bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic Conditions and the Forgotten Side of Congress: A Foray into US Senate Elections
Authors: Hibbing John R. , Alford John R.
Published: January 2009

The 1980 American national elections produced two highly salient and widely-discussed departures from past tradition. For the first time in forty-eight years, a previously elected incumbent president seeking re-election was defeated. At the same time the Republicans, the traditional minority party, seized control of the upper house. Both events figured heavily in discussions of the American electorate's supposed turn to the right. Much of this emphasis on ideological change may be misplaced. A third, although much less noted, departure from tradition also occurred in 1980: for the first time since 1932, real disposable per capita income declined in the year preceding a presidential election. The importance of such a decline for the electoral fate of an incumbent president has been well documented. Numerous previous studies have indicated a powerful and consistent impact of changes in economic conditions on voting behaviour in presidential elections. The influence of economic conditions on the fate of the president's party in House elections is also well-documented. In the case of Senate elections, however, the literature is curiously silent.
Discontent and Aggressive Political Participation
Authors: Muller Edward N. , Jukam Thomas O.
Published: January 2009

People who take part in acts of civil disobedience or political violence are discontented about something. That is a truism. The interesting research problem is to identify particular kinds of discontent that are associated systematically with aggressive political behaviour-discontent that operates as a ‘precondition’ of aggressive behaviour in contrast to discontent that is peculiar to particular groups at particular times and places and serves only as a ‘precipitant’ of aggressive behaviour.
Evidence of Learning and Risk Orientation During International Crises: The Munich and Polish Cases
Authors: Walker Stephen G. , Bohlin Daniel , Boos Robert , Cownie David , Nakajima Hiroshi , Willson Timothy
Published: January 2009

There is a growing body of literature dealing with the anticipation and management of international crises. However, there has been relatively little attention paid to the learning effects of successive ‘real world’ confrontations between the same protagonists. This gap is somewhat paradoxical, since there is a great emphasis upon ‘teaching’ the adversary certain lessons in the deterrence literature, and a preoccupation with ‘vicarious learning’ by policy makers who do not wish to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors.
The Partisan Affinities of Independent ‘Leaners’
Authors: Keith Bruce E. , Magleby David B. , Nelson Candice J. , Orr Elizabeth , Westlye Mark C. , Wolfinger Raymond E.
Published: January 2009

For almost a decade we have taken issue with the prevailing view of independent voters. We showed that Independents, as they were usually defined, had nothing in common, and in fact were more diverse than either Democrats or Republicans. Virtually no generalizations about Independents were correct, except by accident, because they comprise three very different kinds of people. Most Independents acknowledge that they are closer to one or the other party. The crux of our argument was that this ‘leaning’ should outweigh an initial claim of independence when deciding how to classify respondents. Our most striking finding was that leaners vote like outright partisans. We interpreted this as evidence that most professed Independents are not neutral between the parties, but are nearly as partisan as avowed Democrats and Republicans. This conclusion had major implications for both mainstream and revisionist views of American politics, all the more so because of the growing numbers of Independents, who accounted for 38 per cent of the adult population by 1978, thus matching the Democrats and leaving Republicans in a distant third place.
Electoral Change in the United States and Great Britain
Authors: Boyd Richard W.
Published: January 2009

Major inter-election vote shifts are characteristic of present-day American and British elections. In American elections since 1960 the presidency has changed parties on four of the six occasions. In British elections since 1959 the government has changed parties on four of the eight occasions. Students of both election systems ask whether these large and frequent shifts portend either major realignments or the weakening of the parties. The purpose of this Note is to analyse inter-election changes in the United States and Great Britain and to highlight and explain their differences.
Presidential Leadership and the Resurgence of Trust in Government
Authors: Citrin Jack , Green Donald Philip
Published: January 2009

Are Happy Days for government really here again? Recent polls suggest that the long slide in public confidence in America's political institutions and authorities has finally ended. Ronald Reagan, who came to Washington to bury government rather than praise it, ironically has presided over a restoration of trust in the competence of national leadership. We begin this article by charting the contours of the unanticipated improvement in the public's image of government, assessing the magnitude of the increase in confidence, identifying the social groups whose outlook has changed and specifying the institutions that have gained in popular esteem. Our main purpose, however, is to provide an explanation for the resurgence of trust in government that addresses persistent controversies about the theoretical and empirical status of this concept.
Searching for an Appropriate Concept of Soviet Politics: The Politics of Hesitant Modernization?
Authors: Amann Ronald
Published: January 2009

For most of the seventeenth century, natural philosophers in Europe were confronted with two opposing views of the universe: the traditional Ptolemaic view and the emerging Copernican view. The former was slow to give way to the latter because it could be adequately supported by evidence, and its adherents, for reasons of professional status, had a vested interest in maintaining its theoretical integrity. Initially, the Copernican view possessed only the advantage of elegance. After much heated and ‘incommensurable’ discussion, the argument was only resolved finally when the older generation of scientists died out and the growing volume of observational anomalies overwhelmed the capacity of the traditional approach to explain them away.
The Risks of a Reputation for Toughness: Strategy in Public Goods Provision Problems Modelled by Chicken Supergames
Authors: Ward Hugh
Published: January 2009

