NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
Do women vote less correctly? The effect of gender on ideological proximity voting and correct voting

Studies on political knowledge routinely find that women have lower levels of political knowledge than men. This gender gap in political knowledge is usually interpreted as troublesome for democracy, because a lack of political knowledge could imply that women’s participation in politics is less effective and that their interests will be represented less well than those of men. In this short article, we present a direct test of the assumption that women are less effective voters because of this lack of political knowledge. We make use of CSES data to study gender differences in proximity voting and correct voting. Our results do not suggest that women vote less correctly than men—a conclusion that prompts important questions about the role of different forms of political knowledge, and the seemingly gendered nature of the vote choice.

Keyphrases: Proximity voting, Correct voting, Gender gap, Political knowledge, Representation
Compulsory voting, inequality, and quality of the vote : the impact of compulsory voting on accountability and proximity voting

Democratic elections imply that the electorate holds incumbents accountable for past performance, and that voters select the party that is closest to their own political preferences. Previous research shows that both elements require political sophistication. A number of countries throughout the world have a system of compulsory voting, and this legal obligation boosts levels of voter turnout. Under such rules, citizens with low levels of sophistication in particular are thought to turn out to vote in higher numbers. Is it the case that the quality of the vote is reduced when these less sophisticated voters are compelled to vote? This article investigates this claim by examining the effect of compulsory voting on accountability and proximity voting. The results show that compulsory voting reduces stratification based on knowledge and level of education, and proximity voting, but it does not have an effect on economic accountability. The article concludes with some suggestions on how systems of compulsory voting might mitigate the strength of political sophistication in determining the quality of the vote decision process.

Keyphrases: Compulsory voting, Political sophistication, Electoral accountability, Proximity voting, CSES
The abiding voter : the lengthy horizon of retrospective evaluations

Although the theory of retrospective voting receives wide support in the literature on voting behavior, less agreement exists on voters’ time horizon when assessing the government’s performance – i.e., whether voters are myopic. Previous studies on voter myopia tend to focus on aggregate-level measures of the economy, or use an experimental approach. Using panel data, this paper offers the first investigation into voter myopia that uses individual-level evaluations of government performance in a representative survey at several points during the electoral cycle. Our study focuses on The Netherlands, but we also provide tests of the generalizability and robustness of our findings, and a replication in the U.S. context. The results indicate that voter satisfaction early in the government’s term adds to explaining incumbent voting. Thus, rather than the myopic voter, we find evidence of the abiding voter – steady at her or his post, evaluating government performance over a long length of time.

Keyphrases: Retrospective voting, Voter myopia, Reward-punishment mechanism, Performance voting, Economic voting, Accountability
La place des plaignants tiers dans le système de déontologie policière québécois

L’article 143 de la Loi sur la police (Loi sur la police, P-13.1, art.143) permet à toute personne de déposer une plainte en déontologie policière au Québec. Les plaignants tiers, c’està- dire ceux qui déposent des plaintes concernant des événements dans lesquels ils ne sont pas impliqués, suscitent des réactions négatives de la part de certaines organisations. Avec la réflexion sur la réalité policière amorcée au courant des derniers mois, il est pertinent pour le système de déontologie policière d’approfondir sa compréhension de ces plaignants et de leurs plaintes. De ce fait, l’objectif de ce projet est d’examiner la contribution des plaignants tiers dans le système de déontologie policière québécois. Des analyses quantitatives ont été réalisées sur un échantillon de 1549 plaintes déposées en déontologie entre le 1er avril 2015 et le 31 mars 2020. Les résultats tendent à indiquer que dans un premier temps, les plaignants tiers, tout comme les plaintes qu’ils déposent, ne représentent qu’un faible pourcentage de l’ensemble des plaintes en déontologie policière. Dans un second temps, les plaintes déposées par ces plaignants semblent être pertinentes pour le système, car en plus d’être fondées et de se rendent loin dans le processus de traitement, elles permettent d’attirer l’attention du Commissaire à la déontologie policière sur des interventions policières préoccupantes. Ce type de plaignant peut donc être considéré comme un atout pour le système de déontologie policière québécois. Section 143 of the Police Act (Police Act, P-13.1, s.143) allows anyone to file a police ethics complaint in Quebec. Third party complainants, that is, those who file complaints about events in which they are not involved, generate negative reactions from certain organisations. With the reflection on the police reality that began in recent months, it is relevant for the police ethics Commissioner to deepen its understanding of these complainants and their complaints. Therefore, the objective of this project is to examine the contribution of third party complainants in the Quebec police ethics system. Quantitative analyzes were carried out on a sample of 1549 ethics complaints filed between April 1st, 2015 and March 31, 2020. First, the results tend to indicate that third-party complainants, as well as the complaints they file, represent only a small percentage of all police ethic complaints. Secondly, the complaints lodged by these complainants seem to be relevant for the system, because in addition to not being frivolous and going far in the process, they make it possible to draw the Police Ethics Commissioner's attention on worrying police interventions. This type of complainant can therefore be considered as an asset for the Quebec police ethic system.

