bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VUV photoionization and dissociative photoionization of the prebiotic molecule acetyl cyanide: Theory and experiment
Authors: Bellili A. , Schwell M. , Bénilan Y. , Fray N. , Gazeau M.-C. , Mogren Al-Mogren M. , Guillemin J.-C. , Poisson L. , Hochlaf M.
Published: October 2014

The present combined theoretical and experimental investigation concerns the single photoionization of gas-phase acetyl cyanide and the fragmentation pathways of the resulting cation. Acetyl cyanide (AC) is inspired from both the chemistry of cyanoacetylene and the Strecker reaction which are thought to be at the origin of medium sized prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium. AC can be formed by reaction from cyanoacetylene and water but also from acetaldehyde and HCN or the corresponding radicals. In view of the interpretation of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) experimental data obtained using synchrotron radiation, we explored the ground potential energy surface (PES) of acetyl cyanide and of its cation using standard and recently implemented explicitly correlated methodologies. Our PES covers the regions of tautomerism (between keto and enol forms) and of the lowest fragmentation channels. This allowed us to deduce accurate thermochemical data for this astrobiologically relevant molecule. Unimolecular decomposition of the AC cation turns out to be very complex. The implications for the evolution of prebiotic molecules under VUV irradiation are discussed.
Applicability of a particularly simple model to nonlinear elasticity of slide-ring gels with movable cross-links as revealed by unequal biaxial deformation
Authors: Kondo Yuuki , Urayama Kenji , Kidowaki Masatoshi , Mayumi Koichi , Takigawa Toshikazu , Ito Kohzo
Published: October 2014

The strain energy density function (F) of the polyrotaxane-based slide-ring (SR) gels with movable cross-links along the network strands is characterized by unequal biaxial stretching which can achieve various types of deformation. The SR gels as prepared without any post-preparation complication exhibit considerably smaller values of the ratio of the stresses (σy/σx) in the stretched (x) and constrained (y) directions in planar extension than classical chemical gels with heterogeneous and nearly homogeneous network structures do. This feature of the SR gels leads to the peculiar characteristic that the strain energy density function (F) has no explicit cross term of strains in different directions, which is in contrast to F with explicit strain cross terms for most chemical gels and elastomers. The biaxial stress-strain data of the SR gels are successfully described by F of the Gent model with only two parameters (small-strain shear modulus and a parameter representing ultimate elongation), which introduces the finite extensibility effect into the neo-Hookean model with no explicit cross term of strain. The biaxial data of the deswollen SR gels examined in previous study, which underwent a considerable reduction in volume from the preparation state, are also well described by the Gent model, which is in contrast to the case of the classical chemical gels that the stress-strain relations before and after large deswelling are not described by a common type of F due to a significant degree of collapse of the network strands in the deswollen state. These intriguing features of nonlinear elasticity of the SR gels originate from a novel function of the slidable cross-links that can maximize the arrangement entropy of cross-linked and non-cross-linked cyclic molecules in the deformed networks.
Experimental optimization of beam quality extracted from a duoplasmatron proton ion source
Authors: Batygin Y. K. , Draganic I. N. , Fortgang C. M.
Published: October 2014

The LANSCE accelerator facility operates with two independent ion injectors for H+ and H− particle beams. The H+ ion beam is formed using a duoplasmatron source followed by a 750 keV Cockroft-Walton accelerating column. Formation of an optimal plasma meniscus is an important feature for minimizing beam emittance, and maximizing beam brightness. A series of experiments were performed to find the optimal combination of extraction voltage and extracted current for the H+ beam. Measurements yielded the best ratio of beam perveance to Child–Langmuir perveance of 0.52 for maximizing beam brightness.
A clip-on Zeeman slower using toroidal permanent magnets
Authors: Krzyzewski S. P. , Akin T. G. , Dahal Parshuram , Abraham E. R. I.
Published: October 2014

We present the design of a zero-crossing Zeeman slower for 85Rb using rings of flexible permanent magnets. The design is inexpensive, requires no power or cooling, and can be easily attached and removed for vacuum maintenance. We show theoretically that such a design can reproduce a magnetic field profile of a standard zero-crossing Zeeman slower. Experimental measurements of a prototype and comparisons to theoretical simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the design and point toward future improvements. Simulations show an atom flux similar to other Zeeman slowers.
The Peltier driven frequency domain approach in thermal analysis
Authors: Marchi Andrea De , Giaretto Valter
Published: October 2014

The merits of Frequency Domain analysis as a tool for thermal system characterization are discussed, and the complex thermal impedance approach is illustrated. Pure AC thermal flux generation with negligible DC component is possible with a Peltier device, differently from other existing methods in which a significant DC component is intrinsically attached to the generated AC flux. Such technique is named here Peltier Driven Frequency Domain (PDFD). As a necessary prerequisite, a novel one-dimensional analytical model for an asymmetrically loaded Peltier device is developed, which is general enough to be useful in most practical situations as a design tool for measurement systems and as a key for the interpretation of experimental results. Impedance analysis is possible with Peltier devices by the inbuilt Seebeck effect differential thermometer, and is used in the paper for an experimental validation of the analytical model. Suggestions are then given for possible applications of PDFD, including the determination of thermal properties of materials.
Low-frequency collective dynamics in deep eutectic solvents of acetamide and electrolytes: A femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopic study
Authors: Biswas Ranjit , Das Anuradha , Shirota Hideaki
Published: October 2014