In this article, versions of then-person Chicken supergame are applied to the problem of public goods provision. The literature on two-person Chicken suggests that players should build a reputation for toughness in Chicken supergames by making, and sticking to, commitments not to co-operate. By doing this they are able to make the other player more likely to co-operate in future rounds of the game. However, in then-person and continuous-strategy models examined here there may be risks associated with a reputation for toughness since, under certain conditions, other players are less likely to co-operate in future rounds of the game the greater your reputation for toughness. The implications of this are that the chances that vital public goods such as security and environmental stability will be provided may be reduced if players falsely generalize from the argument for maintaining a tough reputation in two-person, two-strategy chicken supergames.
Class and Party in the Anglo-American Democracies: The Case of New Zealand in Perspective
Authors: Bean Clive
Published: January 2009

Despite the inadequacies of data available for Ihe study of New Zealand electoral behaviour, evidence from a number of small-scale projects has given rise to a conventional wisdom which suggests that, at least in the 1960s, the association between class and party was strong in New Zealand – similar to the level in Britain. New evidence suggests that past estimates of class voting exaggerated the size of the link. Furthermore since the 1960s the level of class voting has declined considerably, as it has in many other countries. In New Zealand this decline appears to have been brought about by new age cohorts with weaker class-party alignments replacing older cohorts with stronger class-party links. Multivariate analysis supports the initial findings while at the same time showing that occupation remains the central social structural determinant of the vote in New Zealand.
Principled Tolerance and the American Mass Public
Authors: Sniderman Paul M. , Tetlock Philip E. , Glaser James M. , Green Donald Philip , Hout Michael
Published: January 2009

Americans appear to be more tolerant of deviant opinions and life-styles now than they were a generation ago. Recent research by Sullivan and his colleagues suggests, however, that this apparent change is largely illusory – a product not of an increase in principled support for tolerance, but rather of shifts in public dislike for, and hence intolerance of, particular political groups. An alternative account of tolerance is proposed which shows that citizen attitudes on issues of tolerance are remarkably consistent – far more so than has been commonly appreciated. In particular, the empirical analysis distinguishes two kinds of consistency – ‘principled’ and ‘situational’. Using log-linear techniques, it demonstrates that substantial numbers of the general public now support a variety of forms of tolerance consistently; and do so, not for reasons peculiar to each, but rather on principle.

The broader implications of the results for the study of public opinion and democratic theory are noted.
Citizen Forecasting: Can Voters See into the Future?
Authors: Lewis-Beck Michael S. , Skalaban Andrew
Published: January 2009

Political science, unlike economics, does not have a long tradition of forecasting models. However, this is changing. Currently, there is considerable interest in election forecasting. The basis for the interest is a flurry of related publications on House, Senate and presidential elections. A common goal for these studies is the development of a model, inevitably based on aggregate time-series data, which predicts election returns. The resulting models, some of which are quite accurate, can differ a good deal in specification and estimation. Also, they vary in complexity, making them more or less accessible to the engaged voter.
The Puzzle of Indian Politics: Social Cleavages and the Indian Party System
Authors: Chhibber Pradeep K. , Petrocik John R.
Published: January 2009

The social cleavage theory of parly systems has provided a major framework for the study of Western party systems. It has been quite unimportant in studying other party systems, especially those of developing countries, where comparative development, and not mass electoral politics, has been the focus of study. This article reports the results of an attempt to bridge these traditions by analysing popular support for the Congress Party of India in terms of the expectations of the social cleavage theory of parties. This analysis illustrates the degree to which Indian partisanship conforms to the expectations of the theory. More importantly, this social cleavage theory analysis offers some new perspectives on (1) the inability of the Indian political system to develop national parties other than the Congress and (2) the ‘disaggregation’ of the Congress party.
British Parties in the Balance: A Time-Series Analysis of Long-Term Trends in Labour and Conservative Support
Authors: Mishler William , Hoskin Marilyn , Fitzgerald Roy
Published: January 2009

The electoral domination of the Conservative party during the past decade has been interpreted by many as evidence of a long-term shift in the balance of public support from Labour to the Conservatives. This article argues that such a shift has not occurred. Rather, the stability apparent in recent election results disguises considerable underlying volatility. The balance of public support between the major parties continues to be highly unstable and subject to large and precipitous fluctuations in response to relatively small economic changes and ordinary political events. Recent Conservative victories appear to be the results more of good timing and luck than of any fundamental, long-term dynamic in British politics.
‘God Hath Ordained to Man a Helper’: Hobbes, Patriarchy and Conjugal Right
Authors: Pateman Carole
Published: January 2009

There are two conflicting and equally misleading interpretations of Hobbes: either he is a patri-archalist like Filmer – but the premise of Hobbes's theory is that political right originates in maternal not paternal lordship; or he is an anti-patriarchalist – but he endorses the subjection of wives to husbands in civil society. To appreciate how Hobbes turns mother right into a specifically modern, non-paternal form of patriarchy, an understanding is required of his peculiar view of the family as a protective association of master and servants that originates in conquest (contract). Secondly, a conjectural history of the defeat of women by men in the natural condition and their incorporation into ‘families’ has to be provided. The overthrow of mother right enables men to enter the original contract, to create Leviathan in their own image, and to secure the fruits of their conquest by establishing patriarchal political right, exercised in large part as conjugal right.
National Elections and Political Attitudes: The Case of Political Efficacy
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Acock Alan C.
Published: January 2009