Keyphrases: Déontologie policière, Commissaire à la déontologie policière, Plaignants tiers, Système de déontologie policière québécois, Réflexion sur la réalité policière
Interventions used by allied health professionals in sexual rehabilitation after stroke : a systematic review

Background: Although sexuality can be affected post-stroke, few individuals receive sexual rehabilitation because of clinicians’ lack of knowledge regarding evidence-based interventions.  Objective: To document and describe the best available evidence supporting interventions that target post-stroke rehabilitation of sexuality.  Methods: This systematic review searched the databases Medline, Embase, Psycinfo, CINAHL, Web of science, PEDRO and OTSeeker up to 29 May 2020. Inclusion criteria were: published studies with a sample composed of ≥ 50% stroke clients and describing an intervention that could be applied by an allied health professional. Data was extracted according to the PRISMA guidelines by two independent reviewers. Interventions were described according to the Template for intervention description and replication checklist.  Results: Among the 2446 articles reviewed, 8 met the inclusion criteria. Two randomized controlled trials (RCT) and one non-RCT showed improvement in sexual functioning and satisfaction following a 30–45-minute structured rehabilitation program. Two other RCT showed significant improvement in sexual functioning with physical therapy oriented toward 1) structured physical and verbal sexual counseling and 2) pelvic floor muscle training. Three studies showed that interdisciplinary sexual rehabilitation improved satisfaction and sexual functioning; implementation of an interview script for clinicians improved the proportion of clients who addressed sexuality from 0 to 80% in 10 months; and two-day couple retreats improved perceived intimacy between couples.  Conclusions: This review highlights promising interventions that could orient future research and improve the access to sexual rehabilitation services for post-stroke, with structured sexual rehabilitation and pelvic floor muscle training being the most strongly supported.

Keyphrases: Sexuality, Stroke, Rehabilitation, Clinicians, Intervention
The effectiveness of dance therapy as an adjunct to rehabilitation of adults with a physical disability

Background/Objective: To determine the added benefit on participants’ mobility and participation of a 12-week dance therapy (DT) intervention combined with usual physical rehabilitation for adults with varied physical disabilities. Their appreciation of DT was also explored. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study pre–post test with a nonequivalent control group and repeated measurements pre, post, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results: Although participants in both groups significantly improved over time (at 12 weeks and at follow-up) compared to baseline on mobility (timed up and go, TUG) and participation (e.g., Life-H scores and number of leisure activities), treatment effect analysis using propensity score matching showed no significant treatment effect of DT. The TUG scores showed the best promise of a treatment effect. DT participants’ Flow State Scale scores significantly improved (p < 0.01) for 5/9 dimensions of flow (being in control, loss of self-consciousness), and they all recommended DT. Conclusion: This study failed to demonstrate an added benefit of the DT intervention in improving participants’ mobility and participation. Overwhelmingly, favorable participants’ opinions about the intervention support its potential impact.

Keyphrases: Dance therapy, Physical disability, Effectiveness, Rehabilitation, Adults
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and risk of bleeding and acute ischemic events in non-hypertensive Alzheimer’s patients

Introduction: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are commonly used to treat mild to moderate cases of Alzheimer disease (AD). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no study estimating the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular events in patients with non-hypertensive AD. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the association between AChEIs and the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular ischemic events in patients with non-hypertensive AD. Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted to estimate the risk of bleeding and ischemic events (angina, myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke) in patients with AD. This study was conducted using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) databases. The study cohort consisted of AD patients ≥65 years of age. The case groups included all AD subjects in the database who had a bleeding or ischemic event during the cohort follow-up. Four controls were selected for each case. Patients were classified as current users or past users based on a 60-day threshold of consuming the drug. Simple and multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio for bleeding events and cardiovascular events. Results: We identified 507 cases and selected 2028 controls for the bleeding event cohort and 555 cases and 2220 controls for the ischemic event cohort. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the association of AChEI use was 0.93 (0.75 to 1.16) for bleeding events, 2.58 (1.01 to 6.59) for angina, and 1.89 (1.07 to 3.33) for MI. Past users of AChEIs were also at increased risk of stroke (1.51 [1.00 to 2.27]). Discussion: This is the first study assessing the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular events in patients with non-hypertensive AD. Our findings could be of great interest for clinicians and researchers working on AD.

