Après les missions : changements socio-culturels et construction identitaire chez les Mataco-Wichi du Chaco Central argentin

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Risk Evaluation and Advice in Undergraduate Students in Ashrafieh, Lebanon

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic lifestyle disease. It has become evident that T2DM occurs even among the younger age groups.1 In Lebanon, T2DM has a major public health impact through high disease prevalence, significant downstream pathophysiologic effects, and enormous financial liabilities.2

Atténuation des changements climatiques en Chine : analyse des cibles et des stratégies de réduction des émissions de GES

La Chine est l’acteur le plus important dans la lutte internationale aux changements climatiques. Depuis 2007, ce pays est le plus grand émetteur de dioxyde de carbone avec près du quart des émissions mondiales et la croissance de sa consommation d’énergie depuis les années 2000 met en grand danger l’ensemble de la planète. L’objectif de cet essai est d’analyser la capacité de la Chine à réduire ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de participer à sa juste part à l’effort international d’atténuation des changements climatiques. Pour ce faire, la croissance économique chinoise des dernières décennies et ses impacts environnementaux sont présentés. On remarque que le modèle de croissance qui a permis à la Chine de se hisser au sommet de l’économie mondiale a montré ses limites et que le gouvernement a développé une nouvelle stratégie économique qui se veut plus durable. Ensuite, les cibles et engagements climatiques de la Chine sont analysés selon quatre critères (capacité, adéquation, responsabilité et effort). Les résultats de cette analyse montrent que la capacité du pays à réduire ses émissions est grande, mais que ses cibles ne sont ni suffisantes pour maintenir la hausse de la température à 2 °C, ni assez contraignantes et larges. Puis, l’impact de la nouvelle stratégie économique sur différents indicateurs est évalué. Cette évaluation montre que les facteurs qui ont largement contribué à la hausse des émissions de gaz à effet de serre en Chine – à savoir une croissance économique effrénée, une forte dépendance au charbon et une économie dominée par le secteur industriel – subissent d’importants changements. En effet, ces mutations majeures dans l’économie chinoise laissent croire que la Chine atteindra ses cibles d’intensité énergétique, d’énergie renouvelable et de plafonnement des émissions de dioxyde de carbone plus rapidement que prévu. Il est recommandé de bonifier les engagements climatiques de la Chine en imposant une cible absolue sur les émissions de dioxyde de carbone et en élargissant la portée de ces engagements pour inclure d’autres gaz à effet de serre. Aussi, certaines recommandations sont faites pour assurer le bon fonctionnement d’un éventuel système de plafonnement et d’échange en Chine. Le travail se conclut sur l’effort à venir dans la lutte internationale aux changements climatiques et sur la nécessité d’étudier la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre en Chine après leur plafonnement, prévu d’ici 2025.

Ad majorem dei gloriam- Espace de dieu et domaine des hommes, analyse des missions jesuites du paracuaria (1610 – 1767) a partir de l’archeologie phenomenologique, cas d’étude Nuestra Señora de Loreto (i et ii) et San Ignacio Mini (i et ii)

Méthodologie: Modèle interprétatif de l’archéologie phénoménologique.

Simulation of optical observables for space missions to small bodies

The navigation of deep space spacecraft requires accurate measurement of the probe’s state and attitude with respect to a body whose ephemerides may not be known with good accuracy. The heliocentric state of the spacecraft is estimated through radiometric techniques (ranging, Doppler, and Delta-DOR), while optical observables can be introduced to improve the uncertainty in the relative position and attitude with respect to the target body. In this study, we analyze how simulated optical observables affect the estimation of parameters in an orbit determination problem, considering the case of the ESA’s Hera mission towards the binary asteroid system composed of Didymos and Dimorphos. To this extent, a shape model and a photometric function are used to create synthetic onboard camera images. Then, using a stereophotoclinometry technique on some of the simulated images, we create a database of maplets that describe the 3D geometry of the surface around a set of landmarks. The matching of maplets with the simulated images provides the optical observables, expressed as pixel coordinates in the camera frame, which are fed to an orbit determination filter to estimate a certain number of solve-for parameters. The noise introduced in the output optical observables by the image processing can be quantified using as a metric the quality of the residuals, which is used to fine-tune the maplet-matching parameters. In particular, the best results are obtained when using small maplets, with high correlation coefficients and occupation factors.

