Government By and For Millenial America: A Blueprint for 21st Century Government

Using this generation's unique ethos and commitment to pragmatic problem-solving, Millennials across the country have collaborated to design their vision for a 21st century democracy and reject the idea that our system is too broken, too stagnant, and too outdated. They have identified the parts of the system that need to be fixed while articulating what a true democracy should look like. Government By and For Millennial America, the third installment of our blueprint series, tackles some of the most fundamental, divisive, and difficult questions on the purpose of government in furthering our country's progress: how can we hear from more voices? How can we be more transparent? How can government be more egalitarian? How can we both support individual communities and the common good of every American? Most importantly, this pursuit is grounded in one fundamental idea that defines America's distinctive pursuit of self-governance: in the words of our namesake, Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. - President Franklin D. Roosevelt We set out to craft a blueprint, and discovered, in conversations with over a thousand young people across the country, that the Millennial generation is not yet ready to give up on America's ever evolving experiment in a government by and for the people

Cloning and characterisation of genes determining pod morphology in pea

Genes expressed in developing pea pods were isolated as cDNAs by differential screening techniques. The cDNAs were characterised by DNA sequencing and expression studies were used to investigate the role of isolated cDNAs in pod development. A clone isolated from a pea {Piswn sativum L.) pod cDNA library was shown to contain the complete coding sequence of a polypeptide with considerable homology to various members of the Rab subfamily of small ras-related GTP- binding proteins. Conserved sequences in the isolated clone include the GTP-buiding site, GDP/GTP hydrolysis domain and C-terminal Cys residues involved in membrane attachment. The high percentage amino acid identity suggests that this cDNA may be the product of a gene, designated Psa-rai?, which is the plant counterpart of Rab7. Rab/Ypt proteins are thought to be involved in intracellular transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus and in vesicular transport. If Psa-ra6 is a functional counterpart of yeast YPT7 (RabT) it should be able to complement a yeast YPT7 mutant. An attempt was made to demonstrate that this was the case. Northern analysis showed invariant expression of Psa-rab in developing pods 'with different phenotypes, indicating an essential function for Psa-rab in developing pods. Hybridisation of the Psa-rab cDNA to pea genomic DNA showed that this protein is probably encoded by a single gene. Nearly isogenic pea lines were selected to investigate the genetic basis for lignification of the pea {Pisum sativum L.) pod endocarp. The development of the pod endocarp in the normal and mutant pea pod phenotypes was examined by histochemical staining and light microscopy. The effect of plant growth regulators on endocarp development was also investigated. A pea pod cDNA library representing poly (A)+ RNA purified from L59 pea pods (genotype, PV; phenotype, lignified endocarp) was differentially screened with total cDNA probes prepared from total pod RNA from L59 and LI390 (genotype, PV; phenotype, no lignification of endocarp) pods 4-6 days after flowering (DAP). Two clones, designated pLP18 and pLP19, were selected for further characterisation on the basis of hybridisation to the L59 cDNA probe, but not the LI390 cDNA probe. Northern blotting was used to show that pLP18 represented a mRNA of 0.95 kb. The predicted polypeptide from the LP18 cDNA encoded a putative blue type I copper protein. The expression pattern of LP 18 mRNA in pods and tissues of the experimental pea lines was determined using RT-PCR quantitation. Hybridisation of the cDNA to pea genomic DNA showed that this protein is probably encoded by a single gene. Clone pLP19 yielded a 1.02 kb cDNA fragment encoding the C-terminal portion of an Hsp70 homologue belonging to a highly conserved family of proteins found in a number of eukaryotic species. Northern analysis of RNA from lignified and unlignified pods showed the presence of differentially expressed LP19 transcripts of varying lengths, which may represent differently processed transcripts. Southern analysis confirmed the presence of a single hybridised band in genomic digests of L59, L58 arid LI390. Several mRNA transcripts of the LP19 gene were isolated which differ in the length of their- 3' untranslated regions

A Culture of Recording: Christopher Raeburn and the Decca Record Company

This thesis examines the working culture of the Decca Record Company, and how group interaction and individual agency have made an impact on the production of music recordings. Founded in London in 1929, Decca built a global reputation as a pioneer of sound recording with access to the world’s leading musicians. With its roots in manufacturing and experimental wartime engineering, the company developed a peerless classical music catalogue that showcased technological innovation alongside artistic accomplishment. This investigation focuses specifically on the contribution of the recording producer at Decca in creating this legacy, as can be illustrated by the career of Christopher Raeburn, the company’s most prolific producer and specialist in opera and vocal repertoire. It is the first study to examine Raeburn’s archive, and is supported with unpublished memoirs, private papers and recorded interviews with colleagues, collaborators and artists. Using these sources, the thesis considers the history and functions of the staff producer within Decca’s wider operational structure in parallel with the personal aspirations of the individual in exerting control, choice and authority on the process and product of recording. Having been recruited to Decca by John Culshaw in 1957, Raeburn’s fifty-year career spanned seminal moments of the company’s artistic and commercial lifecycle: from assisting in exploiting the dramatic potential of stereo technology in Culshaw’s Ring during the 1960s to his serving as audio producer for the 1990 The Three Tenors Concert international phenomenon. The thesis discusses the significance of Raeburn’s connections and background influences in his long career path, while a series of case studies drawn from his archive, illustrating exceptional examples of recording practice and artist cultivation, aim to identify his production ethos in the context of company recording policy and subject to the challenges of a rapidly-evolving industry

