Why Have Youth from Different Neighborhoods of Durban, South Africa Developed Different Opinions Regarding the Role and Importance of Voting in the Current State of South African Democracy?

The field of political science has become increasingly interested in the electoral participatory habits of young people in recent decades, and in post-apartheid South Africa more specifically in light of the recent and ongoing #feesmustfall movement within the nation\u27s tertiary institutions. Since 1994, South Africa has made a great deal of progress towards dismantling the apartheid system; however, vast inequalities remain and many, mostly black African communities have not yet reaped the rewards of a democratic South Africa. Using qualitative data gathered from three focus groups, this paper examines why youth from black African township communities of Durban, South Africa view electoral participation more negatively and with greater skepticism than youth living in historically white communities. Two independent variables gleaned from the literature are used to explain these different perspectives: the quality of one\u27s civic education and persisting racial socioeconomic inequality

Pathogen Response Genes Mediate Caenorhabditis elegans Innate Immunity

Innate immunity is crucial in the response and defense against pathogens for invertebrates and vertebrates alike. The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model to study the eukaryotic innate immune response to microbial pathogenesis. Prior research indicates that the protein receptor FSHR-1 plays an important role in the innate recognition of intestinal infection due to pathogen consumption. Determining what genes are controlled by FSHR-1 may uncover an unknown pathway that could increase not only the comprehension of the C. elegans immune system but also innate immunity generally. To characterize the function of FSHR-1, four candidate pathogen response genes that appear to be regulated by FSHR-1 were evaluated in worms infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although intestine specific RNA interference of these four genes did not show immunity phenotypes, quantitative PCR suggests that FSHR-1 regulates the basal and/or infection-induced expression of three of the four genes. To explore this FSHR-1-dependent transcriptional induction, fluorescent transgenic reporters were constructed for the three candidate FSHR-1 target genes. The spatial expression of one putative pathogen response gene was characterized in transgenic worms under both control and pathogenic conditions. RNA interference was performed to assess the FSHR-1 dependency of this expression pattern

Magnetic Interactions in Coalescing Neutron Star Binaries

It is expected on both evolutionary and empirical grounds that many merging neutron star (NS) binaries are composed of a highly magnetized NS in orbit with a relatively low magnetic field NS. I study the magnetic interactions of these binaries using the framework of a unipolar inductor model. The electromotive force generated across the non-magnetic NS as it moves through the magnetosphere sets up a circuit connecting the two stars. The exact features of this circuit depend on the uncertain resistance in the space between the stars R_(space). Nevertheless, I show that there are interesting observational and/or dynamical effects irrespective of its exact value. When R_(space) is large, electric dissipation as great as ~10^(46) erg s^(–1) (for magnetar-strength fields) occurs in the magnetosphere, which would exhibit itself as a hard X-ray precursor in the seconds leading up to merger. With less certainty, there may also be an associated radio transient. When R_(space) is small, electric dissipation largely occurs in the surface layers of the magnetic NS. This can reach ~10^(49) erg s^(–1) during the final ~1 s before merger, similar to the energetics and timescales of short gamma-ray bursts. In addition, for dipole fields greater than ≈10^(12) G and a small R_(space), magnetic torques spin up the magnetized NS. This drains angular momentum from the binary and accelerates the inspiral. A faster coalescence results in less orbits occurring before merger, which would impact matched-filtering gravitational-wave searches by ground-based laser interferometers and could create difficulties for studying alternative theories of gravity with compact inspirals

Magnetic circuitry mutual coupling probe

Development of magnetic probe for nondestructive testing of multilayer printed circuit boards to determine existence of opens or shorts is reported. Components of probe are described and procedures for operation are discussed. Two illustrations are provided to show magnetic circuits and principles of operation

Tidal Interactions in Merging White Dwarf Binaries

The recently discovered system J0651 is the tightest known detached white dwarf (WD) binary. Since it has not yet initiated Roche-lobe overflow, it provides a relatively clean environment for testing our understanding of tidal interactions. I investigate the tidal heating of each WD, parameterized in terms of its tidal Q parameter. Assuming that the heating can be radiated efficiently, the current luminosities are consistent with Q_1 ≈ 7 × 10^(10) and Q_2 ≈ 2 × 10^7, for the He and C/O WDs, respectively. Conversely, if the observed luminosities are merely from the cooling of the WDs, these estimated values of Q represent the upper limits. A large Q_1 for the He WD means its spin velocity will be slower than that expected if it was tidally locked, which, since the binary is eclipsing, may be measurable via the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. After one year, gravitational wave emission shifts the time of eclipses by 5.5 s, but tidal interactions cause the orbit to shrink more rapidly, changing the time by up to an additional 0.3 s after a year. Future eclipse timing measurements may therefore infer the degree of tidal locking

Measurements of the W and Z Inclusive Cross Sections and Determination of the W Decay Width

Recent results on the production of $W$ and $Z$ gauge bosons in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.8$~TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider from the \D0 and CDF experiments are reviewed. Measurements of the inclusive cross sections times leptonic branching ratios in both the electron and muon decay channels are summarized and compared to QCD predictions. Using the ratio $R = {\sigma_W \cdot B(W\rightarrow l\nu)}/ {\sigma_Z \cdot B(Z\rightarrow ll)}$ and assuming standard model couplings, an indirect determination of the W decay width is obtained. By comparing this measured value with the predicted value for the $W$ width, a limit on the deviation from the standard model is obtained.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures appended in a uuencoded fil