Although previous research has suggested that the opposition’s ability to form pre-electoral coalitions (PECs) in authoritarian elections is crucial for the electoral outcome, little has been written about why and when such coalitions are formed. The aim of this article is to fill this empirical and theoretical gap. A theory that combines oppositional parties’ office- and policy-gaining potential

Background: Accurate measurement of von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a critical requirement for the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD). Aim of the study: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of a rapid quantitative test for the measurement of VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) in type 1 VWD. Patients and methods: VWF: Ag was measured with an ELISA in a robotic instrument, as a reference method, and with a

We report Zr1-xGdxN thin films deposited by magnetron sputter deposition. We show a solid solubility of the highly neutron absorbing GdN into ZrN along the whole compositional range, which is in excellent agreement with our recent predictions by first-principles calculations. An oxidization study in air shows that Zr1-xGdxN with x reaching from 1 to close to 0 fully oxidizes, but that the oxidizat

Theorizing Power, by Jonathan Hearn, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, 264 pp., ISBN 9780230246560, £55.00 (hardback), ISBN 9780230246577, £19.99 (paperback).

During the last two decades, the synthesis of silica with an ordered mesoporous structure has been thoroughly explored. The basis of the synthesis is to let silica monomers polymerize in the presence of an amphiphilic template component. In the first studies, cationic surfactants were used as structure inducer. Later it was shown that pluronic copolymers also could have the role. One advantage wit

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a novel procedure designed to rapidly assess and recondition unusable donor lungs for transplantation (LTx). EVLP may reduce graft immunogenicity and allorecognition via removal of passenger leukocytes. We aimed to explore this hypothesis using human EVLP and in vitro analysis.

This paper aims at offering a comparative analysis of the narrator in the novel “I giorni dell’abbandono” (2002) by the Italian writer Elena Ferrante, and the narrator in the cinematographic version of the same work “I giorni dell’abbandono” (2005), directed by Roberto Faenza. The paper focuses on some narrative properties that emerge in Elena Ferrante’s novel “I giorni dell’abbandono”, and compar

he present study investigated the unique contribution of learning approaches to academic performance, also taking gender differences into account. The participant sample consisted of 476 school pupils (53% girls and 47% boys) from two upper secondary schools in Sweden who completed two self-reported measures related to personality and learning approaches and one cognitive ability test. A series of

Reduction in traffic-induced ground vibrations by the use of shaped landscapes is investigated here by shaping the landscape surrounding a high-tech facility, using the landscape thus produced as a wave obstacle. The effects of the geometric parameters of a shaped landscape were examined in parametric studies. An architectural landscape design was also investigated in terms of its effectiveness in

Evaluating potentially analgesic effects of drugs and various treatments is critically dependent on valid animal models of pain. Since primary somatosensory (SI) cortex is likely to play an important role in processing sensory aspects of pain, we here assess whether monitoring SI cortex nociceptive C fibre evoked potentials can provide useful information about central changes related to hyperalges

This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). More specifically, we investigated data completeness, scaling assumptions, targeting, reliability, and construct validity.

In this introductory retrospective, evolution as viewed through gene trees is inspected through a lens compounded from its founding operational assumptions. The four assumptions of the gene tree culture that are singularly important to evolutionary interpretations are: a. that protein-coding sequences are molecular fossils; b. that gene trees are equivalent to species trees; c. that the tree of li

Research on dementia care settings has primarily focused on routine aspects of life, including mealtimes, bathing procedures, etc. However, studies rarely explore how individuals with dementia interact in these settings during the intervals between routines. This study aimed to analyze how residents actively carved out spaces that provided temporary respite from institutional life, termed “framing

Simultaneous small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) were used to measure several properties of the nanoparticles and soot being produced and undergoing condensation and phase changes below a stabilizing cooling plate inserted in an ethylene diffusion flame. From the SAXS data several distinct size modes appeared showing interdependent changes in the size, shape/morphology, and

Nanoparticles are widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries, but the consequences of exposure to the human body have not been thoroughly investigated. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoAI), the major protein in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and other lipoproteins are found in the corona around many nanopartides, but data on protein structural and functional effects are lacking. Here we investig

To identify novel genes influencing blood pressure response to thiazide diuretic therapy for hypertension, we conducted genome-wide association meta-analyses of approximate to 1.1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a combined sample of 424 European Americans with primary hypertension treated with hydrochlorothiazide from the Pharmacogenomic Evaluation of Antihypertensive Responses study (n

This paper explores two approaches to information processing and learning in societal safety efforts: (1) stressing specifics and (2) aiming at generalities. It discusses how the two approaches are related to each other and to high-level efforts to achieve societal safety. As background, this paper briefly explores the concept of generic capability – what is it? How is it to be understood? How can

The abundance of heavy elements (metallicity) in the photospheres of stars similar to the Sun provides a 'fossil' record of the chemical composition of the initial protoplanetary disk. Metal-rich stars are much more likely to harbour gas giant planets(1-4), supporting the model that planets form by accumulation of dust and ice particles(5). Recent ground-based surveys suggest that this correlation