bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anomalous lasing of high-speed 850 nm InGaAlAs oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with a large negative gain-to-cavity wavelength detuning
Authors: Blokhin S. A. , Bobrov M. A. , Maleev N. A. , Kuzmenkov A. G. , Sakharov A. V. , Blokhin A. A. , Moser P. , Lott J. A. , Bimberg D. , Ustinov V. M.
Published: August 2014

The impact of a large negative quantum well gain-to-cavity etalon wavelength detuning on the static and dynamic characteristics of 850 nm InGaAlAs high-speed oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) was investigated. Three distinct lasing regimes were revealed in large square aperture (≥7 μm per side) devices with large detuning including: (1) an anomalous lasing via higher order Hermite–Gaussian modes at low forward bias current; (2) lasing via the lowest order Hermite–Gaussian modes at high bias current; and (3) simultaneous lasing via both types of transverse modes at intermediate bias currents. In contrast to conventional multimode VCSELs a two-resonance modulation response was observed for the case of co-lasing via multiple transverse modes with high spectral separation. The reduction in the oxide aperture area resulted in classical lasing via the lowest order modes with a conventional single-resonance frequency response.
Jump chaotic behaviour of ultra low loss bulk acoustic wave cavities
Authors: Goryachev Maxim , Farr Warrick G. , Galliou Serge , Tobar Michael E.
Published: August 2014

We demonstrate a previously unobserved nonlinear phenomenon in an ultra-low loss quartz bulk acoustic wave cavity (Q>3>109), which only occurs below 20 mK in temperature and under relatively weak pumping. The phenomenon reveals the emergence of several stable equilibria (at least two foci and two nodes) and jumps between these quasi states at random times. The degree of this randomness as well as separations between levels can be controlled by the frequency of the incident carrier signal. It is demonstrated that the nature of the effect lies beyond the standard Duffing model.
First experimental evidence of hydrodynamic tunneling of ultra–relativistic protons in extended solid copper target at the CERN HiRadMat facility
Authors: Schmidt R. , Blanco Sancho J. , Burkart F. , Grenier D. , Wollmann D. , Tahir N. A. , Shutov A. , Piriz A. R.
Published: August 2014

A novel experiment has been performed at the CERN HiRadMat test facility to study the impact of the 440 GeV proton beam generated by the Super Proton Synchrotron on extended solid copper cylindrical targets. Substantial hydrodynamic tunneling of the protons in the target material has been observed that leads to significant lengthening of the projectile range, which confirms our previous theoretical predictions [N. A. Tahir et al., Phys. Rev. Spec. Top.-Accel. Beams 15, 051003 (2012)]. Simulation results show very good agreement with the experimental measurements. These results have very important implications on the machine protection design for powerful machines like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the future High Luminosity LHC, and the proposed huge 80 km circumference Future Circular Collider, which is currently being discussed at CERN. Another very interesting outcome of this work is that one may also study the field of High Energy Density Physics at this test facility.
Two-photon polymerization of a three dimensional structure using beams with orbital angular momentum
Authors: Zhang Shi-Jie , Li Yan , Liu Zhao-Pei , Ren Jin-Li , Xiao Yun-Feng , Yang Hong , Gong Qihuang
Published: August 2014

The focus of a beam with orbital angular momentum exhibits internal structure instead of an elliptical intensity distribution of a Gaussian beam, and the superposition of Gauss-Laguerre beams realized by two-dimensional phase modulation can generate a complex three-dimensional (3D) focus. By taking advantage of the flexibility of this 3D focus tailoring, we have fabricated a 3D microstructure with high resolution by two-photon polymerization with a single exposure. Furthermore, we have polymerized an array of double-helix structures that demonstrates optical chirality.
An Analysis of Visitors' Behavior in the Louvre Museum: A Study Using Bluetooth Data
Authors: Yoshimura Yuji , Sobolevsky Stanislav , Ratti Carlo , Girardin Fabien , Carrascal Juan Pablo , Blat Josep , Sinatra Roberta
Published: August 2014

Museums often suffer from so-called ‘hypercongestion’, wherein the number of visitors exceeds the capacity of the physical space of the museum. This can potentially be detrimental to the quality of visitors' experiences, through disturbance by the behavior and presence of other visitors. Although this situation can be mitigated by managing visitors' flow between spaces, a detailed analysis of visitor movement is required to realize fully and apply a proper solution to the problem. In this paper we analyze visitors' sequential movements, the spatial layout, and the relationship between them in a large- scale art museum—The Louvre Museum—using anonymized data collected through noninvasive Bluetooth sensors. This enables us to unveil some features of visitor behavior and spatial impact that shed some light on the mechanisms of museum overcrowding. The analysis reveals that the visiting styles of short-stay and long-stay visitors are not as significantly different as one might expect. Both types of visitors tend to visit a similar number of key locations in the museum while the longer-stay visitors just tend to do so more time extensively. In addition, we reveal that some ways of exploring the museum appear frequently for both types of visitors, although long-stay visitors might be expected to diversify much more, given the greater time spent in the museum. We suggest that these similarities and dissimilarities make for an uneven distribution of the number of visitors in the museum space. The findings increase the understanding of the unknown behaviors of visitors, which is key to improving the museum's environment and visitor experience.
Michel Foucault and the Smart City: Power Dynamics Inherent in Contemporary Governing through Code
Authors: Klauser Francisco , Paasche Till , Söderström Ola
Published: August 2014

