bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural basis for molecular assembly of fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins in a diatom photosystem I supercomplex
Authors: Kato Koji , Nakajima Yoshiki , Xing Jian , Kumazawa Minoru , Ogawa Haruya , Shen Jian-Ren , Ifuku Kentaro , Nagao Ryo
Published: August 2024

Photosynthetic organisms exhibit remarkable diversity in their light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). LHCs are associated with photosystem I (PSI), forming a PSI-LHCI supercomplex. The number of LHCI subunits, along with their protein sequences and pigment compositions, has been found to differ greatly among the PSI-LHCI structures. However, the mechanisms by which LHCIs recognize their specific binding sites within the PSI core remain unclear. In this study, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy structure of a PSI supercomplex incorporating fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins (FCPs), designated as PSI-FCPI, isolated from the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana CCMP1335. Structural analysis of PSI-FCPI revealed five FCPI subunits associated with a PSI monomer; these subunits were identified as RedCAP, Lhcr3, Lhcq10, Lhcf10, and Lhcq8. Through structural and sequence analyses, we identified specific protein–protein interactions at the interfaces between FCPI and PSI subunits, as well as among FCPI subunits themselves. Comparative structural analyses of PSI-FCPI supercomplexes, combined with phylogenetic analysis of FCPs from T. pseudonana and the diatom Chaetoceros gracilis, underscore the evolutionary conservation of protein motifs crucial for the selective binding of individual FCPI subunits. These findings provide significant insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the assembly and selective binding of FCPIs in diatoms.
Factors influencing repeated suicide attempts among suicide attempters who visited the emergency room due to acute drug intoxication: a retrospective study
Authors: Yun In Ah , Jeon Mi Yang
Published: August 2024

Purpose: This retrospective study was conducted to identify factors associated with repeated suicide attempts by analyzing the electronic medical records of suicide attempters who visited emergency medical centers due to drug intoxication.Methods: Data from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 were collected for this study and analyzed using SPSS/WIN 25.0.Results: In this study, the factors affecting repeated suicide attempts among individuals who visited the emergency medical center due to acute drug intoxication were the presence or absence of psychiatric diseases, the season of drug intoxication, and age. In order to identify the factors affecting repeated suicide attempts in those who presented with acute drug intoxication, logistic regression analysis was performed by inputting psychiatric diseases, season of drug intoxication, and age, all of which exhibited significant differences between those who did and did not attempt suicide again. The presence of psychiatric diseases (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04~3.80), intoxication occurring in the fall (vs. spring; OR = 3.35, 95% CI = 1.28~8.75), and age ≥ 65 (vs. those under the age of 18; OR = 12.96, 95% CI = 2.02~83.17). The regression model was found to be statistically significant (F = 30.01, p < .001), and the coefficient of determination of Cox and Snell, which represents the explanatory power of the model, was 12.0%.Conclusion: This study suggests that to prevent repeated suicide attempts, it is necessary to develop a tool to evaluate the risk of suicide, use it to evaluate the risk of suicide, and then manage individuals accordingly.
Zonas de reglamentación neoliberal: transformaciones en la planificación y la gobernanza en Lima, 1970-2009
Authors: Stiglich Matteo
Published: August 2024

En 1970, se creó una nueva categoría de zonificación en Perú: Zona de Reglamentación Especial (ZRE). El objetivo era intervenir en asentamientos irregulares. Tres décadas después, la misma categoría había sido transformada. Tras el giro neoliberal, las ZRE empezaron a ser usadas para otros fines, incluyendo extraerle valor al suelo urbano y abrir espacio para inversiones privadas. A partir de trabajo de archivo y del análisis de documentos legales y fuentes periodísticas, este artículo explora esa transición. Las preguntas que guían la investigación son dos: ¿Cómo cambió el uso de la categoría Zona de Reglamentación Especial en el contexto del giro neoliberal?, y la otra: ¿Qué nos dice este cambio sobre las transformaciones más amplias en la planificación y la economía política de la gobernanza urbana en Lima?
Configuración espacial de las prácticas de movimiento de la población mayor de Belo Horizonte/Brasil: un análisis de las centralidades urbanas
Authors: Ardila-Pinto Ana Marcela , Lessa-Antunes Daniela , Abreu-Matos Bárbara , Vasconcelos-Gonçalves Ana Paula
Published: August 2024

