bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perspective: Probing 2-D magnetic structures in a 3-D world
Authors: Grutter A. J.
Published: March 2016

Magnetic interfaces have been identified as promising systems upon which to base next-generation spintronic devices. In these nearly two-dimensional systems, deviations from bulk electronic structure and competition between nearly degenerate magnetic ground states allow the stabilization of widely tunable emergent properties. However, ever smaller length scales pose new challenges which must be overcome in order to understand and control magnetic properties at the atomic level. Using recent examples in oxide heterostructures and topological insulators, we discuss how combining techniques such as neutron scattering, X-ray scattering, X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy enables the probing of magnetism on the Angstrom scale.
Carbon nanotube-based electromagnetic band gap resonator for CH4 gas detection
Authors: Cismaru Alina , Aldrigo Martino , Radoi Antonio , Dragoman Mircea
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we present the experimental results obtained in the microwave frequency range using an electromagnetic band gap (EMBG) resonator covered with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and dedicated to CH4 gas detection. The multi-walled CNTs layer is decorated with gold nanoislands (with sizes between 2 nm and 20 nm) and deposited over the EMBG resonator. The microwave measurements of the CNT-based EMBG resonator in air (no gas) and kept for 60 min inside the chamber filled with CH4 demonstrate a shift in the resonance frequency of about 139 MHz and a phase shift of about 9.63°. A very good sensitivity of about 4.58% was obtained from scattering parameters measurements. A new device for CH4 detection was then fabricated and tested.
Cr/B4C multilayer mirrors: Study of interfaces and X-ray reflectance
Authors: Burcklen C. , Soufli R. , Dennetiere D. , Polack F. , Capitanio B. , Gullikson E. , Meltchakov E. , Thomasset M. , Jérome A. , de Rossi S. , Delmotte F.
Published: March 2016

We present an experimental study of the effect of layer interfaces on the x-ray reflectance in Cr/B4C multilayer interference coatings with layer thicknesses ranging from 0.7 nm to 5.4 nm. The multilayers were deposited by magnetron sputtering and by ion beam sputtering. Grazing incidence x-ray reflectometry, soft x-ray reflectometry, and transmission electron microscopy reveal asymmetric multilayer structures with a larger B4C-on-Cr interface, which we modeled with a 1–1.5 nm thick interfacial layer. Reflectance measurements in the vicinity of the Cr L2,3 absorption edge demonstrate fine structure that is not predicted by simulations using the currently tabulated refractive index (optical constants) values for Cr.
Estimation of turbulent parameters based on the intensity scintillations of the laser beam propagated through a turbulent water layer
Authors: Kulikov Victor A.
Published: March 2016

The inner scale and the refractive-index structure parameter Cn2 are estimated by the intensity scintillations of the laser beam propagated through the turbulent water layer. The laser beam scintillations caused by underwater propagation can be described in the framework of a turbulence model with accounting of the inner scale. An intensity field has been observed at a 2 m distance when the laser beam passed through a water convective cell with a characteristic Rayleigh number of about 108. Similar intensity fields were simulated by using the split-step method. Characteristics of the experimentally obtained and numerically simulated intensity fields are compared and analyzed. A simple method of the turbulent parameter estimation is proposed.
Communication: Multiple-property-based diabatization for open-shell van der Waals molecules
Authors: Karman Tijs , van der Avoird Ad , Groenenboom Gerrit C.
Published: March 2016

We derive a new multiple-property-based diabatization algorithm. The transformation between adiabatic and diabatic representations is determined by requiring a set of properties in both representations to be related by a similarity transformation. This set of properties is determined in the adiabatic representation by rigorous electronic structure calculations. In the diabatic representation, the same properties are determined using model diabatic states defined as products of undistorted monomer wave functions. This diabatic model is generally applicable to van der Waals molecules in arbitrary electronic states. Application to locating seams of conical intersections and collisional transfer of electronic excitation energy is demonstrated for O2 − O2 in low-lying excited states. Property-based diabatization for this test system included all components of the electric quadrupole tensor, orbital angular momentum, and spin-orbit coupling.
Sub-10 nm low current resistive switching behavior in hafnium oxide stack
Authors: Hou Y. , Celano U. , Goux L. , Liu L. , Fantini A. , Degraeve R. , Youssef A. , Xu Z. , Cheng Y. , Kang J. , Jurczak M. , Vandervorst W.
Published: March 2016

In this letter, a tip-induced cell relying on the conductive atomic force microscope is proposed. It is verified as a referable replica of an integrated resistive random access memory (RRAM) device. On the basis of this cell, the functionality of sub-10 nm resistive switching is confirmed in hafnium oxide stack. Moreover, the low current switching behavior in the sub-10 nm dimension is found to be more pronounced than that of a 50 × 50 nm2 device. It shows better ON/OFF ratio and low leakage current. The enhanced memory performance is ascribed to a change in the shape of the conductive filament as the device dimensions are reduced to sub-10 nm. Therefore, device downscaling provides a promising approach for the resistance optimization that benefits the RRAM array design.
High-power, surface-emitting quantum cascade laser operating in a symmetric grating mode
Authors: Boyle C. , Sigler C. , Kirch J. D. , Lindberg D. F. , Earles T. , Botez D. , Mawst L. J.
Published: March 2016

