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Presidential Position-Taking, Presidential Success, and Interest Group Activity
This is the author acepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordDo lobby groups help the American president achieve policy objectives? Existing research seldom evaluates interest groups and the president in conjunction, and as a result we have little systematic knowledge about how groups respond to presidential actions or whether they assist in realizing the presidentâs policy agenda. Building on existing data obtained through interviews with 776 lobbyists, combined with variables we generate describing issue salience, congressional attention, the political context, and policy adoption, we show that interest groups adjusted their lobbying activity to better reflect the presidentâs voiced preferences. Despite this strategy, we find that lobby groups had no significant marginal effect on policy adoption when controlling for the overwhelming influence of the president. The strong association between policy adoption and position-taking by the president withstands the inclusion of five alternative variables found in previous studies to condition the influence of the president over policy adoption
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On Birthing Dancing Stars: The Need for Bounded Chaos in Information Interaction
While computers causing chaos is acommon social trope, nearly the entirety of the history of computing is dedicated to generating order. Typical interactive information retrieval tasks ask computers to support the traversal and exploration of large, complex information spaces. The implicit assumption is that they are to support users in simplifying the complexity (i.e. in creating order from chaos). But for some types of task, particularly those that involve the creative application or synthesis of knowledge or the creation of new knowledge, this assumption may be incorrect. It is increasingly evident that perfect orderâand the systems we create with itâsupport highly-structured information tasks well, but provide poor support for less-structured tasks.We need digital information environments that help create a little more chaos from order to spark creative thinking and knowledge creation. This paper argues for the need for information systems that offerwhat we term âbounded chaosâ, and offers research directions that may support the creation of such interface
Entropy measures for complex networks: Toward an information theory of complex topologies
The quantification of the complexity of networks is, today, a fundamental
problem in the physics of complex systems. A possible roadmap to solve the
problem is via extending key concepts of information theory to networks. In
this paper we propose how to define the Shannon entropy of a network ensemble
and how it relates to the Gibbs and von Neumann entropies of network ensembles.
The quantities we introduce here will play a crucial role for the formulation
of null models of networks through maximum-entropy arguments and will
contribute to inference problems emerging in the field of complex networks.Comment: (4 pages, 1 figure
Extension of the sun-synchronous Orbit
Through careful consideration of the orbit perturbation force due to the oblate nature of the primary body a secular variation of the ascending node angle of a near-polar orbit can be induced without expulsion of propellant. Resultantly, the orbit perturbations can be used to maintain the orbit plane in, for example, a near-perpendicular (or at any other angle) alignment to the Sun-line throughout the full year of the primary body; such orbits are normally termed Sun-synchronous orbits [1, 2]. Sun-synchronous orbits about the Earth are typically near-circular Low-Earth Orbits (LEOs), with an altitude of less than 1500 km. It is normal to design a LEO such that the orbit period is synchronised with the rotation of the Earthâs surface over a given period, such that a repeating ground-track is established. A repeating ground-track, together with the near-constant illumination conditions of the ground-track when observed from a Sun-synchronous orbit, enables repeat observations of a target over an extended period under similar illumination conditions [1, 2]. For this reason, Sun-synchronous orbits are extensively used by Earth Observation (EO) platforms, including currently the Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT), the second European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-2) and many more. By definition, a given Sun-synchronous orbit is a finite resource similar to a geostationary orbit. A typical characterising parameter of a Sun-synchronous orbit is the Mean Local Solar Time (MLST) at descending node, with a value of 1030 hours typical. Note that ERS-1 and ERS-2 used a MLST at descending node of 1030 hours ± 5 minutes, while ENVISAT uses a 1000 hours ± 5 minutes MLST at descending node [3]. Following selection of the MLST at descending node and for a given desired repeat ground-track, the orbit period and hence the semi-major axis are fixed, thereafter assuming a circular orbit is desired it is found that only a single orbit inclination will enable a Sun-synchronous orbit [2]. As such, only a few spacecraft can populate a given repeat ground-track Sun-synchronous orbit without compromise, for example on the MLST at descending node. Indeed a notable feature of on-going studies by the ENVISAT Post launch Support Office is the desire to ensure sufficient propellant remains at end-of-mission for re-orbiting to a graveyard orbit to ensure the orbital slot is available for future missions [4]. An extension to the Sun-synchronous orbit is considered using an undefined, non-orientation constrained, low-thrust propulsion system. Initially the low-thrust propulsion system will be considered for the free selection of orbit inclination and altitude while maintaining the Sun-synchronous condition. Subsequently the maintenance of a given Sun-synchronous repeat-ground track will be considered, using the low-thrust propulsion system to enable the free selection of orbit altitude. An analytical expression will be developed to describe these extensions prior to then validating the analytical expressions within a numerical simulation of a spacecraft orbit. Finally, an analysis will be presented on transfer and injection trajectories to these orbits
