Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growing Apart? Partisan Sorting in Canada, 1992–2015

Abstract Recent decades have been marked by increasingly divided partisan opinion in the US. This study investigates whether a similar trend might be occurring in Canada. It does so by examining redistributive preferences, using Canadian Election Studies data from every election since 1992. Results suggest that Canada has experienced a surge in partisan sorting that is comparable to that in the US. Over time, like-minded citizens have increasingly clustered into parties, with increasingly stark divisions between partisans. Résumé Aux États-Unis, les dernières décennies ont été marquées par des opinions partisanes de plus en plus divisées. Cette étude tente de savoir si une tendance similaire s'est développée au Canada. Pour ce faire, elle examine les préférences redistributives, utilisant les données de l’Étude électorale canadienne provenant de toutes les élections depuis 1992. Les résultats suggèrent que le Canada a connu une hausse de la sélection partisane qui est comparable à celle observée aux États-Unis. Au fil du temps, des citoyens aux vues similaires se sont regroupés dans des partis politiques, donnant lieu à des fossés grandissants entre les partisans.
Does Whom You Know Matter? Unraveling the Influence of Peers' Network Attributes on Academic Performance

This paper examines how students' network size, distance, prestige, and connections to influential individuals impact academic performance. Larger and closer networks facilitate information exchange, but may also increase distractions that decrease productivity. We resolve this ambiguity using administrative data from a business school that features random assignment of students to multiple overlapping sets of peers, allowing us to calculate degree, closeness, eigenvector, and Katz‐Bonacich centrality for each node. We find that increasing closeness centrality within the network negatively affects student performance measured by grade point average, suggesting that synergy reduction and information processing costs outweigh benefits from greater information access. (JEL I23, L14, L23)
R&D expenditure in the EU: convergence or divergence?

Abstract This article examines the convergence of the R&D expenditure in the EU28 for 2004–2015. We initially run a sigma convergence analysis and the results show convergence in the total expenditure, due to the behaviour of the business and higher education sectors, despite government sector divergence. However, noticeable differences between the EU15 and 13 EU countries are apparent. The business enterprise sector is the main driver of EU15 R&D convergence, whereas for the EU13 this role is played by the government expenditure. In addition, the economic crisis has impacted differently on both groups. The club convergence approach allows us to explore these insights through individualized analysis and clusterization. Results for the EU28 show two clubs for the total expenditure, but the analysis of its components reveals a larger grouping. Our results evidence the necessity of revising the EU R&D policies towards greater coordination and resources, and the implementation of new instruments, due to the impact of this expenditure on growth, development and integration.
A Salivary Endo-β-1,4-Glucanase Acts as an Effector That Enables the Brown Planthopper to Feed on Rice1[OPEN]

A salivary endo-β-1,4-glucanase in the rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens facilitates access to the phloem by degrading celluloses in plant cell walls. The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens is one of the most destructive insect pests on rice (Oryza sativa) in Asia. After landing on plants, BPH rapidly accesses plant phloem and sucks the phloem sap through unknown mechanisms. We discovered a salivary endo-β-1,4-glucanase (NlEG1) that has endoglucanase activity with a maximal activity at pH 6 at 37°C and is secreted into rice plants by BPH. NlEG1 is highly expressed in the salivary glands and midgut. Silencing NlEG1 decreases the capacity of BPH to reach the phloem and reduces its food intake, mass, survival, and fecundity on rice plants. By contrast, NlEG1 silencing had only a small effect on the survival rate of BPH raised on artificial diet. Moreover, NlEG1 secreted by BPH did not elicit the production of the defense-related signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and jasmonoyl-isoleucine in rice, although wounding plus the application of the recombination protein NlEG1 did slightly enhance the levels of jasmonic acid and jasmonoyl-isoleucine in plants compared with the corresponding controls. These data suggest that NlEG1 enables the BPH’s stylet to reach the phloem by degrading celluloses in plant cell walls, thereby functioning as an effector that overcomes the plant cell wall defense in rice.
The location of comprehensive income reporting – does it pass the financial analyst revision test?