Drawing upon Michel Foucault's approach to power and governmentality, this paper explores the internal logics and dynamics of software-mediated techniques used to regulate and manage urban systems. Our key questions are as follows: what power and regulatory dynamics do contemporary smart-city initiatives imply? And how do smart information technologies intervene in the governing of everyday life? Building on the Foucauldian distinction between apparatuses of discipline and apparatuses of security, the paper approaches these questions on three broad levels, namely: how contemporary ‘governing through code’ relates to its referent object (referentiality axis), to normalisation (normativity axis), and to space (spatiality axis). Empirically, the paper investigates two high-profile pilot projects in Switzerland in the field of smart electricity management, aimed at (1) the assessment of customer needs and behaviours with regard to novel smart metering solutions (iSMART), and (2) the elaboration of novel IT solutions in the field of smart electricity grids for optimised load management (Flexlast).
Effect of conception date and hind nutrition on fetal growth trajectory and gestation length of red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Authors: Scott I. C. , Asher G. W. , Jopson N. , Cox N. , Archer J. A. , Stevens D. R. , Barrell G. K.
Published: August 2014

This study tested the hypothesis that the negative association between gestation length and conception date in red deer is mediated by nutrition. Twenty-eight pregnant red deer were randomly allocated to four groups according to a 2 × 2 factorial design, with the factors conception date (14 March, E; 28 April, L) and level of nutrition (ad libitum, H; restricted, R). Animals were housed indoors in individual pens from early winter until calving and offered daily an ad libitum pelleted ration. The daily ration was then restricted from late winter in ER (134 days post-conception) and LR (89 days post-conception) groups, so that these hinds did not experience a seasonal increase in food intake. X-Ray computed tomography scans were taken at Days 120, 150, 180 and 210 of gestation (mid–late gestation) to estimate weight of various conceptus components. Growth rate of the total fetus was significantly higher in LH than in other treatments (P < 0.01) between Days 180 and 210 of gestation. Birthweight was not significantly different (P > 0.05) between treatments or calf sex. Birthweight was associated directly with change in hind liveweight (P = 0.03) and body condition score during the third trimester of pregnancy (P = 0.01), but was not significantly associated with gestation length (P = 0.34). Gestation length was 4.4 days longer in LR than LH hinds (P = 0.03) and was negatively associated with both food intake (P = 0.03) and LW gain (P = 0.02) during the final trimester of gestation. Feeding late-conceiving hinds an ad libitum diet of high-quality food during the third trimester of gestation maximises fetal growth and shortens gestation length.
Interleukin-1 deficiency prolongs ovarian lifespan in mice
Authors: Uri-Belapolsky Shiri , Shaish Aviv , Eliyahu Efrat , Grossman Hadas , Levi Mattan , Chuderland Dana , Ninio-Many Lihi , Hasky Noa , Shashar David , Almog Tal , Kandel-Kfir Michal , Harats Dror , Shalgi Ruth , Kamari Yehuda
Published: August 2014

Significance

Females are subjected to a biological clock that dictates the end of the reproductive lifespan, on average, at 50 y of age, whereas fecundity sharply decreases after 30 y of age. Over the past decade, a current trend of postponing childbearing into advanced age has led to a corresponding upward trend in the number of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. Inflammation was reported to affect both IVF outcomes and the ovarian reserve adversely. Identifying a possible culprit, such as IL-1, may offer new insight into the mechanisms responsible for oocyte loss as well as practical interventions, such as IL-1 blockade, which aims to slow down the rate at which oocytes are eliminated and improve IVF outcomes.
Synchronization in human musical rhythms and mutually interacting complex systems
Authors: Hennig Holger
Published: August 2014

Significance

Though the statistical properties of musical compositions have been widely studied, little is known about the statistical nature of musical interaction—a foundation of musical communication. The goal of this study was to uncover the general statistical properties underlying musical interaction by observing two individuals synchronizing rhythms. We found that the interbeat intervals between individuals exhibit scale-free cross-correlations, i.e., the next beat played by an individual is dependent on the entire history (up to several minutes) of their partner’s interbeat intervals. To explain this surprising observation, we introduce a general stochastic model that can also be used to study synchronization phenomena in econophysics and physiology. The scaling laws found in musical interaction are directly applicable to audio production.
Fair sampling perspective on an apparent violation of duality
Authors: Bolduc Eliot , Leach Jonathan , Miatto Filippo M. , Leuchs Gerd , Boyd Robert W.
Published: August 2014

