Reacting to uncertainty in partial Democracies : the role of negative framing in power struggles in Ukrainian energy politics, 1990s-2000s.

The thesis is about the processes and effects of strategic public elite communication in partial democracies, and Ukraine is used as a case study. The study is situated within the field of comparative politics that investigates the internal dynamics of partial democracies defined here as highly competitive and institutionally weak hybrid regimes. The central argument of this thesis is that the contextual uncertainty inherent in partial democracies produces incentives for political actors to rely on negative framing as a strategy in power struggles, which, in effect, reproduces contextual uncertainty. To understand how negativity functions in partial democracies, the thesis explores the psychological mechanisms of negative framing, its characteristics as a strategy, its conditions of success and effects on the political regime. It advances an innovative analytical framework that connects literatures across different subdisciplines of the social sciences. The theoretical model is derived from a qualitative study of the delegitimization of two state patronage schemes in Ukrainian gas politics. The first case study is confined to a detailed analysis of events and discourses in 1997-1998, i.e., the period when the gas patronage scheme built by the Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko became contested and actors involved in its operation were delegitimized. The second case study is devoted to the power struggle around the gas intermediary within the Orange coalition during the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko in 2005-2009. In both cases, I analyze how key political actors involved in these struggles construct their frames, legitimize certain actions and address accusations of misconduct and corruption. The research results show that negative framing aimed at discrediting a political opponent is standard behavior in Ukraine. Overall, such discursive practices have a very negative effect on the political regime and political culture of Ukraine. The result is a cynical population that mistrusts politics and politicians, which in turn reinforces political uncertainty and contributes to the dwindling legitimacy of the government

Molecular abnormalities in autopsied brain tissue from the inferior horn of the lateral ventricles of nonagenarians and Alzheimer disease patients

Background The ventricular system plays a vital role in blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exchange and interstitial fluid-CSF drainage pathways. CSF is formed in the specialized secretory tissue called the choroid plexus, which consists of epithelial cells, fenestrated capillaries and the highly vascularized stroma. Very little is currently known about the role played by the ventricles and the choroid plexus tissue in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). MethodsIn this study, we used our state-of-the-art proteomic platform, a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach coupled with Tandem Mass Tag isobaric labeling to conduct a detailed unbiased proteomic analyses of autopsied tissue isolated from the walls of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricles in AD (77.2 ± 0.6 yrs), age-matched controls (77.0 ± 0.5 yrs), and nonagenarian cases (93.2 ± 1.1 yrs). ResultsIngenuity pathway analyses identified phagosome maturation, impaired tight-junction signaling, and glucose/mannose metabolism as top significantly regulated pathways in controls vs nonagenarians. In matched-control vs AD cases we identified alterations in mitochondrial bioenergetics, oxidative stress, remodeling of epithelia adherens junction, macrophage recruitment and phagocytosis, and cytoskeletal dynamics. Nonagenarian vs AD cases demonstrated augmentation of oxidative stress, changes in gluconeogenesis-glycolysis pathways, and cellular effects of choroidal smooth muscle cell vasodilation. Amyloid plaque score uniquely correlated with remodeling of epithelial adherens junctions, Fc γ-receptor mediated phagocytosis, and alterations in RhoA signaling. Braak staging was uniquely correlated with altered iron homeostasis, superoxide radical degradation and phagosome maturation. Conclusions These changes provide novel insights to explain the compromise to the physiological properties and function of the ventricles/choroid plexus system in nonagenarian aging and AD pathogenesis. The pathways identified could provide new targets for therapeutic strategies to mitigate the divergent path towards AD

Genome analysis and comparative genomics of a Giardia intestinalis assemblage E isolate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Giardia intestinalis </it>is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea in a wide range of mammalian species. To further understand the genetic diversity between the <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>species, we have performed genome sequencing and analysis of a wild-type <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>sample from the assemblage E group, isolated from a pig.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 5012 protein coding genes, the majority of which are conserved compared to the previously sequenced genomes of the WB and GS strains in terms of microsynteny and sequence identity. Despite this, there is an unexpectedly large number of chromosomal rearrangements and several smaller structural changes that are present in all chromosomes. Novel members of the VSP, NEK Kinase and HCMP gene families were identified, which may reveal possible mechanisms for host specificity and new avenues for antigenic variation. We used comparative genomics of the three diverse <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>isolates P15, GS and WB to define a core proteome for this species complex and to identify lineage-specific genes. Extensive analyses of polymorphisms in the core proteome of <it>Giardia </it>revealed differential rates of divergence among cellular processes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that despite a well conserved core of genes there is significant genome variation between <it>Giardia </it>isolates, both in terms of gene content, gene polymorphisms, structural chromosomal variations and surface molecule repertoires. This study improves the annotation of the <it>Giardia </it>genomes and enables the identification of functionally important variation.</p

Predicting bee community responses to land-use changes: Effects of geographic and taxonomic biases

Land-use change and intensification threaten bee populations worldwide, imperilling pollination services. Global models are needed to better characterise, project, and mitigate bees' responses to these human impacts. The available data are, however, geographically and taxonomically unrepresentative; most data are from North America and Western Europe, overrepresenting bumblebees and raising concerns that model results may not be generalizable to other regions and taxa. To assess whether the geographic and taxonomic biases of data could undermine effectiveness of models for conservation policy, we have collated from the published literature a global dataset of bee diversity at sites facing land-use change and intensification, and assess whether bee responses to these pressures vary across 11 regions (Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe; North, Central and South America; Australia and New Zealand; South East Asia; Middle and Southern Africa) and between bumblebees and other bees. Our analyses highlight strong regionally-based responses of total abundance, species richness and Simpson's diversity to land use, caused by variation in the sensitivity of species and potentially in the nature of threats. These results suggest that global extrapolation of models based on geographically and taxonomically restricted data may underestimate the true uncertainty, increasing the risk of ecological surprises

Draft Genome Sequencing of Giardia intestinalis Assemblage B Isolate GS: Is Human Giardiasis Caused by Two Different Species?