En la ciudad de Belo Horizonte (Brasil), observamos un importante avance en el proceso de envejecimiento de la población. Este proceso plantea desafíos para la investigación sobre los impactos de estas transformaciones en la configuración de la vida urbana. Nuestra investigación busca establecer la relación entre el envejecimiento y las prácticas de movilidad en términos de motivos, modos y frecuencias, así como con las centralidades creadas sobre la base de la práctica de desplazamiento de la población mayor. Para ello, se desarrolló un Index of elderly Centrality (IeCf) utilizando los flujos del grupo estudiado como proxy de centralidad. En cuanto a los viajes, observamos una reducción en la frecuencia y relevancia de los desplazamientos en transporte público y a pie, especialmente entre las mujeres. Además, identificamos áreas de concentración de viajes más dispersas, en centralidades diferentes a las ya consolidadas en el municipio, las cuales configuran nuevas áreas centrales que atienden demandas más específicas relacionadas con la población mayor.
Marketing digital en redes sociales como mecanismo promocional de productos artesanales
Authors: Lopez Lenys Esther Vasquez , Meléndez José Alejandro Negrete , Lance María Mónica Torres , Sánchez Misael Remberto Figueredo
Published: August 2024

Las redes sociales son una de las grandes oportunidades del marketing digital para hacer negocios, los productos que no se encuentren en ella, no existen, encontrando casos como los productos artesanales, estudios recientes siguen mostrando las grandes dificultades que tienen los artesanos para la comercialización a través de canales digitales. En este escenario, el objetivo es promover a través del marketing digital en redes sociales los productos artesanales, tomando como caso de estudio los artesanos de Corpomexión (Corporación Artesanal y Cultura Mexión OVOP Tuchín). Metodológicamente, se fundamenta en una investigación aplicada o práctica, desarrollada en tres etapas: Una etapa inicial para identificar condiciones actuales de comercialización, utilizando una encuesta cerrada con una muestra de 24 artesanos asociados a dicha corporación; una segunda etapa de articulación y formación, con participación de 10 jóvenes artesanos, y la tercera etapa enfocada en la implementación y seguimiento de las plataformas Facebook e Instagram. Los resultados evidencian la falta de conocimiento y habilidades tecnológicas para innovar en nuevos canales de comercialización, el requerimiento de otras áreas funcionales para implementar una estrategia de marketing digital efectiva, y el comportamiento positivo de Marketplace e Instagram respecto a contenidos, seguidores, cuentas nuevas, vistas, e interacciones. Concluyendo la efectividad de estas plataformas para visibilizar y promover estos productos artesanales, aumentando el número de seguidores y posibles clientes potenciales.
Compras sostenibles del tribunal regional electoral del estado de São Paulo
Authors: Nascimento José Orcélio do , Pereira Raquel da Silva , Zittei Marcus Vinicius Moreira , Reis Anderson Gedeon Buzar , Santos Simona Adriana Banacu dos , Trefiglio Ricardo Pereira , Rodrigues Rosana Nakajune dos Santos
Published: August 2024

Los gobiernos de los países deben buscar una Agenda que ponga los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) en el centro del desarrollo nacional, regional y local.  El ODS 12 se refiere al Consumo y producción responsables: garantizar patrones de producción y consumo sostenibles, presenta la meta 12.7 Promover prácticas de compras sostenibles de acuerdo con las políticas y prioridad nacional. En este contexto se encuentra la licitación, procedimiento jurídico administrativo previsto para la contratación de compras y servicios que realizan las entidades gubernamentales. El objetivo fue analizar la adhesión del Tribunal Regional Electoral del Estado de São Paulo (TRE-SP) a esos criterios de compras sostenibles realizadas por pregón elecctrónico durante el período de 2016 a 2019. El análisis documental de los edictos de pregones electrónicos de TRE_SP, referentes a las contrataciones de servicios y adquisición de materiales bajo las dimensiones ambiental y social permitió concluir que hubo un cambio en las licitaciones.
Os principais desafios da logística de transporte do agronegócio brasileiro: uma revisão sistemática da literatura
Authors: Gonçalves Emily Moraes de Oliveira , Tibola Gleissiane , Vargas Guilherme Moraes , Machado Angela Saadi , Neckel Alcindo , Moro Leila Dal , Mores Giana
Published: August 2024

O Brasil está entre os países com maior representatividade em produção e exportação de produtos oriundos do agronegócio e possui diversos desafios na logística do transporte de sua produção. Considerando esses fatores, este estudo objetiva identificar os principais desafios da logística de transporte de produtos do agronegócio brasileiro que influenciam na competitividade das exportações. A partir da revisão sistemática da literatura, foram identificados os principais desafios da logística de transporte do agronegócio, sendo: escolha no modal de transporte e demanda por infraestrutura. Destaca-se a relevância de aprofundar tais obstáculos e demandas que envolvam essas temáticas.
Management of Fusarium Wilt of Castor (Ricinus communis L.) Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Ricini with Biorationals and Fungicides under In vitro Conditions
Authors: Manjula C. P. , Ravi C. Shijin , Basha C. R Jahir , Yamanura  , Divyashree  , Harish J. , R Lakshmeesha
Published: August 2024

