This study criticizes approaches equating opposition electoral victories with democratization in competitive authoritarian regimes. Not only are these approaches theoretically problematic, but there are also important empirical reasons to distinguish between electoral turnovers and democratization. The study goes on to explain why some African turnovers have been successful in bringing about democ

Three morphologically very similar species of Asecodes Förster (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) are reviewed. Asecodes parviclava (Thomson) is removed from synonymy under A. lucens stat. rev., and differentiated from A. lucens (Nees) and A. lineophagum sp. n. All three species develop as gregarious endoparasitoids in larvae of Galerucella spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), but each species has its own uni

Many biological wastewater treatment processes are based on bacterial biofilms, i.e. layered aggregates of microbial populations deposited on surfaces. Detachment and (re-)attachment leads to an exchange of biomass between the biofilm and the surrounding aqueous phase. Traditionally, mathematical models of biofilm processes do not take the contribution of the suspended, non-attached bacteria into

Presently there is an abundance of sites, across media, promoting acts of communal reading (televised book clubs, web rings, publishers’ book discussion questions, etc.). This article forms a case study of what usages of reading and concurrently what reading subjects are framed in the Swedish televised book club, Malous bokklubb (Malou’s Book Club), modelled on Oprah’s Book Club in the USA and Ric

Imaging techniques that provide detailed insights into structural tissue changes after stroke can vitalize development of treatment strategies and diagnosis of disease. Diffusion-weighted MRI has been playing an important role in this regard. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), a recent addition to this repertoire, has opened up further possibilities in extending our knowledge about structural tissu

The hydrogen absorption mechanism of the 2NaH + MgB2 system has been investigated in detail. Depending on the applied hydrogen pressure, different intermediate phases are observed. In the case of absorption measurements performed under 50 bar of hydrogen pressure, NaBH4 is found not to be formed directly. Instead, first an unknown phase is formed, followed upon further heating by the formation of

To estimate the impact of urbanization on wild animals, it is important to know how different species, populations and/or individuals deal with and respond to environmental stress. Are more urbanized species adapted to their environment, or do individuals acclimatize over the course of their life? Alternatively, do they simply cope at the expense of other functions? These are three key processes t

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to gather information regarding what students consider important for their motivation to attain knowledge, in order to shape courses that foster this motivation. METHOD: A qualitative design comprising focus groups including 31 nursing and medical students for interviews, semi-structured questions, and content analysis was utilized. RESULT: The students thought it was impor

Coffee and tea contain numerous antimutagenic and antioxidant components and high levels of caffeine that may protect against colorectal cancer (CRC). We investigated the association between coffee and tea consumption and CRC risk and studied potential effect modification by CYP1A2 and NAT2 genotypes, enzymes involved in the metabolization of caffeine. Data from 477,071 participants (70.2% female)

This study examined how differences in visuo-perceptual patterns are related to psychopathology. Fifty-six patients (37 women, 19 men; M age = 43.8 yr., SD = 13.4) with a main diagnosis of unipolar depression and 42 patients (22 women, 20 men; M age = 42.0 yr., SD = 11.1) with a main diagnosis of somatoform disorder were compared. The duration and trend of a visual motion aftereffect were measured

To distinguish between natural and anthropogenic forcing, the supposedly ongoing global warming needs to be put in a longer, geological perspective. When the last ca. 20 000 yr of climate development is reviewed, including the climatically dramatic period when the Last Ice Age ended, the Last Termination, it appears that the last centuries of globally rising temperatures should be regarded as an a

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) accounts for 15-20%, of the millions of people worldwide with dementia. Accurate diagnosis is essential to avoid harm and optimize clinical management. There is therefore an urgent need to identify reliable biomarkers. Methods: Mass spectrometry was used to determine the specificity of antibody alpha-synuclein (211) for alpha-synuclein. Using gel electro

Six-membered cyclic carbonates are potential monomers for phosgene and/or isocyanate free polycarbonates and polyurethanes via ring-opening polymerization. A two-step process for their synthesis comprising lipase-catalyzed transesterificationofa polyol, trimethylolpropane(TMP) with dimethylcarbonate(DMC)in a solvent-free system followed by thermal cyclization was optimized to improve process effic

A modification of the Roe scheme called L2Roe for low dissipation low Mach Roe is presented. It reduces the dissipation of kinetic energy at the highest resolved wave numbers in a low Mach number test case of decaying isotropic turbulence. This is achieved by scaling the jumps in all discrete velocity components within the numerical flux function. An asymptotic analysis is used to show the correct

We start with two puzzles: first, how to explain the European Union (EU)'s decline as a climate change leader at the Copenhagen summit? Second, how to understand the partial revival of its leadership position at the Durban climate summit? We advance a twofold explanation, focusing on changes in relative power relations among major powers but also on negotiation strategies and coalition building. I

PURPOSE: Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and tumor characteristics affect disease-free survival. Larger breast size may increase breast cancer risk, but its influence on disease-free survival is unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether breast size independently influenced disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Body measurements were obtain

Rare-variant association studies in common, complex diseases are customarily conducted under an additive risk model in both single-variant and burden testing. Here, we describe a method to improve detection of rare recessive variants in complex diseases termed RAFT (recessive-allele-frequency-based test). We found that RAFT outperforms existing approaches when the variant influences disease risk i

A method based on hollow-fibre liquid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography was developed for determination of specific bile acids in caecal materials of rats. Nine unconjugated bile acids, including the primary bile acids (cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid and α-muricholic acid) and the secondary bile acids (lithocholic acid, deoxycholic acid, ursodeoxycholic acid, hyodeoxycholi

Lipotoxicity is a presumed pathogenetic process whereby elevated circulating and stored lipids in Type 2 Diabetes cause pancreatic β-cell failure. To resolve the underlying molecular mechanisms, we exposed clonal INS-1 832/13 β-cells to palmitate for 48 h. We observed elevated basal insulin secretion but impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in palmitate-exposed cells. Glucose utilization

Increases in striatal activity have been suggested to mediate training-related improvements in working-memory ability. We investigated the temporal dynamics of changes in task-related brain activity following training of working memory. Participants in an experimental group and an active control group, trained on easier tasks of a constant difficulty in shorter sessions than the experimental group