Purpose This paper aims to test whether a change in the reporting location of income, and other comprehensive income (OCI) components, in a statement of comprehensive income (SoCI) under International Financial Reporting Standards affects their value-relevance and use by financial analysts. Design/methodology/approach The study tests the associations between CI, OCI, share returns and financial analyst forecast revisions. Findings Results show that comprehensive income is less value-relevant than net income, regardless of reporting location. Changing the reporting location of OCI components to the SoCI does not provide incremental improvement for financial analysts or stock prices. Finally, the paper finds that analysts use OCI components to revise forecasts. Originality/value The paper addresses the question of which OCI components should be reported, and the importance of reporting location. The paper extends the examination of OCI components to financial analysts as expert financial report users.
Increased Anesthesia Usage in a Large-Volume Endoscopy Unit: Patient Acuity Is Not the Main Predictor

Objectives The use of monitored anesthesia care (MAC) for colonoscopy sedation continues to increase. This study examined trends during a 9-year period in the use of MAC and explored which patient variables may have influenced these trends. Methods This was a retrospective review of all colonoscopies performed in our hospital-based endoscopy unit from 2003 through 2012. We determined whether MAC was used and if not, which quantitative doses of sedative agents were used. Several patient-related variables were evaluated for correlation. Data were analyzed (t test, &khgr;2, logistic regression) using SAS statistical software. Results Between January 2003 and October 2012, we identified 37,803 performed colonoscopies. The use of MAC increased significantly, from 0.38% in 2003 to 10.0% in 2012 (P < 0.0001). For cases in which conscious sedation was used, the mean doses of sedatives did not change significantly over time. Although there was an association between certain patient variables (female sex; higher American Society of Anesthesiologists class; diagnostic procedures; and pulmonary, psychiatric, renal or cerebrovascular diseases) and the use of MAC, the greatest predictor of MAC use was the year of the procedure. After adjusting for the patient variables that were examined, the odds of using MAC increased by approximately 1.5 times per year from 2003 through 2012. The adjusted odds of using MAC in 2012 were 35.8 times higher than in 2003. Conclusions The use of MAC for colonoscopies performed in our endoscopy unit increased significantly from 2003 to 2012. Although increased MAC use was associated with some patient variables, it was most significantly associated with the year of the procedure. This suggests that there were other nonpatient-related factors influencing its use.
A Closer Look at the Halloween Effect: The Case of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

The Halloween effect is one of the most famous calendar anomalies. It is based on the observation that stock returns tend to perform much better over the winter half of the year (November–April) than over the summer half of the year (May–October). The vast majority of studies that investigated the Halloween effect over the recent decades focused only on stock indices. This means that they evaluated whether a stock index follows the Halloween effect pattern, but they omitted digging a little deeper and analyze the Halloween effect on the individual stocks level. This paper investigates to what extent the blue-chips stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are affected by the Halloween effect and whether the Halloween effect is widespread or the behavior of the whole index is driven by only a handful of stocks that are strongly affected by the Halloween effect. The results show that, although the strength of the Halloween effect varies quite rapidly from stock to stock, the vast majority of analyzed stocks experienced a notably higher average winter period than summer period returns over the 1980–2017 period. Moreover, in 18 out of 35 cases, the Halloween effect was statistically significant.
A Theory of Medical Effectiveness, Differential Mortality, Income Inequality and Growth for Pre-Industrial England

The interactions between mortality reductions and income growth are studied, with a special attention at their relationship prior to the Industrial Revolution, when income per head was stagnant. The choice of individual medical spending is modelled, giving a rationale for individual health expenditures even when medicine is not effective in postponing death. The rise of effective medicine is then explained by a learning process function of expenditure on health. The rise in effective medicine is linked to the economic growth of the eighteenth century through life expectancy increases which foster capital accumulation. The rise of effective medicine has also had an effect on the relationship between growth and inequality and on the intergenerational persistence of differences in income. These channels are operative through differential mortality induced by medical effectiveness that turns out to determine a differential in the propensity to save among income groups.
Effect of Lercanidipine on Kidney Microanatomy in Cohen-Rosenthal Diabetic Hypertensive Rats

The study was undertaken to determine the effect of treatment with the dihydropyridine-type calcium antagonist lercanidipine on the renal vasculature in Cohen-Rosenthal diabetic hypertensive rats, a genetic model of hypertension associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eight animals were given a daily oral dose of 3 mg/kg lercanidipine in drinking water for 8 weeks, and 6 control animals received no treatment. The effects on blood pressure, glucose level, and kidney microanatomy were evaluated. Lercanidipine reduced systolic blood pressure and glucose level. In the control group small arteries and glomerular arterioles exhibited wall thickening and luminal narrowing. Lercanidipine administration prevented the changes in small-sized arteries and glomerular arterioles. The glomerular changes observed in the untreated Cohen-Rosenthal diabetic hypertensive rats were not seen in the lercanidipine-treated animals. Lercanidipine also had beneficial effects on the renal vasculature, suggesting that the compound may be considered for treating hypertension associated with diabetes.
Executive resting-state network connectivity in migraine without aura