Keyphrases: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, Bleeding, Cardiovascular disease, Stroke
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mitigates the association between platelet dysfunction and cognitive impairment

Background: Platelet hyperactivity is deleterious in coronary artery disease (CAD), requiring lifelong antiplatelet therapy, and is associated with worse cognitive outcomes. Upon activation, platelets release Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin protective against cognitive decline. Given these apparently opposing effects of platelet activation on cognitive health, we investigated whether BDNF levels intercede in the relationship between platelet activation and cognitive function; and whether this relationship is moderated by the presence of CAD. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1,280 participants with (n = 673) and without CAD (n = 607) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Plasma BDNF and soluble P-selectin (a marker of platelet activity) levels were assessed using multiplex flow cytometry. Results: In a mediation model, platelet activity was correlated with higher plasma BDNF concentrations (b = 0.53, p < 0.0001). The relationship between sP-selectin and BDNF concentrations was stronger for individuals without CAD (b = 0.71, p < 0.0001) than for CAD participants (b = 0.43, p < 0.0001; pinteraction < 0.0001). Higher BDNF concentrations were associated with higher MoCA scores (b = 0.26, p = 0.03). The overall effect of platelet activity on cognitive performance was non-significant (total effect: b = −0.12, p = 0.13), and became significant when accounting for BDNF as a mediating factor (direct effect: b = −0.26, p = 0.01). This resulted in a positive indirect effect of platelet activity (via BDNF) on MoCA scores (b = 0.14, CI 95% 0.02–0.30), that was smaller in CAD participants than in non-CAD participants [1 −0.07 (95% CI −0.14 to −0.01)]. Conclusions: BDNF released from activated platelets could be a mitigating factor in a negative association between platelet activity and cognitive function.

Keyphrases: Platelets, BDNF, Coronary artery disease, Cognitive impairment, Mediation model
Signs of spatial neglect in unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy

Background and purpose In this study, the question of whether egocentric representation of space is impaired in chronic unilateral vestibulopathies was examined. The objective was to test current theories attributing a predominant role to vestibular afferents in spatial cognition and to assess whether representational neglect signs are common in peripheral vestibular loss.  Methods The subjective straight-ahead (SSA) direction was investigated using a horizontal rod allowing the translation and rotation components of the body midline representation to be dissociated in 21 patients with unilateral vestibular loss (right, 13; left, eight) and in 12 healthy controls.  Results Compared to the controls, the patients with unilateral vestibulopathy showed a translation bias of their SSA, without rotation bias. The translation bias was not lateralized towards the lesioned side as typically found for biases reported after unilateral vestibular loss. Rather, the SSA bias was rightward whatever the side of the vestibular loss. The translation bias correlated with the vestibular loss, as measured by caloric response and vestibulo-ocular reflex gain, but not with the subjective visual vertical or the residual spontaneous nystagmus.  Conclusion The present data suggest that the dysfunctions of neural networks involved in egocentred and allocentred representations of space are differentially compensated for in unilateral vestibular defective patients. In particular, they suggest that asymmetrical vestibular inputs to cortical regions lead to representational spatial disturbances as does defective cortical processing of vestibular inputs in spatial neglect after right hemisphere stroke. They also highlight the predominant role of symmetrical and unaltered vestibular inputs in spatial cognition.

Keyphrases: Vestibular loss, Spatial neglect, Subjective straight ahead
Inclure les personnes concernées dans la production du savoir sur les personnes LGBTQ+ migrantes à travers la recherche communautaire : limites structurelles, défis méthodologiques et pistes de réflexion

Bien qu’il y ait un intérêt grandissant dans la recherche en sciences sociales sur la réalité des personnes migrantes marginalisées, telle que celles appartenant à la population LGBTQ+, on dispose de très peu d’études dans la littérature québécoise sur les meilleures stratégies d’implication des personnes concernées dans la construction des savoirs. Cet article vise à contribuer à la diffusion de la connaissance empirique et autoréflexive sur l’inclusion des personnes LGBTQ+ migrantes dans les espaces de délibération et de co-construction des savoirs. Pour ce faire, plusieurs pistes sont proposées pour dépasser les limites systémiques ainsi que résoudre les défis méthodologiques et éthiques liés à l’inclusion des personnes LGBTQ+ migrantes au sein des espaces de réflexion et de construction des connaissances autour des enjeux qui les concernent directement. D’un point de vue empirique, notre démarche s’appuie sur l’autoreflexivité de différents acteurs et actrices concernés (membres soutenus, membres du conseil d’administration, membres de l’équipe de soutien et employés) dans une recherche communautaire menée en collaboration avec l’organisme communautaire AGIR (Action LGBTQ avec les immigrant.e.s et les réfugié.e.s).

