Union Membership and Perceived Job Insecurity: 30 Years of Evidence from the American General social Survey

Using the Amercian General Social Survey, we explore the link between union membership and perceived job insecurity. This finding is mainly atributed to the primary and secondary sectors and for recessionary periods. Instrumental-variables estimation and the use of attitudinal proxy variables suggest that the positive correlation union membership and perceived job insecurity is not due to self-selection.Union, Perceived Job Insecurity

Le régime juridique du contrat d'approvisionnement et d'aménagement forestier

En décembre 1986, le Gouvernement du Québec adoptait la Loi sur les Forêts pour remplacer le régime des concessions forestières par un contrat administratif (le CAAF) qui tente d'allier pérennité de la ressource et approvisionnement adéquat de l'industrie. Dans un premier temps, l'auteur trace l'histoire législative de la gestion des forêts du Québec ; il souligne les forces et faiblesses des régimes précédents et présente le régime actuel comme étant une fusion améliorée des modes de gestion qui l'ont précédé. Dans un deuxième temps, l'auteur s'inspire des principes généraux applicables aux contrats administratifs pour analyser ce nouveau contrat.In December 1986 the Quebec government passed the Forest Act in order to replace the former regime of lumber concessions by a new administrative agreement called The Timber Supply and Forest Management Agreement, intended to combine resource renewal and adequate supply for industry. The author first outlines the legislative history of forest management in Quebec, points out the strong and weak points of former regimes and introduces the present regime as an improved combination of the various types of previous management. Finally, the author casts the analysis of this new agreement in the light of general principles applicable to public administrative agreements

The ‘Trendiness’ of Sleep: An Empirical Investigation into the Cyclical Nature of Sleep Time

Using Canadian time use data, we exploit exogenous variation in local unemployment rates to investigate the cyclical nature of sleep time and show that for both men and women, sleep time decreases when the economy is doing relatively better. Our results suggest that in a recession Canadians sleep an average of 2 hours and 34 minutes more per week, or 22 minutes more per day. Given the importance of even small changes in sleep time on measures of cognitive functioning such as reaction time and concentration, our findings may help explain the countercyclical nature of mortality. Further, as we find that sleep is affected by the same economic variables (notably the unemployment rate) that affect market work time, our results also contribute to the limited literature that shows that sleep time should not be treated as exogenously determined, but, like any other resource, determined by its relative cost.Business Cycles, Sleep.

Taux quotidiens d’inhalation et paramètres cardio-pulmonaires chez l’humain selon les données publiées en rapport au double marquage des molécules d’eau pour l’analyse du risque

