Financial health, exports, and rm survival: Evidence from UK and French firms

We use firm level data to assess the role of exporting in the link between financial health and rm survival. The data are for the UK and France. We examine whether fi rms at diff erent stages of export activity (starters, exiters, continuers, switchers) react di fferently to changes in financial variables. In general, export starters and exiters experience much stronger adverse e ffects of fi nancial constraints for their survival prospects. By contrast, the exit probability of continuous exporters and export switchers is less negatively a ffected by financial characteristics. These relationships between exporting, finance and survival are broadly similar in the British and French sub-samples.

Measurement of parent satisfaction in french-speaking PICUs: a need for translation and cultural adaptation of the empathic questionnaire

Background and aims: Family-centred care is an expected standard in PICU and parent reported outcomes are rarely measured. The Dutch validated EMPATHIC questionnaire provides accurate measures of parental perceptions of family-centred care in PICU. A French version would provide an important resource for quality control and benchmarking with other PICUs. The study aimed to translate and to assess the French cultural adaptation of the EMPATHIC questionnaire. Methods: In September 2012, following approval from the developer, translation and cultural adaptation were performed using a structured method (Wild et al. 2005). This included forward-backward translation and reconciliation by an official translator, harmonization assessed by the research team, and cognitive debriefing with the target users' population. In this last step, a convenience sample of parents with PICU experience assessed the comprehensibility and cultural relevance of the 65-item French EMPATHIC questionnaire. The PICUs in Lausanne, Switzerland and Lille, France participated. Results: Seventeen parents, including 13 French native and 4 French as second language speakers, tested the cognitive equivalence and cultural relevance of the French EMPATHIC questionnaire. The mean agreement for comprehensibility of all 65 items reached 90.2%. Three items fell below the cut-off 80% agreement and were revised for inclusion in the final French version. Conclusions: The translation and the cultural adaptation permitted to highlight a few cultural differences that did not interfere with the main construct of the EMPATHIC questionnaire. Reliability and validity testing with a new sample of parents is needed to strengthen the psychometric properties of the French EMPATHIC questionnaire.

Glomus intraradices induces changes in root system architecture of rice independently of common symbiosis signaling

? Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonize the roots of most monocotyledons and dicotyledons despite their different root architecture and cell patterning. Among the cereal hosts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Oryza sativa (rice) possesses a peculiar root system composed of three different types of roots: crown roots; large lateral roots; and fine lateral roots. Characteristic is the constitutive formation of aerenchyma in crown roots and large lateral roots and the absence of cortex from fine lateral roots. Here, we assessed the distribution of colonization by Glomus intraradices within this root system and determined its effect on root system architecture. ? Large lateral roots are preferentially colonized, and fine lateral roots are immune to arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. Fungal preference for large lateral roots also occurred in sym mutants that block colonization of the root beyond rhizodermal penetration. ? Initiation of large lateral roots is significantly induced by G. intraradices colonization and does not require a functional common symbiosis signaling pathway from which some components are known to be needed for symbiosis-mediated lateral root induction in Medicago truncatula. ? Our results suggest variation of symbiotic properties among the different rice root-types and induction of the preferred tissue by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Furthermore, signaling for arbuscular mycorrhizal-elicited alterations of the root system differs between rice and M. truncatula.

Introduction and spreading of Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Planorbidae) in Guadeloupe, French West Indies

The finding in 1985 of a well-established population of Biomphalaria straminea in a pond in Grande Terre of Guadeloupe constitutes a new species record for the freshwater molluscan fauna of that island. The following years a rapid extension of the species was documented on Grande Terre and Marie Galante. However, it was never found in the neighboring island of Basse Terre. The invasion of the whole hydrographic system of this island by Melanoides tuberculata during the last decade and the current presence of well-established and dense populations of this snail may explain the failure of the colonization by B. straminea.

An epidemiological and clinical approach to adolescent suicide. A comparison between suicidal and non-suicidal clinical groups in a health foundation center for French students.