To mitigate the harmful effects of synthetic chemical pesticides, eight biorationals i.e ginger, onion, bougainvillea, garlic, chili, turmeric, neem, and aloe vera were tested at different test concentrations of 10%, 15%, and 20% against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini, the pathogen causing wilt in castor. Among all the tested biorationas, chilli found as most effective while aloe vera showed the least pathogen suppression. The study recommended neem and chili as effective biorationals against F. oxysporum f. sp. ricini. New fungicide combinations i.e Picoxystrobin + Tricyclazole, Fluopyram + Tebuconazole, Boscalid + Pyraclostrobin, and Iprovalicarb + Propineb were tested under in vitro condition out of which Picoxystrobin + Tricyclazole and the standard fungicides Carbendazim and Thiophanate-methyl showed cent percent inhibition at all tested concentrations (500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 ppm). Fluopyram + Tebuconazole and Boscalid + Pyraclostrobin also showed high efficacy, while Iprovalicarb + Propineb was the least effective. The study revealed that neem and chili are recommended as effective biorationals against F. oxysporum f. sp. ricini. Among fungicides, Picoxystrobin + Tricyclazole proved most effective, suggesting its potential for managing castor wilt.
Application of the Box and Jenkins Method to the Time Series of Success Rates of State Examinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1967 to 2021
Authors: Fernand Mamanya Tapasa , Fatou Mondje , Camile Likotelo Binene , Mampuya Glad Lufimbu , Gladys Nabadiata Mbala , Joe Balanga Koko
Published: August 2024

In this article, This is about present an analysis conducted on the time series of success rates in State Examinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since its inception in 1967 until 2021, following the BOX and JENKINS methodology, which allows for obtaining a parsimonious ARIMA(0,1,2)  Parcimony, the chosen model due to its familiarity with the presented data, has proved to be the only one to adhere to all the Box-Jenkins method steps for the series of State Exam pass rates in the DRC. At the conclusion of this study, short-term predictions calculated using the Evew12 software with first differencing applied indicate 56.1% for 2022, 61.64% in 2023, 61.61% in 2024, and 61.54% in 2025.
These forecasted results show upward trends and almost stability from 2023 to 2025.
Evaluating the Response of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (L.) to Organic and Inorganic Fertilization in Makurdi, Southern Guinea Savannah, Nigeria
Authors: S. T. Ter, , T. R. Ugoo, , M. N. Bar-Nyam,
Published: August 2024

Watermelon consumption in Nigeria is on the increase due to increasing awareness of its nutritional value while its production is on the decrease due to inefficiency of resource management (inputs like fertilizers). This study aims to optimize watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) production through the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. The field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi in the 2019 cropping season under rain-fed conditions. The site falls within the Latitude 7°4'1N and Longitude 8°3'7E at an elevation of about 97m above sea level in the Southern Guinea Savanna Agro-ecological Zone of Nigeria. The experiment treatments, namely and they were T1 (Control 0kg/ha), T2 (150 kg/ha Compost), T3 (200 kg/ha Compost), T4 (250 kg/ha Compost) and T5 (300 kg/ha NPK 20:10:10) laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The study revealed that in comparison with control treatments, 300 kg/ha NPK 20:10:10 produced (31.04t/ha) fruit yield, the application of 250 kg/ha compost enhanced growth and yield parameters of watermelon with fruit yield of (17.65t/ha). The research findings suggest that using compost manure at the rate of 250 kg/ha for watermelon production is viable since it is economical and environmentally friendly alternative to NPK fertilizer due to it cheap and easy to prepare methods, its beneficial effects on soil, groundwater and the environment. It is further recommended that, in Makurdi, smallholder farmers, should adopt the application of compost at the rate of 250 kg/ha for optimum yield
Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Sorghum Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using Mahalanobis’ D2 Analysis
Authors: R Navyashree , U.V Mummigatti , P Nethra , B Basavaraj , N. G Hanamaratti
Published: August 2024

Genetic diversity is vital in plant breeding and crop improvement, enabling the development of varieties resilient to biotic and abiotic stresses. Mahalanobis' D² analysis is a robust multivariate statistical method for assessing genetic diversity, offering precise measures of genetic divergence. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity of twenty sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) genotypes under rainfed and irrigated conditions using Mahalanobis’ D² statistics. The experiment was conducted at the Main Agricultural Research Station (MARS), Dharwad, involving twenty genotypes sourced from the AICRP sorghum, Dharwad, India. The genotypes were sown in medium black soil under two moisture levels: rainfed and irrigated. Morphological, physiological, phenological, and yield-related traits were recorded to identify drought-tolerant genotypes. Genetic divergence was estimated using D² statistics, and genotypes were grouped into clusters using Tocher’s method. Under rainfed conditions, the genotypes were classified into six clusters, while under irrigated conditions, they were grouped into three clusters. The intra-cluster distances ranged from 7.79 to 12.14 under rainfed conditions and from 8.14 to 15.74 under irrigated conditions. The inter-cluster distances revealed significant genetic variation, with the highest divergence observed between Clusters III and V under rainfed conditions and Clusters II and III under irrigated conditions. These findings highlight the presence of substantial genetic diversity among sorghum genotypes, facilitating the selection of diverse parental lines for breeding programs aimed at enhancing drought tolerance. The insights gained from this study contribute to the development of resilient sorghum varieties capable of withstanding water scarcity, ensuring sustainable agriculture, and promoting food security in drought-prone regions.
A global‐scale map of isoprene and volatile organic iodine in surface seawater of the Arctic, Northwest Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans
Authors: Ooki Atsushi , Nomura Daiki , Nishino Shigeto , Kikuchi Takashi , Yokouchi Yoko
Published: May 2015

