Bribery or Just Desserts? Evidence on the Influence of Congressional Voting Patterns on PAC Contributions from Exogenous Variation in the Sex Mix of Legislator Offspring

Evidence on the relationship between political contributions and legislators' voting behavior is marred by concerns about endogeneity in the estimation process. Using a legislator's offspring sex mix as an exogenous variable, we employ a two-stage least squares estimation procedure to predict the effect of voting behavior on political contributions. Following previous research, we find that a legislator's proportion daughters has a significant effect on voting behavior for women's issues, as measured by score in the "Congressional Record on Choice" issued by NARAL Pro-Choice America. In the second stage, we make a unique contribution by demonstrating a significant impact of exogenous voting behavior on PAC contributions, lending credibility to the hypothesis that Political Action Committees respond to legislators' voting patterns by "rewarding" political candidates that vote in line with the positions of the PAC, rather than affecting or "bribing" those same votes -- at least in this high profile policy domain.

Fluvial Sedimentology and Paleoecology of Holocene Alluvial Deposits, Red River, Manitoba

Stratigraphie and paleoecological analyses at five sections, together with age determinations based on 19 previously published and 21 new radiocarbon dates, provide a detailed late Holocene history of the Red River, Manitoba. Ecological information, such as age frequency analysis, relative abundance, diversity and association of species was drawn from 19 mollusc species. These data indicate that the Red and Assiniboine rivers cut the valleys they occupy today within a thousand years of the regression of Lake Agassiz. In the south, up to 14 m of alluvium has accumulated during the last 7000 years. A decrease in the sedimentation rate at 1400 BP is coincident with the shift in the position of the Assiniboine from the valley of the La Salle River to its present position. Overbank sedimentation did not start in the northern part of the area until ca. 5200 BP. Initial rapid sedimentation rates in this area are attributed to increased precipitation and a brief eastward excursion of the Assiniboine River into the Red. In spite of increased precipitation, flood frequencies remained low in the north until 1400 BP. Increased overbank sedimentation after 1400 BP is attributed to the northward shift in the position ot the Assiniboine.Les analyses stratigraphiques et paléoécologiques de cinq coupes, ainsi qu'une chronologie fondée sur 19 datations déjà connues et 21 nouvelles datations au radiocarbone permettent de reconstituer l'évolution de la rivière Rouge à l'Holocène. Des renseignements d'ordre écologique, comme l'analyse de la fréquence d'âge, l'abondance relative, la diversité et l'association des espèces ont été colligés sur 19 espèces de mollusques. Ces données montrent que les rivières Assiniboine et Rouge ont entaillé les vallées qu'elles occupent maintenant en moins de mille ans après le retrait du Lac Agassiz. Dans le sud, 14 m d'alluvions se sont accumulés depuis 7000 ans. La diminution du taux de sédimentation à 1400 BP coïncide avec le déplacement de !'Assiniboine de la vallée de la rivière LaSaIIe à son emplacement actuel. La sédimentation alluviale d'inondation n'a pas commencé dans la partie nord de la région avant environ 5200 BP. Les taux de sédimentation rapides initiaux sont attribuables aux précipitations accrues et à une brève incursion vers l'est de !'Assiniboine vers la rivière Rouge. En dépit des précipitations accrues, la fréquence des inondations est demeurée faible dans le nord jusqu'à 1400 BP. L'accroissement de la sédimentation alluviale d'inondation après 1400 BP est attribuée au déplacement de !'Assiniboine vers le nord.Mit stratigraphischen und palàoôkologischen Analysen von 5 Schnitten sowie einer auf 19 schon bekannte Datierungen und 21 neue Radikarbondatierungen gestùtzten Chronologie IaRt sich die Entwicklung des Red River im Holozàn rekonstruieren. Okologische Informationen wie die Analyse der Altersfrequenz, relative Haufigkeit, Vielfalt und Verbindung der Arten, wurden auf 19 Molluskenarten gesammelt. Dièse Daten zeigen, daB die Flùsse Assiniboine und Red die Tàler, durch sie sie jetzt fliefîen, in weniger als tausend Jahren nach dem Rùckzug des Agassizsees eingeschnitten haben. Im Sùden wurden seit 7000 Jahren 14 m Alluvium akkumuliert. Die Abnahme der Sedimentationsrate um 1400 v.u.Z. tritt gleichzeitig mit dem Wechsel des Assiniboine vom TaI des La SalleFlusses zu seiner jetzigen Position ein. Die alluviale Ùberschwemmungssedimentation hat im nôrdlichen Teil des Gebiets nicht vor etwa 5200 v.u.Z. begonnen. Die anfànglich sehr schnellen Sedimentationsraten fùhrt man auf verstàrkte Niederschlàge und einen kurzen ostwàrtigen Ausfall des Assiniboine River in Richtung Red River zurùck. Trotz der verstàrkten Niederschlàge ist die Haufigkeit der Ùberschwemmungen im Norden bis 1400 v.u.Z. niedrig geblieben. Die Zunahme der alluvialen Uberschwemmungssedimentation nach 1400 v.u.Z. wird auf die Verlagerung des Assiniboine nach Norden zurùckgefùhrt

