bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recursive estimation of transition probabilities for jump Markov linear systems under minimum Kullback–Leibler divergence criterion
Authors: Guo Rui , Shen Mingwei , Huang Defeng (David) , Yin Xinghui , Xu Lizhong
Published: September 2015

To reduce the computational complexity of the well‐established recursive Kullback–Leibler (RKL) method for real‐time applications, a recursive estimation method of the unknown transition probabilities (TPs) for the jump Markov linear system (JMLS) is developed in this study. The authors first explore an underlying idea that the RKL estimate of a diagonally dominant TP matrix (TPM) can be constructed by the estimate of each row vector of the TPM under the minimum K–L divergence criterion using observations at specific time steps. A modified derivation of the numerical solution to the RKL estimate that can avoid redundant likelihood computations is then exploited to estimate the specific row vector of the TPM per time step. The developed TP estimation method is computationally more efficient than either the RKL method or the maximum likelihood method, in particular for the JMLS defined over a high‐dimensional state space or a multi‐dimensional model space. The effectiveness of the developed TP estimation method is verified through a numerical example.
Adaptive extended piecewise histogram equalisation for dark image enhancement
Authors: Ling Zhigang , Liang Yan , Wang Yaonan , Shen He , Lu Xiao
Published: September 2015

Histogram equalisation has been widely used for image enhancement because of its simple implementation and satisfactory performance. However, traditional histogram equalisation uniformly redistributes an entire histogram or multiple piecewise histograms with the same equalisation strategy, which may produce unnatural artefacts, over‐enhancement or under‐enhancement in wide dynamic range dark image enhancement. This study proposes an adaptive extended piecewise histogram equalisation algorithm (AEPHE) for dark image enhancement. First, an original histogram is divided into a group of extended piecewise histograms. Then, an adaptive histogram equalisation, which balances intensity preservation and contrast boosting, is further developed and respectively applied to these extended piecewise histograms. The final histogram for image enhancement is produced by a weighted fusion of these equalised histograms. The experimental results indicate that AEPHE is superior to multiple state‐of‐the‐art algorithms.
Mechanisms of Action of TSHR Autoantibodies
Authors: Furmaniak J. , Sanders J. , Núñez Miguel R. , Rees Smith B.
Published: September 2015

The availability of human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the TSHR has enabled
major advances in our understanding of how TSHR autoantibodies interact with the
receptor. These advances include determination of the crystal structures of the
TSHR LRD in complex with a stimulating autoantibody (M22) and with a blocking
type autoantibody (K1-70). The high affinity of MAbs for the TSHR makes them
particularly suitable for use as ligands in assays for patient serum TSHR
autoantibodies. Also, M22 and K1–70 are effective at low concentrations in vivo
as TSHR agonists and antagonists respectively. K1-70 has important potential in
the treatment of the hyperthyroidism of Graves’ disease and Graves’
ophthalmopathy. Small molecule TSHR antagonists described to date do not appear
to have the potency and/or specificity shown by K1-70. New models of the TSHR
ECD in complex with various ligands have been built. These models suggest that
initial binding of TSH to the TSHR causes a conformational change in the
hormone. This opens a positively charged pocket in receptor-bound TSH which
attracts the negatively charged sulphated tyrosine 385 on the hinge region of
the receptor. The ensuing movement of the receptor's hinge region may then cause
activation. Similar activation mechanisms seem to take place in the case of FSH
and the FSHR and LH and the LHR. However, stimulating TSHR autoantibodies do not
appear to activate the TSHR in the same way as TSH.
Global regular solutions for the 3D Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation posed on unbounded domains
Authors: Larkin N. A.
Published: September 2015

An initial-boundary value problem for the 3D Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation posed on unbounded domains is considered. Existence and uniqueness of a global regular solution as well as exponential decay of the H2-norm for small initial data are proven.
Extreme bendability of DNA double helix due to bending asymmetry
Authors: Salari H. , Eslami-Mossallam B. , Naderi S. , Ejtehadi M. R.
Published: September 2015

