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Valeurs aspectuelles et temporelles en langue des signes de Belgique francophone (LSFB). Marqueurs spécifiques et variations en discours.
No full text/La langue qui fait l'objet de notre recherche est la langue des signes de Belgique francophone (LSFB). Il s'agit de la langue utilisée par la communauté des Sourds de la partie francophone de Belgique. Notre étude repose sur trois piliers que sont 1) les descriptions proposées pour d'autres langues des signes, 2) les analyses de Meurant conduites sur la LSFB (en particulier les points relatifs à la valeur d'accompli) et le modèle glossologique qui en représente le cadre théorique général et qui est également l'arrière-fond qui conditionne nos propres observations et 3) les écrits de Rastier concernant la sémantique interprétative et les analyses de corpus. Le cœur de notre travail se trouve dans l'analyse de certains signes qui jouent un rôle significatif dans le marquage temporel. La façon dont ils sont étudiés au sein du corpus (composé de 21 heures d'enregistrements) et décrits rend compte de la procédure de recherche à l'œuvre. Chaque occurrence est examinée selon ses caractéristiques phonologiques, en fonction de ses propriétés morpho-syntaxiques et au regard des l'interprétation sémantique qu'elle reçoit au sein du passage auquel elle appartient. Ainsi, selon les principes de Rastier, l'analyse procède par la mise en complémentarité des indices locaux (du signe seul) et des éléments plus globaux (les signes avoisinants d'une part et l'ensemble du passage d'autre part). Ce sont les aller et retour entre ces multiples paliers qui permettent à l'analyse d'aboutir à l'identification des valeurs sémiologiques recouvertes par ces signes.(DOCFILO01) -- FUNDP, 201
Connecting the cell cycle and the pathogenicity of Brucella abortus: when a specific bacterial cell cycle arrest in G1 phase takes part in the colonization of mammalian cells
No full textThe bacterial cell cycle is a developmental process starting with newborn bacteria that progress to the predivisional status in which they eventually generate two daughter cells. Along their development, the newborns grow and replicate their genome that is in turn faithfully transmitted to the two siblings. The bacterial cell cycle has been extensively investigated in the alphaproteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus, which produces a small non-replicating (G1 phase) swarmer cell for the colonization of new niches in aquatic environments at each cell division. The pathogen Brucella abortus is also part of the alphaproteobacteria group but displays a singular cell cycle compared to C. crescentus. Opposite to C. crescentus, B. abortus growth mode is unipolar resulting in the asymmetric distribution of the cell wall material in the predivisionnal cell. This asymmetry is further exacerbated by an asymmetric division that generates a large cell composed of “old” cell wall material and a small cell made of a new envelope material. In addition, B. abortus also contains a genome divided into several replicons each encoding its own segregating apparatus. Among those replicons is included a chromid (a combination of chromosomal and plasmidic features) carrying a RepAB-based segregation system for which the localization has not been not assessed so far. During this PhD thesis, we characterized the mechanisms of unipolar growth and chromosomes segregation of B. abortus. Concerning the unipolar growth study, we localized the only monofunctional transpeptidase penicillin-binding protein (FtsI) identified in B. abortus that creates links between the different peptidoglycan strands at every growth zone. The localization of FtsI revealed that this protein is present at the growing pole during the unipolar elongation and at the constriction site during the division. These data suggest the presence of a unique growth machinery performing both the elongation (at the new pole) and the division (at the constriction site) in two different periods of the cell cycle. We therefore propose that B. abortus and other rhizobiales unipolar growth mode relies on a simple process involving only one machinery used after the loss of the genes involved in the formation of the core of the elongation machinery such as mreB or pbp2. We investigated the replication status of B. abortus by generating fluorescent reporters of the segregation markers (ParB and RepB) and the replication origins (ori) and terminators (ter). We showed that both chromosomes were oriented along the cell length axis and that oriI was strictly polarly localized while oriII was not anchored to the poles, similarly to plasmids. Moreover, we showed that the replication and segregation of chromosome I are initiated before the duplication of chromosome II origin. As B. abortus is a facultative intracellular pathogen characterized by a striking proliferation arrest during the first phase of its infectious process, we envisioned a potential link between its cell cycle and its infectivity. Importantly, our chromosomal reporters indicated that the newly generated non-replicating bacteria (newborns) are predominant during the non-proliferative stage of the infection. As the bacterial cell cycle appears to be blocked during this infectious period, we propose that the B. abortus newborns constitute the major cell type able to colonize host cells. These data demonstrate thus that only a subset of the Brucella population is dedicated to the prospection of new environmental niches similarly to the swarmer G1 blocked cells in C. crescentus. Overall, this work demonstrates the need to investigate bacterial cell cycle to improve our knowledge of bacterial pathogenicity, since G1 block may represent a general strategy of resistance form in stressful conditions encountered by the intracellular pathogens.(DOCSC03) -- FUNDP, 201
Le Concept de défense au Cameroun : Éléments constitutifs d'une culture stratégique postcoloniale (1960 -2012)
No full textLe concept de défense au Cameroun, depuis 1960, est impulsé par une culture stratégique métissée. La thèse saisit la trajectoire de formation de cette culture stratégique et sa constellation pratique pour répondre aux exigences de l'environnement des menaces.(DOCSESG02) -- FUNDP, 201
First steps in the characterisation of the bi-directional communication between corticotropic axis and immune system in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis, L.)
