Federal Home Loan Bank Advances and Small Business Lending

Adequate credit availability for small businesses is an important public policy issue because small businesses are essential for employment and economic growth for the economy. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 includes a provision that could potentially support financial institutions in the provision of credit to small businesses through the use of advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system that are secured with small business loans. We explore the relation between FHLB advances to financial institutions and the provision of loans to small businesses. We find a positive link between the change in FHLB advances and the change in small business loans and the level of FHLB advances and the level of small business loans. This relation holds for large and small banks and pre- and post-2007 recession. However, we find that the change in the proportion of small business loans to assets is only positively related to the change in the advances to assets ratio prior to the recessionary period. This suggests that banks substitute small business loans for other types of assets during relatively normal economic periods, but FHLB advances are a source of wholesale funds that will be invested in the most attractive financial assets available with no preference for any particular asset during periods of contracting credit

A Review of Transgender Health in Canada

ABSTRACT: Transgendered individuals are defined by having a gender identity different from their birth gender. These individuals form a prevalent distinct group within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community that has specific health needs. The goal of the current work is to identify the health needs affecting transgendered individuals in order to guide potential health interventions to ameliorate their well-being. Transgendered individuals often experience elevated rates of social stigma, discrimination and prejudice, which can alienate them from other members of society including family members and health care professionals. This can have negative effects on their employment and socioeconomic status and may even render them targets of hate crimes. The combination of these factors can have significant ill effects on the physical and mental health of transgendered individuals. For example, high rates of depression and anxiety are observed within this population with a reported suicide attempt rate of over 30%. Transgendered individuals are also at high risk of being infected with HIV, with those having undergone the transition from male to female (MTF) being most affected. Although Canada is ahead of the curve in equal rights pertaining to the LGBT community compared to many countries worldwide that still have anti-homosexual legislation, there still exists a considerable amount of stigma around the transgendered community. There is a need to educate the population at large to combat social stigma in order to reduce discrimination, increase social support, improve access to health services and ultimately improve the physical and mental wellbeing of transgendered people. RÉSUMÉ: Les personnes transgenres sont définies comme ayant une identité de genre différente de leur sexe de naissance. Ces personnes forment un groupe distinct au sein de la communauté des lesbiennes, gais, bisexuels et transsexuels (LGBT), ayant des besoins de santé spécifiques. Le but du travail actuel est d’identifier les besoins de santé touchant les personnes transgenres afin de guider les interventions de santé potentielles pour améliorer leur bien-être. Les personnes transgenres éprouvent souvent des taux élevés de stigmatisation sociale, de discrimination et de préjugés, ce qui peut les aliéner des autres membres de la société y compris les membres de leur famille et des professionnels de soins de santé. Cela peut avoir des effets négatifs sur leur emploi et leur statut socioéconomique et peut même les rendre cibles de crimes haineux. La combinaison de ces facteurs peut avoir des effets néfastes importants sur la santé physique et mentale des personnes transgenres. Par exemple, des taux élevés de dépression et d’anxiété sont observés dans cette population avec un taux de tentative de suicide déclaré de plus de 30%. Les personnes transgenres sont également à risque élevé d’être infectées par le VIH, celles ayant subi la transition d’homme à femme (MTF) étant les plus touchés. Bien que le Canada soit en avance dans l’égalité des droits se rapportant à la communauté LGBT par rapport à de nombreux pays à travers le monde, il existe encore une quantité considérable de stigmatisation qui entoure la communauté transgenre. Il est nécessaire d’éduquer la population dans son ensemble à lutter contre la stigmatisation sociale afin de réduire la discrimination, d’accroître le soutien social, d’améliorer l’accès aux services de santé et, finalement, d’améliorer le bien-être physique et mental des personnes transgenres

Changing Trends in Hyperacute Stroke Treatment and Early Clinical Outcomes Reflecting Recent Improvement in Endovascular Thrombectomy Techniques

