bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Au-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating twist sensor based on surface plasmon resonance
Authors: Shen Changyu , Zhang Yang , Zhou Wenjun , Albert Jacques
Published: February 2014

A fiber twist sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of an Au-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) is proposed. The SPR response to the twist effect on an Au-coated TFBG (immersing in distilled water) is studied theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the transmission power around the wavelength of SPR changes with the twist angle. For the twist ranging from 0° to 180° in clockwise or anti-clockwise directions, the proposed sensor shows sensitivities of 0.037 dBm/° (S-polarized) and 0.039 dBm/° (P-polarized), which are almost 7.5 times higher than that of the current similar existing twist sensor.
Ag nanowire percolating network embedded in indium tin oxide nanoparticles for printable transparent conducting electrodes
Authors: Jeong Jin-A , Kim Han-Ki
Published: February 2014

Solution-based printable transparent conducting electrodes consisting of Ag nanowire (NW) and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated by simple brush painting at room temperature under atmospheric ambient conditions. Effectively embedding the Ag NW percolating network into the ITO NPs provided a conduction path, led to a metallic conduction behavior of the ITO NPs/Ag NW/ITO NPs multilayer and supplied electrons into the ITO NPs. The optimized ITO NPs/Ag NW/ITO NPs multilayer showed a sheet resistance of 16.57 Ω/sq and an optical transparency of 79.50% without post annealing. Based on high resolution transmission electron microscope analysis, we investigated the microstructure and interface structure of the ITO NPs/Ag NW/ITO NPs multilayer electrodes and suggested a possible mechanism to explain the low resistivity of the multilayers.
Nanoscale strain mapping in battery nanostructures
Authors: Ulvestad A. , Cho H. M. , Harder R. , Kim J. W. , Dietze S. H. , Fohtung E. , Meng Y. S. , Shpyrko O. G.
Published: February 2014

Coherent x-ray diffraction imaging is used to map the local three dimensional strain inhomogeneity and electron density distribution of two individual LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4−δ cathode nanoparticles in both ex-situ and in-situ environments. Our reconstructed images revealed a maximum strain of 0.4%. We observed different variations in strain inhomogeneity due to multiple competing effects. The compressive/tensile component of the strain is connected to the local lithium content and, on the surface, interpreted in terms of a local Jahn-Teller distortion of Mn3+. Finally, the measured strain distributions are discussed in terms of their impact on competing theoretical models of the lithiation process.
Electrophoretic manipulation of multiple-emulsion droplets
Authors: Schoeler Andreas M. , Josephides Dimitris N. , Chaurasia Ankur S. , Sajjadi Shahriar , Mesquida Patrick
Published: February 2014

Electrophoretic manipulation of multiple-emulsion oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W)/O and water-in-oil-in-water-in-oil (W/O/W)/O core-shell droplets is shown. It was found that the electrophoretic mobility of the droplets is determined solely by the outer water shell, regardless of size or composition of the inner droplets. It was observed that the surface charge of the outer water shell can be changed and the polarity can be reversed through contact with a biased electrode in a similar way as with simple W/O droplets. Furthermore, addition of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate to the outer water shell reverses the initial polarity and hence, electrophoretic mobility of the core-shell droplets before contact with an electrode. The results have practical implications for the manipulation of oil droplets in a continuous oil phase.
Magnetostrictive stress reconfigurable thin film resonators for near direct current magnetoelectric sensors
Authors: Kiser Jillian , Lacomb Ron , Bussmann Konrad , Hawley Christopher J. , Spanier Jonathan E. , Zhuang Xin , Dolabdjian Christophe , Lofland Sam , Finkel Peter
Published: February 2014

The magnetic response of microdevices is significantly enhanced at structural resonance allowing for improved sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. Here, free-standing thin film CoFe bridge resonators have been fabricated and investigated. It is shown that the strong magnetic field dependence of the fundamental resonance frequency is a function of magnetic field orientation due to stress-induced anisotropy. These devices may offer a new approach for developing fully integrated resonant magnetic field sensing technology.
Using indium tin oxide material to implement the imaging of microwave plasma ignition process
Authors: Wang Qiang , Hou Lingyun , Zhang Guixin , Zhang Boya , Liu Cheng , Wang Zhi , Huang Jian
Published: February 2014

In this paper, a method is introduced to get global observation of microwave plasma ignition process at high pressure. A microwave resonator was designed with an indium tin oxide coated glass at bottom. Microwave plasma ignition was implemented in methane and air mixture at 10 bars by a 2 ms-3 kW-2.45 GHz microwave pulse, and the high speed images of the ignition process were obtained. The images visually proved that microwave plasma ignition could lead to a multi-point ignition. The system may also be applied to obtain Schlieren images, which is commonly used to observe the development of flame kernel in an ignition process.
Highly sensitive double-layered nanorod array gas sensors prepared by oblique angle deposition
Authors: Yao Kun , Toole Ryan , Basnet Pradip , Zhao Yiping
Published: February 2014