In this study, we have investigated the ion concentration dependent collective dynamics in two series of deep eutectic solvent (DES) systems by femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy, as well as some physical properties, e.g., shear viscosity (η), density (ρ), and surface tension (γ). The DES systems studied here are [0.75CH3CONH2 + 0.25{f KSCN + (1 – f )NaSCN}] and [0.78CH3CONH2 + 0.22{f LiBr + (1 – f )LiNO3}] with f = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0. γ of these DES systems shows near insensitivity to f, while ρ shows a moderate dependence on f. Interestingly, η exhibits a strong dependence on f. In the low-frequency Kerr spectra, obtained via the Fourier transform of the collected Kerr transients, a characteristic band at ∼70 cm−1 is clear in [0.78CH3CONH2 + 0.22{f LiBr + (1 – f )LiNO3}] DES especially at the larger f. The band is attributed to the intermolecular hydrogen bond of acetamide. Because of less depolarized Raman activities of intermolecular/interionic vibrational motions, which are mostly translational (collision-induced or interaction-induced) motions, of spherical ions, the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding band is clearly observed. In contrast, the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding band is buried in the other intermolecular/interionic vibrational motions, which includes translational and reorientational (librational) motions and their cross-terms, in [0.75CH3CONH2 + 0.25{f KSCN + (1 – f )NaSCN}] system. The first moment (M1) of the intermolecular/interionic vibrational band in these DES systems is much higher than that in typical neutral molecular liquids and shows a weak but contrasting dependence on the bulk parameter $\sqrt {\gamma /\rho }$γ/ρ. The time constants for picosecond overdamped Kerr transients in both the DES systems, which are obtained on the basis of the analysis fitted by a triexponential function, are rather insensitive to f for both the DES systems, but all the three time constants (fast: ∼1–3 ps; intermediate: ∼7–20 ps; and slow: ∼100 ps) are different between the [0.78CH3CONH2 + 0.22{f LiBr + (1 – f )LiNO3}] and [0.75CH3CONH2 + 0.25{f KSCN + (1 – f )NaSCN}] systems. These results indicate that the intermolecular/interionic interactions in DES systems is strongly influenced by the ionic species present in these DES systems.
Communication: Energy-dependent resonance broadening in symmetric and asymmetric molecular junctions from an ab initio non-equilibrium Green's function approach
Authors: Liu Zhen-Fei , Neaton Jeffrey B.
Published: October 2014

The electronic structure of organic-inorganic interfaces often features resonances originating from discrete molecular orbitals coupled to continuum lead states. An example is molecular junction, individual molecules bridging electrodes, where the shape and peak energy of such resonances dictate junction conductance, thermopower, I-V characteristics, and related transport properties. In molecular junctions where off-resonance coherent tunneling dominates transport, resonance peaks in the transmission function are often assumed to be Lorentzian functions with an energy-independent broadening parameter Γ. Here we define a new energy-dependent resonance broadening function, Γ(E), based on diagonalization of non-Hermitian matrices, which can describe resonances of a more complex, non-Lorentzian nature and can be decomposed into components associated with the left and right leads, respectively. We compute this quantity via an ab initio non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) approach based on density functional theory (DFT) for both symmetric and asymmetric molecular junctions, and show that our definition of Γ(E), when combined with Breit-Wigner formula, reproduces the transmission calculated from DFT-NEGF. Through a series of examples, we illustrate how this approach can shed new light on experiments and understanding of junction transport properties in terms of molecular orbitals.
Charge transfer of single laser crystallized intrinsic and phosphorus-doped Si-nanocrystals visualized by Kelvin probe force microscopy
Authors: Xu Jie , Xu Jun , Lu Peng , Shan Dan , Li Wei , Chen Kunji
Published: October 2014

Isolated intrinsic and phosphorus doped (P-doped) Si-nanocrystals (Si-NCs) on n- and p-Si substrates are fabricated by excimer laser crystallization techniques. The formation of Si-NCs is confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and conductive AFM measurements. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is then carried out to visualize the trapped charges in a single Si-NC dot which derives from the charge transfer between Si-NCs and Si substrates due to their different Fermi levels. The laser crystallized P-doped Si-NCs have a similar Fermi level around the mid-gap to the intrinsic counterparts, which might be caused by the inactivated impurity atoms or the surface states-related Fermi level pinning. A clear rise of the Fermi level in P-doped Si-NCs is observed after a short time thermal annealing treatment, indicating the activation of dopants in Si-NCs. Moreover, the surface charge quantity can be estimated using a simple parallel plate capacitor model for a quantitative understanding of the KPFM results at the nanoscale.
Nanowire terahertz quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Grange Thomas
Published: October 2014