Background: Converging neuropsychological evidence suggests that in migraine executive functions (EF) may be affected during interictal periods. Objective: To evaluate the functional connectivity of the fronto-parietal networks (FPN) known to be associated with EF, in migraine without aura (MwoA) patients, in the interictal period, in comparison to healthy controls (HC). Methods: Using resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI), we compared functional connectivity within the FPN in 14 patients with MwoA versus 14 sex- and age-matched HC, and assessed the correlation between functional connectivity within FPN, clinical features of MwoA patients, and EF. We used voxel-based morphometry to assess whether between-group differences in functional connectivity were dependent on structural differences. Results: Neuropsychological data revealed no significant executive dysfunction in MwoA patients. RS-fMRI showed that MwoA patients, compared to HC, had significant functional connectivity reduction within the right FPN and specifically in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, we found that MFG reduced connectivity was negatively correlated with the pain intensity of migraine attacks. There were no structural differences between the two groups. Conclusions: Our data suggest that, even in the absence of clinically evident EF deficits, MwoA is associated with reduced FPN functional connectivity. This study provides further insights into the complex scenario of migraine mechanisms.
Penile vibratory stimulation in the marmoset monkey: a practical alternative to electro‐ejaculation, yielding ejaculates of enhanced quality

Abstract: The availability of sufficient amounts of spermatozoa of high quality is one of the main limiting factors in reproductive research and development of reproductive technologies in marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). Penile vibrostimulation (PVS) has been successfully used in semen collection in the squirrel monkey but with poor success rate in the marmoset. We report here on an improved protocol for PVS with a success rate of almost 90%. Ejaculates obtained by PVS were of enhanced quality compared with those obtained by rectal probe electro‐ejaculation (RPE). PVS ejaculates contained on average three to fourfold higher numbers of total and motile spermatozoa. Assessment of sperm kinematics using computer‐assisted sperm analysis indicated that there are also functional differences between spermatozoa collected by PVS and RPE. Marmoset spermatozoa in samples obtained by RPE swim in a more convoluted manner compared with those obtained by PVS.
Still Renovating: A History of Canadian Social Housing Policy

there are alternatives and that there is agency and different ways of being for those who live in the city. There is also the possibility that in a time when neo-liberal trade policies and globalization are increasingly seen to be threadbare and even destructive, that the material foundation for the book’s argument is slipping. The analysis of the neo-liberal state offered could well have produced some different political arguments, against heightened securitization for example, for more civic spaces, for fewer privatized public spaces and even for open master planned estates, not the walled and policed “domestic fortresses” described in the book. So, while a useful set of arguments and examples, this book does not deliver on its broader claims to present an analysis of a pervasive trend towards “Fear and the New Home Front” within a global “Domestic Fortress”.
Evidence for Suprachiasmatic Vasopressin Neurones Innervating Kisspeptin Neurones in the Rostral Periventricular Area of the Mouse Brain: Regulation by Oestrogen

In rodents, a circadian signal from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is essential for the pro‐oestrous surge of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH), which, in turn, induces luteinising hormone (LH) surge and ovulation. We hypothesised that kisspeptin (KP) neurones in the anteroventral periventricular and periventricular preoptic nuclei (AVPV/PeN) form part of the communication pathway between the SCN and GnRH neurones. In anterograde track tracing studies, we first identified vasopressin (VP)‐containing axons of SCN origin in apposition to KP‐immunoreactive (IR) neurones. Studies to quantify this input relied on the observation that VP‐synthesising neurones in the SCN differ from other VP systems in their lack of galanin expression. In ovariectomised mice, 30.79 ± 1.63% of KP‐IR perikarya and proximal dendrites within the AVPV/PeN received galanin‐negative VP‐IR varicosities. Oestrogen‐treatment significantly increased the number of KP‐IR neurones, with their percentage apposed by galanin‐negative VP‐IR varicosities (46.95 ± 1.88%) and the number of VP‐IR appositions on individual KP‐IR neurones. At the ultrastructural level, the VP‐IR terminals formed symmetric synapses with KP‐IR neurones, which was in accordance with the morphology of inhibitory synapses established by SCN neurones. By contrast to VP, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), which is synthesised by a distinct subset of SCN neurones, occurred only rarely in axons apposed to KP‐IR neurones. Altogether, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that KP neurones located in the mouse AVPV/PeN receive circadian information from the SCN via a vasopressinergic monosynaptic pathway, which is enhanced by oestrogen.
Solvent‐detergent filtered (S/D‐F) fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate minipools prepared in a newly designed integral disposable processing bag system