Grating-coupled surface-emitting (GCSE) lasers generally operate with a double-lobed far-field beam pattern along the cavity-length direction, which is a result of lasing being favored in the antisymmetric grating mode. We experimentally demonstrate a GCSE quantum-cascade laser design allowing high-power, nearly single-lobed surface emission parallel to the longitudinal cavity. A 2nd-order Au-semiconductor distributed-feedback (DFB)/distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) grating is used for feedback and out-coupling. The DFB and DBR grating regions are 2.55 mm- and 1.28 mm-long, respectively, for a total grating length of 5.1 mm. The lasers are designed to operate in a symmetric (longitudinal) grating mode by causing resonant coupling of the guided optical mode to the antisymmetric surface-plasmon modes of the 2nd-order metal/semiconductor grating. Then, the antisymmetric modes are strongly absorbed by the metal in the grating, causing the symmetric mode to be favored to lase, which, in turn, produces a single-lobed beam over a range of grating duty-cycle values of 36%–41%. Simulations indicate that the symmetric mode is always favored to lase, independent of the random phase of reflections from the device's cleaved ends. Peak pulsed output powers of ∼0.4 W were measured with nearly single-lobe beam-pattern (in the longitudinal direction), single-spatial-mode operation near 4.75 μm wavelength. Far-field measurements confirm a diffraction-limited beam pattern, in agreement with simulations, for a source-to-detector separation of 2 m.
Dramatic enhancement of near-infrared intersubband absorption in c-plane AlInN/GaN superlattices
Authors: Shirazi-HD M. , Turkmeneli K. , Liu S. , Dai S. , Edmunds C. , Shao J. , Gardner G. , Zakharov D. N. , Manfra M. J. , Malis O.
Published: March 2016

We report substantial improvement of near-infrared (2–2.6 μm) intersubband absorption in c-plane AlInN/GaN superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Progress was obtained through optimization of AlInN growth conditions using an AlInN growth rate of 0.9-nm/min at substrate temperature of 550 °C, as well as by judiciously placing the charge into two delta-doping sheets. Structural characterization suggests that AlInN crystal quality is enhanced and interface roughness is reduced. Importantly, near-infrared absorption data indicate that the optical quality of the AlInN/GaN superlattices is now comparable with that of AlN/GaN superlattices designed to exploit near-infrared intersubband transitions.
Ecotoxicity assessment using ciliate cells in millifluidic droplets
Authors: Illing Rico , Burkart Corinna , Pfitzner Daniel , Jungmann Dirk , Baraban Larysa , Cuniberti Gianaurelio
Published: March 2016

Precise analysis of the aquatic cells and their responses to the toxic chemicals, i.e., water disinfective agents, is of crucial importance due to their role in the ecosystem. We demonstrate the application of the droplets based millifluidic tool for isolating and longtime monitoring of single Paramecium tetraurelia cells using a large number of water-in-oil emulsion droplets. Due to the automated monitoring of the fluorescence signal, the droplets containing cells are distinguished from the empty reservoirs. A viability indicator is used to follow the metabolic dynamic of the cells in every single droplet. Finally, we perform ecotoxicity tests in droplets, exposing the encapsulated paramecia cells to silver nitrate for determination of EC50 levels, and compare the output with the conventional microtiter plate assay.
Spectrum Correction in Study of Solvation Dynamics by Fluorescence Non-collinear Optical Parametric Amplification Spectroscopy
Authors: Dang Wei , Bai Jing-jing , Zhang Lian-shui , Weng Yu-xiang
Published: March 2016

Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy can extract the curve of spectral gain from its parametric superfluorescence. This unique spectrum correction method enables fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy acquiring the genuine transient fluorescence spectrum of the studied system. In this work we employ fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy technique to study the solvation dynamics of DCM dye in ethanol solution, and confirm that genuine solvation correlation function and shift of peak frequency can be derived from transient fluorescence spectra after the spectral gain correction. It demonstrates that fluorescence non-collinear optical parametric amplification spectroscopy can benefit the research fields, which focuses on both fluorescence intensity dynamics and fluorescence spectral shape evolution.
Biology of angel sharks (Squatina sp.) and sawsharks (Pristiophorus sp.) caught in south-eastern Australian trawl fisheries and the New South Wales shark-meshing (bather-protection) program
Authors: Raoult V. , Peddemors V. , Williamson J. E.
Published: March 2016