ITO based nanorod arrays fabricated by oblique angle deposition (OAD) were designed as resistive gas sensors for NO2 detection, and the detection limit was found to reach as low as 50 ppb with a response time of 20 min. A comparative study shows that the ITO nanorod array has a higher sensing response than that of the ITO film, and a double-layered ITO nanorod array design could further improve the sensing response. By increasing the vapor incident angle during the nanorod fabrication, the sensing response also increases, due to the increased porosity and gas penetration. It is expected that OAD technique could become a versatile and scalable fabrication technique for gas sensors.
Phase diagram and magnetocaloric effects in Ni50Mn35(In1−xCrx)15 and (Mn1−xCrx)NiGe1.05 alloys
Authors: Quetz Abdiel , Muchharla Baleeswaraiah , Samanta Tapas , Dubenko Igor , Talapatra Saikat , Stadler Shane , Ali Naushad
Published: February 2014

The magnetocaloric and thermomagnetic properties of Ni50Mn35(In1−xCrx)15 and (Mn1−xCrx) NiGe1.05 systems for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.105 and 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, respectively, have been studied by x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and magnetization measurements. Partial substitution of Cr for Mn in (Mn1−xCrx)NiGe1.05 results in a first order magnetostructural transition from a hexagonal paramagnetic to an orthorhombic paramagnetic phase near TM ∼ 380 K (for x = 0.07). Partial substitution of Cr for In in Ni50Mn35(In1−xCrx)15 shifts the magnetostructural transition to a higher temperature (T = TM ∼ 450 K) for x = 0.1. Large magnetic entropy changes of ΔS = −12 (J/(kgK)) and ΔS = −11 (J/(kgK)), both for a magnetic field change of 5 T, were observed in the vicinity of TM for (Mn1−xCrx)NiGe1.05 and Ni50Mn35(In1−xCrx)15, respectively.
A study on the magnetic properties of melt spun Co-Hf-Zr-B nanocomposite ribbons
Authors: Chang H. W. , Lin Y. H. , Shih C. W. , Chang W. C. , Shaw C. C.
Published: February 2014

Magnetic properties of melt spun Co86.5Hf11.5-xZrxB2 (x = 0–5) ribbons have been investigated. For the ribbons spun at the wheel speed of 40 m/s, hard magnetic properties with high energy product ((BH)max) of 34.4–52.8 kJ/m3 and intrinsic coercivity (iHc) of 176–216 kA/m were obtained for x = 0–2, but soft magnetic behavior was observed for x = 3–5 due to the appearance of the amorphous phase. By annealing the ribbons with x = 3–5, hard magnetic properties were improved arisen from the formation of magnetically hard phase. The variation of magnetic properties for Co86.5Hf11.5−xZrxB2 ribbons was correlated to microstructure change. Proper Zr substitution for Hf was helpful in refining the grain size from 10–35 nm for x = 0 to 5–15 nm for x = 1, and thus improving the magnetic properties effectively. The optimal hard magnetic properties of Co86.5Hf10.5Zr1B2 ribbons might be originated from the fine magnetically hard Co11(Hf, Zr)2 phase, and the exchange coupling effect among grains and/or with the face-center-cubic Co phase.
Nanochannel fabrication by imprinting-induced cracks
Authors: Xia Liangping , Zhang Man , Yang Zheng , Cui Hongliang , Yin Shaoyun , Hu Song , Du Chunlei
Published: February 2014

A simple and low-cost process of imprinting-induced cracks is proposed to fabricate controllable nanochannel structures with high depth-to-width ratio, in ultraviolet (UV) curable photoresist. The nanochannels are formed by the cracks of UV-curable photoresist due to its volume reduction as a result of solidification, with imprinting induced predesigned crack patterns. The proposed process is demonstrated with a nanochannel structure consisting of a periodically distributed hexagonal 30 nm-width and 100 nm-depth channels, which is fabricated by anodic aluminum oxide template imprinting induced cracks on a thiolene UV-curable photoresist. A finite element analysis provided theoretical foundation for the process, shedding lights on the parameters influencing the process.
Room temperature spin transport in undoped (110) GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells
Authors: Yokota Nobuhide , Aoshima Yohei , Ikeda Kazuhiro , Kawaguchi Hitoshi
Published: February 2014

We are reporting on our first observation of a micrometer-order electron spin transport in a (110) GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (QW) at room temperature using a space- and time-resolved Kerr rotation technique. A 37-μm transport was observed within an electron spin lifetime of 1.2 ns at room temperature when using an in-plane electric field of 1.75 kV/cm. The spatio-temporal profiles of electron spins were well reproduced by the spin drift-diffusion equations coupled with the Poisson equation, supporting the validity of the measurement. The results suggest that (110) QWs are useful as a spin transport layer for semiconductor spintronic devices operating at room temperature.
A consumer sensory study of the influence of rigor temperature on eating quality and ageing potential of beef striploin and rump
Authors: Warner R. D. , Thompson J. M. , Polkinghorne R. , Gutzke D. , Kearney G. A.
Published: February 2014

