In Congress, committees are still at the center of pork barrel politics

Is pork barrel spending still an important force for parties trying to shore up support for their vulnerable members? In new research which tracks earmarks across the twelve House Appropriations subcommittees in the 110th Congress, Austin Clemens, Michael Crespin, and Charles J. Finocchiaro find that the members who benefited the most from earmarking were those that sat on the committees – not the most electorally vulnerable. He writes that senior Committee members can benefit from up to 900 percent more in earmarks compared to ordinary rank and file House members

Despite party pressures, House members’ support for their leadership in procedural votes is not guaranteed

Control of the floor agenda in the U.S. House of Representatives is integral if the majority party wishes to achieve its political and electoral aims. In new research, Jamie L. Carson, Michael H. Crespin, and Anthony J. Madonna find that parties will call on their members’ support during important procedural votes – which influence what is discussed, and the scope and length of the debate – when it is unlikely that voters will punish members for their support. However, despite these party pressures, members’ support is not guaranteed – more moderate and conservative members are less likely to support the leadership when requested

Rapid longitudinal migrations of the filament front off Namibia (SE Atlantic) during the past 70 kyr

Although productivity variations in coastal upwelling areas are mostly attributed to changes in wind strength, productivity dynamics in the Benguela Upwelling System (BUS) is less straightforward due to its complex atmospheric and hydrographic settings. In view of these settings, past productivity variations in the BUS can be better investigated with downcore sediments representing different productivity regimes. In this study, two sediment cores retrieved at ca. 25°–26°S in the BUS and representing different productivity regimes were studied. By using micropaleontological, geochemical and temperature proxies measured on core MD96-2098, recovered at 2910 m water depth in the bathypelagic zone at 26°S off Namibia, variations of filament front location, productivity and temperature in the central BUS over the past 70 kyr were reconstructed. The comparison with newly-generated alkenone-based sea-surface temperature (SST) and previously obtained data at site GeoB3606-1 (~ 25°S; ca. 50 km shoreward from MD96-2098) allowed the recognition of four main phases: (1) upwelling front above the mid slope (70 kyr–44 kyr), (2) seaward displacement of the upwelling front beyond the mid slope (44 kyr–31 kyr), (3) main upwelling front over the hemipelagial (31 kyr–19 kyr), and (4) shoreward contraction of the upwelling filament, and decreased upwelling strength over most of the uppermost bathypelagic (19 kyr–6 kyr). The latitudinal migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies and the consequent contractions and expansions of the subpolar gyre played a significant role in millennial and submillennial variability of SST off Namibia. The strength of the southeasterly trade winds, rapid sea-level variations and the equatorward leakage of Antarctic silicate might have acted as amplifiers. Although late Quaternary variations of productivity and upwelling intensity in eastern boundary current systems are thought to be primarily linked to the variability in wind stress, this multi-parameter reconstruction shows that interplaying mechanisms defined the temporal variation pattern of the filament front migrations and the diatom production off Namibia during the past 70 kyr

The oxygen isotopic composition of phytolith assemblages from tropical rainforest soil tops (Queensland, Australia): validation of a new paleoenvironmental tool

Phytoliths are micrometric particles of amorphous silica that form inside or between the cells of higher plant tissues throughout the life of a plant. With plant decay, phytoliths are either incorporated into soils or exported to sediments via regional watersheds. Phytolith morphological assemblages are increasingly used as proxy of grassland diversity and tree cover density in inter-tropical areas. Here, we investigate whether, along altitudinal gradients in northeast Queensland (Australia), changes in the δ<sup>18</sup>O signature of soil top phytolith assemblages reflect changes in mean annual temperature (MAT) and in the oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>precipitation</sub>), as predicted by equilibrium temperature coefficients previously published for silica. Oxygen isotopic analyses were performed on 16 phytolith samples, after controlled isotopic exchange (CIE), using the IR Laser-Heating Fluorination Technique. Long-term mean annual precipitation (MAP) and MAT values at the sampled sites were calculated by the ANUCLIM software. δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>precipitation</sub> estimates were calculated using the Bowen and Wilkinson (2002) model, slightly modified. An empirical temperature-dependant relationship was obtained: δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>wood phytolith-precipitation</sub> (‰ vs. VSMOW) = −0.4 (±0.2) <i>t</i> (°C) + 46 (±3) (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.4, <i>p</i> < 0.05; <i>n</i> = 12). Despite the various unknowns introduced when estimating δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>precipitation</sub> values and the large uncertainties on δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>wood phytolith</sub> values, the temperature coefficient (−0.4 ± 0.2‰ °C<sup>−1</sup>) is in the range of values previously obtained for natural quartz, fresh and sedimentary diatoms and harvested grass phytoliths (from −0.2 to −0.5‰ °C<sup>−1</sup>). The consistency supports the reliability of δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>wood phytolith</sub> signatures for recording relative changes in mean annual δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>soil water</sub> values (which are assumed to be equivalent to the weighted annual δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub> precipitation</sub> values in rainforests environments) and MAT, provided these changes were several ‰ and/or several °C in magnitude

Adénopapillome de la muqueuse pituitaire chez la Chèvre

Lombard Charles, Cabanié P., Crespin J. Adénopapillome de la muqueuse pituitaire chez la Chèvre. In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 119 n°6, 1966. pp. 199-202

Perception and Reality in Congressional Earmarks

Earmarks added to appropriations bills have generated a considerable amount of attention from the media, politicians, and fiscal watchdog groups. Taken as a whole, three \u27truths\u27 about earmarks are frequently discussed: 1) earmarks are the reason for large budget deficits, 2) using omnibus legislation instead of regular order leads to more earmarks, and 3) \u27airdropped\u27 earmarks added at the conference stage compound the problem of pork. In this paper, we examine these \u27truths\u27 and find the conventional wisdom does not stand up to empirical tests. Finally, we show how Congress easily worked around new rules concerning the addition of earmarks at the conference stage

Ticagrelor versus Genotype-Driven Antiplatelet Therapy for Secondary Prevention after Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Clopidogrel’s effectiveness is likely reduced significantly for prevention of thrombotic events after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients exhibiting a decreased ability to metabolize clopidogrel into its active form. A genetic mutation responsible for this reduced effectiveness is detectable by genotyping. Ticagrelor is not dependent on gene-based metabolic activation and demonstrated greater clinical efficacy than clopidogrel in a recent secondary prevention trial. In 2011, clopidogrel will lose its patent protection and likely will be substantially less expensive than ticagrelor

Spallation Neutron Production by 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 GeV Protons on various Targets

Spallation neutron production in proton induced reactions on Al, Fe, Zr, W, Pb and Th targets at 1.2 GeV and on Fe and Pb at 0.8, and 1.6 GeV measured at the SATURNE accelerator in Saclay is reported. The experimental double-differential cross-sections are compared with calculations performed with different intra-nuclear cascade models implemented in high energy transport codes. The broad angular coverage also allowed the determination of average neutron multiplicities above 2 MeV. Deficiencies in some of the models commonly used for applications are pointed out.Comment: 20 pages, 32 figures, revised version, accepted fpr publication in Phys. Rev.