Significance

In 2012, Menzel et al. reported on the results of a fundamental experiment raising questions regarding the simultaneous observation of wave-like and particle-like properties in a given quantum system. Whereas the general applicability of the duality principle to entangled subsystems is an open question, we bring the current understanding of the duality principle a step forward by theoretically deriving the strongest relations between the visibility of an interference pattern and the which-way information in a two-way interferometer such as Young’s double slit. This formalism successfully describes tests of duality where postselection on a subset of the interference pattern is applied. Our analysis even reconciles the surprising results of Menzel et al. with the duality principle in its standard form.
Expression profiling associates blood and brain glucocorticoid receptor signaling with trauma-related individual differences in both sexes
Authors: Daskalakis Nikolaos P. , Cohen Hagit , Cai Guiqing , Buxbaum Joseph D. , Yehuda Rachel
Published: August 2014

Significance

Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in a subset of trauma-exposed persons, expression profiling in the context of an animal model that focuses on individual differences in stress response permits identification of the relevant signaling pathways that lead to sustained impairment or resilience. The inclusion of blood and brain samples from both sexes is important because it allows the detection of convergent susceptibility pathways and concomitant identification of blood-based biomarkers. The across tissue and sex involvement of glucocorticoid receptor signaling with exposure-related individual differences suggests that targeting this signaling pathway may lead to a promising therapeutic strategy in PTSD.
Collective credit allocation in science
Authors: Shen Hua-Wei , Barabási Albert-László
Published: August 2014

Significance

The increasing dominance of multiauthor papers is straining the credit system of science: although for single-author papers, the credit is obvious and undivided, for multiauthor papers, credit assignment varies from discipline to discipline. Consequently, each research field runs its own informal credit allocation system, which is hard to decode for outsiders. Here we develop a discipline-independent algorithm to decipher the collective credit allocation process within science, capturing each coauthor’s perceived contribution to a publication. The proposed method provides scientists and policy-makers an effective tool to quantify and compare the scientific contribution of each researcher without requiring familiarity with the credit allocation system of the specific discipline.
Tumorigenicity of hypoxic respiring cancer cells revealed by a hypoxia–cell cycle dual reporter
Authors: Le Anne , Stine Zachary E. , Nguyen Christopher , Afzal Junaid , Sun Peng , Hamaker Max , Siegel Nicholas M. , Gouw Arvin M. , Kang Byung-hak , Yu Shu-Han , Cochran Rory L. , Sailor Kurt A. , Song Hongjun , Dang Chi V.
Published: August 2014

Significance

In this study, we report the finding that a subpopulation of hypoxic cancer cells expressed genes involved in mitochondrial function, sustained oxidative metabolism, and were fully tumorigenic. These findings indicate that, whereas the Warburg effect contributes to the metabolism of growing cancer cells, tumorigenicity does not exclusively depend on it and is not diminished by continued respiration under hypoxia.
DELAY OF GERMINATION 1
mediates a conserved coat-dormancy mechanism for the temperature- and gibberellin-dependent control of seed germination
Authors: Graeber Kai , Linkies Ada , Steinbrecher Tina , Mummenhoff Klaus , Tarkowská Danuše , Turečková Veronika , Ignatz Michael , Sperber Katja , Voegele Antje , de Jong Hans , Urbanová Terezie , Strnad Miroslav , Leubner-Metzger Gerhard
Published: August 2014

Significance

Mechanisms of plant seed dormancy evolved to delay germination to a season favorable for seedling growth. Germination timing is an important adaptive early-life history trait which determines plant fitness in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The
DELAY OF GERMINATION 1
(
DOG1
) gene provides natural genetic variation in dormancy, was the first dormancy-specific gene cloned, and encodes a protein of unknown function. We show here that DOG1 controls dormancy of different species by setting the optimal ambient temperature window for germination. This timing is achieved by temperature-dependent alteration of the gibberellin hormone metabolism, which in turn leads to altered expression of genes required for the biomechanical weakening of the coat encasing the embryo. The conserved DOG1-mediated coat-dormancy mechanism controls the timing of seed germination in a temperature-dependent manner.
Structural basis for the recruitment and activation of the
Legionella
phospholipase VipD by the host GTPase Rab5
Authors: Lucas María , Gaspar Andrew H. , Pallara Chiara , Rojas Adriana Lucely , Fernández-Recio Juan , Machner Matthias P. , Hierro Aitor
Published: August 2014

Significance

A long-standing question in the field of microbial pathogenesis is how virulence factors are regulated within host cells and how their activity is specifically directed toward a particular host cell compartment.
Legionella pneumophila
resolves this dilemma by tightly coupling the phospholipase A1 activity of one of its effectors, vacuolar protein sorting inhibitor protein D (VipD), to this protein’s interaction with endosomal host GTPases. We now present the crystal structure of VipD in complex with host cell Rab5c, providing a detailed look into the ingenious molecular mechanisms underlying the allosteric activation of a virulence factor by a host protein and its spatiotemporal regulation. These results open the path for the development of novel therapeutics aimed at blocking the VipD activation process rather than the enzyme’s active site.
A cellular solution to an information-processing problem
Authors: Iyengar Garud , Rao Madan
Published: August 2014