Deep and near space tracking stations in support of lunar and planetary exploration missions

The aim of this dissertation is to describe the methodologies required to design, operate, and validate the performance of ground stations dedicated to near and deep space tracking, as well as the models developed to process the signals acquired, from raw data to the output parameters of the orbit determination of spacecraft. This work is framed in the context of lunar and planetary exploration missions by addressing the challenges in receiving and processing radiometric data for radio science investigations and navigation purposes. These challenges include the designing of an appropriate back-end to read, convert and store the antenna voltages, the definition of appropriate methodologies for pre-processing, calibration, and estimation of radiometric data for the extraction of information on the spacecraft state, and the definition and integration of accurate models of the spacecraft dynamics to evaluate the goodness of the recorded signals. Additionally, the experimental design of acquisition strategies to perform direct comparison between ground stations is described and discussed. In particular, the evaluation of the differential performance between stations requires the designing of a dedicated tracking campaign to maximize the overlap of the recorded datasets at the receivers, making it possible to correlate the received signals and isolate the contribution of the ground segment to the noise in the single link. Finally, in support of the methodologies and models presented, results from the validation and design work performed on the Deep Space Network (DSN) affiliated nodes DSS-69 and DSS-17 will also be reported.

Calibration of the detector flight models for the HERMES and SPIRIT nanosatellite missions

The High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites (HERMES) is a new mission concept involving the development of a constellation of six CubeSats in low Earth orbit with new miniaturized instruments that host a hybrid Silicon Drift Detector/GAGG:Ce based system for X-ray and γ-ray detection, aiming to monitor high-energy cosmic transients, such as Gamma Ray Bursts and the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events. The HERMES constellation will also operate together with the Australian-Italian SpIRIT mission, which will house a HERMES-like detector. The HERMES pathfinder mini-constellation, consisting of six satellites plus SpIRIT, is likely to be launched in 2023. The HERMES detectors are based on the heritage of the Italian ReDSoX collaboration, with joint design and production by INFN-Trieste and Fondazione Bruno Kessler, and the involvement of several Italian research institutes and universities. An application-specific, low-noise, low-power integrated circuit (ASIC) called LYRA was conceived and designed for the HERMES readout electronics. My thesis project focuses on the ground calibrations of the first HERMES and SpIRIT flight detectors, with a performance assessment and characterization of the detectors. The first part of this work addresses measurements and experimental tests on laboratory prototypes of the HERMES detectors and their front-end electronics, while the second part is based on the design of the experimental setup for flight detector calibrations and related functional tests for data acquisition, as well as the development of the calibration software. In more detail, the calibration parameters (such as the gain of each detector channel) are determined using measurements with radioactive sources, performed at different operating temperatures between -20°C and +20°C by placing the detector in a suitable climate chamber. The final part of the thesis involves the analysis of the calibration data and a discussion of the results.

Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode

Background: Major depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, yet epidemiologic data are not available for many countries, particularly low- to middle-income countries. In this paper, we present data on the prevalence, impairment and demographic correlates of depression from 18 high and low-to middle-income countries in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Methods: Major depressive episodes (MDE) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DMS-IV) were evaluated in face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Data from 18 countries were analyzed in this report (n = 89,037). All countries surveyed representative, population-based samples of adults. Results: The average lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV MDE were 14.6% and 5.5% in the ten high-income and 11.1% and 5.9% in the eight low- to middle-income countries. The average age of onset ascertained retrospectively was 25.7 in the high-income and 24.0 in low- to middle-income countries. Functional impairment was associated with recency of MDE. The female: male ratio was about 2: 1. In high-income countries, younger age was associated with higher 12-month prevalence; by contrast, in several low-to middle-income countries, older age was associated with greater likelihood of MDE. The strongest demographic correlate in high-income countries was being separated from a partner, and in low- to middle-income countries, was being divorced or widowed. Conclusions: MDE is a significant public-health concern across all regions of the world and is strongly linked to social conditions. Future research is needed to investigate the combination of demographic risk factors that are most strongly associated with MDE in the specific countries included in the WMH.

