Pre-Election Positions and Voting Behaviour in Parliament: Consistency among Swiss MPs

This article examines the determinants of positional incongruence between pre-election statements and post-election behaviour in the Swiss parliament between 2003 and 2009. The question is examined at the individual MP level, which is appropriate for dispersion-of-powers systems like Switzerland. While the overall rate of political congruence reaches about 85%, a multilevel logit analysis detects the underlying factors which push or curb a candidate's propensity to change his or her mind once elected. The results show that positional changes are more likely when (1) MPs are freshmen, (2) individual voting behaviour is invisible to the public, (3) the electoral district magnitude is not small, (4) the vote is not about a party's core issue, (5) the MP belongs to a party which is located in the political centre, and (6) if the pre-election statement dissents from the majority position of the legislative party group. Of these factors, the last one is paramount.

Spirituality and religious practices among outpatients with schizophrenia and their clinicians

OBJECTIVES: Religious issues may be neglected by clinicians who are treating psychotic patients, even when religion constitutes an important means of coping. This study examined the spirituality and religious practices of outpatients with schizophrenia compared with their clinicians. Clinicians' knowledge of patients' religious involvement and spirituality was investigated. METHODS: The study sample included 100 patients of public psychiatric outpatient facilities in Geneva, Switzerland, with a diagnosis of nonaffective psychosis. Audiotaped interviews were conducted with use of a semistructured interview about spirituality and religious coping. The patients' clinicians (N=34) were asked about their own beliefs and religious activities as well as their patients' religious and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Sixteen patients (16 percent) had positive psychotic symptoms reflecting aspects of their religious beliefs. A majority of the patients reported that religion was an important aspect of their lives, but only 36 percent of them had raised this issue with their clinicians. Fewer clinicians were religiously involved, and, in half the cases, their perceptions of patients' religious involvement were inaccurate. A few patients considered religious practice to be incompatible with treatment, and clinicians were seldom aware of such a conflict. CONCLUSIONS: Religion is an important issue for patients with schizophrenia, and it is often not related to the content of their delusions. Clinicians were commonly not aware of their patients' religious involvement, even if they reported feeling comfortable with such an issue.

Do voting advice applications have an effect on electoral participation and voter turnout ? : Evidence from the 2007 Swiss Federal Elections

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) render a valuable platform for tackling one of democracy's central challenges: low voter turnout. Studies indicate that lack of information and cost-benefit considerations cause voters to abstain from voting. VAAs are online voting assistance tools which match own political preferences with those of candidates and parties in elections. By assisting voters in their decision-making process prior to casting their votes, VAAs not only rebut rational choice reasoning against voting but also narrow existing information gaps. In this paper we examine the impact of VAAs on participation and voter turnout. Specifically, we present results on how the Swiss VAA smartvote affected voter turnout in the 2007 federal elections. Our analyses suggest that smartvote does have a mobilizing capacity, especially among young voters who are usually underrepresented at polls. Moreover, the study demonstrates how VAAs such as smartvote do affect citizen's propensity to deal with politics in general.

Use of polymerase chain reaction and enzymatic cleavage in the identification of Helicobacter spp. in gastric mucosa of human beings from North Paraná, Brazil

Helicobacter pylori is the most common gastric bacteria of human beings. Animal-borne helicobacter have been associated with gastritis, ulceration, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid-tissue lymphoma in people. We attempted to identify the species of Helicobacter spp. that infect human beings in north Paraná, Brazil. Samples of gastric mucosa from 38 dyspeptic patients were analyzed by optic microscopy on silver stained slides, polimerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzymatic cleavage. Genus and species-specific primers to H. pylori, H. heilmannii, H. felis, and consensual primers to H. bizzozeronii or H. salomonis were used. The PCR products were submitted to enzymatic cleavage by VspI (Helicobacter spp. product) and HinfI (species products) enzymes. Thirty-two out of 38 patients evaluated had 3.2 to 5 µm long bacteria that resembled H. pylori in Warthin-Starry stained slides and were positive to the genus Helicobacter by PCR. In 30 of these patients the bacteria were identified as H. pylori. Two samples positive by silver stain were negative to all species tested by PCR. None of the 38 samples was positive to animal-origin helicobacter species. These results show that PCR and enzymatic restriction are practical methods to identify the species of helicobacters present in gastric mucosa of human beings. People in north Paraná appear to be infected mostly with H. pylori.

Guidance on food for religious faiths

This poster provides guidance for schools on foods for religious faiths.

Cathepsin X cleavage of the beta2 integrin regulates talin-binding and LFA-1 affinity in T cells.

