Suchergebnisse

This study presents the results of a quasi-experiment to assess the effects of viewing a strategically manipulated portion of a 2020 Democratic Primary debate. Our aim was to assess the polarizing potential of primary debates on both ingroup (Democratic) and outgroup (Republican) viewers. Viewing the primary debate resulted in less perceived closeness with members of the opposing political party, greater feelings of social distance, and more attribution of malevolent intentions. These effects were consistent regardless of whether the viewer was a member of the political ingroup (Democrats) or outgroup (Republicans). Conversely, there was no effect of debate viewing on evaluations of outparty candidates (with respect to negative trait attributions or lower feeling thermometer evaluations)., nor did support for political compromise change as a result of viewing the debate. Both Democrats and independents reported improved evaluations of participating candidates, though Republican evaluations did not change.

This study presents the results of a quasi-experiment to assess the effects of viewing the live televised general election presidential and vice-presidential campaign debates. We contribute to a growing empirical record on the polarizing effects of campaign debates by testing some contextual variables that have confounded past researchers. Specifically, we use Trump's aggressive first debate performance as a test-case of polarizing content and compare it with Trump's second debate performance along with the other 2020 debates. We also test whether, as some have hypothesized, vice-presidential debates are more polarizing. Finally, we consider Biden—a candidate who has been polarizing and depolarizing in his vice-presidential debates, as a candidate-specific source of uncertainty in existing findings. We find further evidence that campaign debates increase ingroup affection—or the extent to which co-partisans reward the ingroup candidate. Conversely, outgroup hostility did not increase even after Trump's first debate. We conclude that debates may contribute to polarization, but only through ingroup affection, not outgroup animosity.

AbstractBenzyl benzoate (BB) is widely used in the food, cosmetics, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries and is discharged into the aquatic environment via various water sources, including wastewater. Research on the bioaccumulation and possible toxicity of BB has been conducted, but the biochemical responses to BB toxicity are not fully understood, and the specific molecular pathways by which BB causes toxicity remain unknown. In this study, label-free quantitative proteomics based on mass spectrometry was applied to investigate protein profiles in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos exposed to BB (1 µg/mL) for 7 days. A total of 83 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, including 49 up-regulated and 34 down-regulated proteins. The biological functions of proteins regulated by BB were grouped into functional categories and subcategories, including the biosynthesis of organonitrogen compound biosynthetic process, translation, amide biosynthetic process, lipid transport, stress response, and cytoskeletal activity. The results provide novel insight into the molecular basis of the ecotoxicity of BB in aquatic ecosystems.