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Efforts to prevent work-related injuries have met with tangible success in industrialized countries. In Quebec, workplace accidents and occupational illness have declined sharply since the end of the 1990s. However, there is still considerable room for improvement in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Expert specialists in accident prevention in SMEs are overloaded. Their interventions are repetitive and not personalised. Few tools are available for accelerating the process of evaluating occupational health and safety (OHS) performance. The aim of this research project was to address this deficiency by proposing a novel OHS performance evaluation tool better adapted to SMEs. For this purpose, research was carried out in two distinct phases. The first phase led to the theoretical model on which the tool is based. The second phase was carried out using an action research approach. The proposed tool was designed and improved during this phase, through field-testing and the involvement of a Quebec industrial partner. In spite of the limitations of this research, we have succeeded in developing a new tool with software support adapted specifically for the evaluation of OHS performance in SMEs. Upon completion of the project, a tested and improved version of the tool was delivered to the industrial partner. Experts in accident prevention have found the tool to be reliable and helpful. It has accelerated the identification of deficiencies in OHS management in several SMEs and has helped specialists to develop personalized and better-focused plans of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The need of thermal storage in a northern passive greenhouse has been demonstrated with one-year experimental investigation. • An innovative Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system have been designed, built and tested. • Results indicate that the TES system meets the initial goal of increasing the greenhouse temperature during cold nights. • System performance coefficient is up to 3 taking into account the electricity consumption during the charging and discharging phases. This research focuses on the potential of greenhouse cultivation in circumpolar territories. It begins with a survey that encompasses most of the northern greenhouses in North America. This review emphasizes the need for appropriate data and for the right energy system design. Next, the paper focuses on a case study located in Nunavik, which is the northern Inuit territory of the province of Quebec. The Kuujjuaq cooperative greenhouse has been instrumented since June 2016 to collect data on temperature and relative humidity throughout the growing season. These measures have highlighted a major problem: a temperature difference between day and night that is too large, hindering crop development. To counteract this thermal behavior, a heat storage system was designed, built and installed in October 2018. It is the first time that a rock and air-based sensible thermal energy storage system, taking into account local materials and resources, has been designed and built in a northern greenhouse. This paper presents its main characteristics as well as records of temperature changes throughout the growing season. Moreover, an energy balance is presented for three days at the beginning of June 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The core of the novelty of NV-MAIS approach relies on the fact that we are using shunt reactors for both voltage regulation and frequency oscillation damping. To the best knowledge of the authors, there has not been reported the use of the shunt reactors in frequency oscillation damping and the NV-MAIS strategy is the first of a kind of such an approach with grid commissioning and installation in high voltage 735-kV transmission level. The Hydro-Québec transmission system is among the most extensive and complex power grid in North America due to its very long lines (over 1000 km) joining the generation facilities in the north of the Québec province to the main centers of consumption in the south. Since the 1990s, Hydro-Québec has adopted a defense plan, consisting of various types of protection solutions including different remedial action schemes (RAS) and automatic action strategies, to increase the stability and reliability of its transmission system against extreme contingencies. One of these protection strategies is the automatic switching of shunt reactors (MAIS) 1 MAIS is the acronym of the French name of the project as M anoeuvre A utomatique d' I nductance S hunt (MAIS). which has been in operation since 1997. The goal of the MAIS system is to keep the voltage profile of the whole 735-kV grid in an acceptable range to increase the transmission capacity. The MAIS system at each substation is entirely independent from neighbour substations and will close or trip shunt reactors just based on local measurements. As a periodical upgrade in all existing protection solutions in the Hydro-Québec power system, new functionalities have been added into the existing MAIS system to develop its new version to improve both the voltage profile and the frequency response. This paper presents this new version including the algorithm and the concept behind the new additional functionalities. The simulation results show the efficiency and performance of the proposed method. On that basis, a deployment on Hydro-Québec's grid to replace almost all the existing MAIS system with this new version will be realized by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• General methodological framework is proposed to isolate heterogenous average treatment effect from PT supply change. • Framework is applied on the implementation of BRT in Québec City. • Analysis shows that price premium is related to proximity to stations and CBD. • Impact appears to mainly local when correcting for most potential problems. Many empirical applications aim to isolate the impact of implementing new public transport on real estate uplift value. While their conclusions generally point to positive impact, due to reduction in transportation cost, the methodological framework to investigate uplift value has largely evolved over time. This paper reviews the different methodological challenges in measuring causal uplift value and proposes an adjusted parametric approach inspired from the Alonso-Muth-Mills model, returning a complex 2-D price premium function allowing for spatial heterogeneous patterns of the average treatment effect. The proposed framework also accounts for other methodological challenges underlined by literature such as spatial autocorrelation, selectivity and representativity issues, and possible anticipation effects. To illustrate the importance of methodological choices on estimation results, the framework is applied to the case of the implementation of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Québec City, a medium-size Canadian city, as a specific case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-rock geochemistry yields better geological maps of the bedrock, since it allows, for example, visually similar lithologies to be distinguished. However, conventional laboratory geochemistry is not available in the field during a mapping campaign. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzers can produce fit-for-purpose data rapidly, and constitute a useful complement to conventional geochemistry in a bedrock mapping project. The pXRF data can be employed (i) while still in the field, to orient the mapping campaign; (ii) to prepare a preliminary geological map back in the office; and (iii) to interpolate between conventional whole-rock analyses on the final map. The latter application requires a matrix-matched secondary calibration of the pXRF data to improve its accuracy. Attention must also be given to precision issues, as well as potential instrument drift and analytical interferences. This paper summarizes recent efforts to systematically integrate quantitative pXRF data in government mapping projects within the Province of Quebec (Canada). We first demonstrate how an Olympus Vanta series M pXRF analyzer was commissioned and calibrated. We then show how the pXRF data was systematically acquired and utilized during a 1:50,000 to 1:20,000 mapping campaign in a Precambrian greenstone belt setting (Abitibi Subprovince). Before the mapping began in 2021, volcanic rocks in the study area were supposed to consist of only two mafic tholeiitic formations, called Obatogamau and Bruneau. Integrating pXRF into this project meant that while still in the field and immediately afterwards during preparation of the preliminary map: (1) a marker horizon representing the top of the Obatogamau Formation was chemically identified and then traced laterally; (2) the felsic Waconichi Formation was recognized despite the high metamorphic grade and also traced laterally just above the marker horizon; (3) the Bruneau Formation was shown to be much more continuous than previously known and to have Mg-tholeiites at its base, like in the type locality; (4) the Blondeau Formation was shown to occur above the Bruneau Formation. Within the volumetrically dominant Obatogamau Formation, Fe-tholeiites were also distinguished from visually similar Mg-tholeiites, which allowed these subunits to be traced while still in the field, leading to a more detailed map. Later, after the conventional laboratory chemistry had been received, the final geological map was prepared, but it was very similar to the preliminary map, confirming the satisfactory performance of the pXRF method for this application. However, we do note some issues and limitations even with the latest generation of analyzers. • Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzers are very useful for bedrock mapping projects. • The pXRF data allows visually similar lithologies to be distinguished while in the field. • However a commissioning stage is required, and validation with conventional geochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic risk factors, low cognitive function and history of depression are known risk factors for future depressive episodes. This paper aims to evaluate the potential interactions between these factors on the risk of a major depressive episodes in middle-age.Methods: Baseline and follow-up data from a population-based study of Quebec, Canada were used. The sample consisted of 1788 adults between 40 and 69 years of age without diabetes. Cognitive function and metabolic risk factors were assessed at baseline. Three cognitive domains were assessed: processing speed, episodic memory and executive function. History of depression was assessed five years later by a clinical interview. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate interactions between individual metabolic factors, low cognitive function, and depression history.Results: Participants with a comorbidity of at least one metabolic factor, history of depression and low cognitive function had the highest risk of experiencing a depressive episode in middle age. The highest risk was observed in individuals with abdominal obesity, low cognitive function, and a history of depression (OR= 8.66, 95% CI 3.83-19.59). The risks for those with abdominal obesity only, depression history only, and low cognitive function were 1.20 (95%CI 0.71-2.02), 3.10 (95%CI 1.81-5.24), and 1.39 (95%CI 0.72-2.67), respectively.Limitations: Depression was only assessed at follow-up.Conclusion: Metabolic risk factors comorbid with low cognitive function in middle-aged individuals with a history of depression were associated with an increased risk of a future depressive episode. This study highlights the importance of screening for metabolic and cognitive comorbidities in patients with a history of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban infrastructures built over karst settings may be at risk of collapse due to hydro-chemical erosion of underlying rock structures. In such settings, mapping cave networks and monitoring ground stability is important to assure civil safety and guide future infrastructure development decisions. However, no technique can directly and comprehensively map these hydrogeological features and monitor their stability. The most reliable method to map a cave network is through speleological exploration, which is not always possible due to restrictions, narrow corridors/passages, or high water levels. Borehole drilling is expensive and is often only performed where the presence of karsts is suggested by other techniques. Numerous indirect and cost-effective methods exist to map a karst flow system, such as geophysics, geodesy, and tracer tests. This paper presents the outcomes from a challenging application in Quebec City, Canada, where a multidisciplinary approach was designed to better understand the groundwater dynamics and cave paths. Two tracer tests in groundwater flowing through the cave system indicated that water flows along an approximately straight path from the sinking stream to the spring. It also suggests the presence of a parallel flow path close to the one already partially mapped. This observation was confirmed by combining Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) techniques, and ultimately by observing voids in several boreholes drilled close to the main cave path. Lowering the water levels at the suspected infiltration zone and inside the karst, the infiltration cracks were identified and the hydraulic link between them was confirmed. In fact, almost no infiltration occurs into the karst system when the water level at the sinking stream drops below a threshold level. Finally, SAR interferometry (InSAR) using RADARSAT-2 images detected movements on few buildings located over a backfilled sinkhole intercepted by the karst system and confirmed the stability of the rest of the karst area. The knowledge of the flow system described in this paper is used by policy makers to assure civil security of this densely populated area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Lower Canada rebellions of 1837–38, are used to show that the development of markets reduces the cost of rebelling. • Using data from the 1831 census, we show that the likelihood of rebellions increases with market development (proxied by absolute price difference between one area and the main Atlantic port cities of the colony). • The intensity of rebellions is also affected by the level of market development. • The development of markets appears to act in a manner similar to new information diffusion technologies with regards to helping coordinate rebellions. In 1837–38, the British colonies of Upper and Lower Canada rebelled. The rebellion was more virulent (and better organized) in Lower Canada. The rebellions were also concentrated in the richer areas of that colony. In this paper, we use the census of 1831 and databases of rebellious events to explain how the rebels managed to overcome the problem of collective action. We argue that the rich areas were more prone to rebellion because they were where markets were most developed. These well-developed markets allowed for cheaper coordination of seditious elements. We link our contribution to the literature on the collective action problem inherent to the organization of protests, uprisings and rebellions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This paper, the second of a two-part paper, investigates the nonstationary behaviour of flood peaks in Quebec (Canada) by analyzing the annual maximum flow series (AMS) available for the common 1966–2001 period from a network of 32 watersheds. Temporal trends in the mean of flood peaks were examined by the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test. The significance of the detected trends over the whole province is also assessed by a bootstrap test that preserves the cross-correlation structure of the network. Furthermore, The LM–NS method (introduced in the first part) is used to parametrically model the AMS, investigating its applicability to real data, to account for temporal trends in the moments of the time series. In this study two probability distributions (GEV & Gumbel) were selected to model four different types of time-varying moments of the historical time series considered, comprising eight competing models. The selected models are: two stationary models (GEV0 & Gumbel0), two nonstationary models in the mean as a linear function of time (GEV1 & Gumbel1), two nonstationary models in the mean as a parabolic function of time (GEV2 & Gumbel2), and two nonstationary models in the mean and the log standard deviation as linear functions of time (GEV11 & Gumbel11). The eight models were applied to flood data available for each watershed and their performance was compared to identify the best model for each location. The comparative methodology involves two phases: (1) a descriptive ability based on likelihood-based optimality criteria such as the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and the deviance statistic; and (2) a predictive ability based on the residual bootstrap. According to the Mann–Kendall test and the LM–NS method, a quarter of the analyzed stations show significant trends in the AMS. All of the significant trends are negative, indicating decreasing flood magnitudes in Quebec. It was found that the LM–NS method could provide accurate flood estimates in the context of nonstationarity. The results have indicated the importance of taking into consideration the nonstationary behaviour of the flood series in order to improve the quality of flood estimation. The results also provided a general impression on the possible impacts of climate change on flood estimation in the Quebec province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of sustainable development in education is now being addressed in numerous educational institutions across the globe. Based on different integration approaches, various teaching methods are being developed, applied and evaluated. Efforts are also being made in the direction of strengthening pedagogical approaches as well as educator training to address issues such as, lack of awareness and resources required for a better transfer of sustainable development knowledge from educator to students. There is a strong need for these two approaches (integration & pedagogical) to work in close association for an improved level of integration. Regional collaborations are an effective way to address such issues. They can play a key role in achieving sustainability regionally while being influenced by, and influencing, both local and global communities, and that is the main hypothesis of this paper. The goal of this paper is to present a regionalized educational initiative for integration of sustainable development in higher education made by two universities and five colleges in Quebec (Canada). This project is not only dedicated to teaching or application of approaches but is also expanded to: 1) professors' support using various activities (conferences, workshops and short lectures); 2) program integrations; 3) integration at institutional level (as some institutions have adopted various policies and actions regarding their overall missions of research, community outreach and operations); and, 4) regional collaboration between the seven academic partners, which is a unique characteristic of this project. As a result, this regional collaborative approach helped in building a critical mass of practitioners in the field and launched a community of practice and integrated sustainable development in the member institutions at different levels, strengthening the educator's knowledge on sustainable development pedagogy. Based on the preliminary analysis of surveys taken by students, this integration has helped in developing the understanding of sustainable development by students and has also resulted in a positive attitude towards sustainable development. In addition, the integrations as a result of the collaboration show that integration of sustainable development in higher education is accomplished not only through pedagogical and extracurricular activities but is also embodied in the overall student experience on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will affect precipitation and flood regimes. It is anticipated that the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) will be modified in a changing climate. This paper aims to quantify and analyze climate change influences on PMP and PMF in three watersheds with different climatic conditions across the province of Québec, Canada. Output data from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) was used to estimate PMP and Probable Maximum Snow Accumulation (PMSA) in future climate projections, which was then used to force the SWAT hydrological model to estimate PMF. PMP and PMF values were estimated for two time horizons each spanning 30 years: 1961–1990 (recent past) and 2041–2070 (future). PMP and PMF were separately analyzed for two seasons: summer-fall and spring. Results show that PMF in the watershed located in southern Québec would remain unchanged in the future horizon, but the trend for the watersheds located in the northeastern and northern areas of the province is an increase of up to 11%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale gas and tight oil production has undergone a tremendous increase in the last decade in North America, which was accompanied by animated scientific debate and local public uproar concerning environmental issues, especially the risks of contamination for shallow groundwater resources. In Québec (eastern Canada), public concerns led to a de facto moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2010 for the St. Lawrence Lowlands, where the underlying Utica Shale is known to contain significant gas resources. As only a few exploration gas wells have been drilled, this vast area may still be considered “virgin”. In 2012, a 4-year project was initiated by the Geological Survey of Canada, which