The Growth of Government, Trust in Government, and Evidence on Their Coevolution

The coevolution of trust in government alongside the growth of government is an aspect of the latter topic that has not been explored. Moreover, trust is viewed as part of social capital, facilitating social and economic transactions and the governance of society, and its decline has caused concern. We consider this coevolution in the context of a political economy model and a public interest view of government growth, incorporating the role of trust in government. Though a negative association of the growth in government with trust in government is broadly consistent with the historical data since the late 1950s, we present an econometrically sophisticated, time series analysis of the data. We find strong evidence that two aspects of government size—transfer payments and regulatory activity—align with the political economy model where government growth erodes trust. Specifically, we find cointegration indicating the following: negative associations of trust and lobbying activity and of trust and each of these two measures of government, and a positive association of trust and productivity. Though other measures of government size do not produce such robust findings, we do not find evidence of positive associations of trust and government size nor of trust and lobbying, as might be expected from a public interest view of government

Strong C+ emission in galaxies at z~1-2: Evidence for cold flow accretion powered star formation in the early Universe

We have recently detected the [CII] 157.7 micron line in eight star forming galaxies at redshifts 1 to 2 using the redshift(z) Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS). Our sample targets star formation dominant sources detected in PAH emission. This represents a significant addition to [CII] observations during the epoch of peak star formation. We have augmented this survey with observations of the [OI] 63 micron line and far infrared photometry from the PACS and SPIRE Herschel instruments as well as Spitzer IRS spectra from the literature showing PAH features. Our sources exhibit above average gas heating efficiency, many with both [OI]/FIR and [CII]/FIR ~1% or more. The relatively strong [CII] emission is consistent with our sources being dominated by star formation powered PDRs, extending to kpc scales. We suggest that the star formation mode in these systems follows a Schmidt-Kennicutt law similar to local systems, but at a much higher rate due to molecular gas surface densities 10 to 100 times that of local star forming systems. The source of the high molecular gas surface densities may be the infall of neutral gas from the cosmic web. In addition to the high [CII]/FIR values, we also find high [CII]/PAH ratios and, in at least one source, a cool dust temperature. This source, SWIRE 4-5, bears a resemblance in these diagnostics to shocked regions of Stephan's Quintet, suggesting that another mode of [CII] excitation in addition to normal photoelectric heating may be contributing to the observed [CII] line.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. To appear in December 20, 2014, V797 - 2 issu

Impacts of Remotely Sensed Land Use Data on Watershed Hydrologic Change Assessment

Urbanization affects the stream system of a watershed. Increased urbanization alters the land cover and surface characteristics, the stream channel characteristics, and pollutant load of a stream system by increasing the amount of impervious surface. Once rural, forest, or wetland areas are changed to streets, highways, parking lots, sidewalks, and building rooftops. This results in large volumes of runoff being generated for an intense storm over a relatively short time period. As a result, sensitive ecosystems are likely to be damaged by increased urbanization. Projecting the impact of land use changes on a watershed scale often requires the use of remote sensing data to derive the required inputs on land cover and the related amount of impervious surface. Such forecasts are then used to devise alternative land use and stormwater control policies. One critical question that arises then is the impact of land use/land cover (LULC) mapping error on the resulting hydrologic model projections. In this research, we developed a methodology to assess those impacts. The Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model was used to estimate the peak hydrograph for a baseline land use condition and then used to estimate the impact of LULC mapping accuracy levels on those forecasts. The Big Darby Creek Watershed located near Columbus, Ohio, which is experiencing increased urbanization, was selected to map LULC, calibrate a hydrologic model, and assess the hydrologic change due to LULC mapping error. The resulting analysis showed that modest changes in land cover classification did not produce significant impacts on the hydrologic modeling results in rural basins. However, the hydrologic changes are noticeable in urbanizing watersheds. The framework developed in this paper can be used for future modeling efforts to understand the hydrological impact of LULC change in a watershed at a large scale

