The Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus: An Advocacy Tool for the 21st Century

Historic Preservation depends a great deal on national, state, and local legislative action from both a regulatory and funding perspective. To advocate successfully on behalf of a national historic preservation policy agenda, a comprehensive understanding of the nuances of the federal legislative process along with a strong insight into the internal and external dynamics feeding into that process are vital. At the federal level, many legislators choose to organize into partisan, bipartisan or bicameral groups, commonly called Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) or caucuses, with the intent to pursue common legislative objectives, coordinate actions and affect policy within their legislative body. The Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus (CHPC) is such a group. The mission of this particular bipartisan caucus, formed at the beginning of the 108th Congress (2003-2004) within the U.S. House of Representatives, is based on the recognition that successful federal historic preservation policy requires coordination and advocacy efforts between federal, state, local, public, and private groups. The assumption is that these coordinated efforts, particularly when executed at the federal level with the help of caucus members and their staffs, can greatly enhance the probability of positive legislative outcomes for historic preservation

A transcriptomics model of estrogen action in the ovine fetal hypothalamus: evidence for estrogenic effects of ICI 182,780

Estradiol plays a critical role in stimulating the fetal hypothalamus?pituitary?adrenal axis at the end of gestation. Estradiol action is mediated through nuclear and membrane receptors that can be modulated by ICI 182,780, a pure antiestrogen compound. The objective of this study was to evaluate the transcriptomic profile of estradiol and ICI 182,780, testing the hypothesis that ICI 182,780 antagonizes the action of estradiol in the fetal hypothalamus. Chronically catheterized ovine fetuses were infused for 48 h with: vehicle (Control, n = 6), 17β‐estradiol 500 μg/kg/day (Estradiol, n = 4), ICI 182,780 5 μg/kg/day (ICI 5 μg, n = 4) and ICI 182,780 5 mg/kg/day (ICI 5 mg, n = 5). Fetal hypothalami were collected afterward, and gene expression was measured through microarray. Statistical analysis of transcriptomic data was performed with Bioconductor‐R and Cytoscape software. Unexpectedly, 35% and 15.5% of the upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEG) by Estradiol significantly overlapped (P < 0.05) with upregulated DEG by ICI 5 mg and ICI 5 μg, respectively. For the downregulated DEG, these percentages were 29.9% and 15.5%, respectively. There was almost no overlap for DEG following opposite directions between Estradiol and ICI ICI 5 mg or ICI 5 μg. Furthermore, most of the genes in the estrogen signaling pathway after activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor followed the same direction in Estradiol, ICI 5 μg or ICI 5 mg compared to Control. In conclusion, estradiol and ICI 182,780 have estrogenic genomic effects in the developing brain, suggesting the possibility that the major action of estradiol on the fetal hypothalamus involves another receptor system rather than estrogen receptors.Fil: Rabaglino, Maria Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Keller Wood, Maureen. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Wood, Charles E.. University of Florida; Estados Unido

Ultra-Low Amplitude Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The MACHO variables of LMC Field 77 that lie in the vicinity of the Cepheid instability strip are reexamined. Among the 144 variables that we identify as Cepheids we find 14 that have Fourier amplitudes <0.05 mag in the MACHO red band, of which 7 have an amplitude <0.006 mag : we dub the latter group of stars ultra-low amplitude (ULA) Cepheids. The variability of these objects is verified by a comparison of the MACHO red with the MACHO blue lightcurves and with those of the corresponding OGLE LMC stars. The occurrence of ULA Cepheids is in agreement with theory. We have also discovered 2 low amplitude variables whose periods are about a factor of 5--6 smaller than those of F Cepheids of equal apparent magnitude. We suggest that these objects are Cepheids undergoing pulsations in a surface mode and that they belong to a novel class of Strange Cepheids (or Surface Mode Cepheids) whose existence was predicted by Buchler et al. (1997).Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, slightly revised, to appear in ApJ Letter

