bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic-film atom chip with 10 μm period lattices of microtraps for quantum information science with Rydberg atoms
Authors: Leung V. Y. F. , Pijn D. R. M. , Schlatter H. , Torralbo-Campo L. , La Rooij A. L. , Mulder G. B. , Naber J. , Soudijn M. L. , Tauschinsky A. , Abarbanel C. , Hadad B. , Golan E. , Folman R. , Spreeuw R. J. C.
Published: May 2014

We describe the fabrication and construction of a setup for creating lattices of magnetic microtraps for ultracold atoms on an atom chip. The lattice is defined by lithographic patterning of a permanent magnetic film. Patterned magnetic-film atom chips enable a large variety of trapping geometries over a wide range of length scales. We demonstrate an atom chip with a lattice constant of 10 μm, suitable for experiments in quantum information science employing the interaction between atoms in highly excited Rydberg energy levels. The active trapping region contains lattice regions with square and hexagonal symmetry, with the two regions joined at an interface. A structure of macroscopic wires, cutout of a silver foil, was mounted under the atom chip in order to load ultracold 87Rb atoms into the microtraps. We demonstrate loading of atoms into the square and hexagonal lattice sections simultaneously and show resolved imaging of individual lattice sites. Magnetic-film lattices on atom chips provide a versatile platform for experiments with ultracold atoms, in particular for quantum information science and quantum simulation.
Prediction of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns in arbitrarily strained samples
Authors: Higginbotham Andrew , McGonegle David
Published: May 2014

The prediction of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from strained samples is typically conducted in the small strain limit. Although valid for small deviations from the hydrostat (such as the conditions of finite strength typically observed in diamond anvil cells) this assertion is likely to fail for the large strain anisotropies (often of order 10% in normal strain) found in uniaxially loaded dynamic compression experiments. In this paper, we derive a general form for the (θB,ϕ) dependence of the diffraction for an arbitrarily deformed polycrystalline sample in any geometry, and of any crystal symmetry. We show that this formula is consistent with ray traced diffraction for highly strained computationally generated polycrystals, and that the formula shows deviations from the widely used small strain solutions previously reported.
Resonant indirect excitation of Gd3+ in AlN thin films
Authors: Ishizu Yuta , Tsuji Kazuma , Harada Yukihiro , Kita Takashi , Chigi Yoshitaka , Nishimoto Tetsuro , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Mikihiro , Ishihara Tsuguo , Izumi Hirokazu
Published: May 2014

We studied the efficient indirect excitation of Gd3+ ions in AlN thin films. C-axis oriented polycrystalline thin films of Al0.997Gd0.003N/AlN were grown on fused silica substrates using a reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The intra-orbital electron transition in Gd3+ showed a narrow luminescence line at 3.9 eV. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation (PLE) spectrum exhibited a peak originating from efficient indirect energy transfer from the band edge of AlN to Gd3+ ions. The PLE peak shifted and the PL intensity showed a dramatic change when the AlN band gap was varied by changing the temperature. Energy scanning performed by changing the band-gap energy of AlN with temperature revealed several resonant channels of energy transfer into the higher excited states of Gd3+.
Optically activated sub-millimeter dielectric relaxation in amorphous thin film silicon at room temperature
Authors: Rahman Rezwanur , Ohno Tim R. , Taylor P. C. , Scales John A.
Published: May 2014

Knowing the frequency-dependent photo-induced complex conductivity of thin films is useful in the design of photovoltaics and other semi-conductor devices. For example, annealing in the far-infrared could in principle be tailored to the specific dielectric properties of a particular sample. The frequency dependence of the conductivity (whether dark or photo-induced) also gives insight into the effective dimensionality of thin films (via the phonon density of states) as well as the presence (or absence) of free carriers, dopants, defects, etc. Ultimately, our goal is to make low-noise, phase-sensitive room temperature measurements of the frequency-dependent conductivity of thin films from microwave frequencies into the far-infrared; covering, the frequency range from ionic and dipole relaxation to atomic and electronic processes. To this end, we have developed a high-Q (quality factor) open cavity resonator capable of resolving the complex conductivity of sub-micron films in the range of 100–350 GHz (0.1–0.35 THz, or 0.4–1 meV). In this paper, we use a low-power green laser to excite bound charges in high-resistivity amorphous silicon thin film. Even at room temperature, we can resolve both the dark conductivity and photo-induced changes associated with dielectric relaxation and possibly some small portion of free carriers.
Stabilization of the surface morphology of stressed solids using thermal gradients
Authors: Du Lin , Dasgupta Dwaipayan , Maroudas Dimitrios
Published: May 2014