Isoprene (C5H8) and three volatile organic iodine compounds (VOIs: CH3I, C2H5I, and CH2ClI) in surface seawater were measured in the western Arctic, Northwest Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans during the period 2008–2012. These compounds are believed to play an important role in the marine atmospheric chemistry after their emission. The measurements were performed with high time‐resolution (1–6 h intervals) using an online equilibrator gas chromatography mass spectrometer. C5H8 was most abundant in high‐productivity transitional waters and eutrophic tropical waters. The chlorophyll‐a normalized production rates of C5H8 were high in the warm subtropical and tropical waters, suggesting the existence of a high emitter of C5H8 in the biological community of the warm waters. High concentrations of the three VOIs in highly productive transitional water were attributed to biological productions. For CH3I, the highest concentrations were widely distributed in the basin area of the oligotrophic subtropical NW Pacific, probably due to photochemical production and/or high emission rates from phytoplankton. In contrast, the lowest concentrations of C2H5I in subtropical waters were attributed to photochemical removal. Enhancement of CH2ClI concentrations in the shelf‐slope areas of the Chukchi Sea and the transitional waters of the NW Pacific in winter suggested that vertical mixing with subsurface waters by regional upwelling or winter cooling acts to increase the CH2ClI concentrations in surface layer. Sea‐air flux calculations revealed that the fluxes of CH2ClI were the highest among the three VOIs in shelf‐slope areas; the CH3I flux was highest in basin areas.
What time scales are important for monitoring tidally influenced submarine groundwater discharge? Insights from a salt marsh
Authors: Wilson Alicia M. , Evans Tyler B. , Moore Willard S. , Schutte Charles A. , Joye Samantha B.
Published: May 2015

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) varies significantly across time scales ranging from hours to years, but studies that allow quantitative comparisons between different time scales are few. Most of these studies have focused on beach settings, where the combined variations in fresh and saline SGD can be difficult to interpret. We calculated variations in saline SGD based on a 1 year record of hydraulic head in a salt marsh, where we could isolate variations in saline, tidally driven SGD. Observed SGD varied by an order of magnitude over the course of the year. Groundwater discharge was proportional to tidal amplitude and varied by at least a factor of 2 between spring and neap tides. Monthly average SGD was inversely proportional to average sea level; it increased by nearly a factor of 2 as sea level declined by ∼50 cm from late summer to late winter. This variation was far larger than that predicted by analytic models, owing to the flat topography and inundation of the marsh platform. The effect of short‐term (days) variations in sea level associated with wind events and storms was small in comparison. SGD is probably proportional to tidal amplitude in nearly all coastal settings, including beaches. Seasonal variations in sea level may not affect the volume of SGD as significantly in coastal settings where the slope of the intertidal zone is relatively constant, but such variations have the potential to strongly affect the composition of SGD.
An entropy‐based measure of hydrologic complexity and its applications
Authors: Castillo Aldrich , Castelli Fabio , Entekhabi Dara
Published: May 2015

Basin response and hydrologic fluxes are functions of hydrologic states, most notably of soil moisture. However, characterization of hillslope‐scale soil moisture is challenging since it is both spatially heterogeneous and dynamic. This paper introduces an entropy‐based and discretization‐invariant dimensionless index of hydrologic complexity
that measures the distance of a given distribution of soil moisture from a Dirac delta (most organization) and a uniform distribution (widest distribution). Applying the distributed hydrologic model MOBIDIC to seven test basins with areas ranging 100−103 km2 and representing semiarid and temperate climates,
is shown to capture distributional characteristics of soil moisture fields. It can also track the temporal evolution of the distributional features. Furthermore, this paper explores how basin attributes affect the characteristic
, and how
can be used to explain interbasin variability in hydrologic response. Relationships are found only by grouping basins with the same climate or size. For the semiarid basins,
scales with catchment area, topographic wetness, infiltration ratio, and base flow index; while
is inversely related to relief ratio.
Very low frequency earthquakes off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan
Authors: Matsuzawa Takanori , Asano Youichi , Obara Kazushige
Published: May 2015