Two species of angel shark (Squatina australis, S. albipunctata) and two species of sawshark (Pristiophorus nudipinnis, P. cirratus) are frequently caught in south-eastern Australia. Little is known of the biology of these elasmobranchs, despite being caught as secondary target species in large numbers. The present study collected morphometric and reproductive data from sharks caught in shark-control nets, commercial fishing trawlers and research trawlers in south-eastern Australia. All four species had female-biased sexual size dimorphism, but growth curves between sexes did not differ. Male S. australis individuals were fully mature at ~800-mm total length, male P. nudipinnis at ~900mm, and male P. cirratus at ~800mm. Anterior pectoral margins could be used to determine total length in all species. No morphometric measurement could reliably separate Squatina spp. or Pristiophorus spp., although S. albipunctata over 1000-mm total length had larger eyes than did S. australis.
Fibroblast growth factor 21 induction by activating transcription factor 4 is regulated through three amino acid response elements in its promoter region
Authors: Maruyama Ryuto , Shimizu Makoto , Li Juan , Inoue Jun , Sato Ryuichiro
Published: March 2016

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine growth factor, a regulator of fatty acids and glucose metabolism. Recently, it has been reported that FGF21 expression is regulated by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a transcription factor activated by various stimuli such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ATF4 binds to the amino acid response element (AARE), a binding site for ATF4, in the promoter region of the target genes. The two response elements for ATF4 (AARE1 and AARE2) have been reported in the promoter region of FGF21 gene. In this study, we found a novel response element, located upstream of AARE1 and AARE2, essential for a promoter activation of FGF21. When this DNA sequence, named AARE3, was mutated, the promoter activation by ATF4 or ER stress was strongly decreased. Our results showed that the FGF21 promoter contains three response elements for ATF4, suggesting that FGF21 is a sensitive target of ATF4.
Hydrophobicity of stored (15, 35 °C), or dry-heated (120 °C) rice flour and deteriorated breadmaking properties baked with these treated rice flour/fresh gluten flour
Authors: Nakagawa Mariko , Tabara Aya , Ushijima Yuki , Matsunaga Kotaro , Seguchi Masaharu
Published: March 2016

Rice flour was stored at 15 °C/9 months, at 35 °C/14 days, or dry-heated at 120 °C/20 min. The breadmaking properties baked with this rice flour/fresh gluten flour deteriorated. In addition, the rice flour was mixed with oil in water vigorously, and oil-binding ability was measured. Every rice flour subjected to storage or dry-heated at 120 °C showed higher hydrophobicity, owing to changes in proteins. Then, proteins in the stored rice flour were excluded with NaOH solution, and bread baked with the deproteinized rice flour showed the same breadmaking properties as unstored rice flour/fresh gluten flour. The viscoelasticity of wheat glutenin fraction decreased after the addition of dry-heated rice flour in a mixograph profile. DDD staining increased Lab in color meter, which suggested an increase in SH groups in rice protein. The increase in SH groups caused a reduction in wheat gluten protein resulting in a deterioration of rice bread quality.
Establishment of cell surface engineering and its development
Authors: Ueda Mitsuyoshi
Published: March 2016

Cell surface display of proteins/peptides has been established based on mechanisms of localizing proteins to the cell surface. In contrast to conventional intracellular and extracellular (secretion) expression systems, this method, generally called an arming technology, is particularly effective when using yeasts as a host, because the control of protein folding that is often required for the preparation of proteins can be natural. This technology can be employed for basic and applied research purposes. In this review, I describe various strategies for the construction of engineered yeasts and provide an outline of the diverse applications of this technology to industrial processes such as the production of biofuels and chemicals, as well as bioremediation and health-related processes. Furthermore, this technology is suitable for novel protein engineering and directed evolution through high-throughput screening, because proteins/peptides displayed on the cell surface can be directly analyzed using intact cells without concentration and purification. Functional proteins/peptides with improved or novel functions can be created using this beneficial, powerful, and promising technique.
Catalytic improvement and structural analysis of atrazine chlorohydrolase by site-saturation mutagenesis
Authors: Guo Yuan , Zhao Panjie , Zhang Wenhao , Li Xiaolong , Chen Xiwen , Chen Defu
Published: March 2016

To improve the catalytic activity of atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA), amino acid residues involved in substrate binding (Gln71) and catalytic efficiency (Val12, Ile393, and Leu395) were targeted to generate site-saturation mutagenesis libraries. Seventeen variants were obtained through Haematococcus pluvialis-based screening, and their specific activities were 1.2–5.2-fold higher than that of the wild type. For these variants, Gln71 tended to be substituted by hydrophobic amino acids, Ile393 and Leu395 by polar ones, especially arginine, and Val12 by alanine, respectively. Q71R and Q71M significantly decreased the Km by enlarging the substrate-entry channel and affecting N-ethyl binding. Mutations at sites 393 and 395 significantly increased the kcat/Km, probably by improving the stability of the dual β-sheet domain and the whole enzyme, owing to hydrogen bond formation. In addition, the contradictory relationship between the substrate affinity improvement by Gln71 mutation and the catalytic efficiency improvement by the dual β-sheet domain modification was discussed.
On a trilinear singular integral form with determinantal kernel
Authors: Gressman Philip , He Danqing , Kovač Vjekoslav , Street Brian , Thiele Christoph , Yung Po-Lam
Published: March 2016