We examine the surface morphological stability of thermally conducting crystalline elastic solids in uniaxial tension under the action of a temperature gradient. We use linear stability theory and self-consistent dynamical simulations based on a surface mass transport model that accounts for surface thermomigration induced by the applied thermal gradient, surface diffusional anisotropy, and the temperature dependence of surface diffusivity. We find that a properly directed thermal gradient of magnitude higher than a critical value can stabilize the planar surface morphology. Under conditions typical of metallic thin-film interconnects, the required critical thermal gradient is on the order of 100 K/cm.
Anomalous satellite inductive peaks in alternating current response of defective carbon nanotubes
Authors: Hirai Daisuke , Yamamoto Takahiro , Watanabe Satoshi
Published: May 2014

AC response of defective metallic carbon nanotubes is investigated from first principles. We found that capacitive peaks appear at electron scattering states. Moreover, we show that satellite inductive peaks are seen adjacent to a main capacitive peak, which is in contrast to the conductance spectra having no satellite features. The appearance of satellite inductive peaks seems to depend on the scattering states. Our analysis with a simple resonant scattering model reveals that the origin of the satellite inductive peaks can be understood by just one parameter, i.e., the lifetime of electrons at a defect state.
1.5 MeV proton irradiation effects on electrical and structural properties of TiO2/n-Si interface
Authors: Ishfaq M. , Rizwan Khan M. , Bhopal M. F. , Nasim F. , Ali A. , Bhatti A. S. , Ahmed I. , Bhardwaj Sunil , Cepek Cinzia
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we report the effect of 1.5 MeV proton beam irradiation dose on the structural and electrical properties of TiO2 thin films deposited on n–Si substrates. The formation and transformation of different TiO2 phases in the irradiated thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the as grown film was rich in Ti5O9 phase and then converted to mixed phases of TiO2 (rutile and anatase) after exposure with radiation doses up to 5 × 1014 cm−2. The XPS results revealed the formation of oxygen vacancy (negative) traps in the exposed TiO2 films, which showed strong dependence on the dose. The C-V measurements showed that proton radiations also damaged the Si substrate and created deep level defects in the substrate, which caused a shift of 0.26 ± 0.01 V in the flat band voltage (VFB). I–V measurements showed that the ideality factor increased and the rectification ratio dropped with the increase in the radiation dose. The present study showed the stability of TiO2/Si interface and TiO2 film as an oxide layer against proton radiations.
Morphology dependence of interfacial oxidation states of gallium arsenide under near ambient conditions
Authors: Zhang Xueqiang , Lamere Edward , Liu Xinyu , Furdyna Jacek K. , Ptasinska Sylwia
Published: May 2014

The manipulation of semiconductor surfaces by tuning their electronic properties and surface chemistry is an essential ingredient for key applications in areas such as electronics, sensors, and photovoltaic devices. Here, in-situ surface reactions on gallium arsenide (GaAs) are monitored for two morphologies: a simple planar crystalline surface with (100) orientation and an ensemble of GaAs nanowires, both exposed to oxygen environment. A variety of oxide surface species, with a significant enhancement in oxidation states in the case of nanowires, are detected via near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This enhancement in oxidation of GaAs nanowires is due to their higher surface area and the existence of more active sites for O2 dissociation.
Noncontact acousto-thermal evaluation of evolving fatigue damage in polycrystalline Ti-6Al-4V
Authors: Sathish S. , Welter J. T. , Schehl N. , Jata K. V.
Published: May 2014

Non-Contact Acousto-Thermal Signature (NCATS) analysis uses conversion of acoustic energy to heat to characterize evolving damage in materials. In the past, the observed temperature changes were interpreted using phenomenological approaches. This paper presents details of the mechanisms and the theoretical models to predict the temperature change due to conversion of acoustic energy to heat. NCATS experimental measurements performed using 20 kHz high amplitude acoustic waves on as received and fatigued polycrystalline Ti-6Al-4V are compared with theoretical calculations based on the mechanisms of transverse thermal currents, inter-crystalline thermal currents, and dislocation density changes. In the as received samples, the transverse thermal currents contribution has been found to be negligible compared with inter-crystalline thermal currents contribution. The experimentally measured maximum temperature change in the as received sample has been found to be 0.5 °C, and the theoretical prediction based on inter-crystalline thermal currents is 0.08 °C. In the fatigue damaged samples, the maximum temperature change increases with increasing damage that can be attributed to the increasing dislocation density. The theoretical prediction of the maximum temperature attained by a sample that is near failure based on dislocation contribution is 2.0 °C, while the experimental measurements have been found to be 0.95 °C. The differences between the theoretical and the experimental measurements are discussed in the context of the uncertainties in several physical parameters used in the theoretical calculations.
Physics of forced magnetic reconnection in coaxial helicity injection experiments in National Spherical Torus Experiment
Authors: Ebrahimi F. , Raman R. , Hooper E. B. , Sovinec C. R. , Bhattacharjee A.
Published: May 2014