Quantum cascade lasers made of nanowire axial heterostructures are proposed. The dissipative quantum dynamics of their carriers is theoretically investigated using non-equilibrium Green functions. Their transport and gain properties are calculated for varying nanowire thickness, from the classical-wire regime to the quantum-wire regime. Our calculation shows that the lateral quantum confinement provided by the nanowires allows an increase of the maximum operation temperature and a strong reduction of the current density threshold compared to conventional terahertz quantum cascade lasers.
The influence of depth-to-groundwater on structure and productivity of Eucalyptus woodlands
Authors: Zolfaghar Sepideh , Villalobos-Vega Randol , Cleverly James , Zeppel Melanie , Rumman Rizwana , Eamus Derek
Published: October 2014

Although it is well documented that access to groundwater can help plants survive drought in arid and semiarid areas, there have been few studies in mesic environments that have evaluated variation of vegetation characteristics across a naturally occurring gradient in depth-to-groundwater (DGW). The aim of this study was to determine whether differences in groundwater depth influence structural attributes and productivity of remnant woodlands in south-eastern Australia. The study area was located in the Kangaloon bore-field area of New South Wales, where DGW varies from 2.4 m to 37.5 m and rainfall is plentiful. We examined structural (leaf-area index, basal area, stem density, tree height, Huber value (HV) and aboveground biomass) and functional (aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP)) attributes of seven woodland sites differing in DGW. We also used ∂13C analysis of sapwood across six sites, along with observed non-linear changes in structural attributes, to infer groundwater use by trees. Significant differences in structural attributes and ANPP were observed across sites. The three shallowest sites with 2.4 m, 4.3 m and 5.5 m DWG had significantly larger aboveground biomass and ANPP than did the four deepest sites (DGW ≥9.8 m). Across all attributes (except HV in the summer, where the mean values were significantly larger at sites where DGW was 5.5 m or less and across the four deeper sites (DGW ≥9.8 m), there were no differences in these three structural traits, nor in ANPP. Despite finding no significant differences in HV across sites in the summer, in winter, the two deepest sites had a significantly larger HV than did the two shallowest sites. Significant increases in ∂13C of sapwood occurred across five of the six sites, consistent with increasing water-use efficiency as DGW increased, reflecting the declining availability of groundwater with increasing DGW. This study has demonstrated that even in a mesic environment, putative access to groundwater can have important impacts on structural and functional traits of trees and, consequently, on woodland productivity.
In Vitro Synergy Between Some Cationic Amphipathic Cyclooctapeptides and Antibiotics
Authors: Ngu-Schwemlein Maria , Dumond Jenna , Rudd Lisa , Rigaud Jean-Herbert
Published: October 2014

The antimicrobial activities of some cationic amphipathic cyclooctapeptides in combination with select antibiotics are investigated. Accordingly, cyclooctapeptides (CPs 1–11) derived from the sequence cyclo[Leu-d-Leu-Leu-d-Leu-Lys-d-Lys-Lys-d-Lys] were tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Synergistic effects were evaluated in combination with tetracycline, chloramphenicol, oflaxacin, rifampicin, colistin, clindamycin, and vancomycin by the checkerboard titration assay. The results show that these cyclooctapeptides are fast acting bactericidals and are comparable to the related α-helical peptides in their activities. Significantly, some of these cyclooctapeptides exert selective synergistic effects in combination with the bacteriostatic tetracycline against S. aureus; a greater than 4-fold decrease in the minimum inhibition concentration was observed. Their synergism with the other evaluated antibiotics was generally partial or additive. Cationic amphipathic cyclooctapeptides in combination with some antibiotics could offer a possible solution to the increasing antimicrobial resistance predicament.
CHD8
regulates neurodevelopmental pathways associated with autism spectrum disorder in neural progenitors
Authors: Sugathan Aarathi , Biagioli Marta , Golzio Christelle , Erdin Serkan , Blumenthal Ian , Manavalan Poornima , Ragavendran Ashok , Brand Harrison , Lucente Diane , Miles Judith , Sheridan Steven D. , Stortchevoi Alexei , Kellis Manolis , Haggarty Stephen J. , Katsanis Nicholas , Gusella James F. , Talkowski Michael E.
Published: October 2014

Significance

Truncating mutation of chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 8 (
CHD8
) represents one of the strongest known risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We mimicked the effects of such heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in neural progenitor cells and integrated RNA sequencing with genome-wide delineation of CHD8 binding. Our results reveal that the molecular mechanism by which
CHD8
alters neurodevelopmental pathways may involve both direct and indirect effects, the latter involving down-regulation following
CHD8
suppression. We also find that
chd8
suppression in zebrafish results in macrocephaly, consistent with observations in patients harboring loss-of-function mutations. We show that reduced expression of
CHD8
impacts a variety of other functionally distinct ASD-associated genes, suggesting that the diverse functions of ASD risk factors may constitute multiple means of triggering a smaller number of final common pathways.
Log-odds sequence logos
Authors: Yu Yi-Kuo , Capra John A. , Stojmirović Aleksandar , Landsman David , Altschul Stephen F.
Published: October 2014

Motivation: DNA and protein patterns are usefully represented by sequence logos. However, the methods for logo generation in common use lack a proper statistical basis, and are non-optimal for recognizing functionally relevant alignment columns.