Cross-National Analysis of the Associations between Traumatic Events and Suicidal Behavior: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Background: Community and clinical data have suggested there is an association between trauma exposure and suicidal behavior (i.e., suicide ideation, plans and attempts). However, few studies have assessed which traumas are uniquely predictive of: the first onset of suicidal behavior, the progression from suicide ideation to plans and attempts, or the persistence of each form of suicidal behavior over time. Moreover, few data are available on such associations in developing countries. The current study addresses each of these issues. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data on trauma exposure and subsequent first onset of suicidal behavior were collected via structured interviews conducted in the households of 102,245 (age 18+) respondents from 21 countries participating in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Bivariate and multivariate survival models tested the relationship between the type and number of traumatic events and subsequent suicidal behavior. A range of traumatic events are associated with suicidal behavior, with sexual and interpersonal violence consistently showing the strongest effects. There is a dose-response relationship between the number of traumatic events and suicide ideation/attempt; however, there is decay in the strength of the association with more events. Although a range of traumatic events are associated with the onset of suicide ideation, fewer events predict which people with suicide ideation progress to suicide plan and attempt, or the persistence of suicidal behavior over time. Associations generally are consistent across high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides more detailed information than previously available on the relationship between traumatic events and suicidal behavior and indicates that this association is fairly consistent across developed and developing countries. These data reinforce the importance of psychological trauma as a major public health problem, and highlight the significance of screening for the presence and accumulation of traumatic exposures as a risk factor for suicide ideation and attempt.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XI. CoRoT-8b: a hot and dense sub-Saturn around a K1 dwarf

Aims. We report the discovery of CoRoT-8b, a dense small Saturn-class exoplanet that orbits a K1 dwarf in 6.2 days, and we derive its orbital parameters, mass, and radius. Methods. We analyzed two complementary data sets: the photometric transit curve of CoRoT-8b as measured by CoRoT and the radial velocity curve of CoRoT-8 as measured by the HARPS spectrometer**. Results. We find that CoRoT-8b is on a circular orbit with a semi-major axis of 0.063 +/- 0.001 AU. It has a radius of 0.57 +/- 0.02 R(J), a mass of 0.22 +/- 0.03 M(J), and therefore a mean density of 1.6 +/- 0.1 g cm(-3). Conclusions. With 67% of the size of Saturn and 72% of its mass, CoRoT-8b has a density comparable to that of Neptune (1.76 g cm(-3)). We estimate its content in heavy elements to be 47-63 M(circle plus), and the mass of its hydrogen-helium envelope to be 7-23 M(circle plus). At 0.063 AU, the thermal loss of hydrogen of CoRoT-8b should be no more than similar to 0.1% over an assumed integrated lifetime of 3 Ga.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission VIII. CoRoT-7b: the first super-Earth with measured radius

Aims. We report the discovery of very shallow (Delta F/F approximate to 3.4 x 10(-4)), periodic dips in the light curve of an active V = 11.7 G9V star observed by the CoRoT satellite, which we interpret as caused by a transiting companion. We describe the 3-colour CoRoT data and complementary ground-based observations that support the planetary nature of the companion. Methods. We used CoRoT colours information, good angular resolution ground-based photometric observations in- and out- of transit, adaptive optics imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, and preliminary results from radial velocity measurements, to test the diluted eclipsing binary scenarios. The parameters of the host star were derived from optical spectra, which were then combined with the CoRoT light curve to derive parameters of the companion. Results. We examined all conceivable cases of false positives carefully, and all the tests support the planetary hypothesis. Blends with separation >0.40 '' or triple systems are almost excluded with a 8 x 10(-4) risk left. We conclude that, inasmuch we have been exhaustive, we have discovered a planetary companion, named CoRoT-7b, for which we derive a period of 0.853 59 +/- 3 x 10(-5) day and a radius of R(p) = 1.68 +/- 0.09 R(Earth). Analysis of preliminary radial velocity data yields an upper limit of 21 M(Earth) for the companion mass, supporting the finding. Conclusions. CoRoT-7b is very likely the first Super-Earth with a measured radius. This object illustrates what will probably become a common situation with missions such as Kepler, namely the need to establish the planetary origin of transits in the absence of a firm radial velocity detection and mass measurement. The composition of CoRoT-7b remains loosely constrained without a precise mass. A very high surface temperature on its irradiated face, approximate to 1800-2600 K at the substellar point, and a very low one, approximate to 50 K, on its dark face assuming no atmosphere, have been derived.

