Tone in politics is not systematically related to macro trends, ideology, or experience

What explains the variation in tone in politics? Different literatures argue that changes in the tone of politicians reflect changes in the economy, general language, well-being, or ideology. So far, these claims have been empirically tested only in isolation, in single country studies, or with a small subset of indicators. We offer an overarching view by modelling the use of tone in European national parliaments in 7 countries across 30 years. Using a semi-supervised sentiment-topic model to measure polarity and arousal in legislative debates, we show in a preregistered multiverse analysis that the tone in legislative debates is not systematically related to previously claimed factors. We also replicate the absence of such systematic relationships using national leader speeches and parties’ election manifestos. There is also no universal trend towards more negativity or emotionality in political language. Overall, our results highlight the importance of multi-lingual and cross-country multiverse analyses for generalizing findings on emotions in politics

A maize histone deacetylase and retinoblastoma-related protein physically interact and cooperate in repressing gene transcription

In mammalian cells the product of the human retinoblastoma tumour suppressor gene (pRb) can recruit Rpd3-like histone deacetylases to repress transcription. In this study, we investigated whether this mechanism might also be relevant in plants and found both conserved and distinct features. The expression profiles of the Zea mays Rpd3- type histone deacetylase (ZmRpd3I) and the retinoblastoma-related (ZmRBR1) homologues were analysed during endosperm development. GST pull-down and immunoprecipitation experiments showed a physical interaction between ZmRBR1 and ZmRpd3I. Because ZmRpd3I lacks a LXCXE motif, conserved in several pRb-interacting proteins, we have mapped the amino acid domains involved in the ZmRBR1/ZmRpd3I interaction. Furthermore, we observed that ZmRbAp1, a maize member of the MSI/RbAp family, facilitated this protein interaction. Cotransformations of tobacco protoplasts with plasmids expressing ZmRBR1 and ZmRpd3I showed that the two proteins cooperate in repressing gene transcription. Our findings represent the first indication that in plants a regulator of important biological processes, ZmRBR1, can recruit a histone deacetylase, ZmRpd3I, to control gene transcription

A maize histone deacetylase and retinoblastoma-related protein physically interact and cooperate in repressing gene transcription

In mammalian cells the product of the human retinoblastoma tumour suppressor gene (pRb) can recruit Rpd3-like histone deacetylases to repress transcription. In this study, we investigated whether this mechanism might also be relevant in plants and found both conserved and distinct features. The expression profiles of the Zea mays Rpd3-type histone deacetylase (ZmRpd3I) and the retinoblastoma-related (ZmRBR1) homologues were analysed during endosperm development. GST pull-down and immunoprecipitation experiments showed a physical interaction between ZmRBR1 and ZmRpd3I. Because ZmRpd3I lacks a LXCXE motif, conserved in several pRb-interacting proteins, we have mapped the amino acid domains involved in the ZmRBR1/ZmRpd3I interaction. Furthermore, we observed that ZmRbAp1, a maize member of the MSI/RbAp family, facilitated this protein interaction. Co-transformations of tobacco protoplasts with plasmids expressing ZmRBR1 and ZmRpd3I showed that the two proteins cooperate in repressing gene transcription. Our findings represent the first indication that in plants a regulator of important biological processes, ZmRBR1, can recruit a histone deacetylase, ZmRpd3I, to control gene transcription

Free-Radical Deoxygenative Amination of Alcohols via Copper Metallaphotoredox Catalysis

Although alcohols are among the most abundant chemical feedstock, they remain vastly underutilized as coupling partners in transition metal catalysis. Herein, we describe a copper metallaphotoredox manifold for an open shell deoxygenative coupling of alcohols with N-nucleophiles forging C(sp3)–N bonds, a linkage highly sought in pharmaceutical agents but challenging to access via conventional cross-coupling techniques. N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-mediated conversion of alcohols into the corresponding alkyl radicals followed by copper-catalyzed C–N coupling renders this platform successful for a broad range of structurally unbiassed alcohols and 18 classes of N-nucleophiles

Hierarchical Phylogeographic Structure of Coho Salmon in California

<p>Evaluation of population genetic structure and variation is an important part of planning for the recovery and management of protected species. Data from 18 polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers were used to analyze the phylogeographic structure of protected Coho Salmon <i>Oncorhynchus kisutch</i> from populations throughout California. Fish from 30 locations in two evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) representing most of the extant populations in the state were studied. Multiple analyses indicated a hierarchical pattern of population structure: the greatest divergence was found at the broadest geographic scale (ESU), followed by the divergences between basins and populations within basins. The populations of the large Klamath River basin were consistently identified as a distinct phylogenetic group, nearly as divergent from all other populations as the two ESUs were from each other. All populations in different basins were differentiated from each other and a pattern of isolation by distance was found at a California-wide scale, but not at smaller spatial scales. Similarly, most individuals were accurately assigned to their population of origin, and almost all misassignments were to an adjacent or geographically proximal basin, indicating that there is substantial gene flow within each region but much less between regions. The number of parents contributing to each population was highly variable and reflected larger patterns of genetic variation, which was found to be generally higher in the southerly, low-elevation coastal populations than in the northern, interior, higher-elevation populations. The results strongly support the current boundary between the two ESU regions, and the detailed understanding of phylogeographic structure provided here will help to guide the management and recovery of Coho Salmon at the southern end of their geographic range.</p> <p>Received August 25, 2015; accepted May 4, 2016 Published online August 12, 2016</p