Transnational partisanship: idea and practice

That parties might successfully organize transnationally is an idea often met with scepticism. This article argues that while certain favourable conditions are indeed absent in the transnational domain, this implies not that partisanship is impossible but that it is likely to be marked by certain traits. Specifically, it will tend to be episodic, structured as a low-density network and delocalized in its ideational content. These tendencies affect the normative expectations one can attach to it. Transnational partisanship should be valued as a transitional phenomenon, e.g. as a pathway to transnational democracy, more than as a desirable thing in itself

Probing the structure and evolution of BASS active galactic nuclei through Eddington ratios

Galaxie

Processos de democracia direta: sim ou não? Os argumentos clássicos à luz da teoria e da prática

Regularmente surgem controvérsias sobre os processos de democracia direta, dos quais os mecanismos mais frequentes são a iniciativa popular, o plebiscito e o referendo. Por um lado, há autores que defendem a posição de que essas instituições tornam o jogo político mais lento, caro, confuso e ilegítimo; outros defendem a posição contrária e argumentam que processos de democracia direta são fundamentais para os cidadãos e a qualidade da democracia. O presente estudo analisa esse tema em torno de sete questões, baseadas em considerações teóricas e pesquisas empíricas: 1. A questão entre o minimalismo e o maximalismo democrático; 2. A concorrência entre maioria e minoria; 3. A concorrência entre as instituições representativas e os processos de democracia direta; 4. A questão da competência dos cidadãos; 5. A questão dos efeitos colaterais dos processos de democracia direta; 6. A questão do tamanho do eleitorado; 7. A questão dos custos dos processos de democracia direta. As sete questões são analisadas a partir de uma revisão bibliográfica que considera tanto fontes nacionais como internacionais. O estudo mostra que os processos de democracia direta podem ser um complemento para as instituições representativas em um sistema democrático. O bom desempenho dos plebiscitos, referendos e iniciativas populares depende tanto da regulamentação destes como também do desempenho das outras instituições políticas e da situação socioeconômica de um país. O estudo permite ampliar e aprofundar o debate sobre processos de democracia direta no Brasil

Cathodo And Photoluminescence Studies Of Non-stoichiometric Amorphous Silicon Carbide And Nitride

The room temperature cathodoluminescence of non-stoichiometric amorphous silicon carbide and nitride produced by glow discharge is reported. The photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra of silicon carbide samples are presented. Also, it was observed that the powder deposited onto the contraelectrode during the discharge shows efficient room temperature photo luminescence emission. © 1989.1151-34244GSK; GlaxoSmithKlineLeamy, Charge collection scanning electron microscopy (1982) Journal of Applied Physics, 53 (6)Alvarez, Fragnito, Prieto, Chambouleyron, Visible light emission from reverse biased amorphous silicon carbide P-I-N structures (1987) Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 97-98, p. 131

Intravenous Neural Stem Cells abolish nociceptive hypersensitivity and trigger nerve regeneration in experimental neuropathy

A nonphysiological repair of the lesioned nerve leading to the formation of neurinomas, altered nerve conduction, and spontaneous firing is considered the main cause of the events underlying neuropathic pain. It was investigated whether neural stem cell (NSCs) administration could lead to a physiological nerve repair, thus to a reduction of neuropathic pain symptoms such as hyperalgesia and allodynia in a well-established model of this pain (sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury [CCI]). Moreover, since we and others showed that the peripheral nerve lesion starts a cascade of neuroinflammation-related events that may maintain and worsen the original lesion, the effect of NSCs on sciatic nerve pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in CCI mice was investigated. NSCs injected intravenously, when the pathology was already established, induced a significant reduction in allodynia and hyperalgesia already 3 days after administration, demonstrating a therapeutic effect that lasted for at least 28 days. Responses changed with the number of administered NSCs, and the effect on hyperalgesia could be boosted by a new NSC administration. Treatment significantly decreased proinflammatory, activated antiinflammatory cytokines in the sciatic nerve, and reduced spinal cord Fos expression in laminae I-VI. Moreover, in NSC-treated animals, a reparative process and an improvement of nerve morphology is present at a later time. Since NSC effect on pain symptoms preceded nerve repair and was maintained after cells had disappeared from the lesion site, we suggest that regenerative, behavioral, and immune NSC effects are largely due to microenvironmental changes they might induce at the lesion site

Intravenous neural stem cells abolish nociceptive hypersensitivity and trigger nerve regeneration in experimental neuropathy.

A nonphysiological repair of the lesioned nerve leading to the formation of neurinomas, altered nerve conduction, and spontaneous firing is considered the main cause of the events underlying neuropathic pain. It was investigated whether neural stem cell (NSCs) administration could lead to a physiological nerve repair, thus to a reduction of neuropathic pain symptoms such as hyperalgesia and allodynia in a well-established model of this pain (sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury [CCI]). Moreover, since we and others showed that the peripheral nerve lesion starts a cascade of neuroinflammation-related events that may maintain and worsen the original lesion, the effect of NSCs on sciatic nerve pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in CCI mice was investigated. NSCs injected intravenously, when the pathology was already established, induced a significant reduction in allodynia and hyperalgesia already 3 days after administration, demonstrating a therapeutic effect that lasted for at least 28 days. Responses changed with the number of administered NSCs, and the effect on hyperalgesia could be boosted by a new NSC administration. Treatment significantly decreased proinflammatory, activated antiinflammatory cytokines in the sciatic nerve, and reduced spinal cord Fos expression in laminae I-VI. Moreover, in NSC-treated animals, a reparative process and an improvement of nerve morphology is present at a later time. Since NSC effect on pain symptoms preceded nerve repair and was maintained after cells had disappeared from the lesion site, we suggest that regenerative, behavioral, and immune NSC effects are largely due to microenvironmental changes they might induce at the lesion site