L’objectif de cette étude est de déterminer certains paramètres respiratoires et cardiovasculaires chez des sujets de tous âges pour utilisation, à titre d’intrants physiologiques, en modélisation toxicocinétique et en analyse du risque toxique. La base de données utilisée est tirée de la littérature. Il s’agit de mesures portant sur la dépense d’énergie quotidienne de base et la dépense d’énergie quotidienne de totale obtenues, l’une par calorimétrie indirecte, l’autre par double marquage isotopique des molécules d’eau. Selon le type d’unité retenu, les valeurs les plus élevées au 99e centile des taux quotidiens d’inhalation sont obtenues chez des adolescentes et des femmes âgées de 11 à 55 ans souffrant d’embonpoint ou d’obésité, durant leur 36e semaine de grossesse (47,31 m³/jour), ainsi que chez des garçons de poids corporel normal âgés de 2,6 à moins de 6 mois (1,138 m³/kg-jour) et de 10 à moins de 16,5 ans (22,29 m³/m²-jour). Chez les enfants et les adolescents de poids corporel normal âgés de 5 à moins de 16.5 ans, les valeurs pour l’écart entre le 2,5e au 99e centile sont généralement plus élevées que celles obtenues chez les sujets plus âgés : taux de ventilation minute, 0,132 à 0,774 L/kg-min ou 4,42 à 21,69 L/m²-min versus 0,076 à 0,461 L/kg-min ou 2,80 à 16,99 L/m²-min; taux de ventilation alvéolaire, 0,093 à 0,553 L/kg-min ou 3,09 à 15,53 L/m²-min versus 0,047 à 0,312 L/kg-min ou 1,73 à 11,63 L/m²-min; débit cardiaque, 0,065 à 0,330 L/kg-min ou 2,17 à 9,46 L/m²-min versus 0,045 à 0,201 L/kg-min ou 1,63 à 7,24 L/m²-min; ratio de ventilation-perfusion, 1,12 à 2,16 versus 0,78 à 2,40. Il faut conclure que les apports inhalés en polluants, exprimés en ug/kg-min ou ug/m²-min sont plus élevés chez les enfants que chez les sujets plus âgés pour des concentrations d’exposition comparables. D’autres données montrent qu’il en est de même pour les apports inhalés par unité de poids corporel chez les femmes enceintes et les femmes qui allaitent par rapport à des sujets males d’âge comparable. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus suggère notamment que les valeurs des NOAELH de Santé Canada pourraient être abaissées par un facteur de 2,6 par utilisation du 99e centile le plus élevé des taux quotidiens d’inhalation chez les enfants; le taux de ventilation minute de 20,83 L/min approximé pour une journée de travail de 8 heures peut être considéré comme étant conservateur ; par contre, l’utilisation du taux quotidien d’inhalation de 0,286 m³/kg-jour (c.-à-d. 20 m³/jour pour un adulte de poids corporel de 70 kg) est inappropriée en analyse et gestion du risque lorsqu’appliquée à l’ensemble de la population.The aim of the present study is to determine some respiratory and cardiovascular parameters in subjects of all ages for use, as physiological inputs, in toxicokinetic simulations and toxic risk assessment. The database used is taken from the literature. Data of interest include basal energy expenditures and total daily energy expenditures obtained by indirect calorimetry and doubly labeled water measurements respectively. Depending upon the unit value chosen, the highest 99th percentiles for daily inhalation rates were found in overweight/obese females 11 to 55 years old during their 36th weeks of pregnancy (47.31 m³/day), as well as in normal-weight boys aged 2.6 to less than 6 months(1.138 m³/kg-day) and 10 to less than 16.5 years (22.29 m³/m²-day). Generally higher values for the 2.5th up to 99th percentile were found in normal-weight children and teenagers aged 5 to less than 16.5 years compared to those for older individuals: minute ventilation rate, 0.132 to 0.774 L/kg-min or 4.42 to 21.69 L/m²-min versus 0.076 to 0.461 L/kg-min or 2.80 to 16.99 L/m²-min; alveolar ventilation rate, 0.093 to 0.553 L/kg-min or 3.09 to 15.53 L/m²-min versus 0.047 to 0.312 L/kg-min or 1.73 to 11.63 L/m²-min; cardiac output, 0.065 to 0.330 L/kg-min or 2.17 to 9.46 L/m²-min versus 0.045 to 0.201 L/kg-min or 1.63 to 7.24 L/m²-min; ventilation-perfusion ratio, 1.12 to 2.16 versus 0.78 to 2.40. Higher intakes of air pollutants by the respiratory tract expressed in ug/kg-min or ug/m²-min are expected in children compared to older individuals for identical exposure concentrations.The same conclusion is reached in pregnant and lactating females compared to male subjects of same ages, for intakes expressed per unit of bodyweight. The aggregate results obtained notably suggests that NOAELH values from Health Canada could be decreased by a factor of 2.6 by the use of the highest 99th percentiles for daily inhalation rates found in children; the minute ventilation rate of 20.83 L/min approximated based on an 8-hour workday may be considered as being conservative; however, the use of the daily inhalation rate of 0.286 m³/kg-day (i.e. 20 m³/day for a 70-kg adult) is inappropriate in risk assessment and management when applied to the whole population

The ‘Trendiness’ of Sleep: An Empirical Investigation into the Cyclical Nature of Sleep Time

Using Canadian time use data, we exploit exogenous variation in local unemployment rates to investigate the cyclical nature of sleep time and show that for both men and women, sleep time decreases when the economy is doing relatively better. Our results suggest that in a recession Canadians sleep an average of 2 hours and 34 minutes more per week, or 22 minutes more per day. Given the importance of even small changes in sleep time on measures of cognitive functioning such as reaction time and concentration, our findings may help explain the countercyclical nature of mortality. Further, as we find that sleep is affected by the same economic variables (notably the unemployment rate) that affect market work time, our results also contribute to the limited literature that shows that sleep time should not be treated as exogenously determined, but, like any other resource, determined by its relative cost. Pierre Brochu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Ottawa. He received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. His research interests include labour economics, applied health economics and applied econometrics. His research has mainly focused on the employee-employer relationship; more specifically, job security and job stability

Impact of COVID-19 on the prescribing pattern of oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