Experimental data of the DNA cyclization (J-factor) at short length scales exceed the theoretical expectation based on the wormlike chain (WLC) model by several orders of magnitude. Here, we propose that asymmetric bending rigidity of the double helix in the groove direction can be responsible for extreme bendability of DNA at short length scales and it also facilitates DNA loop formation at these lengths. To account for the bending asymmetry, we consider the asymmetric elastic rod (AER) model which has been introduced and parametrized in an earlier study [B. Eslami-Mossallam and M. R. Ejtehadi, Phys. Rev. E 80, 011919 (2009)]. Exploiting a coarse grained representation of the DNA molecule at base pair (bp) level and using the Monte Carlo simulation method in combination with the umbrella sampling technique, we calculate the loop formation probability of DNA in the AER model. We show that the DNA molecule has a larger J-factor compared to the WLC model which is in excellent agreement with recent experimental data.
A novel full-angle scanning light scattering profiler to quantitatively evaluate forward and backward light scattering from intraocular lenses
Authors: Walker Bennett N. , James Robert H. , Calogero Don , Ilev Ilko K.
Published: September 2015

Glare, glistenings, optical defects, dysphotopsia, and poor image quality are a few of the known deficiencies of intraocular lenses (IOLs). All of these optical phenomena are related to light scatter. However, the specific direction that light scatters makes a critical difference between debilitating glare and a slightly noticeable decrease in image quality. Consequently, quantifying the magnitude and direction of scattered light is essential to appropriately evaluate the safety and efficacy of IOLs. In this study, we introduce a full-angle scanning light scattering profiler (SLSP) as a novel approach capable of quantitatively evaluating the light scattering from IOLs with a nearly 360° view. The SLSP method can simulate in situ conditions by controlling the parameters of the light source including angle of incidence. This testing strategy will provide a more effective nonclinical approach for the evaluation of IOL light scatter.
Linear and nonlinear heavy ion-acoustic waves in a strongly coupled plasma
Authors: Ema S. A. , Hossen M. R. , Mamun A. A.
Published: September 2015

A theoretical study on the propagation of linear and nonlinear heavy ion-acoustic (HIA) waves in an unmagnetized, collisionless, strongly coupled plasma system has been carried out. The plasma system is assumed to contain adiabatic positively charged inertial heavy ion fluids, nonextensive distributed electrons, and Maxwellian light ions. The normal mode analysis is used to study the linear behaviour. On the other hand, the well-known reductive perturbation technique is used to derive the nonlinear dynamical equations, namely, Burgers equation and Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV) equation. They are also numerically analyzed in order to investigate the basic features of shock and solitary waves. The adiabatic effects on the HIA shock and solitary waves propagating in such a strongly coupled plasma are taken into account. It has been observed that the roles of the adiabatic positively charged heavy ions, nonextensivity of electrons, and other plasma parameters arised in this investigation have significantly modified the basic features (viz., polarity, amplitude, width, etc.) of the HIA solitary/shock waves. The findings of our results obtained from this theoretical investigation may be useful in understanding the linear as well as nonlinear phenomena associated with the HIA waves both in space and laboratory plasmas.
High power efficiency distributed oscillator based on composite-right-/left-handed unit cells
Authors: Simion Stefan , Bartolucci Giancarlo
Published: September 2015

A microwave oscillator topology based on CRLH (Composite Right-/Left-Handed) unit cells is analyzed theoretically and experimentally tested. The oscillator consists of a CRLH based distributed amplifier and a positive feedback realized by a simple transmission line. The oscillator has two output ports, where the power levels are practically the same. For this topology, we have found the oscillation condition and we demonstrate that each transistor gives the same contribution to the power delivered at the two output ports, in this way, the output power is maximized. The oscillator has been designed for a frequency of oscillation of 2.8 GHz and fabricated in hybrid technology, by using InGaAs HEMTs and microstrip lines. The measured powers at the two output ports are equal to 12.6 dBm and 10.4 dBm, the small difference between these values being given by the insertion loss of the gate line. The experimental frequency of oscillation is 2.77 GHz, with a difference of less than 1% in comparison with the expected value. Due to the frequency selectivity of the CRLH unit cells, numerical simulations predict low phase noise for this configuration of oscillator.
Modelling of current-voltage characteristics of infrared photo-detectors based on type – II InAs/GaSb super-lattice diodes with unipolar blocking layers
Authors: Gopal Vishnu , Gautam Nutan , Plis Elena , Krishna Sanjay
Published: September 2015

