bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Processes In Evolution
Authors: Gillespie John H
Published: November 2023

Pity the poor mutation: its most likely fate is extinction even if it is more fit than any other allele at its locus. When lost, these mutations play no significant role in evolution and evolutionists have no record of their short-lived existence. On the other hand, when an advantageous mutation is lucky enough to fix in the population, there are a number.of consequences that excite evolutionists of various stripes. Darwin focused on the idea that the species is better adapted to its environment as a result of the substitution. A population geneticist might note that there is reduced variation around the site of the fixed mutation; a molecular evolutionist might use the substitution as a basis for a new phylogeny; a functional evolutionist might wonder why this particular substitution rather than another one that would seem to be even more fit; a statistician might use the timing of the substitution as part of a description of the temporal sequence of evolution. At the core of all of this interest is a random event that includes the time at which the substitution occurred, the functional properties of the substituted allele, and the neighboring pieces of the genome that were carried along with the allele as it swept though the population.
Rates of Molecular Evolution
Authors: Rodriguez-Trelles Francisco , Tarrio Rosa , Ayala Francisco J
Published: November 2023

Changes in DNA that give rise to new sequences are called mutations. Mutational changes are the primary source of variation and novelty in evolution. Mutations are caused by the exchange of one nucleotide for another, by insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides (“indels”), and by reorganization of the genetic material. Mutations arise constantly, irrespective of their effect on the fitness of the organism that carries them. Yet, mutations do not occur at random with regard to genomic location, nor do all types of mutations occur in equal frequencies. A new mutant DNA sequence arising in an individual may be lost or spread and even become fixed in a species by genetic drift (i.e., random sampling errors on allele frequencies that occur as genes are transmitted from one generation to the next in finite populations), and/or natural selection. The process whereby a mutant replaces alternative sequence variants, or alleles, in a species is called “substitution”; substitutions that change the encoded amino acids are named “replacements.”
Classification of Bacteriophages
Authors: Ackermann Hans-W
Published: November 2023

Bacteriophages or ‘‘phages’’ were discovered twice in a short time. The British pathologist Frederick William Twort described in1915 the glassy transformation of ‘‘Micrococcus’’ colonies by an unknown agent. Felix Hubert d’Herelle, a French Canadian then working at the Pasteur Institute of Paris, observed the destruction of Shigella bacteria in broth (5). Contrary to Twort, he clearly recognized the viral nature of this phenomenon and devoted the rest of his scientific career to it. He coined the term ‘‘bacteriophage,’’ devised several techniques still in use, and introduced the phage treatment of infectious diseases. For him, there was only one bacteriophage species with many races: the Bacteriophagum intestinale (6).
A Bayesian View on Multimodal Cue Integration
Authors: Ernst Marc O
Published: November 2023

We perceive our own body and the world surrounding us via multiple sources of sensory information derived from several modalities, including vision, touch, and audition. To enable interactions with the environment, this information has to converge into a coherent and unambiguous multimodal percept of the body and the world. But how does the brain come up with such a unique percept? In this chapter, I review a model that in the statistical sense describes an optimal integration mechanism. The benefit of integrating sensory information comes from a reduction in variance of the final perceptual estimate. Furthermore, I point out how this integration scheme can be incorporated into a larger framework using Bayesian decision theory (BDT).
Dissociative Disorders
Authors: Der Hart Onno Van , Nijenhuis Ellert R S
Published: November 2023

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (text rev.) (DSM–IV–TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000) defi nes the essential feature of dissociative disorders as “a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment” (p. 477). Curiously, it does not address the functions of motor control and sensation, even though, by defi nition, these are also fundamental to an individual’s integrated functioning. Dissociative disorders include the following: dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder (DID), depersonalization disorder, and a residual category, dissociative disorder not otherwise specifi ed (DDNOS).
Norman Angell and Rationality in International Relations
Authors: Miller j.D B
Published: November 2023

In this chapter I examine the international political theory of Norman Angell with particular emphasis on his use of the concept of rationality. Beginning with some details of Angell’s life, I then describe five themes in his thinking on international relations: the futility of war, the role of public opinion, the need for education in internationalism, the reality of the international anarchy, and the necessity of collective defence. The chapter closes with a discussion of the differences between Norman Angell and E. H. Carr and an assessment of the current relevance of his ideas.
Arnold Toynbee, Chatham House, and Research in a Global Context
Authors: Brewin Christopher
Published: November 2023

Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975), one of the twentieth century’s most prolific writers on world politics, was director of studies at Chatham House from 1924 until his retirement in 1954. His fame rests on two monumental projects to establish a global perspective. The Study of History put western civilization in the context of a historical survey of previous civilizations. The Annual Survey each year reviewed the world as a geographical whole, selecting four or five themes for special treatment. It was not an edited volume. Quite apart from his considerable journalistic output, the thirty-four volumes of the Survey and the ten volumes of the Study show how seriously Toynbee had taken a schoolmaster’s injunction ‘first to see your subject or your problem as a whole’. Toynbee believed that a global perspective in terms of both time and space was of practical use.
Big Firms as Political Actors: Corporate Power and the Governance of the European Consumer Electronics Industry
Authors: Cawson Alan
Published: November 2023