Elections constitute a principal avenue of citizen involvement in political life, and knowledge of their effects on public attitudes towards the polity and the role of the individual therein has important implications for theories of democratic governance. One sucli attitude is political efficacy, ‘the feeling that individual political action does have, or can have, an impact on the political process’. Although many studies have documented that political efficacy is positively associated with electoral participation, the causal mechanisms involved are not well understood. Most researchers have simply assumed that the ‘causal arrow’ runs from efficacy to participation, i.e. from the attitude to the behaviour. Investigations of the hypothesis that the behaviour (participation) affects the attitude (efficacy) are rare. Rarer still are enquiries focusing on the impact of election outcomes on efficacy, and studies that examine both effects are virtually non-existent. In this Note covariance structure analysis is used to investigate the effects of voting, campaign activity and the outcomes of the 1984 national elections on political efficacy in the American electorate.
Continuity and Change in Russian Political Culture
Authors: Hahn Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2009

This article assesses the presence or absence in Russia of a political culture compatible with the emergence of democratic institutions. It offers a test of the thesis that political culture may be an important variable linking economic development to transitions to democracy. On the basis of findings from a systematic random sample of opinions about politics in the city of Yaroslavl' in March 1990, the article finds little support for the argument that Russian political culture today is dominated by the autocratic traditions of the past. Rather, the patterns that emerge suggest that Russian political thinking comes closer to what is found in Western industrial democracies.
People, Places and Regions: Exploring the Use of Multi-Level Modelling in the Analysis of Electoral Data
Authors: Jones K. , Johnston R. J. , Pattie C. J.
Published: January 2009

There has been considerable recent debate about the importance of local context as an influence on political attitudes and voting behaviour in Great Britain. Resolution of that debate has been difficult, because analytical methods have not been available with which to evaluate the relative importance of both individual voter characteristics and the characteristics of their milieux as independent correlates of attitudes and behaviour. The technique of multi-level modelling has been developed by educational researchers to do just that. It is introduced here and illustrated using data for the 1987 British general election. The preliminary results suggest that place clearly does matter as a component of the processes that influence voters' choices.
Measuring Electoral Bias: Australia, 1949–93
Authors: Jackman Simon
Published: January 2009

Electoral systems translate citizens' votes into seats in the legislature, and are thus critical components of democracies. But electoral systems can be unfair, insulating incumbents from adverse electoral trends, or biasing the mapping of votes to seats in favour of one party. I assess methods for measuring bias and responsiveness in electoral systems, highlighting the limitations of the popular ‘multi-year’ and ‘uniform swing’ methods. I advocate an approach that incorporates constituency-levelandjurisdiction-wide variation in party's vote shares. I show how this method can be used to elaborate both the extent and consequences of malapportionment. I then present election-by-election estimates of partisan bias and responsiveness for ninety-three state and federal elections in Australia since 1949. The empirical results reported show that the coalition parties have generally ‘out-biased’ the Australian Labor party, despite some notable pro-ALP biases. The overall extent of partisan bias in Australian electoral systems, however, has generally diminished in magnitude over time.
‘Dethroning Politics’: Liberalism, Constitutionalism and Democracy in the Thought of F. A. Hayek
Authors: Bellamy Richard
Published: January 2009

The relationship between liberalism and democracy is notoriously paradoxical. On the one hand, the justification for democratic procedures most commonly rests on liberal assumptions. Standard liberal arguments for democracy range from the importance of consent due to the moral primacy of the individual, to the role of critical argument and the diversity of opinion for the discovery of truth. On the other hand, liberal institutional arrangements, such as the separation of powers and the rule of law, have frequently been interpreted as constraints upon democracy, albeit necessary ones if democracy is not to undermine itself. The paradox arises from the fact that liberalism provides a philosophical basis for regarding democracy as the only valid source of law whilst apparently appealing to some higher law in order to limit democracy itself. This paradox is embodied in the constitutions of most liberal democratic states. For generally these documents contain provisions – such as a bill of rights guaranteeing the freedoms of speech, assembly and association – designed to secure popular participation in the democratic process, alongside others – such as rights not obviously intrinsic to democratic decision making and mechanisms for judicial review – which seek to limit the power of democratic assemblies.
Bicameral Negotiations: The Navette System in France
Authors: Tsebelis George , Money Jeannette
Published: January 2009

This article investigates the decision-making process in the French bicameral legislature: the navette system. In this system, the legislation shuttles between the two houses until agreement is reached or until a stopping rule is applied. We examine the interaction between upper and lower houses as a bargaining game with complete and one-sided incomplete information.

