Managing the Regulatory State: The Experience of the Bush Administration

This Article traces the history of Presidential management of the regulatory state up to the administration of President George W. Bush. It focuses on the latter\u27s implementation of smarter regulation, an approach to regulation based on unfunded mandates on the private sector implemented through the Office of Management and Budget, an organization within the Executive Office of the President. It finds cost-benefit analysis an essential, yet often neglected, tool for implementing efficient and effective regulations. It concludes the policies promoted under President Bush\u27s OMB have effectively cut costs by streamlining the rule-making process and discouraging adopting new federal rules, but cautions there is still a sea of overlapping regulations and conflict over turf among agencies causing the administrative state to steadily rise in cost

Standardised library instruction assessment: an institution-specific approach

Introduction We explore the use of a psychometric model for locally-relevant, information literacy assessment, using an online tool for standardised assessment of student learning during discipline-based library instruction sessions. Method A quantitative approach to data collection and analysis was used, employing standardised multiple-choice survey questions followed by individual, cognitive interviews with undergraduate students. The assessment tool was administered to five general education psychology classes during library instruction sessions. AnalysisDescriptive statistics were generated by the assessment tool. Results. The assessment tool proved a feasible means of measuring student learning. While student scores improved on every survey question, there was uneven improvement from pre-test to post-test for different questions. Conclusion Student scores showed more improvement for some learning outcomes over others, thus, spending time on fewer concepts during instruction sessions would enable more reliable evaluation of student learning. We recommend using digital learning objects that address basic research skills to enhance library instruction programmes. Future studies will explore different applications of the assessment tool, provide more detailed statistical analysis of the data and shed additional light on the significance of overall scores

Studying the small scale ISM structure with supernovae

AIMS. In this work we explore the possibility of using the fast expansion of a Type Ia supernova photosphere to detect extra-galactic ISM column density variations on spatial scales of ~100 AU on time scales of a few months. METHODS. We constructed a simple model which describes the expansion of the photodisk and the effects of a patchy interstellar cloud on the observed equivalent width of Na I D lines. Using this model we derived the behavior of the equivalent width as a function of time, spatial scale and amplitude of the column density fluctuations. RESULTS. The calculations show that isolated, small (<100 AU) clouds with Na I column densities exceeding a few 10^11 cm^-2 would be easily detected. In contrast, the effects of a more realistic, patchy ISM become measurable in a fraction of cases, and for peak-to-peak variations larger than ~10^12 cm^-2 on a scale of 1000 AU. CONCLUSIONS. The proposed technique provides a unique way to probe the extra-galactic small scale structure, which is out of reach for any of the methods used so far. The same tool can also be applied to study the sub-AU Galactic ISM structure.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Using Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers to Research Adolescents’ Inquiry Experiences

This article presents three research methods—Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers—as ways of gathering data to describe the experiences of adolescents during instructional activities. These verbal report methods were used in two studies that examined the information-seeking processes of adolescents in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and Beaumont, Alberta. The first study revealed that participants needed both mediation (instruction and support) and practice to develop the skills and strategies needed for full-text searching of electronic encyclopedias. The second study revealed that students needed mediation (instruction and support) throughout an inquiry-based learning experience and that using Kuhlthau’s (1993) Information Search Process model as a guide for cognitive and affective mediation was useful. The Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers allowed the researcher to collect data about the adolescents’ experiences of information-seeking; the data-gathering processes also provided the participants with a deeper understanding of their own experiences of instructional activities. I conclude the article with recommendations to enhance researchers’ use of verbal report methods with adolescents.Cet article présente trois méthodes de recherche – Think Alouds, Think Afters et Think Togethers (Réfléchir à haute voix, Réfléchir par la suite et Réfléchir ensemble) – comme façons de recueillir des données pour décrire les expériences que vivent les adolescents pendant des activités pédagogiques. Nous avons employé ces méthodes basées sur les rapports verbaux au cours de deux études portant sur les processus de recherche d’information auxquels ont eu recours des adolescents à Inuvik, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest et à Beaumont, en Alberta. La première étude a révélé que les participants avaient besoin de médiation (directives et appui) et de pratique afin d’être en mesure de développer les habiletés et les stratégies nécessaires à faire des recherches en texte intégral dans des encyclopédies électroniques. La deuxième étude a révélé que les élèves avaient besoin de médiation (directives et appui) tout au long d’une activité pédagogique reposant sur l’enquête. L’emploi du modèle de Kuhlthau sur le processus de recherche d’informations comme guide lors de la médiation cognitive et affective s’est avéré utile. Les Think Alouds, Think Afters et Think Togethers ont fourni au chercheur les moyens de recueillir des données sur la recherche d’informations par les adolescents. La cueillette de données a également fourni aux participants l’occasion de mieux comprendre leurs propres expériences lors d’activités pédagogiques. Des recommandations quant à l’emploi, par les chercheurs, de méthodes reposant sur les rapports verbaux lors d’activités avec des adolescents viennent conclure l’article