The relationships between firms in an industrial sector can be analysed on a number of levels. On the face of it, and according to the economics textbooks, the firms are competitors subject to the operation of market pressures, and the concept of ‘power’ is unnecessary in relation to market transactions. Firms are recognized to make different strategic choices in how to respond to market pressures, but ultimately are constrained by the operation of the market. According to economic orthodoxy, firms enter into power relationships only when they enter the political arena as lobbyists. Alternative approaches which explore the political and social dynamics of industrial sectors have, however, become increasingly prominent in recent years, especially since the publication of seminal articles by authors such as Harrison White (1981) and Mark Granovetter (1985). A new literature on economic governance has grown up, which explores empirically the structure of relationships between firms, employing concepts drawn from sociology, political science, and political economy.
Syria
Authors: Seale Patrick
Published: November 2023

In the last three and a half decades of the Cold War-say, from 1954 to the late 1980s-Syria and the Soviet Union were intimately involved with each other. So close did their relations seem that out siders often portrayed Damascus as Moscow’s principal Arab ally, even as its main Cold War partner in the region, more steadfast than Egypt, less fickle than Libya, less marginal than Algeria, more predictable than South Yemen. Syria had become, it was thought, a Soviet forward base in the very heart of the region. At moments of regional crisis, in 1956-7 for example, and again in 1966-7, there was anxious talk in the Western camp that Syria had made the dangerous leap from being a client of the Soviet Union to becoming a ‘satel lite’. Syria, it was said, was ‘going communist’.
Difference methods
Authors: Anderson Ian
Published: November 2023

Several of the designs and tournaments constructed in the first chapter had a cyclic nature. For example the seven-point plane can be obtained by starting with the block (l,2,4) and adding 1,2,...,6 (mod 7) to each of 1,2,4; and the schedule for five players in section 1.4 can similarly be obtained from the first game 1, 2 v 3,5 by adding 1, 2,3, 4 (mod 5). Clearly a clever choice of the first block or game has to be made for this method to work; for example if a schedule is constructed cyclically from the first game 1,3 v 2,5 then the next game would be 2,4 v 3,1, again involving 1 and 3 as partners. In this chapter we study cyclic constructions of designs, beginning with symmetric designs.
Algebraic Geometry and Arithmetic Curves
Authors: Liu Qing , Erné Reinie
Published: November 2023

This book is a general introduction to the theory of schemes, followed by applications to arithmetic surfaces and to the theory of reduction of algebraic curves. The first part introduces basic objects such as schemes, morphisms, base change, local properties (normality, regularity, Zariski's Main Theorem). This is followed by the more global aspect: coherent sheaves and a finiteness theorem for their cohomology groups. Then follows a chapter on sheaves of differentials, dualizing sheaves, and Grothendieck's duality theory. The first part ends with the theorem of Riemann-Roch and its application to the study of smooth projective curves over a field. Singular curves are treated through a detailed study of the Picard group. The second part starts with blowing-ups and desingularisation (embedded or not) of fibered surfaces over a Dedekind ring that leads on to intersection theory on arithmetic surfaces. Castelnuovo's criterion is proved and also the existence of the minimal regular model. This leads to the study of reduction of algebraic curves. The case of elliptic curves is studied in detail. The book concludes with the funadmental theorem of stable reduction of Deligne-Mumford. The book is essentially self-contained, including the necessary material on commutative algebra. The prerequisites are therefore few, and the book should suit a graduate student. It contains many examples and nearly 600 exercises.
Uniqueness
Authors: Bressan Alberto
Published: November 2023

According to the analysis in the previous chapter, the solution of the Cauchy problem (7.1)-(7.2) obtained as a limit of front tracking approximations is unique and depends Lipschitz-continuously on the initial data. This basic result, however, leaves open the question of whether other entropy weak solutions may exist, possibly constructed by different approximation algorithms.
Introduction
Authors: Sprott Julien Clinton
Published: November 2023

The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living—Henri Poincaré.
Bifurcations
Authors: Sprott Julien Clinton
Published: November 2023

A bifurcation is a qualitative change in the dynamical behavior of a system or the topological structure of its phase portrait as one or more parameters pass through a critical value. Any point in parameter space where the dynamical system is structurally unstable is a bifurcation point, and the set of all such points is a bifurcation set. This set may contain infinitely many points but usually has zero measure.
On founding the theory of algorithms
Authors: Moschovakis Yiannis N
Published: November 2023