It is shown that current-voltage characteristics of infrared photo-detectors based on type-II InAs/GaSb super-lattices with uni-polar blocking layers can be modelled similar to a junction diode with a finite series resistance on account of blocking barriers. As an example this paper presents the results of a study of current-voltage characteristics of a type II InAs/GaSb super-lattice diode with PbIbN architecture using a recently proposed [J. Appl. Phys. 116, 084502 (2014)] method for modelling of illuminated photovoltaic detectors. The thermal diffusion, generation – recombination (g-r), and ohmic currents are found as principal components besides a component of photocurrent due to background illumination. The experimentally observed reverse bias diode current in excess of thermal current (diffusion + g-r), photo-current and ohmic shunt current is reported to be best described by an exponential function of the type, Iexcess = Ir0 + K1exp(K2 V), where Ir0, K1 and K2 are fitting parameters and V is the applied bias voltage. The present investigations suggest that the exponential growth of excess current with the applied bias voltage may be taking place along the localized regions in the diode. These localized regions are the shunt resistance paths on account of the surface leakage currents and/or defects and dislocations in the base of the diode.
Protective capping of topological surface states of intrinsically insulating Bi2Te3
Authors: Hoefer Katharina , Becker Christoph , Wirth Steffen , Hao Tjeng Liu
Published: September 2015

We have identified epitaxially grown elemental Te as a capping material that is suited to protect the topological surface states of intrinsically insulating Bi2Te3. By using angle-resolved photoemission, we were able to show that the Te overlayer leaves the dispersive bands of the surface states intact and that it does not alter the chemical potential of the Bi2Te3 thin film. From in-situ four-point contact measurements, we observed that the conductivity of the capped film is still mainly determined by the metallic surface states and that the contribution of the capping layer is minor. Moreover, the Te overlayer can be annealed away in vacuum to produce a clean Bi2Te3 surface in its pristine state even after the exposure of the capped film to air. Our findings will facilitate well-defined and reliable ex-situ experiments on the properties of Bi2Te3 surface states with nontrivial topology.
Some insights into the health of Dermosols around Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Grose C. J.
Published: September 2015

Previous research in Tasmania has provided information on the effects of land management on soil properties. However, there remains a lack of data on if and how soil health in Tasmania is changing over time. The Soil Condition Evaluation and Monitoring (SCEAM) project was developed to provide reliable data on soil condition and to fill this gap by providing information on soil health on a 5-yearly basis. The SCEAM project measures several soil properties considered to be indicators of soil condition, for a variety of soil–land use combinations from around the state and will enable the identification of trends in soil condition over time. Dermosols are the dominant soil type in Tasmania and 59 sites comprising this soil order were assessed for a range of key indicators of soil condition, including pH (1:5 soil:water), organic carbon, bulk density and aggregate stability. Target values for each soil property were identified based on local expert knowledge and are intended as a trigger for further site investigation rather than to label soils healthy or otherwise. Baseline data were collected for each site which was subsequently resampled 5 years later to provide a repeat set of results for comparison. The data showed that most sites have declined in condition based on the results for one or more indicators. So far, the changes identified between sampling rounds are generally small and the number of sites with indicator values that fall outside identified target values is low. However, for some indicators the number of sites outside identified target values has increased between the two sampling rounds. The greatest degradation impacts are observed for Dermosols under cropping. The results provide an early warning that although improved crop varieties and fertiliser applications may, in the short-term, be able to overcome yield declines as a result of soil degradation, long-term agricultural activities are continuing to have an adverse effect on soil health.
Impact of soil organic matter on soil properties—a review with emphasis on Australian soils
Authors: Murphy B. W.
Published: September 2015

A review has been undertaken into how soil organic matter (SOM) affects a range of soil properties that are important for the productive capacity of soils. The potential effect of varying the amount of SOM in soil on a range of individual soil properties was investigated using a literature search of published information largely from Australia, but also including relevant information from overseas. The soil properties considered included aggregate stability, bulk density, water-holding capacity, soil erodibility, soil colour, soil strength, compaction characteristics, friability, nutrient cycling, cation exchange capacity, soil acidity and buffering capacity, capacity to form ligands and complexes, salinity, and the interaction of SOM with soil biology. Increases in SOM have the capacity to have strong influence only the physical properties of the surface soils, perhaps only the top 10 cm, or the top 20 cm at most. This limits the capacity of SOM to influence soil productivity. Even so, the top 20 cm is a critical zone for the soil. It is where seeds are sown, germinate and emerge. It is where a large proportion of plant materials are added to the soil for decomposition and recycling of nutrients and where rainfall either enters the soil or runs off. Therefore, the potential to improve soil condition in the top 0–20 cm is still critical for plant productivity. The SOM through nutrient cycling such as mineralisation of organic nitrogen to nitrate can have an influence on the soil profile.
Report card on sustainable natural-resource use in the agricultural regions of Western Australia
Authors: Schoknecht Noel
Published: September 2015