No full textIn western countries, human concern for stress, welfare and health of livestock is growing up. In aquaculture, stress reduction is important from an ethical point of view but also results in an increased fish welfare and productivity. Stress response is quite complex phenomenon including release of several hormones. The most studied hormone during stress response in teleosts is cortisol, also called stress hormone. It is the most important corticosteroid in fish, modulating a vast range of physiological processes including general metabolism, growth, reproduction and immunity. Pathogen outbreaks are frequently reported in fish husbandry. Stress resulting from husbandry is suspected to favour these pathogen outbreaks. Furthermore, cortisol is reported to modulate all levels of the immune system; both cellular and humoral immune defences involved in both innate and adaptive immune systems. Most of the functions of corticosteroids are mediated through nuclear receptors called corticosteroid receptors. There are two types of corticosteroid receptors in teleosts as well as in mammals; the gluco- (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). In mammals, as well as in teleosts, a bi-directional communication is reported between corticotropic axis and immune system. This bi-directional communication is essential to maintain efficient responses of both immune system and corticotropic axis, preventing adverse effects of too high or too long responses of those systems. This communication is well described in mammals, but several differences are reported between teleosts and mammals regarding corticotropic axis. Indeed, the mammalian mineralocorticoid aldosterone is not present at relevant physiological levels in teleosts. In 2005, 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC) was identified to bind to and activate the mineralocorticoid receptor in several teleost species. This opens the door for a new putative active corticosteroid in teleosts. Furthermore, corticosteroid receptor diversity is higher in teleosts than in mammals, indicating that some differences in corticotropic response should exist between these two groups. Nowadays in teleosts, the bi-directional communication existing between both immune system and corticotropic axis is more frequently characterised by the corticosteroid-induced regulation of the immune system than by the regulation of the corticotropic axis by the immune response. Moreover, regulations of the immune system by other corticosteroids than cortisol, as well as the implication of the corticosteroid receptors in these regulations, are poorly documented in teleosts.
Eurasian perch is an attractive model from different perspectives. Indeed, high basal levels of cortisol have been reported in this species. We also previously reported that one minute of exondation induced a high increase in cortisol plasma level, modulated some immune parameters in spleens and this immune modulation in spleen was accompanied by an increase in abundance of MR, and not of GR at the transcript levels. Additional in vitro experiments suggested that cortisol could not be the most important factor in the stress-induced modulation of the immune response in spleen. Several infectious outbreaks affecting Eurasian perch have been reported in aquaculture as well as in natural lakes, indicating the sensitivity of this species to some infectious agents. Based on this rationale, we chose to use Eurasian perch for better characterising the bi-directional communication between immune system and corticotropic axis in teleosts.
The objective of the present thesis was to increase knowledge on the bi-directional communication between the immune system and corticotropic axis in a non-model species, the Eurasian perch. To reach this goal, we first sequenced and measured the constitutive expression of the different corticosteroid receptors in this species. We observed that Eurasian perch possess two GRs and one MR as most of the teleost species. These receptors are closely related to those of phylogenetically close species such as different Perciforms. An analysis of these receptors revealed that the hinge region, or D domain, of Eurasian perch GR-1 is shorter than that of all other teleost species analysed to date. This difference in the length of hinge region of GR-1 may suggest differences of conformational changes for this receptor after ligand binding.