My topic is the problem of “founding” the theory of algorithms, part of the more general problem of “founding” computer science; whether it needs founding— which, I will argue, it does; what should count as a “foundation” for it; and why a specific “mathematical foundation” which I have proposed gives a satisfactory solution to the problem — better than the most commonly accepted “standard,, approach. It will be impossible to completely avoid making some comments about the general problem of “founding a mathematical discipline”, but I will strive (mostly) to stay away from overly broad generalities, and concentrate on the aspects of the question which are special to algorithms.
Neural basis of drug-induced yawning
Authors: Dourish Colin T , Cooper Steven J
Published: November 2023

In a study of human yawning Robert Provine (1986) remarked that yawning is a prominent stereotyped action pattern and releasing stimulus which ‘does not deserve its current status as a minor behavioural curiosity’. Indeed, ‘yawning may have the dubious distinction of being the least understood, common, human behaviour’. In contrast, a large body of experimental data has been collected during the past 30 years on drug-induced yawning in animals (particularly rodents). In this chapter we consider the neural basis of drug-induced yawning in rodents and discuss the relevance of this pharmacological phenomenon to ‘spontaneous’ yawning in animals and man.We propose that yawning may be controlled by a complex interaction of catecholaminergic, serotonergic, and peptidergic neuronal mechanisms. A model is put forward to explain how yawning may be caused largely by peptidergic and cholinergic excitation and dopaminergic inhibition. Furthermore, we present evidence which suggests that, in animals and man, yawning may be a marker of recovery from acute stress and that these responses may be closely associated with an inhibition of brain dopamine metabolism.
Repeated measurements
Authors: Diggle Peter J
Published: November 2023

In this chapter, we discuss methods for analysing data which consist of a number of relatively short non-stationary time series in which the trends, µ;(t) say, are of direct interest. This situation arises in experiments which involve comparisons amongst trends associated with different treatments (cf. Examples 1.6, 1.7). It also applies to growth studies (cf. Example 1.5). We refer to data of this kind as repeated measurement data. The distinction between this and the type of replicated time-series data considered in Section 4.8 is not precise in any mathematical sense. Rather, the change of name reflects a change in the practical emphasis of the investigation. In the terminology of Section 1.2, we now seek only to accommodate serial dependence within the individual time series in order to make valid inferences about the corresponding µ;(t).
The James-Stein Estimator as an Empirical Bayes Estimator for an Arbitrary Location Family
Authors: Strawderman William E
Published: November 2023

A well known intuitive justification for the James-Stein estimator of the mean vector of a multivariate normal distribution is that it is an empirical Bayes estimator. The prior distribution is multivariate normal with the mean vector O and covariance matrix equal to σ2 I where σ2 is unknown and is estimated from the data. Here, we derive a version of the James-Stein estimator of the location vector for an essentially arbitrary location family.
Bayesian Hierarchical Nonparametric Inference for Change-Point Problems
Authors: Mira A , Petrone S
Published: November 2023

Bayesian nonparametric inference for a nonsequential change-point problem is studied. We use a mixture of products of Dirichlet processes as our prior distribution. This allows the data before and after the change-point to be dependent, even when the change point is known. A Gibbs sampler algorithm is also proposed in order to overcome analytic difficulties in computing the posterior distributions of interest, some of which have support on the space of all distribution functions.
Complex Hyperbolic Geometry
Authors: Goldman William m.
Published: November 2023

Complex hyperbolic geometry is a particularly rich area of study, enhanced by the confluence of several areas of research including Riemannian geometry, complex analysis, symplectic and contact geometry, Lie group theory, and harmonic analysis. The boundary of complex hyperbolic geometry, known as spherical CR or Heisenberg geometry, is equally rich, and although there exist accounts of analysis in such spaces there is currently no account of their geometry. This book redresses the balance and provides an overview of the geometry of both the complex hyperbolic space and its boundary. Motivated by applications of the theory to geometric structures, moduli spaces and discrete groups, it is designed to provide an introduction to this fascinating and important area and invite further research and development.
Computational logic and integer programming
Authors: Paul Williams H , Brailsford Sally C
Published: November 2023

The enormous increase in the availability and speed of computers in the past few decades has led to a parallel increase in the number of applications. As with other advances in technology, as many problems are created as are solved. Although computers create a potential for solving many hitherto impossible problems the implementation is often much more difficult than might appear from cursory examination. However fast computer hardware becomes there will always be many problems whose computation takes a prohibitive amount of time. Many of these problems are of a “logical” nature. They arise in problems such as efficient computer circuit design, database retrieval systems, expert systems and artificial intelligence.
Foraging of brood predators restricted by territoriality of substrate-brooders in a cichlid fish assemblage
Authors: Nakai Katsuki
Published: November 2023

