Young people turn out to vote at much higher rates when the age gap between candidates is larger

Recent decades have seen youth turnout at elections at levels that are consistently lower than that of older voters. In new research, Scot Schraufnagel investigates the effects of candidates’ ages on youth turnout. He finds that young Americans are much more willing to vote when two younger candidates are running. By looking at youth turnout in more than 300 midterm races, he also finds that as the age gap between two candidates increase, then so does youth turnout

Microvascular Corrosion Casting of the Lung. A State-of-the-Art Review

Corrosion casting and viewing of replicas with the scanning electron microscope is an excellent way to study the microvascular structure of the lung. This method can demonstrate aspects of the three-dimensional relationships, branching patterns, maximum diameters, arterio-venous connections, unusual sized and shaped capillaries, development and growth, neovascular structures and changes in development and disease better than any other means. Comparisons can be made in many experimental conditions and fundamental information obtained to answer physiologic questions. This paper reviews how the lung microvasculature has been studied by corrosion casting and scanning electron microscopy and indicates new areas where investigation might be pursued in humans and laboratory mammals. Although this technique has already greatly expanded our perception of the microcirculation, it should continue to be developed and become an even more valuable tool to study questions about the pulmonary vascular system

Microvascular Casting of the Lung: Bronchial Versus Pulmonary Artery Filling

To determine the importance of the pulmonary or bronchial arteries as the site of injection to cast the lung vasculature of rats, we retrospectively compared a group of normal Sprague-Dawley rats that were cast through either the caudal vena cava and right ventricle leading to the pulmonary arteries or through the aorta and bronchial arteries. There was no difference in the appearance of the whole casts or cast-to-lung weight ratios between the two groups, although an incompletely cast lung that was injected through the aorta showed preferential filling of the pleural and peribronchial regions. Nuclear impressions, a sign of good filling, were more frequent and the grade of the images was higher in the group filled through the vena cava. The microvascular density index was not different between the two groups, and a multivariate analysis of variance showed the injection site was not important in determining vascular density. The pulmonary vessels fill nearly as well when injected from the bronchial circulation indicating that the bronchial circulation can immediately perfuse the lung if the pulmonary arteries are obstructed, and casting can be carried out from either side with nearly the same results

Ranking Corrosion Efficiency: A Latin Square Study on Rat Lung Microvascular Corrosion Casts

Scanning electron microscopy of corrosion casts is an important tool for the study of microvascular structure but few systematic studies on methods of specimen preparation have been reported. This study sought to determine the relative importance of factors involved in corrosion. It compared potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and water as major corrosive agents. It tested the size of the tissue sample, and the use of prealkali autolysis, detergent, and proteolytic enzymes in a Latin square designed study. The main findings were that sodium and potassium hydroxide were better than water (P \u3c 0.0001) and the longer the corrosion time the better corroded the samples were (P \u3c 0.0001 ). Although not a controlled factor, higher room temperature was also associated with better corrosion. The use of proteolytic enzymes, detergent, and warm tap water alone before the alkali treatment did not significantly improve the corrosion in this study, although this does not preclude an effect with another experimental design

Microvascular Casting of the Lung: Vascular Lavage

Corrosion casting is an important tool for the study of microvascular structure, but unlike tissue preparation for light and electron microscopy, few controlled studies of the methods for preparation of microvascular casts for scanning electron microscopy have been reported. Most vascular casting begins with rinsing cells from the lumen of the blood vessels, but the necessity of this has not been shown. Because of a report of successful casting without rinsing and light microscopic evidence of edema with complete rinsing prior to casting, this preparation procedure was examined. Casts of lung vasculature that were thoroughly rinsed were compared to those that were not. Of the six rats that were not lavaged, only one gave a completely filled cast, but of the six animals that were well rinsed, only one did not fill. Except for the filling and mild periarterial edema, no significant difference in cast quality or features was detected. Rinsing improves the frequency of obtaining completely filled casts. The edema does not greatly interfere with the capillary image and its location gives insight into this process in the lung

Voter Turnout in Democratizing Southeast Asia: A Comparative Analysis of Electoral Participation in Five Countries

We consider alternative explanations for variation in voter turnout rates across the five countries in Southeast Asia that the Polity IV database suggests are most “democratic.” Research on voter turnout in Western states has typically drawn connections between institutional, demographic, political, and economic variables and turnout levels. In this essay, we test each group of predictors and attempt to begin the process of isolating the factors that are most relevant to electoral participation in Southeast Asia. The research finds that many traditional explanations for voter turnout are inadequate. Yet, high quality formal democracy, combined with poor economic conditions, can reasonably predict voter turnout in the countries studied. In the end, the research qualifies our results in an attempt to prompt a more thorough discussion and understanding of democratization in the region

Assessing Learning Disabilities: Effectiveness of the Symbol Language and Communication Battery (SLCB)

This study examined whether the Symbol Language and Communication Battery (SLCB), a measure of learning disabilities (Lds), could identify children with Lds. In addition, possible behavioral differences were examined between unidentified and identified children. Eighty-five students (26 with school identified Lds; 59 unidentified) in the 4th and 5th grade participated in the study. Results indicated that the SLCB has good potential as a supplemental/screening measure of Lds. The SLCB was most effective in identifying children when SLCB diagnoses were restricted to the areas of reading, math, and writing. This study also found that teachers reported more behavioral problems in children with an SLCB diagnosis than children without a diagnosis, whereas unidentified children with SCLB diagnoses reported more behavioral problems than identified children