T cell migration, essential for immune surveillance and response, is mediated by the integrin LFA-1. CatX, a cysteine carboxypeptidase, is involved in the regulation of T cell migration by interaction with LFA-1. We show that sequential cleavage of C-terminal amino acids from the β(2) cytoplasmic tail of LFA-1, by CatX, enhances binding of the adaptor protein talin to LFA-1 and triggers formation of the latter's high-affinity form. As shown by SPR analysis of peptides constituting the truncated β(2) tail, the cleavage of three C-terminal amino acids by CatX resulted in a 1.6-fold increase of talin binding. Removal of one more amino acid resulted in a 2.5-fold increase over the intact tail. CatX cleavage increased talin-binding affinity to the MD but not the MP talin-binding site on the β(2) tail. This was shown by molecular modeling of the β(2) tail/talin F3 complex to be a result of conformational changes affecting primarily the distal-binding site. Analysis of LFA-1 by conformation-specific mAb showed that CatX modulates LFA-1 affinity, promoting formation of high-affinity from intermediate-affinity LFA-1 but not the initial activation of LFA-1 from a bent to extended form. CatX post-translational modifications may thus represent a mechanism of LFA-1 fine-tuning that enables the trafficking of T cells.

Analysis of the regulation of Nodal function by SPC-mediated cleavage during early mammalian development

RÉSUMÉ Après implantation dans l'utérus, le foetus de mammifère est composé de trois populations différentes de cellules: l'epiblast, l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire et l'endoderme viscéral. Pendant la gastrulation, les cellules de l'epiblast donnent naissance aux trois lignées germinales: l'ectoderme, le mésoderme et l'endodermes. Les lignées germinales produisent par la suite les différents tissus et organes du corps embryonnaire et adulte. Les cellules de l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire donnent par la suite le composant foetal du placenta qui est essentiel à la survie de l'embryon dans l'utérus. L'épiblast et l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire sont entourés par l'endoderme viscéral et forment une structure connue sous le nom de bouton embryonnaire. L'endoderme viscéral joue un rôle important dans l'embryogenèse car il comporte une sous-population de cellules appelées l'endoderme viscéral antérieur dont les signaux influencent l'épiblast adjacent et déterminent le futur axe antéro-postérieur de l'embryon. La protéine de signalisation Nodal de la famille des TGFß est essentielle dans l'épiblast pour spécifier le mésendoderme, l'endoderme viscéral antérieur, ainsi que pour maintenir les cellules souche de l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire. Ainsi, dans les embryons mutants pour Nodal, aucun axe antéro-postérieur n'est établi, les lignées germinales ne sont pas spécifiés et le placenta ne se développe pas. Au niveau moléculaire, comme pour les protéines de la famille des TGFß, Nodal est initialement synthétisée sous forme de précurseur avant d'être clivée de façon endoproteolytique par des protéanes sécrétées, les proprotéines convertases du type subtilisin (SPC), qui suppriment la partie inhibitrice N-terminale du pro peptide. Dans ce contexte, le projet de ma thèse a été d'analyser l'influence des SPC sur la fonction de Nodal en employant une combinaison d'approches génétiques et biochimiques. Premièrement, nous avons constaté que le clivage du précurseur par les protéases active Nodal, mais en même temps augmente son turn-over et diminue la portée de son action. Deuxièmement, dans l'embryon, il apparaît que Nodal est activé par l'action combinée de Furin et de PACE4, deux protéases sécrétées qui sont spécifiquement exprimées dans les cellules de l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire, donc adjacentes au domaine d'expression de Nodal. De manière similaire aux mutants de Nodal, les embryons mutants pour les deux protéases ne forment pas d'endoderme viscéral antérieur et ne gastrulent pas. Cependant, certains gènes cible de Nodal restent exprimés, suggérant que toutes les activités de Nodal ne sont pas dépendent du clivage par les SPCs. En effet, la génération et l'analyse de mutants portant un allèle knock-in qui code pour une forme mutante de Nodal résistante aux SPC, ont montré que ces mutants ont les caractères phénotypique des mutants de Nodal seulement de façon partielle. La formation de mésoderme est partiellement induite, et de façon remarquable, la forme de Nodal résistante aux SPC est capable d'agir à une distance de sa source, maintenant l'expression de ses propres protéases et d'autres gènes essentiels pour la spécification de l'ectoderme extraembryonnaire. Ensemble, ces résultats prouvent que par leur action directe les protéases extraembryonnaire modulent la signalisation de Nodal pendant le développement mammifère précoce. SUMMARY : Early after implantation in the uterus, the mammalian conceptus is composed of three different cell populations: the epiblast, the extraembryonic ectoderm and the visceral endoderm. During gastrulation, epiblast cells give rise to the three embryonic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm. These germ layers then generate the different tissues and organs of the embryonic and adult bodies. In parallel, extraembryonic ectoderm cells give rise to the fetal component of the placenta, which is essential for the survival of the embryo in the uterus. Both the epiblast and extraembryonic ectoderm are surrounded by the visceral endoderm to form a structure known as the egg cylinder. The visceral endoderm plays an important role as it harbours a subpopulation of cells called the anterior visceral endoderm, from which signals influence the adjacent epiblast and determine the future antero-posterior embryonic axis. The TGFß-related signalling protein Nodal is required within the epiblast to specify the mesoderm, the endoderm,the anterior visceral endoderm and is also essential to maintain stem cells in the extraembryonic ectoderm. Thus, in Nodal null conceptuses, no antero-posterior axis is established, the germ layers are not specified and the placenta does not develop. At the molecular level, Nodal, like related proteins of the TGFß family, is initially synthesized as a precursor and undergoes endoproteolytic cleavage by secreted proteases of the subtilisin-like proprotein convertases (SPC) to remove an inhibitory N-terminal pro peptide. In the embryo, Nodal is activated by the combined action of Furin and PACE4, two secreted SPCs that are specifically expressed in cells of the extraembryonic ectoderm, thus adjacent to the Nodal expression domain. Similar to Nodal null .embryos, mutant embryos lacking both these proteases fail to specify the anterior visceral endoderm and to undergo gastrulation. However, these mutants still express a subset of Nodal target genes, suggesting that part of Nodal activity is independent on cleavage by SPCs. Indeed, by generating and analyzing mutants with a knock-in allele that encodes an SPC-resistant mutant form of Nodal, I could show that they retain a subset of Nodal activities. Mesoderm formation is partially induced, but most remarkably, SPC-resistant Nodal form is able to act at a distance from its source, maintaining the expression of its proteases and of other genes essential for maintenance of the extraembryonic ectoderm.

