Shortcuts Versus Encyclopedias: Information and Voting Behavior in California Insurance Reform Elections

1994 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Lupia
Keyword(s):  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Ballot Initiatives ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Insurance Reform ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Electoral Choice ◽  
Information Shortcuts ◽  
Available Information

Voters in mass elections are notorious for their apparent lack of information about relevant political matters. While some scholars argue that an electorate of well-informed voters is necessary for the production of responsive electoral outcomes, others argue that apparently ignorant voters will suffice because they can adapt their behavior to the complexity of electoral choice. To evaluate the validity of these arguments, I develop and analyze a survey of California voters who faced five complicated insurance reform ballot initiatives. I find that access to a particular class of widely available information shortcuts allowed badly informed voters to emulate the behavior of relatively well informed voters. This finding is suggestive of the conditions under which voters who lack encyclopedic information about the content of electoral debates can nevertheless use information shortcuts to vote as though they were well informed.

Estimating the Electoral Effects of Voter Turnout

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS G. HANSFORD ◽  
BRAD T. GOMEZ
Keyword(s):  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Electoral Choice ◽  
High Turnout ◽  
Specific Factors

This article examines the electoral consequences of variation in voter turnout in the United States. Existing scholarship focuses on the claim that high turnout benefits Democrats, but evidence supporting this conjecture is variable and controversial. Previous work, however, does not account for endogeneity between turnout and electoral choice, and thus, causal claims are questionable. Using election day rainfall as an instrumental variable for voter turnout, we are able to estimate the effect of variation in turnout due to across-the-board changes in the utility of voting. We re-examine the Partisan Effects and Two-Effects Hypotheses, provide an empirical test of an Anti-Incumbent Hypothesis, and propose a Volatility Hypothesis, which posits that high turnout produces less predictable electoral outcomes. Using county-level data from the 1948–2000 presidential elections, we find support for each hypothesis. Failing to address the endogeneity problem would lead researchers to incorrectly reject all but the Anti-Incumbent Hypothesis. The effect of variation in turnout on electoral outcomes appears quite meaningful. Although election-specific factors other than turnout have the greatest influence on who wins an election, variation in turnout significantly affects vote shares at the county, national, and Electoral College levels.

scholarly journals Cell Bioprinting: The 3D-Bioplotter™ Case

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 4005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelats Lobo ◽  
Ginestra
Keyword(s):  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Petri Dish ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Synthetic Materials ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Available Information ◽  
User Friendly

The classic cell culture involves the use of support in two dimensions, such as a well plate or a Petri dish, that allows the culture of different types of cells. However, this technique does not mimic the natural microenvironment where the cells are exposed to. To solve that, three-dimensional bioprinting techniques were implemented, which involves the use of biopolymers and/or synthetic materials and cells. Because of a lack of information between data sources, the objective of this review paper is, to sum up, all the available information on the topic of bioprinting and to help researchers with the problematics with 3D bioprinters, such as the 3D-Bioplotter™. The 3D-Bioplotter™ has been used in the pre-clinical field since 2000 and could allow the printing of more than one material at the same time, and therefore to increase the complexity of the 3D structure manufactured. It is also very precise with maximum flexibility and a user-friendly and stable software that allows the optimization of the bioprinting process on the technological point of view. Different applications have resulted from the research on this field, mainly focused on regenerative medicine, but the lack of information and/or the possible misunderstandings between papers makes the reproducibility of the tests difficult. Nowadays, the 3D Bioprinting is evolving into another technology called 4D Bioprinting, which promises to be the next step in the bioprinting field and might promote great applications in the future.

scholarly journals Microplastics in Freshwater: What Is the News from the World?