Giardia intestinalis is a major cause of diarrheal disease worldwide and two major Giardia genotypes, assemblages A and B, infect humans. The genome of assemblage A parasite WB was recently sequenced, and the structurally compact 11.7 Mbp genome contains simplified basic cellular machineries and metabolism. We here performed 454 sequencing to 16× coverage of the assemblage B isolate GS, the only Giardia isolate successfully used to experimentally infect animals and humans. The two genomes show 77% nucleotide and 78% amino-acid identity in protein coding regions. Comparative analysis identified 28 unique GS and 3 unique WB protein coding genes, and the variable surface protein (VSP) repertoires of the two isolates are completely different. The promoters of several enzymes involved in the synthesis of the cyst-wall lack binding sites for encystation-specific transcription factors in GS. Several synteny-breaks were detected and verified. The tetraploid GS genome shows higher levels of overall allelic sequence polymorphism (0.5 versus <0.01% in WB). The genomic differences between WB and GS may explain some of the observed biological and clinical differences between the two isolates, and it suggests that assemblage A and B Giardia can be two different species

Will climate mitigation ambitions lead to carbon neutrality? An analysis of the local-level plans of 327 cities in the EU

Cities across the globe recognise their role in climate mitigation and are acting to reduce carbon emissions. Knowing whether cities set ambitious climate and energy targets is critical for determining their contribution towards the global 1.5 °C target, partly because it helps to identify areas where further action is necessary. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the mitigation targets of 327 European cities, as declared in their local climate plans. The sample encompasses over 25% of the EU population and includes cities of all sizes across all Member States, plus the UK. The study analyses whether the type of plan, city size, membership of climate networks, and its regional location are associated with different levels of mitigation ambition. Results reveal that 78% of the cities have a GHG emissions reduction target. However, with an average target of 47%, European cities are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement: they need to roughly double their ambitions and efforts. Some cities are ambitious, e.g. 25% of our sample (81) aim to reach carbon neutrality, with the earliest target date being 2020.90% of these cities are members of the Climate Alliance and 75% of the Covenant of Mayors. City size is the strongest predictor for carbon neutrality, whilst climate network(s) membership, combining adaptation and mitigation into a single strategy, and local motivation also play a role. The methods, data, results and analysis of this study can serve as a reference and baseline for tracking climate mitigation ambitions across European and global cities

Motorcyklar - Dödens hantlangare : Olyckor med Mc, varför händer dom, vilka är dom och vad kan man göra åt det?

Meningen med detta arbete är att belysa olyckor i samband med mc-körning. Statistik visar på en utveckling i döds- och skadeantal relaterat till mc-körning som är skrämmande. Antalet dödade på motorcykel har ökat med 60 % från 2002 till 2004 på svenska vägar. Vi har valt att belysa vilka det är som skador sig och varför eftersom var tionde som dör i trafiken dör i samband med mc-körning. Vi har försökt ta reda på varför utvecklingen är på väg åt så ett dystert håll. Vård och sjukhusvistelser har vi belyst då denna statistik talar för ökade samhällskostnader. Den sammanlagda vårdtiden uppgår årligen till uppemot 10000 dygn per år vilket motsvarar ca 14 % av den totala vårdtiden för alla till följd av vägtrafikolyckor skadade personer. Skydd och hur man förebygger olyckor är också omnämnt, berörda delar är främst hjälmanvändning och skyddskläder. Arbetet är grundat på fakta vi har inhämtat från i arbetet nämnda källor och resultatet har vi fått fram genom att jämföra fakta med intervjusvar från personer insatta i problematiken. Resultatet visar på att utbildning är ett sätt man ska komma till bukt med problematiken

Motorcyklar - Dödens hantlangare : Olyckor med Mc, varför händer dom, vilka är dom och vad kan man göra åt det?

Meningen med detta arbete är att belysa olyckor i samband med mc-körning. Statistik visar på en utveckling i döds- och skadeantal relaterat till mc-körning som är skrämmande. Antalet dödade på motorcykel har ökat med 60 % från 2002 till 2004 på svenska vägar. Vi har valt att belysa vilka det är som skador sig och varför eftersom var tionde som dör i trafiken dör i samband med mc-körning. Vi har försökt ta reda på varför utvecklingen är på väg åt så ett dystert håll. Vård och sjukhusvistelser har vi belyst då denna statistik talar för ökade samhällskostnader. Den sammanlagda vårdtiden uppgår årligen till uppemot 10000 dygn per år vilket motsvarar ca 14 % av den totala vårdtiden för alla till följd av vägtrafikolyckor skadade personer. Skydd och hur man förebygger olyckor är också omnämnt, berörda delar är främst hjälmanvändning och skyddskläder. Arbetet är grundat på fakta vi har inhämtat från i arbetet nämnda källor och resultatet har vi fått fram genom att jämföra fakta med intervjusvar från personer insatta i problematiken. Resultatet visar på att utbildning är ett sätt man ska komma till bukt med problematiken