We numerically examine the physics of fast flux closure in transient coaxial helicity injection (CHI) experiments in National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). By performing resistive Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations with poloidal injector coil currents held constant in time, we find that closed flux surfaces are formed through forced magnetic reconnection. Through a local Sweet-Parker type reconnection with an elongated current sheet in the injector region, closed flux surfaces expand in the NSTX global domain. Simulations demonstrate outflows approaching poloidally Alfvénic flows and reconnection times consistent with the Sweet-Parker model. Critical requirements for magnetic reconnection and flux closure are studied in detail. These primary effects, which are magnetic diffusivity, injector flux, injector flux footprint width, and rate of injector voltage reduction, are simulated for transient CHI experiments. The relevant time scales for effective reconnection are τV<τrec≈τAS(1+Pm)1/4<τR, where τV is the time for the injector voltage reduction, τA is the poloidal Alfvén transit time, τR is the global resistive diffusion time, and Pm and S are Prandtl and Lundquist numbers.
Measurement of transient atomic displacements in thin films with picosecond and femtometer resolution
Authors: Kozina M. , Hu T. , Wittenberg J. S. , Szilagyi E. , Trigo M. , Miller T. A. , Uher C. , Damodaran A. , Martin L. , Mehta A. , Corbett J. , Safranek J. , Reis D. A. , Lindenberg A. M.
Published: May 2014

We report measurements of the transient structural response of weakly photo-excited thin films of BiFeO3, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3, and Bi and time-scales for interfacial thermal transport. Utilizing picosecond x-ray diffraction at a 1.28 MHz repetition rate with time resolution extending down to 15 ps, transient changes in the diffraction angle are recorded. These changes are associated with photo-induced lattice strains within nanolayer thin films, resolved at the part-per-million level, corresponding to a shift in the scattering angle three orders of magnitude smaller than the rocking curve width and changes in the interlayer lattice spacing of fractions of a femtometer. The combination of high brightness, repetition rate, and stability of the synchrotron, in conjunction with high time resolution, represents a novel means to probe atomic-scale, near-equilibrium dynamics.
Vibration-induced Wenzel-Cassie wetting transition on microstructured hydrophobic surfaces
Authors: Lei Wei , Jia Zhi-Hai , He Ji-Chang , Cai Tai-Min , Wang Gang
Published: May 2014

Wetting transitions were studied with vertically vibrated droplet on various polydimethylsiloxane surfaces with square array of pillars. Our experiments show that the increase of the pillar spacing, at each given frequency, leads to a decrease of the critical amplitude (which is required to achieve a Wenzel to Cassie transition). The physical mechanism of Wenzel-Cassie transition by vibration is presented. Compared with other studies of wetting transition by vibration, we demonstrate that Wenzel-Cassie transition comes up when R(θ)fn2Acr2≈const (where fn is the resonance frequency, Acr is the threshold amplitude, and R(θ) is the initial radius of the droplet).
The asymmetric magnetization reversal in exchange biased granular Co/CoO films
Authors: Wu R. , Wei J. Z. , Peng X. L. , Fu J. B. , Liu S. Q. , Zhang Y. , Xia Y. H. , Wang C. S. , Yang Y. C. , Yang J. B.
Published: May 2014

A special kind of asymmetric magnetization reversal characterized by a sharp step in the second quadrant of the hysteresis loop has been investigated in the exchange biased Co/CoO films. This asymmetry only exists in the film where the small clusters grow to form islands. A bimodal distribution of the first-order reversal curves diagram demonstrates that the irreversible magnetization reversal is composed of the free part and exchange biased part, originating from the grains smaller and larger than 6 nm in the film, respectively. The finite-size effect of the antiferromagnetic anisotropy in the ultrafine grains is responsible for this asymmetry.
Bark and woody tissue photosynthesis: a means to avoid hypoxia or anoxia in developing stem tissues
Authors: Wittmann Christiane , Pfanz Hardy
Published: May 2014

In woody plants, oxygen transport and delivery via the xylem sap are well described, but the contribution of bark and woody tissue photosynthesis to oxygen delivery in stems is poorly understood. Here, we combined stem chlorophyll fluorescence measurements with microsensor quantifications of bark O2 levels and oxygen gas exchange measurements of isolated current-year stem tissues of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) to investigate how bark and woody tissue photosynthesis impairs the oxygen status of stems. Measurements were made before bud break, when the axial path of oxygen supply via the xylem sap is impeded. At that time, bark O2 levels showed O2 concentrations below the atmospheric concentration, indicating hypoxic conditions or O2 deficiency within the inner bark, but the values were always far away from anoxic. Under illumination bark and woody tissue photosynthesis rapidly increased internal oxygen concentrations compared with plants in the dark, and thereby counteracted against localised hypoxia. The highest photosynthetic activity and oxygen release rates were found in the outermost cortex tissues. By contrast, rates of woody tissue photosynthesis were considerably lower, due to the high light attenuation of the bark and cortex tissues, as well as resistances in radial oxygen diffusion. Therefore, our results confirm that bark and woody tissue photosynthesis not only play a role in plant carbon economy, but may also be important for preventing low oxygen-limitations of respiration in these dense and metabolically active tissues.
Primary productivity induced by iron and nitrogen in the Tasman Sea: an overview of the PINTS expedition
Authors: Hassler C. S. , Ridgway K. R. , Bowie A. R. , Butler E. C. V. , Clementson L. A. , Doblin M. A. , Davies D. M. , Law C. , Ralph P. J. , van der Merwe P. , Watson R. , Ellwood M. J.
Published: May 2014