Suicidal behaviour among young people represents a major public health problem. This study seeks to compare the major sociological, clinical, schooling and family features of suicidal and non-suicidal subgroups of adolescents hospitalised in the Health Foundation Center for French Students of neufmoutiers en Brie (France). All these adolescents suffered from the severe mental disorders. The adolescents from the suicidal subgroup presented significantly fewer psychoses and more mood disorders than those of the non-suicidal subgroup. Half of the patients from the suicidal subgroup presented some features of personality disorders, mostly borderline personality disorders. Nevertheless, their global functioning was more frequently improved between admission and discharge than was the case for the non-suicidal group.

Présentation de l'adaptation française de « l'échelle de coparentage » de McHale pour familles avec jeunes enfants [Presentation of the french adaptation of McHale's coparenting scale for families with young children.]

The aim of this paper is to present McHale's coparenting scale,a self-administered questionnaire enabling assessment of the quality of coparenting, and first steps in structural and construct validation of the French version. A total of 41 French speaking Swiss families and 84 US families completed this questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a measure of marital satisfaction. The results of the Swiss families correspond to those of US families: first, items distributed into four factors (family integrity, conflict, affection and disparagement) and second, a partial link was found between quality of coparenting and marital adjustment. This finding supports the construct validity of the questionnaire, reflecting the established link between these two family sub-systems. Given that coparenting quality has a major influence on children's socio-affective development, the questionnaire will find great use in assessing not just negative features of coparenting, such as conflicts and disparagement, but also positive components such as warmth and support. This will be an important asset for research as well as clinical purposes.

Genetic architecture of ambulatory blood pressure in the general population: insights from cardiovascular gene-centric array.

Genetic determinants of blood pressure are poorly defined. We undertook a large-scale, gene-centric analysis to identify loci and pathways associated with ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We measured 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in 2020 individuals from 520 white European nuclear families (the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study) and genotyped their DNA using the Illumina HumanCVD BeadChip array, which contains ≈50 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in >2000 cardiovascular candidate loci. We found a strong association between rs13306560 polymorphism in the promoter region of MTHFR and CLCN6 and mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure; each minor allele copy of rs13306560 was associated with 2.6 mm Hg lower mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (P=1.2×10(-8)). rs13306560 was also associated with clinic diastolic blood pressure in a combined analysis of 8129 subjects from the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study, the CoLaus Study, and the Silesian Cardiovascular Study (P=5.4×10(-6)). Additional analysis of associations between variants in gene ontology-defined pathways and mean 24-hour blood pressure in the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study showed that cell survival control signaling cascades could play a role in blood pressure regulation. There was also a significant overrepresentation of rare variants (minor allele frequency: <0.05) among polymorphisms showing at least nominal association with mean 24-hour blood pressure indicating that a considerable proportion of its heritability may be explained by uncommon alleles. Through a large-scale gene-centric analysis of ambulatory blood pressure, we identified an association of a novel variant at the MTHFR/CLNC6 locus with diastolic blood pressure and provided new insights into the genetic architecture of blood pressure.

Diagnostic interview for genetic studies (DIGS): inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the French version.

The National Institute of Mental Health developed the semi-structured Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) for the assessment of major mood and psychotic disorders and their spectrum conditions. The DIGS was translated into French in a collaborative effort of investigators from sites in France and Switzerland. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the French version have been established in a clinical sample in Lausanne. Excellent inter-rater reliability was found for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and unipolar schizoaffective disorder while fair inter-rater reliability was demonstrated for bipolar schizoaffective disorder. Using a six-week test-retest interval, reliability for all diagnoses was found to be fair to good with the exception of bipolar schizoaffective disorder. The lower test-retest reliability was the result of a relatively long test-retest interval that favored incomplete symptom recall. In order to increase reliability for lifetime diagnoses in persons not currently affected, best-estimate procedures using additional sources of diagnostic information such as medical records and reports from relatives should supplement DIGS information in family-genetic studies. Within such a procedure, the DIGS appears to be a useful part of data collection for genetic studies on major mood disorders and schizophrenia in French-speaking populations.