Secondly, we characterised the implication of two corticosteroids, cortisol and DOC in the immune response. During an in vivo experiment, we confirmed the role of cortisol as a strong modulator of cellular and humoral immunity, by increasing blood neutrophil populations, decreasing that of lymphocytes and increasing plasma lysozyme activity as well as the expression of C-type lysozyme in spleen. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory nature of cortisol was confirmed by the cortisol-induced decrease in the expression of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, we identified the implication of another corticosteroid in the modulation of the immune response in teleosts. Indeed, DOC, an MR ligand, increased the expression of C-type lysozyme and apolipoprotein A1 in both spleen and gills. Moreover, this corticosteroid was identified to favour its putative signalling by increasing MR and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type-2 (11β-HSD-2) expression. 11β-HSD-2 is an enzyme responsible for cortisol inactivation, which is essential to avoid occupation of MR by cortisol. An in vitro experiment was conducted to study the implication of each corticosteroid receptor in these regulations. This in vitro study indicated that cortisol induced its own inactivation by increasing the expression of 11β-HSD-2 in gills. We also identified the implication of GR, and not that of MR, in this process. The results collected during these in vivo and in vitro studies confirmed the implication of cortisol in immune regulation, as well as the implication of GR in some cortisol-mediated processes. But, we also reported a possible implication of another corticosteroid, namely DOC, in the interactions between corticotropic axis and immune system.
To better characterise the bi-directional communication of the immune system and corticotropic axis, we challenged Eurasian perch with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of Gram-negative bacteria cell walls. This component is well described to induce an immune response in teleosts. After having determined the dose of LPS necessary to induce an immune response in Eurasian perch, we challenged fish with this bacterial compound in association with either cortisol or DOC, the two corticosteroids previously reported to modulate the immune response. The results collected during this in vivo study indicate that LPS increased blood neutrophil population, decreased that of lymphocytes and increased plasma lysozyme activity. This immune response was associated with a modulation of the expression of all corticosteroid receptors in spleen. Moreover, cortisol was able to balance the LPS-induced modulation of TNF-α expression. All these results confirmed the close interaction existing between the immune system and the corticotropic axis in teleosts.
To conclude, we confirmed by using different approaches the extensive bi-directional communication between immune system and corticotropic axis in a non-model species, the Eurasian perch. Moreover, we identified for the first time the putative implication of another corticosteroid, DOC, in this communication. The implication of this corticosteroid in the modulation of immune response suggests that the bi-directional communication between immune system and corticotropic axis in teleosts may be more complex than previously hypothesised.(DOCSC03) -- FUNDP, 201
Propriété et domanialité publique en Belgique. Essai de systématisation et d'optimisation du droit domanial.
No full textx(DOCJURI00) -- FUNDP, 201
Critique of Immigration Categories. An Analysis of the European Commission's Immigration Policy
No full textThe present thesis provides a critique of the categories underpinning the European Commission’s immigration policy, foregrounding the limitations and exclusionary effects of those categories. It advances that the study of categories, which are always socially constructed, is central for understanding that policy and its detrimental effects, and for eventually transforming or modifying it. The analysis draws on Wittgenstein’s theory of language games as a social practice which shapes both thought and activity, the cognitive psychologists who have used that theory to think through the mental process of categorisation, the social psychologists who situated categorisation at the heart of intergroup processes and exclusion, and also Foucault’s theory of discourse as embedded in power relations and regimes of truth. The thesis appraises each of these approaches: it opens by exploring the different schools of thought on categorization from the realist conception of categories as a reflection of existing social objectivity, which the thesis rejects, to the Foucauldian approach which stresses the radical contingency of any meaningful organisation of the world. A new, integrated multidisciplinary method of policy analysis is then designed that draws on these various schools of thought. The thesis then proceeds to apply this framework to the case study of the European Commission’s immigration policy (1999-2012), arguing that the categories which inform that policy are driven by the broader life form or truth regime of neoliberal governmentality, defined by its market morality. This morality defines the categories of immigrants in terms of economic utility and profitability rather than social or moral need. The thesis aims to problematize this system of categorization by highlighting both at once its susceptibility to modification, its flexibility, and its resistance to change.(DOCSESG02) -- FUNDP, 201
Identification de gènes impliqués dans les métastases induites par l'hypoxie, via l'analyse statistique et bioinformatique de banques de damiers à ADN
No full textThis thesis contains two principal axes, namely the development of statistical and bioinformatics analyses of data from DNA chip analyses, and their application on biological data relative to the development of metastases induced by hypoxia. The different statistical and bioinformatics analyses are based on work previously performed in our lab for which we brought our contribution, as well as new innovative work performed in the course of this thesis.