The Tasman Sea and the adjacent subantarctic zone (SAZ) are economically important regions, where the parameters controlling the phytoplankton community composition and carbon fixation are not yet fully resolved. Contrasting nutrient distributions, as well as phytoplankton biomass, biodiversity and productivity were observed between the North Tasman Sea and the SAZ. In situ photosynthetic efficiency (FV/FM), dissolved and particulate nutrients, iron biological uptake, and nitrogen and carbon fixation were used to determine the factor-limiting phytoplankton growth and productivity in the North Tasman Sea and the SAZ. Highly productive cyanobacteria dominated the North Tasman Sea. High atmospheric nitrogen fixation and low nitrate dissolved concentrations indicated that non-diazotroph phytoplankton are nitrogen limited. Deck-board incubations also suggested that, at depth, iron could limit eukaryotes, but not cyanobacteria in that region. In the SAZ, the phytoplankton community was dominated by a bloom of haptophytes. The low productivity in the SAZ was mainly explained by light limitation, but nitrogen, silicic acid as well as iron were all depleted to the extent that they could become co-limiting. This study illustrates the challenge associated with identification of the limiting nutrient, as it varied between phytoplankton groups, depths and sites.
Knowledge and satisfaction of pharmacists attending an educational workshop on evidence-based management of low back pain
Authors: Abdel Shaheed Christina , Maher Christopher G. , Mak Wendy , Williams Kylie A. , McLachlan Andrew J.
Published: May 2014

Pharmacists are well positioned to provide quality care to people with low back pain (LBP). Education and training can equip pharmacists with the knowledge to optimally manage LBP in primary care. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and satisfaction of pharmacists who attended a 2-h educational workshop on the evidence-based management of LBP. Case-based learning, underpinned by key adult learning principles, was one teaching method used to deliver important educational messages. Knowledge was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice, true/false questions and a written vignette based on a real-life clinical case scenario. Written feedback from pharmacists was used to gauge the success and limitations of the intervention. One hundred and ninety-three pharmacists completed the in-house assessment. Pharmacists demonstrated an accurate understanding of evidence-based pharmacological management of LBP, with all identifying paracetamol as the first-line drug choice for non-specific LBP. Ninety-nine per cent of pharmacists identified the symptoms presented in the vignette as a syndrome representing a significant clinical red flag requiring urgent referral. This educational intervention has delivered key messages on LBP management to pharmacists. There is a continued need for educational interventions addressing common conditions.
Ultrabroadband infrared nanospectroscopic imaging
Authors: Bechtel Hans A. , Muller Eric A. , Olmon Robert L. , Martin Michael C. , Raschke Markus B.
Published: May 2014

Significance

Through direct measurement of intrinsic vibrational and electronic modes, infrared spectroscopy provides label-free, chemical characterization of molecules and solids. The long micrometer-sized wavelength of infrared light, however, has limited the application of this widely applied spectroscopic technique to ensemble studies, preventing nanoscale spatially resolved spectroscopy of heterogeneous materials. We overcome this limitation by combining scattering-scanning near-field optical microscopy with broadband infrared synchrotron radiation. Using this synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy (SINS) technique, we achieve spectroscopic imaging over the entire midinfrared with nanometer spatial resolution and high sensitivity. With a spatial resolution 100–1,000 times better than conventional FTIR microscopy, SINS enables the investigation of nanoscale phenomena in soft matter, even under ambient and environmental conditions that are essentially inaccessible by other techniques.
Antibiotics induce redox-related physiological alterations as part of their lethality
Authors: Dwyer Daniel J. , Belenky Peter A. , Yang Jason H. , MacDonald I. Cody , Martell Jeffrey D. , Takahashi Noriko , Chan Clement T. Y. , Lobritz Michael A. , Braff Dana , Schwarz Eric G. , Ye Jonathan D. , Pati Mekhala , Vercruysse Maarten , Ralifo Paul S. , Allison Kyle R. , Khalil Ahmad S. , Ting Alice Y. , Walker Graham C. , Collins James J.
Published: May 2014

Significance

Substantial knowledge exists about how antibiotics interfere with core bacterial processes by binding to specific targets. Recently it has become appreciated that blocking these functions alters cellular redox state, and these perturbations may contribute to the lethality of antibiotics. In this work we explore whether antibiotic treatment of bacteria affects cellular oxidative stress and the role of such stress in antibiotic-mediated killing. We find that antibiotics dynamically alter cellular respiration and induce lethal levels of intracellular hydrogen peroxide. Antioxidants, including oxidative stress defense proteins, significantly reduce the killing by antibiotics, which is highly sensitive to the presence of molecular oxygen. These findings underscore the complex nature of antibiotic action and suggest practical approaches to enhancing our current antibiotic arsenal.
Inflammasome activation causes dual recruitment of NLRC4 and NLRP3 to the same macromolecular complex
Authors: Man Si Ming , Hopkins Lee J. , Nugent Eileen , Cox Susan , Glück Ivo M. , Tourlomousis Panagiotis , Wright John A. , Cicuta Pietro , Monie Tom P. , Bryant Clare E.
Published: May 2014

