National Newspaper Analysis of the Press Coverage of Jesse Jackson\u27s 1984 Presidential Campaign: The Confirmation of the Candidate

Jesse Jackson\u27s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns have motivated thousands of citizens throughout America to take a more active role in politics. The 1984 campaign witnessed many previously unregistered Americans actively participating in Jackson\u27s call to join the Rainbow Coalition. Four years later, Jackson once again hit a responsive chord within the American electorate, broadening his support base in his second run for the White House. His vibrant campaigns presented challenges not only to the American system of government, but also to accepted journalistic traditions in campaign reporting. Specifically, the dilemma has been a difficult one for journalists responsible for campaign coverage. How much coverage should a reporter give to Jesse Jackson\u27s campaign? Should he be treated like an Alan Cranston or Gary Hart in 1984, or a Paul Simon or Albert Gore in 1988? Or does the historical impact of his being the first black candidate to make a serious bid for the presidency warrant a different approach to press coverage? Highlighting this dilemma in the 1984 campaign, Dates and Gandy note: Jackson\u27s candidacy was a challenge for the press because on the one hand journalistic traditions would dictate that the ideological orientation of the media organization would constrain its coverage to be consistent with longstanding editorial practice.[1

Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6) contribution to CMIP6

Reducing the uncertainty in the past, present, and future contribution of ice sheets to sea-level change requires a coordinated effort between the climate and glaciology communities. The Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6) is the primary activity within the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project – phase 6 (CMIP6) focusing on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. In this paper, we describe the framework for ISMIP6 and its relationship with other activities within CMIP6. The ISMIP6 experimental design relies on CMIP6 climate models and includes, for the first time within CMIP, coupled ice-sheet–climate models as well as standalone ice-sheet models. To facilitate analysis of the multi-model ensemble and to generate a set of standard climate inputs for standalone ice-sheet models, ISMIP6 defines a protocol for all variables related to ice sheets. ISMIP6 will provide a basis for investigating the feedbacks, impacts, and sea-level changes associated with dynamic ice sheets and for quantifying the uncertainty in ice-sheet-sourced global sea-level change

Improved protocols for functional analysis in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An available whole genome sequence for <it>Aspergillus flavus </it>provides the opportunity to characterize factors involved in pathogenicity and to elucidate the regulatory networks involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Functional analysis of genes within the genome is greatly facilitated by the ability to disrupt or mis-express target genes and then evaluate their result on the phenotype of the fungus. Large-scale functional analysis requires an efficient genetic transformation system and the ability to readily select transformants with altered expression, and usually requires generation of double (or multi) gene deletion strains or the use of prototrophic strains. However, dominant selectable markers, an efficient transformation system and an efficient screening system for transformants in <it>A. flavus </it>are absent.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The efficiency of the genetic transformation system for <it>A. flavus </it>based on uracil auxotrophy was improved. In addition, <it>A. flavus </it>was shown to be sensitive to the antibiotic, phleomycin. Transformation of <it>A. flavus </it>with the <it>ble </it>gene for resistance to phleomycin resulted in stable transformants when selected on 100 μg/ml phleomycin. We also compared the phleomycin system with one based on complementation for uracil auxotrophy which was confirmed by uracil and 5-fluoroorotic acid selection and via transformation with the <it>pyr4 </it>gene from <it>Neurospora crassa </it>and <it>pyrG </it>gene from <it>A. nidulans </it>in <it>A. flavus </it>NRRL 3357. A transformation protocol using <it>pyr4 </it>as a selectable marker resulted in site specific disruption of a target gene. A rapid and convenient colony PCR method for screening genetically altered transformants was also developed in this study.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We employed phleomycin resistance as a new positive selectable marker for genetic transformation of <it>A. flavus</it>. The experiments outlined herein constitute the first report of the use of the antibiotic phleomycin for transformation of <it>A. flavus</it>. Further, we demonstrated that this transformation protocol could be used for directed gene disruption in <it>A. flavus</it>. The significance of this is twofold. First, it allows strains to be transformed without having to generate an auxotrophic mutation, which is time consuming and may result in undesirable mutations. Second, this protocol allows for double gene knockouts when used in conjunction with existing strains with auxotrophic mutations.</p> <p>To further facilitate functional analysis in this strain we developed a colony PCR-based method that is a rapid and convenient method for screening genetically altered transformants. This work will be of interest to those working on molecular biology of aflatoxin metabolism in <it>A. flavus</it>, especially for functional analysis using gene deletion and gene expression.</p

