Un groupe de soutien à l’intention des femmes victimes de violence conjugale

Pour les femmes victimes de violence conjugale, le départ du foyer et le séjour dans une maison d'hébergement ne représentent que la première étape d'un long processus de changement qui est souvent ponctué de crises. Un groupe de soutien a été mis sur pied pour aider ces femmes à établir de nouveaux modes de relations qui les rendraient aptes à traverser avec succès cette période difficile de leur vie. En s'inspirant des principes d'affinité, de présence et de consolidation élaborés par Lifton (1976), les auteures de cet article soulignent la valeur de la réciprocité dans la relation thérapeutique et proposent des éléments de réflexion sur les points saillants d'une intervention auprès des femmes victimes de violence conjugale ayant fait un séjour dans un centre d'hébergement.For battered women, leaving the home and spending time in a shelter is only the first step of a long process of change that usually involves periodic crises. A support group has been set up to help these women establish new ways to relate with the outside world, ways that are meant to assist them in successfully going through this difficult phase of their lives. Based on Lifton's principles of affinity, presence and consolidation (1976), the authors highlight the value of reciprocity in the therapeutical relationship. In addition, the authors discuss issues relating to the main points affecting interventions with battered women who have spent time in a shelter

Analyse et optimisation globales de modules compilés séparément

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

Beliefs of adolescents on sugar-sweetened beverages abstinence : a reasoned action approach elicitation study

Introduction. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with many health problems, such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Objectives. To identify adolescents’ beliefs concerning SSB abstinence. Methods. Based on the Reasoned Action Approach, thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents (12-17 years). They were selected based on age, sex and setting in order to ensure a broad representation of adolescents from two French-speaking regions of the province of Quebec in Canada (Eastern Canada). Adolescents were invited to answer eight open-ended questions regarding SSB abstinence in the next month. A qualitative content analysis was performed independently by two experts to identify the most important beliefs. Results. According to adolescents, the main advantage of abstaining from SSB was that it would be good for their health and the main disadvantage was that they would have to give up products they liked drinking for the taste. Parents and friends seemed to be the most important social influences regarding abstaining from SSB. Adolescents mentioned many barriers to SSB abstinence, such as contextual barriers (e.g., special occasions, eating out, following sports activities), the presence of SSB drinkers, advertisements promoting SSB, and the urge to drink SSB. Facilitating factors included absence of SSB at home/school, having easy access to water and pure fruit juices, and receiving information about the negative health effects of SSB. Discussion/Conclusions. The results of this preliminary study can be used to guide the development of interventions to promote SSB abstinence among adolescents.Introduction. La consommation de boissons sucrées (BS) est associée à de nombreux problèmes de santé tels que l'obésité et les maladies cardiovasculaires. Objectif. Identifier les croyances des adolescents concernant l'abstinence de consommer des boissons sucrées (ACBS). Méthodes. Fondées sur l'Approche de l'action raisonnée, trente entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées avec des adolescents (12-17 ans). La sélection selon l'âge, le sexe et le milieu a permis d'assurer une large représentation d'adolescents de deux régions francophones du Québec (Est du Canada). Suivant la définition des BS, les adolescents ont répondu à huit questions ouvertes au sujet de l'ACBS au cours du mois à venir. Une analyse qualitative de contenu réalisée indépendamment par deux experts a permis d'identifier les croyances les plus importantes. Résultats. Le principal avantage de l'ACBS est le bénéfice pour la santé et le principal désavantage est de ne pas pouvoir boire des produits dont ils aiment le goût. Les parents et les amis semblent les personnes les plus influentes concernant l'ACBS. De nombreux obstacles à l'ACBS ont été identifiés, tels que le contexte (occasions spéciales, au restaurant, après les activités sportives), la présence de personnes qui boivent des BS, les publicités sur les BS et l'envie d'en boire. Les facteurs facilitants comprenaient l'absence de BS à la maison ou à l'école, un accès facile à l'eau et à des jus de fruits purs et l'information sur les conséquences des BS. Discussion/conclusion. Les résultats de cette étude préliminaire peuvent guider le développement d'interventions favorisant l'abstinence de la consommation de BS chez les adolescents

A State-of-the-practice Release-readiness Checklist for Generative AI-based Software Products

This paper investigates the complexities of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into software products, with a focus on the challenges encountered for determining their readiness for release. Our systematic review of grey literature identifies common challenges in deploying LLMs, ranging from pre-training and fine-tuning to user experience considerations. The study introduces a comprehensive checklist designed to guide practitioners in evaluating key release readiness aspects such as performance, monitoring, and deployment strategies, aiming to enhance the reliability and effectiveness of LLM-based applications in real-world settings