Substance use among sportive adolescents in the French-speaking part of Switzerland

CONTEXTE: Pour diverses raisons, les adultes et en particulier les parents croient que la pratique sportive à l'adolescence est un facteur de protection contre les comportements à risque tels que la consommation de substances. Les preuves présentes à l'intérieur de la littérature ne sont toutefois pas concluantes à ce sujet. Le principal objectif de notre étude était donc de comparer la prévalence de la consommation de substances psychoactives (licites et illicites) et de substances ergogéniques et dopantes entre les jeunes de Suisse Romande pratiquant un sport et ceux n'en pratiquant pas.METHODES: À l'aide de plusieurs méthodes de recrutement, des adolescents sportifs et non sportifs âgés de 16 à 20 ans furent invités à répondre à un questionnaire anonyme en ligne sur leur consommation de substances. Les substances psychoactives étudiées furent principalement le tabac, l'alcool, et le cannabis. Le dopage a été limité à la volonté d'améliorer les performances tout en utilisant des produits interdits selon l'Agence Mondiale Antidopage (liste 2009). Plusieurs produits légaux liés à la pratique sportive ont également été étudiés. Sur une période de 10 mois, un total de 1303 questionnaires ont été complétés. De l'échantillon final pondéré, les réponses de 1247 sujets éligibles ont été analysées.RESULTATS ET CONCLUSIONS: Dans l'ensemble, l'effet protecteur d'une pratique sportive contre l'utilisation de substances psychoactives semble dépendre de la substance à l'étude.Les jeunes non-sportifs sont plus susceptibles de fumer que les sportifs, et, parmi ces derniers, ceux évoluant dans un contexte de loisir sont plus susceptibles de fumer que ceux en pratique compétitive. Au contraire, aucune différence concernant l'abus d'alcool n'a été observée entre les adolescents sportifs et non-sportifs, indiquant que la pratique sportive ne représente pas une protection contre l'abus d'alcool. Bien que les jeunes non-sportifs soient deux fois plus susceptibles d'être utilisateurs actuels de cannabis, un jeune sportif sur neuf en a néanmoins consommé dans le dernier mois.Les trois quarts des jeunes sportifs interrogés indiquent utiliser activement des produits pour améliorer leurs performances, confirmant la tendance actuellement perçue. Parmi les substances utilisées pour améliorer les performances sportives, les produits contenant de la caféine, les boissons sportives et les suppléments alimentaires sont les trois plus souvent signalés.Peu de jeunes sportifs en Suisse Romande semblent utiliser des substances bannies par l'Agence Mondiale Antidopage, le cannabis étant celui le plus fréquemment cité.Parmi les jeunes sportifs, ceux en pratique compétitive semblent plus susceptibles d'utiliser des produits pour améliorer leurs performances que ceux évoluant dans un contexte de loisir. En outre, Un lien entre les substances psychoactives et celles prises pour améliorer les performances sportives semblent exister: tous les jeunes sportifs signalant soit fumer, avoir abusé de l'alcool récemment ou consommer actuellement du cannabis ont démontré une consommation plus élevée de produits dopants. L'usage du cannabis comme un moyen d'améliorer les performances sportives semble assez fréquent chez les consommateurs récréatifs de cette substance.Les jeunes sportifs évoluant au niveau international ont montré des taux plus bas d'abus d'alcool et de cannabis.

Psychometric properties of the French version of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire

This instrumental study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the French version and the cross-language replicability of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) at the factor- and at the facet-level. The ZKPQ is an instrument aimed at assessing the five basic factors of Zuckerman's Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM). Subjects were 843 French-speaking Swiss, mainly students. At the factor-level, the reliability ranged from .73 to .87 and at the facet level, the reliability ranged from .57 to .77. Differences between genders are congruent with those found in the American sample. Women scored higher on N-Anx, and lower on ImpSS, and Act. A series of exploratory factor analyses supported the overall five-factor structure and the structure at the facet-level. The correlations among the scales support that the five basic factors of the AFFM are orthogonal. Targeted factor analyses and congruence coefficients show high cross-language replicability at the factor- and at the facet-level. The adequacy of the model at the factor- and facet-level was tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The results show that the French version of the ZKPQ is a reliable and valid instrument and has a high cross-language replicability.