The complete information model permits us to evaluate the political implications of the navette's various institutional features (where the bill is first introduced, number of iterations, final veto power, etc.). The incomplete information approach permits us to predict the duration of the navette process. Data from the French Fifth Republic in the 1959–86 period corroborate the conclusions of the model. Because the navette system is the most commonly used method of decision making in bicameral legislatures, the model can be usefully generalized to other countries.
Power, Power Indices and Blocking Power: A Comment on Johnston
Authors: Garrett Geoffrey M. , McLean Iain , Machover Moshé
Published: January 2009

R. J. Johnston produces two striking and counter-intuitive results on bargaining power in a European Union Council of Ministers expanded by the addition of the four states applying for entry in 1994. One is that the ‘big four’ member states, including the United Kingdom, have more power if the minority with power to block a proposal is set at 27 rather than 23. UK Prime Minister John Major damaged himself politically by first insisting that he would veto a proposal to increase the blocking threshold from 23 to 27 and then being forced to climb down from this position. As Johnston notes, this episode ‘led to several calls for his resignation from among his own party's MPs, including one in the House itself’. If British interests, as seen by the Euro-sceptics whom Mr Major was vainly trying to appease, were actually better served by a threshold of 27 than of 23, his actions appear doubly futile. This is apparent by reading across Johnston's Table 1, using either of the indices he proposes.
Testing the Mandate Model in Britain and the United States: Evidence from the Reagan and Thatcher Eras
Authors: Royed Terry J.
Published: January 2009

The hypothesis that parties are better able to carry out mandates in Britain than the United States is tested for the Reagan and Thatcher years. A list of specific pledges was compiled and it was determined whether or not the pledges were fulfilled. The primary finding is that more Conservative party pledges were fulfilled, compared to those of the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States. In each country policy took a conservative turn, but because more pledges were fulfilled in Britain, the ‘Conservative revolution’ was more thorough there than in the United States. It is suggested, in contrast to the findings of previous literature, that institutional differences between the two countries are one factor that matters when it comes to bringing about policy change.
Building Bridges? The Political Implications of Electoral Integration for Northern Ireland
Authors: Duffy Mary , Evans Geoffrey
Published: January 2009

The concept of cross-cutting cleavages has provided an influential explanation of why some regions with severe ethnic divisions have been able to establish and maintain political stability, while others have experienced violent conflict. It is suggested that where a deep communal cleavage is cross-cut by other politically salient divisions, a network of overlapping group memberships is created. This generates a series of divided loyalties that reduce the internal cohesiveness of any one group and encourages greater social and political stability. In the absence of such cross pressures, cumulative, reinforcing allegiances create ‘fragmented’ political cultures where all the politically relevant sources of division lie parallel, where group loyalty is paramount and where intercommunal hostility is the norm.
Local Party Organization, Turnout and Marginality
Authors: Pimlott Ben
Published: January 2009

In a recent Note in this Journal (‘Does Local Party Organization Matter?’, III (1972), 381–3) I reported evidence which suggested that in local elections party organization could have a major impact.1 This conclusion was reached by comparing voting movements in a marginal Newcastle ward, Walkergate, where Labour organization was very weak in 1970 but strong in 1971, with changes in Newcastle as a whole. In this Note a similar comparison is made, with evidence drawn from a Conservative ward, Heaton, in 1972, which shows even more striking evidence of organizational impact. Recent discussion in this and other journals about ward marginality and turnout2 is considered in the light of this evidence.
The Politics of Public Education, Health and Welfare in the USA and Western Europe: How Growth and Reform Potentials Have Differed
Authors: Heidenheimer Arnold J.
Published: January 2009

Comparativists interested in the political dynamics of policy development, and students of public policy desirous of studying national programs in crossnational contexts, face similar dilemmas at present. There is a literature focusing on decision-making processes which often pays little regard to policy substance. There are statistical analyses of expenditure levels, but these are difficult to relate to the ample literature bearing on how particular substantive problems have been handled in specific national and local situations. As a result, political scientists interested in the cross-national study of broad policy areas - such as those studying social policy development in Western Europe and America - are now engaged in the creation of historically based frameworks which will permit more fruitful analyses of differences in the patterns of development.
A dominant hereditary ossicular anomaly: bilateral incus anomaly and stapes fixation
Authors: Lee J H , Jung S H , Kim H C , Park C H , Hong S M
Published: January 2009

Objective:

We report three generations of one family suffering from bilateral conductive hearing loss due to a congenital anomaly of the incus and stapes fixation.

Case report:

All three female patients presented with similar symptoms and findings of hearing impairment since birth. Their computed tomography findings were the same. An abnormally shaped incus, fixed stapes and hanging tympanic portion of the facial nerve were seen at surgery. Stapedotomy could not be performed because the hanging facial nerve blocked the operating field.

