Identifying the Causes of Issue Attention and Policy Change: Evidence from U.S. Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Policy, 2008

The flow of attention in the policy process is dynamic and disruptive. While we know changes in issue attention often result in policy change, the causal mechanisms underlying the different stages of the attention allocation process remain unclear. This article uses Punctuated Equilibrium Theory to examine an underdeveloped aspect of issue attention within policy‐making institutions: how specific policy indicators influence the entry and exit of issues on policy‐making agendas. Partisan issue attention in the House of Representatives is used to analyze a significant change to U.S. offshore oil and natural gas drilling policy in 2008. The results highlight how historically high gasoline prices precipitated a shift in attention to offshore drilling and subsequent policy change. Moreover, gasoline prices Granger‐cause attention to energy policy in partisan speeches over time. The analysis further reveals how competing policy frames and a salient focusing event shaped congressional and public discourse, leading to subsequent changes in attention. Taken together, the findings broaden our understanding of the policy process by identifying the specific forces behind the entry and exit of issues on the policy‐making agenda.     

The Formal Delegation of Regulatory Decisions in the Telecommunication Sector: An Explanation Using Classification Trees

Research on regulation has traditionally focused on studying the delegation of regulatory competencies from political principals to an independent regulatory agency. In this article, we argue that this delegation is nuanced by different factors that affect whether a specific regulatory decision is formally delegated. We examine and explain formal delegation patterns at the level of individual regulatory decisions in twelve countries located in Europe, Latin America, and South Asia. The data were gathered by coding the twelve countries' telecommunications legislation. The data analysis was undertaken using a classification tree model—a nonparametric model. We found that the maturity of the market has the greatest effect on the formal delegation of regulatory decisions, but this effect is also influenced by the other theoretical factors considered, particularly the level of political constraints and the type of regulation.     

The Space Between: Demonization of Opponents and Policy Divergence

Prior research on policy conflicts indicates a tendency among policy actors to misperceive the influence of actors engaged in policy debates based on the degree of distance between their relative policy positions. This research develops a measure for assessing the degree and direction of the misperception effect. This measure is then utilized as a dependent variable to assess the relationship between theoretically relevant factors and the degree to which actors will exaggerate the influence of their opponents and allies. The research uses original survey data of policy actors engaged in the debate over hydraulic fracturing in New York. The results indicate misperceptions of relative influence are prevalent and most associated with the experience of a policy loss and holding relatively extreme policy beliefs. The findings provide new insight into factors that influence the demonization of political opponents. These insights are timely in the context of polarized debates over environmental and energy policy in the United States.     

Interview with AbbyTC5: a pioneering ‘HomeGirl’ in Hip-Hop herstory

Jessica N. Pabón interviews graffiti artist Abby Andrews, a.k.a. AbbyTC5, about her canvas painting Queens, the image on the front cover of the special issue.     

猪生殖与呼吸综合征病毒CH-1a株GP5蛋白基因的表达及其单克隆抗体的制备

将猪生殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)CH-1a株GP5蛋白基因信号肽部分删除后克隆于pGEX-6p-1载体上,并在大肠埃希氏菌中进行表达。经SDS-PAGE电泳分析发现,融合表达的rtGP5蛋白约42 ku,将融合蛋白rtGP5用PRRSV阳性血清进行Western-blotting分析,证实所表达的融合蛋白能被其特异性识别。收获融合表达产物rtGP5,按50μg/只的剂量与等量弗氏佐剂乳化,经腹腔免疫BALB/c小鼠3次后,取脾细胞与SP2/0骨髓瘤细胞进行融合,分别以融合蛋白rtGP5和GST蛋白为抗原,通过间接ELISA方法对融合细胞的上清液进行检测,筛选阳性克隆,结果得到了15株能稳定分泌抗rtGP5蛋白抗体的阳性细胞克隆株。经间接免疫荧光检测发现,获得的15株单克隆抗体都能与PRRSV感染细胞产生特异性荧光。15株单克隆抗体亚型鉴定结果显示均为IgG1型,且轻链均为κ链。     

葡萄球菌GST-mTSST-1融合蛋白抗体间接ELISA检测方法的建立

以纯化的金黄色葡萄球菌无毒诱变超抗原GST-mTSST-1融合蛋白作为检测抗原,通过优化ELISA反应条件,初步建立了检测血清特异性GST-mTSST-1抗体的间接ELISA方法,监测了小鼠血清中特异性GST-mTSST-1抗体水平的动态变化规律。方阵试验确定的GST-mTSST-1抗原的最适包被浓度为5.0μg/mL,血清最佳稀释倍数为1∶100,ELISA阳性反应的临界值为D490 nm≥0.219,批内和批间重复试验的变异系数均小于10%。应用该方法对试验小鼠血清进行检测,结果表明,建立的间接ELISA方法具有较高的敏感性、特异性和较好的重复性,适用于检测特异性GST-mTSST-1血清抗体。     

美国法典1404(a)与非方便法院原则辨析

由于美国法典28卷1404（a）条款的立法规定在功能与措辞上均非常类似普通法上的非方便法院原则,因此很多学者误以为该立法规定与非方便法院原则之间并不存在实质性的差异。然而,这一看法并不正确。事实上,1404（a）条款立法在法律效果、证明标准以及具体适用方面均与非方便法院原则存在显著的区别。