Interspecific relationships, particularly predation and interspecific competition, have been one of the greatest concerns in community ecology, ever since Elton (1927) proposed the concepts of food chain and ecological niche. Many studies have revealed that predation and interspecific competition actually function to shape communities (reviewed by Connell 1983; Schoener 1983; et al. 1985). In many cases these interactions have been studied or described on the grounds of being relationships between populations of two species, while assuming that each population is composed of homogeneous individuals. On the other hand, the necessity to regard the ecological community as an integration of the relationships between components of the community has been stressed in order to understand the community more realistically (Kawanabe 1960; Templeton and Gilbert 1985; Thompson 1988), and a kind of reductionism has been proposed, in which a relationship between populations can be better understood by analysing the underlying mechanism between individuals constituting the community (i.e. mechanistic approach: Schoener 1986; see also Iwasaki, Chapter 2 this volume).
Indirect effects arising from optimal foraging
Authors: Abrams Peter A
Published: November 2023

When an ecologist views a natural community, the interactions occurring between species are often invisible, especially those between mobile animal species. When he or she decides to carry out studies to try to understand the community, the interactions studied are therefore not necessarily the most obvious or the ones that are most important in determining community structure. Instead, they are usually interactions that have been studied by other ecologists recently, or are commonly discussed in textbooks or journals. The type of indirect interactions generated by behaviour have thus far received little attention, and their importance in natural communities is still largely unknown. If such behavioural indirect interactions are common and large in magnitude, this lack of knowledge may have something to do with ecologists’ conspicuous inability to predict the effects of perturbations on natural communities. Most previous discussions of indirect interactions have focused on interactions between species which occur because of changes in the population density of a third species, caused by direct interactions with the third species (Bender et al. 1984; Yodzis I 988; Schoener, Chapter 23 this volume).
Annelids
Authors: Knight-Jones E W , Knight-Jones, P , Nelson-Smith A
Published: November 2023

These, the ‘true’ worms (in Phylum Annelida), typically have a slender cylindrical body characteristically made up of a series of ring-like segments, seen externally as annular constrictions, with an anterior subterminal mouth and a posterior terminal anus. In less specialized forms, the segments between those of the head and the last one more or less resemble each other, each containing a similar set of organs. This may be apparent externally as a segmental series of similar pores or protruding structures, particularly those used in locomotion. Worms normally move using peristaltic waves of contraction or sigmoid rippling of the body. In polychaetes, which are entirely aquatic, a typical segment carries, on each side, well-developed fleshy lobes bearing a large number of chitinous bristles. These function like short legs, and may aid swimming as the body flexes more vigorously in a horizontal plane. In the oligochaetes, fleshy outgrowths are lacking and the bristles are fewer; they are almost invisible in the familiar earthworms, although quite long in some aquatic species. Leeches lack them altogether; using terminal suckers, they may ‘loop’ along a solid surface and, when swimming, the dorso-ventrally flattened body flexes in a vertical plane.
Snares, commuting hyaenas and migratory herbivores: humans as predators in the Serengeti
Authors: Hofer Heribert , East Marion L , Campbell Kenneth L I
Published: November 2023

The spotted hyaena, Crocuta crocuta, is the most numerous large predator in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. In the Serengeti, spotted hyaenas live in large, stable clans consisting of matrilines, their offspring and immigrant males. Clan members combine a residential life in a defended territory with frequent long distance (40-80 km) foraging (commuting) trips to the nearest herds of migratory herbivores. Between January and May, spotted hyaenas commute to the short-grass plains in the south-east, the wet-season range of the migratory herbivores and an area where wildlife suffers little human-induced mortality. However, at the onset of the dry season, the migratory herds start their trek to their dry-season refuges in the north and west of the Park, approaching and often transgressing the Park boundary. Both inside and outside the Park boundary, migratory herbivores are intensively exploited as a source of meat by people throughout the dry season Uune-December). The predominant method of killing animals is snaring, an unselective method that results in non-target species also being killed or maimed. Owing to their commuting system, spotted hyaenas from clans throughout the Serengeti regularly hunt in areas with snare lines during the dry season, and thus the entire spotted hyaena population is potentially at risk from snares.
Studying the behaviour and movements of high Arctic elugas with satellite telemetry
Authors: Martin1 A R , Smith T G , Cox O P
Published: November 2023

Eighteen belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) of the Canadian High Arctic/Baffin Bay stock were captured around Somerset Island, N.W.T., Canada, in July of the years 1988-92 and released with satellite-monitored radio transmitters. Signals from the radio packs permitted calculation of the animals’ location up to 26 times per day and also carried detailed information on diving and surfacing behaviour. Whales were followed for up to 75 days and for distances of up to 3250 km, throughout the time spent in the Arctic archipelago and the subsequent eastward migration at the end of the summer. The general pattern of behaviour of this stock is a westwards movement from Lancaster Sound and Prince Regent Inlet through Barrow Strait in late July, occupation of Peel Sound and Franklin Strait in August, followed by a usually rapid transit to Baffin Bay via southern Devon Island in early/mid September. Although much time is spent in coastal shallows, especially freshwater outlets, all the belugas followed in this study spent considerable time offshore, and often in the deepest water available.
The caudate nucleus: head ganglion of the habit system
Authors: Saint-Cyr Jean A , Taylor Ann E , Trépanier Lisa L , Lang Anthony E
Published: November 2023

