presentation of the users as a process of defining their own identity. A qualitative method of semi-structured interviews with five active users of both researched sites was used to describe the impact of the social and technological environment on the way they present themselves towards others. I therefore focus mainly on the social identity of the users: why and how they interact, how they perceive the sites and their role within their groups and how it influences their administration of their personal profiles. I also focus on other relevant subjects of within-line social communication: I describe various aspects of computer mediated communication, user perception of public and private sphere on-line and other issues such as group dynamics or users' approach to the social network(ing) sites as tools for managing their social capital. The resulting set of hypothesis is based on my analysis of the conducted interviews. This thesis brings an insight into user reflection of researched platforms,...

M.Phil. / With this study the better understanding of the skills in, the background with relation to and the attitude towards communicative Afrikaans of .a specific group of Public Administration students of the Technikon Northern-Transvaal is investigated. The focus is principally on the socio-cultural factors that influence the mastering of Afrikaans. The reseach design, including the problem identification, is vested in the theoretical Vygotskyan concept of zone of proximal development. Founded on the theories of both MM Bakhtin and LS Vygotsky, the researcher establishes an own interpretation of the zone of proximal development, when she proposes an integration thereof with the H-model as thought heuristics (Henning 1996). According to this integrated model, the study of students' zone of proximal development in Afrikaans as foreign language encompasses the study of: their language skills; their knowledge of the language; personal and socio-cultural influences; and their metalinguistic skills. This exposition serves as framework for data gathering, data analysis and chapter division. The format of the study is that of case studies which implies that an in-depth investigation is done of various types of data - obtained from a quantitatively small, but sociologically representative group of Public Adminsitration students, The various types of data which are referred to, are: data from talks delivered; written texts; data from listening and reading protocols; and data from interviews. With the interpretation of the data an attempt is not only made to come to an own understanding ("verstehen" - Weber (1958)) of the community of learners' experience and usage of Afrikaans, but also to cultivate a sensitivity for this with the wider teaching and research community.

This thesis focuses on the genomic study of symbionts of two different groups of hymenopterans: bees and ants. Both groups of insects have major ecological impact, and investigating their microbiomes increases our understanding of their health, diversity and evolution. The study of the bee gut microbiome, including members of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, revealed genomic processes related to the adaptation to the gut environment, such as the expansion of genes for carbohydrate metabolism and the acquisition of genes for interaction with the host. A broader genomic study of these genera demonstrated that some lineages evolve under strong and opposite substitution biases, leading to extreme GC content values. A comparison of codon usage patterns in these groups revealed ongoing shifts of optimal codons. In a separate study we analysed the genomes of several strains of Lactobacillus kunkeei, which inhabits the honey stomach of bees but is not found in their gut. We observed signatures of genome reduction and suggested candidate genes for host-interaction processes. We discovered a novel type of genome architecture where genes for metabolic functions are located in one half of the genome, whereas genes for information processes are located in the other half. This genome organization was also found in other Lactobacillus species, indicating that it was an ancestral feature that has since been retained. We suggest mechanisms and selective forces that may cause the observed organization, and describe processes leading to its loss in several lineages independently. We also studied the genome of a species of Rhizobiales bacteria found in ants. We discuss its metabolic capabilities and suggest scenarios for how it may affect the ants’ lifestyle. This genome contained a region with homology to the Bartonella gene transfer agent (GTA), which is a domesticated bacteriophage used to transfer bacterial DNA between cells. We propose that its unique behaviour as a specialist GTA, preferentially transferring host-interaction factors, originated from a generalist GTA that transferred random segments of chromosomal DNA. These bioinformatic analyses of previously uncharacterized bacterial lineages have increased our understanding of their physiology and evolution and provided answers to old and new questions in fundamental microbiology.