Results: We redefine the information at a logo position as a per-observation multiple alignment log-odds score. Such scores are positive or negative, depending on whether a column’s observations are better explained as arising from relatedness or chance. Within this framework, we propose distinct normalized maximum likelihood and Bayesian measures of column information. We illustrate these measures on High Mobility Group B (HMGB) box proteins and a dataset of enzyme alignments. Particularly in the context of protein alignments, our measures improve the discrimination of biologically relevant positions.

Availability and implementation: Our new measures are implemented in an open-source Web-based logo generation program, which is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/logoddslogo/index.html . A stand-alone version of the program is also available from this site.

Contact:  altschul@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Co-Existence in the Fields? GM, Organic, and Conventional Food Crops
Authors: Thies Janice E.
Published: October 2014

A central tenet in a free society is the freedom to choose how to conduct one’s life and manage one’s property, with the responsibility to see that these same freedoms are ensured for others. Considerable effort must be expended to enable freedom of choice among a population, particularly in contentious circumstances, and especially in open systems, such as agriculture. The emergence of conventional agriculture, which relies on the heavy use of synthetic, agrochemical inputs required that concessions/compromises be made, largely by organic farmers, to enable conventional and organic agriculture to co-exist. The advent of genetically modified (GM) crops presents unique co-existence issues, particularly in light of the natural ability of transgenic organisms to hybridize, reproduce, and spread in the environment. Means by which the integrity of organic, conventional and GM farming systems might be assured in order to preserve and ensure farmer and consumer choice is discussed.
What is theory for?
Authors: Johnson Matthew H.
Published: October 2014

This chapter is deliberately very simple. It should be read as an introduction, a first step, into the more complex issues discussed elsewhere in this Handbook. It defines theory, and discusses theory’s relationship to practice. It sees theory not as good or as bad, but simply as necessary. It examines the case both for and against explicit reflection on theory, and the case both for and against the existence of specifically archaeological theory. In conclusion, the chapter argues for theory as part of a wider project of learning about the world.
Art and the Literary
Authors: Fraser Hilary
Published: October 2014

This essay explores the creative dialogue between practices of writing, reading, and viewing in the Victorian period evident from the proliferation of new or greatly enhanced intermedial forms: illustrated books and magazines; narrative and genre paintings; pictures with accompanying texts; the portrait as an experimental literary form; fiction about art; ekphrastic poetry; and the new genre of art literature. It asks, what were the historical conditions for this extraordinary syncopation of word and image, writing and seeing? How do we understand the dynamically transformative contexts (a vastly expanding periodical press, new and diversified exhibition cultures, widening opportunities for travel) within which such visual/textual hybrids and doublings were produced and consumed, and in what ways were they constitutive of modernity? The chapter reflects upon ‘visuality’ as a nineteenth-century coinage, and the concept of ‘translation’ between media, discussing work by Frederic Leighton, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Ruskin, Walter Pater, and Oscar Wilde.
Process is How Process Does
Authors: Helin Jenny , Hernes Tor , Hjorth Daniel , Holt Robin
Published: October 2014

Process philosophy originally referred to a small group of philosophers including Henri Bergson, William James, and Alfred North Whitehead as well as Heraclitus. These thinkers view the world processually, working from within things and reversing the relationship between ideas and life. This Handbook explores process philosophy’s relationships to organisation studies by focusing on five aspects: temporality, wholeness, openness and the open self, force, and potentiality. Each article considers the life and work of a specific philosopher, such as Jacques Derrida, Charles Sanders Peirce, George Herbert Mead, Mikhail Bakhtin, Hannah Arendt, and Jacquese Lacan, and how their work could potentially be used to think processually in organization and management studies.
Heraclitus (540–480 BC)
Authors: Nayak Ajit
Published: October 2014

This chapter examines Heraclitus’ philosophy and its relationship to process thinking in organization studies. It argues that thinking with Heraclitus makes us think beyond conventional categories and concepts and rethink our views on organization. After providing an overview of Heraclitus’ life, the chapter looks at his writings and discusses the challenges facing Heraclitus scholars. It also provides a background understanding for a way to read Heraclitus that seriously accounts for linguistic density and resonance, considers the meanings and connections of Heraclitus’ fragments, and outlines the challenges facing organizational scholars in reading and engaging with Heraclitus. Moreover, the chapter analyses the themes of hidden unity, opposition, and transformation that dominate Heraclitus’ fragments and which find their popular expression in the pairing of Heraclitus with Democritus. Finally, the chapter discusses Heraclitus’ concept of knowledge and his use of logos.
Zhuangzi (369 BC)
Authors: Li Yuan , Haiming Wen
Published: October 2014