Significance

The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family members, NLRC4 and NLRP3, activate the inflammasome to provide host defenses against infection. The precise molecular constituents of an inflammasome are unknown; however, it is believed that receptor-specific complexes containing apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase activation and recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase-1 are formed. Here, we used confocal and superresolution microscopy to show that in macrophages infected with
Salmonella
Typhimurium, a pathogen that activates two distinct NLRs, ASC forms an outer ring-like structure that comprises NLRC4, NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-8, and pro–IL-1β within the same macromolecular complex. These results suggest that the inflammasome is a highly dynamic macromolecular protein complex capable of recruiting different NLRs and effectors to coordinate inflammasome responses to infection.
Affective boundaries in a landscape of shame
Authors: Lechuga Michael
Published: May 2014

Alabama House Bill (HB) 56 passed in 2011 and was written by Kris Kobach. The bill targets migrant groups, pressuring them to “self-deport”. Kobach’s language subjugates migrants in a way that defines their bodies with shame. I am interested in how Goodnight and Natanson conceive of risk in the practice of social argumentation. For that, I employ philosophical perspectives of affect to reconsider language as relational, and demonstrate how affective language moves bodies. I then consider the channeling of affect and the ways negative affects get strategically directed at defined subject-individuals, shifting presumption of not belonging onto those bodies exhibiting migrant characteristics within the state. Affect, modulated through language, creates affective boundaries, and I demonstrate how Kobach obliges citizens of Alabama to participate in both the shaming of the undocumented migrant and the maintenance of the affective boundary keeping the undocumented migrant body from citizenship.
Redox status and antioxidant response in professional cyclists during training
Authors: Leonardo‐Mendonça Roberto Carlos , Concepción‐Huertas Melquiades , Guerra‐Hernández Eduardo , Zabala Mikel , Escames Germaine , Acuña‐Castroviejo Darío
Published: May 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate whether different phases of training affect oxidative stress and antioxidant defences in professional cyclists. Ten professional cyclists, aged 21.8 ± 2.5 years, were enrolled in the study. They were classified into two groups of five athletes each one with similar nutritional intake excepting for the overload of vitamin C (1000 mg day−1) and E (400 mg day−1) supplementation in one of them. The cyclists of both groups performed the same exercise design, consisting of hard, tapering and recovery training periods. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the diet, plasma oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC), lipid peroxidation (LPO), DNA damage (8‐OHdG) and erythrocyte glutathione disulfide/glutathione ratio (GSSG:GSH−1) were measured. During the intense exercise trainings, the cyclists without vitamin supplements had the TAC of diet significantly lower than the supplemented group. Plasma ORAC, LPO and 8‐OHdG were similar in both groups of athletes. Athletes with supplements had a basal LPO:ORAC−1 ratio lower than that without supplements, but this ratio converged to the same level at the end of the training in both groups of cyclists. Both groups of cyclists showed similar changes in GSSG:GSH−1 ratio and in GSSG and GSH levels along the study. The data suggest that well‐trained athletes with suitable ultra‐endurance training volume and intensity do not require antioxidant vitamin supplements to adapt their endogenous antioxidant defenses to exercise‐induced ROS.
Maintain the Gain: Program to Sustain Performance Improvement in Environmental Cleaning
Authors: Rupp Mark E. , Fitzgerald Theresa , Sholtz Lee , Lyden Elizabeth , Carling Philip
Published: May 2014

Sustaining performance is a difficult and often overlooked aspect of quality improvement and implementation science. Over a 4-year period, we observed that monthly feedback of performance data in face-to-face meetings with frontline personnel was crucial in maintaining environmental-cleaning effectiveness in adult critical care units.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2014;35(7):866–868
Efficiency in Education: Research and Implications
Authors: Grosskopf Shawna , Hayes Kathy J. , Taylor Lori L.
Published: May 2014

In this paper we explore some of the policy issues related to the provision of primary and secondary education in the United States from an economic standpoint. We begin with stylized facts and a brief reference to the uniquely decentralized financing and delivery of public education in the United States, and the resulting issues of equity and quality that arise. As a reference point we review the basic efficiency and equity arguments for public financing and the provision of public goods in general, and education specifically, both of which suggest that current practices are unlikely to be efficient or equitable. These are issues that have motivated a number of policy avenues—the accountability movement, including No Child Left Behind, as well as recent efforts to establish higher and uniform standards for our public schools. We then turn to the sizable body of literature assessing school performance. We include an empirical example of this approach for Texas primary and secondary schools, with a focus on the many challenging issues involved with modeling and assessing educational performance.

