Challenges of populism: an analysis of Tea Party structuring narratives, The

2011 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.The lead up to the 2010 midterm elections saw the rise of a new face in American domestic politics: the Tea Party. Riding a wave of conservative dissent following 2009's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Tea Party exploded onto the political scene and helped to Republicans to score 680 legislative seats. This study compared the structuring narratives of the Tea Party to uncover the way the movement identifies its political aims, goals and actors. More specifically, this essay analyzed the narratives of the Tea Party on teaparty.org and teapartypatriots.org as well as in editorials and op-ed pieces in the New York Times and Washington Times from April 15 through November 15, 2010. Furthermore, because of frequent claims of the Tea Party's populist nature, this project further examined the movement's use of populist rhetoric. The goal of this project was to further understand the competing understandings of the Tea Party and the mode in which the movement used themes of populist rhetoric. This study incorporated theories of narrative analysis to determine common methods of the Tea Party's structuring of protagonists, antagonists, plot, climax, and other important identifying factors. These characteristics were then compared to the rhetorical tactics and themes of past American populist movements. The findings indicated that the Tea Party was identified with a concise structuring narrative in the Washington Times and on teaparty.org and teapartypatriots.org , but this identity was questioned and problematized by the New York Times. The author further suggests the Tea Party's use of populist rhetoric was effective, but will pose problems in the future as questions of authenticity will surround populist rhetorical themes and their campaign fundraising. The author's hope is that studying the rhetorical tactics of the Tea Party will add to the discussion of American sociopolitical movements and the way they communicate

CEDNIK: Phenotypic and molecular characterization of an additional patient and review of the literature

Synaptosomal-associated protein 29 (SNAP29) is a t-SNARE protein that is implicated in intracellular vesicle fusion. Mutations in the SNAP29 gene have been associated with cerebral dysgenesis, neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratoderma syndrome (CEDNIK). In patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, mutations in SNAP29 on the nondeleted chromosome are linked to similar ichthyotic and neurological phenotypes. Here, the authors report a patient with cerebral dysgenesis, neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratoderma syndrome who presented with global developmental delay, polymicrogyria, dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, optic nerve dysplasia, gaze apraxia, and dysmorphic features. He has developed ichthyosis and palmoplantar keratoderma as he has grown. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous nonsense mutation in SNAP29 gene designated as c.85C>T (p.Arg29X). The authors compare the findings in the proband with previously reported cases. The previously unreported mutation in this patient and his phenotype add to the characterization of cerebral dysgenesis, neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratoderma syndrome and the accumulating scientific evidence that implicates synaptic protein dysfunction in various neuroectodermal conditions

Supplement: Going the Distance: Mapping Host Galaxies of LIGO and Virgo Sources in Three Dimensions Using Local Cosmography and Targeted Follow-up

This is a supplement to the Letter of Singer et al. (https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.07333), in which we demonstrated a rapid algorithm for obtaining joint 3D estimates of sky location and luminosity distance from observations of binary neutron star mergers with Advanced LIGO and Virgo. We argued that combining the reconstructed volumes with positions and redshifts of possible host galaxies can provide large-aperture but small field of view instruments with a manageable list of targets to search for optical or infrared emission. In this Supplement, we document the new HEALPix-based file format for 3D localizations of gravitational-wave transients. We include Python sample code to show the reader how to perform simple manipulations of the 3D sky maps and extract ranked lists of likely host galaxies. Finally, we include mathematical details of the rapid volume reconstruction algorithm.Comment: For associated data release, see http://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/Leo.Singer/going-the-distanc

Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordPlant traits are increasingly being used to improve prediction of plant function, including plant demography. However, the capability of plant traits to predict demographic rates remains uncertain, particularly in the context of trees experiencing a changing climate. Here we present data combining 17 plant traits associated with plant structure, metabolism and hydraulic status, with measurements of long-term mean, maximum and relative growth rates for 176 trees from the world’s longest running tropical forest drought experiment. We demonstrate that plant traits can predict mean annual tree growth rates with moderate explanatory power. However, only combinations of traits associated more directly with plant functional processes, rather than more commonly employed traits like wood density or leaf mass per area, yield the power to predict growth. Critically, we observe a shift from growth being controlled by traits related to carbon cycling (assimilation and respiration) in well-watered trees, to traits relating to plant hydraulic stress in drought-stressed trees. We also demonstrate that even with a very comprehensive set of plant traits and growth data on large numbers of tropical trees, considerable uncertainty remains in directly interpreting the mechanisms through which traits influence performance in tropical forests.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Australian Research Council (ARC)European Union FP7Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paul

Supplement: "Going the Distance: Mapping Host Galaxies of LIGO and Virgo Sources in Three Dimensions Using Local Cosmography and Targeted Follow-up" (2016, ApJL, 829, L15)

