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Prior to burning down in 1906 CE, Point Alones in the Monterey Bay region of Central California was home to one of the largest Chinese fishing communities in the United States of America. Both historical records and the recovery of numerous cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) vertebrae during archaeological excavations of the village indicate sharks were among the taxonomic groups being regularly harvested by its inhabitants. However, as shark vertebrae are difficult to identify past the family-level using conventional morphology-based approaches, our understanding of the Point Alones shark fishery remains incomplete. In this study, we address this issue by using ancient DNA analysis to assign species-level identifications to a sample of 54 shark vertebrae from the site. We successfully amplified a 173 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene from 47 of the 54 analyzed specimens (87.03%). Our results indicate that Tope Shark (Galeorhinus galeus; n = 39) was the primary focus of the site's shark fishery, with Brown Smooth-Hound (Mustelus henlei; n = 7) and Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata; n = 1) also harvested to a lesser extent. All three of these species are found locally in the waters overlying the continental shelf, suggesting Chinese fishers were harvesting sharks from these coastal environments. While some of the sharks caught by fishers from Point Alones were likely being consumed at the village, historical records suggest a significant number of fins from harvested Tope Sharks were also likely being exported to China and other diaspora communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 ignited propaganda efforts from the U.S. executive branch of government and the U.S. media, as the country tried to position itself towards the war not just in the eyes of its citizens but of the entire world as part of its geopolitical power position. A comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis of official U.S. communications and U.S. partisan media coverage in the first week of the invasion aims to uncover how the U.S. government set the agenda and framed the events, and to what extent the media copied or diverged from this agenda-setting and framing. The results suggest a narrow focus and distinct framing on the part of the U.S. government, partly taken over by partisan media. The latter also touched on other topics that fit media logic and provided some counter-frames in line with their ideological positions, yet overall confirmed the dominant framing of the war as unjust, unprovoked and premeditated, as Putin's choice, and the position of the U.S. as the leader of the free world and defender of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to analyze the communicative strategies of the dictatorial government of General Franco in Spain after the 1966 American air crash that resulted in the scattering of four thermonuclear bombs on the beaches of Palomares (Almeria). The methodology applied is the analysis of previous research, publications in the press at the time of the incident, and cinematographic documents. The results establish two phases. The first phase included strict censorship and a light-hearted view of the facts, avoiding damage to the image of Spain as a tourist destination or to relations with the United States. The second phase, after news of the nuclear risk had already been spread by independent radio stations despite the seizure of foreign press, included communications that highlighted decontamination work, the scientific level of Spain and collaboration with the USA. The results confirm the effectiveness of the "Fraga's bath" and the symbolic role of the Duchess of Medina-Sidonia. It is concluded that the dictatorial strategy of concealing relevant information tends to overstate the scandal due to the intensity of global repercussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focus group data from 92 youths from Italy and the U.S.A. indicate that Italians and Americans differ in perceived threshold of acceptability of drinking to excess. Youth from the U.S.A. were more accepting of intoxication than Italian youth, reflecting features of each respective dominant drinking culture. Alcohol gender double standards existed in both countries and were conceptually connected to sexuality. However, the social construction behind such connections differed across the two groups: focusing on harms to the woman in the U.S.A. and the respectability of her social group in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ascription of gender based on the phonological structure of personal names has been documented independently at varying points of time in several countries. This study adds to this work by examining whether the phonology of gendered names is valid synchronically in cross-linguistic comparisons and diachronically across different decades in two linguistically different countries: Korea and the U.S.A. Two types of data were collected: (1) historical onomastic data from birth registries in the Supreme Court of Korea and the Social Security Administration in the U.S.A. from 1940 to 2020, and (2) online survey data from students in Korea and the U.S.A. The results showed a clear pattern of gendered phonology of vowels in names in the U.S.A. through the decades under review. Female names had more vowels and were more likely to end in "a", "e", or "i", unlike male names. In comparison, the pattern in Korean names changed over the decades. In the earlier decades (1940-1999), there was a clear distinction between male and female names based on phonology, especially vowels "a", "e", and "i". Post-2000, however, this distinction was markedly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ascription of gender based on the phonological structure of personal names has been documented independently at varying points of time in several countries. This study adds to this work by examining whether the phonology of gendered names is valid synchronically in cross-linguistic comparisons and diachronically across different decades in two linguistically different countries: Korea and the U.S.A. Two types of data were collected: (1) historical onomastic data from birth registries in the Supreme Court of Korea and the Social Security Administration in the U.S.A. from 1940 to 2020, and (2) online survey data from students in Korea and the U.S.A. The results showed a clear pattern of gendered phonology of vowels in names in the U.S.A. through the decades under review. Female names had more vowels and were more likely to end in “a”, “e”, or “i”, unlike male names. In comparison, the pattern in Korean names changed over the decades. In the earlier decades (1940–1999), there was a clear distinction between male and female names based on phonology, especially vowels “a”, “e”, and “i”. Post-2000, however, this distinction was markedly reduced.