Populations III.1 and III.2 gamma-ray bursts: constraints on the event rate for future radio and X-ray surveys

Aims. We calculate the theoretical event rate of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the collapse of massive first-generation (Population III; Pop III) stars. The Pop III GRBs could be super-energetic with the isotropic energy up to E(iso) greater than or similar to 10(55-57) erg, providing a unique probe of the high-redshift Universe. Methods. We consider both the so-called Pop III.1 stars (primordial) and Pop III.2 stars (primordial but affected by radiation from other stars). We employ a semi-analytical approach that considers inhomogeneous hydrogen reionization and chemical evolution of the intergalactic medium. Results. We show that Pop III.2 GRBs occur more than 100 times more frequently than Pop III.1 GRBs, and thus should be suitable targets for future GRB missions. Interestingly, our optimistic model predicts an event rate that is already constrained by the current radio transient searches. We expect similar to 10-10(4) radio afterglows above similar to 0.3 mJy on the sky with similar to 1 year variability and mostly without GRBs (orphans), which are detectable by ALMA, EVLA, LOFAR, and SKA, while we expect to observe maximum of N < 20 GRBs per year integrated over at z > 6 for Pop III.2 and N < 0.08 per year integrated over at z > 10 for Pop III.1 with EXIST, and N < 0.2 for Pop III.2 GRBs per year integrated over at z > 6 with Swift.

Effects of Varenicline in Adult Smokers: A Multinational, 24-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: Prevalence rates of smoking are rising in developing countries. Previous trials evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of the smoking-cessation medication varenicline have used largely participants of Caucasian origin. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of varenicline in populations of participants from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East to investigate potential differences in the therapeutic response to varenicline. Methods: This multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 42 centers in 11 countries (Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Venezuela; Africa: Egypt and South Africa; Middle East: Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). Participants were male and female smokers aged 18 to 75 years who were motivated to stop smoking; smoked >= 10 cigarettes/d, with no cumulative period of abstinence >3 months in the previous year; and who had no serious or unstable disease within the previous 6 months. Subjects were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive varenicline 1 mg or placebo, BID for 12 weeks, with a 12-week nontreatment follow-up. Brief smoking-cessation counseling was provided. The main outcome measures were carbon monoxide confirmed continuous abstinence rate (CAR) at weeks 9 to 12 and weeks 9 to 24. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded for tolerability assessment. Results: Overall, 588 subjects (varenicline, 390; placebo, 198) were randomized and treated. The mean (SD) ages of subjects in the varenicline and placebo groups were 43.1 (10.8) and 43.9 (10.8) years, respectively; 57.7% and 65.7% were male; and the mean (SD) weights were 75.0 (16.0) and 76.7 (16.3) kg (range, 40.0-130.0 and 45.6-126.0 kg). CAR at weeks 9 to 12 was significantly higher with varenicline than with placebo (53.59% vs 18.69%; odds ratio [OR] = 5.76; 95% CI, 3.74-8.88; P < 0.0001), and this rate was maintained during weeks 9 to 24 (39.74% vs 13.13%; OR = 4.78; 95% CI, 2.97-7.68; P < 0.0001). Nausea, headache, and insomnia were the most commonly reported AEs with varenicline and were reported numerically more frequently in the varenicline group compared with the placebo group. Serious AEs (SAEs) were reported in 2.8% of varenicline recipients compared with 1.0% in the placebo group, with 6 subjects reporting psychiatric SAEs compared with none in the placebo group. Conclusion: Based on these data, varenicline was apparently efficacious and generally well tolerated as a smoking-cessation aid in smokers from selected sites in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. ClinicalTrials. gov identifier: NCT00594204. (Clin Ther. 2011;33:465-477) (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

Adaptive Carrier Tracking for Mars to Earth Communications During Entry, Descent, and Landing

We propose a robust and low complexity scheme to estimate and track carrier frequency from signals traveling under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions in highly nonstationary channels. These scenarios arise in planetary exploration missions subject to high dynamics, such as the Mars exploration rover missions. The method comprises a bank of adaptive linear predictors (ALP) supervised by a convex combiner that dynamically aggregates the individual predictors. The adaptive combination is able to outperform the best individual estimator in the set, which leads to a universal scheme for frequency estimation and tracking. A simple technique for bias compensation considerably improves the ALP performance. It is also shown that retrieval of frequency content by a fast Fourier transform (FFT)-search method, instead of only inspecting the angle of a particular root of the error predictor filter, enhances performance, particularly at very low SNR levels. Simple techniques that enforce frequency continuity improve further the overall performance. In summary we illustrate by extensive simulations that adaptive linear prediction methods render a robust and competitive frequency tracking technique.