Conclusion:

Although several cases of familial ossicular anomaly have been reported, this is the first report of an incus anomaly and stapes fixation combined with a facial nerve anomaly.
Collisional instability in a rare magnetized plasma: an experimental model for magnetospheric and space plasma study
Authors: XAPLANTERIS CONSTANTINE L.
Published: January 2009

In a suitable experimental device, laboratory plasma is produced with conditions and parameters analogous to magnetospheric plasma; we light a rare plasma in a semi-machine using rf-frequency discharge. Three ranges of low-frequency instabilities appear, one of which is identified as drift, caused by electron–neutral collisions. A full theoretical elaboration adapted to production conditions and geometrical symmetry is carried out; one solution of the dispersion relation is sufficient justification for the existence of the instability. The mathematical analysis also has the ambition to give interpretation for other low-frequency waves. Here we make a sound identification of the instability type as drift resistive due to electron–neutral collisions by an investigation of the growth rate. An agreement between experimental results and the theoretical model is obtained. As in the magnetosphere, an external magnetic field restrains the plasma.
Number systems and tilings over Laurent series
Authors: BECK TOBIAS , BRUNOTTE HORST , SCHEICHER KLAUS , THUSWALDNER JÖRG M.
Published: January 2009

Letbe a field and[x,y] the ring of polynomials in two variables over. Letf∈[x,y] and consider the residue class ringR:=[x,y]/f[x,y]. Our first aim is to study digit representations inR, i.e., we ask for whichfeach element ofRadmits a digit representation of the formd0+d1x+ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ +dℓxℓwith digitsdi∈[y] satisfying degy(di) < degy(f). These digit systems are motivated by the well-known notion of canonical number systems. Next we enlarge the ring in order to allow representations including negative powers of the “base”x. In particular, we define and characterize digit representations for the ringS:=((x−1,y−1))/f((x−1,y−1)) and give easy to handle criteria for finiteness and periodicity of such representations. Finally, we attach fundamental domains to our digit systems. The fundamental domain of a digit system is the set of all elements having only negative powers ofxin their “x-ary” representation. The translates of the fundamental domain induce a tiling ofS. Interestingly, the fundamental domains of our digit systems turn out to be unions of boxes. If we choose=qto be a finite field, these unions become finite.
The developmental potential of mouse somatic cell nuclear-transferred oocytes treated with trichostatin A and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine
Authors: Tsuji Yuta , Kato Yoko , Tsunoda Yukio
Published: January 2009

To facilitate nuclear reprogramming, somatic cells or somatic cell nuclear-transferred (SCNT) oocytes have been treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA), or the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), to relax epigenetic marks of differentiated somatic cells. TSA-treated SCNT oocytes have increased developmental potential, but the optimal treatment period is unknown. Reduced methylation levels in somatic cells have no positive effect on SCNT oocytes, but the treatment of SCNT embryos with 5-aza-dC has not been investigated. We examined the effect of TSA treatment duration on the developmental potential of mouse SCNT oocytes and the effect of 5-aza-dC treatment on their in vitro and in vivo developmental potential. To determine the effects of TSA treatment duration, nuclear-transferred (NT) oocytes were cultured for 0 to 26 h with 100 nM TSA. SCNT oocytes treated with TSA for 8 to 12 h had the higher rate of development to blastocysts and full-term fetuses were obtained after treatment for 8 to 12 h. When oocytes were treated for 14 h and 26 h, blastocyst rates were significantly decreased and fetuses were not obtained. To examine the effect of 5-aza-dC, 2-cell stage SCNT embryos were cultured with 10 or 100 nM 5-aza-dC for 48 h to the morula stage and transferred. The potential of embryos treated with 5-aza-dC to develop into blastocysts was decreased and no fetuses were obtained after transfer. The findings demonstrated that long-term TSA treatment of SCNT mouse oocytes and treatment with 5-aza-dC inhibit the potential to develop into blastocysts and to fetuses after transfer.
Japanese and English sentence reading comprehension and writing systems: An fMRI study of first and second language effects on brain activation
Authors: BUCHWEITZ AUGUSTO , MASON ROBERT A. , HASEGAWA MIHOKO , JUST MARCEL A.
Published: January 2009

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activation from native Japanese (L1) readers reading hiragana (syllabic) and kanji (logographic) sentences, and English as a second language (L2). Kanji showed more activation than hiragana in right-hemisphere occipito-temporal lobe areas associated with visuospatial processing; hiragana, in turn, showed more activation than kanji in areas of the brain associated with phonological processing. L1 results underscore the difference in visuospatial and phonological processing demands between the systems. Reading in English as compared to either of the Japanese systems showed more activation in inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, and angular gyrus. The additional activation in English in these areas may have been associated with an increased cognitive demand for phonological processing and verbal working memory. More generally, L2 results suggest more effortful reading comprehension processes associated with phonological rehearsal. The study contributes to the understanding of differential brain responses to different writing systems and to reading comprehension in a second language.
DIVISION I: FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY
Authors: Vondrák Jan , McCarthy Dennis D. , Fukushima Toshio , Brzezinski Aleksander , Burns Joseph A. , Defraigne Pascale , Evans Dafydd Wyn , Fukushima Toshio , Kaplan George H. , Klioner Sergei A. , Knežević Zoran , Kumkova Irina I. , Ma Chopo , Manchester Richard N. , Petit Gérard
Published: January 2009

Division I provides a focus for astronomers studying a wide range of problems related to fundamental physical phenomena such as time, the inertial reference frame, positions and proper motions of celestial objects and precise dynamical computation of the motions of bodies in stellar or planetary systems in the Universe.
COMMISSION 4: EPHEMERIDES
Authors: Fukushima Toshio , Kaplan George H. , Krasinsky George A. , Arlot Jean Eudes , Bangert John A. , Hohenkerk Catherine Y. , Krasinsky George A. , Lara Martin , Pitjeva Elena V. , Urban Sean E. , Vondrák Jan
Published: January 2009