This case study is from Netflix, which started in 1997 as a small online DVD rental company in Scotts Valley, CA, U.S.A. In 2022 Netflix was available Internet-connected with over 221 million subscribers. In terms of strategy, some of the case questions we addressed were: firstly, how did Netflix evolve from a DVD retailer shop to a successful online streaming platform? And secondly, how did Netflix cope with the growing competition in the U.S.A. and around the world? With the growth of Information Technology, Netflix introduced an online website with affordable packages, locking in their U.S.A. users, to achieve remarkable growth, and become the market leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mikecoxite, ideally (CHg4)OCl2, is the first mercury-oxide-chloride-carbide containing a C4– anion coordinated by four Hg atoms (a permercurated methane derivative) to be described as a mineral species. It was found at the McDermitt open-pit mine on the eastern margin of the McDermitt Caldera, Humboldt County, Nevada, U.S.A. It is monoclinic, space group P21/n, Z = 4; a = 10.164(5), b = 10.490(4), c = 6.547(3) Å, V 698.0(5) Å3. Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave Hg 86.38, Cl 11.58, Br 0.46, C 1.81, sum = 100.23 wt%, and O was detected but the signal was too weak for quantitative chemical analysis. The empirical formula, calculated on the basis of Hg + Cl + Br = 6 apfu, is (C1.19Hg3.39)(Cl2.57Br0.05)Σ2.62, and the ideal formula based on the chemical analysis and the crystal structure is (CHg4)OCl2. The seven strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [d (Å), I, (hkl)]: 2.884, 100, (230); 2.989, 81, (301, 301, 112, 112, 131, 131); 2.673, 79, (122, 122, 212, 212); 1.7443, 40, (060, 432, 432); 5.49, 34, (101, 101); 4.65, 32, (120); 2.300, 30, (312, 312). The Raman spectrum shows three bands at 638, 675, and 704 cm–1, well above the range characteristic of NHg4 stretching vibrations between 540 and 580 cm–1, that are assigned to CHg4 stretching vibrations. Mikecoxite forms intergrowths of bladed crystals up to 100 μm long that occur on granular quartz or in vugs associated with kleinite. It is black with a submetallic to metallic luster and strong specular reflections and does not fluoresce under short- or long-wave ultraviolet light. Neither cleavage nor parting were observed, and the calculated density is 8.58 g/cm3. In the crystal structure of mikecoxite, (C 4 − H g 4 2 +) groups link through O2– ions to form three-membered rings that polymerize into corrugated [CHg4OCl]+ layers with near-linear C4––Hg2+–O and C4––Hg2+–Cl linkages. The layers link in the third direction directly via weak Hg2+–O2– and Hg2+–Cl– bonds to adjacent layers and also indirectly via interlayer Cl–. A bond-valence parameter has been derived for (Hg2+–C4–) bonds: Ro = 2.073 Å, b = 0.37, which gives bond-valence sums at the C4– ions in accord with the valence-sum rule. The source of carbon for mikecoxite in the volcanic high-desert environment of the type locality seems to be methane, with the reaction catalyzed by microbiota through full mercuration of carbon atoms, beyond the first stage that produces the volatile and highly mobile methylmercury, [CH3Hg]+, a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in marine food chains. Both the mineral and the mineral name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2021-060). The mineral is named after Michael F. Cox (b. 1958), a founding member of the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association (NAQCPA) who was responsible for characterizing and remediating environmental mercury on-site and who recovered the rock containing the new mineral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomite (IMA2021-063), ideally Ca 3 [ V 5 4 + V 10 5 + O 37 ( CO 3) ] ⋅ 37 H 2 O, and pseudopomite (IMA2021-064), ideally Ca 3.5 [ V 6 4 + V 9 5 + O 37 ( CO 3) ] ⋅ 32 H 2 O, are two new polyoxometalate minerals from the Blue Streak mine, Bull Canyon, Montrose County, Colorado, U.S.A. Pomite properties: striated blades up to ~1 mm long; very dark green-blue color; green-blue streak; vitreous luster; brittle; Mohs hardness ≈2; irregular, splintery fracture; good cleavages on {010} and {001}; 2.19(2) g/cm−3 density; refractive indices in the vicinity of 1.70; weakly birefringent with little or no pleochroism. Pseudopomite properties: striated prisms and blades up to ~1 mm; very dark blue-green color; blue-green streak; vitreous luster; brittle; Mohs hardness ≈2; curved, irregular fracture; probably two fair cleavages, {100} and {001}; 2.40(2) g/cm−3 density; refractive indices in the vicinity of 1.72; no discernable birefringence or pleochroism. Electron microprobe analyses provided the empirical formulas Ca 3.11 [ V 5.23 4 + V 9.77 5 + O 37 (CO3)]·37H2O and Ca 3.49 [ V 5.98 4 + V 9.02 5 + O 37 ( CO 3) ] ⋅ 29 H 2 O for pomite and pseudopomite, respectively. Pomite is triclinic, P1, with a = 12.3668(10), b = 12.9692(12), c = 22.068(2) Å, α = 99.038(7), β = 95.689(7), γ = 103.249(7)°, V = 3368.7(5) Å3, and Z = 2. Pseudopomite is triclinic, P1, with a = 12.2910(18), b = 12.6205(15), c = 20.917(3) Å, α = 77.381(6), β = 85.965(5), γ = 64.367(7)°, V = 2853.6(7) Å3, and Z = 2. The crystal structures of both minerals (pomite, R1 = 0.103; pseudopomite, R1 = 0.116) contain a novel [ V x 4 + V 15 − x 5 + O 37 ( CO 3) ] (1 + x) − heteropolyanion, which is unique in natural and synthetic materials but has similarities to the [ V 8 4 + V 7 5 + O 36 ( CO 3) ] 7 − and [ H 8 V 15 4 + O 36 ( CO 3) ] 6 − heteropolyanions reported in synthetic phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An updated checklist of tongue worms (Pentastomida) which parasitize wild North American amphibians and reptiles is presented: a total of 14 species grouped in 6 genera, 4 families, and 2 orders are registered; these infect a total of 58 species of reptiles and 3 amphibians in the region. An illustrated identification key for the taxa listed is proposed. Kiricephalus coarctatus (Diesing, 1860) (Porocephalidae) is recorded for the first time in the snakes Arizona elegans Kennicott, 1859 (Colubridae); Micrurus tener Baird and Girard, 1853 (Elapidae); and Bothrops asper (Garman, 1884) (Viperidae); the exotic Raillietiella taegueselfi Riley, McAllister, and Freed, 1988 (Raillietiellidae) is recorded in the exotic lizard Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and Bibron, 1836 (Gekkonidae) for the first time, and in Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gekkonidae) for the first time in Mexico, this is also the first time it is recorded in a species of lizard native of the Americas, Sceloporus cyanogenys Cope, 1885 (Phrynosomatidae), this latter record represents a parasite spillover event; finally, Porocephalus stilesi Sambon, 1910 (Porocephalidae) is formally recorded for the first time in Mexico in the snake Bothrops asper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the associations among (a) performing 12 different household energy conservation behaviors (HECBs) and (b) attitudes about anthropogenic climate change (ACC), and (c) household income. From a survey representative of the United States, we ask how the magnitude of these associations varies with the economic and the non-economic costs of the time and discomfort (hassle) of a behavior. We also examine the relationship of these costs to the plasticity (behavioral malleability) of a HECB. We find that non-economic costs strongly correlate with plasticity and with performing the HECB. However, when controlling for these non-economic costs, economic costs have virtually no association with these variables. Among these HECBs, the behavior with the strongest initial economic savings (not driving alone) shows the strongest association with income (a negative association). In contrast, for most behaviors we studied, ACC attitudes were a much better predictor than household income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through analysis of a nationally representative survey (n = 1,200), I demonstrate that religious individuals are more likely than their non-religious counterparts to agree with a deontological reason to address climate change. Findings support existing literature showing religious individuals are more likely to assess ethical situations deontologically, that is, based on whether they align with duties, norms, rules, or obedience to an authority. While religiosity tracked greater agreement with a deontological climate message, there was no correlation to specific religious traditions, suggesting that religious importance rather than religious group identity is the stronger predictor of this preference. Further, the propensity for religious individuals to assess ethical situations deontologically persists when exposed to ethical climate messages, illustrating how ethical appeals could be used to increase message acceptability among targeted demographic groups. Overall, this study justifies continued research into the role of ethics in climate communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2005 review compiled a list of 155 ant species plus the hybrid fire ant Solenopsis invicta X richteri from Alabama. Here, we add an 38 additional species based on both published and unpublished records and revised identifications raising the total to 193 species and one hybrid. Of these, 32 species and one hybrid are considered exotic to the state. We present county level maps of species richness and collection efforts for native and exotic ants highlighting areas of special concern for conservation and invasion risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nomenclatural study of Amaranthus names, linked to the dioecious taxa belonging to the sect. Saueranthus (subgen. Acnida), was carried out. All studied names are validly published but in need of nomenclatural clarifications. Lectotypes are designated for A. greggii var. muelleri (NY), whereas for A. ambigens, A. annectens, A. arenicola, A. myrianthus, and A. watsonii holotypes were cited (deposited at US, BM, GH, and US). Isotypes where found for A. ambigens (one specimen at NY), A. myrianthus (five specimens at GH, M, MO, RM, and US), and A. arenicola (three specimens at KSC, MO, and US), whereas for A. watsonii two isotypes were traced at US. A new synonymy, A. arenicola = A. myrianthus, is proposed, the latter name having nomenclatural priority to the former one. Based on preliminary taxonomic observations, two varieties are recognized under A. greggii, var. greggii and var. muelleri, which differ from each other on the ratio tepals/fruit (about 2/3 in var. muelleri vs. about 1 in var. greggii). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview explores the relationship of actor, teacher and director Xavier Gallais with American drama and literature through the workshops he attended in New York, the plays and works he performed, adapted and/or staged.

