Congressional Lawmaking: A Perspective On Secrecy and Transparency

[Excerpt] Openness is fundamental to representative government. Yet the congressional process is replete with activities and actions that are private and not observable by the public. How to distinguish reasonable legislative secrecy from impractical transparency is a topic that produces disagreement on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. Why? Because lawmaking is critical to the governance of the nation. Scores of people in the attentive public want to observe and learn about congressional proceedings. Yet secrecy is an ever-present part of much legislative policymaking; however, secrecy and transparency are not “either/or” constructs. They overlap constantly during the various policymaking stages. The objectives of this report are four-fold: • first, to outline briefly the historical and inherent tension between secrecy and transparency in the congressional process; • second, to review several common and recurring secrecy/transparency issues that emerged again with the 2011 formation of the Joint Select Deficit Reduction Committee; • third, to identify various lawmaking stages typically imbued with closed door activities; and • fourth, to close with several summary observations. This report will not be updated

The anti-adhesive and anti-aggregatory effects of phenolics from Trifolium species in vitro

Abstract The present in vitro study includes a compar-ative evaluation of anti-platelet (anti-thrombotic) proper-ties of plant phenolics, isolated from nine different clover (Trifolium) species. The analysis covered phenolic frac-tions isolated from T. alexandrinum L., T. fragiferum L., T. hybridum L., T. incarnatum L., T. pallidum Waldst et Kit., T. resupinatum L. var. majus Boiss, T. resupinatum L. var. resupinatum, T. scabrum L., and T. pratense L. (red clo-ver). The inhibitory effects of plant preparations (1–50 lg/ ml) on hemostatic functions of blood platelets were assessed by measurements of thrombin- or ADP-induced platelet adhesion to fibrinogen, platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma (activated with ADP or collagen), and by the determination of PF-4 secretion from platelet a-granules. The influence of T. phenolics on arachidonic cascade in blood platelets was also determined. T. resupinatum var. majus, T. resupinatum var. resupinatum, and T. scabrum had the strongest anti-platelet effects. These preparations displayed the most evident anti-adhe-sive and anti-aggregatory effects in response to all of the used agonists: thrombin (0.2 U/ml), ADP (10 lM), and collagen (2 lg/ml), and their inhibitory properties were also confirmed by an analysis of PF-4 secretion. T. scabrum and some of other examined clover species possess sig-nificantly higher concentrations of both isoflavones and other bioactive phenolics, when compared to red clover. The obtained results suggest that these clovers contain substances with potent anti-platelet properties

残留性有機汚染化合物の水環境中への溶解挙動の測定および計算予測

学術(環

Separation of Oligosaccharides from Lotus Seeds via Medium-pressure Liquid Chromatography Coupled with ELSD and DAD

peer-reviewedLotus seeds were identified by the Ministry of Public Health of China as both food and medicine. One general function of lotus seeds is to improve intestinal health. However, to date, studies evaluating the relationship between bioactive compounds in lotus seeds and the physiological activity of the intestine are limited. In the present study, by using medium pressure liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light-scattering detector and diode-array detector, five oligosaccharides were isolated and their structures were further characterized by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In vitro testing determined that LOS3-1 and LOS4 elicited relatively good proliferative effects on Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. These results indicated a structure-function relationship between the physiological activity of oligosaccharides in lotus seeds and the number of probiotics applied, thus providing room for improvement of this particular feature. Intestinal probiotics may potentially become a new effective drug target for the regulation of immunity

Vibration reduction of cable-stayed bridge model retrofitted with SMA restrainers

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are more and more frequently used in civil structures subjected to extreme dynamic loadings. Due to their unique properties, the SMAs are used for seismic retrofit of bridges, tall buildings and masts. The paper presents selected results of numerical calculations of a cable-stayed steel bridge model retrofitted with SMA restrainers. The original set of constitutive relationships describing pseudoelastic properties of SMA was used for this purpose. The formulation of SMA model is based on analysis of a special rheological scheme representing its constitutive properties. The SMA model was implemented within FEM software Abaqus using an user defined subroutine. It was proved that the application of SMA restrainers can reduce significantly vibrations and internal forces caused by seismic excitations

Underinsurance in cyclone and flood environments: a case study in Cairns, Queensland

This article examines findings from a 2018 project in Cairns, Far North Queensland, on insurance and risk perception. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explored how people regard insurance, if at all, and how they use it to reduce their risk of financial loss following a disaster event. Results suggest that while most home owners hold insurance, renters are less likely to have contents insurance leaving them financially vulnerable if losing their property. Cost of insurance is considered one barrier to taking out insurance, however, other issues such as risk perception, self-efficacy and trust in insurers are issues for both home owners and renters. The paper furthers knowledge of underinsurance in disaster-prone areas and provides vital information for understanding motivation to withdraw from insurance

Effective Separation and Recovery of Manganese and Potassium from Biomass Ash by Solvent Extraction

Manganese (Mn) is considered an important, energy-critical metal due to its leading role in the production of electrochemical energy storage devices. One valuable source of Mn is hyperaccumulator plants used for the phytoremediation of contaminated soil. In this study, stems and leaves of ginger (Zingiber officinale), which accumulate Mn at moderate levels (∼0.2 wt %) and potassium (K) at high levels (>5 wt %), were analyzed to assess the potential of recovering metals from this plant. The extraction behaviors of Mn and K were studied using raw and ash samples (100−600 °C). It was crucial to set an appropriate incineration temperature (300 °C) to selectively extract K (∼96%) and Mn (∼90%) using water and nitric acid over two consecutive steps. Additionally, citric acid, a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solvent, was just as effective (∼85%) as nitric acid in extracting Mn. X-ray absorbance nearedge spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of the ash before and after extractions were applied to elucidate the extraction mechanism. The results revealed that selective extraction of both compounds was possible due to the change in the oxidative state of Mn(II) (soluble in water) into Mn(III) and Mn(IV) (insoluble in water) during sample incineration. Simultaneously, there were complex reactions associated with the changes within potassium carbonate compounds; however, these did not affect the K extraction efficiency

Senate Rules for Committee Markups

This report discusses the committee rules for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee which stipulates that, insofar as practicable, “proceedings of the Committee will be conducted without resort to the formalities of parliamentary procedure.

House Voting Procedures: Forms and Requirements

This report discusses the procedural considerations suffuse voting and the methods of voting in both the House and in the Committee of the Whole