We found very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) at a shallow subduction zone close to the Japan Trench off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan. Centroid moment tensor solutions of VLFEs showed reverse fault mechanisms with a compression axis in the east‐west direction. A cross‐correlation analysis of seismograms with template events between 2005 and 2013 revealed three major VLFE clusters and their temporal evolution. A VLFE cluster in the central off‐Tohoku region located in the large slip area of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake was detectable only before the Tohoku earthquake. However, VLFEs in the northern and southern off‐Tohoku regions at the rim of the large slip area were activated after the Tohoku earthquake. The change in the activity may reflect the stress redistribution by the coseismic and/or afterslip processes of the Tohoku earthquake.
On the generation of magnetic dips ahead of advancing dipolarization fronts
Authors: Pan Dong‐Xiao , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Shi Quan‐Qi , Liu Jiang , Angelopoulos Vassilis , Runov Andrei , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Fu Sui‐Yan
Published: May 2015

Dipolarizing flux bundles transport magnetic flux to the inner and dayside magnetosphere, heat the plasma sheet, and provide a seed population to the radiation belt. The magnetic perturbation ahead of them, often referred to as a dipolarization front (DF), is asymmetric with a small Bz dip followed by a sharp Bz enhancement. The Bz dip is thought to be generated from dawnward currents carried by DF‐reflected ions; after reflection, these earthward moving ions gyrate clockwise and contribute to dawnward diamagnetic currents ahead of the front. Using observations of hundreds of DFs, we investigate this hypothesis. We find that the depth of the Bz dip as a function of the front azimuth depends on DF propagation speed and ambient plasma density. These statistical signatures support the hypothesis that the Bz dip is caused by ion reflection and suggest that secondary currents carried by these reflected ions can reshape the front significantly.
Sea‐surface salinity fronts and associated salinity‐minimum zones in the tropical ocean
Authors: Yu Lisan
Published: May 2015

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a major source of the surface freshwater input to the tropical open ocean. Under the ITCZ, sea‐surface salinity (SSS) fronts that extend zonally across the basins are observed by the Aquarius/SAC‐D mission and Argo floats. This study examined the evolution and forcing mechanisms of the SSS fronts. It is found that, although the SSS fronts are sourced from the ITCZ‐freshened surface waters, the formation, structure, and propagation of these fronts are governed by the trade wind driven Ekman processes. Three features characterize the governing role of Ekman forcing. First, the SSS fronts are associated with near‐surface salinity‐minimum zones (SMZs) of 50–80 m deep. The SMZs are formed during December–March when the near‐equatorial Ekman convergence zone concurs with an equatorward displaced ITCZ. Second, after the formation, the SMZs are carried poleward away at a speed of ∼3.5 km d−1 by Ekman transport. The monotonic poleward propagation is a sharp contrast to the seasonal north/south oscillation of the ITCZ. Lastly, each SMZ lasts about 12–15 months until dissipated at latitudes beyond 10°N/S. The persistence of more than 1 calendar year allows two SMZs to coexist during the formation season (December–March), with the newly formed SMZ located near the equator while the SMZ that is formed in the previous year located near the latitudes of 10–15° poleward after 1 year's propagation. The contrast between the ITCZ and SMZ highlights the dominance of Ekman dynamics on the relationship between the SSS and the ocean water cycle.
Adaptation for Culture
Authors: Church Jill M.
Published: May 2015

The evolutionary study of human behavior has expanded into a broad spectrum of theories and models seeking to explain how genetic evolution enables the development of human culture, how cultural evolution influences biological and psychological evolution, and investigating the ways these processes interact. While natural selection and other genetic mechanisms determined the human ability to create culture, cultural practices can also affect the human genome. Researchers in a variety of social science disciplines are also investigating the root causes of behavioral traits in order to more effectively guide future adaptation to the current global environment. This essay briefly outlines the foundational research on the development of sociobiological disciplines and outlines the application of evolutionary research to current social problems from adapting to climate change and other environmental stressors to altering maladaptive behaviors such as bullying or obesity. It also proposes key issues for future research, highlighting the need for rigorous empirical study and using interdisciplinary teams to create a more robust understanding of the influence culture has on our genes, and vice versa. Collaborative research by a multidisciplinary team of geneticists, behavioral psychologists, anthropologists, and biologists would provide a robust theoretical framework with multiple avenues for study to understand why and how behavioral traits exist. This knowledge can then be used to establish more effective policies to improve health and safety.
Aggression and Victimization
Authors: Bauman Sheri , Taylor Aryn
Published: May 2015

This essay details the historical progression of theories attempting to explain human aggression and victimization across the lifespan. Different theoretical lenses allowed for a comprehensive examination of the nuances between aggression and victimization, as supported by landmark experimental research studies conducted in the social and behavioral sciences. In addition, the neurobiology of aggression was discussed as an area of future research where professionals from multiple fields could collaborate in order to better understand the intersection of biology and the environment and how it impacts the development of individuals.

Human history is replete with chronicles of wars and interpersonal aggression. Much of the news we read describe aggressive actions toward individuals or groups of people, within and between political and religious factions, and among countries around the globe. In this essay, we provide an overview of what we know about this ubiquitous human behavior.