Few consumer data are available on the effects of high rigor temperatures on eating quality of different muscles in the beef carcass. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of high rigor temperature (heat-toughening) on the consumer and quality traits of two beef muscles. A dataset containing consumer eating-quality scores for 3865 striploins (m. longissimus lumborum) and 734 rumps (gluteus medius) was analysed. Temperature at pH 6 (temp@pH6) was calculated for the striploin and carcasses with a temp@pH6 of >35°C were classified as high rigor temperature (heat-toughened) carcasses. For short ageing periods (1–7 days), high rigor temperature striploins were assessed, by a consumer panel, as being more tender with higher overall liking and higher (more liked) flavour and juiciness, than were striploins entering rigor at a lower temperature. Beyond 14 days of ageing, the high rigor temperature striploins showed minimal improvement in tenderness and the other eating-quality attributes also showed minimal improvements. The consumer scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavour and overall liking for the rump decreased with increasing rigor temperature. High rigor temperature striploins were scored, by trained graders, to have a higher proportion of coarser and softer texture and paler colour. Carcasses defined as ‘high rigor temperature’ will show minimal ageing after extended storage and, at grading, have a higher proportion with pale colour and softer, coarser texture compared to lower rigor temperature carcasses. In conclusion, methods to reduce high rigor temperatures in beef carcasses would improve the acceptability of beef.
Techniques to reduce the temperature of beef muscle early in the post mortem period – a review
Authors: Jacob Robin H. , Hopkins David L.
Published: February 2014

A review of the literature was conducted on the effects of high temperature and low pH (HTLP) on meat quality, with a focus on interventions that increase the rate of cooling post slaughter. HTLP can potentially change meat tenderness, water-holding capacity and colour due primarily to protein denaturation during the first 5 h post mortem. Deep muscles in large carcasses are susceptible to HTLP when cooled conventionally. Ante mortem and post mortem solutions that increase the rate of carcass cooling are discussed. Ante mortem solutions include access to feed and water, showering with water and provision of shade. Post mortem solutions included vascular flushing, hot fat trimming, opening seams, hot boning, spray chilling, blast chilling, immersion cooling, and very fast chilling. Accelerating rigor with electrical stimulation before HTLP remains controversial. Combinations of different techniques, that suit the specific requirements of a particular processing plant, is the likely best solution to HTLP, but further development of commercial solutions is suggested.
The association between polymorphism of the GH1 gene and changes in protein structure and carcass traits in Mehraban sheep (Ovis aries)
Authors: Bahrami A. , Miraei-Ashtiani S. R. , Mehrabani-Yeganeh H. , Banani-Rad H. , Behzadi Sh.
Published: February 2014

The present study indicates an association between carcass traits and genetic polymorphism and changes in the protein structure of the growth hormone 1 (GH1) gene in Mehraban sheep. Polymorphism of the GH1 gene was detected by polymerase chain reaction–single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods in 463 individuals. Two different structures in the GH1 protein and six single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified. The association of these SSCP patterns and protein structures with carcass traits was analysed. The SSCP patterns were shown to be associated with carcass traits. Individuals with AB SSCP pattern and Type B protein structure had significantly higher fat-tail weight and volume (P < 0.05) than did those individuals with CC SSCP pattern and Type A protein structure. Moreover, CC SSCP pattern and Type A protein structure contributed to low concentration of blood triglycerides (P = 0.004). The results confirmed the importance of GH1 as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection for carcass-trait variations in sheep.
Dicer-like 3 produces transposable element-associated 24-nt siRNAs that control agricultural traits in rice
Authors: Wei Liya , Gu Lianfeng , Song Xianwei , Cui Xiekui , Lu Zhike , Zhou Ming , Wang Lulu , Hu Fengyi , Zhai Jixian , Meyers Blake C. , Cao Xiaofeng
Published: February 2014

Significance

The functional relationship of transposons and small RNAs remains an important question in the study of gene expression and its effect on agronomic traits. Here, we use deep sequencing of small RNAs to provide the first evidence that the rice Dicer-like 3 homolog OsDCL3a produces 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) predominantly associated with miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (MITEs). These 24-nt siRNAs target genes adjacent to MITEs and act as broadly functioning regulators of gene expression. In particular, OsDCL3a directly targets genes involved in homeostasis of the plant hormones gibberellin and brassinosteroid, thus controlling important agricultural traits. This mechanism of fine-tuning gene expression mediated by MITEs may be conserved in organisms with genomes rich in dispersed repeats or transposable elements.
Nominals as adjuncts or arguments
Authors: Meakins Felicity
Published: February 2014