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Cera ◽  
Giulia Cesarini ◽  
Massimiliano Scalici
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Bibliographic Search ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Lentic Waters

Plastic has become a “hot topic” for aquatic ecosystems’ conservation together with other issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Indeed, plastics may detrimentally affect habitats and biota. Small plastics, called microplastics, are more easily taken up by freshwater organisms, causing negative effects on growth, reproduction, predatory performance, etc. Since available information on microplastics in freshwater are fragmentary, the aim of this review is twofold: (i) to show, analyse, and discuss data on the microplastics concentration in freshwater and (ii) to provide the main polymers contaminating freshwater for management planning. A bibliographic search collected 158 studies since 2012, providing the scientific community with one of the largest data sets on microplastics in freshwater. Contamination is reported in all continents except Antarctica, but a lack of information is still present. Lentic waters are generally more contaminated than lotic waters, and waters are less contaminated than sediments, suggested to be sinks. The main contaminating polymers are polypropylene and polyethylene for sediment and water, while polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate are mainly found in biota. Future research is encouraged (1) to achieve a standardised protocol for monitoring, (2) to identify sources and transport routes (including primary or secondary origin), and (3) to investigate trophic transfer, especially from benthic invertebrates.

Isotopic discrimination of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) in a host-specific holocephalan tapeworm

2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Navarro ◽  
M. Albo-Puigserver ◽  
M. Coll ◽  
R. Saez ◽  
M.G. Forero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Fish Host ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Isotopic Discrimination ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Host Body Size

AbstractDuring the past decade, parasites have been considered important components of their ecosystems since they can modify food-web structures and functioning. One constraint to the inclusion of parasites in food-web models is the scarcity of available information on their feeding habits and host–parasite relationships. The stable isotope approach is suggested as a useful methodology to determine the trophic position and feeding habits of parasites. However, the isotopic approach is limited by the lack of information on the isotopic discrimination (ID) values of parasites, which is pivotal to avoiding the biased interpretation of isotopic results. In the present study we aimed to provide the first ID values of δ15N and δ13C between the gyrocotylidean tapeworm Gyrocotyle urna and its definitive host, the holocephalan Chimaera monstrosa. We also test the effect of host body size (body length and body mass) and sex of the host on the ID values. Finally, we illustrate how the trophic relationships of the fish host C. monstrosa and the tapeworm G. urna could vary relative to ID values. Similar to other studies with parasites, the ID values of the parasite–host system were negative for both isotopic values of N (Δδ15N = − 3.33 ± 0.63‰) and C (Δδ13C = − 1.32 ± 0.65‰), independent of the sex and size of the host. By comparing the specific ID obtained here with ID from other studies, we illustrate the importance of using specific ID in parasite–host systems to avoid potential errors in the interpretation of the results when surrogate values from similar systems or organisms are used.

scholarly journals Flaws in taxation of transnational corporations using the transfer-pricing rules

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-63
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Andreevna Iugina
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Pricing ◽  
Transnational Corporations ◽  
Transnational Corporation ◽  
International Taxation ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Pricing Rules ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Available Information

The subject of this research is the transfer-pricing rules applied in various countries, their peculiarities and flaws from the standpoint of approach to taxation of transnational corporations overall; as well as practical issues of implementation of transfer-pricing rules for transnational corporations and fiscal authorities, namely the problems of avoidance of taxation by the representatives of transnational corporations and ambiguity of the applied approaches towards regulation. The author examines differences in the rules applied by various jurisdictions, as well as law enforcement problems emerging thereof. Relevance of the topic is substantiated by high significance of transfer-pricing rules for taxation of transnational corporations, as well as the need for ensuring universality in international taxation. The main conclusions lie in determination of substantial ambiguity in the transfer-pricing riles, associated with the lack of information on comparable transaction in the available information systems, as well as assessment of rules with regards to each individual situation. The mechanism employed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation, aimed ate elimination of flaws in transfer-pricing rules, such as consensual procedure, are expensive and often ineffective for transnational corporations. Therefore, elimination of dual taxation is achieved only in some situations. Differences of legislation on transfer pricing in various jurisdictions can also lead to dual taxation of transnational corporations. Moreover, the “arm’s length” principle do not allow reflecting synergetic effects that emerge in the context of activity of transnational corporation, and thus, definition of taxation base within the framework of acting transfer-pricing rules is incomplete.