aimed at characterizing aquifer vulnerability to deep industrial activities in the Saint-Édouard region, located close to Quebec City in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. As part of this project, a baseline study of hydrocarbons and other geochemical parameters was conducted in shallow aquifers. This paper presents groundwater geochemical characteristics in the region and assesses the geological, hydrogeological and geochemical controls on methane distribution. Results show that methane is present in 96% of the 48 sampling points over the 500 km 2 study area, and that concentrations are highly variable (from undetected (<0.006 mg/L) to above 80 mg/L), sometimes over short distances and through time. Methane concentrations appear to be related to bedrock geology and to specific hydrogeochemical conditions, such as those found below the active groundwater flow zone (0–30 m within bedrock), where relatively old, chemically evolved water is found under semi-confined to confined conditions. Two main fault zones are well documented in the area, and there is clear evidence that some deep formation brines, in addition to marine water originating from the Champlain Sea, are migrating into shallow aquifers in the vicinity of one of them. This saline groundwater contribution is attributed to the regional groundwater flow coming from the Appalachians and discharging along this normal fault zone close to the St. Lawrence River. The depth from which the brine originates is, however, unknown, but should not exceed a few hundred meters, as there is no indication that deep thermogenic gas from the Utica Shale is currently reaching the surface, through this pathway or elsewhere in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The risk of groundwater contamination from shale gas exploration and development is a major societal concern, especially in populated areas where groundwater is an essential source of drinking water and for agricultural or industrial use. Since groundwater decontamination is difficult, or nearly impossible, it is essential to evaluate exploration and production conditions that would prevent or at least minimize risks of groundwater contamination. The current consensus in recent literature is that these risks are primarily related to engineering issues, including casing integrity and surface activities, such as truck traffic (equipment and fluid haulage), waste management (mainly drill cuttings), and water storage and treatment when hydraulic fracturing is utilized. Concerns have also been raised with respect to groundwater contamination that could result from potential fracture or fault interconnections between the shale unit and surficial aquifers, which would allow fracturing fluids and methane to reach the surface away from the wellbore. Despite the fact that groundwater resources are relatively well characterized in some regions, there is currently no recognized method to evaluate the vulnerability or risks to aquifers resulting from hydrocarbon industry operations carried out at great depths. This paper focuses on the Utica Shale of the St. Lawrence Platform (Quebec), where an environmental study aiming to evaluate potential risks for aquifers related to shale gas development has been initiated. To provide the context of these research efforts, this paper describes the regional tectono-stratigraphic evolution and current stress regime of the Cambrian–Ordovician St. Lawrence Platform, as well as the Utica Shale internal stratigraphy, mineralogy and thermal maturation. Then, the hydrogeological context of the St. Lawrence Platform is discussed. Finally, the methodology for this environmental study, based on geological, geophysical, geomechanical, hydrogeological and geochemical data, is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Health disorders, such as milk fever, displaced abomasum, or retained placenta, as well as poor reproductive performance, are known risk factors for culling in dairy cows. Clinical mastitis (CM) is one of the most influential culling risk factors. However the culling decision could be based either on the disease status or on the current milk yield, milk production being a significant confounder when modelling dairy cow culling risk. But milk yield (and somatic cell count) are time-varying confounders, which are also affected by prior CM and therefore lie on the causal pathway between the exposure of interest, CM, and the outcome, culling. Including these time-varying confounders could result in biased estimates. A marginal structural model (MSM) is a statistical technique allowing estimation of the causal effect of a time-varying exposure in the presence of time-varying covariates without conditioning on these covariates. The objective of this paper is to estimate the causal effect on culling of CM occurring between calving and 120 days in milk, using MSM to control for such time-varying confounders affected by previous exposure. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on data from dairy herds in the Province of Québec, Canada, by extracting health information events from the dairy herd health management software used by most Québec dairy producers and their veterinarians. The data were extracted for all lactations starting between January 1st and December 31st, 2010. A total of 3952 heifers and 8724 cows from 261 herds met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis. The estimated CM causal hazard ratios were 1.96 [1.57–2.44] and 1.47 [1.28–1.69] for heifers and cows, respectively, and as long as causal assumptions hold. Our findings confirm that CM was a risk factor for culling, but with a reduced effect compared to previous studies, which did not properly control for the presence of time-dependent confounders such as milk yield and somatic cell count. Cows experienced a lower risk for CM, with milk production having more influence on culling risk in cows than heifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between cows’ health, reproductive performance or disorders and their longevity is well demonstrated in the literature. However these associations at the cow level might not hold true at the herd level, and herd-level variables can modify cow-level outcomes independently of the cows’ characteristics. The interaction between cow-level and herd-level variables is a relevant issue for understanding the culling of dairy cows. However it requires the appropriate group-level variables to assess any contextual effect. Based on 10 years of health and production data, the objectives of this paper are:(a) to quantify the culling rates of dairy herds in Québec; (b) to determine the profiles of the herds based on herd-level factors, such as demographics, reproduction, production and health indicators, and whether these profiles can be related to herd culling rates for use as potential contextual variables in multilevel modelling of culling risk. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on data from dairy herds in Québec, Canada, by extracting health information events from the dairy herd health management software used by most Québec producers and their veterinarians. Data were extracted for all lactations taking place between January 1st, 2001 and December 31st, 2010. A total of 432,733 lactations from 156,409 cows out of 763 herds were available for analysis. Thirty cow-level variables were aggregated for each herd and years of follow-up, and their relationship was investigated by Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA). The overall annual culling rate was 32%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [31.6%,32.5%]. The dairy sale rate by 60 days in milk (DIM) was 3.2% [2.8%,3.6%]. The annual culling rate within 60 DIM was 8.2% [7.9%,8.4%]. The explained variance for each axis from the MFA was very low: 14.8% for the first axis and 13.1% for the second. From the MFA results, we conclude there is no relationship between the groups of herd-level indicators, demonstrating the heterogeneity among herds for their demographics, reproduction and production performance, and health status. However, based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the profiles of herds could be determined according to specific, single, herd-level indicators independently. The relationships between culling rates and specific herd-level variables within factors were limited to livestock sales, proportion of first lactation cows, herd size, proportion of calvings occurring in the fall, longer calving intervals and reduced 21-day pregnancy rates, increased days to first service, average age at first calving, and reduced milk fever incidence. The indicators found could be considered as contextual variables in multilevel model-building strategies to investigate cow culling risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cocaine abuse is a major public health issue due to its role in the HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemics in North America. A significant area of concern among people who use cocaine (PWUC), injected or smoked, is their frequent misuse of prescription drugs, particularly psychotropic medication (PM), such as tranquilizers, sedatives, stimulants, and antipsychotics. This paper aims to describe and understand practices of PM use among PWUC in downtown Montreal.Method: Ethnographic methods including participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used in an iterative manner.Results: Two thirds of the 50 participants were male. They ranged in age from 20 to 60 and most were homeless. A significant proportion of them reported polydrug use patterns that included frequent concomitant opioid use (heroin and/or prescription opioids (PO)). Benzodiazepine-based tranquilizers and the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine were the most frequently used PM. Routes of PM administration were oral, nasal and, to a lesser degree, intravenous. Five main PM use practices were identified: 1) "downers" from cocaine high (benzodiazepines and quetiapine); 2) enhancers of heroin/PO effects (benzodiazepines); 3) reducers or suppressors of heroin/PO withdrawal symptoms (benzodiazepines); 4) enablers of a different type of "trip" (benzodiazepines); and 5) treatment for mental and physical problems (benzodiazepines and quetiapine).Conclusion: PM use practices showed several complementary functions that PM fulfill in a context of polydrug use. The soothing and stimulating effects of PM reinforce the patterns of drug use among participants, posing various risks including overdose, HIV/HCV transmission, PM dependence and accidents. The results highlight the need for clinicians to assess clients' substance use patterns when prescribing PM and to question PWUC about PM use. The findings also underline certain unmet service needs in relation to overdose, HIV/HCV and mental health prevention/treatment among cocaine users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The distribution of safer crack-smoking equipment has been implemented in several Canadian