Derek Denny-Brown (1962) referred to the globus pallidus as the ‘head ganglion’ of the motor system since he saw it as the chief mediating structure between environmentally based stimuli and lower reflex centres. According to recent proposals by Mishkin and his colleagues (Mishkin et al. 1984, 1987), and following the lead of Denny-Brown, we should now perhaps refer to the neostriatum, and to the caudate in particular, as the ‘head ganglion’ of the habit system. In this context, the term ‘habit’ refers to nonconsciously directed learned behavioural routines, and is’ … founded not on knowledge or even on memories (in the sense of independent mental entities) but on automatic connections between a stimulus and a response’ (Mishkin and Appenzeller 1987). In our view, the caudate would be the ‘head ganglion’ of this so-called habit system, and therefore it would be involved in the establishment or learning of complex behavioural sets, while recognizing that habits could generically also include low-level stimulusresponse associations depending on neural circuits below the level of the forebrain.
Mate fidelity in penguins
Authors: Williams Tony d.
Published: November 2023

Penguins (family Spheniscidae) are a distinctive group of flightless, pelagic seabirds, widely distributed in the cooler waters of the Southern Hemisphere and occupying a wide variety of breeding habitats, ranging from the snow and ice of the Antarctic Continent to the desert-like lava flows of the equatorial Galapagos Islands. The family comprises 17 species in six distinct genera and is most closely related to the petrels, albatrosses, and divers (Procellaridae and Gavidae). All penguins have a very similar body form, which is highly specialized and adapted primar-· ily for swimming and diving underwater. However, they vary considerably in size from the Little Penguin Eudyptula minor, which weighs 1.1 kg and stands about 40 cm tall, to the Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri, which weighs over 30 kg and reaches a height of 115 cm. Plumages are generally similar in all species, being characterized by dark, blackish upper parts and white under parts. The major differences between species are largely restricted to the coloured patches and crests on the head (e.g. in Aptenodytes and Eudyptes spp.) or banding on the head and chest (Spheniscus spp.). The sexes are outwardly similar in all species, though males are usually slightly, but significantly, heavier and larger than females.
Selective altruism towards closer over more distant relatives in colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes
Authors: Strassmann Joan E
Published: November 2023

One of the predictions of Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness is that individuals should use relatedness information in behavioural decision making. In Polistes a number of circumstances give individuals the opportunity to favour certain individuals over others on the basis of genetic relatedness.
The peppered moth story
Authors: Majerus Michael E N
Published: November 2023

One species of moth, the peppered moth, has dominated the study of melanic polymorphism. The reasons for this are easy to appreciate. First, the change in some populations of the peppered moth was rapid and visually dramatic. Arela

environmental factor, the darkening of tree bark due to air pollution. Third, a single and easily understood selective factor appeared to be sufficient to explain the evolutionary change in the peppered moth. Finally, the change had occurred recently, within the living memory of some of those that unravelled the causes of the change.
Determination of accurate molecular structure by vibration−rotation spectroscopy
Authors: Graner Georges
Published: November 2023

From a purely quantum mechanical point of view, the concept of molecular structure is by no means a trivial concept. Several scientists have been discussing this point and try to reconcile this classical picture, born in the last century, with a rigorous quantum theory (Claverie and Diner 1980 and refer-ence therein). Nevertheless, most chemist and physical chemist agree on a quantum mechanical definition of molecular structure within the frame-work of the Born-oppenheimer approximation. Wilson (1979) explains this point of view and points out that, in spite of some drawbacks and difficulties, the equilibrium structure of a molecule can be satisfactorily defined in the overwhelming majority of cases.
Carotenoids
Authors: Bensasson R v. , Land E J , Truscott T G
Published: November 2023

The term carotenoid refers to a group of organic lipophilic pigments which range in colour from yellow to red. They are chemically related to -carotene as C40 polyenes or as C20 polyenes such as vitamin A (retinol). Frequently the C20 polyenes are called retinoids. The basic skeleton structure of the C40 carotenoids is symmetrical, based on two C20 halves and all are derived from tetraterpenes consisting of eight C5 isoprene units.
Decision making and emotion
Authors: Berthoz Alain
Published: November 2023

A theory of decision making cannot assume that subjects evolve in an indifferent world. The human brain, like that of animals, has different relationships with external objects depending on whether they are likely to aid or destroy it, whether they promise reward or punishment, satisfaction or pain. The world contains living creatures—prey and predators, partners and competitors—that can cause either happiness or misery. A physiology of perception must take emotions into account.