Doctor Constantin D. Angelescu (1869-1948) was one of the remarkable figures of the scientific, cultural and political life of Romania. He was preoccupied with the formation of Greater Romania. He strived so that, at the end of the First World War, the Kingdom of Romania would be joined with the territories that were under foreign rule: Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania. After the formation of Greater Romania, Doctor Angelescu struggled so that through education the entire population of Romania would be homogenized and united. He managed to build over 6 000 schools that had spread the Romanian language among all the children that were following the primary, secondary, high school in the Kingdom of Romania. Thus he accomplished the correction of an educational system that until then was professed in Russian in Bessarabia, in Hungarian in Transylvania, in German in Banat and Bukovina. His work was struck by the Communist regime. He died killed by communists on September 14 1948, in the Saint Vincent de Paul Hospital.

Novelsis beldensis sp. nov. from California is described, illustrated and compared with similar species. The new species differs by the structure of the antennae, male genitalia and bicolorous elytral pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many studies have found an association between childhood adversities and mental health disorders, few have examined whether childhood adversities are linked to having abortions. This research investigates the association between a range of childhood adversities and risk of abortion in part to identify which adversities should be considered when examining the association between abortion and subsequent mental health. Using the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R), we tested the association between 10 childhood adversities and risk of 0, 1, or multiple abortions among 1511 women ages 18-41. We employed multinomial logistic regression to examine the independent association between each childhood adversity and number of subsequent abortions, controlling for sociodemographic factors, total number of pregnancies, and each adversity. Women who had experienced two or more personal safety threats, one parental mental illness, or two or more parental mental illnesses while growing up were more likely subsequently to have multiple versus no abortions [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) = 9.87, 95% CI: 2.45-39.72; OR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.27-6.21; RRR = 5.28, 95% CI: 1.60-17.38, respectively], and multiple versus one abortion [RRR = 13.33, 95% CI: 2.48-71.68; RRR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.03-4.56; RRR = 3.67, 95% CI: 1.15-11.76, respectively]. Women who had experienced childhood physical abuse were more likely to have one compared to no abortions [RRR = 2.00; 1.19-3.34]. These results suggest that some childhood adversities may partially explain the association between abortion and mental health. Accordingly, they should be considered in future research examining the link between abortion and mental health.

Although after 1989 historians tackled the issues of the Romanian exile, there has been no exhaustive study done so far analyzing the main periods of the Romanian political exodus that started in 1947 and how this was organized in the fight for the liberation of the country from under the Communist Soviet Regime. Most studies dedicated to the exile preponderantly looked at aspects related to the Romanian cultural exile and the role of the Romanian intellectual diaspora in preserving and passing on the Romanian values unaltered by the Communist regime. This study will analyze the role and the activity of the Office of Strategic Services/Central Intelligence Agency of the United States in Romania between 1945 and 1947 and their involvement in helping the Romanian political class "escape" from under the Soviet authoritarian regime imposed after 1947. Special attention has been given to the different refugee’s categories and to the main international organizations who were involved in supporting them. If there has been no study performed so far about the plight of the emigrants from the concentration camps from Yugoslavia and Trieste, the author makes a detailed analysis of this situation and of the involvement of the American secret services and of the International Refugees Organization in assisting the refugees. The climax of the organization of the Romanian exile was that of the Romanian National Committee being formed. RNC was the only political entity that was recognized by the main Western offices as the only political body qualified to coordinate the movement of the Romanian diaspora in their fight for the liberation of the country from under the Communist guardianship.

