La culture matérielle dans l'espace domestique : rupture et continuité identitaire chez des femmes autochtones à Québec

Dans ce mémoire de maîtrise, nous nous sommes intéressée à la relation qu’entretiennent culture matérielle domestique et construction de l’identité, un domaine d'étude qui est en plein essor. Jusqu'à présent, peu d'études ont traité de ces questions à partir d'observations portant sur les femmes en milieu urbain. Nous explorons donc l’univers matériel quotidien des femmes autochtones dans ce lieu de réconfort, de recueillement et de rencontre avec soi-même qu’est le foyer en ville. Pour ces femmes autochtones récemment établies en milieu urbain, les objets domestiques sont d’importants vecteurs de l’identité personnelle et collective. Par le biais d’entrevues, nous tentons de comprendre le statut identitaire des objets, leur disposition dans l’espace, ainsi que le pouvoir et la portée de leur mise en valeur par les femmes autochtones résidant dans la ville de Québec. Les femmes autochtones rencontrées possèdent encore pour la plupart des objets traditionnels hérités qui représentent les valeurs traditionnelles autochtones, telles que le partage et la non-compétitivité. Ces valeurs sont souvent en conflit avec celles de la culture dominante, telles que la surconsommation et l’individualisme, qui peuvent freiner ainsi la reconnaissance d’un patrimoine autochtone et les processus d’auto-identification de ces femmes. Pourtant, certaines femmes conservent leurs objets traditionnels et continuent à participer à des activités traditionnelles qui représentent un ancrage dans leurs sociétés d’origine.In this master thesis, we are interested in the relationship between domestic material culture and the conception of the identity amongst Aboriginal women recently immigrated to Quebec City, an area of study that is attracting growing interest in a large number of disciplines. So far only a few studies have addressed these issues via observations on women in urban areas. We explore thus the universe of everyday objects of Aboriginal women in this place of solace, meditation and encounter with oneself which is the new city home. For these Aboriginal women in migration from rural to urban settings, domestic objects are important vectors of personal and collective identity. Through interviews, we try to understand the identity status of these objects, their arrangement in space, and the power and scope of their uses by Aboriginal women residing in Quebec City. The indigenous women we interviewed still keep most of their inherited traditional objects that carry with them the traditional Aboriginal values, such as sharing and non-competitiveness. These values are often in conflict with those of the dominant society, such as consumerism and individualism, which can gradually slowdown and disregard the recognition of Aboriginal heritage and self-identification process of these women. However, some women continue to use their traditional objects and to participate in traditional activities that represent a link with their aboriginal communities and values

Enterotoxigenic and Enterohemorrhagic <i>Escherichia coli</i>: Survival and Modulation of Virulence in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are major food‐ and water‐borne pathogens that constitute a serious public health threat in low‐income and developed countries, respectively. Survival and expression of virulence genes in the human digestive tract are key features in bacterial pathogenesis, but the mechanisms behind these processes remain largely unknown due to obvious prohibition of human studies. Use of well‐controlled and multi‐parametric in vitro models can aid in addressing knowledge gaps in ETEC and EHEC pathogenesis. After a general description of the physiopathology of ETEC and EHEC infections, this chapter will give an overview of all the in vitro studies that have investigated the effect of the main physicochemical and biotic parameters of the human gut on pathogen survival and expression of virulence factors. We bring a picture of how ETEC and EHEC are able to adapt to each of the successive environments of the human gastrointestinal tract by reading many cues provided by both the host and the gut microbiota

Association between recreational screen time and sleep quality among adolescents during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

The study objective was to verify whether recreational screen time was associated with sleep quality among adolescents during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Data collection took place in four high schools in the region of Chaudière-Appalaches (Quebec, Canada) from the end of April to mid-May 2021. Recreational screen time and sleep quality were measured using the French versions of validated questionnaires specifically designed for adolescents. A total of 258 adolescents (14–18 years; 66.3% girls) answered the online survey. Adolescent boys had a higher total mean recreational screen time (454.3 ± 197.5 vs. 300.5 ± 129.3 min/day, p < 0.0001) and a higher total mean sleep quality score (4.2 ± 0.9 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8, p = 0.0364) compared to girls. Recreational screen time (β = −0.0012, p = 0.0005) and frequency of concurrent screen use (sometimes: β = −0.3141, p = 0.0269; often: β = −0.4147, p = 0.0048; almost always or always: β = −0.6155, p = 0.0002) were negatively associated with sleep quality while being a boy (β = 0.4276, p = 0.0004) was positively associated with sleep quality and age (p = 0.6321) was not. This model explained 16% of the variance in adolescents’ sleep quality. Public health interventions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic should target recreational screen time, concurrent screen use and especially girls to possibly improve sleep quality and promote adolescents’ physical and mental health

