Foreign Policy Views and U.S. Standing in the World

What do Americans think about the US role in world affairs and why do they think the way they do? Americans typically do not think about foreign policy most of the time, and, as a consequence, know relatively little about it (Almond 1950, Lippmann 1955, Converse 1964, Erskine 1963, Edwards 1983, Sobel 1993, Holsti 2004, Canes-Wrone 2006, Page and Bouton 2006, Berinsky 2007). While foreign policy issues can become salient when major international events (like 9/11 and the Iraq War) arise or when political candidates focus on foreign policy (Aldrich, Sullivan and Borgida 1989), ceteris paribus, Americans know and care more about domestic politics (Delli-Carpini and Keeter 1996, Holsti 1994, Canes-Wrone 2006, Converse 1964). Consequently, typical Americans are broadly aware of foreign policy, and have some available attitudes about it (Page and Bouton 2006, Aldrich et al. 1989). However, except in the face of political priming by elites or exogenous shocks, such attitudes may not be broadly accessible when making political decisions, like voting.

Association Between Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, irreversible disease that robs individuals of vision, quality of life, and independence. It is the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a condition characterized by repeated episodes of apnea and/or hypopnea, insomnia, short sleep duration, and/or sleep disturbances (snoring, gasping, etc.). Because SDB has been shown to cause chronic hypoxia resulting in oxidative stress on the retina, it has been proposed that SDB may be associated with AMD. Based on the life course theory of chronic disease, this quantitative, cross-sectional study used data from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to study whether there was an association between SDB and AMD, including neovascular AMD and geographic atrophy in adults 40 years and older. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were used. The results suggest that AMD is associated with diagnosed sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and insomnia, as well as sleep apnea symptoms of gasping snoring, snorting, and stopping breathing. The findings of this study highlight the importance of diagnostic screening and therapeutic intervention to treat SDB. Early diagnosis and therapy for SDB could address not only the comorbidities associated with SDB, but could also prevent or slow the progression of AMD. In turn, this would yield lower rates of vision loss, reduced comorbidities associated with vision loss, and reduced impact of AMD on the health care system and social and financial costs to society

Foreign Policy Views and U.S Standing in the World

What do Americans think about the US role in world affairs and why do they think the way they do? Americans typically do not think about foreign policy most of the time, and, as a consequence, know relatively little about it (Almond 1950, Lippmann 1955, Converse 1964, Erskine 1963, Edwards 1983, Sobel 1993, Holsti 2004, Canes-Wrone 2006, Page and Bouton 2006, Berinsky 2007). While foreign policy issues can become salient when major international events (like 9/11 and the Iraq War) arise or when political candidates focus on foreign policy (Aldrich, Sullivan and Borgida 1989), ceteris paribus, Americans know and care more about domestic politics (Delli-Carpini and Keeter 1996, Holsti 1994, Canes-Wrone 2006, Converse 1964). Consequently, typical Americans are broadly aware of foreign policy, and have some available attitudes about it (Page and Bouton 2006, Aldrich et al. 1989). However, except in the face of political priming by elites or exogenous shocks, such attitudes may not be broadly accessible when making political decisions, like voting

Fluorescent artificial receptor-based membrane assay (FARMA) for spatiotemporally resolved monitoring of biomembrane permeability

The spatiotemporally resolved monitoring of membrane translocation, e.g., of drugs or toxins, has been a long-standing goal. Herein, we introduce the fluorescent artificial receptor-based membrane assay (FARMA), a facile, label-free method. With FARMA, the permeation of more than hundred organic compounds (drugs, toxins, pesticides, neurotransmitters, peptides, etc.) through vesicular phospholipid bilayer membranes has been monitored in real time (µs-h time scale) and with high sensitivity (nM-µM concentration), affording permeability coefficients across an exceptionally large range from 10$^{-9}$–10$^{-3}$ cm s$^{-1}$. From a fundamental point of view, FARMA constitutes a powerful tool to assess structure-permeability relationships and to test biophysical models for membrane passage. From an applied perspective, FARMA can be extended to high-throughput screening by adaption of the microplate reader format, to spatial monitoring of membrane permeation by microscopy imaging, and to the compartmentalized monitoring of enzymatic activity