Copyright of College of Law Journal for Legal & Political Sciences / Magallat Kulliyyat Al-Qanun Li-L-ulum Al-Qanuniyyat Wa-Al-Siyasiyyat is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The metaphoric title of this anniversary medalion intends initially to suggest the amount and complexity of achievements of the the reputed linguist, ethnologist, semiotician, translator and writer Sanda Golopenția-Eretescu, awarding her symbolically a nobiliary title that would connect the two special stages of her life: the ten years of ethnological research spent in the village of Breb, Maramureş, and the thirty years of exile and as a professor – by now an emerita – at Brown University, Providence, U.S.A. The medalion mentions the personalities who had contributed to her complex education, first of all her parents – her mother, Ștefania Cristescu Golopenția, a distinguished ethnologist and teacher, and her father, sociologist Anton Golopenția, victim of the totalitarian regime. Among her professors from the university of Bucharest who contributed most to her advancement were the great linguist Alexandru Rosetti and professor Mihai Pop, the ethhnologist who intitated her in field research in Maramureş and sustained her in the most difficult moments of her life. After a brief summary of her publications – 44 books and over 200 studies in various fields and languages – the author insists upon her confessions regarding the special importance in her life the research years spent in Breb. Besides what she has succeeded to publish till now: Desire Machines. A Romanian Love Charms Data Base (The Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, 1998), also posted on the site of Brown University, Providence, and the bilingual Learn to Sing my Mother Said - Hori de femei din Breb (Editura Ethnologica, Baia Mare, 2004), much of the rich material she collected during her researches in Breb is still waiting to be published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicapite, KNa2Mg2(H2PV145+ O42)·25H2O, is a new mineral species (IMA2018-048) discovered at the Pickett Corral mine, Montrose County, Colorado, U.S.A. Bicapite occurs as square tablets up to about 0.2 mm on edge on montroseite-corvusite-bearing sandstone. Crystals are dark red-brown, often appearing black. The streak is orange, and the luster is vitreous. Bicapite is brittle, has a Mohs hardness of 1½, and displays one excellent cleavage on {100}. The measured density is 2.44(2) g/cm3. Bicapite is uniaxial (+), w = 1.785(5), e ≈ 1.81 (white light); pleochroism is red-brown; E > O, slight. The electron probe microanalysis and results of the crystal structure determination provided the empirical formula (based on 67 O apfu) (K1.23Na2.23Mg1.48)∑4.94[H2.51P1.02(V13.915+ Mo0.076+)∑13.98O42]·25H2O. Bicapite is tetragonal, I4/m, with a = 11.5446(12) Å, c = 20.5460(14) Å, V = 2738.3(6) Å3, and Z = 2. The strongest four lines in the diffraction pattern are [d in Å (I) (hkl)]: 10.14 (100) (002,101); 2.978 (29) (134,206); 2.809 (11) (305); and 2.583 (11) (420,008). The atomic arrangement of bicapite was solved and refined to R1 = 0.0465 for 1008 independent reflections with I > 2sI. The structural unit is a [H2PV125+ O40(V5+O)2]7– heteropolyanion composed of 12 distorted VO6 octahedra surrounding a central PO4 tetrahedron and capped on opposite sides by two VO5 square pyramids; the structural unit is a modification of the a-isomer of the Keggin anion, [XM12O40]n-. Charge balance in the structure is maintained by the [KNa2Mg2(H2O)25]7+ interstitial complex. The name bicapite is in recognition of this being the only known mineral with a structure based on a bicapped Keggin anion. The discovery of bicapite and numerous other natural polyoxometalate compounds in the Colorado Plateau uranium/ vanadium deposits make that the most productive region found to date for naturally occurring polyoxometalate compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

YouTube has turned into an audiovisual platform worldwide that leaves neither adults nor children indifferent. This work focuses on how the last sector mentioned, that is, minors and their imaginaries are represented in Spain and the United States through the phenomenon of youtubers. We examined 20 YouTube channels with a total of 204 videos, applying formal and content variables and manifest criteria based on minor's privacy. The analysis reveals similarities in the pattern of behaviour, insertion of advertising and the role of parents in content publication. The results show that adverti- sing is the central axis and that parents become guides throughout this process. In conclusion, parents overexpose their children in a business without regulations on advertising and representation of minors, who show unreal worlds and incite other minors to make a compulsive use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Information Science & Technology Association/Joho no Kagaku to Gijutsu is the property of Information Science & Technology Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Established in accordance with the provisions of the National Security Act of 1947, the U.S. National Security Council is the main advisory body to the President of the United States tasked with helping the head of state to make the right decisions on matters related to national security. NSC system has been constantly evolving for some 70 years, and the NSC staff became a separate 'ministry' of a kind, allowing presidential administrations to focus ever-increasing control over American foreign policy in the White House. That is why serious attention is devoted to the National Security Council by American researches studying foreign policy decision-making. Here, a 'three-pronged consensus' exists: functioning and efficiency of the decision-making process is primarily a result of presidential actions; the President will make the best decision after becoming aware of the whole range of possible alternatives and assessing the consequences of each policy option; the position of the National Security Advisor, who is often one of the closest officials to the President and serves as a coordinator of the decision-making process, is considered to be one of the most notable in today's U.S. presidential administrations - and the most influential of those not being a subject to approval by the legislative branch of U.S. government. Any fundamental changes in the practice of U.S. foreign policy mechanism, as well as a decline of the White House influence on foreign policy are unlikely in the short term.

