This study deals essentially with the development of models that describe the relations between the strength properties of soils (undrained shear strength obtained with a vane tester) on one hand, and the resilient properties (back-calculated modulus obtained with deflection tests) on the other hand, and the penetration index values obtained with the dynamic cone penetrometer. Laboratory tests were performed on five coarse-grained reconstituted soils. Also, field tests were performed on 10 fine-grained soils and on each of the four subgrade soils of the Laval University Experimental Test Road Site. The results obtained in the laboratory and in the field were compared and analysed in order to develop the relations between the strength and the resilience for different types of soils. Using a statistical analysis with three different sophistication levels, reliable correlations that include explanatory variables were developed.

Pavement insulation is a widely accepted technique for the mitigation of frost effects on pavements. Many of studies were carried out on the mechanical implications of using insulation materials; however most of them deal with lightweight fill and rarely with insulated pavement. As a consequence, little information is available on insulated pavement mechanical behavior. A test track, including three 150 meter sections, was built in southern Quebec, Canada. One section is insulated with extruded polystyrene, another with saw dust and the last one is a non-insulated reference section. All sections are instrumented in order to monitor frost depth and frost heave and to measure the mechanical response under standard load with a deflectometer. This paper presents an assessment of the pavement mechanical behavior in relationship with its long-term condition. The long-term performance of the test sections is analyzed with considerations for frost protection advantages versus possible disadvantages due to insulation material low strength. The main conclusion of this experimental study is that if thermal and mechanical efficiency of extruded polystyrene used as an insulation material in pavement is clearly demonstrated for almost all kinds of traffic loads, it is much different for saw dust. In fact, saw dust used as an insulation material in pavement causes a significant loss of bearing capacity which leads to a limitation of traffic loads even though it shows a good thermal performance.

Oral administration to mice of ovalbumin (OVA), if given together with cholera toxin (CT) or its B subunit (CTB) prevented the hyporesponsiveness to OVA subsequently injected parenterally. Oral immunization with CT plus OVA or OVA plus CTB in fact primed the immune system, inducing a stronger response to a subsequent parenteral injection of OVA with complete Freund's adjuvant than in mice prefed only with OVA or with saline. Oral CT plus OVA also induced good serum IgG1 and IgA anti-OVA responses, with slightly (not significant) decreased IgG2a and IgG2b responses. Our in vivo findings agree well with earlier in vitro data from others, including CT inhibition of the T(h)1 CD4+ T cell subset and with CT effect on B cells (induction of LPS-stimulated IgM+ B cells to undergo increased switch differentiation to IgG1- and IgA-secreting cells).