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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]

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]

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]

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]

• A novel optimization model to maximize energy for short-term hydropower unit commitment is proposed. • A MILP formulation based on the efficiency curves is established. • The optimized solutions can be directly implemented in practice. • A real case study in Canada shows benefits of optimal solutions compared to historical decisions. This paper presents a linear mixed-integer formulation to solve the short-term hydropower unit commitment problem. It uses the pair of maximum efficiency points of water discharge and the power produced at the maximum storage for all possible combinations of turbines. The goal is to maximize total energy production for all periods. The objective function is calculated using the correction between the power produced at the current volume and the maximum storage and penalizes unit start-ups. Constraints on the maximum number of turbine changes are imposed to find a viable solution. Computational results are reported for 65 instances with two powerhouses of five turbines each located in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of the province of Quebec in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a two-stage stochastic model for eco-efficient reverse logistics network design (RLND). The goal of this optimization model is to maximize the expected profit and minimize landfilling activities to give more incentive for materials recycling. The model considers a source separation option that allows the separation of the collected materials at an early stage of the reverse logistics channel. The quantity of waste generated and the recycling rates at the collection centers are uncertain due to the variable quality of the collected batches. We solved the model using the combination of a Sampling Average Approximation procedure and the ε-constraint method. An application is illustrated through the case study of wood waste recycling from the construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) industry in the province of Quebec in Canada. This research reveals that the source separation strategy provides better control of the impact of uncertainties, not only for the economic performance but also from an environmental perspective. The results highlight the necessity to evaluate the interaction between environmental policies to avoid conflicting objectives. Finally, the case study demonstrates the complexity of the reverse logistics network in the CRD industry and the challenge to achieve eco-efficiency under uncertainty. • A multi-objective stochastic model for reverse logistics network design is proposed. • The impact of the uncertain quality of the recycled materials is highlighted. • The proposed model evaluates the benefits of the recycled materials source-separation. • GHG emissions accounting is performed to comply with environmental regulations. • A case study targeting the recycled wood from the CRD* industry is proposed in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quebecia terrane (Grenville Province) consists of over 95% juvenile 1.5 Ga oceanic arcs. • Slivers of crust with 1.8 Ga Nd ages divide Quebecia into a composite arc belt of terranes. • 1.5 Ga oceanic arcs were accreted to Laurentia after the 1.5 Ga Pinwarian orogenic event. • Some Quebecia terranes were rifted from the active margin and re-accreted further east. • Oblique tectonics may explain Pinwarian arc accretion without a major collisional orogen. There continues to be confusion in the geological community concerning the ages of crustal formation and crustal accretion within the central Grenville Province of Quebec. To clarify the geological history of crustal growth in the eastern part of the Quebecia terrane, sixty new Nd isotope analyses are presented from a 60,000 km2 area northwest of Baie Comeau. Most samples yield Pinwarian Nd model ages that suggest them to be derived from juvenile oceanic arc terranes. However, two large slivers with Paleoproterozoic TDM ages attest to the existence of hidden blocks of old crust, which divide the area of juvenile Pinwarian crust into a composite arc belt of smaller accreted terranes. The old crustal blocks probably do not reach the present surface, but represent an igneous crustal protolith of younger I-type magmatism. By comparison with a Mesozoic tectonic analogue, it is proposed that accreted juvenile arc crust with attached slivers of older crust were rifted away from an active margin to the west, and translated eastwards until blocked by the previously accreted Labradoria terrane. Although the Quebecia composite arc belt consists of over 95% of Pinwarian juvenile arc crust, the age of arc accretion was post-Pinwarian. The proposed oblique nature of the accretion process may explain the lack of a major collisional orogen at that time. This paper shows the usefulness of large-scale Nd isotope mapping of Precambrian crustal terranes to clarify complex processes of crustal formation and arc accretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]