We examine the relation between earnings recognition practices and firms’ information environment. Using a sample of U.S. firms over the period 2000-2012, we investigate how earnings timeliness and smoothness affect firm information environment. To measure firms’ information environment, we adopt stock return synchronicity. The timeliness of earnings recognition measures the extent to which current earnings reflect value-relevant information into stock prices. As managers use earnings smoothing as a vehicle to reveal their private information, we expect earnings smoothing improves earnings informativeness and enables the market to incorporate more firm-specific information. Our study shows that as earnings timeliness increases, the market incorporates more firm-specific information into stock prices. In addition, as a firm's earnings become more volatile (less smooth), such a firm's stock return reflects more market-wide variation relative to firm-specific information.

The aim of this research is to investigate mentorship process and programs which are designed for professional development of primary and middle school principals in the State of Georgia, U.S.A. With this aim, a qualitative research model and a semi-structured interview technique was used in order to gather in-depth knowledge The study group consisted of 7 experienced school principals who have served or are serving as mentors of novice and experienced principals, 7 new school principals who are being served or were served by experienced mentor principals in Georgia. In this study, face-to-face interviews with principals as both mentors and mentees were conducted by the researcher. From the views of the mentor principals, the mentorship process was described as following: The mentorship contracts generally last one year based on building trust between mentors and mentees. During this year, school visits of mentors are planned throughout the year. It is also found that both mentors and mentees indicated that mentorship was really important for improvement and professional development of new school principals. The results showed that mentors were thought as crucial support partners for new principals who helped them accustom to their jobs and provided them with valuable guidance.

We report new records of the trematode, Plagiorchis micracanthos from three North American bats. For the first time, the parasite is reported to occur in the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), California myotis (Myotis californicus) and the pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus). The western small-footed bat (Myotis ciliolabrum), little brown bat (M. lucifugus) and the western pipistrelle (Parastellus hesperus) are confirmed as host species. The trematodes were isolated from the small intestines of the host individuals. For the first time, we identified P. micracanthos in bats originating from Canada and Mexico. The results presented here suggest that the trematode P. micracanthos has a much larger host range and geographic distribution than previously recognised. It is likely that further studies will confirm this results and extent both host and geographic ranges even further.

Six enigmatic fossils from the Famennian (Devonian) Cleveland Shale in Ohio, U.S.A., are interpreted here as arthrodiran (Placodermi) egg cases. Recognition as egg cases is confirmed based on the observation of layered collagen fibers. The presence of a tuberculated bone fragment preserved within one case confirms a vertebrate source. The nature of the tubercles and the unique morphology of the egg cases supports the interpretation of an arthrodiran source. Reports of Devonian egg cases are limited to either assumed chondrichthyan producers or a putative 'egg sac' with a morphology atypical for any vertebrate. The Cleveland Shale egg cases thus represent the first record for a non-chondrichthyan producer. Among placoderms, behaviors of a pelagic life style with obligate nesting sites, reef fishes with live birth, and estuarine and fluvial nurseries, along with eggcase oviparity testifies to the diversity of reproductive strategies. As with modern fishes these strategies may be ecologically driven and the derived and variable reproductive biology of extant chondrichthyans is actually a primitive condition among gnathostomes. One consequence of the diversity of reproductive strategies (dependent on the topology of relationships) is the independent origin of internal fertilization within placoderms, possibly suggesting external fertilization as the primitive gnathostome reproductive mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electronic Turkish Studies is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The selection of suitable locations to fulfil life history requisites is an important process that can influence the survival and development of individuals and the persistence of populations. The impacts of site selection are well documented across taxa, but the driving forces behind site selection, especially regarding transgenerational behaviour, are less well understood. Philopatry (the tendency for an individual to remain near its natal home range) and maternal effect (a nongenetic transfer of phenotypes from mother to offspring) are two factors often thought to influence birth site selection behaviours. We investigated black bear, Ursus americanus , transgenerational den type selection behaviour by analysing a long-term data set containing den selection data of 168 2-year-old subadult females during 1984–2013 at four study sites in