Evolutionary context improves regulatory network predictions

A novel algorithm harnesses phylogenetic information and facilitates a better understanding of the evolutionary divergence of gene regulation between species

Qualitative process evaluation of an Australian alcohol media literacy study: recommendations for designing culturally responsive school-based programs

Background: Alcohol media literacy programs seek to mitigate the potentially harmful effects of alcohol advertising on children\u27s drinking intentions and behaviours through equipping them with skills to challenge media messages. In order for such programs to be effective, the teaching and learning experiences must be tailored to their specific cultural context. Media in the Spotlight is an alcohol media literacy program aimed at 9 to 12 year old Australian children. This study evaluates the process and implementation of the program, outlining the factors that facilitated and inhibited implementation. From this evaluation, a pedagogical framework has been developed for health professionals implementing culturally responsive programs in school settings. Methods: Process measures included: semi-structured interviews with teachers before and after the program was implemented (n = 11 interviews), program evaluation questionnaires completed by children (n = 166), lesson observations completed by teachers (n = 35 observations), and reflective journal entries completed by the researcher (n = 44 entries). A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse all of the data sets using NVivo. Inductive coding was used, whereby the findings were derived from the research objectives and multiple readings and interpretations of the data. Results: Five key pedagogical considerations were identified that facilitated implementation. These were: connecting to the students\u27 life worlds to achieve cultural significance; empowering students with real-world skills to ensure relevance; ensuring programs are well structured with strong connections to the school curriculum; creating developmentally appropriate activities while providing a range of assessment opportunities; and including hands-on and interactive activities to promote student engagement. Three potential inhibitors to implementing the alcohol media literacy program in upper-elementary school classrooms were identified. These included topic sensitivities, classroom management challenges, and fitting new programs into already busy school schedules. Conclusion: Overall, the program content and individual lessons were well received by the teachers and students. The lessons learned from the development, implementation and evaluation of this program can provide health professionals with key pedagogical strategies for designing culturally responsive educational programs. Culturally responsive programs are critical for ensuring interventions are effective for their specific context

Effects of Late Castration and Zeranol on Growth Rate, Feed Efficiency, and Carcass and Meat Traits of Bovine Males

It is generally recognized that intact bovine males gain weight faster and require less feed per unit of gain than castrate bovine males. Further, carcasses from intact bovine males have a higher percentage of retail or edible product, but meat from intact males is generally evaluated slightly lower on palatability characteristics, particularly tenderness, than carcasses from castrate bovine males. It has been suggested that much of the advantage of intact vs castrate for rate of gain, efficiency of gain, and composition of gain may be expressed by an age of about 1 year and the disadvantages, including aggressive male behavior, that result in reduced rate and efficiency of gain, begin at about 1 year of age (at or immediately after puberty). Thus, there was need to determine the effects of castration at about 1 year on rate of gain, efficiency of gain, composition of gain, meat characteristics, and behavioral characteristics. Reports have shown that, when the anabolic agent zeranol [6-(6,10-dyhydroxyundecyl)-B-resorcyclic acid-d-lactone] is implanted in intact male calves at or before weaning, rate of gain is increased and rate of testicular growth is decreased. These experiments were conducted to determine the effects of castration and zeranol implants at 13 months of age on rate of gain, efficiency of gain, behavioral characteristics, and carcass and meat traits of bovine males

Origins, evolution, domestication and diversity of Saccharomyces beer yeasts

Yeasts have been used for food and beverage fermentations for thousands of years. Today, numerous different strains are available for each specific fermentation process. However, the nature and extent of the phenotypic and genetic diversity and specific adaptations to industrial niches have only begun to be elucidated recently. In Saccharomyces, domestication is most pronounced in beer strains, likely because they continuously live in their industrial niche, allowing only limited genetic admixture with wild stocks and minimal contact with natural environments. As a result, beer yeast genomes show complex patterns of domestication and divergence, making both ale (S. cerevisiae) and lager (S. pastorianus) producing strains ideal models to study domestication and, more generally, genetic mechanisms underlying swift adaptation to new niches