First, we used a dataset retrieval tool (PathEx) to gather the datasets better suited to our goals. Then, using the results obtained in a benchmarking analysis of single gene statistical analysis methods, we analyzed these datasets using the best suited method. An innovative meta-analysis step performed on the results of the first analyses allowed us to detect differentially expressed genes recurrent in the datasets tested. Then, an over-representation analysis step was performed on the pathways contained in KEGG that allowed to sort the genes obtained at the previous step according to their biological function. In parallel, we developed a new geneset analysis method (FAERI), allowing to statistically test groups of genes biologically related, instead of individual genes. The comparison of the results of the two axes highlights groups of genes supposedly involved in the biological situations tested.
The application of these different steps on data related to metastasis and hypoxia allowed us to identify several hundred candidate genes, distributed in tens of pathways. A significant part of these genes are in accordance with recent literature. Moreover, we highlighted the implication of the spliceosome pathway in the metastasis process, which was previously unknown. 20 new candidate genes were identified in this particular pathway. These results suggest the implication of alternative splicing in the development of metastasis.
We have developed a statistical and bioinformatics analysis sequence allowing the highlighting of relevant candidate genes, as shown in the analysis of data related to the development of metastasis induced by hypoxia.Cette thèse comporte deux axes principaux, à savoir la mise en place d’outils bioinformatiques et statistiques d’analyse de données obtenues à l’aide de puces à ADN, ainsi que leur application à des données relatives au phénomène métastatique induit par l’hypoxie. Les différentes analyses bioinformatiques et statistiques développées s’appuient sur un savoir-faire qui a été construit au cours des dernières années et propre à notre laboratoire, auquel nous avons apporté notre participation ; ainsi que sur plusieurs contributions innovantes réalisées au cours de cette thèse.
Dans la première partie, nous avons utilisé une base de données (PathEx) afin de sélectionner les jeux de données les plus adaptés aux recherches que l’on souhaite effectuer. Ensuite, grâce à un outil de mesure des performances des analyses statistiques « single gene » que nous avons développé, nous avons sélectionné la méthode la plus adaptée aux différents jeux de données. L’utilisation d’une étape innovante de méta-analyse sur ces résultats et une analyse de sur-représentation effectuée sur les voies de signalisation contenues dans KEGG, nous ont alors permis respectivement d’identifier des gènes différentiellement exprimés de façon récurrente au sein des jeux de données et de trier ces gènes par fonction biologique. Parallèlement à cet axe d’analyse « single gene », nous avons développé une méthode d’analyse « geneset », appelée FAERI, permettant l’analyse statistique de groupes de gènes biologiquement reliés au lieu de gènes pris individuellement. La mise en commun des résultats de ces deux axes d’analyse (single gene et geneset) affine l’identification de groupes de gènes supposés être impliqués dans la problématique étudiée.
L’application de ces différentes étapes d’analyses sur des données relatives au phénomène métastatique et à l’hypoxie nous a permis d’identifier plusieurs centaines de gènes candidats, répartis dans plusieurs dizaines de voies de signalisation. Il est à noter qu’une grande partie des gènes identifiés dans ce travail sont en accord avec la littérature récente. De plus, nous avons découvert, et ce de façon toute à fait nouvelle, l’implication de la voie du spliceosome dans le phénomène métastatique, pour laquelle 20 nouveaux gènes candidats ont été identifiés. Ceci suggère que les phénomènes d’épissages alternatifs participent au développement des métastases.