We study a trilinear singular integral form acting on two- dimensional functions and possessing invariances under arbitrary matrix dilations and linear modulations. One part of the motivation for introducing it lies in its large symmetry groups acting on the Fourier side. Another part of the motivation is that this form stands between the bilinear Hilbert transforms and the first Calderón commutator, in the sense that it can be reduced to a superposition of the former, while it also successfully encodes the latter. As the main result we determine the exact range of exponents in which the

L

p

\mathrm {L}^p

estimates hold for the considered form.
Almost even-Clifford hermitian manifolds with a large automorphism group
Authors: Arizmendi Gerardo , Herrera Rafael , Santana Noemi
Published: March 2016

We study manifolds endowed with an (almost) even Clifford (hermitian) structure and admitting a large automorphism group. We classify them when they are simply connected and the dimension of the automorphism group is maximal, and also prove a gap theorem for the dimension of the automorphism group.
Accessible images revisited
Authors: Brooke-Taylor A. , Rosický J.
Published: March 2016

We extend and improve the result of Makkai and Paré (1989) that the powerful image of any accessible functor

F
F

is accessible, assuming there exists a sufficiently large strongly compact cardinal. We reduce the required large cardinal assumption to the existence of

L

μ
,
ω

L_{\mu ,\omega }

-compact cardinals for sufficiently large

μ
\mu

, and also show that under this assumption the

λ
\lambda

-pure powerful image of

F
F

is accessible. From the first of these statements, we obtain that the tameness of every Abstract Elementary Class follows from a weaker large cardinal assumption than was previously known. We provide two ways of employing the large cardinal assumption to prove each result — one by a direct ultraproduct construction and one using the machinery of elementary embeddings of the set-theoretic universe.
ZO-2 silencing induces renal hypertrophy through a cell cycle mechanism and the activation of YAP and the mTOR pathway
Authors: Domínguez-Calderón Alaide , Ávila-Flores Antonia , Ponce Arturo , López-Bayghen Esther , Calderón-Salinas José-Víctor , Luis Reyes José , Chávez-Munguía Bibiana , Segovia José , Angulo Carla , Ramírez Leticia , Gallego-Gutiérrez Helios , Alarcón Lourdes , Martín-Tapia Dolores , Bautista-García Pablo , González-Mariscal Lorenza
Published: March 2016

Renal compensatory hypertrophy (RCH) restores normal kidney function after disease or loss of kidney tissue and is characterized by an increase in organ size due to cell enlargement and not to cell proliferation. In MDCK renal epithelial cells, silencing of the tight junction protein zona occludens 2 (ZO-2 KD) induces cell hypertrophy by two mechanisms: prolonging the time that cells spend at the G1 phase of the cell cycle due to an increase in cyclin D1 level, and augmenting the rate of protein synthesis. The latter is triggered by the nuclear accumulation and increased transcriptional activity of Yes-associated protein (YAP), the main target of the Hippo pathway, which results in decreased expression of phosphatase and tensin homologue. This in turn increased the level of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate, which transactivates the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, leading to activation of the kinase S6K1 and increased synthesis of proteins and cell size. In agreement, in a rat model of uninephrectomy, RCH is accompanied by decreased expression of ZO-2 and nuclear expression of YAP. Our results reveal a novel role of ZO-2 as a modulator of cell size.
Differences in environmental stress response among yeasts is consistent with species-specific lifestyles
Authors: Brion Christian , Pflieger David , Souali-Crespo Sirine , Friedrich Anne , Schacherer Joseph
Published: March 2016

Defining how organisms respond to environmental change has always been an important step toward understanding their adaptive capacity and physiology. Variation in transcription during stress has been widely described in model species, especially in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which helped to shape general rules regarding how cells cope with environmental constraints, as well as to decipher the functions of many genes. Comparison of the environmental stress response (ESR) across species is essential to obtaining better insight into the common and species-specific features of stress defense. In this context, we explored the transcriptional landscape of the yeast Lachancea kluyveri (formerly Saccharomyces kluyveri) in response to diverse stresses, using RNA sequencing. We investigated variation in gene expression and observed a link between genetic plasticity and environmental sensitivity. We identified the ESR genes in this species and compared them to those already found in S. cerevisiae. We observed common features between the two species, as well as divergence in the regulatory networks involved. Of interest, some changes were related to differences in species lifestyle. Thus we were able to decipher how adaptation to stress has evolved among different yeast species. Finally, by analyzing patterns of coexpression, we were able to propose potential biological functions for 42% of genes and also annotate 301 genes for which no function could be assigned by homology. This large data set allowed for the characterization of the evolution of gene regulation and provides an efficient tool for assessing gene function.
Human Nature and Social Transformation
Authors: Graham Gordon
Published: March 2016