Our application demonstrates that research findings are highly sensitive to modeling choices, suggesting that a mixed methods approach is most likely to lead to effective education reforms.
Crop Supply Dynamics and the Illusion of Partial Adjustment
Authors: Hendricks Nathan P. , Smith Aaron , Sumner Daniel A.
Published: May 2014

We use field‐level data to estimate the response of corn and soybean acreage to price shocks. Our sample contains more than 8 million observations derived from satellite imagery and includes every cultivated field in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. We estimate that aggregate crop acreage responds more to price shocks in the short run than in the long run, and we show theoretically how the benefits of crop rotation generate this response pattern. In essence, farmers who change crops due to a price shock have an incentive to switch back to the previous crop to capture the benefits of crop rotation. Our result contradicts the long‐held belief that agricultural supply responds gradually to price shocks through partial adjustment. We would not have obtained this result had we used county‐level panel data. Standard econometric methods applied to county‐level data produce estimates consistent with partial adjustment. We show that this apparent partial adjustment is illusory, and we demonstrate how it arises from the fact that fields in the same county are more similar to each other than to fields in other counties. This result underscores the importance of using models with appropriate micro‐foundations and cautions against inferring micro‐level rigidities from inertia in aggregate panel data. Our preferred estimate of the own‐price long‐run elasticity of corn acreage is 0.29, and the cross‐price elasticity is −0.22. The corresponding elasticities for soybean acreage are 0.26 and −0.33. Our estimated short‐run elasticities are 37% larger than their long‐run counterparts.
‘A Memorial and a Pledge of Faith’: Portraiture and Early Modern Diplomatic Culture
Authors: Sowerby Tracey A.
Published: May 2014

Portraits of rulers, medals, and other images of politicians were widely used within early modern diplomatic practice. Historians have long appreciated the role of portrait exchange in early modern royal marriage negotiations. Far less appreciated are the prevalence of portrait exchanges between European monarchs outside of marriage negotiations and the diplomatic uses made of these, and other, royal portraits. Diplomatic art operated within a ceremonial and symbolic system where even small distinctions were imbued with considerable significance and where reciprocity, honour, prestige, magnificence, friendship, and concepts of gift-giving were crucial components in constructing its diplomatic meaning. Rulers’ images played an important role in diplomatic strategy; their display advertised current and past political alliances and suggested the direction of future policy, while portrait gifts and personal interactions with portraits during diplomatic audiences created political intimacies, established confidences, and helped to maintain relations in strained circumstances.
Wiring miRNAs to pathways: a topological approach to integrate miRNA and mRNA expression profiles
Authors: Calura Enrica , Martini Paolo , Sales Gabriele , Beltrame Luca , Chiorino Giovanna , D’Incalci Maurizio , Marchini Sergio , Romualdi Chiara
Published: May 2014

The production rate of gene expression data is nothing less than astounding. However, with the benefit of hindsight we can assert that, since we completely ignored the non-coding part of the transcriptome, we spent the last decade to study cell mechanisms having few data in our hands. In this scenario, microRNAs, which are key post-trascriptional regulators, deserve special attention. Given the state of knowledge about their biogenesis, mechanisms of action and the numerous experimentally validated target genes, miRNAs are also gradually appearing in the formal pathway representations such as KEGG and Reactome maps. However, the number of miRNAs annotated in pathway maps are very few and pathway analyses exploiting this new regulatory layer are still lacking. To fill these gaps, we present ‘micrographite’ a new pipeline to perform topological pathway analysis integrating gene and miRNA expression profiles. Here, micrographite is used to study and dissect the epithelial ovarian cancer gene and miRNA transcriptome defining and validating a new regulatory circuit related to ovarian cancer histotype specificity.
Medicine
Authors: Salguero C. Pierce
Published: May 2014

Knowledge about physical health and disease has held a central place within Buddhist thought, and healing has remained a persistent part of Buddhist practice since the earliest times. Though there is no universally agreed-upon term, Buddhist perspectives on health, disease, healers, patients, and therapies are typically spoken of by East Asian scholars and devotees as “Buddhist medicine” (Ch. foyi佛醫 or fojiao yixue佛教醫學, Jp. bukkyō igaku仏教医学), and this terminology is used here as a convenient shorthand for a complex topic. The earliest expressions of medical doctrine in Indian Buddhist texts are closely related to ideas found in Āyurveda and have suggestive similarities with other Eurasian medical systems (including Hippocratic, Galenic, and Islamic medicine) as well. Integrated into Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and ritual, these core doctrines and perspectives were influential in India and China, and they came to be spread as far as Iran, Mongolia, Japan, and Indonesia. Healer-monks and monastic medical institutions played a major role in this dissemination, as did the large-scale translation of texts concerning a wide range of Buddhist medical topics. In the early 21st century, many of the ideas and practices imported from India continue to lie at the foundation of traditions of medicine in Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other parts of Buddhist Asia. At the same time that Buddhist medicine can be understood as a transnational or cross-cultural phenomenon, however, it has always been reinterpreted locally through the lenses of the many cultures that have adopted it. Historians working on Buddhist medicine have thus focused both on the transmission of medical knowledge to new cultures and societies, as well as on the unique ideological and rhetorical uses of Buddhism by medical practitioners in many specific historical and modern settings. Social scientists have studied the degree to which Buddhist values continue to inform health policy in Asian countries and the complexities of the relationship between Buddhism and biomedicine. This article includes a selective range of scholarship on the history and modern relationship between Buddhism and medicine, with a focus on the former. Scientific studies on the health benefits of meditation, health policy advocacy, and works of a nonscholarly nature geared toward practitioners and devotees are excluded. Also omitted are topics tangential to matters of physical health, such as mental health, conceptions of the body, bioethics, the science of meditation, and so forth. Many publications of all of the above types are available and are covered in other Oxford Bibliographies in Buddhism articles, such as “Buddhism in Psychology and Psychotherapy,” “Buddhism and the Body,” and “Meditation.”
Buddhism and Abortion
Authors: Keown Damien
Published: May 2014