Religious identity and intercultural dialogue

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) In a world society ruled by economic globalisation, by political interests and theories such as Huntington's «clash of civilisations» that widen the gap between the North and the South, the question should be asked of the role of the religion. To what extent religion and politics can work together? Can faith still be thought as a means of saving the world? Considering that Christianity, Islam and Judaism have much in common, this collection of miscellanies wonders if these religions can join their forces for public benefit. Senior and junior scholars from all over the world, gathered for an interdisciplinary seminar, analyse the contemporary international relationships and geopolitics through the prism of religion, discussing whether it can provide practical solutions to solve conflicts and increase the respect of human rights.

Guidance on food for religious faiths

This poster provides guidance for schools on foods for religious faiths.

Religious act, public space: reflections on some Geertzian concepts

This paper examines theoretical and methodological implications of Clifford Geertz's approach to religion as he formulated it in 'Religion as a cultural system' (Geertz 1966), where religion and culture seem to be defined as functional equivalents. The paper considers religious symbols in the public space, using two examples from contemporary reality - one being a certain expression spoken by the copilot of Egypt Air Flight 990, the other being the headscarf controversy in France - in order to explore how the anthropologist relates the microsituations he observes to an all-embracing context

A novel neutrophil elastase inhibitor prevents elastase activation and surface cleavage of the epithelial sodium channel expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

The amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) constitutes a limiting step in sodium reabsorption across distal airway epithelium and controlling mucociliary clearance. ENaC is activated by serine proteases secreted in the extracellular milieu. In cystic fibrosis lungs, high concentrations of secreted neutrophil elastase (NE) are observed. hNE could activate ENaC and contribute to further decreased mucociliary clearance. The aims of this study were (i) to test the ability of an engineered human neutrophil elastase inhibitor (EPI-hNE4) to specifically inhibit the elastase activation of ENaC-mediated amiloride-sensitive currents (I(Na)) and (ii) to examine the effect of elastase on cell surface expression of ENaC and its cleavage pattern (exogenous proteolysis). Oocytes were exposed to hNE (10-100 microg/ml) and/or trypsin (10 microg/ml) for 2-5 min in the presence or absence of EPI-hNE4 (0.7 microm). hNE activated I(Na) 3.6-fold (p < 0.001) relative to non-treated hENaC-injected oocytes. EPI-hNE4 fully inhibited hNE-activated I(Na) but had no effect on trypsin- or prostasin-activated I(Na). The co-activation of I(Na) by hNE and trypsin was not additive. Biotinylation experiments revealed that cell surface gamma ENaC (but not alpha or beta ENaC) exposed to hNE for 2 min was cleaved (as a 67-kDa fragment) and correlated with increased I(Na). The elastase-induced exogenous proteolysis pattern is distinct from the endogenous proteolysis pattern induced upon preferential assembly, suggesting a causal relationship between gamma ENaC cleavage and ENaC activation, taking place at the plasma membrane.