Significance

Cell-surface signaling receptors are organized into different architectures that have been arrived at multiple times in diverse contexts. To understand the trade-offs that lead to these architectures, we pose the generic information-processing problem of identifying the optimal strategy for distributed mobile noisy sensors to faithfully “read” an incoming signal that varies in space–time. This involves balancing two opposing requirements: clustering noisy sensors to reduce statistical error and spreading sensors to enhance spatial coverage, resulting in a phase transition that explains the frequent reemergence of a set of architectures. Our results extend to a variety of engineering and communication applications that involve mobile and distributed sensing, and suggest that biology might offer solutions to hard optimization problems that arise in these applications.
Wnt ligand/Frizzled 2 receptor signaling regulates tube shape and branch-point formation in the lung through control of epithelial cell shape
Authors: Kadzik Rachel S. , Cohen Ethan David , Morley Michael P. , Stewart Kathleen M. , Lu Min Min , Morrisey Edward E.
Published: August 2014

Significance

We generated a conditional mouse allele for the Wnt receptor Fzd2 and used it to assess the role of Fzd2-mediated Wnt signaling in the lung. Loss of Fzd2 specifically in the developing lung epithelium results in defects in domain branch-point formation which alter the primary branching program of the lung. We show that Fzd2 is required to sculpt the developing epithelium in the lung through activation of the small GTPase RhoA and control of epithelial cell shape. These results reveal the importance of Wnt/RhoA signaling in altering the shape of the developing epithelium of branched organs such as the lung. Such studies highlight the interconnectedness of signaling pathways during the formation of a branched network.
Microbial-induced meprin β cleavage in MUC2 mucin and a functional CFTR channel are required to release anchored small intestinal mucus
Authors: Schütte André , Ermund Anna , Becker-Pauly Christoph , Johansson Malin E. V. , Rodriguez-Pineiro Ana M. , Bäckhed Fredrik , Müller Stefan , Lottaz Daniel , Bond Judith S. , Hansson Gunnar C.
Published: August 2014

Significance

Mucus with its major constituent, the gel-forming mucins, is important for protecting the host epithelium from bacteria. Under normal conditions, these mucin networks are constantly released into the small intestinal lumen. This release required a proteolytic cleavage in the mucin by the metalloprotease meprin β and was absent in germ-free animals but induced by bacteria. The small intestinal mucus in cystic fibrosis is also attached, not due to lack of enzyme, but rather that the mucin is not properly unfolded in the absence of a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator channel and sufficient bicarbonate levels. Mucus can thus appear both attached and released as part of a system controlling bacterial removal. This new concept may lead to new ways for the treatment and therapy of cystic fibrosis.
Patterned progression of bacterial populations in the premature infant gut
Authors: La Rosa Patricio S. , Warner Barbara B. , Zhou Yanjiao , Weinstock George M. , Sodergren Erica , Hall-Moore Carla M. , Stevens Harold J. , Bennett William E. , Shaikh Nurmohammad , Linneman Laura A. , Hoffmann Julie A. , Hamvas Aaron , Deych Elena , Shands Berkley A. , Shannon William D. , Tarr Phillip I.
Published: August 2014

Significance

It is increasingly apparent that bacteria in the gut are important determinants of health and disease in humans. However, we know remarkably little about how this organ transitions from a sterile/near-sterile state at birth to one that soon harbors a highly diverse biomass. We show in premature infants a patterned progression of the gut bacterial community that is only minimally influenced by mode of delivery, antibiotics, or feeds. The pace of this progression is most strongly influenced by gestational age, with the microbial population assembling slowest for infants born most prematurely. These data raise the possibility that host biology, more than exogenous factors such as antibiotics, feeds, and route of delivery, drives bacterial populations in the premature newborn infant gut.
Single-shot stand-off chemical identification of powders using random Raman lasing
Authors: Hokr Brett H. , Bixler Joel N. , Noojin Gary D. , Thomas Robert J. , Rockwell Benjamin A. , Yakovlev Vladislav V. , Scully Marlan O.
Published: August 2014

Significance

The long-range stand-off chemical identification of materials has been a high profile goal of science in recent years. In this article, we demonstrate the stand-off identification of chemical compounds from kilometer-scale distances in a single laser pulse by detecting the emission from random Raman lasing processes in the target. This technique opens up the door to rapid identification of potentially hazardous chemicals from a safe distance.
Mapping the λ Integrase bridges in the nucleoprotein Holliday junction intermediates of viral integrative and excisive recombination
Authors: Tong Wenjun , Warren David , Seah Nicole E. , Laxmikanthan Gurunathan , Van Duyne Gregory D. , Landy Arthur
Published: August 2014