cities to reduce potential health risks such as transmission of blood borne viruses (BBV). Little is known about the perspectives of persons who smoke crack (PWSC) on sharing crack-smoking materials or using in settings where safer crack-smoking equipment is provided. This paper presents data from the perspective of PWSC in Montréal on their experiences of, and rationales for, sharing crack-smoking equipment, in light of the risks of BBV transmission.Methods: This qualitative study is based on analyses of BBV risk behaviours among people who use cocaine. Thirty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted in low-threshold community centres for persons who use drugs. Twenty-six interviewees who used cocaine also smoked crack, and constitute a subsample for analyses. Interview transcripts were coded inductively and analyzed thematically from a symbolic interactionist perspective.Results: Participants demonstrated personal agency by adopting strategies to minimise sharing of smoking equipment. These included being firm in refusal to share, smoking alone, and keeping an extra pipe to give to others. Nonetheless, sharing seemed to be commonplace and was attributed to contextual and personal factors. These were linked to the social dynamics among smokers; economic reasons such as wanting to keep the accumulated crack resin; practical reasons such as lacking own smoking equipment; being ashamed to purchase or acquire crack pipes; fatalism; poor personal agency; and ambivalence or scepticism towards BBV transmission risks.Conclusion: To reinforce harm reduction for PWSC, interventions aimed at reducing barriers to safer smoking practices should be developed at both structural and individual levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent to which regional variations in poverty and health and social services spending impact the risk of placement, after controlling for individual-level risk factors and regional latent differences in delivery of child protection services. Clinical administrative child protection data were merged with income and health and social services spending data for the province of Quebec; the final data set included all children ( N = 122,466) investigated for maltreatment for the first time between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2010, of which 22.6% ( N = 27,710) were placed in out-of-home care. Multilevel hazard results indicate that poverty, controlling for health and social services spending, contributes to the increased risk of placement. Specifically, poverty and health and social services spending account for 57.1% of the variation in regional placement for younger children < 5 years of age and 38.1% for children age 5 to 11 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Throughout the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, culture has gained increasing importance in strategies designed to deal with new trajectories of urban areas. Post-industrial cities seek to revive former industrial, contaminated and waterfront sites and their city centers, as they are aiming to establish themselves in the new arena of the global market place. This paper looks at the relationships between investments in cultural resources/activities and urban regeneration processes, and in this respect, how culture can be considered a determinant to the accumulation of human and social capital. It examines the transformation of the Saint Michel district located in metropolitan Montreal. The Saint Michel area is experiencing a radical change in its social, economic and environmental profile due to its transition from the industrial-led development model to the post-industrial model in which investments in cultural and creative activities/industries – particularly the headquarters of Cirque du Soleil and TOHU – La Cité des Arts du Cirque – are supplying new opportunities for the local area in a metropolitan dimension. What impacts does such clustering have on the social and human capital of the vast majority of the populations that live within this area? Based on a theoretical review and empirical investigation, the paper presents some clarification of the role of cultural investment in the definition of an emerging sustainable social scheme within the community to promote the development of local social and human capital. We know that cultural habits do not change quickly, and our research shows that organizations need to be proactive and seek very actively the participation of the local community if they want to see changes. Our case study highlights the fact that it is important to invest actively in mobilization, local information and promotion and to do so with the cooperation of local community organizations to attain some form of bonding with the local population, have the positive effects expected in terms of involvement in the community and act as a lever for local socio-economic development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using data from a regional survey carried out in Montreal, this paper shows empirical evidence that modal shift from car to transit contributes to the volume of daily physical activity. First, the paper presents a method to calculate the walking distance related to transit trips, and a totally disaggregate trip assignment model. The walking distance involved in every transit trip is then associated to the individuals'' characteristics to estimate the number of steps made by the population in the whole transit system. Results show that, in average, a transit trip involves 1250 steps, required to access and egress the network as well as to transfer between routes or modes. Thus, a round trip represents 2500 steps, which account for 25% of the recommended volume of physical activity per day. Hence, analysis shows that the volume of walking varies according to attributes of the traveler (general decrease with age, higher for men) and of the trip (study and work trip involve more steps, the use of train generates more steps). A regression model confirms that these variables significantly affect the number of steps involved in transit trips. Such positive outcome, for the traveler himself, is an innovative argument to promote the use of transit that is also aligned with current sustainable transportation goals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The roof over the Montreal Stadium is composed of a pre-tensioned membrane combined with an eccentric cable-stayed system, i.e. the structure is non-symmetric, which leads to a non-uniform structural response under variable static loads. The Montreal Stadium roof is modelled by finite element method as a three-dimensional structure, accounting for geometrically non linear behaviour. The paper begins by analyzing the free vibrations of the structure, then goes on to consider the static as well as the dynamic effects of wind and snow. The loads induced by wind are simulated as deformation-dependent forces, i.e. follower loads. These analyses enable the structural mechanisms that caused the failure of the roof membrane to be described and better understood. In particular, the paper deals with the first failure, which occurred in an apparently unexceptional condition of wind velocity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The professional claims and struggles involved in the design of non-traditional health care places are rarely problematized in applied health research, perhaps because they tend to fade away once the new design is implemented. This paper offers insights into such professional tensions and their impact on health care delivery by examining the design of two dialysis service delivery models in Quebec, Canada. The satellite units were hosted in two small hospitals and staffed by recently trained nurses. The mobile unit was a bus fitted to accommodate five dialysis stations. It was staffed by experienced nurses and travelled back and forth between a university teaching hospital and two sites. In both projects, nephrologists supervised from a distance via a videoconferencing system. In this paper, we draw mainly from interviews with managers (mostly nurses) and physicians (n=18), and from on-site observations. Nephrologists, medical internists, and managers all supported the goal of providing “closer-to-patient” services. However, they held varying opinions on how to best materialize this goal. By comparing two models involving different clinical and spatial logics, we underscore the ways in which the design of non-traditional health care places opens up space for the re-negotiation of clinical norms. Instead of relatively straightforward conflicts between professions, we observed subtle but inexorable tensions within and beyond professional groups, who sought to measure up to “ideal standards” while acknowledging the contingencies of health care places. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates three techniques that are commonly used to generate estimates of base cation (BC) weathering rates, i.e. the profile mass balance (PEDON), the watershed input-output budget (WATERSHED) and the PROFILE model (MODEL). These methods were compared for their relative performance in estimating BC weathering rates for 21 watersheds located in southern Quebec that vary with respect to hydro-climatic conditions, soil properties and forest cover. Average total BC weathering rates for the 21 watersheds were 0.41 ± 0.09 (± SE), 1.20 ± 0.17 and 1.71 ± 0.22 kmol c ha − 1 yr − 1 for PEDON, WATERSHED and MODEL, respectively. Passing and Bablok regression analysis demonstrated good agreement between WATERSHED and MODEL {regression formula: WATERSHED = − 0.08 + 0.74 MODEL, with 95% CI for intercept [− 1.13; 0.25] and for slope [0.40; 1.43]}, while poorer agreements were observed between these two methods and PEDON. Contrary to the WATERSHED and the MODEL methods, BC weathering rates obtained with PEDON were not significantly associated with the spatial variation of the soil calcite content and of the size of the soil exchangeable BC pools. We hypothesized that in the calcite-containing watersheds, the performance of PEDON was negatively impacted by environmental conditions that favored the partial dissolution and leaching of the calcite contained in the initial parent material, including in the material situated at the base of the profile (C horizon). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of hydrological neighborhoods is one of the common approaches employed for the delineation step in regional frequency analysis (RFA). Traditional methods proposed for building hydrological neighborhoods are mainly based on distance metrics. These methods have some limitations. They are not robust against outliers, they are not affine invariant and they require site characteristics to be normally distributed. To overcome these limitations, the present paper aims to propose a new robust method to identify the neighborhood of a target site. The proposed method is based on the statistical notion of depth function. More precisely, a similarity measure derived from depth functions is used to compute the similarities between the target sites and the gauged ones. A data set from the southern part of the province of Quebec (Canada) is used to compare the proposed method with traditional ones. The obtained results indicate that the depth-based method leads to neighborhoods that are more homogeneous and more efficient for quantile estimation, than those obtained by traditional methods. The triangular shape of neighborhoods obtained by the proposed approach makes it practical and flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Probable maximum snow accumulation (PMSA) is one of the key variables used to estimate the spring probable maximum flood (PMF). A robust methodology for evaluating the PMSA is imperative so the ensuing spring PMF is a reasonable estimation. This is of particular importance in times of climate change (CC) since it is known that solid precipitation in Nordic landscapes will in all likelihood change over the next century. In this paper, a PMSA methodology based on simulated data from regional climate models is developed. Moisture maximization represents the core concept of the proposed methodology; precipitable water being the key variable. Results of stationarity tests indicate that CC will affect the monthly maximum precipitable water and, thus, the ensuing ratio to maximize important snowfall events. Therefore, a non-stationary approach is used to describe the monthly maximum precipitable water. Outputs from three simulations produced by the Canadian Regional Climate Model were used to give first estimates of potential PMSA changes for southern Quebec, Canada. A sensitivity analysis of the computed PMSA was performed with respect to the number of time-steps used (so-called snowstorm duration) and the threshold for a snowstorm to be maximized or not. The developed methodology is robust and a powerful tool to estimate the relative change of the PMSA. Absolute results are in the same order of magnitude as those obtained with the traditional method and observed data; but are also found to depend strongly on the climate projection used and show spatial variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overall assessment of the hydraulics of a vertical slot fishway, the Vianney-Legendre vertical slot fishway on the Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada, which has been shown to be successful for passing a variety of fish species, including lake sturgeon. The fishway has a number of features that combine for a unique design. This includes two turning pools, shorter and narrower than recommended regular pools, and a low overall gradient. Detailed field measurements of the water levels and velocity patterns were obtained and a computational fluid dynamics modeling study was conducted. The model study evaluates the performance of various regular pool geometries based on fishway hydrodynamics. Low overall fishway gradient was shown to result in a fishway hydraulically suitable to fish passage, overcoming non-optimal pool dimensions. The relationship between discharge and corresponding average water depth in the pools, under both uniform and non-uniform flow conditions, using the discharge coefficient enabled us to simulate the distribution of water levels in a vertical slot fishway. Two distinct flow patterns were observed in a regular pool depending on the shape ratios between the pool's length and width. This study also assessed the spatial variation of velocity magnitude in the vertical plane to reveal regions of upwelling, downwelling, and the formation of eddies and dead flow zones that have potential importance for fish migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An individual’s identity in a human society is specified by his or her name. Differently from family names, usually inherited from fathers, a given name for a child is often chosen at the parents’ disposal. However, their decision cannot be made in a vacuum but affected by social conventions and trends. Furthermore, such social pressure changes in time, as new names gain popularity while some other names are gradually forgotten. In this paper, we investigate how popularity of given names has evolved over the last century by using datasets collected in Korea, the province of Quebec in Canada, and the United States. In each of these countries, the average popularity of given names exhibits typical patterns of rise and fall with a time scale of about one generation. We also observe that notable changes of diversity in given names signal major social changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politics in regions or countries with a salient ethno-regionalist cleavage take on a unique dynamic. In addition to ideological positioning on economic and social stances, centre-periphery issues add a third ideological dimension that needs to be acknowledged. Yet, electoral research has rarely given appropriate attention to these three ideological dimensions independently. This paper takes up this challenge by presenting a three-dimensional ideological model of vote choice. The three dimensions are each theoretically portrayed as having a determining and independent influence on voting. Using survey data from the Making Electoral Democracy Work project, we explore determinants of vote choice in recent sub-national elections in Catalonia and Quebec. The results show that all three ideological dimensions are significant determinants of vote choice in both regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated the effects of parametric reduction of a hydrological model on five regionalization methods and 267 catchments in the province of Quebec, Canada. The Sobol’ variance-based sensitivity analysis was used to rank the model parameters by their influence on the model results and sequential parameter fixing was performed. The reduction in parameter correlations improved parameter identifiability, however this improvement was found to be minimal and was not transposed in the regionalization mode. It was shown that 11 of the HSAMI models’ 23 parameters could be fixed with little or no loss in regionalization skill. The main conclusions were that (1) the conceptual lumped models used in this study did not represent physical processes sufficiently well to warrant parameter reduction for physics-based regionalization methods for the Canadian basins examined and (2) catchment descriptors did not adequately represent the relevant hydrological processes, namely snow accumulation and melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional frequency analysis (RFA) deals with the estimation of hydrological characteristics at sites where little or no data is available. Recently, machine learning applications to RFA have received considerable attention in terms of their flexibility in modeling as well as superior generalization ability compared to conventional approaches. The proper application of machine learning techniques, however, requires good understanding of the available information about system's dynamics, i.e. system variables. This paper presents two contributions to the literature. First, novel ensemble architecture, using a unique two-stage resampling approach, is proposed. The objective of the proposed ensemble model is to promote diversity within the individual learners and reduce over fitting. Second, the application of the proposed model is demonstrated in RFA case study to obtain improved regional flood quantile estimates at ungauged sites. A jackknife validation procedure is used for the evaluation of the model's performance. The method is applied to data from the province of Quebec, Canada. The model showed similar performance and generalization compared to major ensemble models in the literature, which were investigated in previous studies using the same data set. The proposed model confirmed the diversity requirement in ensemble modeling and, in the same time, validated the proposed model adherence to ensemble learning theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As yet there is no firm evidence about the types of intervention that can reduce emergency room revisits. However, the literature on emergency room revisits suggests patient difficulties with managing their health problems and treatments after discharge may play a role. Objectives: We carried out a randomized trial of an emergency department-based nursing intervention, but results showed no reduction in revisits (primary outcome). This paper describes the secondary outcomes of the trial: patient perceptions of continuity of care, illness perceptions, self-care capacities, psychological symptoms and medication adherence 30 days after emergency room discharge. Design: Randomized, controlled trial. Settings: The trial was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary cardiac hospital in Montreal, Canada between November 2007 and March 2010. Participants: The study involved 203 patients, including 108 in the experimental group and 95 in the control group. Methods: The intervention included one nurse patient encounter before discharge and two phone calls in the 10 days after discharge. Participants provided data 30 days post-discharge on secondary outcomes potentially related to emergency department revisits. Results: Although, as previously reported, the intervention had no impact on the primary outcome of emergency department revisits, the present study demonstrated a significant positive effect on patients’ perceived continuity of care (p = .033), self-care capacities (p = .037), anxiety (p = .007) and depressive symptoms (p = .043), and the illness perceptions treatment control subscale (p = .037). No differences were found for other illness perception subscales or medication adherence (all p’s > .05). Conclusion: Although the intervention did not influence emergency department revisits it did improve secondary outcomes, suggesting pathways for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rivers of the Gaspé Peninsula, Québec (Canada), a coastal drainage system of the St. Lawrence River, receive and transport vast quantities of large wood. The rapid rate of channel shifting caused by high-energy flows and noncohesive banks allows wood recruitment that in turn greatly influences river dynamics. The delta of the Saint-Jean River has accumulated wood since 1960, leading to frequent avulsions over that time period. The wood raft there is now more than 3-km in length, which is unusual but natural. This jam configuration allows a unique opportunity to estimate a wood budget at the scale of a long river corridor and to better understand the dynamics of large wood (LW) in rivers. A wood budget includes the evaluation of wood volumes (i) produced by bank erosion (input), (ii) still in transit in the river corridor (deposited on sand bars or channel edges), and (iii) accumulated in the delta (output). The budget is based on an analysis of aerial photos dating back to 1963 as well as surveys carried out in 2010, all of which were used to locate