Bump Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds: Metallicities, the Distances to the LMC and SMC, and the Pulsation-Evolution Mass Discrepancy

We utilize nonlinear pulsation models to reproduce the observed light and color curves for two samples of bump Cepheid variables, 19 from the Large Magellanic Cloud and 9 from the Small Magellanic Cloud. This analysis determines the fundamental parameters mass, luminosity, effective temperature, metallicity, distance and reddening for the sample of stars. The use of light curve shape alone to determine metallicity is a new modelling technique introduced here. The metallicity, distance and reddening distributions for the two samples are in agreement with those of similar stellar populations in the literature. The distance modulus of the Large Magellanic Cloud is determined to be 18.54$\pm$0.018 and the distance modulus of the Small Magellanic Cloud is determined to be 18.93$\pm$0.024. The mean Cepheid metallicities are $Z = 0.0091\pm0.0007$ and $0.0050\pm0.0005$ for the LMC and SMC, respectively. The masses derived from pulsation analysis are significantly less than those predicted by stellar evolutionary models with no or mild convective core overshoot. We show that this discrepancy can not be accounted for by uncertainties in our input opacities or in mass-loss physics. We interpret the observed mass discrepancy in terms of enhanced internal mixing in the vicinity of the convective core during the main-sequence lifetime and find that the overshoot parameter $\Lambda_{c}$ rises from 0.688$\pm$0.009H_p at the mean LMC metallicity to 0.746$\pm$0.009H_p in the SMC.Comment: ApJ accepte

Eccentric Ellipsoidal Red Giant Binaries in the LMC: Complete Orbital Solutions and Comments on Interaction at Periastron

Modelling ellipsoidal variables with known distances can lead to exact determination of the masses of both components, even in the absence of eclipses. We present such modelling using light and radial velocity curves of ellipsoidal red giant binaries in the LMC, where they are also known as sequence E stars. Stars were selected as likely eccentric systems on the basis of light curve shape alone. We have confirmed their eccentric nature and obtained system parameters using the Wilson-Devinney code. Most stars in our sample exhibit unequal light maxima as well as minima, a phenomenon not observed in sequence E variables with circular orbits. We find evidence that the shape of the red giant changes throughout the orbit due to the high eccentricity and the varying influence of the companion. Brief intervals of pulsation are apparent in two of the red giants. We determine pulsation modes and comment on their placement in the period-luminosity plane. Defining the parameters of these systems paves the way for modelling to determine by what mechanism eccentricity is maintained in evolved binaries.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted to MNRAS 2012 January

Be stars in and around young clusters in the Magellanic Clouds

We present the results of a search for Be stars in six fields centered on the young clusters NGC 330 and NGC 346 in the SMC, and NGC 1818, NGC 1948, NGC 2004 and NGC 2100 in the LMC. Be stars were identified by differencing R band and narrow-band Hα CCD images. Our comparatively large images provide substantial Be star populations both within the clusters and in their surrounding fields. Magnitudes, positions and finding charts are given for the 224 Be stars found. The fraction of Be stars to normal B stars within each cluster is found to vary significantly although the average ratio is similar to the average Be to B star ratio found in the Galaxy. In some clusters, the Be star population is weighted to magnitudes near the main sequence turn-off. The Be stars are redder in V-I than normal main-sequence stars of similar magnitude and the redness increases with increasing Hα emission strength

Be stars in and around young clusters in the Magellanic Clouds

We present the results of a search for Be stars in six fields centered on the young clusters NGC 330 and NGC 346 in the SMC, and NGC 1818, NGC 1948, NGC 2004 and NGC 2100 in the LMC. Be stars were identified by differencing R band and narrow-band H$\alpha$ CCD images. Our comparatively large images provide substantial Be star populations both within the clusters and in their surrounding fields. Magnitudes, positions and finding charts are given for the 224 Be stars found. The fraction of Be stars to normal B stars within each cluster is found to vary significantly although the average ratio is similar to the average Be to B star ratio found in the Galaxy. In some clusters, the Be star population is weighted to magnitudes near the main sequence turn-off. The Be stars are redder in $