Significance

The bacteriophage encoded λ Int protein is distinguished from other well-studied and widely exploited tyrosine recombinase family members as a heterobivalent DNA binding protein. With the help of accessory DNA bending proteins, Int bridges two different classes of DNA sites within the unique 400-kDa recombinogenic complexes of integrative and excisive recombination. The absence of any overarching investigations or structural models for these key complexes stems from the inability to determine which core-type and arm-type binding sites are joined to one another by Int-mediated bridges. We solved this long-standing problem using site-directed chemical cross-linking of Int in trapped Holliday junction intermediates and recombination reactions with chimeric recombinases, to identify the unique patterns of Int bridges for integrative and excisive recombination.
Coevolutionary information, protein folding landscapes, and the thermodynamics of natural selection
Authors: Morcos Faruck , Schafer Nicholas P. , Cheng Ryan R. , Onuchic José N. , Wolynes Peter G.
Published: August 2014

Significance

Natural protein sequences, being the result of random mutation coupled with natural selection, have remarkable properties that are not typical of unselected random sequences, including the ability to robustly fold to an organized structure that is needed to function. We estimate the selection temperature, the effective temperature at which sequences were selected by evolution, for eight protein families and compare these values with experimental data for folding temperatures of proteins in each family. The selection temperature measures the importance of maintaining the stability and structural specificity of the folded state on the evolutionary process. For all families, the selection temperature is below physiological temperature, indicating that maintaining the structural integrity of the folded state is an important constraint on evolution.
Predicting hybrid performance in rice using genomic best linear unbiased prediction
Authors: Xu Shizhong , Zhu Dan , Zhang Qifa
Published: August 2014

Significance

Genomic prediction is a new field of quantitative genetics. Individual performance can be predicted using genome-wide markers before the phenotype is measured. Genomic prediction for hybrid performance is even more promising because genotype of a hybrid is predetermined by the parents. We propose a genomic best linear unbiased prediction to predict hybrid performance of rice, and incorporate dominance and epistasis into the prediction model. Simulation studies showed that predictability can be further improved after incorporating dominance and epistasis into the model. The new strategy of marker-guided hybrid prediction is called genomic hybrid breeding, and it represents a new technology that may potentially revolutionize hybrid breeding in agriculture.
The force of the claimability objection to the human right to subsistence
Authors: Tomalty Jesse
Published: August 2014

The claimability objection rejects the inclusion of a right to subsistence among human rights because the duties thought to correlate with this right are undirected, and thus it is not claimable. This objection is open to two replies: One denies that claimability is an existence condition on rights. The second suggests that the human right to subsistence actually is claimable. I argue that although neither reply succeeds on the conventional interpretation of the human right to subsistence, an alternative ‘practical’ interpretation provides a viable approach to vindicating this right.
Debunking enactivism: a critical notice of Hutto and Myin’s Radicalizing Enactivism
Authors: Matthen Mohan
Published: August 2014

In this review of Hutto and Myin’s Radicalizing Enactivism, I question the adequacy of a non-representational theory of mind. I argue first that such a theory cannot differentiate cognition from other bodily engagements such as wrestling with an opponent. Second, I question whether the simple robots constructed by Rodney Brooks are adequate as models of multimodal organisms. Last, I argue that Hutto and Myin pay very little attention to how semantically interacting representations are needed to give an account of choice and action.
Giving up omnipotence
Authors: Hill Scott
Published: August 2014

For any essential property God has, there is an ability He does not have. He is unable to bring about any state of affairs in which He does not have that property. Such inabilities seem to preclude omnipotence. After making trouble for the standard responses to this problem, I offer my own solution: God is not omnipotent. This may seem like a significant loss for the theist. But I show that it is not. The theist may abandon the doctrine that God is omnipotent without scaling back the extent of His power and without denying that He has all perfections.
Nfil3 is crucial for development of innate lymphoid cells and host protection against intestinal pathogens
Authors: Geiger Theresa L. , Abt Michael C. , Gasteiger Georg , Firth Matthew A. , O’Connor Margaret H. , Geary Clair D. , O’Sullivan Timothy E. , van den Brink Marcel R. , Pamer Eric G. , Hanash Alan M. , Sun Joseph C.
Published: August 2014

The bZIP transcription factor Nfil3 (also known as E4BP4) is required for the development of natural killer (NK) cells and type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1s). We find that Nfil3 plays a critical role in the development of other mucosal tissue-associated innate lymphocytes. Type 3 ILCs (ILC3s), including lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi)–like cells, are severely diminished in both numbers and function in Nfil3-deficient mice. Using mixed bone marrow chimeric mice, we demonstrate that Nfil3 is critical for normal development of gut-associated ILC3s in a cell-intrinsic manner. Furthermore, Nfil3 deficiency severely compromises intestinal innate immune defense against acute bacterial infection with Citrobacter rodentium and Clostridium difficile. Nfil3 deficiency resulted in a loss of the recently identified ILC precursor, yet conditional ablation of Nfil3 in the NKp46+ ILC3 subset did not perturb ILC3 numbers, suggesting that Nfil3 is required early during ILC3 development but not for lineage maintenance. Lastly, a marked defect in type 2 ILCs (ILC2s) was also observed in the lungs and visceral adipose tissue of Nfil3-deficient mice, revealing a general requirement for Nfil3 in the development of all ILC lineages.
Does De Jure Judicial Independence Really Matter?
Authors: Melton James , Ginsburg Tom
Published: August 2014