This is a supplement to the Letter of Singer et al., in which we demonstrated a rapid algorithm for obtaining joint 3D estimates of sky location and luminosity distance from observations of binary neutron star mergers with Advanced LIGO and Virgo. We argued that combining the reconstructed volumes with positions and redshifts of possible host galaxies can provide large-aperture but small field of view instruments with a manageable list of targets to search for optical or infrared emission. In this Supplement, we document the new HEALPix-based file format for 3D localizations of gravitational-wave transients. We include Python sample code to show the reader how to perform simple manipulations of the 3D sky maps and extract ranked lists of likely host galaxies. Finally, we include mathematical details of the rapid volume reconstruction algorithm

The response of carbon assimilation and storage to long‐term drought in tropical trees is dependent on light availability

Whether tropical trees acclimate to long‐term drought stress remains unclear. This uncertainty is amplified if drought stress is accompanied by changes in other drivers such as the increases in canopy light exposure that might be induced by tree mortality or other disturbances. Photosynthetic capacity, leaf respiration, non‐structural carbohydrate (NSC) storage and stomatal conductance were measured on 162 trees at the world's longest running (15 years) tropical forest drought experiment. We test whether surviving trees have altered strategies for carbon storage and carbon use in the drier and elevated light conditions present following drought‐related tree mortality. Relative to control trees, the surviving trees experiencing the drought treatment showed functional responses including: (a) moderately reduced photosynthetic capacity; (b) increased total leaf NSC; and (c) a switch from starch to soluble sugars as the main store of branch NSC. This contrasts with earlier findings at this experiment of no change in photosynthetic capacity or NSC storage. The changes detected here only occurred in the subset of drought‐stressed trees with canopies exposed to high radiation and were absent in trees with less‐exposed canopies and also in the community average. In contrast to previous results acquired through less intensive species sampling from this experiment, we also observe no species‐average drought‐induced change in leaf respiration. Our results suggest that long‐term responses to drought stress are strongly influenced by a tree's full‐canopy light environment and therefore that disturbance‐induced changes in stand density and dynamics are likely to substantially impact tropical forest responses to climate change. We also demonstrate that, while challenging, intensive sampling is essential in tropical forests to avoid sampling biases caused by limited taxonomic coverage.Publicado online em 29 set. 2020

Timing of therapy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in 18 families with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy

Background: Seventy-five percent of patients with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy due to a-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency (PDE-ALDH7A1) suffer intellectual developmental disability despite pyridoxine treatment. Adjunct lysine reduction therapies (LRT), aimed at lowering putative neurotoxic metabolites, are associated with improved cognitive outcomes. However, possibly due to timing of treatment, not all patients have normal intellectual function. Methods: This retrospective, multi-center cohort study evaluated the effect of timing of pyridoxine monotherapy and pyridoxine with adjunct LRT on neurodevelopmental outcome. Patients with confirmed PDE-ALDH7A1 with at least one sibling with PDE-ALDH7A1 and a difference in age at treatment initiation were eligible and identified via the international PDE registry, resulting in thirty-seven patients of 18 families. Treatment regimen was pyridoxine monotherapy in ten families and pyridoxine with adjunct LRT in the other eight. Primary endpoints were standardized and clinically assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes. Clinical neurodevelopmental status was subjectively assessed over seven domains: overall neurodevelopment, speech/language, cognition, fine and gross motor skills, activities of daily living and behavioral/psychiatric abnormalities. Results: The majority of early treated siblings on pyridoxine monotherapy performed better than their late treated siblings on the clinically assessed domain of fine motor skills. For siblings on pyridoxine and adjunct LRT, the majority of early treated siblings performed better on clinically assessed overall neurodevelopment, cognition, and behavior/psychiatry. Fourteen percent of the total cohort was assessed as normal on all domains. Conclusion: Early treatment with pyridoxine and adjunct LRT may be beneficial for neurodevelopmental outcome. When evaluating a more extensive neurodevelopmental assessment, the actual impairment rate may be higher than the 75% reported in literature. Take- home message: Early initiation of lysine reduction therapies adjunct to pyridoxine treatment in patients with PDE-ALDH7A1 may result in an improved neurodevelopmental outcome. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc

Lymphatic endothelial cell sphingosine kinase activity is required for lymphocyte egress and lymphatic patterning

Lymphocyte egress from lymph nodes (LNs) is dependent on sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), but the cellular source of this S1P is not defined. We generated mice that expressed Cre from the lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (Lyve-1) locus and that showed efficient recombination of loxP-flanked genes in lymphatic endothelium. We report that mice with Lyve-1 CRE-mediated ablation of sphingosine kinase (Sphk) 1 and lacking Sphk2 have a loss of S1P in lymph while maintaining normal plasma S1P. In Lyve-1 Cre+ Sphk-deficient mice, lymphocyte egress from LNs and Peyer's patches is blocked. Treatment with pertussis toxin to overcome Gαi-mediated retention signals restores lymphocyte egress. Furthermore, in the absence of lymphatic Sphks, the initial lymphatic vessels in nonlymphoid tissues show an irregular morphology and a less organized vascular endothelial cadherin distribution at cell–cell junctions. Our data provide evidence that lymphatic endothelial cells are an in vivo source of S1P required for lymphocyte egress from LNs and Peyer's patches, and suggest a role for S1P in lymphatic vessel maturation