A ‘Report Card’, which summarises the current knowledge of the status and trend in land condition in the agricultural areas of the south-west of Western Australia, was published in 2013 by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The Report Card draws on best available evidence from government and industry on the current condition and trend of 10 soil- and water-related natural resource themes relevant to agriculture, and discusses the implications of these results for the agricultural industries. The report also discusses the three main factors driving the performance of the land, namely climate, land characteristics and land management. The first two factors are largely out of the control of land managers, but in a drying and warming climate of the agricultural areas of Western Australia, land-management practices need to be able to respond to these changing conditions.
The paper briefly explains the methodologies used to assess the seven soil-related themes in the Report Card and summarises the major findings. The results indicate that, for soils, the situation and outlook for our natural resources is mixed. Although there has been progress in some areas, such as managing wind and water erosion, the status and trend in many indicators of resource condition, such as soil acidity, soil compaction and water repellence, are adverse. The predicted growth in global demand for food and fibre brings many opportunities to the Western Australian agri-food sector but also challenges, especially in light of the Report Card findings. One of these challenges is our need to achieve agricultural productivity growth while ensuring our natural resources are healthy and resilient.
Emotional arousal and lexical specificity modulate response times differently depending on ear of presentation in a dichotic listening task
Authors: Blomberg Frida , Roll Mikael , Lindgren Magnus , Brännström K. Jonas , Horne Merle
Published: September 2015

We investigated possible hemispheric differences in the processing of four different lexical semantic categories: SPECIFIC (e.g. bird), GENERAL (e.g. animal), ABSTRACT (e.g. advice), and EMOTIONAL (e.g. love). These wordtypes were compared using a dichotic listening paradigm and a semantic category classification task. Response times (RTs) were measured when participants classified testwords as concrete or abstract. In line with previous findings, words were expected to be processed faster following right-ear presentation. However, lexical specificity and emotional arousal were predicted to modulate response times differently depending on the ear of presentation. For left-ear presentation, relatively faster RTs were predicted for SPECIFIC and EMOTIONAL words as opposed to GENERAL and ABSTRACT words. An interaction of ear and wordtype was found. For right-ear presentation, RTs increased as testwords’ imageability decreased along the span SPECIFIC–GENERAL–EMOTIONAL–ABSTRACT. In contrast, for left ear presentation, EMOTIONAL words were processed fastest, while SPECIFIC words gave rise to long RTs on par with those for ABSTRACT words. Thus, the prediction for EMOTIONAL words presented in the left ear was borne out, whereas the prediction for SPECIFIC words was not. This might be related to previously found differences in processing of stimuli at a global or local level.
Lexical access in L2
Authors: Cook Svetlana V. , Gor Kira
Published: September 2015

Previous research on phonological priming in a Lexical Decision Task (LDT) has demonstrated that second language (L2) learners do not show inhibition typical for native (L1) speakers that results from lexical competition, but rather a reversed effect – facilitation (Gor, Cook, & Jackson, 2010). The present study investigates the source of the reversed priming effect and addresses two possible causes: a deficit in lexical representations and a processing constraint. Twenty-three advanced learners of Russian participated in two experiments. The monolingual Russian LDT task with priming addressed the processing constraint by manipulating the interstimulus interval (ISI, 350 ms and 500 ms). The translation task evaluated the robustness of lexical representations at both the phonolexical level (whole-word phonological representation) and the level of form-to-meaning mapping, thereby addressing the lexical deficit. L2 learners did not benefit from an increased ISI, indicating lack of support for the processing constraint. However, the study, found evidence for the representational deficit: when L2 familiarity with the words is controlled and L2 representations are robust, L2 learners demonstrate native-like processing accompanied by inhibition; however, when the words have fragmented (or fuzzy) representations, L2 lexical access is unfaithful and is accompanied by reduced lexical competition leading to facilitation effects.
Lexical access in mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Taler Vanessa , Kousaie Shanna , Sheppard Christine
Published: September 2015