The relationship between de jure and de facto judicial independence is much debated in the literature on judicial politics. Some studies find no relationship between the formal rules governing the structure of the judiciary and de facto judicial independence, while others find a tight correlation. This article sets out to reassess the relationship between de jure and de facto judicial independence using a new theory and an expanded data set. De jure institutional protections, we argue, do not work in isolation but work conjunctively, so that particular combinations of protections are more likely to be effective than others. We find that rules governing the selection and removal of judges are the only de jure protections that actually enhance judicial independence in practice and that they work conjunctively. This effect is strongest in authoritarian regimes and in contexts with checks on executive authority.
The Politics of Judicial Retirement in Canada and the United Kingdom
Authors: Massie Tajuana , Randazzo Kirk A. , Songer Donald R.
Published: August 2014

In this study, we test theories of judicial retirement developed in the United States to study patterns of retirement in Canada and England. We explore whether there is evidence that justices time their departures to strategically advance partisan or policy goals. Using survival analysis to examine the career patterns of judges appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada (1875–2012), as well as the House of Lords of the United Kingdom (1875–2009), we find that there is no evidence of strategy to achieve political objectives. Instead, these judges either choose to stay as long as possible or retire for personal reasons.
On Courts and Pocketbooks
Authors: Rice Douglas
Published: August 2014

Scholars studying judicial behavior have identified a host of factors theoretically and empirically connected to judicial decision making. One recent theory identifies economic conditions—which have implications for the decisions of voters and politicians—as influencing the voting behavior of US Supreme Court justices. Yet the US Supreme Court is a unique judicial institution addressing limited—though indisputably important—economic cases every year. State courts, on the other hand, address a multitude of issues every year with economic ramifications. Building on the rich body of literature examining state courts of last resort, I analyze whether judges, across a variety of methods for judicial selection and retention, respond to temporary changes in the state of the economy. Results indicate that the responses of state supreme court judges to changes in the state of the economy are conditional on the electoral vulnerability of the justice. This research thus offers considerable insight into judicial behavior under different selection mechanisms and the conditional influence of the state of the economy.
The Chief Justice as Executive
Authors: Chutkow Dawn M.
Published: August 2014

This article is the first comprehensive empirical study of chief justice appointments to the Judicial Conference committees of the US Courts, entities with influence over substantive public and legal policy. Using a newly created database of all judges appointed to serve on Judicial Conference committees between 1986 and 2012, the results indicate that a judge’s partisan alignment with the chief justice matters, as do personal characteristics such as race, experience on the bench, and court level. These results support claims that Judicial Conference committee selection, membership, and participation may present a vehicle for advancing the chief justice’s individual political and policy interests.
Successful Aging and Subjective Well-Being Among Oldest-Old Adults
Authors: Cho Jinmyoung , Martin Peter , Poon Leonard W. ,   for the Georgia Centenarian Study
Published: August 2014

Purpose of the Study:

This research integrates successful aging and developmental adaptation models to empirically define the direct and indirect effects of 2 distal (i.e., education and past life experiences) and 5 proximal influences (i.e., physical functioning, cognitive functioning, physical health impairment, social resources, and perceived economic status) on subjective well-being. The proximal influences involved predictors outlined in most extant models of successful aging (e.g., Rowe & Kahn, 1998 [Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York: Pantheon Books.]). Our model extends such models by including distal impact as well as interactions between distal and proximal impacts.

Design and Methods:

Data were obtained from 234 centenarians and 72 octogenarians in the Georgia Centenarian Study. Structural equation modeling was conducted with Mplus 6.1.

Results:

Results showed significant direct effects of physical health impairment and social resources on positive aspects of subjective well-being among oldest-old adults. We also found significant indirect effects of cognitive functioning and education on positive affect among oldest-old adults. Social resources mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and social resources mediated the relationship between education and positive affect. In addition, physical health impairment mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and physical health impairment mediated the relationship between education and positive affect.