Sexual Exploitation in the Digital Age: Non-Consensual Pornography and What Washington Can Do to Stop It

https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1001/thumbnail.jp

A simulation-based design paradigm for complex cast components

This paper describes and exercises a new design paradigm for cast components. The methodology integrates foundry process simulation, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), stress analysis and damage tolerance simulations into the design process. Foundry process simulation is used to predict an array of porosity-related anomalies. The probability of detection of these anomalies is investigated with a radiographic inspection simulation tool (XRSIM). The likelihood that the predicted array of anomalies will lead to a failure is determined by a fatigue crack growth simulation based on the extended finite element method and therefore does not require meshing nor remeshing as the cracks grow. With this approach, the casting modeling provides initial anomaly information, the stress analysis provides a value for the critical size of an anomaly and the NDE assessment provides a detectability measure. The combination of these tools allows for accept/reject criteria to be determined at the early design stage and enables damage tolerant design philosophies. The methodology is applied to the design of a cast monolithic door used on the Boeing 757 aircraf

Cryptocurrencies: An Introduction for Policy Makers

Cryptocurrencies are open-source, peer-to-peer digital currencies. Two of their most distinctive features include the use of public key cryptography to secure transactions and create additional currency units, as well as the decentralized nature of their digital payment systems. The underlying technical system which all cryptocurrencies are modelled after is that of the original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Bitcoin was created by “Satoshi Nakamoto” a person or group credited with writing the first paper on the digital currency in 2008. Certain key elements differentiate cryptocurrencies from traditional electronic currency systems such as electronic banking and PayPal, most notably their decentralized control mechanisms. That is, traditional methods involve a single entity recording, verifying, and ensuring transactions. With many cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, past transactions are recorded on a public ledger and verification of transactions is outsourced to users. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies provide users many benefits, including ease of digital transactions, lower transaction costs, and enhanced privacy. However, these benefits come with concerns regarding consumer protection and fraud deterrence. Three pressure points persist: the irretrievability problem (the inability to call back a bitcoin once it has been transferred), bitcoin mining malware, and exchange services. Also problematic is the lack of uniformity from state-to-state regarding cryptocurrencies’ (predominately Bitcoin’s) categorization as either currency or property. Defining cryptocurrencies as currency facilitates its use as a method of exchange, while categorizing it as property may be easier for tax collection purposes. Bitcoin’s encrypted nature problematizes the digital currency as abandoned property. Traditionally, abandoned property reverts to the state after a statutorily set period of time. In instances of cash, gold, etc. this is fairly easy – ownership of the valuable goods transfers to the state after the statutory period. Generally, banks and financial institutions are required by state laws to retain a customer’s property for a period of time, usually five years, before the property will escheat to the state. However, Bitcoin creates circumstances in which the value of the abandoned property is permanently lost rather than transferred to the state. Finally, a fear concerning Bitcoin and other digital currencies is the potential for use in criminal activity. The pseudonymous nature of the transactions, the ease with which funds can be transferred across geographical distances, and the inherent risk in the currency have fueled hesitation and fear. This paper defines cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, and explains the processes and vulnerabilities facing Bitcoin user, as well as the currency’s potential as a tool for criminal activity. Additionally, each section concludes with policy suggestions to help inform legislators and general audiences on the nature and Bitcoin, as well as provide insights into the digital currency’s’ general usage. Note: This paper was prepared for general education purposes by students in the University of Washington School of Law\u27s Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic, under the guidance of Professor William Covingtonhttps://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1006/thumbnail.jp