This chapter examines Zhuangzi, an influential Daoist text written by Zhuang Zhou and named after the Daoist thinker Zhuang Zi (or Chuang-Tzu, c.369–286 BC). It discusses Zhuangzi’s emphasis on the philosopher’s wisdom regarding political and social management, its concept of personal realization, and its concern with social and political order. It also considers Daoism’s notion of wuwei in relation to wuwo (no self), wudai (no reliance), wugong (no merit), and wuming (no name). Furthermore, it looks at the wholeness, equality, relatedness, and relativity of wanwu, along with the organizational implications of Zhuangzi, and the connection between Daoist thinking and organizational management.
George Herbert Mead (1863–1931)
Authors: Simpson Barbara
Published: October 2014

During his lifetime, George Herbert Mead published more than a hundred critical commentaries, reports, and original articles exploring how consciousness and mind arise in human conduct. Even so, his seminal thinking about the social processes of human experience remains significantly under-utilized in the organizational literature. In this chapter I argue that the synthesis of intersubjectivity and temporality, which Mead achieves by using the notion of sociality, offers an unparalleled access, both theoretically and methodologically, to the dynamics of emergent practice in organizations. In particular, his formulation of human experience as the passage of events, or present moments, emerging from the interplay between reconstructed pasts and imagined futures, invites a radical re-examination of the notion of temporal continuity and change. The chapter also positions Mead’s work in relation to other pragmatist philosophers and the hermeneutic and phenomenological traditions more generally, while also emphasizing the relevance of his ideas to contemporary organizational living.
Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995)
Authors: Kristensen Anders R. , Lopdrup-Hjorth Thomas , Sørensen Bent Meier
Published: October 2014

Gilles Deleuze is a French philosopher known for his ontological thinking. In the field of organization studies, Deleuze is associated with postmodernism and post-structuralism along with fellow thinkers such as Jacques Derrida. This chapter examines Deleuze’s philosophical views and considers how processual thinking has emerged as an important area of research within organization and management studies. It first looks at Deleuze’s understanding of metaphysics and the creation of concepts, along with the connection between process organization studies and the creation of concepts. It then discusses the process ontology that exists within process organization studies in the context of process thinking. It also describes the new spirit of capitalism and its implications for contemporary management thought and highlights some individual cases in which a certain, perhaps Deleuzian, philosophy of organization is developed. The chapter concludes by arguing that the deployment of Deleuze’s philosophy in process organization studies should be more normative and pragmatic.
Process and Reality
Authors: Cooper Robert
Published: October 2014

Process refers to the continuous making and moving of forms and objects of everyday life, a series of acts or events that requires the active participation of the human agent as observer. Reality arises from human agency as the ‘tokens or expressions’ of a world that is divided from itself. In this sense, division implies a fundamental interaction between visibility and invisibility which seem to engender each other so that one cannot exist without the other. Process is the work of re-minding as the ‘productive receding of consciousness’ and can be interpreted as the continuous coming-to-presence of forms that are subject to the continuous threat of recession. Variable forms can be extracted or realized from raw material whose unarticulated base can be likened to ‘constitutive negativity’. The movement of process between identifiable terms is highlighted by ‘participial act’.
The Great Depression in Europe
Authors: Middleton Roger
Published: October 2014

The Great Depression was a global phenomenon in origin and impact, but one typically viewed through an American lens. This chapter provides a European perspective, detailing and contextualizing European developments within that global context. The focus is not individual country experiences, which were significantly varied, but instead generic forces and factors set within an economist’s framework of the twin problem of attaining simultaneous internal and external balance in an age of marked instability. Three questions are addressed: the scale and scope of the depression and the unevenness of countries’ recoveries by the eve of the Second World War; the general causes, domestic and international, of the depression of the European economies; and the reasons why individual countries fared so differently as they sought to recover from the depression.
Augustine’s Rhetoric in Theory and Practice
Authors: Conybeare Catherine
Published: October 2014

This chapter addresses the complex relationship of Augustine of Hippo with the tradition of classical rhetoric in which he had been educated and in which he excelled. It shows that, despite his ostentatious rejection of rhetoric in the Confessions, he never entirely abandoned the rhetorical precepts of Cicero, especially the principle that rhetoric should “teach, delight, and move” its audience. In Augustine’s advice to preachers, however, this Ciceronian triad was subsumed in the urgent need to communicate the word of God: immersion in Holy Scripture and a morally upright life could also be modes of communication. The chapter ends with an analysis of a specific sermon to show Augustine’s characteristic blend of the ideal and pragmatic in his forceful, direct preaching style. Parataxis, biblical quotation, direct address, dialogue with an imagined interlocutor—all are employed to move his congregation to action.
The Myth of Ethnic Success
Authors: Steinberg Stephen
Published: October 2014