Implications:

Integrating 2 different models (i.e., successful aging and developmental adaptation) provided a comprehensive view of adaptation from a developmental perspective.
Characterizing RNA ensembles from NMR data with kinematic models
Authors: Fonseca Rasmus , Pachov Dimitar V. , Bernauer Julie , van den Bedem Henry
Published: August 2014

Functional mechanisms of biomolecules often manifest themselves precisely in transient conformational substates. Researchers have long sought to structurally characterize dynamic processes in non-coding RNA, combining experimental data with computer algorithms. However, adequate exploration of conformational space for these highly dynamic molecules, starting from static crystal structures, remains challenging. Here, we report a new conformational sampling procedure, KGSrna, which can efficiently probe the native ensemble of RNA molecules in solution. We found that KGSrna ensembles accurately represent the conformational landscapes of 3D RNA encoded by NMR proton chemical shifts. KGSrna resolves motionally averaged NMR data into structural contributions; when coupled with residual dipolar coupling data, a KGSrna ensemble revealed a previously uncharacterized transient excited state of the HIV-1 trans-activation response element stem–loop. Ensemble-based interpretations of averaged data can aid in formulating and testing dynamic, motion-based hypotheses of functional mechanisms in RNAs with broad implications for RNA engineering and therapeutic intervention.
Fighting Mother Nature with Biotechnology
Authors: McHughen Alan
Published: August 2014

This article examines how biotechnology can be used to ensure a sustainable human future by address global problems such as human population growth, pollution, climate change, and limited access to clean water and other basic food production resources. It first considers the argument that rejects human technologies and industrial agriculture in favor of an approach that promotes a return to Mother Nature, along with the consequences of this perspective. It then turns to a discussion of popular misconceptions about the existence of a natural “species barrier” that prevents genes from moving from one species to another. It also provides a historical overview of agriculture before concluding with an evaluation of modern technologies that can sustain humans, particularly genetic engineering and biotechnology and their potential to address hunger and poverty.
Sexual Competition among Women
Authors: Arnocky Steven , Vaillancourt Tracy
Published: August 2014

Darwin (1871) observed in his theory of evolution by means of sexual selection that “it is the males who fight together and sedulously display their charms before the female” (p. 272). Researchers examining intrasexual competition have since focused disproportionately on male competition for mates, with female competition receiving far less attention. In this chapter, we review evidence that women do indeed compete with one another to secure and maintain reproductive benefits. We begin with an overview of the evolutionary theory of competition among women, with a focus on biparental care and individual differences in men’s mate value. We discuss why competition among women is characteristically different from that of men and highlight evidence supporting women’s use of epigamic display of physical attractiveness characteristics and indirect aggression toward same-sex peers and opposite-sex romantic partners as sexually competitive tactics. Finally, individual differences in competition among women are discussed.
Personality and Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Littlefield Andrew K. , Sher Kenneth J.
Published: August 2014

Individual differences in personality have long been linked to the use and misuse of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other drugs. Broadly, personality characteristics of high neuroticism and behavioral undercontrol/impulsivity appear to robustly relate to several substance use disorders (SUDs), although other traits have also been linked to SUDs. Much of the genetic basis of SUDs appears to be mediated by personality traits, which may relate to SUDs through a variety of non-mutually exclusive mechanisms that may work additively and synergistically, are indexed by various motivations associated with reward seeking and regulating negative emotion, and also relate to self-control and environment selection. Considerable change occurs in personality over the life course, and recent data show that the course of substance use and SUDs is associated with personality change. Although much progress has been made, several lines of future research could be pursued to further our understanding of the personality–SUD relation.
Behavioral-Economic and Neuroeconomic Perspectives on Addiction
Authors: Bickel Warren , Mueller E. Terry , MacKillop James , Yi Richard
Published: August 2014

Behavioral economics construes addiction as a pattern of pathological decisions favoring consumption of drugs versus healthy reinforcers. This chapter introduces basic behavioral-economic concepts and reviews results from operant laboratory studies, purchase task studies, and clinical studies that validate the concepts’ utility in addiction research. Research and theory about the economic significance of the delay to receipt of a chosen commodity (delay discounting) is reviewed. Additionally, research bearing on the validity of the competing neurobehavioral decision systems hypothesis, a neuroeconomic theory, is considered by drawing on a diversity of data including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fRMI) and genetic studies. This new theory proposes that addiction is due to hyperactive impulsive and hypoactive executive systems in the brain. Future directions for research and treatment are reviewed.
Illicit Drugs
Authors: Degenhardt Louisa , Hall Wayne , Bucello Chiara
Published: August 2014

Although illicit drug use has been documented across the world, the quality of these estimates is best in the developed countries of Europe, North America, and Australasia. Regular use, “problem drug use,” and drug dependence are less frequently measured but are important to quantify in order to identify disease burden. This paper reviews European, North American, and Australasian estimates of illicit drug use, problem drug use, and drug dependence and presents risk factors of illicit drug use. These risk factors include health risks related to cannabis and mortality associated with problem drug use and injecting drug use. Drug-related morbidity is reviewed, including nonfatal overdose, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis B and C. Future research needs to focus on obtaining better estimates of mortality and morbidity to better understand the harms associated with illicit drug dependence.
Self-Help Organizations for Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Lembke Anna , Humphreys Keith
Published: August 2014