Den mobila användningen har ökat ordentligt de sista tio åren och smarttelefonen har blivit en viktig del av många människors vardag. Applikationer används i vår vardag och användningen av dessa kan reflektera vår vardag, dock så är gränssnittet på smarttelefonen statiskt och förändrar sig inte beroende på användarens plats och tid. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om användarupplevelsen går att främja med hjälp av en dynamisk hemskärm på en smarttelefon utifrån användarens plats och tid. Detta gjordes med hjälp av konceptdriven designforskning drivet av följande frågeställning: “Hur kan ett designkoncept av en dynamisk hemskärm på en smarttelefon teoretiskt förankras och konceptualiseras baserat på användarens plats och tid i syfte att främja användarupplevelsen? Konceptet grundar sig i tidigare forskning och resultatet blev ett koncept för dynamiska applikationsförslag som bemöttes av sju deltagarna som deltog i studien. Enligt deltagarna har konceptet en potential att minska stressen då navigering till rätt applikation underlättas. Konceptet var också enkelt att förstå men frågan kring integritet och säkerhet delade deltagarna. I resultatet presenteras designkonceptet som bygger på tidigare forskning samt kritiken från studiens deltagare. Konceptet har en potential och kan utforskas vidare från många olika perspektiv. / The mobile usage has increased considerably in the last ten years and the smartphone has become an important part of many people's everyday lives. Applications are used in our everyday life and the use of these can reflect our everyday lives, however, the interface on the smartphone is static and does not change depending on what context the user are in. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the user experience can be favoured by a dynamic home screen on a smartphone based on the user's location and time. This was accomplished with the help of concept-driven design research driven by the following research question: "How can a design concept of a dynamic home screen on a smartphone be theoretically anchored and conceptualized based on the user's place and time in order to favour the user experience? The concept is based on previous research and the result was a concept for dynamic application suggestions that were met seven participants who participated in the study. According to the participants, the concept has the potential to reduce stress as navigation to the right application is facilitated. The concept was also easy to understand but the question of integrity and security shared the participants. In the result, the design concept is presented, which is based on previous research and the criticism from the study's participants. The concept has great potential and can be explored further from many different perspectives.

Pour mettre en place des stratégies d’écoconception, il est nécessaire d’évaluer la performance environnementale. L’emploi d’Indicateurs de Performance Environnementale (IPE) est un bon moyen pour y parvenir. Ces IPE doivent être adaptés aux différents acteurs de la chaine de valeur, internes et externes à l’entreprise, susceptibles d’être impliqués dans l’amélioration de la performance environnementale pour qu’ils soient efficaces. Ces différents acteurs ont des besoins différents en matière d’information (détails, type d’information) et ces besoins peuvent être contradictoires. Nous proposons, dans ces travaux, une méthode de sélection des IPE prenant en compte les acteurs de la chaîne de valeur et leurs besoins. Une fois les IPE définis, ils doivent permettre d’évaluer la situation, de définir des stratégies d’écoconception et de suivre l’évolution de la performance environnementale. Pour certains produits consommateurs d’énergie en phase d’utilisation, le scénario d’usage peut faire varier de manière importante la performance environnementale. Un focus est donc fait sur la mise en place de stratégies d’éco-utilisation. Il est nécessaire que les stratégies mises en place permettent aux clients/utilisateurs de diminuer leurs impacts environnementaux et à l’entreprise de prendre un avantage concurrentiel tout en améliorant la performance environnementale de ses produits. Dans ces travaux, cela se traduit par : 1) l’adaptation d’outils d’écoconception existant pour l’intégration des acteurs de la chaîne de valeur ; 2) la définition d’une méthode de diagnostic personnalisé de l’usage des produits. Ces méthodes ont été appliquées et validées sur le cas d’étude des unités de réfrigération pour le transport routier à température dirigée. / To implement ecodesign strategies, it is necessary to evaluate the environmental performance. The use of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI) is a good way to achieve this. These EPI, to be effective, must be adapted to the various value chain actors, internal and external to the company, susceptible to be involved in the improvement of the environmental performance. These different actors have different needs regarding information (details, type of information) and these needs may be contradictory. In this work, we propose a method for selecting EPI that take into account the value chain actors and their needs. Once the EPI have been defined, they must be able to assess the situation, define ecodesign strategies and monitor the evolution of environmental performance. For some energy-using products, the usage scenario can significantly vary the environmental performance. A focus is thus put on the development of sustainable behavior strategies. It is necessary that the strategies put in place allow customers/users to reduce their environmental impact and that the company takes a competitive advantage while improving the environmental performance of its products. In this study, this is reflected in: 1) the adaptation of existing ecodesign tools for the integration of value chain actors; 2) the definition of a method of personalized diagnosis of the use of products. These methods have been applied and validated by the case study of road transport refrigeration units.