scholarly journals Early EEG responses to pre-electoral survey items reflect political attitudes and predict voting behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Galli ◽  
Davide Angelucci ◽  
Stefan Bode ◽  
Chiara De Giorgi ◽  
Lorenzo De Sio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Attitude Assessment ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Electoral Choice ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Mainstream Party

AbstractSelf-reports are conventionally used to measure political preferences, yet individuals may be unable or unwilling to report their political attitudes. Here, in 69 participants we compared implicit and explicit methods of political attitude assessment and focused our investigation on populist attitudes. Ahead of the 2019 European Parliament election, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from future voters while they completed a survey that measured levels of agreement on different political issues. An Implicit Association Test (IAT) was administered at the end of the recording session. Neural signals differed as a function of future vote for a populist or mainstream party and of whether survey items expressed populist or non-populist views. The combination of EEG responses and self-reported preferences predicted electoral choice better than traditional socio-demographic and ideological variables, while IAT scores were not a significant predictor. These findings suggest that measurements of brain activity can refine the assessment of socio-political attitudes, even when those attitudes are not based on traditional ideological divides.

scholarly journals Data Detectives - The Backlog Cataloguing Project at Auckland War Memorial Museum

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25194
Author(s):  
Heidi Schlumpf ◽  
Nina Gaze ◽  
Hugh Grenfell ◽  
Frances Duff ◽  
Kelly Hall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Entry ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Memorial Museum ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Available Information

The Collection Access and Readiness Programme (CARP) is a unique, well-defined programme with committed funding at Auckland War Memorial Museum (AWMM). In the Natural Sciences department, CARP has funded the equivalent of five positions over five collecting areas for four years. These are filled by six part-time collection technicians and a senior full-time manager. As Collection Technicians, our role, across Botany, Entomology, Geology, Marine, and Palaeontology, is to digitise acquisitions prior to December 2012. We are processing the backlogs of our collections, which are prioritised across all museum activities in distinct taxonomic projects. The cataloguing method involves gathering and verifying all available information and entering data into Vernon, our collections management system (https://vernonsystems.com/products/vernon-cms/), with specifically designed record standards aligned to Darwin Core (Wieczorek et al. 2012). CARP has allowed us the freedom to explore backlog collections, some of which have not been fully processed, revealing mysteries that would otherwise have sat undiscovered, and to resolve uncertainties across the collections. For example, in Botany, cataloguing the foreign ferns reveals previously unrealised type specimens; in Marine, cataloguing all 9117 specimen lots of the New Zealand Bivalvia collection, brought classification and locality data uncertainties to resolution. There are multiple projects running concurrently in each collecting area, continually enriching our collection data. In turn, this is opening up a far wider range of information to the public through our online collection portal, AWMM Collections Online http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections-online (currently 800,000 records). Open accessibility promotes careful consideration of how and what data we deliver, as it is disseminated through global portals, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). Collections that have often had no more attention than recording of their original labels, have interesting stories beyond “just” cataloguing them. As cataloguers, we have found that the uncertainties or sometimes apparent lack of detail increases our engagement with our collections. Rather than solely copying information into the database, we become detectives, resolving uncertainties and verifying the background of our objects, collection sites and collectors. This engagement and the global reach of our data mean that we are invested in the programme, so that data entry continuity and accuracy are maximised. Our presentation will give an overview of the CARP and our method, and a look at our progress two years in, highlighting some of our discoveries and how the uncertainty in our data allows us to engage more with our collections.

scholarly journals Chilling and Heat Requirements of Temperate Stone Fruit Trees (Prunus sp.)

