Canadian Institutes in the Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper discusses the effectiveness and ultimate value of the growing number of research institutes in the humanities and social sciences. It looks at the different types in existence and their geographic distribution. It considers the motivation for and obstacles to establishing research institutes, points to the difficulties involved in their funding and operation and outlines arguments put forward by their proponents. Illustrated with examples are different objectives and functions of various kinds of institutes, their organizational structure and their relationship to the universities. The Max-Planck Institutes in Germany and Institutes of the Social Science Research Council in Britain are described. The paper concludes with a sketch of three fundamental types of institute, each with its own rationale: the academic Utopia, the small-scale institute for research in the humanities and the problem-solving or mission-oriented institute.Cet article, considérant le nombre sans cesse croissant des institutes de recherche en sciences humaines, leur diversité et leur répartition géographique, s'interroge sur leur efficacité et leur valeur. Il examine les raisons qui poussent à la création de tels instituts et celles qui s'y opposent, les difficultés de financement et de fonctionnement recontrées et, enfin, les arguments avancés par les instigateurs de ces établissements de recherche. Objectifs et fonctions de divers types d'instituts, leur organisation et leurs liens avec les universités sont exposés à partir d'exemples. C'est ainsi qu'on présente les InstitutsMax-Planck d'Alle-magne fédérale et ceux du Social Science Research Council de Grande-Bretagne. En con-clusion, l'article distingue trois grands types originaux d'instituts: ¡'"utopie universitaire", le petit institut de recherche en sciences humaines et l'institut à vocation heuristique spécialisé

Capturing health and eating status through a nutritional perception screening questionnaire (NPSQ9) in a randomised internet-based personalised nutrition intervention : the Food4Me study

BACKGROUND: National guidelines emphasize healthy eating to promote wellbeing and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The perceived healthiness of food is determined by many factors affecting food intake. A positive perception of healthy eating has been shown to be associated with greater diet quality. Internet-based methodologies allow contact with large populations. Our present study aims to design and evaluate a short nutritional perception questionnaire, to be used as a screening tool for assessing nutritional status, and to predict an optimal level of personalisation in nutritional advice delivered via the Internet. METHODS: Data from all participants who were screened and then enrolled into the Food4Me proof-of-principle study (n = 2369) were used to determine the optimal items for inclusion in a novel screening tool, the Nutritional Perception Screening Questionnaire-9 (NPSQ9). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on anthropometric and biochemical data and on dietary indices acquired from participants who had completed the Food4Me dietary intervention (n = 1153). Baseline and intervention data were analysed using linear regression and linear mixed regression, respectively. RESULTS: A final model with 9 NPSQ items was validated against the dietary intervention data. NPSQ9 scores were inversely associated with BMI (β = -0.181, p < 0.001) and waist circumference (Β = -0.155, p < 0.001), and positively associated with total carotenoids (β = 0.198, p < 0.001), omega-3 fatty acid index (β = 0.155, p < 0.001), Healthy Eating Index (HEI) (β = 0.299, p < 0.001) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) (β = 0. 279, p < 0.001). Findings from the longitudinal intervention study showed a greater reduction in BMI and improved dietary indices among participants with lower NPSQ9 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy eating perceptions and dietary habits captured by the NPSQ9 score, based on nine questionnaire items, were associated with reduced body weight and improved diet quality. Likewise, participants with a lower score achieved greater health improvements than those with higher scores, in response to personalised advice, suggesting that NPSQ9 may be used for early evaluation of nutritional status and to tailor nutritional advice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01530139 .Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The Kinematics of Massive Quiescent Galaxies at 1.4 < z < 2.1: Dark Matter Fractions, IMF Variation, and the Relation to Local Early-type Galaxies