summary. Solvent‐detergent (S/D) viral inactivation was recently adapted to the treatment of single plasma donations and cryoprecipitate minipools. We present here a new process and a new bag system where the S/D reagents are removed by filtration and the final products subjected to bacterial (0·2 μm) filtration. Recovered and apheresis plasma for transfusion (FFP) and cryoprecipitate minipools (400 ± 20 mL) were subjected to double‐stage S/D viral inactivation, followed by one oil extraction and a filtration on a S/D and phthalate [di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)] adsorption device and a 0·2 μm filter. The initial and the final products were compared for visual appearance, blood cell count and cell markers, proteins functional activity, von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers and protein profile by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). Tri (n‐butyl) phosphate (TnBP) was quantified by gas chromatography and Triton X‐45 and DEHP by high‐performance‐liquid chromatography (HPLC). General safety tests were by 6·5 mL/kg intravenous injection in rats. The treated plasmas and cryoprecipitates were very clear and the protein content and functionality, VWF multimers and SDS–PAGE profiles were well preserved. TnBP and Triton X‐45 were < 1 and <25 ppm, respectively, and DEHP (about 5 ppm) was less than it was in the starting materials. Blood cell counts and CD45, CD61 and glycophorin A markers were negative. There was no enhanced toxicity in rats. Thus, plasma and cryoprecipitate can be S/D‐treated in this new CE‐marked disposable integral processing system under conditions preserving protein function and integrity, removing blood cells, S/D agents and DEHP, and ensuring bacterial sterility. This process may offer one additional option to blood establishments for the production of virally inactivated plasma components.
Allies or Adversaries: NGOs and the State in Africa

pepper as ‘protection’ against Ebola. Early in the book Richards argues that ‘better functioning health systems might have only made the epidemic worse’ (p. 6) pointing to the increased risk of hospital amplified infection occurring in health settings where there is poor infection control and no prior experience of the virus. It is certainly true that hospitals were risky places during the outbreak. The large numbers of deaths of health workers attests to this, particularly in places like Kenema government hospital – an early key response site – where over 40 members of staff died. But there are complexities at play here. In urban sites with more efficient infrastructure, the epidemic came under control more quickly because it was easier to organise a response. Richards describes a nurse who became famous in social and print media for nursing her family using home-made protective equipment fashioned from plastic bags, as employing ‘local knowledge’ (pp. 9, 122–123). But the nurse in question was improvising standardised barriernursing techniques that she had learnt in nursing school. She also gave her family members intravenous fluids (Cohen, 2014). This is local knowledge, yes, but local in a way that emerged in dialogue with, not in opposition to, international responses. My own work with health workers involved in the response has shown that they, too, modified their behaviour substantially during the epidemic in order to keep themselves, their colleagues, patients and families safe. Meanwhile, many community-level responses involved monitoring and controlling the movement of people. These people also adopted techniques used in the international response, especially hand washing and the use of infra-red thermometers. If there was indeed a people’s epidemiology of Ebola, in the sense of an active dynamic response informed by practical experience, it took place across international, biomedical and domestic domains. Where the response effort failed, and here Richards’ argument holds its ground, it was in not appreciating the extent to which people in affected communities could be enlisted as partners in these efforts, indeed as experts in tackling Ebola, whose knowledge was crucial in setting up first line caring responses for those who were sick.
Diabetes Abolishes Sildenafil-Induced cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase-I Expression and Cardioprotection

The selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor sildenafil has been demonstrated to produce cardioprotection; however, diabetes is known to abolish cardioprotective signaling. We tested the hypothesis that sildenafil-induced cGMP-dependent protein kinase-I (PKG-I) expression and cardioprotection are attenuated by diabetes. Barbiturate-anesthetized dogs (n = 38) were instrumented for measurement of hemodynamics and subjected to 60-minute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 3-hour reperfusion. Dogs were randomly assigned to receive 0.9% saline (control) or intravenous sildenafil (0.7 or 1.4 mg/kg) in the absence or presence of diabetes (3 weeks after administration of alloxan and streptozotocin). No differences in hemodynamics or coronary collateral blood flow (radioactive microspheres) were observed between groups before and during ischemia and reperfusion, except that infusion of sildenafil produced transient decreases in left ventricle systolic pressure. Sildenafil significantly (P < 0.05) reduced infarct size (16 ± 2% of the left ventricular area at risk; triphenyltetrazolium staining) as compared to control (31 ± 39%). Diabetes alone did not alter infarct size (31 ± 2%) but abolished the protective effect of sildenafil (0.7 mg/kg: 26 ± 3%; 1.4 mg/kg: 26 ± 3%). Sildenafil increased PKG-I expression (immunohistochemistry and Western blotting) in the absence but not the presence of diabetes. The results indicate that diabetes abolishes cardioprotection by sildenafil and implicates PKG-I in the signal transduction pathway activated by this drug.