JPL planetary ephemeris development has been very active assimilating measurements from current planetary missions and supporting future missions. The NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission with launch in 2009 requires knowledge of the Earth and Mars ephemerides with 30m accuracy. By comparison, the accuracy of the Mars ephemeris in the widely used DE405 ephemeris was about 3 km. Meeting the MSL needs requires an ongoing program of range and very-long baseline interferometry measurements of Mars orbiting spacecraft. The JPL ephemeris DE421 was released three months before the landing of the Phoenix mission on Mars, and has met the 300m requirement. Continued measurements are planned to support the MSL landing.
COMMISSION 7: CELESTIAL MECHANICS AND DYNAMICAL ASTRONOMY
Authors: Burns Joseph A. , Knežević Zoran , Milani Andrea , Vokrouhlický David , Athanassoula Evangelia , Beaugé Christian , Érdi Bálint , Lemaitre Anne , Maciejewski Andrzej J. , Malhotra Renu , Morbidelli Alessandro , Peale Stanton J. , Šidlichovský Miloš , Zhou Ji-Lin
Published: January 2009

The interplay of the disc and the dark halo resonances governs the secular evolution of disc galaxies, and the properties of their bar component (Athanassoula 2002). Martinez-Valpuestaet al. (2006), Ceverino & Klypin (2007) and Athanassoula (2007b) confirm and extend this work. Ceverino & Klypin (2007) calculate the orbital frequencies of each particle over the whole temporal evolution, and thus find much broader frequency peaks. In all cases, it is the same resonances that come into play, and, as in Athanassoula 2002, the angular momentum is emitted by near-resonant material in the bar region and absorbed by near-resonant material in the halo and the outer disc. The relative importance of each resonance, however, varies from one case to another. Furthermore, the second and third of the above mentioned studies examine the location of resonant orbits in configuration space and find compatible results.
DIVISION I / COMMISSION 8 / WORKING GROUP DENSIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL REFERENCE FRAME
Authors: Zacharias Norbert , Platais Imants , van Altena William F. , Bucciarelli Beatrice , Corbin Thomas E. , Ducourant Christine , Evans Dafydd Wyn , Gaume Ralph A. , Kumkova Irina I. , Mason Brian D. , Mignard François , Monet David G. , Haro Jose L. Muinos , Souchay Jean , Urban Sean E.
Published: January 2009

A continuation of this WG was voted for at the IAU GA 2006 in Prague. The International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) is defined by the positions of 212 distant quasars at radio wavelengths. The primary, optical reference frame is the Hipparcos Celestial Reference Frame (HCRF), which is the Hipparcos Catalog without astrometric ‘problem’ stars (in: H. Rickman (ed.) 2001, Proceedings IAU XXIV General Assembly, Transactions IAU XXIVB (San Francisco: ASP), Resolution B1.2). The Tycho-2 catalog with its 2.5 million brightest stars forms the first step in the densification of the optical reference frame. However, the limiting magnitude of about V = 12 of the Tycho-2 catalog is not sufficient for most applications in astronomy and the goal of this IAU Working Group is to further extend the grid of highly accurate positions and motions toward more and fainter stars. The web site of this WG is at .
COMMISSION 52: RELATIVITY IN FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY
Authors: Klioner Sergei A. , Petit Gérard , Brumberg Victor A. , Capitaine Nicole , Fienga Agnès , Fukushima Toshio , Guinot Bernard R. , Huang Cheng , Mignard Francois , Seidelmann Kenneth P. , Soffel Michael H. , Wallace Patrick T.
Published: January 2009

The tremendous progress in technology which we have witnessed during the last 30 years has led to enormous improvements of observational accuracy in all disciplines of fundamental astronomy. Relativity has been becoming increasingly important for modeling and interpretation of high accuracy astronomical observations during at least these 30 years. It is clear that for current accuracy requirements astronomical problems have to be formulated within the framework of General Relativity Theory. Many high-precision astronomical techniques have already required the application of relativistic effects, which are several orders of magnitude larger than the technical accuracy of observations. In order to interpret the results of such observations, one has to construct involved relativistic models. Many current and planned observational projects can not achieve their goals if relativity is not taken into account properly. The future projects will require the introduction of higher-order relativistic effects. To make the relativistic models consistent with each other for different observational techniques, to formulate them in the simplest possible way for a given accuracy, and to formulate them in a language understandable for astronomers and engineers who have little knowledge of relativity are the challenges of a multidisciplinary research field called Applied Relativity.
DIVISION II: SUN AND HELIOSPHERE
Authors: Melrose Donald B. , Pillet Valentin Martínez , Webb David F. , van Driel-Gesztelyi Lidia , Bougeret Jean-Louis , Klimchuk James A. , Kosovichev Alexander , von Steiger Rudolf
Published: January 2009