It is thus necessary to understand how the brain, in the enormous complexity of the material world, selects objects, guides action, directs attention, and specifies goals; and especially how it manages to choose among several behaviours to achieve a single objective, a process animal behaviourists call ‘vicariance’.
Alzheimer‘s Disease: A Hundred Years Of Investigation
Authors: Allen Shelley J
Published: November 2023

Alzheimer‘s disease (AD) is a condition with three major defining indicators: the symptoms of dementia and the occurrence of two neuropathological markers (in abundance), extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (referred to generally here as ‘tangles ‘). We now know that a large number of influences, both genetic and environmental, are able to affect the likelihood and/or severity of AD. However, although the situation with regard to the molecular pathogenesis of AD appears extremely complex, this overview attempts to simplify matters and to present an introduction to the major ideas and arguments in the field. Different aspects are then considered in depth in the subsequent chapters.
Introduction
Authors: Bertuglia Cristoforo Sergio , Vaio Franco
Published: November 2023

In Part 1, we presented various examples of very schematic models that provided fairly abstract and simplified descriptions of several types of phenomenology. These descriptions ranged from the simplest approximation, the linear case, to less drastic assumptions, that enabled us to perceive more sophisticated behaviour. In Part 2, we discussed several aspects of the dynamics of unstable systems, which, in certain circumstances, can give rise to chaotic behaviour. In particular, we examined one of the simplest nonlinear models, the logistic map, which evolves, depending on the growth parameter, towards a final stable state, or towards a series of final states that repeat periodically, or that demonstrate chaotic instability.
Learning how to be flexible with words
Authors: Plunkett Kim
Published: November 2023

Eight-month-old infants are able to recognize words, whether they hear them in isolation or in fluent speech (Jusczyk and Aslin, 1995). Yet, they fail to attach meaning to words until around their first birthday (Benedict, 1979; Stager and Werker, 1997; Bates, 1979; Huttenlocher, 1974). It is shown that 17-month-old children still have difficulty in recognizing words in continuous speech in the service of identifying a referent. They fare better if the word is presented in isolation. In contrast, 24-month-olds have no such difficulty in recognizing words. They identify the referent of a word equally well if it is presented in isolation or in continuous speech.
A brand new ball game: Bayes net and neural net learning mechanisms in young children
Authors: Gopnik Alison , Glymour Clark
Published: November 2023

We outline a new computational account of learning in children using the causal Bayes net formalism. We also present evidence that children as young as 2 years old use something like causal Bayes net learning mechanisms to infer the causal structure of the world around them. This kind of learning may play an important role in the development of intuitive theories. Finally, we contrast causal Bayes net and neural net learning mechanisms.
Species comparisons in development: The case of the geometric ‘module’
Authors: Nadel Lynn , Hupbach Almut
Published: November 2023

Evidence from studies of reorientation in both animals and developing children has been taken to suggest the presence of an encapsulated ‘geometric’ module, which cannot interact with landmark information until language becomes available as a bridge between these two domains (Hermer and Spelke 1996). We review more recent work in animals and several studies in children that challenge this view. When larger experimental spaces are used, even toddlers can integrate geometric and landmark information in reacting to disorientation.
Central integration of respiratory and autonomic functions
Authors: Daly M de Burgh
Published: November 2023

Tissue respiration depends on the maintenance of appropriate diffusion gradients for oxygen and carbon dioxide between air and blood, controlled by the respiratory system, and between arterial blood and the tissues, which is dependent on cardiovascular adjustments. Integration between the two systems through neural networks within the brain stem and spinal cord is therefore essential for proper function of the tissues. This chapter outlines the distribution of respiratory neurones, the distribution of cardiac vagal preganglionic motoneurones in the nucleus ambiguus and dorsal vagal motor nucleus, and the various nuclei in the brainstem and hypothalamus. These contribute descending pathways onto sympathetic preganglionic neurones that represent their final common pathway.
Heterospory: cul-de-sac or pathway to the seed?
Authors: Chaloner William G , Hemsley Alan R
Published: November 2023

The three types of life cycle seen in vascular plants-homospory, heterospory, and the ‘seed habit’ -appear in that order within the Devonian period. It is widely believed that this sequence represents an evolutionary series, with each succeeding step derived from its predecessor. It is clear from the fossil evidence that this series was repeated separately and in parallel in several vascular plant lineages. However, some authors have suggested that the seed might have arisen directly from homospory, without an intermediate heterosporous phase. The ultrastructure of the megaspore exines of four Palaeozoic plants relevant to this controversy (the Devonian genera Archaeopteris and Archaeosperma, and the Lower Carboniferous Bensonites and cf. Stamnostoma) is described, and their bearing on this possibility is discussed. We see no support for the derivation of early seeds directly from homosporous stock in the fossil evidence available to us.
NO3 assimilation in root systems: with special reference to Zea mays (cv. W64A x W182E)
Authors: Oaks Ann , Long Deborah M
Published: November 2023

