Economic perceptions shape attitudes toward the president during times of economic crisis

In an ideal world, voters’ choices would be informed by their evaluations of the incumbent party’s performance on issues such as the economy. But given that research has shown that these evaluations are largely driven by voters’ political beliefs, how can elected officials be held accountable for poor economic management? In new research using survey data on changes in presidential approval and economic perceptions, Bradley T. Dickerson finds that when the economy is especially poor and slips into recession, economic attitudes can be a strong predictor of political attitudes

Apollo spacecraft systems analysis program. Preliminary LR reflectivity model

Preliminary lunar reflectivity graph

Four frequency ground scatterometer

The FM-CW Radar, used as a microwave scatterometer is described. Scatterometer system design, scatterometer system calibration, parameter calculation and correction for data acquisition, ground scatterometer data acquistion at Jornada Experimental Range, and Kansas radar cross-calibration test are discussed

A true concurrent model of smart contracts executions

The development of blockchain technologies has enabled the trustless execution of so-called smart contracts, i.e. programs that regulate the exchange of assets (e.g., cryptocurrency) between users. In a decentralized blockchain, the state of smart contracts is collaboratively maintained by a peer-to-peer network of mutually untrusted nodes, which collect from users a set of transactions (representing the required actions on contracts), and execute them in some order. Once this sequence of transactions is appended to the blockchain, the other nodes validate it, re-executing the transactions in the same order. The serial execution of transactions does not take advantage of the multi-core architecture of modern processors, so contributing to limit the throughput. In this paper we propose a true concurrent model of smart contract execution. Based on this, we show how static analysis of smart contracts can be exploited to parallelize the execution of transactions.Comment: Full version of the paper presented at COORDINATION 202

Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien

Many readers drawn into the heroic tales of J. R. R. Tolkien’s imaginary world of Middle-earth have given little conscious thought to the importance of the land itself in his stories or to the vital roles played by the flora and fauna of that land. As a result, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion are rarely considered to be works of environmental literature or mentioned together with such authors as John Muir, Rachel Carson, or Aldo Leopold. Tolkien’s works do not express an activist agenda; instead, his environmentalism is expressed in the form of literary fiction. Nonetheless, Tolkien’s vision of nature is as passionate and has had as profound an influence on his readers as that of many contemporary environmental writers. The burgeoning field of agrarianism provides new insights into Tolkien’s view of the natural world and environmental responsibility. In Ents, Elves, and Eriador, Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans show how Tolkien anticipated some of the tenets of modern environmentalism in the imagined world of Middle-earth and the races with which it is peopled. The philosophical foundations that define Tolkien’s environmentalism, as well as the practical outworking of these philosophies, are found throughout his work. Agrarianism is evident in the pastoral lifestyle and sustainable agriculture of the Hobbits, as they harmoniously cultivate the land for food and goods. The Elves practice aesthetic, sustainable horticulture as they shape their forest environs into an elaborate garden. To complete Tolkien’s vision, the Ents of Fangorn Forest represent what Dickerson and Evans label feraculture, which seeks to preserve wilderness in its natural form. Unlike the Entwives, who are described as cultivating food in tame gardens, the Ents risk eventual extinction for their beliefs. These ecological philosophies reflect an aspect of Christian stewardship rooted in Tolkien’s Catholic faith. Dickerson and Evans define it as “stewardship of the kind modeled by Gandalf,” a stewardship that nurtures the land rather than exploiting its life-sustaining capacities to the point of exhaustion. Gandalfian stewardship is at odds with the forces of greed exemplified by Sauron and Saruman, who, with their lust for power, ruin the land they inhabit, serving as a dire warning of what comes to pass when stewardly care is corrupted or ignored. Dickerson and Evans examine Tolkien’s major works as well as his lesser-known stories and essays, comparing his writing to that of the most important naturalists of the past century. A vital contribution to environmental literature and an essential addition to Tolkien scholarship, Ents, Elves, and Eriador offers both Tolkien fans and environmentalists an understanding of Middle-earth that has profound implications for environmental stewardship in the present and the future of our own world. Matthew Dickerson, professor and member of the environmental studies program at Middlebury College, is the author or coauthor of several books, including Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings and From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy. Jonathan Evans, associate professor of English and director of the medieval studies program at the University of Georgia, is a member of the Environmental Ethics Certificate Program faculty. His essays on J. R. R. Tolkien have been published in J. R. R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances, Tolkien the Medievalist, and The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Anyone who ever thrilled to Tolkien\u27s fighting trees, or to the earthy Tom Bombadil, or to the novel charm of the Shire will want to read this important and lovely book. --Bill McKibben, Scholar in Residence in Environmental Studies, Middlebury College The writing style is engaging, and the book presents the first fully developed study of Tolkien and the environment at the same time that it offers insights into a range of Tolkien\u27s major and minor works. --Choice A fascinating ecocritical evaluation of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Valuable for both Tolkien fans and those interested in ecocriticism and environmental literature. Especially useful given the popularity of the subject matter. --Northeastern Naturalist This book is a major new contribution to the subject of Tolkien\u27s work in relation to the natural world and environmentalism. . . . The authors have devised an ingenious and useful distinction between agriculture for food (the domain of the Hobbits), horticulture for aesthetic beauty (that of Elves), and feraculture . . . for wilderness preservation (Ents). --Tolkien Studies Dickerson and Evans\u27s ecological thesis has one outstanding merit, which is that Tolkien himself would have recognized and thoroughly approved of what they have to say. --Tom Shippey, from the Afterword Reading a non-fiction book about Tolkien\u27s environmental vision may seem like a way to spoil the sheer fun of reading The Lord of the Rings and his other books. What I found as I read this book was that I wanted to reread every word of Tolkien to see for myself what the authors have given a glimpse of. This book is for everyone who loves the work of J.R..R. Tolkien, and who loves the world around them. --Armchair Interviews “The two authors are unabashed in their effort to use the lure of Tolkien to draw readers to the Green movement. The book constitutes an unorthodox yet largely successful combination of scholarly reading and political manifesto. Dickerson and Evans seek to rouse Tolkien fans to scour their own Shires before it is too late and Mordor triumphs.”--Seven “A well-researched, readable, and relevant study of Tolkien’s ecological principles and concerns. And, as Tom Shippey comments in the afterword, Tolkien, no doubt, would approve.”—Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts This volume is a thorough and welcome explication of Tolkien’s vision of the natural world, and of the ways in which that vision is applicable to our own lives today. --Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature & the Environment Ents, Elves, and Eriador should...be praised for drawing attention to the multifaceted portrayal of the natural world in Tolkien’s work. --Folklore It is an enjoyable and intellectually valuable read for its detailed examination of the landscape cultures of Middle-earth and their liminal overlapping of one another. --Studies in Medieval & Renaissnace Teaching “Does much to show why Tolkein should be recognized as one of those who laid the foundations for and formed the environmental movement as we know it today.”--Mallorn Dickerson and Evans provide a valuable discussion of concepts of stewardship as figured by Gandalf, Treebeard, Sam, Galadriel, and various kings and leaders, and how such examples bridge our inner world of fantasy and what we think of as the outer world of reality. --Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching A fine introduction to Tolkein\u27s environmental achievement. --Flourish Book Reviewhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_environmental_sciences/1005/thumbnail.jp

Elastic Correlations in Nucleosomal DNA Structure

The structure of DNA in the nucleosome core particle is studied using an elastic model that incorporates anisotropy in the bending energetics and twist-bend coupling. Using the experimentally determined structure of nucleosomal DNA [T.J. Richmond and C.A. Davey, Nature {\bf 423}, 145 (2003)], it is shown that elastic correlations exist between twist, roll, tilt, and stretching of DNA, as well as the distance between phosphate groups. The twist-bend coupling term is shown to be able to capture these correlations to a large extent, and a fit to the experimental data yields a new estimate of G=25 nm for the value of the twist-bend coupling constant

Effects of hybrid maturity and growth stage on yield and composition of forage and grain sorghums when harvested as silage

Thirteen sorghum hybrids chosen to represent a range of sorghum types were evaluated in two separate trials. Each was harvested at three stages of grain development: milk to early-dough, late-dough, and hard-grain. Among the forage sorghums, there was a 26-day range in days to half bloom from early to late maturing varieties. Harvest date did not affect crude protein content. However, whole-plant DM yield was significantly lower at the last harvest for the three latest maturing varieties. Grain yield increased over time in the early and intermediate hybrids. Lodging increased significantly over time for all varieties except DeKalb FS-25E. Among the grain sorghums, there was only a 4-day range in days to half bloom and very little difference in plant height. The forage sorghum was later maturing and taller. Whole-plant DM yields for the grain sorghums were highest at late-dough. Grain yields and grain to forage ratios generally increased with maturity, except when there were losses due to birds. Grain sorghums started to lodge by the hard-grain stage