scholarly journals Preference vote and intra-party competition in open list PR systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio Cheibub ◽  
Gisela Sin
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Proportional Representation ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Intense Competition ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Number Of Parties ◽  
Chamber Of Deputies ◽  
Legislative Parties

Open list proportional representation (PR) systems require that candidates seek personal votes in order to be successful. This feature of the system is considered to lead to intense competition among co-partisans and, ultimately, to weak electoral and legislative parties, narrow public policies, localism, clientelism, and corruption. We examine the distribution of personal votes among candidates from the same party for seven elections to the Brazilian national chamber of deputies (1990–2014). These elections are widely seen as hyper-competitive, particularly among candidates from the same list. Yet, the patterns in the data are not compatible with such a view. We find that the level of overall competition is considerably lower than the absolute number of parties and candidates competing would suggest. More significantly, we find that the number of viable candidates within party lists is limited and that their votes are distributed in such a way that indicates a contained competition among co-partisans during the election. These findings add to recent work that builds a more nuanced view of ballot structure, competition, and personalism.

The Competitive Road to Proportional Representation

2009 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Voting Rights ◽  
Proportional Representation ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Electoral Rules ◽  
Electoral Reforms ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
Number Of Parties

One of the most noteworthy political regularities in the early twentieth century was the shift away from majoritarian electoral rules in Western Europe. The conventional wisdom suggests that proportional representation (PR) was introduced by elites who believed that under the existing majoritarian rules (simple plurality, block-vote, two-ballot rules) they would soon lose power to rapidly growing socialist parties. But this does not explain why many electoral reforms were carried out in countries with weak or nonexistent socialist parties. The author shows that increasing the number of parties distorts the seat-vote properties of electoral rules to a larger degree than previously anticipated. Under increasing party competition, electoral regimes display larger partisan biases than those observed in two-party races and crowd out minority parties that have territorially dispersed constituencies in favor of minority parties that have territorially concentrated constituencies. Using a dynamic Bayesian model for seats and votes, the author measures the partisan biases brought about by the expansion of voting rights in the late nineteenth century to explain the drive to reform majoritarian electoral systems.

The Issue of Sustainability in Third World Food Production (The Distinguishedl Lecture)

1992 ◽  
Vol 31 (4I) ◽  
pp. 511-534
Author(s):  
Winfried Von Urff
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Third World ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
World Food ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
The Difference

In spite of the fact that food production in developing countries doubled over the last 25 years undernutrition is still widely spread. At the beginning of the eighties, according to FAO, 335 to 494 million people in developing countries suffered from serious undernutrition the difference being due to different concepts to determine undernutrition on which scientist were unable to find a consensus.) Unfortunately there is no recent comprehensive analysis of the food situation comparable to those of previous World Food Surveys but it can be taken for sure that the absolute number of undernourished has increased. According to unofficial FAO sources a figure of 870 million was estimated for 1990 (22 percent of the total population in developing countries) using the same concept that led to the figure of 494 million in 1979-81 (23 percent of the total population in developing countries) which means that most probably the number of undernourished increased at a rate slightly less than population growth.

scholarly journals AB0588 INFECTION AGGRAVATED DECREASE OF THE LEVEL OF TH17 AND TREG CELLS AND LOW-DOSE IL-2 REBALANCED TH17/TREG IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHY

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1591.3-1591
Author(s):  
Y. Liang ◽  
H. Y. Wen ◽  
Y. Duan ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
Z. Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Low Dose ◽  
Lymphocyte Subsets ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Treg Cells ◽  
Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies ◽  
Inflammatory Myopathies ◽  
Infection Group ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Organ Infection