Nitrate reductase (N R, EC 1.6.6.1), the first enzyme in the sequence of reactions involved in the assimilation of , was described initially by Evans and Nason (1953). It was shown to require reduced pyridine nucleotides, NADH or NADPH (Evans and Nason 1953), and to be substrate inducible (Tang and Wu 1957). Early results from Hageman’ s laboratory showed that light was also required for the induction (Hageman and Flesher 1960). When was removed from the medium (Schrader et al. 1968), or when the lights were turned off (Travis et al. 1969), nitrate reductase activity disappeared. More recently this regulation with respect to or light has been demonstrated to occur at the protein and mRNA levels (Melzer et al. 1989; Somers et al. 1983, Remmler and Campbell 1986; Oaks et al. 1988; Bowsher et al. 1991; Deng et al. 1990). End products of assimilation, or amino acids, have been shown to inhibit the induction of N R in Neurospora crassa (Marzluf 1981). In higher plants, similar inhibitions with low levels of or amino acids have not been so clearly defined (Oaks et al. 1977, 1979; Oaks 1979). Although in tissue culture systems, amino acids clearly inhibit the induction of N R (Filner 1966), a closer investigation indicated that it was the uptake of and not its conversion to that was the phase of metabolism most sensitive to amino acid additions (Heimer and Filner 1970). Of the amino acids tested, glutamine appears to hold the key in the Neurospora system (reviewed by Marzluf 1981; Hurlburt and Garrett 1988) and perhaps in plants as well (Oaks 1974).
Bioelectromagnetic resonance interactions: endogenous field and noise
Authors: Chiabrera A , Bianco B , Kaufman J J , Pilla A A
Published: November 2023

Low-frequency, low-amplitude electromagnetic fields can affect many bioelectrochemical processes: a comprehensive list of references on this subject can be found in Blackman et al. (1989). The available experimental data allow the following scheme of the interaction mechanism to be proposed (see, for example, Pilla etal. 1985; Chiabrera and Bianco 1987; Pilla etal. 1987; Chiabrera et al. 1989).
Body size and the ecology of hummingbirds
Authors: Cotton Peter A
Published: November 2023

Hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) are among the smallest endothermic organisms and represent a physiological extreme of avian evolution. A foraging hummingbird has a metabolic rate, heart rate, and wing beat frequency unparalleled among birds and matched by few other endotherms. Hummingbirds meet their energy requirements by feeding almost exclusively on floral nectar, and show many morphological and behavioral adaptations for this mode of life. Indeed their body size itself appears in part to be determined by co-evolution with flowering plants and competition with other nectar feeders. In spite of their high metabolism and narrow resource base, hummingbirds are an extremely successful group. The Trochilidae is the largest family of non-passerine birds and hummingbirds are found throughout the Americas in all habitats from sea-level to the snow-line.
The possible role of antioxidants in fruit and vegetables in protecting against coronary heart disease
Authors: Leake David S
Published: November 2023

There has been a great increase in recent years in interest in the possible effects of antioxidants in the diet in protecting against coronary heart disease (Steinberget al.,1992). Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of coronary heart disease, strokes and peripheral arterial disease (atherosclerosis of the arteries of the legs). It is therefore responsible for about half the deaths in the developed world and its incidence in developing countries, although presently low, is increasing.
The heat shock response in Escherichia coli
Authors: Bukau B
Published: November 2023

The conserved heat shock (stress) response allows cells to adapt to environmental and metabolic changes and to survive stress conditions (Morimoto et al., 1994). It is induced by a large variety of stress conditions including physicochemical factors such as heat shock, metabolically harmful substances and complex metabolic processes. In Escherichia coli, the heat shock response to temperature upshift from 30 to 42°C consists of the rapid, up to 20-fold, induction of synthesis of more than 20 heat shock proteins (HSPs), followed by an adaptation period where the rate of HSP synthesis decreases to reach a new steady state level (Gross et al., 1990; Bukau, 1993; Georgopoulos et aL, 1994). Major HSPs are molecular chaperones and proteases (Georgopoulos et al., 1994), indicating that their induced synthesis during the heat shock response is an adaptation to changes in the folding status of cellular proteins. HSPs include the DnaK and GroE chaperone systems formed by DnaK, DnaJ and GrpE, and GroEL and GroES, respectively. They constitute the two major chaperone systems of E. coli as judged by their abundance [15-20% of total protein at 46°C (Neidhardt and VanBogelen, 1987)] and importance for cell survival (Georgopoulos et al., 1994).
Plant Hsp101/ClpB
Authors: Vierling E
Published: November 2023