Maine, U.S.A. to determine whether there is evidence of philopatry and maternal effect on den type selection. Using logistic regression and model selection, we found evidence that both mechanisms play a role in subadult den type selection. Bears that spent the last winter with their mother in a high-protection den were more likely to select that den type as a subadult. Furthermore, in instances of differences in transgenerational den type selection, most subadults (79%) transitioned from a yearling den of lower protection to a subadult den of higher protection. Transitional behaviour might indicate that subadult black bears also account for environmental plasticity and mediate their den selection accordingly, without the benefit of prior independent denning experience. Future research should evaluate the relationship between den type and offspring recruitment to examine whether an individual-level maternal effect is manifested at the population level. Our results suggest that behavioural maternal effects, in part, influence transgenerational den type selection in black bears, and by extension may influence the behavioural phenotypes of other species with extended periods of maternal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ÖZET Amerika Birleşik Devletleri (ABD)’nin başkanlık seçimleri her dönemde dünyanın gündem konusu olmuştur. 2008 yılında bir siyahın Beyaz Saray’a aday olması, dünyanın dikkatini ABD’ye yöneltmesine neden olmuştur. Bu siyah, başkan olduktan sonra tarihe geçecek olan Barack Hüseyin Obama’dır. Obama’nın 2008 seçimlerinden galip çıkıp Beyaz Saray’daki siyah renkli başkan olması, ABD açısından ‘tarihi bir devrim’ olarak nitelendirilmiştir. Obama, 2012 seçimlerinde de tekrar aday olmuş ve bu seçimleri de kazanarak ikinci kez ABD başkanı olmuştur. Obama, zaferle çıktığı her iki seçim de tüm dünyanın olduğu kadar Türkiye’nin de gündemini işgal etmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; 2008 ve 2012 ABD Başkanlık seçimlerinin Türk basınını temsilen seçilen gazetelerin birinci sayfalarında yer bulma sıklığı, sayfadaki konumu, gazetelerin konuya yaklaşımının analiz edilmesidir. Çalışmada her iki dönemin basında yer alış şeklinin karşılaştırması yapılmıştır. 2008 ve 2012 ABD Başkanlık seçimlerinin Türkiye’deki yazılı basında nasıl ve hangi farklılıklarla yansıtıldığı çalışmanın temel sorusunu oluşturmaktadır. Her seçim döneminin 20 günlük süreçlerinin incelendiği çalışmada nitel içerik analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Çalışma, Türk ve Amerikan ilişkilerini belirleme ve ABD seçimlerinin Türk basınında nasıl yer aldığını görme açısından önemlidir.

When we consider the development of the United States and Latin America during the “long” 19th century in a comparative perspective, certain fundamental differences and contrasts stand out regarding the respective political, social and economic conditions. There is a progressive democratization of the political system in the North as opposed to lasting oligarchic rule in the South; greater social mobility in the U.S. in contrast to rigid social structures in Latin America; and dynamic economic growth and differentiation in the North as compared to initial stagnation and subsequent one-sided exportorientation of the economies of the South. Even though this very general assessment would certainly need to be further elaborated regarding regional and sectoral differences, it nevertheless emphasizes some essential characteristics of the different developments north and south of the Rio Grande, which also depended to a considerable extent on the different landholding conditions in both regions. Certainly, after the decline of the traditional southern plantation economy in the U.S. in the wake of the Civil War of 1861-1865, landownership patterns differed greatly in the North and the South. While in the U.S. small and middle-sized family farms shaped the countryside, in Latin America the agrarian sector was dominated far into the 20th century by large landholdings, with their concomitant features of multiple labor, tenancy and sharecropping conditions.

This essay will compare the patterns of collective physical violence in the United States and in Latin America during the 19th century. Its main purpose is to identify the differences in the practice of collective violence despite similar developments on the two continents and to uncover the underlying reasons for these distinctions. The comparison is not based on definitive theoretical assumptions or hypotheses, and therefore it will neither be systematic nor present “certified” results. Rather we select specific issues while neglecting others.

In the present research I will analyze the reactions and opinions of the interviewed persons regarding the efficiency of mass media in United States of America and also it will be analyzed the impact of media on the economic, social and politic systems in United States of America. At the same time, it is followed the presentation of some comparisons between the public media companies and the private ones, in which concerns the generated impact. Thereby, I will use the interview as a qualitative research method, to confirm or infirm the hypothesis of the present research. a)Mass media has a strong impact on the american economy, due to the very high budgets allocated for this field b)Mass media has an increased influence on the american society, having the role to initiate and promote a series of social campaigns addressed to american citizens c)The political parties generate a negative influence on media organizations from U.S.A.

