Synthetic oligonucleotides containing GC-rich triplet sequences were used in a scanning strategy to identify unstable genetic sequences at the myotonic dystrophy (DM) locus. A highly polymorphic GCT repeat was identified and found to be unstable, with an increased number of repeats occurring in DM patients. In the case of severe congenital DM, the paternal triplet allele was inherited unaltered while the maternal, DM-associated allele was unstable. These studies suggest that the mutational mechanism leading to DM is triplet amplification, similar to that occurring in the fragile X syndrome. The triplet repeat sequence is within a gene (to be referred to as myotonin-protein kinase), which has a sequence similar to protein kinases.

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Considerable debate exists over whether the public holds the governor accountable for the state's economy. Part of the controversy stems from weak design and limitations in data, but part also from weakness in theory. We argue that voters recognize the limitations of state governments to affect the state economy and that they judge their governors on the state's unemployment situation relative to the unemployment situation of the national economy. To test this theory we use the Official State Job Approval Ratings (JAR) database. Our analysis finds that citizens grade the governor's job performance consistent with our theory: no matter the level of unemployment in the state, when state unemployment is lower than the national average, governors are rewarded; when it is higher than the national average, governors are punished with lower approval levels.

Studies of gubernatorial elections have found vote choice to be a function of party identification, assessments of economic conditions, and the president's job performance but have not tested for a referendum effect concerning the incumbent governor. This analysis uses state polling data to demonstrate that voters with favorable images of the incumbent governor have a higher probability of voting for the candidate of the incumbent's party. The effect is greater when the incumbent seeks reelection, but it is present in open contests as well.Data for this analysis were collected by