Multiparty Electoral Competition in the Netherlands and Germany: A Model Based on Multinomial Probit

A typical assumption of electoral models of party competition is that parties adopt policy positions so as to maximize expected vote share. Here we use Euro-barometer survey data and European elite-study data from 1979 for the Netherlands and Germany to construct a stochastic model of voter response, based on multinomial probit estimation. For each of these countries, we estimate a pure spatial electoral voting model and a joint spatial model. The latter model also includes individual voter and demographic characteristics. The pure spatial models for the two countries quite accurately described the electoral response as a stochastic function of party positions. We use these models to perform a thought experiment so as to estimate the expected vote maximizing party positions. We go on to propose a model of internal party decision-making based both on pre-election electoral estimation and postelection coalition bargaining. This model suggests why the various parties in the period in question did not adopt vote maximizing positions. We argue that maximizing expected vote will not, in general, be a rational party strategy in multiparty political systems which are based on proportional representation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116246/1/pc98.pd

Neurophysiological correlates of excitement in men with recent-onset psychosis

Objective: Right frontal function, as indicated by the N200 component of the event-related potential during target detection, has previously been associated with excitement (excitement, impulsivity, hostility, uncooperativeness) in men with a long-term diagnosis of schizophrenia. The current study investigated excitement in relation to N200 in men who had recently experienced their first episode of psychosis. Subjects and methods: Twenty men who had recently suffered their first psychotic episode underwent a clinical interview and auditory oddball task. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that 58% of the variance in the excitement symptom cluster was explained by a positive association with frontal midline N200 amplitude and an inverse association with right frontal N200 amplitude. The latter was not apparent in the initial correlation, suggesting suppression by the midline activity. These associations were not explained by drug use, medication or negative symptoms. However, the correlation between excitement and midline N200 was stronger in drug users, and that between right frontal N200 and excitement was stronger in nonusers. Conclusion: Findings support the independent contributions to excitement of mechanisms reflected in midline and right frontal N200 amplitude respectively during the early stages of psychosis

IRAS F02044+0957: radio source in interacting system of galaxies

The steep spectrum of IRAS F02044+0957 was obtained with the RATAN-600 radio telescope at four frequencies. Optical spectroscopy of the system components, was carried out with the 2.1m telescope of the Guillermo Haro Observatory. Observational data allow us to conclude that this object is a pair of interacting galaxies, a LINER and a HII galaxy, at $z=0.093$.Comment: 2 pages, 2 EPS-figures, uses newpasp.sty. To appear in Proc. IAU Colloq. 184, AGN Surveys, ed. R. F. Green, E. Ye. Khachikian, & D. B. Sanders (San Francisco: ASP

Tradeoffs in jet inlet design: a historical perspective

The design of the inlet(s) is one of the most demanding tasks of the development process of any gas turbine-powered aircraft. This is mainly due to the multi-objective and multidisciplinary nature of the exercise. The solution is generally a compromise between a number of conflicting goals and these conflicts are the subject of the present paper. We look into how these design tradeoffs have been reflected in the actual inlet designs over the years and how the emphasis has shifted from one driver to another. We also review some of the relevant developments of the jet age in aerodynamics and design and manufacturing technology and we examine how they have influenced and informed inlet design decision

Crowding Promotes the Switch from Hairpin to Pseudoknot Conformation in Human Telomerase RNA

Formation of a pseudoknot in the conserved RNA core domain in the ribonucleoprotein human telomerase is required for function. In vitro experiments show that the pseudoknot (PK) is in equilibrium with an extended hairpin (HP) structure. We use molecular simulations of a coarse-grained model, which reproduces most of the salient features of the experimental melting profiles of PK and HP, to show that crowding enhances the stability of PK relative to HP in the wild type and in a mutant associated with dyskeratosis congenita. In monodisperse suspensions, small crowding particles increase the stability of compact structures to a greater extent than larger crowders. If the sizes of crowders in a binary mixture are smaller than the unfolded RNA, the increase in melting temperature due to the two components is additive. In a ternary mixture of crowders that are larger than the unfolded RNA, which mimics the composition of ribosome, large enzyme complexes and proteins in E. coli, the marginal increase in stability is entirely determined by the smallest component. We predict that crowding can restore partially telomerase activity in mutants, which dramatically decrease the PK stability.Comment: File "JACS_MAIN_archive_PDF_from_DOC.pdf" (PDF created from DOC) contains the main text of the paper File JACS_SI_archive.tex + 7 figures are the supplementary inf

The Acid Test of Fluoride: How pH Modulates Toxicity

Background: It is not known why the ameloblasts responsible for dental enamel formation are uniquely sensitive to fluoride ($F^−$). Herein, we present a novel theory with supporting data to show that the low pH environment of maturating stage ameloblasts enhances their sensitivity to a given dose of $F^−$. Enamel formation is initiated in a neutral pH environment (secretory stage); however, the pH can fall to below 6.0 as most of the mineral precipitates (maturation stage). Low pH can facilitate entry of $F^−$ into cells. Here, we asked if $F^−$ was more toxic at low pH, as measured by increased cell stress and decreased cell function. Methodology/Principal Findings: Treatment of ameloblast-derived LS8 cells with $F^−$ at low pH reduced the threshold dose of $F^−$ required to phosphorylate stress-related proteins, PERK, eIF2α, JNK and c-jun. To assess protein secretion, LS8 cells were stably transduced with a secreted reporter, Gaussia luciferase, and secretion was quantified as a function of $F^−$ dose and pH. Luciferase secretion significantly decreased within 2 hr of $F^−$ treatment at low pH versus neutral pH, indicating increased functional toxicity. Rats given 100 ppm $F^−$ in their drinking water exhibited increased stress-mediated phosphorylation of eIF2α in maturation stage ameloblasts (pH<6.0) as compared to secretory stage ameloblasts (pH∼7.2). Intriguingly, $F^−$-treated rats demonstrated a striking decrease in transcripts expressed during the maturation stage of enamel development (Klk4 and Amtn). In contrast, the expression of secretory stage genes, AmelX, Ambn, Enam and Mmp20, was unaffected. Conclusions: The low pH environment of maturation stage ameloblasts facilitates the uptake of $F^−$, causing increased cell stress that compromises ameloblast function, resulting in dental fluorosis