Peran Etika dalam Pelayanan Publik Sesuai Pembangunan Daerah

: Social life in state to International levels needs a system that governs how people should get along. The system setting makes people socially respectful and known as manners and etiquette. The implementation of ethical principle can also be applied in the implementation of public service including language, attitudes, and behavior of service providers. This study used qualitative research method. The location researched in this study was Dau District Office, Malang Regency focusing on the role of ethics in Public Service in Dau District Office, Malang, and how suitable the role of ethics and the development. To meet the objectives of this study, it used data analysis technique that involves three phases namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. From the research results, it is showed that the role of ethics in public service in the Dau District Office of Malang is maximum; the officers are friendly, the services dos not that take a long time, and this office has also been awarded several times as the best service category. Furthermore, the role of ethics in accordance with the development has a good cooperation between the government and the society of Dau District, ranging from the early stages to the completion process, the community also participate in the implementation of the control and supervision of the construction by the existence of a good cooperation between the government and the society existing in Dau district, so that the development would change faster. Keywords: Ethics, Public Services, Developmen

Limits on the HI content of the dwarf galaxy Hydra II

Sensitive 21cm HI observations have been made with the Green Bank Telescope toward the newly-discovered Local Group dwarf galaxy Hydra II, which may lie within the leading arm of the Magellanic Stream. No neutral hydrogen was detected. Our 5-sigma limit of MHI < 210 solar masses for a 15 km/s linewidth gives a gas-to-luminosity ratio MHI/L_V < 2.6 x 10^{-2} Mo / Lo. The limits on HI mass and MHI/L_V are typical of dwarf galaxies found within a few hundred kpc of the Milky Way. Whatever the origin of Hydra II, its neutral gas properties are not unusual.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Hispanic-White Differences in Lifespan Variability in the United States

This study is the first to investigate whether and, if so, why Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in the United States differ in the variability of their lifespans. Although Hispanics enjoy higher life expectancy than whites, very little is known about how lifespan variability—and thus uncertainty about length of life—differs by race/ethnicity. We use 2010 U.S. National Vital Statistics System data to calculate lifespan variance at ages 10 and older for Hispanics and whites, and then decompose the Hispanic-white variance difference into cause-specific spread, allocation, and timing effects. In addition to their higher life expectancy relative to whites, Hispanics also exhibit 7 % lower lifespan variability, with a larger gap among women than men. Differences in cause-specific incidence (allocation effects) explain nearly two-thirds of Hispanics’ lower lifespan variability, mainly because of the higher mortality from suicide, accidental poisoning, and lung cancer among whites. Most of the remaining Hispanic-white variance difference is due to greater age dispersion (spread effects) in mortality from heart disease and residual causes among whites than Hispanics. Thus, the Hispanic paradox—that a socioeconomically disadvantaged population (Hispanics) enjoys a mortality advantage over a socioeconomically advantaged population (whites)—pertains to lifespan variability as well as to life expectancy. Efforts to reduce U.S. lifespan variability and simultaneously increase life expectancy, especially for whites, should target premature, young adult causes of death—in particular, suicide, accidental poisoning, and homicide. We conclude by discussing how the analysis of Hispanic-white differences in lifespan variability contributes to our understanding of the Hispanic paradox

Using the incremental Hole-drilling technique for measuring residual stresses in fibre-reinforce polymer composites

The Incremental hole-drilling technique (IHD) seems to be a promising technique, among the destructive (relaxation) techniques, to determine in-depth non-uniform residual stresses in fibre-reinforced polymer composites. Hence, valid theoretical approaches for IHD residual stress determination in composite laminates, based on a set of strain-depth relaxation curves, are needed. Nevertheless, the influence of the drilling process itself on the initial residual stress state, i.e. existing prior to hole drilling, must be verified first. In this work, the IHD residual stress evaluation procedures in composite laminates will be reviewed and an original hybrid experimental-numerical methodology will be used to quantify the residual strain induced by the drilling process. Thus, residual strains induced by ultra-high speed drilling processes on carbon-epoxy laminates (CFRPs) have been quantified. The results seem to show that IHD technique can be improved to be successfully applied for measuring residual stresses in CFRPs