Visual Analysis of Weblog Content

In recent years, one of the advances of the World Wide Web is social media and one of the fastest growing aspects of social media is the blogosphere. Blogs make content creation easy and are highly accessible through web pages and syndication. With their growing influence, a need has arisen to be able to monitor the opinions and insight revealed within their content. In this paper we describe a technical approach for analyzing the content of blog data using a visual analytic tool, IN-SPIRE, developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. We highlight the capabilities of this tool that are particularly useful for information gathering from blog data

“Chapter 13: Sea Level Change” in Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis: Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

This chapter considers changes in global mean sea level, regional sea level, sea level extremes, and waves. Confidence in projections of global mean sea level rise has increased since the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) because of the improved physical understanding of the components of sea level, the improved agreement of process-based models with observations, and the inclusion of ice-sheet dynamical changes

The XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: XMMUJ005011.2-730026 = SXP214, a Be/X-ray binary pulsar

In the course of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a region to the east of the emission nebula N19 was observed in November 2009. To search for new candidates for high mass X-ray binaries the EPIC PN and MOS data of the detected point sources were investigated and their spectral and temporal characteristics identified. A new transient (XMMUJ005011.2-730026= SXP214) with a pulse period of 214.05 s was discovered; the source had a hard X-ray spectrum with power-law index of ~0.65. The accurate X-ray source location permits the identification of the X-ray source with a ~15th magnitude Be star, thereby confirming this system as a new Be/X-ray binary.Comment: 8 pages 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Retired A Stars and Their Companions VI. A Pair of Interacting Exoplanet Pairs Around the Subgiants 24 Sextanis and HD200964

We report radial velocity measurements of the G-type subgiants 24 Sextanis (=HD90043) and HD200964. Both are massive, evolved stars that exhibit periodic variations due to the presence of a pair of Jovian planets. Photometric monitoring with the T12 0.80m APT at Fairborn Observatory demonstrates both stars to be constant in brightness to <= 0.002 mag, thus strengthening the planetary interpretation of the radial velocity variations. 24 Sex b,c have orbital periods of 453.8 days and 883~days, corresponding to semimajor axes 1.333 AU and 2.08 AU, and minimum masses (Msini) 1.99 Mjup and 0.86 Mjup, assuming a stellar mass 1.54 Msun. HD200964 b,c have orbital periods of 613.8 days and 825 days, corresponding to semimajor axes 1.601 AU and 1.95 AU, and minimum masses 1.85 Mjup and 0.90 Mjup, assuming M* = 1.44 Msun. We also carry out dynamical simulations to properly account for gravitational interactions between the planets. Most, if not all, of the dynamically stable solutions include crossing orbits, suggesting that each system is locked in a mean motion resonance that prevents close encounters and provides long-term stability. The planets in the 24 Sex system likely have a period ratio near 2:1, while the HD200964 system is even more tightly packed with a period ratio close to 4:3. However, we caution that further radial velocity observations and more detailed dynamical modelling will be required to provide definitive and unique orbital solutions for both cases, and to determine whether the two systems are truly resonant.Comment: AJ accepte

Lifeworld Inc. : and what to do about it

Can we detect changes in the way that the world turns up as they turn up? This paper makes such an attempt. The first part of the paper argues that a wide-ranging change is occurring in the ontological preconditions of Euro-American cultures, based in reworking what and how an event is produced. Driven by the security – entertainment complex, the aim is to mass produce phenomenological encounter: Lifeworld Inc as I call it. Swimming in a sea of data, such an aim requires the construction of just enough authenticity over and over again. In the second part of the paper, I go on to argue that this new world requires a different kind of social science, one that is experimental in its orientation—just as Lifeworld Inc is—but with a mission to provoke awareness in untoward ways in order to produce new means of association. Only thus, or so I argue, can social science add to the world we are now beginning to live in

Sustainable Finance Ratings as the Latest Symptom of “Rating Addiction”

Using the widely accepted but rarely articulated concept of ‘rating addiction’, this piece aims to examine the recent entrance of the credit rating agencies into the sustainable finance field against the backdrop of ‘rating addiction’. Once the concept of ‘rating addiction’ is positioned, the effects of the addiction can be witnessed by even just a cursory glance at the history of the credit rating agencies, particularly their recent history. On that basis, this article provides a warning for regulators and the field with regards to the potentially negative effect that credit rating agencies can have upon the ever-growing and socially-important sustainable finance sector. Additionally, assessing the aptitude of the agencies in this sector, in comparison to the sector’s utilisation of their products, may provide further evidence of a system addicted to ratings