We study the dynamical properties of massive quiescent galaxies at 1.4 <z <2.1 using deep Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/F160W imaging and a combination of literature stellar velocity dispersion measurements and new near-infrared spectra obtained using the K-band Multi Object Spectrograph(KMOS) on the ESO Very Large Telescope. We use these data to show that the typical dynamical-to-stellar mass ratio has increased by∼0.2 dex from z = 2 to the present day, and we investigate this evolution in the context of possible changes in the stellar initial mass function(IMF) and/or fraction of dark matter contained within the galaxy effective radius,fDM[<re]. Comparing our high-redshift sample to their likely descendants at low redshift, we find that fDM[<re] has increased by a factor of more than 4 since z ≈ 1.8, from fDM[<re] = 6.6% +-1.0% to∼24%. The observed increase appears robust to changes in the methods used to estimate dynamical masses or match progenitors and descendants. We quantify possible variation of the stellar IMF through the offset parameter α, defined as the ratio of dynamical mass in stars to the stellar mass estimated using a Chabrier IMF. We demonstrate that the correlation between stellar velocity dispersion and α reported among quiescent galaxies at low redshift is already in place atz = 2, and we argue that subsequent evolution through (mostly minor) merging should act to preserve this relation while contributing significantly to galaxies'overall growth in size and stellar mass.J.T.M. acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project No. CE170100013. D.J.W. and M.F. acknowledge the support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft via Project IDs 3871/1-1 and 3871/1-2. M.F. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 757535)

Global Change Could Amplify Fire Effects on Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Background: Little is known about the combined impacts of global environmental changes and ecological disturbances on ecosystem functioning, even though such combined impacts might play critical roles in shaping ecosystem processes that can in turn feed back to climate change, such as soil emissions of greenhouse gases.[br/] Methodology/Principal Findings: We took advantage of an accidental, low-severity wildfire that burned part of a long-term global change experiment to investigate the interactive effects of a fire disturbance and increases in CO(2) concentration, precipitation and nitrogen supply on soil nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions in a grassland ecosystem. We examined the responses of soil N(2)O emissions, as well as the responses of the two main microbial processes contributing to soil N(2)O production - nitrification and denitrification - and of their main drivers. We show that the fire disturbance greatly increased soil N(2)O emissions over a three-year period, and that elevated CO(2) and enhanced nitrogen supply amplified fire effects on soil N(2)O emissions: emissions increased by a factor of two with fire alone and by a factor of six under the combined influence of fire, elevated CO(2) and nitrogen. We also provide evidence that this response was caused by increased microbial denitrification, resulting from increased soil moisture and soil carbon and nitrogen availability in the burned and fertilized plots. [br/] Conclusions/Significance: Our results indicate that the combined effects of fire and global environmental changes can exceed their effects in isolation, thereby creating unexpected feedbacks to soil greenhouse gas emissions. These findings highlight the need to further explore the impacts of ecological disturbances on ecosystem functioning in the context of global change if we wish to be able to model future soil greenhouse gas emissions with greater confidence

Dynamic panel data estimation of an integrated Grossman and Becker-Murphy model of health and addiction

We propose a dynamic panel data approach to estimate a model that integrates the Becker-Murphy theory of rational addiction with the Grossman model of health investment. We define an individual’s lifetime smoking consumption and investments in health capital as simultaneous choices within a single optimisation problem. We show that this can be estimated using GMM system estimation of two stand-alone single fourth-order difference equations of health capital and smoking. These preserve roots and fundamental dynamics of the original system of four interrelated first-order equations. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that this reduced-form dynamic estimation also produces very similar estimates to the ones of the initial system of equations. We argue that, in the presence of long panel data, this approach may provide a feasible alternative for the estimation of a complex life-cycle model of human capital

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

The IDENTIFY study: the investigation and detection of urological neoplasia in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer - a multicentre observational study