Transcriptomics modeling of the late-gestation fetal pituitary response to transient hypoxia

Background The late-gestation fetal sheep responds to hypoxia with physiological, neuroendocrine, and cellular responses that aid in fetal survival. The response of the fetus to hypoxia represents a coordinated effort to maximize oxygen transfer from the mother and minimize wasteful oxygen consumption by the fetus. While there have been many studies aimed at investigating the coordinated physiological and endocrine responses to hypoxia, and while immunohistochemical or in situ hybridization studies have revealed pathways supporting the endocrine function of the pituitary, there is little known about the coordinated cellular response of the pituitary to the hypoxia. Results Thirty min hypoxia (from 17.0±1.7 to 8.0±0.8 mm Hg, followed by 30 min normoxia) upregulated 595 and downregulated 790 genes in fetal pituitary (123-132 days' gestation; term = 147 days). Network inference of up- and down- regulated genes revealed a high degree of functional relatedness amongst the gene sets. Gene ontology analysis revealed upregulation of cellular metabolic processes (e.g., RNA synthesis, response to estrogens) and downregulation Conclusions The multiple analytical approaches used in this study suggests that the acute response to 30 min of transient hypoxia in the late-gestation fetus results in reduced cellular metabolism and a pattern of gene expression that is consistent with cellular oxygen and ATP starvation. In this early time point, we see a vigorous gene response. But, like the hypothalamus, the transcriptomic response is not consistent with mediation by HIF-1. If HIF-1 is a significant controller of gene expression in the fetal pituitary after hypoxia, it must be at a later time.Fil: Wood, Charles E.. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Chang, Eileen I.. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Richards, Elaine M.. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Rabaglino, Maria Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Keller Wood, Maureen. University of Florida; Estados Unido

Social relationships and social support among post-war youth in Northern Uganda

Although social relationships and social support are salient factors for post-war adolescents' psychosocial coping and adjustment, there is only limited information regarding war-affected adolescents' views on social support and the relationships within which social support is provided. This study therefore explored both elements among a clinical sample of 20 adolescents living in post-war Northern Uganda. Following Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis, we found a prominent role of the biological mother and other primary biological family members in the upbringing of our participants. Spiritual and material support were perceived to be the most important type of support, respectively, while the adolescents were growing up and in their current lives. These findings provide support for the perception that caregiving systems are adaptable to particular sociocultural contexts. Further, the importance of particular functions of social support could signify a potentially selective buffering effect of these functions in adverse contexts. Because of the importance of the primary biological family and the salient role of parent–child relationships in the face of adversity, future research needs to focus on this particular kind of social relationship in contexts of prolonged collective violence

Influence of positional correlations on the propagation of waves in a complex medium with polydisperse resonant scatterers

We present experimental results on a model system for studying wave propagation in a complex medium exhibiting low frequency resonances. These experiments enable us to investigate a fundamental question that is relevant for many materials, such as metamaterials, where low-frequency scattering resonances strongly influence the effective medium properties. This question concerns the effect of correlations in the positions of the scatterers on the coupling between their resonances, and hence on wave transport through the medium. To examine this question experimentally, we measure the effective medium wave number of acoustic waves in a sample made of bubbles embedded in an elastic matrix over a frequency range that includes the resonance frequency of the bubbles. The effective medium is highly dispersive, showing peaks in the attenuation and the phase velocity as functions of the frequency, which cannot be accurately described using the Independent Scattering Approximation (ISA). This discrepancy may be explained by the effects of the positional correlations of the scatterers, which we show to be dependent on the size of the scatterers. We propose a self-consistent approach for taking this "polydisperse correlation" into account and show that our model better describes the experimental results than the ISA