Generativists have argued that nominals in non-configurational languages such as Warlpiri do not have the status of arguments. This paper provides new evidence for this claim from an unlikely source: code-switching between Kriol, an English-based creole, and Gurindji, a Ngumpin-Yapa language closely related to Warlpiri. In Gurindji-Kriol code-switching, case-marked nominals are non-obligatory and, where they do occur, they are cross-referenced with a pronoun. This pattern is found even where Kriol sets the morpho-syntactic frame and provides the pronouns. The structure reflects that of monolingual Gurindji where bound pronouns are obligatory and nominals are optional. Given the resistance of inflectional morphology to switching, it is unexpected to find Gurindji case-marked nominals present in an otherwise Kriol morpho-syntactic frame. Nonetheless, structural material can enter into a code-switched clause via structural islands which do not participate in the predicate argument structure of the code-switched clause. This paper argues that case-marked nominals are structural islands and this adjunct-like structure must have been available in the source language, Gurindji, thereby providing further evidence for the non-argument status of Gurindji nominals.
The HOPS complex mediates autophagosome–lysosome fusion through interaction with syntaxin 17
Authors: Jiang Peidu , Nishimura Taki , Sakamaki Yuriko , Itakura Eisuke , Hatta Tomohisa , Natsume Tohru , Mizushima Noboru
Published: February 2014

Membrane fusion is generally controlled by Rabs, soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), and tethering complexes. Syntaxin 17 (STX17) was recently identified as the autophagosomal SNARE required for autophagosome–lysosome fusion in mammals and Drosophila. In this study, to better understand the mechanism of autophagosome–lysosome fusion, we searched for STX17-interacting proteins. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis identified vacuolar protein sorting 33A (VPS33A) and VPS16, which are components of the homotypic fusion and protein sorting (HOPS)–tethering complex. We further confirmed that all HOPS components were coprecipitated with STX17. Knockdown of VPS33A, VPS16, or VPS39 blocked autophagic flux and caused accumulation of STX17- and microtubule-associated protein light chain (LC3)–positive autophagosomes. The endocytic pathway was also affected by knockdown of VPS33A, as previously reported, but not by knockdown of STX17. By contrast, ultraviolet irradiation resistance–associated gene (UVRAG), a known HOPS-interacting protein, did not interact with the STX17–HOPS complex and may not be directly involved in autophagosome–lysosome fusion. Collectively these results suggest that, in addition to its well-established function in the endocytic pathway, HOPS promotes autophagosome–lysosome fusion through interaction with STX17.
hemingwayis required for sperm flagella assembly and ciliary motility inDrosophila
Authors: Soulavie Fabien , Piepenbrock David , Thomas Joëlle , Vieillard Jennifer , Duteyrat Jean-Luc , Cortier Elisabeth , Laurençon Anne , Göpfert Martin C. , Durand Bénédicte
Published: February 2014

Cilia play major functions in physiology and development, and ciliary dysfunctions are responsible for several diseases in humans called ciliopathies. Cilia motility is required for cell and fluid propulsion in organisms. In humans, cilia motility deficiencies lead to primary ciliary dyskinesia, with upper-airways recurrent infections, left–right asymmetry perturbations, and fertility defects. In Drosophila, we identified hemingway (hmw) as a novel component required for motile cilia function. hmw encodes a 604–amino acid protein characterized by a highly conserved coiled-coil domain also found in the human orthologue, KIAA1430. We show that HMW is conserved in species with motile cilia and that, in Drosophila, hmw is expressed in ciliated sensory neurons and spermatozoa. We created hmw-knockout flies and found that they are hearing impaired and male sterile. hmw is implicated in the motility of ciliated auditory sensory neurons and, in the testis, is required for elongation and maintenance of sperm flagella. Because HMW is absent from mature flagella, we propose that HMW is not a structural component of the motile axoneme but is required for proper acquisition of motile properties. This identifies HMW as a novel, evolutionarily conserved component necessary for motile cilium function and flagella assembly.
The hierarchical nature of the spin alignment of dark matter haloes in filaments
Authors: Aragon-Calvo M. A. , Yang Lin Forrest
Published: February 2014

Dark matter haloes in cosmological filaments and walls have (in average) their spin vector aligned with their host structure. While haloes in walls are aligned with the plane of the wall independently of their mass, haloes in filaments present a mass-dependent two-regime orientation. Here, we show that the transition mass determining the change in the alignment regime (from parallel to perpendicular) depends on the hierarchical level in which the halo is located, reflecting the hierarchical nature of the Cosmic Web. By explicitly exposing the hierarchical structure of the Cosmic Web, we are able to identify the contributions of different components of the filament network to the alignment signal. We propose a unifying picture of angular momentum acquisition that is based on the results presented here and previous results found by other authors.