In Buddhist countries, abortion is not the controversial issue it is in the West. There is comparatively little public debate surrounding it, and, in marked contrast to the voluminous multidisciplinary literature available in the West, little has been published on the subject from a Buddhist perspective. Accordingly, there are gaps in the scholarly coverage, and the researcher familiar with Western studies on abortion is likely to be disappointed with the limited range of material currently available. The reasons for the comparatively low level of interest are not altogether clear, and the literature itself sheds little light on this question. One reason may be the greater reticence on the part of religious leaders in Buddhist societies to comment publicly on controversial issues. Buddhism is also less prescriptive in its ethico-religious rules than the Abrahamic traditions, and Buddhist monastics would rarely be called upon for advice or guidance by the laity on matters of abortion or family planning. Monks and nuns follow their own code of monastic law (Vinaya), which enjoins celibacy and prohibits them from any involvement in the taking of life, explicitly including abortion. The first of the five precepts followed by the laity also prohibits the taking of human life, and abortion is generally regarded as falling under this prohibition and therefore is considered morally wrong. Nevertheless, and despite the existence of restrictive laws in many countries, large numbers of abortions—both legal and illegal—are performed each year by Buddhists throughout Asia.
Madhyamaka
Authors: Donnelly Paul B.
Published: May 2014

The Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school, along with the Yogācāra, is one of the two major schools of Indian Mahayana Buddhist thought, which flourished there from the 3rd century ce to the final destruction of Buddhism in India in about the 12th century. It was carried to East Asia and Tibet prior to this time and continues there to this day, surviving in scholastic Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, and even Pure Land, frequently regarded as the cornerstone of Mahayana thought. The name “middle way” refers to a fundamental claim in Buddhism that the teachings of the Buddha constitute a middle way between eternalism and annihilationism; that is, between the doctrine that things have a stable and eternal essence, and the doctrine that things pass utterly out of existence when they cease. “Mādhyamika” is the adjectival form that refers to adherents of the Madhyamaka school. Though central Madhyamaka ideas such as the Two Truths and Emptiness can be found in Nikaya Buddhism and in Mahayana sutras, it is with the treatises of Nāgārjuna (2nd–3rd centuries ce) that we have a fully formed and distinct system of thought that we can call Madhyamaka. In Nāgārjuna’s texts, he subjects all phenomena, including the Abhidharma categories of dharmas and the structure of the Two Truths, to radical analysis, declaring all things, including the Four Noble Truths and the Buddha himself, to be empty of inherent nature. For the Abhidharmikas, dharmas possess their characteristics intrinsically, which make them uniquely what they are, despite accepting the paradigmatic Buddhist position that all things exist dependently. Nāgārjuna and the Mādhyamikas assert that dharmas cannot possess their own nature precisely because they exist dependently. In place of inherent nature, Nāgārjuna asserts that things exist only dependently, at least in conventional terms, and that ultimately, emptiness of inherent nature is the truth and reality of all things. Not surprisingly, numerous interpreters arose to elucidate this difficult philosophy. The question of which commentator is definitive has occupied many generations of Indian, East Asian, and Tibetan Buddhists, and the issue remains very much alive in modern scholarship. Much of the interest in Western scholarship has come, unsurprisingly, from philosophy, but it warrants noting that the intent of Madhyamaka, like all Buddhist thought, is primarily soteriological in nature.
J. L. Austin
Authors: Longworth Guy
Published: May 2014