Nous avons donc développé une séquence d’analyses statistiques et bioinformatiques permettant la mise en évidence de gènes candidats pertinents, comme montré lors de son application à la situation biologique du développement des métastases induites par l’hypoxie.(DOCSC03) -- FUNDP, 201
Essays on the Economics of the Family and the Household
No full textThe household is the basic economic unit and the nucleus of social relations in both developed and developing countries. Individual motivations to optimize one’s own behavior, as well as interactions between individuals within the household and especially within the couple are essential to achieve economic optimality. Another very important institution in developing countries is the extended family, seen as all the people linked by blood ties. Both the household and the enlarged family can be important sources of insurance and credit when formal financial markets are not working properly. Since family ties allow an easy flow of information and give the opportunity to implement strong social sanctions, the family is a privileged vector of financial transactions. To date, the majority of decision models within the household have either considered the household as a single decision-maker or made the hypothesis of the existence of an efficient bargaining process deriving from the possibility of a stable commitment between actors and of a perfect exchange of information. At the same time, there have been several empirical works showing that the hypothesis of Pareto optimality and complete insurance within households can typically be rejected: spouses do not always pool their income and individual consumption responds to individual income shocks, violating the hypothesis of full risk sharing. During my PhD, I personally conducted, in collaboration with Jean-Marie Baland, Isabelle Bonjean and Catherine Guirkinger, an extended household survey in the city of Bafoussam (West Cameroon), to study transfer within the household and the extended family. We recorded the choices of each adult in the households about consumption, savings, transfers and sharing of information. We observed that, in many households, the perception of other household members’ income is highly imperfect. I therefore decided to study theoretically the issues of cooperation and communication within the household. First, I studied how differences in discount factors can affect the distribution of utility in the household and the possibility of cooperation. Then, I developed a model that studies the interaction between asymmetries of information and public good contributions. One of the main results I obtained is that, in a non-cooperative setting, a reduction in the amount of information available to the spouses can paradoxically reduce the incentive to free-ride on the partner and spouses find it always optimal to hide their income. Nevertheless, when spouses have different productivity in providing public goods, they have incentives to make transfers between them, making the revelation of part of the income realization optimal in equilibrium. Those theoretical predictions were supported by empirical evidence coming from the first-hand dataset collected in Cameroon. Furthermore, I have also introduced the possibility of asymmetries of information on preferences of the spouse, and determined which are the conditions to reach constrained efficiency in such an environment. I show that a constraint on the use of purchased goods always allows to enlarge the set of incentive-compatible mechanisms. Empirically, I have exploited a natural experiment to study the effect of introducing asymmetries of information in the household. In 1965, a reform of the French marriage law abolished the requirement of the husbands’ signature for women to be able to start working and to open a bank account. This reform changed the institutional framework in which households were operating. I have evidenced substantial effects on both labor choices and education outcomes. Lastly, I used the dataset collected in Cameroon to study the exchange of help in the extended family networks. Transfers appear to be distributed asymmetrically across the extended family and are essentially for education purposes. We then explore the implications of this pattern for fertility as well as for employment choices and asset management finding strong free-riding behavior of the net recipients of the transfers.(DOCSESG00) -- FUNDP, 201
Essays on Socio-Economic Determinants of Risky Sexual Behavior and HIV:Insights from Sub-Saharan Africa
No full text(DOCSESG00) -- FUNDP, 201
Le contrôle semi-démocratique des Forces de Défense et de Sécurité en Afrique de l'Ouest: cas du Burkina Faso et du Sénégal
No full textDuring the democratisation process in the second and fourth waves of democratisation, most African countries decided to implement the supervision of their armed forces through the pattern of democratic control, a kind of liberal civil-military relations which is increasingly being adopted worldwide. The first paradox which occurred in these countries is that they are not yet democratic States but they claim to have democratic control of their armed forces. Second, despite the existence of a civilian Rule, the armies are still a threat to the process of democratisation because the overthrow of the government by the army could be done at any moment; for this reason, some civil and military authorities tend to use, in practice, “subjective control” to secure the political power. Taking into consideration the context and the use of non democratic tools in the management of security forces, one cannot really scrutinise the civil-military relations in these countries on the basis of the model of democratic control. Therefore, to study the cases of Burkina Faso and Senegal (1960-2012), I propose to use a model of semi-democratic control of the armed forces. This model takes due account not only of the formal mechanisms of control, but also of the informal tools including the “subjective control”, as well as of the sociopolitical context of building up of that control.Le contrôle des forces armées dans les pays en démocratisation fait face à des paradoxes. Ces États ont certes adopté le modèle de contrôle démocratique à l’occasion de leur processus de démocratisation, mais ils n’ont pas totalement renoncé à certaines pratiques de « contrôle subjectif » et font, de surcroît, face à un déficit démocratique. Dans ces conditions, il n’est guère possible de cerner, dans ces pays, la gestion réelle de l’armée sur la base du contrôle démocratique. Nous avons donc proposé, dans le cadre des théories des relations civilo-militaires, un modèle de contrôle semi-démocratique afin de mieux saisir la complexité du contrôle des forces armées dans les pays en démocratisation en général et spécifiquement au Burkina Faso et au Sénégal (1960-2012). A travers le contrôle semi-démocratique, nous montrons que le contrôle des forces armées est le produit des réalités sociales, politiques et institutionnelles propres à une société donnée. Dans le contexte de démocratisation, en particulier, il se produit un type de contrôle sui generis articulé autour d’un contrôle institutionnel formel fondé sur le modèle de contrôle démocratique d’une part et d’un contrôle informel parmi lequel figure le « contrôle subjectif » censé être un moyen de sécurisation face aux menaces de déstabilisation des forces armées d’autre part. Le contexte sociopolitique est également un autre élément pertinent dans l’expression du contrôle semi-démocratique.(DOCSESG02) -- FUNDP, 201