In order to do a hierarchical characterization of the Cosmic Web, we introduce a new implementation of the multiscale morphology filter, the MMF-2, that significantly improves the identification of structures and explicitly describes their hierarchy.
Biblical Apocrypha
Authors: Murdoch Brian
Published: February 2014

The term “biblical apocrypha” is imprecise. What is not meant is what is commonly known as the Apocrypha, the (variable) group of books placed separately in some post-Reformation Bibles between the two Testaments. Those are works found in the 3rd-century bce Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) but not accepted in the Hebrew canon, which was established later. When Jerome translated the Old Testament into Latin for his Vulgate, he included books (such as Judith), for which he had no Hebrew original, as deuterocanonical, a “second list” of nevertheless biblical books. The word apocrypha (Greek: “hidden things”) can imply simply “noncanonical,” but more specifically the term refers to noncanonical texts involving (or ascribed to) biblical personages, or expanding upon biblical books and events. Alternative terms used include pseudepigrapha (“spuriously attributed writings,” though this too is imprecise), midrash (Hebrew: “story”), generic designations such as apocalypse (many Old and New Testament apocrypha are apocalyptic), or blanket terms such as legend (or legend cycle). Recent studies refer to “the re-written Bible,” the “Bible in progress,” or (in the title of an important Festschrift) “the embroidered Bible.” The word apocryphus in medieval Latin means “uncertain,” “unreliable,” or “anonymous” or “pseudonymous.” Old Testament apocrypha may date from the 2nd century bce to the early Middle Ages, New Testament apocrypha continued to be produced well into the medieval period, and some overlap exists between the two. Some Old Testament apocrypha are extant in Hebrew or Aramaic, but frequently the original is fragmentary or only presumed on philological grounds or external evidence. Surviving versions are often in Greek and were themselves often translated into one or more languages, such as Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Georgian, or Latin. The earliest New Testament apocrypha are in Greek or Latin. Relatively recent discoveries have confirmed the antiquity of some, other apocrypha not known in the Middle Ages have been identified, and Christian writers refer to now-lost apocrypha. The manuscript tradition of many Old and New Testament apocrypha, however, is medieval, and, unlike biblical texts, they were not subject to standardization. Many enjoyed wide circulation throughout the Middle Ages and were translated or adapted into vernacular languages. Sometimes the sole known text may be a medieval version in a language such as Slavonic or Irish. The often neglected but continued development of Old and New Testament apocrypha in the Middle Ages is important, as is the knowledge of these texts within different Eastern and Western medieval cultures. It is thus appropriate to consider individual apocryphal works, and then the various cultures in which they are located.
Portugal
Authors: Costa-Gomes Rita
Published: February 2014

Resulting from the Iberian Reconquest, the kingdom of Portugal has maintained its independence since the 12th century, except for a brief period of incorporation into the Spanish Habsburg composite monarchy between 1580 and 1640. Portuguese, already spoken in the kingdom by the mid-12th century, became the language used in royal official documents in the late 13th century. Portuguese society and Culture have been marked since the medieval period by the geographical position of the country on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Although the reconquest of the territory of Portugal was completed by 1250, the Portuguese maintained strong links with the various polities and cultures of the rest of Iberia. By means of Atlantic navigation, the relations with the Atlantic port cities of France, England, and Flanders as well as with the Mediterranean were also strengthened after the 13th century. Renaissance Portugal was shaped by the process of overseas expansion, beginning with the conquest of the North African city of Ceuta in 1415 and the colonization of the Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Azores in 1418–1420. After the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope by Bartolomeu Dias in 1487 and the voyage of Vasco da Gama, India became the point of departure for the establishment of a maritime empire in Asia. Brazil (first visited in 1500) gained importance with the arrival of the first governor in 1549 and the establishment of a network of sugar plantations on its coastal Atlantic regions. This article provides a guide to the scholarship on the history of Portugal between 1350 and 1600, the so-called “golden” or “classical” age of Portuguese culture epitomized by the poet Luís de Camões (d. 1580). The article focuses on peninsular Portugal. The reader should keep in mind, however, the profound influence of the imperial endeavor on the evolution of a kingdom that was home to between 1.5 million (1527–1532) and 2 million (1590s) inhabitants in Europe, but was also considered the homeland of as many as 350,000 Portuguese spread throughout the globe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The long duration of the Portuguese diasporas since the 1400s can be considered a defining trait of the history of the Portuguese nation.
Jan Amos Comenius
Authors: Atwood Craig D.
Published: February 2014