This chapter investigates the question of how a “philosophy” of emerging technologies should be conceived. Part 1 distinguishes between prediction and explanation as the end goal of such a philosophy, and explores empirical social science and idealist philosophy as alternative approaches to explanation. It uses the basic ideas of actor network theory to uncover weaknesses in both. Part 2 sets out a third possibility, namely the empirical-cum-normative philosophical method that underlies the writings of two foundational figures in the history of the social sciences—the Scottish Enlightenment philosophers Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson. Part 3 applies this method to the philosophy of technology, and introduces the concept of “transformative technologies.” Part 4 considers briefly the extent to which the “emergent media” of the present time could be regarded as transformative.
Media, Emergence, and the Analogy of Art
Authors: Haldane John
Published: March 2016

A philosophical inquiry into the nature of information and communication media raises conceptual and ontological questions. This analysis provides conceptual mappings and also raises the question of what is involved in the emergence of media out of some prior state from which they were absent, and again in subsequent phases of higher-level emergent phenomena. “Emergence” can be understood in a number of ways: epistemically, causally, or metaphysically, and there is a danger of equivocating between these different senses in general or in considering particular levels of media emergence alone, and drawing the wrong conclusions. In describing and attempting to understand recent developments in “emerging media” it may be useful to consider an analogy with developments in the visual arts involving the transition from figurative naturalism to abstractionism, then to minimalism, and from these to performance art and conceptualism.
Agential Properties in Computer Games
Authors: Sageng John R.
Published: March 2016

Computer games are artifacts designed to exhibit forms of meaning to their players in response to their actions during play. The aim of this paper is to outline and examine main theoretical conceptions for how they perform this function. This chapter identifies three major conceptions of computer games that are implicit in much thinking about them: a nominalist, a representationalist and a ludic. It argues that the representationalist conception gives the wrong account of in-game player action and that the ludic conception is unable to explain the manner in which a game system guides actions. As an alternative to all three conceptions the chapter proposes a motivational conception, according to which computer games are systems designed to support a special kind of autonomous in-game agential properties. It argues that the artistic potential of computer games is found in how they implement action types and goal attainment structures to be performed for their own sake.
Rethinking parameter theory diachronically
Authors: Reintges Chris H. , Cyrino Sonia
Published: March 2016

This chapter explores the possibility that large-scale changes in grammar may be the result of the diachronic resetting of a macroparameter. It examines the synthetic-to-analytic drift in the temporal system of two genetically unrelated languages, Brazilian Portuguese and Coptic Egyptian. The analyticization process is in an already quite advanced state in spoken Brazilian Portuguese (Ibero-Romance [Indo-Germanic]), while analytic drift has almost gone to completion in Coptic Egyptian (Ancient Egyptian [Afro-Asiatic], around 3rd to 14th c. CE). Yet, both languages have retained inflectional morphology in one corner of the grammar. The morphological and syntactic properties of synthetically inflected verb forms must be learnt on a class-based and/or item-based basis and belong to the domain of microparametric variation. Ongoing or incomplete syntax changes permit a systematic distinction between parameters of varying magnitude and lead to a better understanding of the parametric system both at the macro and the micro level.
Aristotelian Virtue Ethics and Economic Rationality
Authors: Becker Christian U.
Published: March 2016

This chapter discusses the relation between virtues and economic contexts and explores potential approaches to this subject matter by virtue ethics and economics. Referring to Aristotle’s philosophy, the crucial role of rationality for linking virtue ethics and economic theory is demonstrated. Against this backdrop, the chapter critically discusses conceptions of economic rationality in modern economics and argues that bounded rationality concepts are a more suitable methodological basis for analyzing the interrelation of virtues and economic actions than standard economic rationality. From a virtue ethics perspective, the chapter explores the meaning of multiple modern economic spheres for the development of personal virtues and explores the ethically relevant societal contexts of today’s economic spheres. Finally, the chapter discusses potential new normative frameworks of excellence relevant to the modern economy with the example of sustainability.
Can Trust, Reciprocity, and Friendships Survive Contact with the Market?
Authors: Choi Seung (Ginny) , Storr Virgil Henry
Published: March 2016

Critics of markets have often asserted that markets undermine morality and that market dealings are unfair and corrupting. In their perspective, the expansion of the market and market values taint the nature of the goods being exchanged and the relationships between the parties to the deal. This chapter gives reasons to suspect this critique of markets and attempts to push back against these complaints. It argues that the market is a social arena where individuals not only pursue their material goals but also exercise their moral selves; after all, meaningful social bonds characterized by trust and trustworthiness can and do develop in market settings. The market depends on and promotes trust and trustworthiness as well as fairness and reciprocity and these values, as suggested by experimental economic evidence, play important roles in successful market exchanges.
Introduction
Authors: Holmberg Anders
Published: March 2016