First, we define important terms.Aggressionrefers to deliberate acts that inflict harm;victimizationis the experience of receiving unwanted aggressive acts.Physicalaggression (use of physical force toward another, such as hitting and kicking) is a form ofdirect aggression, as isverbalaggression (name‐calling, malicious teasing). More recently,relational(indirect) aggression (Crick, 1995) has been identified as a distinct form of aggression in which the target's social relationships or status are attacked (e.g., social exclusion, rumor spreading). There is debate about whethercyber‐aggression is a separate form of aggression or a method for delivery of aggressive actions (see Bauman, Cross, & Walker, 2013, for discussion of this issue). Aggression can also be categorized by the motive behind the action:proactiveaggression includeshostileaggression, in which the desire to harm the target drives the behavior, andinstrumentalaggression, which refers to acts calculated to bring valued resources to the aggressor, whereasreactiveaggression is provoked by an actual or anticipated aggressive attack and is enacted in self‐defense or retaliation (Hartup, 2005). Researchers sometimes distinguish betweentraitaggression, which is a characteristic of a person across time and settings such that the person is more prone to commit acts of aggression than others, andstateaggression, which refers to a momentary experience of aggression in a particular situation or context.
Aging and the Life Course
Authors: O'Rand Angela M.
Published: May 2015

This essay reviews major elements of aging and life course research, its foundations, frontiers, and research challenges. This research examines how human lives are organized and manifested across the life span in different environments. The first foundation of life course research is the historical observation of the institutionalization of the life course; that is, how it became standardized in industrialized contexts through the operation of work, family and state institutions and how it is increasingly destandardized in the new global economy. The second foundation is the examination of the life course as a process that is manifold and cumulative: manifold because it consists of intertwining roles and events over time and cumulative because it consists of sequentially contingent transitions and path‐dependent processes. The third foundation is the recognition of the formative and enduring impact of exposures to severe life conditions or major sustained macro events such as wars or disasters. The stress process is the fourth foundation that addresses how stresses over the life course shape its trajectory. Finally, cognition and emotion over the life span serve as a foundation for the major psychological experience of aging. Three frontiers of life course research are highlighted: the individualization of the life course and the devolution of risk; cumulative advantage and cumulative disadvantage as major processes of life course inequalities; and biological processes and the life course. The essay ends with consideration of life course data and methods and the challenges of interdisciplinary research.
Emerging Trends: Asset Pricing
Authors: Campbell John Y.
Published: May 2015

The modern field of asset pricing is organized around the concept of the stochastic discount factor. This essay uses this framework to discuss the literature on predictability of asset returns in the short and long run, the influence of irrational investor expectations on asset prices, and the cross‐section of stock returns. Future progress will require microeconomic data on investor actions and ideally survey evidence on their risk preferences and beliefs.
Atheism, Agnosticism, and Irreligion
Authors: Smith Buster G. , Baker Joseph O.
Published: May 2015

Research on the topics of atheism, agnosticism, and irreligion has been limited during much of the last century. We explain the reasons for a lack of research in this field and discuss the recent interest in this topic. The most recent wave of research has been concentrated during the past decade and tends to look at the dual issues of who composes the religiously unaffiliated and why they choose this self‐identification. Recent research has begun to take a much wider and deeper view on the subject. This includes research on particular segments of the population such as atheists, as well as understanding how the religiously unaffiliated are viewed by the broader culture. We conclude by describing important directions for future research. In particular, there is a need to break out the separate forms of irreligion and use creative new methodologies to find and study this significant portion of the population.
Authenticity: Attribution, Value, and Meaning
Authors: Carroll Glenn R.
Published: May 2015

Consumers and scholars show increasing interest in authenticity in products, services, performances, and places. As typically used, authenticity is an attribution that is socially constructed and appears in many domains of social life. The interest in authenticity presumes that its attribution conveys value and emerging evidence agrees. Authenticity, however, carries some very different meanings, including those about classification, morality, craftsmanship, and idiosyncrasy. Parsing these various interpretations requires attention to cultural and historical context.
Born This Way: Thinking Sociologically about Essentialism
Authors: Schilt Kristen
Published: May 2015

“Born this way” has become a rallying cry for many LGBTQ people, and a succinct slogan for the political logic behind mainstream US‐based gay and lesbian equality activism in the late 2000s. This short phrase—“born this way”—invokes the idea that sexual orientation is an innate, essential part of a person that cannot be changed or acted upon by others. Following this logic, homosexual people and their relationships must be incorporated as a valid part of the social fabric and be afforded the same state‐based rights and benefits as heterosexual people and their relationships. Such an understanding of homosexuality as an innate essence stands in contrast to much sociological theorizing that situates sexual identity categories—as with all identity categories—as social constructs that emerge and shift across particular political, historical, and geographical contexts. In this essay, I argue that sociologists need to find ways to think empirically about this essentialist logic. I pose the question, what cultural work does “born this way” logic perform in everyday interactions around social difference, and how does it shape popular, academic, and legislative ideas about such differences? I offer a comparative analysis of the use of essentialism as an explanatory framework for social difference in four cases—race, gender, sexual orientation, and weight. I unpack the ways in which invoking “born this way” as a frame or strategy can be usedbothto discount the possibility of social interventions into inequality and to make a claim that inequality can only be alleviated through social interventions. Within this analysis, I further explore how social constructionist critiques of biological determinism are taken up or dismissed. I end with ideas for an empirical agenda that highlights the variations in social reactions to different identity‐based claims of biological essentialism and illustrates the importance of using an intersectional lens when examining the social outcomes of such logic.
Bringing the Study of Street Gangs Back into the Mainstream
Authors: Short James F. , Hughes Lorine A.
Published: May 2015