Copyright of Mural Internacional is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study is a comparative analysis of outdoor advertising's manifestation of cultural values from two countries, Cuba and the U.S.A. Since Cuba's 1959 revolution, the government has controlled all advertising, including billboards. Today, the once firmly communist country has started taking quiet steps toward a market economy. Drawing on Hofstede's dimensions, this content analysis employs advertising images from Cuba and from the U.S.A. In our analysis, we position Cuba on Hofstede's cultural dimensions and also discuss possible trajectories of Cuba's advertising as it undergoes economic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the influence of the Third Compensation Strategy of the Pentagon, one of the major American military and technological concepts being implemented since 2014, on the development of China’s Missile Forces. A specific feature of this strategy is its orientation to containment of China, above all, with due account of the strong and weak aspects of China’s industrial and military potential. It is implemented against the background of the systematically growing possibilities of the PRC in the nuclear containment of the United States. The influence of this strategy on the development of Chinese Missile Forces can also be reflected on the prospects of the American-Russian dialogue in the sphere of arms control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a 2016 survey of the nematode associates of the native palmetto weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus and the recently introduced West Indian sugarcane weevil, Metamasius hemipterus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), from southern Florida, a new species of Acrostichus was cultured from a single dissected R. cruentatus from Fort Pierce, FL, U.S.A. Morphological and molecular studies showed that it was new to science and it is described herein as A. floridensis n. sp. The new species is characterised by its male tail characters, spicule morphology with rounded manubrium separated from other parts by clear constriction, smoothly ventrally curved blade, slightly dorsally recurved and pointed tip, more or less straight gubernaculum with widely rounded anterior end and a triangular (arrowhead-like) appendage at the distal tip, and the arrangement of male genital papillae, ‹(v1, v2), v3 / v4, ad, ph, (v5, v6,v7, pd)›. In addition to A. floridensis n. sp. and the previously described nematode associates of R. cruentatus, i.e., A. rhynchophori, Teratorhabditis palmarum and Mononchoides sp., we recovered a putative new species of Demaniella and a new association record with Rhabditidoides humicolus and Diplogastrellus metamasius in Homestead, FL. Dissections and subsequent culturing attempts with M. hemipterus revealed the previously described nematode associates of Caenorhabditis angaria and D. metamasius as well as a new association with R. humicolus in Homestead, FL, U.S.A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research examines how women claim chronic pain in response to gendered moral discourses. However, extant research does not explore how race shapes the moral boundary-work performed by women suffering from disabling chronic pain. Through the qualitative analysis of twenty-four semi-structured interviews with women fibromyalgia sufferers conducted between October 2014 and August 2016 in the U.S.A., I demonstrate how women with fibromyalgia claim chronic pain by doing moral boundary-work, referencing gendered and racialized moral discourses that structure how claims of chronic pain as disability are and are not read as legitimate by doctors, disability bureaucrats and personal networks. Extending Hansen et al.’s work on stigma and the “pathologization of poverty,” I suggest that, per my sample, the different moral discourses deployed in white and Black women's claims of chronic pain can be explained by the racialized and gendered boundaries of citizenship that structure U.S. welfare and disability politics. Finally, I argue for intersectionality's relevance to research on moral boundary-work and the medicalization of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorwavellite (IMA2015-077), Al3(PO4) 2(OH)2F⋅5H2O, the F analog of wavellite, is a new min- eral from the Silver Coin mine, Valmy, Iron Point district, Humboldt County, Nevada, and the Wood mine, 5 miles NE of Del Rio, Cocke County, Tennessee; at both occurrences it is a low-temperature secondary mineral. Fluorwavellite is essentially identical to wavellite in appearance and physical properties. Optically, fluorwavellite is biaxial positive, with α = 1.522(1), β = 1.531(1), and g = 1.549(1) (white light). Electron microprobe analyses (average of nine for each co-type locality) pro- vided the empirical formulas Al2.96(PO4) 2(OH)1.98F1.02⋅5H2O (+0.12 H) for the Silver Coin mine and Al2.98(PO4)2(OH)2.11F0.89⋅5H[sub 2]O (+0.06 H) for the Wood mine. Fluorwavellite is orthorhombic, Pcmn, with the cell parameters determined on a Wood mine crystal: a = 9.6311(4), b = 17.3731(12), c = 6.9946(3) Å, V = 1170.35(11) ų, and Z = 4. The five strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs in Å (I) (hkl)]: 8.53 (100) (020,110); 5.65 (26) (101); 3.430 (28) (141,012); 3.223 (41) (240); and 2.580 (28) (331,161,232). The structure of fluorwavellite (R1 = 3.42% for 1248 Fo > 4σF reflections) is the same as that of wavellite, differing only in having one of the two independent hydroxyl sites replaced by F. A survey of F contents in wavellite -fluorwavellite from the five most common genetic types of occurrence (fluid expulsion, hydrothermal ore alteration, pegmatite phosphate alteration, residual carbonate weathering, and sedimentary leached zone) shows that F content, and the occurrence of wavellite vs. fluorwavellite, does not correlate with the type of the occurrence. It is more likely related to the fluid activity of Al, P, and F, with pH probably being an important factor. The role that wavellite and fluorwavellite play in sequestering F in the environment may be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]