Cuban Trade Relations Under the U.S. Embargo and their Impact on Human Development

This senior thesis analyzes the U.S. embargo against Cuba, including how it works and how it has impacted Cuba\u27s trade relations with other countries and regions in addition to the U.S. It then explores the impact of the resulting trade relationships on human development in Cuba through the lens of the three dimensions of the Human Development Index: standard of living, health, and education

Figures of speech : figurative expressions and the management of topic transition in conversation

In conversation, speakers occasionally use figurative expressions such as “had a good innings,” “take with a pinch of salt,” or “come to the end of her tether.” This article investigates WHERE in conversation such expressions are used, in terms of their sequential distribution. One clear distributional pattern is found: Figurative expressions occur regularly in topic transition sequences, and specifically in the turn where a topic is summarized, thereby initiating the closing of a topic. The paper discusses some of the distinctive features of the topic termination/transition sequences with which figurative closings are associated, particularly participants' orientation to their moving to new topics. Finally, the interactional use of figurative expressions is considered in the context of instances where their use fails to secure topical closure, manifesting some conflict (disaffiliation, etc.) between the participants

30 Minutes With... - Senator Edmund S. Muskie Interview for WETA Television

Elizabeth Drew interviews Senator Muskie on 30 Minutes, discuss recent trip to USSR and Middle East

African American Men Survey

A comprehensive survey looking at how African-American men view their lives in the United States and their outlook for the future. The survey gauges the views and experiences of African-American men on marriage and family, education, careers and health, among other issues, and includes comparisons to the views and experiences of African-American women and white men and women. The African-American Men Survey is the 15th survey in a series generated under a three-way partnership between The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. The three organizations work together to pick the survey topics, design the survey instruments and analyze the results. The survey's findings were published in the June 4, 2006, edition of The Washington Post. This survey was conducted by telephone from March 20 to April 29, 2006, among 2,864 randomly selected adults nationwide, including: 1,328 black men; 507 black women; 437 white men and 495 white women. Results for total respondents have been weighted so that black respondents are represented in proportion to their actual share of the population. Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on all respondents or black men, 5 percentage points for black women and 6 percentage points for white men or women. Hispanics and Asians were interviewed along with white and black respondents, but because of the relative size of those populations, there were not enough respondents to break out separately. The complete survey results and detailed methodology description are available in the toplines document

Does It Pay to Discover: Teaching for Information Literacy with the ExLibris Primo Discovery Tool

See presentation description

Gender Socialization in Contemporary American Culture

The social changes of the previous decade have led to an increase in gender egalitarianism. Popular national retailers such as Target have removed gender labels from their toy sections in a move toward gender inclusivity (Yagoda, 2016). The goal of the current study was to investigate the relationship between parent and child preferences for gendered objects, in light of these societal changes. We examined whether the shift toward gender egalitarianism in the broader cultural context is evident in both parent and child selections of items in our three domains of interest. In this correlational design, participating dyads (N = 85) responded to questionnaires designed to assess parents’ gender role socialization, parent gender role orientation along with parent and child preferences for items representing a spectrum of gendered stereotypes. Although results did not suggest parent preference predicts child selections on the same task, parent gender role orientation did significantly predict their child’s preferences. As the culture surrounding gender stereotypes and gender roles in the United States continues to shift towards gender egalitarianism, it is important to consider the potential effects on child gender development. Overall, the complex interplay between parents and their children as it relates to gender has lasting implications

Patient-provider communication about gestational weight gain among nulliparous women: a qualitative study of the views of obstetricians and first-time pregnant women

BACKGROUND: In 2009 the Institute of Medicine updated its guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy, in part because women of childbearing age now weigh more pre-pregnancy and tend to gain more weight during pregnancy than women did when the previous set of guidelines were released in 1990. Women who begin pregnancy overweight or obese and women who gain weight outside IOM recommendations are at risk for poor maternal and fetal health outcomes. With these concerns in mind, we examined what obstetricians communicate about gestational weight gain to their pregnant patients and how nulliparous patients perceive weight-related counseling from their obstetricians. METHODS: We conducted one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with 19 nulliparous women and 7 obstetricians recruited from a single clinic at a large academic medical center in the United States. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed inductively using thematic analysis. RESULTS: We identified 4 major themes: 1) Discussions about the amount and pace of gestational weight gain: obstetricians reported variation in the frequency and timing of weight-related discussions with patients while most patients said that weight was not emphasized by their obstetricians; 2) The content of communication about nutrition and physical activity: obstetricians said they discuss nutrition and activity with all patients while most patients reported that their obstetrician either discussed these topics in general terms or not at all; 3) Communication about postpartum weight loss: obstetricians said that they do not typically address postpartum weight loss with patients during prenatal visits while patients had concerns about postpartum weight; and 4) Patient feelings about obstetrician advice: most patients said that their obstetrician does not tend to offer “unsolicited advice”, instead offering information in response to patient questions or concerns. Women were divided about whether they desired more advice from their obstetrician on weight gain, nutrition, and activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis revealed discrepancies between obstetricians’ and patients’ perceptions of their weight-related clinical interactions. Our findings suggest that there is a missed opportunity to use prenatal visits as opportunities to discuss healthy eating and exercise during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and beyond. Additional research on the design, implementation, and testing of interventions to address prenatal nutrition and physical activity is warranted