Keyphrases: Immigration, Insertion, Stratégies, Interactions
The impact of outdoor walking surfaces on lower-limb coordination and variability during gait in healthy adults

Background Inter-joint coordination and variability during gait provide insight into control and adaptability of the neuromuscular system. To date, coordination research has been restricted to laboratory settings, and it is unclear how these findings translate to real-world, outdoor walking environments.  Research Question Compared to flat walking, to what extent do outdoor surfaces impact lower-limb inter-joint coordination and variability during gait, in healthy adults?  Methods Data from inertial measurement units placed on the lower-back, thigh, and shank were extracted from thirty healthy young adults (15 females, 23.5 ± 4.2 years) during outdoor walking on flat (paved sidewalk); irregular (cobblestone, grass); sloped (slope-up, slope-down); and banked (banked-right, banked-left) surfaces. Sagittal joint angles for the right knee and hip were computed and partitioned by gait phase (stance and swing). Continuous Relative Phase analysis determined inter-joint coordination and variability for the knee-hip joint pair using Mean Absolute Relative Phase (MARP) and Deviation Phase (DP), respectively. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs tested surface effects. Post-hoc Bonferroni adjusted surface comparisons were assessed.  Results Significant knee-hip surface effects were seen during all gait phases for MARP (p < 0.001) and DP (p ≤ 0.001). Compared to flat walking, grass prompted more in-phase coordination (smaller MARP) during stance and swing phase (p ≤ 0.003). Slope-up caused more in-phase coordination during stance (p < 0.001), while slope-down caused more out-of-phase coordination during stance and swing (p ≤ 0.003), compared to the flat surface. Sloped surfaces prompted more variable (larger DP) knee-hip coordination (p ≤ 0.001), compared to flat walking during stance and swing phase.  Significance Compared to flat walking, changes in knee-hip coordination and variability were greatest on slope-up/slope-down surfaces. This could reflect greater changes in lower-limb kinematics on sloped surfaces and/or a neuromuscular response to the demands of a more challenging task.

Keyphrases: Cross-Slope, Uneven, Irregular, Continuous relative phase, Hilbert transform
Le fait numérique comme « conjonctures médiatrices »

Après avoir défini la notion de conjonctures médiatrices en explicitant ses relations avec d'autres concepts issus de la tradition intermédiale (médiation, média, séries culturelles), je montrerai les enjeux ontologiques liés à cette idée. Je vais me pencher en particulier sur le cas du fait numérique en essayant de proposer une ontologie paradoxale, une ontologie sans essence, qui saisisse les spécificités d'un phénomène médiatique sans pour autant l'essentialiser en un « média ».

Keyphrases: Conjonctures médiatrices, Médiation, Ontologie, Métaontologie
Academic, socioeconomic and interpersonal consequences of cannabis use : a narrative review

This article reviews the literature on the association between cannabis use (CU) and psychosocial functioning, operationalized here as academic achievement, economic prospects, social relationships and quality of life. So far, study results have been inconsistent. To clarify whether CU has an impact on psychosocial functioning, this article mainly reviewed prospective and longitudinal studies published since 2000 and examined whether studies controlled for confounding factors (e.g. socio-demographics, other substance use, psychopathology, social environment). The review suggested that when confounding variables are controlled for, the association between CU and psychosocial outcomes is generally small or non-significant. When significant associations remain, they are for chronic, dependent or early onset CU specifically, suggesting that the frequency of use and age of onset may be necessary elements to detect persistent, however small, psychosocial consequences. These results illustrate the importance of controlling for intra- and inter-individual differences to examine the link between CU and later psychosocial functioning. Results also suggest that policy and prevention efforts should consider targeting the individual and environmental factors (e.g. early academic and cognitive functioning, social disadvantage, family functioning, personality, smoking) that account for much of the association between CU and later psychosocial problems, rather than, or in addition to, CU itself.

Keyphrases: Cannabis, Psychosocial functioning, Academic performance, Employment, Social relationships