Jan Amos Comenius (John Amos Comenius; Johannes Amos Comenius; Jana Amose Komenskeho; Jan Amos Komenský [b. 1592–d. 1670]) gained international fame for his innovative teaching methods and proposals for comprehensive educational reform. He advocated a holistic approach to knowledge and ethics called Pansophy (universal wisdom), which was rooted in the conviction that people should work with nature rather than against it. During his lifetime, Comenius published more than 150 works in Czech, Latin, and German on such diverse topics as linguistics, pacifism, social justice, human development, cartography, and spirituality. Few modern scholars have mastered the scope and complexity of Comenius’s intellectual endeavors, and the literature on him and his work is daunting. Comenius began his career in Moravia as a pastor and teacher in a small Protestant church known as the Unity of the Brethren, but he was forced into exile in Poland because of religious persecution. After his early pedagogical works were published in Latin and English translation in the 1630s, he was invited to establish a school system for England. The outbreak of war between Charles I and Parliament prevented those plans from maturing. Comenius accepted an offer from the Swedish Crown to produce new educational materials. In 1650, he was invited to set up a pansophic “school of play” in Transylvania, where he wrote his groundbreaking textbook Orbis pictus. He returned to Leszno, Poland, in 1654, but, two years later, the city was destroyed during the First Northern War. Tragically, many of his unpublished manuscripts were lost in the resulting fire. Comenius sought refuge in Amsterdam in 1656, where patrons published his collected pedagogical works under the title Opera didactica omnia. He was buried in Naarden in 1670. Scholars in many countries have proclaimed him the “father of modern education” because of his humanistic methods and advocacy of universal education. Comenius was one of the first pedagogical theorists to apply Francis Bacon’s epistemology. Comenius’s writings may have had as much impact in the 20th century as they did in his lifetime as his works were translated into several languages. Until the middle of the 20th century, Comenius was known primarily as a pedagogue, but the rediscovery of his pansophic writings, most notably De rerum humanarum emendatione consultatio catholica, launched a new appreciation for Comenius as a philosopher, social reformer, and peace activist. Much of the research on Comenius has been published in Czech, but literature in German and English is also considerable. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 1992 as the year of Comenius in honor of the quadricentennial of his birth. The creation of the Czech Republic and the admission of the country to the European Union in the 1990s facilitated research on Comenius for scholars outside of central Europe.
Public Diplomacy
Authors: Melissen Jan , Du Shangbie , Goswami Abhiraj
Published: February 2014

Public diplomacy is a relatively young concept and a field of study that has produced a deluge of literature since the turn of the century. The learning curve has been considerable. This bibliography is mainly based on the literature since 2010, so as to present cutting-edge knowledge in the field. The worldwide practice of diplomatic engagement with people preceded the integration of its terminology within governments and ministries of foreign affairs. In the present century, public diplomacy efforts have become increasingly mainstreamed. The practice is subject to wider evolutions occurring in international relations, diplomacy, and state-society relations. As such it is considered to be different from traditional government-to-government diplomacy, in the first place because it engages nonstate actors. Many policymakers and scholars associate public diplomacy primarily with “soft power” and there is no one-size-fits-all definition in what is a truly multidisciplinary field of study. The initial normative debate has distracted from deeper issues in the field and public diplomacy’s evolution and significance. Two common conceptual frameworks recur in the early-21st-century literature: “old” (unidirectional government communication) and “new” (network relational multi-actor) public diplomacy. These categories are attempts to make sense of public diplomacy’s concepts and key functions in a fast-changing international environment. More recent scholarship seeks to move beyond these categorizations by emphasizing the integration of old and new as well as public diplomacy’s integration within diplomacy. Some of the latest work on public diplomacy is in response to recent trends in international politics, such as enhanced geopolitical rivalry, the impact of digital technologies and the rise of populism. US writings once dominated the literature, but contributions from Europe have been significant, while academic output from the postcolonial world is growing rapidly and is increasingly important. This article begins with works that offer a General Overview. Following this, selected secondary sources on Soft Power are listed and, in New Century, New Public Diplomacy, works discuss early-21st-century trends in the debate, followed by Beyond the New Public Diplomacy. Works cited under Coming of Age: Diplomacy’s Public Dimension highlight the importance of realizing that public diplomacy accompanies wider developments in diplomatic practice. This section stresses new themes and modes of communicative practice. Literature cited under Public Diplomacy Worldwide focuses on the United States, China, and India as well as the European Union, and the article concludes with Book Series and Journals.
International Law
Authors: Peterson MJ
Published: February 2014

