Choice versus sensitivity : Party reactions to public concerns

Most discussions of democratic theory assume that parties should offer clear choices to voters but also show themselves sensitive to public concerns. Under certain circumstances, however, party convergence on these may preclude electoral choice, thus creating conflict between two democratic 'goods'. We examine possible tradeoffs between choice and responsiveness, and see which actually occur in 16 postwar democracies. Party policy positions turn out to be more strongly related to party ideology than popular concerns, thus privileging differentiation and choice over sensitivity and responsiveness. Implications for democratic theory and practice are considered

Understanding State Preferences With Text As Data: Introducing the UN General Debate Corpus

Every year at the United Nations, member states deliver statements during the General Debate discussing major issues in world politics. These speeches provide invaluable information on governments’ perspectives and preferences on a wide range of issues, but have largely been overlooked in the study of international politics. This paper introduces a new dataset consisting of over 7,300 country statements from 1970-2014. We demonstrate how the UN General Debate Corpus (UNGDC) can be used to derive country positions on different policy dimensions using text analytic methods. The paper provides applications of these estimates, demonstrating the contribution the UNGDC can make to the study of international politics

Exercise training in obese rats does not induce browning at thermoneutrality and induces a muscle-like signature in brown adipose tissue

Aim: Exercise training elicits diverse effects on brown (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) physiology in rodents housed below their thermoneutral zone (i.e., 28–32°C). In these conditions, BAT is chronically hyperactive and, unlike human residence, closer to thermoneutrality. Therefore, we set out to determine the effects of exercise training in obese animals at 28°C (i.e., thermoneutrality) on BAT and WAT in its basal (i.e., inactive) state. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12) were housed at thermoneutrality from 3 weeks of age and fed a high-fat diet. At 12 weeks of age half these animals were randomized to 4-weeks of swim-training (1 h/day, 5 days per week). Following a metabolic assessment interscapular and perivascular BAT and inguinal (I)WAT were taken for analysis of thermogenic genes and the proteome. Results: Exercise attenuated weight gain but did not affect total fat mass or thermogenic gene expression. Proteomics revealed an impact of exercise training on 2-oxoglutarate metabolic process, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV, carbon metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation. This was accompanied by an upregulation of multiple proteins involved in skeletal muscle physiology in BAT and an upregulation of muscle specific markers (i.e., Myod1, CkM, Mb, and MyoG). UCP1 mRNA was undetectable in IWAT with proteomics highlighting changes to DNA binding, the positive regulation of apoptosis, HIF-1 signaling and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Conclusion: Exercise training reduced weight gain in obese animals at thermoneutrality and is accompanied by an oxidative signature in BAT which is accompanied by a muscle-like signature rather than induction of thermogenic genes. This may represent a new, UCP1-independent pathway through which BAT physiology is regulated by exercise training

Unzipping Kinetics of Double-Stranded DNA in a Nanopore

We studied the unzipping kinetics of single molecules of double-stranded DNA by pulling one of their two strands through a narrow protein pore. PCR analysis yielded the first direct proof of DNA unzipping in such a system. The time to unzip each molecule was inferred from the ionic current signature of DNA traversal. The distribution of times to unzip under various experimental conditions fit a simple kinetic model. Using this model, we estimated the enthalpy barriers to unzipping and the effective charge of a nucleotide in the pore, which was considerably smaller than previously assumed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Accepted: Physics Review Letter

Timing of carotid endarterectomy and clinical outcomes.

The timing of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for symptomatic ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis has evolved in practice over time. Key landmark trials outlined the benefit of performing CEA in the recently symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, defined as revascularisation within 6 months of the index neurological event. Further evidence and sub-analysis demonstrate that performing CEA within 2 weeks of symptoms has the maximal benefit in reducing stroke free survival and is associated with a safe perioperative complication profile. This has translated into guideline recommendations and widespread clinical practice. The case for performing urgent CEA (within 48 hours of index neurological event) over early CEA (within 2 weeks) has been put forward and studied. Data examining perioperative complications for urgent CEA are mostly derived from retrospective single series studies. A moderate balance exists in the literature for the safety and risk of urgent CEA. Although many studies present acceptable perioperative stroke and mortality rates associated with urgent CEA, evidence still exists that the perioperative complications may not be insignificant. This is particularly the case if the presenting neurology is a stroke, rather than a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or amaurosis fugax. This should be contextualised in the practice of modern aggressive medical therapy with dual antiplatelets and statins, with evidence suggesting a reduction in recurrent ischaemic events prior to surgical intervention. Careful patient selection, presenting neurology and medical therapy is likely to be a key feature in considering urgent CEA versus early CEA