Since its inception, social science has spawned a succession of theories that purport to explain differential rates of ethnic mobility as a byproduct of the cultural values of the groups themselves. The fatal flaw of these theories is that they reify culture by failing to examine its anchorage in history and social structure, eliding the very factors that produce and reproduce these value systems. This chapter critiques two theoretical propositions that currently pervade both popular and scholarly discourses: the projection of Asian Americans as “a model minority” and the supposition that black underachievement is the result of “acting white.” It is argued that these theories provide epistemic justification for the cleavages of race and class that continue to rend American society.
Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in American Film
Authors: Carr Steven
Published: October 2014

The rise of the American motion picture corresponds to the influx of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Just as many of these immigrants initially settled in East Coast and Midwest cities, both movies and movie audiences emerged there as an urban phenomenon. Rather than view this phenomenon only in terms of the images that films of this era offered, this chapter proposes to move beyond a “reflection paradigm” of film history. Of course, film texts reflected immigrant, ethnic, and racial identities. But these identities also existed beyond the text, across movies and movie-going, and embedded within diffuse, multiple, and overlapping networks of imagined relationships. Using Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope, this chapter recounts some preliminary case studies involving race, ethnicity, and immigration to explore how future research in this area might probe the cultural practices of movie-going among diverse audiences during the first half of the twentieth century.
Biological Changes During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
Authors: Schaffir Jonathan
Published: October 2014

Pregnancy and postpartum recovery involve profound changes that affect nearly every aspect of a woman’s life. This chapter reviews the physical, hormonal, and physiological changes that occur in the course of normal pregnancy and the postpartum period. It describes the common symptoms and sensations associated with these changes and their implications in contributing to behavioral changes and psychopathology. It is important for health care providers to realize that, for a majority of women, somatic symptoms and some psychological symptoms represent normal physiological changes. The symptoms and complaints engendered by the changes of pregnancy are, in most cases, the natural consequence of bringing new life into the world. A familiarity with routine pregnancy-related changes will aid the mental health care provider in recognizing when behavioral patterns deviate from what is expected. Such understanding is key to assessing when such symptoms demand treatment and when they only call for reassurance and legitimization.
Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Perinatal Depression
Authors: Kendall-Tackett Kathleen
Published: October 2014

Complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments for depression are increasingly popular with new mothers seeking alternatives to antidepressants. This chapter reviews recent studies on the modalities that have the strongest empirical support. These include long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), bright light therapy, exercise, and two herbal antidepressants (i.e., St. John’s wort, and kava). As our understanding of the anti-inflammatory mechanism underlying treatments for depression increases, this research may suggest still more treatments or combinations of treatments that can help pregnant and postpartum women recover quickly from perinatal depression. Safety considerations for breastfeeding mothers are reviewed for each modality, and reasons that mothers might choose these approaches over antidepressant medications are described.
Social Cognitive Development in Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Lapsley Daniel , Woodbury Ryan D.
Published: October 2014

This chapter focuses on social cognitive constructs that emphasize self–other constructions in emerging adulthood. The authors first take up classic social cognitive stage theories, including the development of perspective-taking, interpersonal understanding, and interpersonal negotiation strategies and the development of self-understanding. They note that the upper boundary of structural stage development stretches well into emerging adulthood: the period from 18 to 25 sees a mélange of social cognitive developmental capacities with significant overlap across stages. The authors then introduce individuation and dyadic attachment as new categories of social cognition. Both constructs describe the recalibration of self–other perspectives that will be crucial for navigating the challenges of emerging adulthood. They conclude with an examination of recent neuroscience research on the social cognitive brain, with a particular focus on perspective-taking and mentalizing, and they draw implications for future research.
A Different Kind of Ballet
Authors: Simonson Mary
Published: October 2014

Dorothy Arzner’s 1940 filmDance, Girl, Dancehas been embraced within feminist film criticism as a stunning demonstration and critique of the “male gaze” so typical in classical Hollywood cinema. Tracing the lives and careers of two dancers, scholars argue, the film privileges strong female characters and women’s relationships with one another over heterosexual romance. Yet this essay argues thatDance, Girl, Danceis as much a film about the evolution of American dance in the twentieth century as it is about looking at women’s friendships. Juxtaposing Bubbles’s risqué burlesque routines and Judy’s sentimental divertissements with extended sequences of “modern” ballet,Dance, Girl, Dancegrafts contemporary debates about the future of American dance and the meaning of American modernism onto the bodies of Bubbles, Judy, and their fellow dancers.
Displace and be Queen
Authors: García Cindy
Published: October 2014

Cinematic representations such asDirty Dancing: Havana Nightsoften produce scenarios in which Anglo leading ladies displace Latina featured extras or supporting actresses on the dance floor as the leading lady learns to connect with her sexuality by becoming “Latina” on the dance floor. This chapter examines how the blond (United States of) American teen, protagonist Katey Miller, makes a transition to life in Havana, and how she pursues her emergent fascination with dance practices of Cuba. Exploring issues of gender and interculturalism, the chapter argues that Katey displaces her nameless Cubana foils as she moves up the salsa social hierarchy to become Queen of Night at La Rosa Negra,Dirty Dancing’sHavana hot spot.
“It’s Sort of ‘Members Only’”
Authors: Arzumanova Inna
Published: October 2014