International law can be defined as the substantive norms and rules and related procedural codes that govern relations among states, and the conduct of transactions and relationships across national borders. It is one of the fundamental institutions of the international system, simultaneously reaffirming the organization of the world into autonomous states and providing their governments and other international actors with a set of publicly expressed common standards of conduct and procedures, organizing the provision of governance for an increasingly interconnected world. Initially addressing only relations among sovereign (independent) states, its reach expanded during the period 1860–2000 to include interactions of states with intergovernmental organizations and humans (as peoples, ethnic, racial, religious, or indigenous groups, or as individuals) and state regulation of human conduct within the natural environment. Two broad debates in legal philosophy—one focused on whether the term “law” should be defined as a body or rules or as the set of interactions through which rules are made, amended, and applied; and the other on whether “law” denotes commands backed by centralized force or social norms treated as obligatory for all members of a society—continue to influence how scholars approach international law, as will be elaborated in later sections. Given the continuing decentralization of global-level governance, it appears more useful to use the term “international law” to denote a body of rules, procedures, and related doctrines for interpreting them, and the term “international legal system” to denote two sets of related activity, the highly political processes of making, amending, and occasionally discarding rules, and the more rule-bound processes of applying the existing rules to behavior and using them to resolve particular disputes. Though the political and the legal sometimes intertwine, distinguishing between the two helps make sense of the expansion of the rules to cover more issue areas and the expansion of rule-making to include not only the non-Western states returning to independence after European colonial domination but also the activities of nonstate actors. Distinguishing between law and politics also highlights the effects of legal rules as they encourage some possible courses of action while discouraging others. Thus the study of international law today involves three distinct activities: (1) understanding international law as a distinct legal system; (2) understanding the potentials and limits of using it as a technique for organizing and conducting governance; and (3) drawing on it as an intellectual resource for advancing political, economic, social, and moral goals.
Race in American Political Thought
Authors: Tillery, Jr. Alvin B.
Published: February 2014

The race concept and race relations have been central themes in American political thought from the colonial period to the present. It is easy to understand why this has been the case. After all, deep commitments to white supremacy and the inferiority of both indigenous Americans and Africans fueled the early development of the colonies that would bind themselves together in rebellion against England in the 18th century. Moreover, the charter documents of the American republic enshrined racial categories and what the political scientist Rogers Smith calls “ascriptive hierarchies” into our constitutional order. In other words, for most of its history, America was a Herrenvolk democracy—where whites enjoyed full citizenship rights and people of color were relegated to various forms of subordinate status. The first writings to make the race concept and race relations themes in American political thought were produced by intellectuals and activists engaged in political projects that sought to either justify or tear down these hierarchies. Although the aims of these primary texts were often overtly political, many raised questions and generated insights that have remained central to the study of these issues in the academy. Ironically, scholars of American political thought largely ignored these primary texts in the first five decades of the 20th century despite the fact that American higher education was in the midst of a great transformation that ushered in the rise of the modern research university. This situation changed dramatically in the wake of the Second World War and the social movements for racial justice that transformed American society in the middle of the 20th century. Indeed, since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 marked the end of the formal end of the Herrenvolk phase in American history, political scientists, philosophers, and intellectual historians have formalized the study of race and race relations within their respective disciplines. The vast majority of this post-1965 scholarship has appeared in university press books and a few notable journal articles. The scholarly consensus that has formed over this period holds that there is no scientific basis for the race concept, that differences between racial and ethnic groups are socially constructed, and that building peaceful and just societies requires some recognition of these group differences.
Identity Politics
Authors: Neofotistos Vasiliki
Published: February 2014

Identity politics, also commonly referred to as the politics of identity or identity-based politics, is a phrase that is widely used in the social sciences and humanities to describe the deployment of the category of identity as a tool to frame political claims, promote political ideologies, or stimulate and orientate social and political action, usually in a larger context of inequality or injustice and with the aim of asserting group distinctiveness and belonging and gaining power and recognition. Additionally, identity politics refers to tensions and struggles over the right to map and define the contours and fixed “essence” of specific groups. The phrase has become increasingly common in political anthropology since the second half of the 20th century with the emergence of a wide diversity of social movements, including the women’s movement, the African American civil rights movement, and the gay and lesbian movement, as well as nationalist and postcolonial movements. Central to the practice of identity politics are the notions of sameness and difference, and thus the anthropological study of identity politics involves the study of the politics of difference.
Agricultural Technologies
Authors: Wright Angus
Published: February 2014

The size and diversity of Latin America make it impossible to identify a characteristic “Latin American agricultural technology.” There are few types of agricultural technologies that are not used somewhere in the region. The exceptions are almost entirely traditional technologies that were developed within specific cultural contexts in other regions of the world or that are clearly inappropriate in the geographic circumstances of soil and climate found in Latin America. Many Latin American public research institutes, universities, corporate research facilities, and individual farmers are capable of locating and adopting technologies from anywhere in the world and adapting them to local conditions, although the institutions and farmers of some nations and regions in Latin America are far better equipped to do so than others. Liberalized trade, Internet resources, international organizations, and the expanding influence of transnational corporations have in general greatly facilitated diffusion of technological innovations. Agricultural technology as discussed here consists of all applications of human knowledge, methods, and tools, as well as plant and animal varieties used for production of agricultural goods. Chemicals, mechanical tools, and biological organisms must be employed in particular ways, and it is both the tools and the ways they are used that make up the technologies of production. It is also important to note that many technologies that are not particularly agricultural in nature have had enormous influence on the development of agriculture. Improvements in transportation, refrigeration, communication, and information processing often overshadow the influence of more specifically “agricultural” technologies. These will be considered here only as they established the context for specifically agricultural technologies. The purpose here is to provide an overview of the history of agricultural technologies in Latin America and an elucidation of current major perspectives and controversies about the best future paths for agricultural research and development.
Science Fiction Film
Authors: Suppia Alfredo Luiz
Published: February 2014