Criminology's evolution, from early roots in sociology through claims of autonomy and specialization within the field, has become more global in its reach. Study of street gangs, once imbedded in sociology, has become a specialized field within criminology and more closely identified with law enforcement and control. The immediacy of control concerns had the effect of virtually removing gangs as a focus of the basic social and behavioral sciences, an effect exacerbated by law enforcement's primary focus on individual gang members, thus obscuring the importance of historical, organizational, and group contexts and processes that are associated with gangs and their behavior. Historical research, network and group process analyses, and studies of genocide and human rights violations suggest that the study of gangs by mainstream social and behavioral sciences is important to these sciences as well as for better understanding of gangs. Examples from recent studies, including our research agenda, are provided as a basis for optimism in this regard.
Can Public Policy Influence Private Innovation?
Authors: Bessen James
Published: May 2015

Private innovation appears to have played a major if not dominant role in the growth of output per capita since the Industrial Revolution. Yet economic theory indicates that the level of investment in private innovation will generally be less than is socially optimal unless public policies such as patents encourage additional investment. Therefore, public innovation policy would seem to be critical to economic growth. Surprisingly, a large body of research fails to find unambiguously positive effects of patents on innovation and economic growth, even though patents have been used for hundreds of years. While some industries in some nations clearly benefit from patents, many other industries do not and patents might actually discourage innovation in some industries. Economic theory has provided valuable insights, yet real‐world policy apparently needs to reflect a richer set of behavior and a more complex legal environment. New research is developing a more nuanced understanding including research on alternative means of providing rewards to innovators, research on the costs of litigation and disputes arising from the failure of patents to provide clear boundaries, research on cumulative innovation and strategic uses of large blocks of patents, and research on the extension of patent coverage to new technologies and to developing nations. In addition, major new sources of data permit much more extensive empirical research.
Capital Punishment
Authors: Lynch Mona
Published: May 2015

This essay reviews foundational and cutting‐edge social science research on capital punishment. It first describes policy‐relevant work on the death penalty as legal punishment, and then provides a brief overview of the more recent contributions on capital punishment and social theory. The scope of relevant scholarship is limited to more empirically based social science scholarship on the American death penalty. Specifically, relative to the longstanding, foundational research on capital punishment, it addresses in order, the research on the deterrent effect of the death penalty; racial inequality in the administration of capital punishment capital case processing and jury decision‐making; and the role of public opinion in the death penalty. It then discusses the more recently developed body of research that addresses the culture of capital punishment; and capital punishment and state governance. Finally, it lays out several potential lines for new research, including contextualizing death penalty within a broader punishment framework.
Causation, Theory, and Policy in the Social Sciences
Authors: Stafford Mark C. , Mears Daniel P.
Published: May 2015

Despite a penchant for constructing and testing causal theories, social scientists frequently avoid explicit discussion of causal issues. Illustrating with criminological literature, we argue that attention to particular causal issues will improve theory and theory testing and provide a more systematic basis for identifying policy applications. Our argument centers on a discussion of: (i) causal versus spurious effects, (ii) independent versus shared causes, (iii) reversible versus irreversible causes, including symmetric versus asymmetric causes, (iv) basic versus superficial causes, and (v) causal heterogeneity among different populations, units of comparisons, including spatial units, and types of behavior. We further suggest how researchers and policymakers can benefit from consideration of causal issues.
Changing Family Patterns
Authors: Gerson Kathleen , Torres Stacy
Published: May 2015

All societies have families, but their form varies greatly across time and space. The history of the family is thus one of changing family forms, which result from the interplay of shifting social and economic conditions, diverse and contested ideals, and the attempts of ordinary people to build their lives amid the constraints of their particular time and place. Because the family is a site of our most intimate experiences, the study of families tends to prompt heated theoretical and empirical debate. From the early anthropological charting of kinship systems to current analyses of proliferating family forms, studying the family has been a contested terrain. If the 1950s produced a short‐lived consensus on the “ideal nuclear family,” the current context of rapid family change poses a series of puzzles and paradoxes. What is a family, and why has its definition become so controversial? What are the emerging contours of adult commitment, and what is the future of marriage? How is family life linked to institutions outside the home, and how are the boundaries between public and private spheres blurring? What role does family life play in the structuring of social inequality? In addition, what are the prospects for creating social policies that meet the needs of diverse family forms? These questions draw our attention to the dislocations and contradictions of family change, but they also point to new opportunities to build more just and humane family forms. The challenge will be to find common ground for addressing the needs of diverse families and realigning both public and private institutions to better fit the circumstances of family life in the twenty‐first century.
Civic Engagement
Authors: Levine Peter
Published: May 2015