We examined the use of sentence context in lexical processing in aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Younger and older adults and participants with MCI completed a lexical decision task in which target words were primed by sentences biasing a related or unrelated word (e.g., prime: “The baby put the spoon in his ______”, biased word: “mouth”, related target: “KISS”, unrelated target: “LEASH”). Biased items were of high or low frequency. All participants responded more quickly when the biased word was of high than low frequency, regardless of whether the target and biased word were related. Frequency effects were stronger in related than unrelated stimuli, and MCI participants – but not controls – responded more slowly when the target was related to a low-frequency word than when it was unrelated. We hypothesize that this effect results from slowed lexical activation in MCI: low frequency expected words are not completely activated when the target word is presented, leading to increased competition between the expected and target items, and resultant slowing in lexical decision on the target. These results indicate that MCI participants can use contextual information to make predictions about upcoming lexical items, and that information about lexical associations remains available in MCI.
Potential Use of Direct Current Electric Fields to Eradicate Rainbow Trout Embryos from Freshwater Ecosystems
Authors: Gross Jackson , Farokhkish Bahram , Cornacione Matthew , Shaw Steven , Nguyen Phong L. , Henry Theodore B.
Published: September 2015

The application of electric fields (i.e., electroshocking) may be an option in the eradication of invasive freshwater fishes. Electric fields can be used to facilitate capture or to kill vulnerable life history stages of fish. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relations between water conductivity and the electrical variables of voltage gradient and power density on the mortality of Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss embryos at different developmental stages. Embryos in age-groups ranging from 27 to 405 daily temperature units (TU) were exposed for 5 s to constant (nonpulsed) DC electric fields (2–20 V/cm) at a water conductivity of 220 S/cm to determine (1) the stage of embryonic development most susceptible to electroshock-induced mortality, and (2) the lethal voltage gradient (V/cm) predicted to kill 50% (LV50) of embryos in each age-group. Mortality was assessed 24 h postexposure. Using LV50 voltages determined for each age-group, the relation between water conductivity (20–640 S/cm) and electroshock-induced mortality from exposure to LV50 was determined for six different stages of embryonic development (81–364 TU). Results show that the mortality of embryos exposed to electroshock decreased with the stage of embryonic development. The mortality of embryos exposed to the LV50 for their respective age-groups increased with water conductivity and was consistent throughout early development (81–292 TU), but the effects of increased conductivity were not observed in eyed embryos after 364 TU, as mortality remained constant with the determined LV50 values. Voltage was determined to be the most influential factor of embryo mortality. As conductivity increased, maintaining a constant voltage (LV50) elicited greater mortality than maintaining a constant power. These data suggest that a combination of DC electric field and increased localized conductivity could be effective at eradicating nuisance salmonids prior to eyed embryonic stages.

Received March 18, 2015; accepted June 3, 2015
Do Tags Exceeding 2% of Total Body Weight Impair Lake Sturgeon Movement?
Authors: Snobl Zachary R. , Koenigs Ryan P. , Bruch Ronald M. , Binkowski Fredrick P.
Published: September 2015

A common guideline for attaching or imbedding transmitters for fish is that the transmitter weight should not exceed 2% of the total weight in air of a fish. This guideline is thought to limit the negative effects of tagging, but little research supports it. Our objectives were to compare the postrelease dispersal rates of 48 hatchery-reared fingerling Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens (265–305 mm, 80–100 g) surgically implanted with sonic transmitters equating to 2% and 4% of fish body weight, and to compare the dispersal rates between fish stocked in two river systems in Wisconsin. Downstream dispersal rates of the 2% and 4% treatments were not significantly different within the individual rivers but were significantly different between rivers. We recommend that transmitters weighing up to 4% of total body weight can be used without effects on the movement of fingerling Lake Sturgeon.

Received January 6, 2015; accepted June 29, 2015
How should I regulate my emotions if I want to run faster?
Authors: Lane Andrew M. , Devonport Tracey J. , Friesen Andrew P. , Beedie Christopher J. , Fullerton Christopher L. , Stanley Damian M.
Published: September 2015

The present study investigated the effects of emotion regulation strategies on self‐reported emotions and 1600 m track running performance. In stage 1 of a three‐stage study, participants (N = 15) reported emotional states associated with best, worst and ideal performance. Results indicated that a best and ideal emotional state for performance composed of feeling happy, calm, energetic and moderately anxious whereas the worst emotional state for performance composed of feeling downhearted, sluggish and highly anxious. In stage 2, emotion regulation interventions were developed using online material and supported by electronic feedback. One intervention motivated participants to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel more angry and anxious). A second intervention motivated participants to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel less angry and anxious). In stage 3, using a repeated measures design, participants used each intervention before running a 1600 m time trial. Data were compared with a no treatment control condition. The intervention designed to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions resulted in higher anxiety and lower calmness scores but no significant effects on 1600 m running time. The intervention designed to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions was associated with significantly slower times for the first 400 m. We suggest future research should investigate emotion regulation, emotion and performance using quasi‐experimental methods with performance measures that are meaningful to participants.
Measuring Causal Specificity
Authors: Griffiths Paul E. , Pocheville Arnaud , Calcott Brett , Stotz Karola , Kim Hyunju , Knight Rob
Published: September 2015