The Arabidopsis pop2-1 mutant reveals the involvement of GABA transaminase in salt stress tolerance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is a non protein amino acid that has been reported to accumulate in a number of plant species when subjected to high salinity and many other environmental constraints. However, no experimental data are to date available on the molecular function of GABA and the involvement of its metabolism in salt stress tolerance in higher plants. Here, we investigated the regulation of GABA metabolism in <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>at the metabolite, enzymatic activity and gene transcription levels upon NaCl stress.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified the GABA transaminase (GABA-T), the first step of GABA catabolism, as the most responsive to NaCl. We further performed a functional analysis of the corresponding gene <it>POP2 </it>and demonstrated that the previously isolated loss-of-function <it>pop2-1 </it>mutant was oversensitive to ionic stress but not to osmotic stress suggesting a specific role in salt tolerance. NaCl oversensitivity was not associated with overaccumulation of Na⁺and Cl^-but mutant showed a slight decrease in K⁺. To bring insights into <it>POP2 </it>function, a promoter-reporter gene strategy was used and showed that <it>POP2 </it>was mainly expressed in roots under control conditions and was induced in primary root apex and aerial parts of plants in response to NaCl. Additionally, GC-MS- and UPLC-based metabolite profiling revealed major changes in roots of <it>pop2-1 </it>mutant upon NaCl stress including accumulation of amino acids and decrease in carbohydrates content.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>GABA metabolism was overall up-regulated in response to NaCl in <it>Arabidopsis</it>. Particularly, GABA-T was found to play a pivotal function and impairment of this step was responsible for a decrease in salt tolerance indicating that GABA catabolism was a determinant of <it>Arabidopsis </it>salt tolerance. GABA-T would act in salt responses in linking N and C metabolisms in roots.</p

Psychosocial correlates of recreational screen time among adolescents

The study objective was to identify the psychosocial correlates of recreational screen time among adolescents. Data collection took place in four high schools from the Chaudière-Appalaches region (Quebec, Canada) from late April to mid-May 2021. A total of 258 French-speaking adolescents (69.8% between 15 and 16 years and 66.3% girls) answered an online questionnaire based on the Reasoned Action Approach. Recreational screen time was measured using the French version of a validated questionnaire. Adolescents reported a mean of 5 h and 52 min/day of recreational screen time. Recreational screen time was associated with being a boy (β = 0.33; p < 0.0001) and intention to limit recreational screen time to a maximum of 2 h/day (β = −0.15; p = 0.0001); this model explained 30% of the variance in behavior. Intention to limit recreational screen time to a maximum of 2 h/day in the next month was associated with attitude (β = 0.49; p < 0.0001), self-identity (β = 0.33; p < 0.0001), being a boy (β = −0.21; p = 0.0109), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.18; p = 0.0016), and injunctive norm (β = 0.17; p < 0.0001); this model explained 70% of the variance in intention. This study identified avenues to design public health interventions aimed at lowering recreational screen time among this population

Microbial diversity associated with the hydrothermal shrimp Rimicaris exoculata gut and occurrence of a resident microbial community

En libre-accès sur Archimer : http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/11142/7919.pdfInternational audienceRimicaris exoculata dominates the megafauna of several Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal sites. Its gut is full of sulphides and iron-oxide particles and harbours microbial communities. Although a trophic symbiosis has been suggested, their role remains unclear. In vivo starvation experiments in pressurized vessels were performed on shrimps from Rainbow and Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse sites in order to expel the transient gut contents. Microbial communities associated with the gut of starved and reference shrimps were compared using 16S rRNA gene libraries and microscopic observations (light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy and FISH analyses). We show that the gut microbiota of shrimps from both sites included mainly Deferribacteres, Mollicutes, Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria. For the first time, we have observed filamentous bacteria, inserted between microvilli of gut epithelial cells. They remained after starvation periods in empty guts, suggesting the occurrence of a resident microbial community. The bacterial community composition was the same regardless of the site, except for Gammaproteobacteria retrieved only in Rainbow specimens. We observed a shift in the composition of the microbiota of long-starved specimens, from the dominance of Deferribacteres to the dominance of Gammaproteobacteria. These results reinforce the hypothesis of a symbiotic relationship between R. exoculata and its gut epibionts