Les qualités psychométriques de l'échelle de comportements d'adaptation Loranger-Pépin.

Presents results of 3 studies on the psychometric properties of the LP-ABC (M. Loranger and M. Pépin, 1993), a French-language instrument for assessing general functioning in adults with mental retardation. The studies involved a total of 299 male and female Canadian adults with mental retardation. Results confirm the internal consistency, construct validity, criterion validity, discriminant validity, interrater reliability, and test–retest reliability of the LP-ABC. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

“Modification V” of poly 4-methylpentene-1 from cyclopentane solutions and gels

A new crystalline structure of poly 4-methylpentene-1 (P4MP1), modiification named modification V, is obtained from cyclopentane solutions and gels, for polymer volume fractions between 0.01 and 0.10. The effect of the thermal history imparted to the solution is analyzed. The relation between gelation, polymorphism and existence of helical conformations of P4MP1 in solution is discussed. Modification V is tentatively indexed on the basis of an hexagonal unit cell with dimensions a = 22.17 ± 0.14 Å and c = 6.69 ±0.02 Å. The crystal transforms into modification I at 130 ± 5°C, the heat of transition being + 15 ±2 J.g^?1.     

Bond graph based control of a three-phase inverter with LC filter – Connection to passive and active loads

This paper proposes a model of a three phase electrical inverter with a LC output filter in delta connection used in a renewable energy supply system. The concept of inverse bond graph via bicausality is used for the control law design. The control law robustness is tested by connecting passive and active (induction machine) loads.     

Marital status, pregnancy planning, and role overload: A mediated-moderation model of parenting satisfaction.

This longitudinal study investigated the presence of a moderating effect of pregnancy planning on the relationship between marital status and parenting satisfaction of couples experiencing the transition to parenthood and verified whether this moderating effect is mediated by role overload. Data were collected from 150 Canadian couples during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and at 9 months postpartum. Findings reveal that when the pregnancy is planned, the poorer parenting satisfaction reported by cohabiting fathers in comparison with their married counterparts can be explained by cohabiting men’s higher levels of role overload. Women’s levels of parenting satisfaction are also influenced by their own and their partner’s experiences of role overload. Results are discussed in terms of the respective values and lifestyles of cohabiting and married couples and specifically in terms of their different attitudes toward egalitarianism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nanofiltration for the recovery of caustic cleaning-in-place solutions: robustness towards large variations of composition

In the dairy industry re-use and multi-use cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems are operated by circulating chemicals and water without taking the equipment apart. The solutions, which become polluted due to the removal of fouling compounds, are drained periodically when they are considered to be too polluted. This work shows the large variations in composition (pollution, surface tension, etc) of the industrial caustic solutions coming from milk standardization and pasteurization plant CIP throughout their life time (7 days) and from 1 week to another. The work is also intended to show how nanofiltration (1 kg mol(-1) molecular weight cut-off) was robust and performed well, with good recovery of caustic solutions, even when faced with large variations of solutions composition: high caustic yield, permeation flux (J) in the range 42-110 l h(-1) m(-2), average chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction equal to 0.58 and low surface tension change. Equations have been established for the prediction of J as a function of initial membrane hydraulic resistance (Rm) caustic concentration, volume reduction ratio (VRR) and initial soluble COD. When VRR increased, both J and pollution retention decreased despite the increase in irreversible fouling induced by the increase of soluble pollution concentration in retentate. The higher the initial soluble COD, the sharper the decrease in J vs. VRR. Since irreversible fouling was usually small (0.1-3.4 x 10(13) m(-1), that is to say of the same order of magnitude as Rm), the membrane cleaning could be efficiently performed by using single phase sodium hypochlorite alternately with a more expensive acid-base cleaning sequence. The obtained permeate was a clear regenerated cleaning solution with low soluble COD (0.2-3.5 g/l) and surface tension (56-30 mJ m(-2)) which could be successfully exploited owing to its cleaning potential.     

Cosmetic assessment of the human hair by confocal microscopy

The optical sectioning property of the confocal microscope offers a breakthrough from the classic observation of the hair in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Confocal microscopy requires minimal sampling preparation, and the hair can be observed in its natural environment with less damage than by other microscopic methods such as SEM. While used in the reflection mode, the true morphology of the cuticle and the various exogenous deposits at the surface can be identified and quantified. This relatively noninvasive, nondestructive technique is routinely used by us to monitor the efficiency of cleansing shampoos, to assess the homogeneity of layering polymers, and to evaluate the changes they induce in the optical properties of the hair surface in terms of opacity, transparency, and brilliancy. A second important field of investigation uses the fluorescence channel which reveals the internal structure of the hair. Fluorescent probes (rhodamine and its derivatives) demonstrate the routes of penetration and outline the geometry of cortical cells and of the medulla according to their lipophilic or hydrophilic properties. A volume rendering of a hair cylinder provides a better understanding of the interrelationships between cuticle cells, cortical cells, and the medullar channel. This recent technology is becoming an invaluable tool for the cosmetic assessment of the hair.     

Probing Silica Aerogel Structure with Spin-Polarised Helium-3 Gas

We report on systematic low-field NMR measurements on room temperature ³ He gas imbibed into a 98% porous silica aerogel. Laser polarised helium is used to obtain large NMR signals at 0.1 T even for small amounts of gas. We use a multi-echo technique in a controlled magnetic field gradient to characterize spin diffusion. Measurements are carried out for pressures P ranging from 10 mbar to 1 bar (mean free path of free ³ He ranging from 19 to 0.19 m respectively). In a free gas, the damping rate 1/T ₂ of the amplitude of the echoes is checked to be proportional to the known diffusion coefficient (T ₂ P). Damping rates 2–5 times smaller than those in a free gas are measured within the aerogel. This reduction is quite significant at 1 bar, suggesting that ³ He- ³ He and ³ He-silica collisions occur with comparable frequencies at this density. However, a stong dependence of T ₂ on P is still observed at low pressure, revealing a significant reduction of diffusion due to binary atomic collisions even for the lowest gas density. Measurements over such a large range of gas densities indirectely probe collisional effects over a wide range of sizes up to tens of m. In our sample, results are not consistent with a single geometrical mean free path for ³ He-silica collisions.     

évaluation de la validité théorique de l'Inventaire de l'organisation de la personnalité.

Studied the psychometric properties and the theoretical validity of the French translation of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO; O. F. Kernberg and J. F. Clarkin, 1995). The IPO was administered to 845 males and females from a Quebec university and from the general Quebec population. Separate exploratory and 1st-level confirmatory factor analyses were performed. The results indicate a good level of conformity between IPO items and the tridimensional primary constructs of O. F. Kernberg's theoretical model of personality organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)