[The placement courses and the subjective quality of life of 6- to 11-year-old children living in child welfare institutions]. / Les parcours de placement et la qualité de vie des enfants de 6 à 11ans accueillis dans des institutions relevant de la protection de l'enfance.

BACKGROUND: Besides diseases, the concept of quality of life is increasingly used to account for the consequences of other vulnerability situations that may be encountered by individuals, including young children. However, very few studies have examined children's perception of their quality of life in the context of child welfare and protection, and they yielded mixed results. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the subjective quality of life of children placed in institution with that of children living in their families, by controlling for child sex, age, socioeconomic and familial status, and (2) to examine its relations with their placement course in the child welfare system. METHOD: The sample of this study was composed of 56 children aged 6 to 11, 28 of which were placed in a child welfare institution. Information about the placement course of institutionalized children was given by their social workers and the quality of life of all participants was assessed with the AUQUEI questionnaire. This self-report, which is based on children's conception of their quality of life, allows assessment of four distinct dimensions in addition to the overall score: leisure, performances, relations and family life, and separation. RESULTS: According to the results, the quality of life of children placed in institutions did not differ from that of children living in their families. However, its perception was closely related to the placement course of institutionalized children in the child welfare system. Whereas maltreated children obtained lower overall and performance scores than their neglected peers, children placed in foster families before institution had a poorer perception of their quality of life in the domains of family life and separations. DISCUSSION: These results are interpreted in light of attachment research and theory. Indeed, the relations between children's quality of life and their placement course could be explained by their high level of attachment disorganization. Finally, the results of this study suggested that children were well aware of their difficulties and that they can easily be identified by directly assessing the children's quality of life.

Small wastewater treatment plants in mountain areas: combination of septic tank and biological filter.

Research work has been carried out for more than 20 years by Eparco and the University of Montpellier (France) on the application of biological wastewater treatment processes for small communities. This research has led to a new process which is particularly suitable for remote populations, taking into account several specificities such as as the seasonal fluctuations in the population, the accessibility of the site, the absence of a power supply on site, the reduced area of land available and the low maintenance. Thus, the process, which combines a septic tank operating under anaerobic conditions and a biological aerobic filter, is a solution for wastewater treatment in mountain areas. This paper presents the process and three full-scale applications in the region of the Alps.

Biogas production, sludge accumulation and mass balance of carbon in anaerobic ponds.

This work concerned the application of anaerobic ponds for the primary treatment of urban wastewater in a Mediterranean climate. It was carried out on anaerobic ponds at large scale in Mèze (France). The anaerobic ponds constitute a good primary treatment with the removal of 55% of SS and 30% of BOD5, with a small surface area. The accumulation rate of sludge was only 0.017 m3/capita.year, due to their intensive anaerobic degradation. The anaerobic digestion reached equilibrium after one year of operation. The accumulation of sludge then showed seasonal variations with a substantial accumulation in winter and the digestion of the stock in summer. This change can be related to the influence of the temperature on methanogenesis. The production of biogas (83% CH4) was measured by gas collectors especially developed for this study and was also strongly dependent on temperature. The mass balance of carbon showed that 74% of the removed organic carbon was converted into CH4, 13% into dissolved inorganic carbon and 15% was stored in sludge. However, the anaerobic ponds presented a risk of creating odor nuisances with the emission of H2S.

Oxidising and disinfecting by hydrogen peroxide produced in a two-electrode cell.

Hydrogen peroxide was produced by direct current electrolysis using two electrodes only, a carbon felt cathode and a dimensional stabilised anode (titanium coated with RuO2), without adding any chemical. The required oxygen was supplied by water oxidation and by transfer from the atmosphere. The intensity should be maintained under a maximum value to avoid peroxide reduction. High peroxide production rate and concentration were then reached. Electroperoxidation partially removed dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contained in solutions of phenol, salicylic acid, benzoic acid and humic acids. The DOC removal in effluent of municipal sewage plant corresponded to a breakage of the double bonds. Real effluents were significantly disinfected owing to the direct effect of electric current and the indirect effect of peroxide. Moreover, a remnant effect was ensured.

Ready biodegradability test in seawater: a new methodological approach.

To estimate the persistence of xenobiotic in the environment, a new ultimate mineralization approach for assessing ready biodegradability in seawater has been developed, based on the OECD 301 B guideline for freshwater. a few changes in the currently accepted procedure have been made to adapt the test to seawater. The assays, realized with seawater as test medium and inoculum, give high variability results of biodegradability. To lower this variability a synthetic marine medium joined to a highly concentrated inoculum from a marine aquarium filter have been used. The results reveal (i) a decrease of variability, together with an increase in degradation rate of the tested chemicals due to a better control of inoculum and test medium, and (ii) no difference in easy biodegradable compound (sodium benzoate) biodegradation rate when two marine aquarium inocula are tested. This study demonstrates that the ready biodegradability test developed on synthetic marine medium and inoculum from marine aquarium filter minimizes the effect of the sample location on the biodegradation results of compounds and allows classifying chemicals as a function of their biodegradability.

Toxicokinetic and metabolic study of dimethylnitrosamine and diethylnitrosamine in crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes.

The acute toxicities of dimethylnitrosamine and diethylnitrosamine have been evaluated in adult male crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes; LD50 values are 2250 mg/kg and 230 mg/kg, respectively. Toxicokinetic studies of 14C-dimethylnitrosamine and 14C-diethylnitrosamine in crayfish, administered by i.v. injection, show high concentrations of 14C in abdominal muscle and hepatopancreas. Excretion is greater with dimethylnitrosamine, and retention in the tissues, especially the hepatopancreas, is greater with diethylnitrosamine. Metabolites identified in excreta include monomethylnitrosamine from dimethylnitrosamine, and hydroxyethyl-ethyl-, bishydroxyethyl- and carboxyethyl-ethylnitrosamine from diethylnitrosamine.