Oxy-functionalization of nucleophilic rhenium(I) metal carbon bonds catalyzed by selenium(IV)

We report that SeO_2 catalyzes the facile oxy-functionalization of (CO)_5Re(I)-Me^(δ−) with IO_4− to generate methanol. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations reveal that catalysis involves methyl group transfer from Re to the electrophilic Se center followed by oxidation and subsequent reductive functionalization of the resulting CH_3Se(VI) species. Furthermore, (CO)_3Re(I)(Bpy)-R (R = ethyl, n-propyl, and aryl) complexes show analogous transfer to SeO_2 to generate the primary alcohols. This represents a new strategy for the oxy-functionalization of M−R^(δ−) polarized bonds

Composition of dissolved organic matter within a lacustrine environment

Freshwater dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of chemical components that are central to many environmental processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, questions remain as to its chemical characteristics, sources and transformation mechanisms. Here, we employ 1- and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the structural components of lacustrine DOM from Ireland, and how it varies within a lake system, as well as to assess potential sources. Major components found, such as carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM) are consistent with those recently identified in marine and freshwater DOM. Lignin-type markers and protein/peptides were identified and vary spatially. Phenylalanine was detected in lake areas influenced by agriculture, whereas it is not detectable where zebra mussels are prominent. The presence of peptidoglycan, lipoproteins, large polymeric carbo- hydrates and proteinaceous material supports the substantial contribution of material derived from microorganisms. Evidence is provided that peptidoglycan and silicate species may in part originate from soil microbes

Single or Double Degenerate Progenitors? Searching for Shock Emission in the SDSS-II Type Ia Supernovae

From the set of nearly 500 spectroscopically confirmed type~Ia supernovae and around 10,000 unconfirmed candidates from SDSS-II, we select a subset of 108 confirmed SNe Ia with well-observed early-time light curves to search for signatures from shock interaction of the supernova with a companion star. No evidence for shock emission is seen; however, the cadence and photometric noise could hide a weak shock signal. We simulate shocked light curves using SN Ia templates and a simple, Gaussian shock model to emulate the noise properties of the SDSS-II sample and estimate the detectability of the shock interaction signal as a function of shock amplitude, shock width, and shock fraction. We find no direct evidence for shock interaction in the rest-frame $B$-band, but place an upper limit on the shock amplitude at 9% of supernova peak flux ($M_B > -16.6$ mag). If the single degenerate channel dominates type~Ia progenitors, this result constrains the companion stars to be less than about 6 $M_{\odot}$ on the main sequence, and strongly disfavors red giant companions.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figure

HerMES: the rest-frame UV emission and a lensing model for the z= 6.34 luminous dusty starburst galaxy HFLS3

We discuss the rest-frame ultraviolet emission from the starbursting galaxy HFLS3 at a redshift of 6.34. The galaxy was discovered in Herschel/SPIRE data due to its red color in the submillimeter wavelengths from 250 to 500 μm. Keck/NIRC2 K s -band adaptive optics imaging data showed two potential near-IR counterparts near HFLS3. Previously, the northern galaxy was taken to be in the foreground at z = 2.1, while the southern galaxy was assumed to be HFLS3's near-IR counterpart. The recently acquired Hubble/WFC3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) imaging data show conclusively that both optically bright galaxies are in the foreground at z < 6. A new lensing model based on the Hubble imaging data and the millimeter-wave continuum emission yields a magnification factor of 2.2 ± 0.3, with a 95% confidence upper limit on the magnification of 3.5. When corrected for lensing, the instantaneous star formation rate is 1320 M ☉ yr–1, with the 95% confidence lower limit around 830 M ☉ yr–1. The dust and stellar masses of HFLS3 from the same spectral energy distribution (SED) models are at the level of 3 × 108 M ☉ and ~5 × 1010 M ☉, respectively, with large systematic uncertainties on assumptions related to the SED model. With Hubble/WFC3 images, we also find diffuse near-IR emission about 0.5 arcsec (~3 kpc) to the southwest of HFLS3 that remains undetected in the ACS imaging data. The emission has a photometric redshift consistent with either z ~ 6 or a dusty galaxy template at z ~ 2