and describe large wood accumulations along a 60-km river section. The main results of this paper show that the raft formation in the delta is dynamic and can be massive, but it is a natural process. Considering the estimated wood volume trapped in the delta from 1963 to 2013 (≈ 25,000 m 3 ), two important points are revealed by the quantification of the wood recruitment volume from 1963 to 2004 (≈ 27,000 m 3 ± 400 m 3 ) and of the wood volume stored on the bars in 2010 (≈ 5950 m 3 ). First, the recruitment of large wood from lateral migration for the 40-year period can account for the volume of large wood in the delta and in transit. Second, the excess wood volume produced by lateral migration and avulsion represents a minimum estimation of the large wood trapped on the floodplain owing to wood volume that has decomposed and large wood that exited the river system. Rafts are major trapping structures that provide good potential sites to monitor wood delivery from the catchment through time and allow estimations of LW residence time while in transit. These results contribute to understanding the interannual large wood dynamics in the Saint-Jean River and can assist river managers in determining sustainable solutions for coping with the issue of wood rafts in rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The application of multilevel structural equation modeling was used to examine structural neighborhood factors associated with neglect. • Localized disparities in socioeconomic vulnerabilities are a good predictor of differential child protection involvement for reasons of neglect. • Socioeconomic factors had the greatest association with child protection involvement for neglect in the lowest density small area geographies. This paper explores the use of social geographic data and multilevel latent modeling to make initial predictions on geographic variation in child protection involvement for reasons of neglect, resulting in novel findings regarding the relationship between poverty and neglect in low-density geographies in the province of Quebec, Canada. This study used multilevel structural equation modeling, which combines both structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling, to test how a latent construct of socioeconomic vulnerability – across 10,650 small area geographies and 166 community health and social service regions in Quebec – is connected to child protection intervention for neglect in child population density quintiles across these geographies. Small area geographies and health and social service regions in this study are defined and discretely organized using full six digit postal codes and larger community regions provincially defined according to the public social and health services administered by the province. Full alphanumeric postal codes allow for more granular analysis than studies using only the first three digits. The rate of substantiated neglect cases is calculated per 1000 children aged 0–9 years, for the years 2006 to 2016, inclusively. The socioeconomic data for each of the small area geographies and health and social service regions was drawn from the 2011 Canadian National Household Survey and then matched to provincial administrative child protection data using full alphanumeric postal codes allowing for more granular analysis than studies using only the first three digits. Model fit evaluations (comparative fit index and Tucker-Lewis index) were conducted and results suggested acceptable model fit. Overall results suggest a consistent association between socioeconomic vulnerability and the increased likelihood of child protection involvement for reasons of neglect. However, latent socioeconomic factors were most associated with neglect cases in the lowest density small area geographies, suggesting that increased vulnerability to investigation for neglect is related to a sparse geographic spread of the child population. The association between socioeconomic vulnerability and neglect is not surprising, but the fact that this relationship varies in strength according to child population density is a novel finding. The finding of greatest association between socioeconomic vulnerability and neglect in the lowest density small area geographies suggests that more research should be done to explore the ways that population density may relate to the likelihood of exceptional involvement by child protection authorities for neglect. Implications of this study for policymaking intended to prevent neglect, particularly related to chronic need, include the importance of taking a tailored approach to preventative service provision in small area geographies with lower child population densities, considering the challenges families face in more remote areas in accessing appropriate supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Climate change (CC) needs to be accounted for in the estimation of probable maximum floods (PMFs). However, there does not exist a unique way to estimate PMFs and, furthermore the challenge in estimating them is that they should neither be underestimated for safety reasons nor overestimated for economical ones. By estimating PMFs without accounting for CC, the risk of underestimation could be high for Quebec, Canada, since future climate simulations indicate that in all likelihood extreme precipitation events will intensify. In this paper, simulation outputs from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) are used to develop a methodology to estimate probable maximum precipitations (PMPs) while accounting for changing climate conditions for the southern region of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Kénogami and Yamaska watersheds are herein of particular interest, since dam failures could lead to major downstream impacts. Precipitable water ( w ) represents one of the key variables in the estimation process of PMPs. Results of stationary tests indicate that CC will not only affect precipitation and temperature but also the monthly maximum precipitable water, w max , and the ensuing maximization ratio used for the estimation of PMPs. An up-to-date computational method is developed to maximize w using a non-stationary frequency analysis, and then calculate the maximization ratios. The ratios estimated this way are deemed reliable since they rarely exceed threshold values set for Quebec, and, therefore, provide consistent PMP estimates. The results show an overall significant increase of the PMPs throughout the current century compared to the recent past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the fuel efficiency of commercial hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and compares their performance with respect to standard gasoline vehicles in the context of cold Canadian urban environments. The effect of different factors on fuel efficiency is studied including road driving conditions (link type, city size), temperature, speed, cold-starts and eco-driving training. For this study, fuel consumption data at the link level in real-world conditions was used from a sample of 74 instrumented vehicles. From the study fleet, 21 vehicles were HEVs. Among other results, the beneficial fuel efficiency merits of hybrid vehicles were demonstrated with respect to gasoline cars, in particular at low speeds and in urban (city) environments. After controlling for other factors, sedan HEVs were 28% more efficient than sedan gasoline vehicles. However, the low temperatures (below 0 °C) observed regularly during winter season in the study cities were identified as a detrimental factor to fuel economy. In winter, the fuel efficiency of HEVs decrease about 20% with respect to summer. Other factors such as eco-driving training, city size, cold start and vehicle type were also found to be statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 46% of the 2672 multiple-span bridges in the Province of Quebec (Canada) are concrete girder bridges. Due to the advanced age and the lack of seismic detailing, these bridges may be vulnerable to earthquake events. In an effort to prevent an interruption of the transportation network, which could be catastrophic for Quebec, a comprehensive research program was conducted whose aims were to assess the seismic vulnerability of typical bridge classes retrofitted with natural rubber seismic isolator devices through the development of fragility curves. The understanding of the impact of various modeling parameters on structural-component responses is the first step in a forward-vulnerability assessment of bridges in Quebec. This paper presents part of a comparative study using detailed three-dimensional nonlinear models that was conducted to assess the longitudinal and transverse responses of multi-span continuous (MSC) and multi-span simply supported (MSSS) concrete bridges in their as-built and retrofitted configurations using different synthetic ground motions (SGM) for the eastern part of Canada. Deterministic responses in terms of column curvature demand, abutment footing deformations, and abutment wall deformations are provided for the longitudinal and transverse directions of bridge models. The influences of various modeling parameters were assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and design-of-experiments (DOE) principles to perform screening of 12 structural parameters. This study revealed that the most important modeling parameters that affect critical components responses of MSC and MSSS bridges are the isolator effective stiffness, the abutment stiffness, and the gap between abutment and deck, in addition to the variation in gross bridge geometry and ground-motion contents. This screening study also gives an indication that the variation in other modeling parameters such as structural damping and skew angle affect the seismic response of MSC and MSSS bridges and should be considered carefully in a seismic-vulnerability assessment for these portfolios of concrete bridges. In addition, it was found that the use of seismic isolation devices effectively reduces the curvature demand placed on columns but has a negative impact on the deformation demand placed on abutment walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a four-month, mixed-methods, quasi-experimental case study investigating the effects of strategy instruction and use on success on oral interaction tasks among sixth graders (n = 54) in Québec, Canada. Two intact groups of participants from two schools served as a treatment group and a control group. Findings indicate that strategy awareness and use were enhanced following instruction. The treatment group showed statistically significant gains in oral interaction from pre- to post-test and outperformed the control group. Qualitative and quantitative data, including questionnaires and video-recordings, provided sources of evidence to support the findings of this investigation. This study has implications for the fields of research methods, language teaching pedagogy, learning strategies, and strategy instruction among children who are learning a second or foreign language. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In Canada, during the autumn of 1942, a group of physicists, chemists and engineers were assembled to work on what was to become the Canadian atomic energy project. The base for this work was Montreal. This paper concentrates on the contributions of a sub-group of those scientists, namely those working on the development of nuclear reactor theory. The members of that group comprised an international mix of Canadians, Britons and Americans. A few already had international reputations as theoretical physicists, but the majority were young men and women, generally under the age of 30, who were very talented but not yet famous. They worked under conditions of the utmost secrecy, initially with little help from the United States, and developed virtually from first principles most of the important aspects of modern reactor theory. The results of their work were issued as Canadian National Research Council reports with the prefix MT (Montreal Theory), and between 1943 and 1946 about 80 such reports were written. The theory described therein was fundamental to the later design and construction of the Canadian NRX reactor, which was a very successful research tool. Soon after the end of World War II, a few of the MT reports were written up and published in either the Physical Review or the Canadian Journal of Research. However, more than 80% of the work was not published and therefore did not receive the formal recognition that it deserved. A few of the reports that went unpublished were so important that one wonders why they never appeared in the learned journals. To be sure, the work they contained was certainly used world-wide and the reports cited. However, human nature being what it is, after some years the original sources were forgotten and only the published papers which cited them were quoted. After a while those classic, early MT reports seem to have faded from memory. Thus it was that, when I recently tried to find one of them to check on a particular matter (in fact it was a paper by George Volkoff on the Wiener–Hopf technique) I found extreme difficulty in locating it. The work presented here describes the problems I met in tracking down, not only the Volkoff paper, but many of the others too. It was this difficulty which persuaded me that the MT reports should, after nearly 60 years, receive their due recognition. I am doing that by reprinting here the abstracts of all of the relevant reports, with some personal comments regarding their importance or historical value. In addition, where possible, I am publishing short biographies of the major players in Montreal during the period 1943–1946, thereby demonstrating how those young people’s careers developed in the post-war years. Many went on to receive high scientific honours and academic prestige. In order to put the articles in context, I have also reproduced the abstracts of some British Ministry of Supply reports which were written in the early part of the war (1940–1942), and which are relevant because several of the British scientists involved subsequently found themselves in Montreal. To give some background to the early Canadian work, I have reprinted part of an article by George Laurence (First Head of the Canadian Atomic Energy Control Board) who was an early contributor to research in neutron chain reactors, and whose enthusiasm and talent undoubtedly contributed to the decision to start the atomic energy project in Canada. Over the next few years, this journal or its companion, Annals of Nuclear Energy, will publish a selection of the more important MT reports so that they will be readily accessible to scholars and to practising nuclear engineers. One of these reports, written in 1944 by Boris Davison and which is of seminal value, is reproduced in this issue with kind permission of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the first step of a new approach to make a map of radonprone areas showing different potential radon emission levels in the Quebec province. This map is a tool intended to assist the Quebec government in identifying populations with a higher risk of indoor radon gas exposure. This map of radon-prone areas used available radiogeochemical information for the province of Quebec: (1) Equivalent uranium (eU) concentration from airborne surface gamma-ray surveys; (2) uranium concentration measurements in sediments; and (3) bedrock and surficial geology. Positive proportion relationships (PPR) between each individual criterion and the 1417 available basement radon concentrations were demonstrated. It was also shown that those criteria were reliable indicators of radon-prone areas. The three criteria were discretized into 3, 2 and 2 statistically significant different classes respectively. For each class, statistical heterogeneity was validated by Kruskal–Wallis one way analyses of variance on ranks. Maps of radon-prone areas were traced down for each criterion. Based on this statistical study and on the maps of radon-prone areas in Quebec, 18% of the dwellings located in areas with an equivalent uranium (eU) concentration from airborne surface gamma-ray surveys under 0.75 ppm showed indoor radon concentrations above 150 Bq/m3. This percentage increases to 33% when eU concentrations are between 0.75 ppm and 1.25 ppm and exceeds 40% when eU concentrations are above 1.25 ppm. A uranium concentration in sediments above 20 ppm showed an indoor radon concentration geometric mean of 215 Bq/m3 with more than 69% of the dwellings exceeding 150 Bq/m3 or more than 50% of dwellings exceeding the Canadian radon guideline of 200 Bq/m3. It is also shown that the radon emission potential is higher where a uranium-rich bedrock unit is not covered by a low permeability (silt/clay) surficial deposit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Freezeup processes in steep channels are particularly dynamic and generate important water level, water temperature, and discharge variations. This work presents unique field data quantifying steep channel ice processes during the freezeup period. Water temperature variability and ice dam buildup and breaching rates measured in the Montmorency watershed, Quebec, Canada are reported. The conditions leading to the development and melting of ice dams are discussed. The rate at which water is stored in the drainage system at different channel Strahler orders and the consequent freezeup flooding rates and discharge depressions are estimated. A major contribution of this paper is the formulation and application of an original heat budget model designed to specifically address the particularities of steep channel heat fluxes. The modeled net heat flux is compared with measured water temperature and with the timing of ice dam buildup and breaching events for a second order channel. This work can be of interest for cold region hydraulic and transportation engineers who are responsible for the safe design of bridges and culverts, for cold region hydrologists, for hydroelectric producers and for water intake operators in need of evaluating and forecasting low freezeup discharge conditions. Freshwater and riparian zone biologists can also refer to this work to evaluate the conditions that affect the fauna and flora at freezeup and public emergency services can use this work to quantify the risk of freezeup flooding along steep channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The high rate of youth suicide in some First Nations villages of Northern Quebec is an important public health problem. Based on a six-year field study in three villages belonging to the Atikamekw and Anishinabe groups, this paper proposes changes in three areas of social policy that could contribute to prevention of youth suicide. These three areas are: youth protection, administration of justice, and housing. An argument is made first to adapt the youth protection law of Quebec and to give greater responsibility to communities in individual cases in order to prevent child placement outside the villages. Regarding the administration of justice, we suggest initiatives to encourage rapid prosecution of crimes on reserves and the adoption of an approach based on reconciliation between perpetrator and victim. Finally, we indicate how housing measures could help safeguard children's wellbeing given that overcrowding can contribute to suicide. The discussion also proposes that these three key changes in social policy could be relevant in other Aboriginal communities both within and outside of Quebec. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This paper aims to detect trends in mean flow and total precipitation data over southern parts of Quebec and Ontario, Canada. The main purpose of the trend assessment is to find out what time scales are affecting the trends observed in the datasets used. In this study, a new trend detection method for hydrological studies is explored, which involves the use of wavelet transforms (WTs) in order to separate the rapidly and slowly changing events contained in a time series. More specifically, this study co-utilizes the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) technique and the Mann–Kendall (MK) trend tests to analyze and detect trends in monthly, seasonally-based, and annual data from eight flow stations and seven meteorological stations in southern Ontario and Quebec during 1954–2008. The combination of the DWT and MK test in analyzing trends has not been extensively explored to date, especially in detecting trends in Canadian flow and precipitation time series. The mother wavelet type and the extension border used in the wavelet transform, as well as the number of decomposition levels, were determined based on two criteria. The first criterion is the mean relative error of the wavelet approximation series and the original time series. In addition, a new criterion is proposed and explored in this study, which is based on the relative error of the MK Z-values of the approximation component and the original time series. Sequential Mann–Kendall analysis on the different wavelet detail components (with their approximation component added) that result from the time series decomposition was also used and found to be helpful because it depicts how harmonious each of the detail components (plus approximation) is with respect to the original data. This study found that most of the trends are positive and started during the mid-1960s to early 1970s. The results from the wavelet analysis and Mann–Kendall tests on the different data types (using the 5% significance level) reveal that in general, intra- and inter-annual events (up to 4years) are more influential in affecting the observed trends. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we explore the air pollution levels along types of bicycle facilities using a NO2 land use model previously developed for Montreal. We explore potential associations between bicycle volumes through signalized intersections and pollution levels at those intersections. We further investigate this relationship through the comparison of over thirty cycling corridors as well as an evaluation of the potential exposure of cyclists to air pollution along five routes. We observe NO2 concentrations to be positively correlated with bicycle flows at the intersection level. We also observe that corridors with either a bicycle path or cycle track generally rank higher in terms of bicycle volume and also have higher NO2 concentrations than corridors without bicycle facilities. This indicates that intersections and bicycle facilities with a large number of cyclists are also those characterized with the highest air pollution levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Agri-environmental indicators are commonly used to assess agricultural sustainability. In North America, few are designed to be easily used by dairy farmers. As farmers assume more responsibility for managing natural resources, they play an increasingly important role in assessing sustainable agriculture. This paper describes the development of an indicator-based self-assessment tool for use at the farm level to evaluate dairy farm sustainability from an environmental standpoint. The agri-environmental indicator set was selected by using two participatory processes: the Delphi method and a focus group. The framework for developing the assessment tool consisted of six steps: (1) Defining the concept of environmental sustainability at the farm level; (2) setting up goals and principles for the assessment; (3) identifying potential indicators and selecting candidate indicators; (4) defining reference values, aggregating indicators into components, and establishing relative weights for indicators; (5) testing the candidate indicators on dairy farms, and (6) selecting the final indicator set. Six criteria were used to evaluate either the practicality or usefulness of indicators. Thirteen indicators were chosen, one of which was divided into four sub-indicators. These indicators were aggregated into four components: soil quality, cropping practices, fertilization management, and farmland management. Expert participation was the first validation of the indicator set. A compromise between feasibility, practicality, and relevance of measurement was found among indicators. When applied to 40 farms over two contrasting regions, the indicator set identified scores that differed according to production context. The tool is user-friendly and well-adapted to dairy farming systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Transit operators face a difficult fiscal environment and an imperative to contribute to urban sustainability. Under these circumstances, operators must find innovative ways to make public transportation attractive to broader segments of the public, while simultaneously trying to raise revenue to reduce reliance on public subsidies. Development of commercial partnerships is seen as a promising way to achieve these goals. Previous research has examined the potential of using geodemographics to assist transit agencies in the task of identifying potential partners for developing mutually beneficial commercial agreements. In this paper we describe an approach to model isoexposure to transit users as a tool to assess market potential. The approach is based on the analysis of walking behavior of transit users, and specifically distance walked at the end of their transit trip. Spatial modeling is used to geographically project estimates of walking distance for a desired demographic profile at a specific transit facility. After expanding the estimates using sample weights, overlays of these estimates can be used to generate variations in exposure to transit travelers at different locations in space. The approach is demonstrated using the case of Metro users in Montreal, Canada. The case study demonstrates the use of isoexposure profiles as a novel approach to generate marketing intelligence. This should be of interest to transit agencies and businesses interested in developing partnerships. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Longitudinal analysis is rarely leveraged in the field of geography to understand neighbourhood change despite many studies documenting important transformations within metropolitan areas (e.g. gentrification, impoverishment of inner suburbs, etc.). This paper aims to identify and model trajectories of neighbourhood poverty in Montreal over five consecutive census years (1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006), using Latent Class Growth Modelling. Neighbourhoods are classified in eight groups, identifying those with stable, increasing or declining trajectories of poverty. Multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that the proportion of residents with low levels of education, unemployment rate, proportion of recent immigrants and the proportion of renters measured at the beginning of the period (1986) are important predictors of poverty trajectories, as are variations throughout the study period (1986–2006) in the proportions of recent immigrants and of residents with low levels of education. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports findings from an evaluation of the local implementation of a procedural public health programme whose objective is to create healthy environments (HE) for vulnerable families in the province of Quebec (Canada) through the funding of local projects. Considering the potential issue of programme–context interaction, our research question was the following: Does the procedural nature of this HE programme result in variation between local cases in terms of the types of projects and collaborations it subsidizes? Given that the creation of healthy environments requires intersectoral health action to address social determinants of health, the data were analysed with respect to intersectorality and cooperation. Results of this qualitative multiple case study (n = 8), for the period 2004–2009, show that the majority of subsidized projects were in the health and social services sector and focused on parenting, parent–child attachment, nutrition and the social networks of families. Only a few initiatives reached beyond the health and social services sector to address social health determinants such as education, housing and transportation. Membership and mandates of the local groups responsible for programme implementation also showed little intersectorality. The limited variation between these eight cases can be attributed to the configuration of the local networks, as well as to specific issues in urban and rural areas. To explain the overall similarity of results across cases, we turned to the literature on policy instruments which suggests that particular characteristics of a programme may produce effects that are independent of its intended objective. In our study, several programme mechanisms, such as those framing the definition of «healthy environment» and budget management rules, could have encouraged the local development of initiatives that focus on individual skills related to parenting and attachment rather than the development of intersectoral health action to address social determinants of health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Previous estimates of geothermal energy potential in Canada give an indication of available heat to be ‘farmed’ at depth with focus on Western Canadian Cordillera and Western Canadian Sedimentary basin as prime targets. This paper examines in more detail temperature–depth realtionships near large population centres in Québec, in order to provide a first order assesment of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) potential for electrical and heat generation. Results show areas with significant EGS potential in the St-Lawrence River valley related to high heat flow density and thermal blanketing of thick sedimentary cover. At >120°C found to be a prospect for several areas in Québec (drilled to depths of over 4.5km in Trois-Rivières area, near 4.5km in the Eastern St-Lawrence River (Rimouski, Gaspé and Golf, including Anticosti Island) and just 4km in Quebec area) the potentially available geothermal power from EGS hydrothermal systems in deep sediments can be of significance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A detailed study of Late Ordovician–early Silurian acritarchs (Palaeozoic phytoplankton) from Anticosti Island (Québec, Canada) revealed an unusually high abundance of abnormal forms from the upper Hirnantian carbonate strata (uppermost Ordovician) of the Ellis Bay Formation in the western part of the island (member 6, Spinachitina taugourdeaui chitinozoan Biozone). The objective of this paper is to describe these abnormal forms in detail. Two species are particularly affected: Disparifusa psakadoria Loeblich and Tappan, 1978 presents abnormally hypertrophied central vesicles, whereas Peteinosphaeridium laframboisepointense nov. sp. has appendices that are fused along their length. The abnormal forms of acritarchs occur in rocks deposited during periods that are near time-equivalents to those of maximum ice-sheet extensions on Gondwana during the Hirnantian glaciation. Although this stratigraphic level corresponds to an interval of strong perturbations of the global carbon cycle, the exact factors causing the observed malformations remain unknown. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High-resolution seismic profiles along with physical and sedimentological properties of sediment cores from the Saguenay (Eastern Canada) and Reloncavi (Chile) Fjords allowed the identification of several decimeter to meter-thick turbidites. In both fjords, the turbidites were associated with large magnitude historic and pre-historic earthquakes including the 1663AD (M>7) earthquake in the Saguenay Fjord, and the 1960 (M 9.5), 1837 (M~8) and 1575AD major Chilean subduction earthquakes in the Reloncavi Fjord. In addition, a sand layer with exoscopic characteristics typical of a tsunami deposit was observed immediately above the turbidite associated with the 1575AD earthquake in the Reloncavi Fjord and supports both the chronology and the large magnitude of that historic earthquake. In the Saguenay Fjord, the earthquake-triggered turbidites are sometimes underlying a hyperpycnite associated with the rapid breaching and draining of a natural dam formed by earthquake-triggered landslides. Similar hyperpycnal floods were also recorded in historical and continental geological archives for the 1960 and 1575AD Chilean subduction earthquakes, highlighting the risk of such flood events several weeks or months after main earthquake. In both fjords, as well as in other recently recognized earthquake-triggered turbidites, the decimeter-to meter-thick normally-graded turbidites are characterized by a homogeneous, but slightly fining upward tail. Finally, this paper also emphasizes the sensitivity of fjords to record historic and pre-historic seismicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]