Teen dance films often follow a close formula that includes interracial romance, hip-hop dance, racial utopias, and allegiance to American exceptionalism. This chapter examinesSave the Last Danceas an example of these films, arguing that dance’s ability to render subject transformation through movement makes dance particularly conducive to utopian depictions of racial relations. In the film, dance transformation (from ballet to hip-hop) makes racial transformation possible. It is these choreographed racial transformations that reinforce narratives of U.S. exceptionalism and applaud white commitment to racial progress. As the film demonstrates, however, racial transformation is restricted to non-black characters only. This article focuses on the film’s choreographed racial (im)mobility, arguing that these depictions of transformation use dance as a mechanism to re-inscribe white privilege and secure a static antiblackness.
“The White Girl in the Middle”
Authors: Monroe Raquel
Published: October 2014

This chapter illustrates how the narratives of hip-hop dance films have historically used white female dancers to introduce mainstream white audiences to hip-hop dance forms. In Step Up 2: The Streets, however, the white female protagonist is not an outsider introduced to hip-hop dance forms, instead she is from the very streets where hip-hop originates. Yet her success as a white female hip-hop dancer weighs on her ability to perform “black” corporeality equal to or better than her black counterparts. Using choreographic analysis and critical race and gender theories, the chapter argues that hip-hop dance forms render whiteness hyper-visible, but the white performance of black performativity becomes the selling point for films like Step Up 2: The Streets, where black performers are cast as ancillary characters to authenticate the white protagonists.
Dancing “Between the Break Beats”
Authors: Recollet Karyn
Published: October 2014

This chapter examines the contributions of hip-hop art forms to contemporary urban thought and cultural expression among Native Americans. It argues that the infusion of hip-hop art forms such as b-boying and b-girling within Native communities, arose from struggle and a need for a movement that would both represent and inspire social change. Ialso explore the appeal of hip-hop for Native youth, the concept of “Indigenous motion,” and the significance of dancing “between the break beats.” Finally, this chapter discusses the roles of resistance, struggle, and the dismantling of colonialism within the collective voices of Native hip-hop artists. In particular, it considers how A Tribe Called Red (ATCR), a Native American music and video collective, disseminates Native sounds and images both aurally and visually via virtual fan communities on YouTube.
Colonization, Settlement, and Process in Central Eastern Polynesia
Authors: Kahn Jennifer G.
Published: October 2014

This chapter explores the long-term processes whereby settlers moving into Central Eastern Polynesia (CEP) adapted to new island environments and social landscapes. Over a thousand-year period, CEP societies instigated environmental change and subsistence intensification, in addition to developing localized styles of material culture and affecting great change in their sociopolitical complexity. In comparing the cultural sequences from three CEP archipelagoes (Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Austral Islands), the chapter demonstrates shared patterns in demographic change and shifts in subsistence and exchange, while at the same time highlighting inter-archipelago variation in terms of pathways to emerging elite power. Trends in CEP regional variation provide broad support for models positing a relationship between the evolution of social complexity in CEP chiefdoms, and the effects of island size/age and the availability of natural resources.
News Media Creation and Recreation of the Spiritual-But-Not-Religious
Authors: Drescher Elizabeth
Published: October 2014

This article explores news media coverage of the spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNR) population in the United States in the context of spirituality and religion. It considers how the phrase “spiritual but not religious” came into the popular lexicon before describing the demographics of the SBNR population. It then traces the development of the SBNR population from the 1980s by focusing on news reporting in national print media such as Newsweek, Time, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times as well as online news sources such as the Huffington Post. The article also considers the relationship between Baby Boomers and the SBNR population, along with the SBNR’s political role in relation to issues of religious pluralism, identity, and tolerance following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Finally, it discusses media representations of the SBNR as a reflection of America’s changing religious and spiritual character.
Religion in the Balkan Wars
Authors: Perica Vjekoslav
Published: October 2014

This article examines the roles of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church in Croatia, and the Islamic religious authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1991–1995 war inWestern Balkans. Religion in this case has been instrumental as a factor for galvanizing conflict and rationalizing its outcomes. The article also notes religious activities aimed at preventing violence and healing postconflict societies. The public influence of these religions began during the collapse of socialist Yugoslavia. Through the war and afterward, religions continued rebuilding resources and increasing influence. Traditional religion was blended with the new national ideologies carried out by ethnic nationalist parties allied with the ethnic majority churches established as state religions. Two decades after the Balkan war, the growing influence of these religions in public sphere coincides with the post-Yugoslav new ethnic nations’ failures in state building and democratic transition.
Possible Pathogenic Mechanism of Propofol Infusion Syndrome Involves Coenzyme Q
Authors: Vanlander Arnaud Vincent , Okun Juergen Guenther , de Jaeger Annick , Smet Joél , De Latter Elien , De Paepe Boel , Dacremont Georges , Wuyts Birgitte , Vanheel Bert , De Paepe Peter , Jorens Philippe Germaine , Van Regenmortel Niels , Van Coster Rudy
Published: October 2014