Full length cDNAs encoding Hsp101 have been isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana (Schirmer et al., 1994), soybean (Glycine max) (Lee et al., 1994). The Arabidopsis cDNA encodes a protein of 911 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 101 267 Da, therefore the protein has been designated AtHsp101.
Capping protein
Authors: Cooper John A , Hart Marilyn , Karpova Tatiana S , Schafer Dorothy A
Published: November 2023

Capping protein (CP) is a heterodimeric actin-binding protein found in all eukaryotic cells (reviewed in ref. 1). In vitro, CP binds tightly to the barbed ends of actin filaments, nucleates polymerization of actin and is inhibited by PIP2. In vivo, CP is important for actin assembly, based on studies in a variety of cell types and organisms.
Fimbrin
Authors: Correia Ivan , Matsudaira Paul
Published: November 2023

Fimbrin was first identified as a 68 kDa component of the actin bundle in chicken intestinal microvilli. The purified protein cross-links actin into a bundle in vitro and is associated with actin bundles in different structures including stereocilia, membrane ruffles, micro-spikes, and focal contacts. Fimbrin has been identified in a range of organisms from yeast, slime moulds, flies, and plants to humans. Three different isoforms, L, T, and I fimbrin, are expressed in mammals. The I isoform is the human homologue of chicken intestine fimbrin, whereas the L and T isoforms were originally characterized as isoforms of the polypeptide plastin on two-dimensional gels of transformed tissue. The protein sequence of chicken fimbrin is 73-75 per cent identical to human fimbrins and 43 per cent identical to yeast fimbrin.
Mathematics for the Imagination
Authors: Higgins Peter M
Published: November 2023

Mathematics for the Imagination provides an accessible and entertaining investigation into mathematical problems in the world around us. From world navigation, family trees, and calendars to patterns, tessellations, and number tricks, this informative and fun new book helps you to understand the maths behind real-life questions and rediscover your arithmetical mind. This is a follow-up to the popular Mathematics for the Curious, Peter Higgins’s first investigation into real life mathematical problems. A highly involving book which encourages the reader to enter into the spirit of mathematical exploration.
Personality
Authors: Nettle Daniel
Published: November 2023

Why are some people worriers, and others wanderers? Why do some people seem good at empathising, and others at controlling? We have something deep and consistent within us that determines the choices we make and the situations we bring about. But why should members of the same species differ so markedly in their natures? What is the best personality to have; a bold one or a shy one, an aggressive one or a meek one? And are you stuck with your personality, or can you change it? Daniel Nettle takes the reader on a tour through the science of human personality, introducing the five 'dimensions' on which every personality is based, and using an unusual combination of individual life stories and scientific research. Showing how our personalities stem from our biological makeup, Nettle looks at the latest findings from genetics and brain science, considers the evolutionary origins and consequences of personality variation, and even includes a questionnaire for you to assess your own personality against the five dimensions. There is no optimal personality to have. Rather, every disposition brings both advantages and disadvantages. Life is partly the business of finding a niche where your personal characteristics work for you. Full of human as well as scientific insight, this book will enable you to understand the perils and potentials of your personality to the full.
A Spiritual Democracy
Authors: Schuchard Ronald
Published: November 2023

Today, when the casual conversation of scholars drifts towards Yeats’s chanting, the initial smiles turn inevitably to intoned mockery and knowing laughter over his avowed disavowal of print. Even in his own day critics could not comprehend his motive. The Pall Mall Gazette reported as a curiosity that Yeats, in a speech before the Irish Literary Society in December 1905, said he was in revolt against the printed book, which made the world ignorant. In the olden days, he said, refinement was acquired by plays and by hearing of great people and great things when sitting among friends.
Analytical political philosophy
Authors: McDermott Daniel
Published: November 2023

Analytical political philosophy is a complement to social science. Whereas social scientists aim to determine the empirical facts about human behaviour and institutions, political philosophers aim to determine what ought to be done in light of that information. How should states be organized? What kinds of projects should they pursue? Are there some actions that are impermissible? No set of empirical facts can dictate the answers to these kinds of questions. You could pile up a mountain of data about the differences between, say, democracies and dictatorships, but without the normative element that is the political philosopher’s concern, nothing would follow about which form of government ought to be implemented.
Quantifying the Election Programmes: Coding Procedures and Controls
Authors: Volkens Andrea
Published: November 2023

This chapter introduces Part II of our text, which applies the general concerns of Part I to detailed questions of operationalization and measurement. We outline the procedures we have developed to co-ordinate and supervise the coding of post-war election programmes in more than 50 countries–a vast never-ending task, since elections recur every 3 to 5 years in general. These procedures are, as we shall argue, the real guarantees of the stability and quality of the estimates published on the accompanying CD-ROM. Although we report their performance mainly in relation to the 25 countries covered by this book, the discussion has a direct bearing for the entire set of countries to which they have now been applied. Clearly the ability of the coding frame to fit new national experiences beyond those covered originally is an important testimony to its generalizability and credibility.