Background:Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are featured by a series of clinical presentation such as proximal muscle weakness, increased serum levels of creatine kinase and other muscle enzymes and involvement of other organs and systems[1, 2], which results in high morbidity and early mortality[3]. We have known the changes of the level of Th17 and Treg cells in IIM in previous studies[4-6]. However, whether infection affects lymphocyte subsets or not and whether the effect of low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) can be influenced by the use of immunosuppressants or not are still unclear.Objectives:The study aimed to explore the changes of lymphocyte subsets in patients of IIM with or without important organ infection, and the restoration of Th17/Treg after receiving low-dose IL-2.Methods:A total of 118 IIM patients were enrolled and classified into infection group and non-infection group based on the important organ infection. Of them, 48 cases were treated with low dose IL-2 (5.0*105IU for 5 days). The absolute number of peripheral total T, B, CD4+T, CD8+T, NK, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry combined with absolute counting beads. Clinical data, laboratory examinations and the levels of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were analyzed retrospectively.Results:In these patients, especially in the infection group, the absolute number of T, CD4+T, CD8+T, NK, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells were significantly decreased as compared with that in the healthy controls, which were significantly increased by low dose IL-2 (especially Treg cells) treatment. The levels of ESR, LDH and HBDH and the ratio of Th17/Treg were significantly lower than those before IL-2 treatment (Z=-2.237, -2.083, -2.140, -3.663,P=0.025, 0.037, 0.032, 0.000). The 48 cases who received IL-2 treatment were divided into 2 groups according to whether they used immunosuppressants. There was no significant difference in the absolute number of T, B, CD4+T, CD8+T, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells, the proportion of Th17 and Treg cells and the ratio of Th17/Treg between the 2 groups (P>0.05).Conclusion:Global decrease in lymphocyte subsets was found in IIM patients, especially those who had important organ infection. A significant re-balance of Th17/Treg was observed after receiving treatment with low-dose IL-2. Furthermore, the restoration of lymphocyte subsets showed similar degree after treatment with or without immunosuppressants. Low-dose IL-2 may become a potential therapy for IIM patients. The mechanism of lymphocyte decrease in IIM is required further to study.References:[1]Clark K E N, Isenberg D A. A review of inflammatory idiopathic myopathy focusing on polymyositis[J]. European Journal of Neurology, 2017.[2]Tieu J, Lundberg IE, Limaye V. Idiopathic inflammatory myositis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2016. 30(1): 149-68.[3]Mandel DE, Malemud CJ, Askari AD. Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Review of the Classification and Impact of Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci. 2017. 18(5).[4]Zhang SX, Wang J, Sun HH, et al. Circulating regulatory T cells were absolutely decreased in dermatomyositis/polymyositis patients and restored by low-dose IL-2. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019 .[5]Espinosa-Ortega F, Gómez-Martin D, Santana-De Anda K, Romo-Tena J, Villaseñor-Ovies P, Alcocer-Varela J. Quantitative T cell subsets profile in peripheral blood from patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: tilting the balance towards proinflammatory and pro-apoptotic subsets. Clin Exp Immunol. 2015. 179(3): 520-8.[6]Feng M, Guo H, Zhang C, et al. Absolute reduction of regulatory T cells and regulatory effect of short-term and low-dose IL-2 in polymyositis or dermatomyositis. Int Immunopharmacol. 2019. 77: 105912.Acknowledgments:Thanks for the support of my teachers, classmates and my family.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

The Impact of Age and Gender on Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Immune Contexture of the Bone Marrow Microenvironment

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Rebar N. Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a rare population of cells that reside mainly in the bone marrow and are capable of generating and fulfilling the entire hematopoietic system upon differentiation. Thirty-six healthy donors, attending the HSCT center to donate their bone marrow, were categorized according to their age into child (0–12 years), adolescence (13–18 years), and adult (19–59 years) groups, and gender into male and female groups. Then, the absolute number of HSCs and mature immune cells in their harvested bone marrow was investigated. Here, we report that the absolute cell number can vary considerably based on the age of the healthy donor, and the number of both HSCs and immune cells declines with advancing age. The gender of the donor (male or female) did not have any impact on the number of the HSCs and immune cells in the bone marrow. In conclusion, since the number of HSCs plays a pivotal role in the clinical outcome of allogeneic HSC transplantations, identifying a younger donor regardless the gender is critical.

Was Duverger Correct? Single-Member District Election Outcomes in Fifty-three Countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew M. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
District Level ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Plurality Rule ◽  
Third Place ◽  
Institutional Rules ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Number Of Parties ◽  
Duverger's Law

In districts where only one seat is contested, the electoral formula (plurality or majority) should be a major determinant of the number of parties that receive votes. Specifically, plurality rule should generate two-party competition while other institutional arrangements should generate electoral fragmentation. Yet tests of these propositions using district-level data have focused on a limited number of cases; they rarely contrast different electoral systems and have reached mixed conclusions. This study analyses district-level data from 6,745 single-member district election contests from 53 democratic countries to test the evidence for Duverger's Law and Hypothesis. Double-ballot majoritarian systems have large numbers of candidates, as predicted, but while the average outcome under plurality rule is generally consistent with two-party competition, it is not perfectly so. The two largest parties typically dominate the districts (generally receiving more than 90 per cent of the vote), and there is very little support for parties finishing fourth or worse. Yet third-place parties do not completely disappear, and ethnic divisions shape party fragmentation levels, even under plurality rule. Finally, institutional rules that generate multiparty systems elsewhere in the country increase electoral fragmentation in single-member plurality districts.