AbstractAbstract

In eight rats sedated for up to 20 h with gradually increasing doses of propofol, succinate cytochrome c reductase (complex II+III) was the most sensitive to inhibition by propofol. The activities of complex II and complex III were not decreased when tested individually, suggesting propofol interferes with coenzyme Q, which transfers electrons from complex II to complex III.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Background:

Propofol is a short-acting intravenous anesthetic agent. In rare conditions, a life-threatening complication known as propofol infusion syndrome can occur. The pathophysiologic mechanism is still unknown. Some studies suggested that propofol acts as uncoupling agent, others suggested that it inhibits complex I or complex IV, or causes increased oxidation of cytochrome c and cytochrome aa3, or inhibits mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism. Although the exact site of interaction is not known, most hypotheses point to the direction of the mitochondria.

Methods:

Eight rats were ventilated and sedated with propofol up to 20 h. Sequential biopsy specimens were taken from liver and skeletal muscle and used for determination of respiratory chain activities and propofol concentration. Activities were also measured in skeletal muscle from a patient who died of propofol infusion syndrome.

Results:

In rats, authors detected a decrease in complex II+III activity starting at low tissue concentration of propofol (20 to 25 µM), further declining at higher concentrations. Before starting anesthesia, the complex II+III/citrate synthase activity ratio in liver was 0.46 (0.25) and in skeletal muscle 0.23 (0.05) (mean [SD]). After 20 h of anesthesia, the ratios declined to 0.17 (0.03) and 0.12 (0.02), respectively. When measured individually, the activities of complexes II and III remained normal. Skeletal muscle from one patient taken in the acute phase of propofol infusion syndrome also shows a selective decrease in complex II+III activity (z-score: −2.96).

Conclusion:

Propofol impedes the electron flow through the respiratory chain and coenzyme Q is the main site of interaction with propofol.
Crossing the line: increasing body size in a trans-Wallacean lizard radiation (
Cyrtodactylus
, Gekkota)
Authors: Oliver Paul M. , Skipwith Phillip , Lee Michael S. Y.
Published: October 2014

The region between the Asian and Australian continental plates (Wallacea) demarcates the transition between two differentiated regional biotas. Despite this striking pattern, some terrestrial lineages have successfully traversed the marine barriers of Wallacea and subsequently diversified in newly colonized regions. The hypothesis that these dispersals between biogeographic realms are correlated with detectable shifts in evolutionary trajectory has however rarely been tested. Here, we analyse the evolution of body size in a widespread and exceptionally diverse group of gekkotan lizards (
Cyrtodactylus
), and show that a clade that has dispersed eastwards and radiated in the Australopapuan region appears to have significantly expanded its body size ‘envelope’ and repeatedly evolved gigantism. This pattern suggests that the biotic composition of the proto-Papuan Archipelago provided a permissive environment in which new colonists were released from evolutionary constraints operating to the west of Wallacea.
Demonstrating frequency-dependent transmission of sarcoptic mange in red foxes
Authors: Devenish-Nelson Eleanor S. , Richards Shane A. , Harris Stephen , Soulsbury Carl , Stephens Philip A.
Published: October 2014

Understanding the relationship between disease transmission and host density is essential for predicting disease spread and control. Using long-term data on sarcoptic mange in a red foxVulpes vulpespopulation, we tested long-held assumptions of density- and frequency-dependent direct disease transmission. We also assessed the role of indirect transmission. Contrary to assumptions typical of epidemiological models, mange dynamics are better explained by frequency-dependent disease transmission than by density-dependent transmission in this canid. We found no support for indirect transmission. We present the first estimates ofR0and age-specific transmission coefficients for mange in foxes. These parameters are important for managing this poorly understood but highly contagious and economically damaging disease.
Analytical model for instantaneous lift and shape deformation of an insect-scale flapping wing in hover
Authors: Kang Chang-kwon , Shyy Wei
Published: October 2014

In the analysis of flexible flapping wings of insects, the aerodynamic outcome depends on the combined structural dynamics and unsteady fluid physics. Because the wing shape and hence the resulting effective angle of attack area prioriunknown, predicting aerodynamic performance is challenging. Here, we show that a coupled aerodynamics/structural dynamics model can be established for hovering, based on a linear beam equation with the Morison equation to account for both added mass and aerodynamic damping effects. Lift strongly depends on the instantaneous angle of attack, resulting from passive pitch associated with wing deformation. We show that both instantaneous wing deformation and lift can be predicted in a much simplified framework. Moreover, our analysis suggests that resulting wing kinematics can be explained by the interplay between acceleration-related and aerodynamic damping forces. Interestingly, while both forces combine to create a high angle of attack resulting in high lift around the midstroke, they offset each other for phase control at the end of the stroke.