Civic engagement is usually measured as a set of concrete activities, from voting to protesting, that individuals undertake in order to sustain or improve their communities. Higher rates of civic engagement generally correlate with desirable social outcomes. Education and socioeconomic status predict whether individuals participate, but programs that recruit and organize disadvantaged people are effective at boosting their civic engagement. Although it is valuable to know the causes and consequences of these behaviors, the ideal of civic engagement is intrinsically normative, connected to basic debates about what constitutes a
good
society and a
meaningful
human life. In the future, civic engagement research should not only be an empirical investigation into concrete behaviors but also a reorientation of research throughout the liberal arts to serve civic ends. That will require more fruitful combinations of empirical, normative, and strategic thinking.
Clarifying the Nature and Structure of Personality Disorder
Authors: Suzuki Takakuni , SAMUEL DOUGLAS B.
Published: May 2015

Past research has suggested that personality disorders (PDs) are best conceptualized as a maladaptive extreme variants of the same traits that define general personality. Such a dimensional approach to PD classification has officially been included in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5) as an alternative diagnostic model for PD. The current essay provides an overview of the rationale for the dimensional approach to PDs and highlights compelling directions for future research.
Constitutionalism
Authors: Whittington Keith E.
Published: May 2015

Constitutionalism is the practice of regulating politics with a constitution. The means by which constitutions attempt to regulate politics are various, ranging from the design of political structures to the judicial enforcement of constitutional law. These constitutional features have given rise to robust literatures approaching the subject from both normative and empirical perspectives. Normative debates have focused on the purpose, content, methods, and authority of constitutionalism. Empirical investigations have taken into account both the development of particular constitutional institutions and practices within particular polities and broader questions of constitutional design
Cultural Neuroscience: Connecting Culture, Brain, and Genes
Authors: Kitayama Shinobu , Huff Sarah
Published: May 2015

Cultural neuroscience emerged during the past decade at the intersection of cultural psychology, several subfields of human neuroscience, genetics, and epigenetics. In the present essay, we define the field, provide a selective review of its empirical accomplishment, and discuss its future directions. Cultural neuroscience conceptualizes the human mind as biologically prepared and grounded and, at the same time, as socially and culturally shaped and completed. This young field initially started as an effort to expand preceding behavioral work in cultural psychology with novel brain imaging methods. Increasingly, however, the field is poised to address the interplay between biology, environment, and behavior, as shown in our review of recent empirical work on (i) culture and the self, (ii) culture and genes, and (iii) multicultural identity. The future of the field hinges on several key initiatives including the use of brain stimulation methods, expansion of its database to cultures other than North America and Asia, and a more comprehensive analysis of gene–culture coevolution. In conclusion, we observe that further investigation of culture, brain, and genes may lead to an important insight that to study cultural diversity is no less to affirm the unity of humans as a common biological species.
Culture and Cognition
Authors: Cerulo Karen A.
Published: May 2015

Culture and cognition is a rapidly growing subfield within sociology. Scholars working in this area address how aspects of both social structure and culture impact the ways in which social actors think. From the literature, one learns about specific processes and styles that individuals adopt when engaged in thought, cognitive patterns that characterize certain groups or communities, and thought styles that emerge in specific situations and social contexts. New works pay special attention to the links between mind, body, and sociocultural context. In this essay, I define the general focus of the field, review its intellectual roots, discuss recent turns in its literature, and identify issues for future research.
Emerging Trends in Culture and Concepts
Authors: Ojalehto Bethany , Medin Douglas
Published: May 2015

The relation between culture and concepts has long been a fascinating topic for layperson and scientist alike. But often this topic has generated more heat than light—strong claims have been paired with weak evidence, and anecdotes have been more common than empirical data. More recently, however, interdisciplinary research programs have begun to demonstrate that interest in the relation between culture and concepts is not misplaced. In this essay, we review prior, emerging, and potential future trends in culture and concepts research. Changing conceptions of culture are in turn affecting how culture is studied as well as our understanding of concepts.

First, we discuss current challenges in cultural research stemming from the fact that cognitive science studies have largely been done by Western researchers attempting to extend observations with Western college students to the world at large. Next, we highlight cultural research on semantic spaces, agency, and causality and note intriguing parallels in their development. These bodies of work refine previous views of concepts as stable units of thought by focusing on how concepts acquire (shifting sets of) meanings within contextual and epistemological systems.