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Fadón ◽  
Sara Herrera ◽  
Brenda Guerrero ◽  
M. Guerra ◽  
Javier Rodrigo
Keyword(s):  
Woody Species ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Stone Fruit ◽  
Future Performance ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Breaking Dormancy ◽  
Heat Requirements ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Sweet Cherry Cultivars ◽  
New Cultivars

Stone fruit trees of genus Prunus, like other temperate woody species, need to accumulate a cultivar-specific amount of chilling during endodormancy, and of heat during ecodormancy to flower properly in spring. Knowing the requirements of a cultivar can be critical in determining if it can be adapted to a particular area. Growers can use this information to anticipate the future performance of their orchards and the adaptation of new cultivars to their region. In this work, the available information on chilling- and heat-requirements of almond, apricot, plum, peach, and sweet cherry cultivars is reviewed. We pay special attention to the method used for the determination of breaking dormancy, the method used to quantify chilling and heat temperatures, and the place where experiments were conducted. The results reveal different gaps in the information available, both in the lack of information of cultivars with unknown requirements and in the methodologies used. The main emerging challenges are the standardization of the conditions of each methodology and the search for biological markers for dormancy. These will help to deal with the growing number of new cultivars and the reduction of winter cold in many areas due to global warming.

scholarly journals Human Colors—The Rainbow Garden of Pathology: What Gives Normal and Pathologic Tissues Their Color?

2017 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Piña-Oviedo ◽  
Carlos Ortiz-Hidalgo ◽  
Alberto G. Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Literature Search ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Tissue Structure ◽  
Human Organs ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Yellow Orange ◽  
Neuroendocrine Organs ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Available Information

Context.— Colors are important to all living organisms because they are crucial for camouflage and protection, metabolism, sexual behavior, and communication. Human organs obviously have color, but the underlying biologic processes that dictate the specific colors of organs and tissues are not completely understood. A literature search on the determinants of color in human organs yielded scant information. Objectives.— To address 2 specific questions: (1) why do human organs have color, and (2) what gives normal and pathologic tissues their distinctive colors? Data Sources.— Endogenous colors are the result of complex biochemical reactions that produce biologic pigments: red-brown cytochromes and porphyrins (blood, liver, spleen, kidneys, striated muscle), brown-black melanins (skin, appendages, brain nuclei), dark-brown lipochromes (aging organs), and colors that result from tissue structure (tendons, aponeurosis, muscles). Yellow-orange carotenes that deposit in lipid-rich tissues are only produced by plants and are acquired from the diet. However, there is lack of information about the cause of color in other organs, such as the gray and white matter, neuroendocrine organs, and white tissues (epithelia, soft tissues). Neoplastic tissues usually retain the color of their nonneoplastic counterpart. Conclusions.— Most available information on the function of pigments comes from studies in plants, microorganisms, cephalopods, and vertebrates, not humans. Biologic pigments have antioxidant and cytoprotective properties and should be considered as potential future therapies for disease and cancer. We discuss the bioproducts that may be responsible for organ coloration and invite pathologists and pathology residents to look at a “routine grossing day” with a different perspective.

Polarized Partisanship and Voting Behavior in Zimbabwe: A Public Opinion Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bratton
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
Voting Behaviour ◽  
Party Affiliation ◽  
National Union ◽  
Partisan Polarization ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Electoral Choice ◽  
Significant Attention

The chapter argues that voting behaviour and public opinion are deeply influenced by official controls applied by the entrenched ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party. Popular voting behaviour in Zimbabwe is associated with an assortment of political, cultural, and economic views. In regard to the ruling ZANU-PF’s series of electoral triumphs, leading considerations are whether persons trust traditional leaders as a guide to vote choice, the extent to which they think the economy has been administered properly, and whether they fear retribution for not voting for incumbent political elites. However, the chapter further argues, to best appreciate Zimbabwean voting behaviour, scholars must pay significant attention to Zimbabwe’s acute hyper-partisan polarization. Zimbabweans are more divided politically than in any other African country in which party affiliation has been systematically measured. Ruling and opposition parties are divided by mutual distrust, conflicting standpoints on policy debates, and over electoral choice. Polarization is partly a construction by Zimbabwean political elites, but it also has substantial traction amongst ordinary citizens who have accepted partisan loyalty as an important facet in their range of identities.

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