Division II of the IAU provides a forum for astronomers and astrophysicists studying a wide range of phenomena related to the structure, radiation and activity of the Sun, and its interaction with the Earth and the rest of the solar system. Division II encompasses three Commissions, 10, 12 and 49, and four Working Groups.
COMMISSION 10: SOLAR ACTIVITY
Authors: Klimchuk James A. , van Driel-Gesztelyi Lidia , Schrijver Carolus J. , Melrose Donald B. , Fletcher Lyndsay , Gopalswamy Natchimuthuk , Harrison Richard A. , Mandrini Cristina H. , Peter Hardi , Tsuneta Saku , Vršnak Bojan , Wang Jing-Xiu
Published: January 2009

Commission 10 deals with solar activity in all of its forms, ranging from the smallest nanoflares to the largest coronal mass ejections. This report reviews scientific progress over the roughly two-year period ending in the middle of 2008. This has been an exciting time in solar physics, highlighted by the launches of theHinodeandSTEREOmissions late in 2006. The report is reasonably comprehensive, though it is far from exhaustive. Limited space prevents the inclusion of many significant results. The report is divided into the following sections: Photosphere and chromosphere; Transition region; Corona and coronal heating; Coronal jets; flares; Coronal mass ejection initiation; Global coronal waves and shocks; Coronal dimming; The link between low coronal CME signatures and magnetic clouds; Coronal mass ejections in the heliosphere; and Coronal mass ejections and space weather. Primary authorship is indicated at the beginning of each section.
COMMISSION 15: PHYSICAL STUDY OF COMETS AND MINOR PLANETS
Authors: Huebner Walter F. , Cellino Alberto , Tedesco Edward F. , Bockelée-Morvan Dominique , Lupishko Dmitrij F. , Ma Yuehua , Reitsema Harold J. , Schulz Rita M. , Tancredi Gonzalo
Published: January 2009

The Commission 15 report was prepared primarily by the chairpersons of the two working groups: T. Yamamoto of the Comet Working Group and R. A. Gil-Hutton of the Minor Planet Working Group. In particular, the Comet section was produced by T. Yamamoto with the assistance of D. Bockelée-Morvan, H. Kawakita, and D. Prialnik, while the Minor Planet section was produced by R. A. Gil-Hutton with the assistance of A. Cellino, A. W. Harris (DLR), R. Jedicke, A.-C. Levasseur-Regourd, R. M. Schulz, T. B. Spahr, and P. Vernazza. W. F. Huebner was responsible for the Introduction. The final editing and merging of the various sections and subsections of the report was carried out by the Commission Secretary, D. C. Boice.
COMMISSION 21: LIGHT OF THE NIGHT SKY
Authors: Witt Adolf N. , Murthy Jayant , Gustafson Bo Å. S. , Baggaley W. Jack , Dwek Eli , Levasseur-Regourd Anny-Chantal , Mann Ingrid , Mattila Kalevi , Watanabe Jun-ichi
Published: January 2009

Commission 21 consists of IAU members and consultants with expertise and interest in the study of the light of the night sky and its various diffuse components, at all accessible electromagnetic frequencies. In cosmic distance scales, the subjects of Commission 21 range from airglow and tropospheric scattering in Earth's atmosphere, through zodiacal light in the solar system, including thermal emission from interplanetary dust, integrated starlight in the Milky Way galaxy, diffuse galactic light due to dust scattering in the galactic diffuse interstellar medium, thermal emissions from interstellar dust and free free emission from ionized interstellar gas, to various diffuse extragalactic background sources, including the cosmologically important cosmic microwave background (CMB). Observations of the diffuse night sky brightness at any frequency typically include signals from several of these sources, and it has been the historic mandate of Commission 21 to foster the necessary collaboration of experts from the different astronomical sub-disciplines involved.
COMMISSION 26: DOUBLE AND MULTIPLE STARS
Authors: Allen Christine , Docobo Jose A. D. , Hartkopf William I. , Balega Yuri I. , Davis John , Mason Brian D. , Oblak Edouard , Oswalt Terry D. , Pourbaix Dimitri , Scarfe Colin D.
Published: January 2009

Although we were happy to welcome over 20 new members at the Prague meeting, Commission 26 is still one of the smallest in the IAU. Notwithstanding its size, it continues to carry on an active and diversified program of activities. Our web site, maintained at the US Naval Observatory, contains further information on the Commission. The site includes links to other relevant sites, to databases and catalogues, an archive of our Information Circulars, a list of upcoming meetings of interest, as well as an extensive bibliography of recently published papers on double and multiple stars. The site can be accessed at .
COMMISSION 35: STELLAR CONSTITUTION
Authors: D'Antona Francesca , Charbonnel Corinne , Dziembowski Wojciech , Fontaine Gilles , Larson Richard B. , Lattanzio John , Liebert Jim W. , Müller Ewald , Weiss Achim , Yungelson Lev R.
Published: January 2009