The benthic invertebrate fauna of subantarctic Marion and Prince Edward Islands

Includes bibliographical references.There have been several expeditions to Marion and Prince Edward Islands (MPE) which have sampled the marine fauna and flora, including those of the British ships Challenger (1873-1876) and Discovery (1935), and subsequent surveys by the French ship Marion-Dufresne (Arnaud and Hureae, 1979). South African research began with land-based surveys that concentrated on the intertidal and shallow-water benthos and included work by Fuller (1967), Van Zinderen Bakker et al 1971 ), De Villiers (1976) and Blankley & Grindley (1985). More recently this research was extended offshore by the University of Cape Town, with dredging being undertaken from the SA Agulhas over the period 1984-1989 (GM Branch, Attwood, Gianakouras and ML Branch, 1993) and a quantitative SCUBA survey at depths of 5, 10 and 15m at Bullards Bay, Transvaal Cove and Trypot Point (Beckley and Branch, 1992). The identification of benthic species posed a major problem during each of the recent surveys, despite the fact that the material from earlier expeditions has been referred to international taxonomic authorities. Reference specimens are not available or are housed in European collections. The number of species from the area has also increased considerably. Previous work in the subantarctic has been undertaken by scientists from a large number of countries and over a protracted period of time. Isolated detailed monographs reviewing particular groups have appeared, but these remain largely inaccessible to the more generalist worker. Furthermore many are now out-of-date in terms of the nomenclature employed. This situation prompted the compilation of the present series of identification guides, which are intended to synthesise information on the benthic invertebrate fauna of Marion and Prince Edward Islands and to present it in a manner that will allow relatively easy identification by the non-specialist

Circumpolar Diversity and Geographic Differentiation of mtDNA in the Critically Endangered Antarctic Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia)

To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work.\ud This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Public Library of Science and can be found at: http://www.plosone.org/home.action.The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) was hunted to near extinction between 1904 and 1972, declining from an estimated initial abundance of more than 250,000 to fewer than 400. Here, we describe mtDNA control region diversity and geographic differentiation in the surviving population of the Antarctic blue whale, using 218 biopsy samples collected under the auspices of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) during research cruises from 1990-2009. Microsatellite genotypes and mtDNA sequences identified 166 individuals among the 218 samples and documented movement of a small number of individuals, including a female that traveled at least 6,650 km or 131 degrees longitude over four years. mtDNA sequences from the 166 individuals were aligned with published sequences from 17 additional individuals, resolving 52 unique haplotypes from a consensus length of 410 bp. From this minimum census, a rarefaction analysis predicted that only 72 haplotypes (95% CL, 64, 86) have survived in the contemporary population of Antarctic blue whales. However, haplotype diversity was relatively high (0.968 +/- 0.004), perhaps as a result of the longevity of blue whales and the relatively recent timing of the bottleneck. Despite the potential for circumpolar dispersal, we found significant differentiation in mtDNA diversity (F-ST = 0.032, p<0.005) and microsatellite alleles (F-ST = 0.005, p<0.05) among the six Antarctic Areas historically used by the IWC for management of blue whales

Numerical Analysis of Piling Framed Tie-Down Concrete Retaining Wall

The behavior of a novel pile framed retaining wall developed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is investigated using a 2D non-linear finite element (FE) analysis for. The wall design eliminates the need for a construction right of way behind the wall; thus it is ideal for urban areas. The design concept consists of vertical and battered H pile sections as the structural frame, and a concrete facing that is installed as the soil is excavated during top-down construction. Vertical tie-down anchors and a concrete cap and facing are used to counteract overturning moments. A 2-D FE analysis of the wall system was conducted to understand how the earth pressures are applied to the sloped wall, and how the loads are distributed throughout the piling frame. An increased understanding of the performance of this new system will lead to more economic pile sections and spacing under service loads. In addition, the construction sequence was modeled to investigate the non-linear response of the wall system. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate wall performance for different soil conditions, boundary conditions, wall heights, and tie-down forces. The results show that active earth pressures are adequate for design and that TDOT’s original design was conservative