Cooking at Home: Correlates of Frequency and Intention in Fifth Graders

Cooking at home is associated with health benefits, and 10- and 11-year-old children are capable of participating in meal preparation. However, opportunities for children to cook at home have declined. This study aimed to identify determinants of the frequency and the intention to cook at home in fifth graders using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework with quantitative methodology. A total of 241 participants across five elementary schools of the Chaudière-Appalaches region (Quebec, Canada) took part in this correlational study. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Regression analyses led to the identification of determinants of frequency and intention to cook at home. More than two-thirds of participants (69%) declared having cooked at home in the past 7 days. Intention was the only significant variable explaining 18% of the variance for frequency. Intention was determined by perceived behavioral control, attitude, descriptive norms, subjective norms, perceived barriers, being a girl, and normative beliefs, which explain 74% of the variance. Whereas other studies aiming at better understanding children’s involvement in meal preparation at home focused on self-efficacy for cooking, this study highlights other behavioral determinants. For example, support from parents appears to be crucial to promote this behavior in this age group. Future research and interventions should be oriented toward determinants such as subjective norms and normative beliefs, and focus on children’s autonomy. -- Keywords : cooking ; children ; Theory of Planned Behavior ; intention ; behavior assessment ; public health

Correlates of sugar-sweetened beverages consumption among adolescents

Objective: To identify correlates and underlying beliefs regarding the adolescents’ intention to abstain from consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and the consumption of ≤1 daily portion of SSB. Design: Correlational study. Setting: Region of Chaudière-Appalaches in the province of Quebec, Canada. Participants: 311 adolescents aged 13–18 years completed a self-administrated online questionnaire based on the Reasoned Action Approach. Frequency and quantity of different types of SSB within the past month were measured. Results: Total mean SSB intake was 882·6 ml/d (654·0 kJ/d ). Only 11·3 % abstained from SSB within the last month. Intention to abstain from SSB was explained by identification as SSB abstainers ( β = 0·47), perceived norm ( β = 0·32), attitude ( β = 0·30), age 13–14 years ( β = –0·27) and perception of the school environment ( β = 0·14), which explained 66 % of the variance. Consumption of ≤1 daily portion of SSB was explained by the intention to abstain (OR = 1·55; 95 % CI 1·14, 2·11), perceived behavioural control to abstain (OR = 1·80; 95 % CI 1·29, 2·52), sex (girls v. boys: OR = 2·34; 95 % CI 1·37, 3·98) and socio-economic status (advantaged v. disadvantaged school: OR = 2·08; 95 % CI 1·21, 3·56). Underlying beliefs (i.e. more energy, decreased risk of addiction and friends’ approval) associated with intention as well as perceived barriers (e.g. access to SSB, after an activity that makes you thirsty), and facilitating factors (e.g. access to water) linked to SSB consumption were identified. Conclusions: The results can inform public health interventions to decrease SSB consumption and their associated health problems among adolescents

Differential binding regulation of microtubule-associated proteins MAP1A, MAP1B, and MAP2 by tubulin polyglutamylation.

The major neuronal post-translational modification of tubulin, polyglutamylation, can act as a molecular potentiometer to modulate microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) binding as a function of the polyglutamyl chain length. The relative affinity of Tau, MAP2, and kinesin has been shown to be optimal for tubulin modified by approximately 3 glutamyl units. Using blot overlay assays, we have tested the ability of polyglutamylation to modulate the interaction of two other structural MAPs, MAP1A and MAP1B, with tubulin. MAP1A and MAP2 display distinct behavior in terms of tubulin binding; they do not compete with each other, even when the polyglutamyl chains of tubulin are removed, indicating that they have distinct binding sites on tubulin. Binding of MAP1A and MAP1B to tubulin is also controlled by polyglutamylation and, although the modulation of MAP1B binding resembles that of MAP2, we found that polyglutamylation can exert a different mode of regulation toward MAP1A. Interestingly, although the affinity of the other MAPs tested so far decreases sharply for tubulins carrying long polyglutamyl chains, the affinity of MAP1A for these tubulins is maintained at a significant level. This differential regulation exerted by polyglutamylation toward different MAPs might facilitate their selective recruitment into distinct microtubule populations, hence modulating their functional properties

Underestimation of the Tambora effects in North American taiga ecosystems

The Tambora eruption (1815 AD) was one of the major eruptions of the last two millennia and has no equivalents over the last two centuries. Here, we collected an extensive network of early meteorological time series, climate simulation data and numerous, well-replicated proxy records from Eastern Canada to analyze the strength and the persistence of the Tambora impact on the regional climate and forest processes. Our results show that the Tambora impacts on the terrestrial biosphere were stronger than previously thought, and not only affected tree growth and carbon uptake for a longer period than registered in the regional climate, but also determined forest demography and structure. Increased tree mortality, four times higher than the background level, indicates that the Tambora climatic impact propagated to influence the structure of the North American taiga for several decades. We also show that the Tambora signal is more persistent in observed data (temperature, river ice dynamics, forest growth, tree mortality) than in simulated ones (climate and forest-growth simulations), indicating that our understanding of the mechanisms amplifying volcanic perturbations on climates and ecosystems is still limited, notably in the North American taiga.Peer reviewe