Voting Equilibria Under Proportional Representation

2014 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
SEOK-JU CHO
Keyword(s):  
Median Voter ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Solution Concept ◽  
Proportional Representation ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Policy Outcome ◽  
Equilibrium Concept ◽  
Number Of Parties ◽  
Robust Equilibrium

This article studies the consequences of strategic voting by outcome-oriented voters in elections under proportional representation (PR). I develop a model of elections under PR, in which voters choose among an arbitrary finite number of parties, and the policy outcome is determined in a postelection bargaining stage. I use a new solution concept, robust equilibrium, which greatly mitigates the well-known problem of indeterminate predictions in multicandidate competition. Applying the equilibrium concept to the model, I find that PR promotes representation of small parties in general, even when voters are strategic. However, the median voter plays a critical role in shaping policy outcomes, which reflects the majoritarian nature of parliamentary policy making rules. Thus, PR may not be incompatible with the majoritarian vision of representative democracy if voters’ main concern is policy outcomes.

scholarly journals Determination of the Absolute Number of Transgene Copies in CMVFUT Transgenic Pigs

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lipiński ◽  
Joanna Zeyland ◽  
Andrzej Pławski ◽  
Ryszard Słomski
Keyword(s):  
Copy Number ◽  
Transgenic Animals ◽  
Promoter Sequence ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Transgenic Pigs ◽  
Cmv Promoter ◽  
Genetic Construct ◽  
Coding Sequence ◽  
The Absolute

Determination of the Absolute Number of Transgene Copies in CMVFUT Transgenic PigsThe aim of this research was to determine the number of transgene copies in the DNA of transgenic pigs. The copy number of the transgene was analysed in the transgenic animals with introduced pCMVFUT genetic construct containing a coding sequence of human H transferase under a control of CMV promoter. The copy number of the transgene that had integrated with the genome of the transgenic animals was analysed by qPCR with SYBR Green dye, which enabled nonspecific double-stranded DNA detection. CMVFT-2F and CMVFT-2R primers were used to amplify a 149 bp fragment of DNA. Forward primer had a sequence complementary to a promoter sequence and reverse primer to a coding sequence of H transferase. The copy number of the transgene in the examined samples was established by plotting the CT values obtained on a standard curve, which had been set by the usage of the CT values for the successive standard dilutions with known copy number (1.438-1.431 copies). As a standard we used pCMVFut genetic construct hydrolyzed with Not I restriction enzyme to a linear form. The real-time PCR results helped to establish the range of 3 - 4 as the number of the transgene copies that had integrated to the swine genome.

scholarly journals Estimating the number of undetected COVID-19 cases among travellers from mainland China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Sangeeta Bhatia ◽  
Natsuko Imai ◽  
Gina Cuomo-Dannenburg ◽  
Marc Baguelin ◽  
Adhiratha Boonyasiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mainland China ◽  
Relative Sensitivity ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Wuhan City ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Country Specific

Background: As of August 2021, every region of the world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 196,000,000 cases worldwide. Methods: We analysed COVID-19 cases among travellers from mainland China to different regions and countries, comparing the region- and country-specific rates of detected and confirmed cases per flight volume to estimate the relative sensitivity of surveillance in different regions and countries. Results: Although travel restrictions from Wuhan City and other cities across China may have reduced the absolute number of travellers to and from China, we estimated that up to 70% (95% CI: 54% - 80%) of imported cases could remain undetected relative to the sensitivity of surveillance in Singapore. The percentage of undetected imported cases rises to 75% (95% CI 66% - 82%) when comparing to the surveillance sensitivity in multiple countries. Conclusions: Our analysis shows that a large number of COVID-19 cases remain undetected across the world. These undetected cases potentially resulted in multiple chains of human-to-human transmission outside mainland China.

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