Background: Because of logistic challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) were favored over warfarin in patients presenting postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery in our institution. Considering the limited evidence supporting the use of DOAC in this context, we sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this practice change. Methods: A retrospective study was performed with patients from the Quebec City metropolitan area who were hospitalized at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval following cardiac surgery and who required oral anticoagulant (OAC) for postoperative AF. The primary objective was to compare the pre- and peri-COVID-19 period for OAC prescribing patterns and the incidence of thrombotic and bleeding events at 3 months post-surgery. The secondary objective was to compare DOAC to warfarin in terms of thrombotic events and bleeding events. Results: A total of 233 patients were included, 142 from the pre-COVID-19 and 91 from the peri-COVID-19 period, respectively. Both groups had equivalent proportions of preoperative AF (48%) and new-onset postoperative AF (52%). The proportion of patients treated with a DOAC increased from 13% pre-COVID-19 to 82% peri-COVID-19. This change in practice was not associated with a significant difference in the incidence of thrombotic or bleeding events 3 months postoperatively. However, compared to DOAC, warfarin was associated with a higher incidence of major bleeding. Only 1 thrombotic event was reported with warfarin, and none were reported with DOAC. Conclusion: This study suggests that DOAC are an effective and safe alternative to warfarin to treat postoperative AF after cardiac surgery and that this practice can be safely maintained

Enjeux et défis de la prise en charge du bruit ferroviaire en aménagement et en urbanisme : un guide d’orientation

Cet ouvrage vise à sensibiliser les divers intervenants quant aux tenants et aboutissants de l’environnement sonore, en particulier à ce qui a trait au bruit ferroviaire, et aux enjeux de sa prise en charge en aménagement. Empruntant la forme d’un guide, il est conçu de sorte à permettre aux intervenants de mieux s’orienter parmi les multiples aspects à prendre en compte pour cerner les problématiques et penser des stratégies d’intervention adaptées à la spécificité des contextes physico spatiaux, administratifs et institutionnels

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease outcomes in the metabolically healthy obese phenotype

OBJECTIVE To determine the correlates of the “metabolically healthy obese” (MHO) phenotype and the longitudinal risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD)/stroke associated with this phenotype. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The North West Adelaide Health Study is a prospective cohort study of 4,056 randomly selected adults aged ≥18 years. Participants free of CVD/stroke and not underweight (n = 3,743) were stratified by BMI categories and metabolic risk, defined as having two or more International Diabetes Federation metabolic syndrome criteria, excluding waist circumference. RESULTS Correlates of the MHO (n = 454 [12.1%]) included smoking, socioeconomic disadvantage, and physical inactivity. Compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight subjects (n = 1,172 [31.3%]), the MHO were more likely to develop metabolic risk (15.5 vs. 33.1%, P < 0.001) and incident diabetes (odds ratio 2.09 [95% CI 0.87–5.03]) but not CVD/stroke (1.16 [0.58–2.29]) during 5.5–10.3 years of follow-up. These risks were not seen in MHO subjects maintaining metabolic health (n = 188 [67%]). Sustained metabolic health in obese participants was associated with age ≤40 years and lower waist circumference. Compared with the metabolically at-risk obese, MHO women demonstrated a significantly higher (mean [SE]) percentage of leg fat (49.9 [0.5] vs. 53.2 [0.7]) and lower waist circumference (104 [0.6] vs. 101 cm [0.8]), despite no significant differences in overall adiposity. CONCLUSIONS “Healthy” obesity was a transient state for one-third of subjects. Persistence of a MHO phenotype, which was associated with favorable outcomes, was related to younger age and a more peripheral fat distribution. The MHO phenotype may be sustained by promoting lower waist circumferences.Sarah L. Appleton, Christopher J. Seaborn, Renuka Visvanathan, Catherine L. Hill, Tiffany K. Gill, Anne W. Taylor, Robert J. Adams on behalf of the North West Adelaide Health Study Tea

Inclusive Charm Production in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP

The cross section of charm production in $\mathrm{\gamma \gamma}$ collisions $\mathrm{\sigma (e^+e^- \rightarrow e^+e^-c\bar{c} X)}$ is measured at LEP with the L3 detector at centre of mass energies from 91 GeV to 183 GeV. Charmed hadrons are identified by electrons and muons from semi-leptonic decays. The direct process $\mathrm{\gamma \gamma \rightarrow c \bar{c}}$ is found to be insufficient to describe the data. The measured cross section values and event distributions require contributions from resolved processes, which are sensitive to the gluon density in the photon