Objective To evaluate the contemporary prevalence of urinary tract cancer (bladder cancer, upper tract urothelial cancer [UTUC] and renal cancer) in patients referred to secondary care with haematuria, adjusted for established patient risk markers and geographical variation. Patients and Methods This was an international multicentre prospective observational study. We included patients aged ≥16 years, referred to secondary care with suspected urinary tract cancer. Patients with a known or previous urological malignancy were excluded. We estimated the prevalence of bladder cancer, UTUC, renal cancer and prostate cancer; stratified by age, type of haematuria, sex, and smoking. We used a multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression to adjust cancer prevalence for age, type of haematuria, sex, smoking, hospitals, and countries. Results Of the 11 059 patients assessed for eligibility, 10 896 were included from 110 hospitals across 26 countries. The overall adjusted cancer prevalence (n = 2257) was 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.3–34.1), bladder cancer (n = 1951) 24.7% (95% CI 19.1–30.2), UTUC (n = 128) 1.14% (95% CI 0.77–1.52), renal cancer (n = 107) 1.05% (95% CI 0.80–1.29), and prostate cancer (n = 124) 1.75% (95% CI 1.32–2.18). The odds ratios for patient risk markers in the model for all cancers were: age 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.05; P < 0.001), visible haematuria 3.47 (95% CI 2.90–4.15; P < 0.001), male sex 1.30 (95% CI 1.14–1.50; P < 0.001), and smoking 2.70 (95% CI 2.30–3.18; P < 0.001). Conclusions A better understanding of cancer prevalence across an international population is required to inform clinical guidelines. We are the first to report urinary tract cancer prevalence across an international population in patients referred to secondary care, adjusted for patient risk markers and geographical variation. Bladder cancer was the most prevalent disease. Visible haematuria was the strongest predictor for urinary tract cancer

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Intravenous infusion of lidocaine significantly reduces propofol dose for colonoscopy: a randomised placebo-controlled study

Background: Propofol use during sedation for colonoscopy can result in cardiopulmonary complications. Intravenous lidocaine can alleviate visceral pain and decrease propofol requirements during surgery. We tested the hypothesis that i.v. lidocaine reduces propofol requirements during colonoscopy and improves post-colonoscopy recovery. Methods: Forty patients undergoing colonoscopy were included in this randomised placebo-controlled study. After titration of propofol to produce unconsciousness, patients were given i.v. lidocaine (1.5 mg kg−1 then 4 mg kg−1 h−1) or the same volume of saline. Sedation was standardised and combined propofol and ketamine. The primary endpoint was propofol requirements. Secondary endpoints were: number of oxygen desaturation episodes, endoscopists’ working conditions, discharge time to the recovery room, post-colonoscopy pain, fatigue. Results: Lidocaine infusion resulted in a significant reduction in propofol requirements: 58 (47) vs 121 (109) mg (P=0.02). Doses of ketamine were similar in the two groups: 19 (2) vs 20 (3) mg in the lidocaine and saline groups, respectively. Number of episodes of oxygen desaturation, endoscopists’ comfort, and times for discharge to the recovery room were similar in both groups. Post-colonoscopy pain (P<0.01) and fatigue (P=0.03) were significantly lower in the lidocaine group. Conclusions: Intravenous infusion of lidocaine resulted in a 50% reduction in propofol dose requirements during colonoscopy. Immediate post-colonoscopy pain and fatigue were also improved by lidocaine. Clinical trial registration: NCT 02784860. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesi

Rationale and design for eHealth Familias Unidas Primary Care: A drug use, sexual risk behavior, and STI preventive intervention for hispanic youth in pediatric primary care clinics

Family-based behavioral interventions are efficacious and effective in preventing drug use and sexual risk behaviors; unfortunately, they have not been evaluated and disseminated in pediatric primary care practice, where they can have a significant impact. There is an increased focus on integrating parenting interventions into primary care to reduce health disparities among ethnic minorities such as Hispanics. Although Hispanic youth demonstrate higher levels of drug use and sexual risk behaviors than their non-Hispanic counterparts, few parenting interventions are available for Hispanic youth, and none have been delivered specifically to Hispanic adolescents in primary care. Therefore, this manuscript describes the rationale and design of an Internet-based, family-centered, Hispanic-specific, evidence-based prevention intervention, eHealth Familias Unidas Primary Care. Hispanic adolescents (n = 456) and their care givers will be recruited from pediatric primary care clinics in South Florida and randomized to: eHealth Familias Unidas Primary Care or prevention as usual. The intervention will be delivered by trained interns, clinic volunteers, social workers, mental health counselors, students, and nurses. Outcomes will be measured at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months post-baseline. This study will determine whether the intervention, compared to prevention as usual, is effective in reducing drug use, unprotected sex, and STI incidence in Hispanic youth through the improvement of family functioning. Additionally, we will determine the cost effectiveness of delivering eHealth Familias Unidas within primary care settings. The effectiveness of eHealth Familias Unidas Primary Care will further inform the need to integrate effective behavioral health interventions into primary care settings