Objective: Ischemic stroke is a major disease causing death and permanent neurological disability with the mainstay treatment being to re-established blood flow as quickly as possible. Recent changes in the efficiency of endovascular devices performing thrombectomies have led to it now being considered the gold standard. Nevertheless, successful endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) requires access to many resources and expertise which may impact its effectiveness. The objective of the current study is to describe the application and utility of EVT in the clinical treatment of ischemic stroke at a single tertiary care hospital. Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective cohort study from a stroke database. A total of 548 patients diagnosed with an ischemic stroke affecting large cerebral arteries between January 2010 and June 2016 were included. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to evaluate stroke severity upon admission. Modified Ranking Scale was used to determine the functional status of patients upon discharge. Successful reperfusion defined as a TICI score of 2B or 3, age, thrombolytic use and time- to-treatment were all considered for analysis. Results: Thrombectomies became more frequent (p<0.001) with shorter time-to-treatment in recent years (p=0.001). A successful thrombectomy has significantly improved functional status at discharge (p<0.001), even when thrombolytics were not given (p=0.003) or when patients were over 80 years old (p=0.021). Conclusion: The current work provides evidence that this single hospital has increased its frequency of application of EVT for ischemic stroke, leading to a better functional outcome at discharge independent of prior thrombolysis or age.

Vascular and Neural Dysfunctions in Obese Zucker Rats: Effect of AVE7688

The purpose of this study was to determine whether AVE7688 a drug that inhibits both angiotensin converting enzyme and neutral endopeptidase activity protects vascular and nerve functions in an animal model of metabolic syndrome. Obese Zucker rats at 20 weeks of age were treated for 12 weeks with AVE7688. Vasodilation in epineurial arterioles was measured by videomicroscopy and nerve conduction velocity was measured following electrical stimulation. Treatment with AVE7688 improved vascular relaxation in response to acetylcholine and motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity. In obese Zucker rats superoxide levels and nitrotyrosine staining were elevated in the aorta and treatment corrected both conditions. Obese Zucker rats were hypoalgesic in response to a thermal stimulus and demonstrated signs of impaired tactile response and both conditions were significantly improved with treatment. Even though obese Zucker rats are normoglycemic vascular and neural dysfunctions develop with age and can be improved by treatment with AVE7688

Spatial Effects and GWA Mapping of Root Colonization Assessed in the Interaction Between the Rice Diversity Panel 1 and an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus

The majority of the research reported here is an output of EU project “EURoot” (FP7-KBBE-2011-5 Grant Agreement No. 289300) project. RS’s contribution was funded by FACCE-JPI NET project “GreenRice” (Sustainable and environmental friendly rice cultivation systems in Europe) and was funded by the BBSRC award BB/M018415/1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Immunohistochemical expression and distribution of VEGFR-3 in malignant mesothelioma

Homogeneity of mesothelial and lymphatic endothelial cells, express some markers that are presumed to be exclusive of the endothelium was recently reported. This similarity is important to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of malignant mesothelioma (MM). Additionally, some of these markers provide the rationale for specific molecular-targeted novel therapies aimed at MM, an aggressive malignant neoplasm, with an usually dismal prognosis. The goal of our study was to determine the prevalence and expression pattern of VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) immunoreactivity in MM and whether this immunoreactivity occurs in different phenotypes of this neoplasm. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples from 29 MM cases and 5 metastatic carcinomas were immuno-stained for VEGFR-3 according to the streptavidin–biotin–peroxidase complex technique using a primary antibody (Zymed Laboratories, CA, USA) diluted at 1:200. Lymphatic vessels (LV) were outlined mainly in the peripheral area surrounding the neoplasms. Blood vessels were only rarely positive for VEGFR-3 in a pattern easily distinguishable from LV. In 25 out of 29 cases (86.2%) LV were strongly positive for VEGFR-3: 14 cases (48.2%) exhibited positive VEGFR-3 reactivity in malignant cells. Epitheliod MM showed a moderate to intense VEGFR-3 positive reaction in LV from 8 out of 19 cases. Among the other histological subtypes, a positive VEGFR-3 reaction was noted in malignant cells from two cases of transitional and one case of pleomorphic MM. Malignant cells from two out of three biphasic and one out of three sarcomatoid MM were also positive for VEGFR-3. Interestingly, one case of the multicystic subtype was negative for VEGFR-3 in malignant cells and faintly positive in an occasional LV. All cases of metastatic carcinoma were negative for VEGFR-3 in the neoplastic cells. In conclusion, VEGFR-3 was expressed in malignant cells from different subtypes of MM, reinforcing the putative role of this marker as a potential therapeutic target in this group of neoplasia. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2007;35:786–791. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57412/1/20767_ftp.pd