Latin American science fiction (SF) cinema does exist, although it is seldom noted by most film critics, scholars, and historians—and perhaps even by major audiences. Unlike other countries across the globe, Latin American countries generally lack more visible and consistent SF film production. This circumstance can be ascribed to limited film budgets and the lack of a consistent film industry in Latin America, which, in turn leads to a type of production and aesthetics that relies on the audiences’ imagination more than special effects per se. The alleged “invisibility” of Latin American SF film can be partially (if not totally) explained by the historical instability affecting the Latin American film industry. Thus, cultural biases align with economic circumstances in the preclusion of Latin American SF cinema. Exceptions, however, may be found in the scenarios of Argentina and Mexico, countries where speculative fiction (including both the fantastic and SF) appear to have developed differently, in comparison with other Latin American nations, such as Brazil. In any case, a systematic and consistent body of film criticism and academic work dedicated to Latin American SF film has yet to be constructed. Unlike the literature on the United States, Europe, and Japan, the available bibliography on Latin American manifestations of this film genre is generally sporadic and scattered. Yet, this situation appears to be gradually changing. Internet and digital technologies have scaffolded a (still) fragile web for film scholars interested in SF cinema. And, interest in Latin American SF—literary and audiovisual—seems to be growing, on the part of international scholars. This article will provide a basic bibliography for further investigation into the field of Latin American SF cinema, with a special focus on three countries: Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
Indefiniteness
Authors: de Swart Henriëtte
Published: February 2014

The philosophical work on definite and indefinite descriptions of the form “the N” and “a N” focuses on the logic of natural language. Definites and indefinites are sometimes treated as devices of reference and at other times associated with quantificational expressions. Along with quantificational noun phrases such as “every N” they receive a unified analysis as generalized quantifiers. Insights into the semantic properties of generalized quantifiers have led to productive lines of research on indefinites in existential contexts and indefinites under negation, including negative polarity items and negative concord items. Clearly, indefinites have referential features as well. Unlike true quantificational expressions, they serve as anchors for anaphoric pronouns in subsequent discourse, which motivates Discourse Representation theory as a dynamic extension of first-order logic. Their variable quantificational force is accounted for by the treatment of indefinites as variables, which depend on other quantifiers in the sentence. The observation that indefinites can scope out of scope islands such as embedded clauses gave rise to analyses in terms of choice functions. Finally, indefinites are frequently found in predicative contexts, which have led to analyses in terms of property denotations. Many analyses focus on one particular aspect of indefinites, or posit ambiguities between different types of denotations. However, the quantificational, referential, and predicative roles of indefinites can be reconciled in a type-shifting framework, which allows indefinites to live in different types. Besides singular indefinite articles, languages may also have plural indefinite articles. Interestingly, many languages do not grammaticalize indefinite articles and instead use bare plurals or bare singulars. In English, bare plurals are ontologically different from full indefinites in that they may refer to kinds, besides regular individuals. They also display a different scopal behavior, in that they take obligatory narrow scope with respect to other scope-bearing operators. In languages where we find them, bare singulars share these features. Typological variation raises a special interest in grammaticalization patterns over time. Indefinites have also drawn attention in the psycholinguistic literature in which their cognitive status and the relation of indefinites with bare nominals and definites in acquisition and processing has been investigated. All in all, the study of indefiniteness is relevant for philosophy of language, semantic theory, the syntax-semantics interface, language typology, historical linguistics, and psycholinguistics. Additional relevant references to indefinite descriptions and indefiniteness appear in the Oxford Bibliographies articles Definiteness, Anaphora, Negation, and Polarity.
Hmong-Mien Languages
Authors: Mortensen David
Published: February 2014

Hmong-Mien is a compact language family of East and Southeast Asia. Its speakers are found primarily in southern China and the northern highlands of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma). Most speakers of Hmong-Mien languages belong to the so-called Miao and Yao ethnicities (or nationalities). Due to geopolitical circumstances, many speakers of two Hmong-Mien languages from Laos—Hmong and Iu Mien—emigrated to Western countries (the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, France, French Guyana, and Germany) between 1970 and 1998, leading to the current worldwide distribution of this language family. Hmong-Mien has two primary branches: Hmongic and Mienic. Hmongic is larger (in terms of number of speakers) and has greater internal diversity. It has also been the focus of more efforts at documentation. As a result, more literature is available on Hmongic languages than Mienic languages. This bibliography represents an attempt to include as many resources on Mienic as possible but nevertheless reflects this fundamental imbalance in sources.