Coalitions in International Litigation: A Network Perspective

We apply network science principles to analyze the coalitions formed by European Union (EU) nations and institutions during litigation proceedings at the European Court of Justice. By constructing Friends and Foes networks, we explore their characteristics and dynamics through the application of cluster detection, motif analysis, and duplex analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the Friends and Foes networks exhibit disassortative behavior, highlighting the inclination of nodes to connect with dissimilar nodes. Furthermore, there is a correlation among centrality measures, indicating that member states and institutions with a larger number of connections play a prominent role in bridging the network. An examination of the modularity of the networks reveals that coalitions tend to align along regional and institutional lines, rather than national government divisions. Additionally, an analysis of triadic binary motifs uncovers a greater level of reciprocity within the Foes network compared to the Friends network.Comment: 13 pages 11 figures, style and bibtex files include

Graduating from food insecurity: evidence from graduation projects in Burundi and Rwanda

Graduation model programmes deliver a package of support to poor households, including cash and asset transfers, training and coaching, and access to savings facilities. They have been shown to reduce extreme poverty but evidence for their impacts on household food security is limited. Drawing on multiple-round evaluations of graduation projects in Burundi and Rwanda, this paper demonstrates statistically significant impacts on several food security indicators, including months of hunger, meals per day and dietary diversity. Importantly, positive impacts were sustained for households that were re-interviewed two years after they exited the programme.Concern Worldwide Lt

Live-imaging of revertant and therapeutically restored dystrophin in the DmdEGFP-mdx mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

International audienceBackground: Dmdmdx, harbouring the c.2983C>T nonsense mutation in Dmd exon 23, is a mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), frequently used to test therapies aimed at dystrophin restoration. Current translational research is methodologically hampered by the lack of a reporter mouse model, which would allow direct visualization of dystrophin expression as well as longitudinal in vivo studies. Methods: We generated a DmdEGFP-mdx reporter allele carrying in cis the mdx-23 mutation and a C-terminal EGFP-tag. This mouse model allows direct visualization of spontaneously and therapeutically restored dystrophin-EGFP fusion protein either after natural fibre reversion, or for example, after splice modulation using tricyclo-DNA to skip Dmd exon 23, or after gene editing using AAV-encoded CRISPR/Cas9 for Dmd exon 23 excision. Results: Intravital microscopy in anaesthetized mice allowed live-imaging of sarcolemmal dystrophin-EGFP fusion protein of revertant fibres as well as following therapeutic restoration. Dystrophin-EGFP-fluorescence persisted ex vivo, allowing live-imaging of revertant and therapeutically restored dystrophin in isolated fibres ex vivo. Expression of the shorter dystrophin-EGFP isoforms Dp71 in the brain, Dp260 in the retina, and Dp116 in the peripheral nerve remained unabated by the mdx-23 mutation. Conclusion: Intravital imaging of DmdEGFP-mdx muscle permits novel experimental approaches such as the study of revertant and therapeutically restored dystrophin in vivo and ex vivo