The Commission home page  is maintained by Claus Leitherer and contains general information on the Commission structure and activities, including links to stellar structure resources that were made available by the owners. The resources contain evolutionary tracks and isochrones from various groups, nuclear reaction, EOS, and opacity data as well as links to main astronomical journals. As a routine activity, the Organizing Committee has commented on and ranked proposals for several IAU sponsored meetings. Our Commission acted as one of the coordinating bodies of a Symposium held at the IAU XXVI General Assembly in Prague, August 2006, (IAU Symposium No. 239Convection in Astrophysics, and participated in the organization of the following Joint Discussions: JD05Calibrating the Top of the Stellar Mass-Luminosity Relation, JD06Neutron Stars and Black Holes in Star Clusters, JD08Solar and Stellar Activity Cycles, JD11Pre-Solar Grains as Astrophysical Tools; JD14Modelling Dense Stellar Systems; and JD17Highlights of Recent Progress in the Seismology of the Sun and Sun-like Stars.
DIVISION IV / WORKING GROUP ABUNDANCES IN RED-GIANTS
Authors: Lattanzio John C. , Denissenkov Pavel A. , Gallino Roberto , Hron Josef , Jørgensen Uffe Gråe , Kwok Sun , van Loon Jacobus Th. , Smith Verne V. , Tout Christopher , Wing Robert F. , Zinner Ernst K.
Published: January 2009

The main activity of the WG on Abundances in Red Giants has been to propose a JD for the IAU GA in 2009. The increasing evidence for distinct populations within globular clusters is leading to the view that there is a continuum between globular clusters and the smallest of the galaxies. Our JD was designed to investigate this link. However, our JD was incorporated into IAU Symposium No. 266 Star Clusters: Basic Building Blocks throughout Time and Space for the IAU XXVII in Rio de Janeiro, 2009. We will be responsible for organising one session in the Symposium to cover the agenda put forward in our JD proposal.
DIVISION V: VARIABLE STARS
Authors: Giménez Alvaro , Kawaler Steven D. , Aerts Conny , Christensen-Dalsgaard Jørgen , Breger Michael , Guinan Edward F. , Kurtz Donald W. , Rucinski Slavek M.
Published: January 2009

Division V deals with all aspects of stellar variability, either intrinsic or due to eclipses by its companion in a binary system. In the case of intrinsic stellar variability the analysis of pulsating stars, surface inhomogeneities, stellar activity and oscillations are considered. For close binaries, classical detached eclipsing binaries are studied as well as more interacting systems, like contact and semi-detached binaries, or those with compact components, like cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries, including the physics of accretion processes.
DIVISION VI: INTERSTELLAR MATTER
Authors: Millar Thomas J. , Chu You Hua , Dyson John E. , Breitschwerdt Dieter , Burton Michael G. , Cabrit Sylvie , Caselli Paola , de Gouveia Dal Pino Elisabete M. , Ferland Gary J. , Juvela Mika J. , Koo Bon-Chul , Kwok Sun , Lizano Susana , Rozyczka Michal , Tóth L. Viktor , Tsuboi Masato , Yang Ji
Published: January 2009

Division VI provides a focus for astronomers studying a wide range of problems related to the physical and chemical properties of interstellar matter in the Milky Way and other galaxies.
DIVISION VII: THE GALACTIC SYSTEM
Authors: Gerhard Ortwin , Hatzidimitriou Despina , Whitelock Patricia A. , Lada Charles J. , Sarajedini Ata , Wyse Rosemary F. , Lazio Joseph
Published: January 2009

Division VII gathers astronomers studying the diffuse matter in space between stars, ranging from primordial intergalactic clouds, via dust and neutral and ionized gas in galaxies, to the densest molecular clouds and the processes by which stars are formed.
DIVISION VII / WORKING GROUP GALACTIC CENTER
Authors: Lazio Joseph
Published: January 2009

The Working GroupGalactic Centerwas created following a Business Meeting meeting of Division VIIGalactic Systems, held with the concurrence of Division VIIIGalaxies and the Universe, at the IAU XXVI General Assembly in Prague, 2006. The objective of the meeting was to highlight both recent progress on understanding the Galactic Center as well as to illustrate the way in which the center of the Milky Way Galaxy serves as a laboratory for understanding other galactic nuclei.
COMMISSION 25: STELLAR PHOTOMETRY AND POLARIMETRY
Authors: Martinez Peter , Milone Eugene F. , Landolt Arlo U. , Jordi Carme , Mironov Aleksey V. , Qian Shengbang , Schmidt Edward G. , Sterken Christiaan L.
Published: January 2009

According to the IAU membership database, Commission 25 currently has 230 members from 40 countries. The Commission's membership represents 2.4% of the total IAU membership of 9658.
DIVISION X: RADIO ASTRONOMY
Authors: Nan Ren-Dong , Taylor Russell A. , Rodríguez Luis F. , Carilli Christopher L. , Chapman Jessica , Dubner Gloria M. , Garrett Michael , Goss W. Miller , Hills Richard E. , Hirabayashi Hisashi , Shastri Prajval , Torrelles José María
Published: January 2009

Division X provides a common theme for astronomers using radio techniques to study a vast range of phenomena in the Universe, from exploring the Earth's ionosphere or making radar measurements in the Solar System, via mapping the distribution of gas and molecules in our own Galaxy and in other galaxies, to study the vast explosive processes in radio galaxies and QSOs and the faint afterglow of the Big Bang itself.