Even very short answers to yes–no questions like ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are full sentences, derived by ellipsis. They are a species of fragment answers. There are basically two types of answers, yes–no answers and verb-echo answers. The issue of how to answer negative questions is introduced. There are two different systems found among the languages of the world, which are illustrated. Some terminological issues are discussed, including the notion of grammaticality. The sources of the data are presented and discussed. The SSWL database is introduced.
How to answer negative questions
Authors: Holmberg Anders
Published: March 2016

The two principal systems for answering negative questions are the truth-based system and the polarity-based system. In the former, the answer is ‘yes’, in the latter ‘no’, when confirming the negative alternative of a negative question. The distribution of the two systems among the languages of the world is examined. There is a clear areal distribution of the two systems, particularly in Eurasia. Systematic variation can occur within a language. Based primarily on a detailed study of English, it is argued that the choice between the two systems depends not on social conventions but on the syntax of negation: languages/constructions with low negation in questions have truth-based answers. Another factor is the syntax of the negative question. Positive and negative bias is discussed. The syntax of different types of negative questions and typological implications are discussed.
Some further issues
Authors: Holmberg Anders
Published: March 2016

Yes and no as rejoinders expressing agreement or disagreement with statements is discussed. Differences between this use and answers to questions are explained by the fact that statements do not include a question variable needing a value. Some other theories are discussed. Answers to yes–no questions with narrow focus are discussed. Two types are distinguished. In one type, represented by Finnish, Hungarian, and, with some reservations, Turkish, the question is the result of moving the focused constituent to the focus position in the C-domain, deriving a structure with a variable [±A], where the answer can assign a value directly to this variable. The other type has to resort to a bi-clausal cleft construction with a polarity variable.
The Eighth and Ninth Centuries
Authors: Houghton H.A.G.
Published: March 2016

The scriptorium of Wearmouth–Jarrow was home to Bede and responsible for Codex Amiatinus, the most famous manuscript of the Vulgate. Gospel books were produced in the Insular regions of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany, including the Lindisfarne Gospels and Book of Kells. Regular contact between these areas and continental Europe also had an influence on the production of manuscripts and biblical scholarship. Numerous significant developments are associated with Charlemagne, including the Tours Bibles of Alcuin and his successors, Theodulf’s revision of the biblical text and the creation of minuscule script. Carolingian biblical scholars were responsible for a new, encyclopaedic form of commentary, drawing heavily on earlier Latin writers. The importance of the Bible in the liturgy is seen in the creation of lectionaries and missals.
The Tenth Century Onwards: Scholarship and Heresy
Authors: Houghton H.A.G.
Published: March 2016

