Voting procedures and parliamentary representation in the European Parliament

Parliamentary representation is a fluid concept. Yet, while the behaviour of elected representatives during roll call votes has been widely analysed, we know little about how parliamentarians act when their individual voting choices are not made public. This paper explores the relationship between voting procedures and the likelihood that Members of the European Parliament prioritise the interests of their EP party group versus the interests of their national party. Using an original survey, I find that MEPs are more likely to prioritise the interests of their national party over those of their EP party group when voting by show of hands or electronically, as opposed to by roll call. Moreover, this voting procedure effect is particularly salient among MEPs elected from 2004/07 accession countries

Multi-photon events with large missing energy in e+e−e+e− collisions at s=192–209 GeV

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Differential Gene Expression in Normal Human Mammary Epithelial Cells Treated with Malathion Monitored by DNA Microarrays

Organophosphate pesticides are a major source of occupational exposure in the United States. Moreover, malathion has been sprayed over major urban populations in an effort to control mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. Previous research, reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of malathion has been inconclusive, although malathion is a known endocrine disruptor. Here, interindividual variations and commonality of gene expression signatures have been studied in normal human mammary epithelial cells from four women undergoing reduction mammoplasty. The cell strains were obtained from the discarded tissues through the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (sponsors: National Cancer Institute and National Disease Research Interchange). Interindividual variation of gene expression patterns in response to malathion was observed in various clustering patterns for the four cell strains. Further clustering identified three genes with increased expression after treatment in all four cell strains. These genes were two aldo–keto reductases (AKR1C1 and AKR1C2) and an estrogen-responsive gene (EBBP). Decreased expression of six RNA species was seen at various time points in all cell strains analyzed: plasminogen activator (PLAT), centromere protein F (CPF), replication factor C (RFC3), thymidylate synthetase (TYMS), a putative mitotic checkpoint kinase (BUB1), and a gene of unknown function (GenBank accession no. AI859865). Expression changes in all these genes, detected by DNA microarrays, have been verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Differential changes in expression of these genes may yield biomarkers that provide insight into interindividual variation in malathion toxicity

Determination of the LEP beam energy using radiative fermion-pair events

We present a determination of the LEP beam energy using “radiative return” fermion-pair events recorded at centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. We find no evidence of a disagreement between the OPAL data and the LEP Energy Working Group's standard calibration. Including the energy-averaged 11 MeV uncertainty in the standard determination, the beam energy we obtain from the OPAL data is higher than that obtained from the LEP calibration by View the MathML source0±34(stat.)±27(syst.)MeV

Flavour independent search for Higgs bosons decaying into hadronic final states in e^(+)e^(−)e^(+)e^(−) collisions at LEP

A search for the Higgsstrahlung process e^(+)e^(−)→hZ is described, where the neutral Higgs boson h is assumed to decay into hadronic final states. In order to be sensitive to a broad range of models, the search is performed independent of the flavour content of the Higgs boson decay. The analysis is based on e^(+)e^(−) collision data collected by the OPAL detector at energies between 192 and 209 GeV. The search does not reveal any significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction. Results are combined with previous searches at energies around 91 and at 189 GeV. A limit is set on the product of the cross-section and the hadronic branching ratio of the Higgs boson, as a function of the Higgs boson mass. Assuming the hZ coupling predicted by the Standard Model, and a Higgs boson decaying only into hadronic final states, a lower bound of 104 GeV/c2104 GeV/c^(2) is set on the mass at the 95% confidence level

W boson polarisation at LEP2

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269304002576