The Kinetic Activation-Relaxation Technique: A Powerful Off-lattice On-the-fly Kinetic Monte Carlo Algorithm
Many materials science phenomena, such as growth and self-organisation, are
dominated by activated diffusion processes and occur on timescales that are
well beyond the reach of standard-molecular dynamics simulations. Kinetic Monte
Carlo (KMC) schemes make it possible to overcome this limitation and achieve
experimental timescales. However, most KMC approaches proceed by discretizing
the problem in space in order to identify, from the outset, a fixed set of
barriers that are used throughout the simulations, limiting the range of
problems that can be addressed. Here, we propose a more flexible approach --
the kinetic activation-relaxation technique (k-ART) -- which lifts these
constraints. Our method is based on an off-lattice, self-learning, on-the-fly
identification and evaluation of activation barriers using ART and a
topological description of events. The validity and power of the method are
demonstrated through the study of vacancy diffusion in crystalline silicon.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Eigenvalue Spacing Distribution for the Ensemble of Real Symmetric Toeplitz Matrices
Consider the ensemble of Real Symmetric Toeplitz Matrices, each entry iidrv
from a fixed probability distribution p of mean 0, variance 1, and finite
higher moments. The limiting spectral measure (the density of normalized
eigenvalues) converges weakly to a new universal distribution with unbounded
support, independent of p. This distribution's moments are almost those of the
Gaussian's; the deficit may be interpreted in terms of Diophantine
obstructions. With a little more work, we obtain almost sure convergence. An
investigation of spacings between adjacent normalized eigenvalues looks
Poissonian, and not GOE.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Preliminary study of the characteristics of a high Mg containing Al-Mg-Si alloy
An Al-20Mg-4Si high Mg containing alloy has been produced and its characteristics investigated. The as-cast alloy revealed primary Mg 2Si particles evenly distributed throughout an α-Al matrix with a ÎČ-Al 3Mg 2 fully divorced eutectic phase observed in interdendritic regions. The Mg 2Si particles displayed octahedral, truncated octahedral, and hopper morphologies. Additions of Sb, Ti and Zr had a refining influence reducing the size of the Mg 2Si from 52 ± 4 ÎŒm to 25 ± 0.1 ÎŒm, 35 ± 1 ÎŒm and 34 ± 1 ÎŒm respectively. HPDC tensile test samples could be produced with a 0.6 wt.% Mn addition which prevented die soldering. Solution heating for 1 hr was found to dissolve the majority of the Al 3Mg 2 eutectic phase with no evidence of any effect on the primary Mg 2Si. Preliminary results indicate that the heat treatment has a beneficial effect on the elongation and the UTS
The Disadvantaged Student and Preparation for Legal Education: The New York University Experience
The law school commitment to enroll more minority students is a decision which can have many and varied ramifications for the law school as an institution. Minority students will bring new perspectives, different needs a total outlook on life and law potentially at variance with that of the majority culture in which most law school faculties and students have been educated. The resulting challenge to accepted norms can be met by the law schools in many ways--it can be ignored, creating frustration and anger, or it can be utilized creatively, expanding the horizons of the law school to include hitherto unperceived areas of thought and endeavor. The latter alternative was the approach of New York University, whose minority students, in conjunction with certain majority student organizations, called for and received law school reforms altering the framework of the legal education process at NYU
MODIS information, data and control system (MIDACS) operations concepts
The MODIS Information, Data, and Control System (MIDACS) Operations Concepts Document provides a basis for the mutual understanding between the users and the designers of the MIDACS, including the requirements, operating environment, external interfaces, and development plan. In defining the concepts and scope of the system, how the MIDACS will operate as an element of the Earth Observing System (EOS) within the EosDIS environment is described. This version follows an earlier release of a preliminary draft version. The individual operations concepts for planning and scheduling, control and monitoring, data acquisition and processing, calibration and validation, data archive and distribution, and user access do not yet fully represent the requirements of the data system needed to achieve the scientific objectives of the MODIS instruments and science teams. The teams are not yet formed; however, it is possible to develop the operations concepts based on the present concept of EosDIS, the level 1 and level 2 Functional Requirements Documents, and through interviews and meetings with key members of the scientific community. The operations concepts were exercised through the application of representative scenarios
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