Why Knowledge Matters

An explanation is given of why it is in the nature of inquiry into whether or not p that its aim is fully achieved only if one comes to know that p or to know that not-p and, further, comes to know how one knows, either way. In the absence of the latter one is in no position to take the inquiry to be successfully completed or to vouch for the truth of the matter in hand. An upshot is that although knowledge matters because truth matters this should not be understood to mean that knowledge matters because true belief matters

Limiting motorboat noise on coral reefs boosts fish reproductive success

Anthropogenic noise impacts are pervasive across taxa, ecosystems and the world. Here, we experimentally test the hypothesis that protecting vulnerable habitats from noise pollution can improve animal reproductive success. Using a season-long field manipulation with an established model system on the Great Barrier Reef, we demonstrate that limiting motorboat activity on reefs leads to the survival of more fish offspring compared to reefs experiencing busy motorboat traffic. A complementary laboratory experiment isolated the importance of noise and, in combination with the field study, showed that the enhanced reproductive success on protected reefs is likely due to improvements in parental care and offspring length. Our results suggest noise mitigation could have benefits that carry through to the population-level by increasing adult reproductive output and offspring growth, thus helping to protect coral reefs from human impacts and presenting a valuable opportunity for enhancing ecosystem resilience

Improving human effectiveness for extreme-scale problem solving : final report (assessing the effectiveness of electronic brainstorming in an industrial setting).

An experiment was conducted comparing the effectiveness of individual versus group electronic brainstorming in order to address difficult, real world challenges. While industrial reliance on electronic communications has become ubiquitous, empirical and theoretical understanding of the bounds of its effectiveness have been limited. Previous research using short-term, laboratory experiments have engaged small groups of students in answering questions irrelevant to an industrial setting. The current experiment extends current findings beyond the laboratory to larger groups of real-world employees addressing organization-relevant challenges over the course of four days. Findings are twofold. First, the data demonstrate that (for this design) individuals perform at least as well as groups in producing quantity of electronic ideas, regardless of brainstorming duration. However, when judged with respect to quality along three dimensions (originality, feasibility, and effectiveness), the individuals significantly (p&lt;0.05) out performed the group working together. The theoretical and applied (e.g., cost effectiveness) implications of this finding are discussed. Second, the current experiment yielded several viable solutions to the wickedly difficult problem that was posed

Ultrathin Oxide Films by Atomic Layer Deposition on Graphene

In this paper, a method is presented to create and characterize mechanically robust, free standing, ultrathin, oxide films with controlled, nanometer-scale thickness using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) on graphene. Aluminum oxide films were deposited onto suspended graphene membranes using ALD. Subsequent etching of the graphene left pure aluminum oxide films only a few atoms in thickness. A pressurized blister test was used to determine that these ultrathin films have a Young's modulus of 154 \pm 13 GPa. This Young's modulus is comparable to much thicker alumina ALD films. This behavior indicates that these ultrathin two-dimensional films have excellent mechanical integrity. The films are also impermeable to standard gases suggesting they are pinhole-free. These continuous ultrathin films are expected to enable new applications in fields such as thin film coatings, membranes and flexible electronics.Comment: Nano Letters (just accepted