Although the adoption of the Vulgate text of the New Testament was largely complete by the tenth century, a handful of witnesses continue to transmit Old Latin forms of individual biblical books. These include manuscripts associated with the heretical groups of the Cathars and Waldensians. Trends in book production spanned the Italian Giant Bibles (‘Atlantic Bibles’), associated with the reforms of Pope Gregory, to the tiny Irish pocket gospel books. The Paris Bibles of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries led to the development of an influential format and characteristic text. Revision of the biblical text moved on from individual scholars to groups associated with monasteries and schools who produced companion volumes of ‘correctoria’. Biblical glosses, in particular the Glossa ordinaria, formed an important part of teaching and commentary. Bilingual Greek–Latin manuscripts made a reappearance with the rediscovery of Greek tradition in the Renaissance.
The First Men
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter describes early encounters with native peoples and artefacts. These include Charles Darwin’s contact with the ‘savage’ Fuegians in Tierra del Fuego in 1832; Èdouard Lartet’s discovery of human bones and stone tools alongside the bones of extinct Ice Age mammals in 1852, while excavating a cave at Aurignac; the discovery of Palaeolithic rock paintings and engravings in Europe throughout the first half of the twentieth century; Abbé Breuil’s contributions to prehistory, including his analysis of the sequence of prehistoric cultures; and the discovery of clay sculptures by Comte Henri Bégouën’s two sons on his estate at Montesquieu-Avantès in the foothills of the Pyrenees in October 1912.
The Garden of Eden Moment
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter considers when, where, and how the ‘Garden of Eden moment’ occurred, i.e., human beings’ creation of symbolic representations of others through various forms of image-making such as cave paintings and rock art. It first considers evidence indicating that anatomically modern humans originated in Africa. It then describes two reports from Indonesia, published in 2014, that strengthen the growing impression that symbolic activity goes back deep into the past of Homo sapiens (and even beyond it). These reports suggest that we can expect future discoveries of depictions of human hands, figurative art, and other forms of image-making dating to the earliest period of the global dispersion of our species.
The Creation
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter focusses on Galileo’s Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Concerning Two New Sciences. The book begins in a resolutely down-to-earth way by considering some of the everyday problems encountered in ‘the famous arsenal of Venice’—why beams snap and boats break their back. The study of the strength of materials is the first of the ‘two new sciences’ and appears at first sight to have nothing to do with Galileo’s more controversial works. The second of Galileo’s new sciences is the study of the motion of objects. Salviati, continuing his role as the spokesperson for Galileo’s own thoughts, continues to pursue his anti-Aristotelian agenda.
The Beautiful System
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter focusses on Sir Isaac Newton’s views about science and theology. His writings demonstrate that he saw his physical studies as having the same motivation as his theological ones. The publication of the second edition of Principia: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy enabled Newton not only to extend the description of universal gravitation with the benefit of new data, but also to locate his account within a wider theological context. In a ‘General Scholium’, printed at the end of the third book, he writes, ‘This most beautiful system of the Sun and Planets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being’.
The Mystery of Mysteries
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter first presents Darwin’s descriptions about meeting John Herschel in 1836. It then details how Darwin consulted Herschel’s Preliminary Discourse in developing his theory on the origin of species. Herschel’s advice included writing out a sketch of the theory in a series of steps, ‘first giving the established facts about nature, followed by an analogy or extrapolation into theory, and then ending with the reasons why he thought that his view was correct or at least a worthwhile hypothesis’. When On the Origin of Species was published, Darwin stated in his opening sentence that his observations in South America ‘seemed to throw some light on the origin of species—that mystery of mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest philosophers’, quoting from the letter that Herschel had written more than twenty years earlier.
In a Strange Land
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter considers the origins of the poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, which tells the story of the adventures of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and his friendship with the wild man Enkidu. The version of Gilgamesh discovered by George Smith dates from the seventh century bc and was apparently written by a ‘master scribe and incantation priest’ called Sin-leqe-unnini. Smith conjectured that it was a retelling of a much older story, and some 90 years later he was proved right. The chapter also asks whether there is any evidence within Genesis that suggests a knowledge or awareness of Mesopotamian stories and religions.
Ariadne’s Thread
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter returns to the argument in Part One of the book, which suggested that it was ‘the Garden of Eden moment’ (the period when early humans were first propelled into a cognitive world that required some kind of priority scheme to navigate) that promoted the capacity for ultimate curiosity to centre stage in human life. Ultimate curiosity, the impulse to see beyond the rim of the physical world, is a continuous driver for new discoveries within the physical world. The resulting entanglement of what we now call ‘religion’ and ‘science’ has been the basis of the Ariadne’s thread that has been followed through the rest of the book.
The Works of the Lord
Authors: Wagner Roger , Briggs Andrew
Published: March 2016

This chapter presents the views of James Clerk Maxwell. For instance, in his inaugural lecture at King’s College London, he claimed that ‘As physical science advances we see more and more that the laws of nature are not mere arbitrary and unconnected decisions of Omnipotence, but that they are essential parts of one universal system in which infinite Power serves only to reveal unsearchable Wisdom and eternal Truth’. He also believed that people should ‘not be led into other men’s ways of thinking under the pretence of studying science’, and that the quest to comprehend the world as a meaningful whole could never be considered an achieved state.
Weak interactions
Authors: Barr G. , Devenish R. , Walczak R. , Weidberg T.
Published: March 2016

This chapter starts with a recap of both the weak interaction model from Fermi’s theory of beta decay (with no spin) and the pictorial way of understanding interactions using Feynman diagrams. An introduction is given to both this use of Feynman diagrams and the formal method of calculating matrix elements with Feynman rules. The weak interaction is then considered using the Dirac equation to include spin-half fermion effects, using the decay of the tau lepton as an example. Weak interactions with quarks, including Cabibbo mixing, the Glashow–Iliopoulos–Maiani (GIM) mechanism, and the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa (CKM) matrix, are then covered. The chapter then gives a step-by-step approach to the unification of the electromagnetic and weak forces in the Glashow–Salam–Weinberg (GSW) model of electroweak unification, leading to the predictions of the Standard Model on the properties of the weak neutral current and to the existence of W and Z bosons.
LHC and BSM
Authors: Barr G. , Devenish R. , Walczak R. , Weidberg T.
Published: March 2016

This chapter starts with a review of the Standard Model (SM) cross sections at LHC energies. The resulting challenges for LHC physics are discussed with an emphasis on the trigger systems required. A brief review is given of some of the many SM measurements at the LHC. The fundamental problems with the SM, particularly the hierarchy problem, are explained. Supersymmetry (SUSY) is explained as a natural solution to the hierarchy problem. R-parity is introduced to explain the absence of rapid proton decay. R-parity-conserving SUSY naturally provides a dark matter candidate. Some of the experimental searches for SUSY particles are described. The astrophysical evidence for dark matter is considered. Complementary methods for searching for dark matter using the LHC, underground experiments, and satellites are described. Finally, the cosmological evidence for dark energy is considered and the resulting difficulties with the small value of the cosmological constant are described.
What Science Contributes
Authors: Shneiderman Ben
Published: March 2016

