How do financial markets react to populist electoral success? Theoretically, the effect can go in one of two directions. In the first instance, populists tend to espouse resolutely anti-finance ideas, and thus a populist wave would be expected to be bad for financial returns across the board. On the other hand, populists also tend to enact various stimulus and redistributive schemes, and these policies could also give a boost to financial markets. Additionally, in the long-term, if populists become entrenched, they take over the commanding heights, meaning a need for functioning financial markets in order to provide capital for the elites. Utilizing new advances in the measurement of populism, this paper amasses a database of populist advances across developed economies since 2008 and arrays them against equity market performance. Using EGARCH-M volatility modelling on pooled data and event studies on specific episodes of populist success, this analysis reveals that a) populism's ef...

Several aromatic aldehydes such as 3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methylpropanal were shown to adversely affect the reproductive system in male rats following oral gavage dose of ≥ 25 mg/kg bw/d. It was hypothesized that these aldehydes are metabolized to benzoic acids such as p-tert-butylbenzoic acid as key toxic principle and that Coenzyme A (CoA) conjugates may be formed from such acids. Here we performed a detailed structure activity relationship study on the formation of benzoic acids from p-alkyl-phenylpropanals and related chemicals in rat hepatocytes in suspension. Formation of CoA conjugates from either p-alkyl-phenylpropanals directly or from their benzoic acid metabolites was further assessed in plated rat hepatocytes using high resolution LC-MS. All of the test chemicals causing reproductive adverse effects in male rats formed p-alkyl-benzoic acids in rat hepatocytes in suspension. Compounds metabolized to p-alkyl-benzoic acids led to accumulation of p-alkyl-benzoyl-CoA conjug...

Aims: The spring habitats of Central Europe are insular biotopes of high ecological value. Although subject to severe exploitation pressures, they do not yet have a comprehensive protection status in Switzerland. Contributing to this challenge is the controversy involved with their syntaxonomic classification. In the context of the development of a regional conservation strategy and the establishment of a national inventory of Swiss springs, we carried out a regional survey of spring vegetation and aimed to translate this into a classification system. Study area: Montane and subalpine zones of Parc Ela (Grisons, Switzerland). Methods: We selected 20 springs to cover different regions, elevations and bedrock types within the park. In each of them we recorded complete vascular plant and bryophyte composition as well as a range of environmental variables in three 1-m² plots that were placed to reflect the heterogeneity within the spring. After running an unsupervised classifica...

Les bonnes solutions de techniques du bâtiment sont mises en réseau et prennent toujours en compte l’en- semble du système, qu’il s’agisse de bâtiments, de complexes de bâtiments ou de zones entières. Nous considé- rons donc le froid de confort d’au- jourd’hui comme une machine frigori- fique-thermique exploitant judicieuse- ment la précieuse chaleur produite lors du refroidissement. Toutefois, ces so- lutions ne fonctionnent que si elles sont robustes et peuvent être utilisées facilement et correctement dans la vie quotidienne.

The adsorption states of N2 and H2 on MgO-supported Ru nanoparticles under conditions close to those of ammonia synthesis (AS; 1 atm, 250 °C) were uncovered by modulation-excitation infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations using a nanoscale Ru particle model. The two most intense N2 adsorption peaks corresponded to the vertical chemisorption of N2 on the nanoparticle's top and bridge sites, while the remaining peaks were assigned to horizontally adsorbed N2 in view of the site heterogeneity of Ru nanoparticles. Long-term observations showed that vertically adsorbed N2 molecules gradually migrated from the top sites to the bridge sites. Compared to those adsorbed vertically, N2 molecules adsorbed horizontally exhibited a lower dipole moment, an increased N─N bond distance, and a decreased N─N bond order (i.e., were activated), which was ascribed to enhanced Ru-to-N charge transfer. H2 molecules were preferentially adsorbed horizontally on top sites and then ra...

The fragrant terpenes limonene and linalool can form skin-sensitizing hydroperoxides (HPs) upon prolonged exposure to air. Sources of exposure of consumers to sensitizing doses of HPs have not been identified, and it is not clear whether fragranced products are a relevant source. Previously this question was addressed via analytical studies on fine fragrances; however, linalool and limonene are widely used in different consumer products, especially in other leave-on toiletries. Hence, analytical methods also need to be able to detect potential HPs in more complex consumer product matrices. Here we applied different simple extraction methods and a toolbox of analytical methods to creams and lotions. Blinded samples of a commercial skin cream and a body lotion were spiked with four different HPs at different doses. Five laboratories analysed the samples with a method based on HP reduction in the sample, followed by Extrelut® NT extraction and GC-MS to quantify the formed alcohols. Thi...

Background: Young adults are not considered a risk group for contracting COVID-19, but they are disproportionately affected by pandemic containment measures compared to other age groups. University students were confronted with abrupt changes both in their personal and academic lives. The “Health in Students during the Corona pandemic” study (HES-C) investigated the health and health behavior, concerns and views in students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. In the current analyses, we focused on COVID-19 related preventive behaviors, alcohol and marijuana consumption during the pandemic. Methods: All students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (N = 12,429) were invited to a voluntary repeated cross-sectional open cohort survey which took place from the April 3 2020 (T0) to January 25 (T5), covering two university semesters with overall 6 surveys. Participation rates varied from T0 20% to T5 13%. Results: While overall adherence to containment measures was...

Background: University students were confronted with abrupt changes by the COVID-19 lock-down in their personal and academic lives. The “Health in Students during the Corona pandemic” study investigated the impact on mental health and health behaviors of Swiss university students. Methods: April 2020 all students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (N = 12,431) were invited to a repeated cross-sectional open cohort survey, participation ranged from T0 20% - T5 13%. Generalized anxiety (GAD-7), stress (PSS) and depression (PHQ-9) were investigated with descriptive and multivariate analyses. Latent class analyses (LCA) was applied to identify groups who differed in perception of impact on daily and student life. PHQ-9 results were compared with pre-pandemic data matched for age, sex and education. Results: At T0 mean age was 26.5 (sd 5.6), 69% were female. Participants were similar across all surveys. LCA yielded three classes of perceived impact: 1 (low, n = 675), 2 (m...

The Corona pandemic is impacting all age groups and areas of society, irrespective of the risk of exposure or disease severity. University students were confronted with abrupt changes by the COVID-19 lock-down both in their personal and academic lives. The “Health in Students during the Corona pandemic” study (HES-C) investigated the impact on mental health and health behavior, COVID-19 related behaviors, concerns and views, from the April 3rd 2020 (T0) to January 25th 2021 (T5), covering two university semesters with overall 6 surveys. Early in the lock-down all students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (N = 12,431) were invited to a voluntary longitudinal health survey. The single surveys showed participation rates from T0 20% to T5 13%. Longitudinal data are available for N~500 in the spring semester. The workshop will present results on mental health outcomes, anxiety and depression, and health behaviors with a focus on compliance with COVID-19 measures, health beh...