John Langshaw Austin (b. 1911–d. 1960) was White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He made a number of contributions in various areas of philosophy, including important work on knowledge, perception, action, freedom, truth, language, and the use of language in speech acts. Distinctions that Austin drew in his work on speech acts—in particular his distinction between locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts—have assumed something like canonical status in more recent work. His work on knowledge and perception figures centrally in some recent work on these topics, especially with respect to questions about the nature of episodes of seeing and the way they can figure in enabling us to know things about our environments. His work on meaning and truth has played an important role in recent discussions of the extent to which sentence meaning can be accounted for in terms of truth-conditions. His work on action and freedom has played a role in some more recent discussions. However, Austin is often aligned with an approach to philosophical questions that focuses heavily on the way we use ordinary language. Many philosophers who are skeptical about the value of that approach are therefore skeptical about the worth of some of Austin’s work.
Jean-Paul Sartre
Authors: Skirke Christian
Published: May 2014

Jean-Paul Sartre (b. 1905–d. 1980) was one of the most influential public intellectuals of the twentieth century and one of the very few philosophers to share this distinction. His prominence was primarily due to the fact that he was a prolific writer of short stories, novels, and plays as well as the author of numerous journalistic interventions in domestic and international politics. His wide-ranging oeuvre played a seminal role in anchoring existentialism in French culture and in popularizing existentialist ideas globally. Scholarship on Sartre reflects the diversity of his interests and engagements. This article is limited to philosophical perspectives on his writings, including literary aesthetics and decolonial theory. In his early works between Transcendence of the Ego (TE) and Being and Nothingness (BN), Sartre develops an existential philosophy that is inspired by Husserl’s phenomenology and Heidegger’s fundamental ontology. Later on, in his writings leading up to and including the Critique of Dialectical Reason (CDR), Sartre adopts a historically informed stance that is in close dialogue with Marxist ideas and contrasts with the individualism of his earlier works. Owing to Sartre’s nonacademic style and bold revisionism, established readings even of his most important works are a rather recent phenomenon and do not reach beyond BN. A contributing factor to this uneven reception may be that defending or criticizing Sartre’s later attempts to fuse existentialism with Marxism is much less urgent today than at Sartre’s time of writing. Indeed, the heated debates about Sartre’s existentialism during his lifetime have left virtually no legacy. To the contrary, the polemics surrounding his work seem to have delayed the philosophical reception of Sartre’s philosophy. An exception to this rule is the long-standing presence of his writings in decolonial discussions and the philosophy of race. Sartre contributed introductions to foundational texts of this discourse, Senghor’s classic anthology of African and Caribbean poetry, Memmi’s reflections on colonialism, and Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth. These introductions, together with his essay on antisemitism, his programmatic lecture Existentialism is a Humanism, and his existential-phenomenological perspective on agency from BN, are still relevant for philosophical debates on race, racism, and the aftermath of colonialism. Furthermore, the recent renaissance of phenomenology, especially in the philosophy of mind, has generated renewed interest in Sartre’s non-egological conception of consciousness, his account of the emotions, his controversial views on self-deception, and his treatment of the topic of others.
Green Criminology
Authors: South Nigel , Brisman Avi , McClanahan Bill
Published: May 2014

In recent years, a strand of criminology explicitly concerned with “green” or natural environmental issues has emerged, aiming to place a primary emphasis on the matter of harms and crimes affecting the environment and the planet, and addressing issues such as climate change; natural resource extraction and exploitation; pollution of air, land, and water; biodiversity loss; and wildlife trafficking. The case has been made for a “green perspective” within criminology—an approach that seeks neither to propose a definitive theory with respect to the causes of environmental crime or harm nor to offer a specific set of solutions, but more modestly sets forth an argument that criminology should be more sensitive to the extent and implications of these urgent and globally important matters. Arguably, this orientation for criminology reflects the times and in that sense there is a degree of inevitability about its arrival from the early 1990s onward. The development of a “green criminology” has led to an international community of common interest concerned with the biophysical and socioeconomic consequences of various sources of threat and damage to the environment. Major themes, topics, and problems that have been examined include pollution and its regulation; corporate criminality and its impact on the environment; health and safety in the workplace where breaches of regulations and law have environmentally damaging consequences; the involvement of organized crime and official corruption in the illegal disposal of toxic waste; the impact and legacy of law enforcement and military operations on air quality, landscapes, water supply, and living organisms inhabiting these areas; as well as forms of regulation, law enforcement, and prosecution relevant to such acts and omissions. Green criminological research, as it has developed, covers environmental damage and destruction (both as proscribed by law and defined as “crimes” and those harms that are not); environmental laws (i.e., administrative, criminal, and civil, applied via a governmental agency or the criminal justice system, and including enforcement measures and court proceedings, prosecution, and sentencing); and environmental regulation (e.g., systems and processes for purposes of protection and monitoring). As recognized in the natural sciences and most policy circles, the resources of the Earth are finite and this has implications that criminology is well-placed to examine in cases where problems such as abuse, conflict, corruption, exploitation, law-breaking, rule-avoidance, manslaughter, and murder can all be identified. In this article, we note (1) General Introductions and Overviews; (2) Early Contributions and Developments; (3) Conceptualizations and Alternative Formulations; (4) Topics of Study in Green Criminology; (5) Responses to Environmental Harm (2000–2005) and (2006–2011); and (6) Future Directions.