Science is a glorious quest, requiring persistence in challenging existing beliefs so as to advance understanding of the natural world that surrounds us. Scientific revolutions, often called paradigm shifts, occasional reconfigure the science roadmaps that guide research. Science remains a miraculous seed that sets down roots, and sends up flowers. The seed contributions of scientists to understanding the natural world have produced a remarkable forest of inspiring impacts. But the future seeds of science will more regularly sprout into studies of the made world, so that scientists can play important roles in addressing twenty-first century problems.
The Ideal Bose Gas
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter describes the mechanism of Bose–Einstein condensation in the simplest ideal Bose gas case. An explicit expression for the critical temperature is derived in the analytically soluble case of a gas confined in a box. Various thermodynamic quantities are calculated above and below the critical temperature. Emphasis is given to the isothermal compressibility which diverges below the critical temperature. The behaviour of the off-diagonal one-body density matrix is discussed. Results for the fluctuations of the single-particle occupation numbers are derived in both the canonical and grand canonical ensembles.
Superfluidity
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter presents a general discussion of the phenomenon of superfluidity, starting from the famous Landau criterion for the critical velocity. The Landau expression for the normal (non-superfluid) component of the gas, expressed in terms of the elementary excitations of the system, is derived. The relationship between Bose–Einstein condensation and the phenomenon of superfluidity is outlined, with special focus on the role played by the phase of the order parameter, whose gradient fixes the velocity of the superfluid. The chapter derives the hydrodynamic equations of superfluids at both zero and finite temperatures and discuss the solutions for first and second sound. The formalism of quantum hydrodynamics is presented, with an application to the Beliaev decay of phonons and to the calculation of the fluctuations of the phase. It also discusses the consequences for superfluidity on the rotational properties and the spatial structure of vortex lines.
Linear Response Function
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter develops the formalism of linear response function, dynamic structure factor, dynamic polarizability, and sum rules. The behaviour of the density response function in a superfluid is discussed and analytic results at finite temperatures are shown in the case of the ideal and weakly interacting Bose gases. Sum rules are used to derive general inequalities holding at both zero and finite temperatures. The Hohenberg–Mermin–Wagner theorem and its generalization to zero temperature, based on the use of the uncertainty inequality, are explicitly discussed in the case of Bose systems.
Thermodynamics of a Trapped Bose Gas
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter is devoted to the thermodynamic behaviour of an interacting trapped Bose gas. It developes the Hartree–Fock theory for nonuniform interacting Bose gases at low temperatures, and discusses the problem of the shift of the critical temperature caused by interactions and also the thermodynamic behaviour of the trapped gas below the critical temperature. The chapter outlines general procedures, which do not only hold for Bose gases, to determine the equation of state of uniform matter, starting from the knowledge of the density profile in the trap. Finally, the chapter discusses some properties of the collective oscillations of a trapped Bose gas at a finite temperature.
Tan Relations and the Contact Parameter
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter is devoted to the derivation of various thermodynamic relations, known as Tan relations, involving the so-called contact parameter. This physical quantity, which determines the behaviour of the momentum distribution of an interacting gas at large momenta, plays a crucial role in characterizing various thermodynamic quantities, like the dependence of the energy on the scattering length (sweep theorem), the relation between the energy and the momentum distribution, the behaviour of the static structure factor at large wave vectors, and the virial theorem in the presence of harmonic trapping.
Quantum Mixtures and Spinor Gases
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

This chapter discusses the behaviour of quantum mixtures, including spinor gases. It considers mixtures of different atomic species and discuss the conditions for miscibility and the role of the interspecies interaction concerning both the equilibrium and the dynamic properties of the mixture. The inclusion of Rabi coupling between different spin states and the consequences of blocking the relative phase of two condensates are discussed. The chapter also considers the realization of artificial gauge fields using spin-orbit coupling induced by Raman transitions, and it investigates the nature of the new emerging quantum phases and their dynamic behaviour, including the occurrence of a characteristic rotonic structure and of stripes. Finally, the nature of quantum mixtures of bosons and fermions is discussed.
Dipolar Gases
Authors: Pitaevskii Lev , Stringari Sandro
Published: March 2016

The last chapter of the volume addresses the question of dipolar gases, which exhibit peculiar long-range and anisotropic two-body interactions. Dipolar interactions of both magnetic and electric nature are discussed. The long-range nature of the force and its anisotropic behaviour affect the conditions of stability of the gas in the presence of harmonic trapping in a peculiar way, giving rise to stable as well as to metastable configurations. The long-range and anisotropic nature of the dipolar interaction is also the origin of a series of novel dynamic phenomena, such as the anisotropic propagation of sound and the possible emergence of rotonic excitations in quasi-two-dimensional configurations. Some key features of dipolar Fermi gases, like the deformation of the Fermi surface, are also outlined.