Self-help groups for substance use disorders have been active for decades, and notions of self-help have been prevalent for centuries. After presenting universal features of self-help organizations, the authors focus on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Moderation Management (MM), discussing the origins, membership, and philosophy of AA and MM and highlighting important differences between these organizations. AA’s emphasis on spirituality, interpersonal conduct, and abstinence as the only goal contrasts sharply with MM’s emphasis on personal autonomy, rational cognitions, and setting drinking limits. The chapter discusses scientific evidence of the effectiveness of AA and MM on substance use outcomes and potential social and psychological mechanisms of change. More research is needed in the area of self-help organizations. In the meantime, AA is proven effective for alcohol-dependent individuals who embrace its philosophy, and MM may fill an important niche for nondependent drinkers or those in the precontemplation stages of change.
Philosophy of Number
Authors: Giaquinto Marcus
Published: August 2014

There are many kinds of number. This chapter concentrates on finite cardinal numbers, as they have a basic role in our thinking. Numbers cannot be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled; they do not emit or reflect signals; they leave no traces. So what kind of thing are they? How can we have knowledge of them? The aim of this chapter is to present and assess the main answers to these questions – classical and neo-classical, nominalism, mentalism, fictionalism, logicism, and the set-size view. All views are disputed, including the view I will argue for, the set-size view. The final section relates the finite cardinal numbers to the natural numbers.
Individual Differences in Word Problem Solving
Authors: Verschaffel Lieven , Depaepe Fien , Van Dooren Wim
Published: August 2014

There is currently a rather broad consensus that the competencies that are required to solve word problems involve: (a) a well-organized and flexibly accessible knowledge base involving the relevant factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge that is relevant for solving word problems; (b) heuristic methods, i.e. search strategies for problem analysis and transformation which increase the probability of finding a solution; (c) metacognition, involving both metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills; (d) positive task-related affects, involving positive beliefs, attitudes, and emotions; and (e) meta-affect, involving knowledge about one’s affects and skills for regulating one’s affective processes. The present chapter reviews and discusses research that provides a view on how individual differences in performance on word problems can be related to each of these components.
Excursus III
Authors: Schwarb Gregor
Published: August 2014

This article examines the reception of Neo-Ashʿarite theology during the Renaissance of Syriac and Copto-Arabic literature. It first looks at the so-called ‘Syriac Renaissance’ of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the ‘Renaissance of Copto-Arabic literature’ of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It discusses some of the factors that contributed to the ‘Golden Age’ of Syriac and Copto-Arabic literature, including the political stability of Ayyūbid rule that provided favourable conditions to the flowering of the socio-cultural life among Muslims and non-Muslims. It then assesses the impact of the Coptic and Syriac Renaissances on scientific-literary production and the influence of earlier authors of Christian-Arabic literature on the exponents of the Syriac and Copto-Arabic Renaissances. It also analyses the Christian reception of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī in Ayyūbid Syria and Egypt during the Renaissance of Syriac and Copto-Arabic literature.
Public Opinion
Authors: Shapiro Robert Y.
Published: August 2014

Public opinion warrants increasing attention in research on American political development. It is central to the study of democratic politics, and it is involved with political processes that are sensitive to time and historical context. It can be studied using the methods of social and political historians and increasingly through data from opinion polls. Studies of democracy in action are arguably the most important, focusing on the causal relationship between public opinion and government policymaking, including the institutional processes and mechanisms that link the two. Given that public opinion can have important effects on what leaders, institutions, and governments do, it has become increasingly important to study the influences on both public opinion overall and different segments of it that might be most politically consequential. These influences include especially mass communication processes and also “policy feedback” effects on the public’s behavior broadly.
Representation
Authors: Bartels Larry M. , Clinton Joshua D. , Geer John G.
Published: August 2014

We examine the history of political representation in the United States using a multi-stage statistical analysis of the changing relationship between roll call votes in the US House of Representatives and the preferences of citizens (as measured by presidential votes). We show that members of Congress have become considerably more responsive to constituents’ preferences over the past 40 years, reversing a half-century drought in responsiveness stemming from the South’s one-party Jim Crow era. However, the House as a whole has become less representative, veering too far left when Democrats are in the majority and too far right when Republicans are.
Pragmatics and Language Change
Authors: Jucker Andreas H.
Published: August 2014

Language change is the result of innovative communicative practices that spread from innovative individuals to larger communities of language users (communities of practice) and ultimately to entire language communities. Historical pragmatics traces the pragmatic motivations of language change, and investigates the diachronic developments of pragmatic entities. This article provides an overview of the processes of grammaticalization and pragmaticalization, which account for language change from a pragmatic perspective, and gives two case studies of the development of specific pragmatic entities. The first case study concerns the diachrony of particular speech acts (greetings and compliments) and the necessary research methods, and the second concerns the diachrony of an entire domain of discourse, i.e. the dissemination of news from early newspapers to mass media practices on the Internet.