Several authors have argued that causes differ in the degree to which they are ‘specific’ to their effects. Woodward has used this idea to enrich his influential interventionist theory of causal explanation. Here we propose a way to measure causal specificity using tools from information theory. We show that the specificity of a causal variable is not well defined without a probability distribution over the states of that variable. We demonstrate the tractability and interest of our proposed measure by measuring the specificity of coding DNA and other factors in a simple model of the production of mRNA.
Reductionism in Economics: Intentionality and Eschatological Justification in the Microfoundations of Macroeconomics
Authors: Hoover Kevin D.
Published: September 2015

Macroeconomists overwhelmingly believe that macroeconomics requires microfoundations, typically understood as a strong eliminativist reductionism. Microfoundations aims to recover intentionality. In the face of technical and data constraints macroeconomists typically employ a representative-agent model, in which a single agent solves the microeconomic optimization problem for the whole economy, and take it to be microfoundationally adequate. The characteristic argument for the representative-agent model holds that the possibility of the sequential elaboration of the model to cover any number of individual agents justifies treating the policy conclusions of the single-agent model as practically relevant. This eschatological justification is examined and rejected.
The fundamental solution of a conservation law without convexity
Authors: Ha Youngsoo , Kim Yong-Jung
Published: September 2015

The nonnegative fundamental solution of a scalar conservation law is constructed when its flux may have a finite number of inflection points. The constructed solution can be either explicit and implicit depending on the flux. This fundamental solution consists of a series of rarefaction waves, contact discontinuities and a shock. These analytically constructed fundamental solutions are also compared with numerical approximations, which possess the structure of the analytically constructed fundamental solution.
On global solutions and asymptotic behavior of planar magnetohydrodynamics with large data
Authors: Hu Yuxi
Published: September 2015

In this paper we consider an initial boundary value problem for planar magnetohydrodynamic compressible flows. By assuming that the adiabatic constant

γ
\gamma

is sufficiently close to

1
1

, we prove the existence and uniqueness of global strong solutions with large initial data when all the viscosity, heat conductivity, and diffusivity coefficients are constant. Moreover, the asymptotic behavior of solutions is also investigated.
Detection of magnetic fields in both B-type components of the ϵ Lupi system: a new constraint on the origin of fossil fields?
Authors: Shultz M. , Wade G. A. , Alecian E. , Collaboration BinaMIcS
Published: September 2015

High-resolution circular spectropolarimetric observations, obtained with ESPaDOnS in the context of the BinaMIcS Large Program, have revealed a magnetic field in the B3V secondary component of the SB2 binary system ϵ Lupi (B2/B3). As the B2V primary is already known to be magnetic, this is the first detection of a magnetic field in both components of an early-type binary system. The longitudinal magnetic field of the primary is ∼ −200 G; that of the secondary ∼ +100 G. Observations can be approximately reproduced by a model assuming the magnetic axes of the two stars are anti-aligned, and roughly parallel to their respective rotation axes. Estimated magnetospheric radii indicate a high probability that their magnetospheres are interacting. As many of the arguments for the different proposed formation scenarios of fossil magnetic fields rely upon evidence drawn from investigations of close binaries, in particular the rarity of magnetic ABO stars in close binaries and the previous absence of any known close binary with two magnetic, massive stars, this discovery may be an important new constraint on the origin of fossil magnetic fields.
Multiple periods in the variability of the supermassive black hole binary candidate quasar PG1302-102?
Authors: Charisi M. , Bartos I. , Haiman Z. , Price-Whelan A. M. , Márka S.
Published: September 2015

Graham et al. discovered a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) candidate and identified the detected 5.2 yr period of the optical variability as the orbital period of the binary. Hydrodynamical simulations predict multiple periodic components for the variability of SMBHBs, thus raising the possibility that the true period of the binary is different from 5.2 yr. We analyse the periodogram of PG1302 and find no compelling evidence for additional peaks. We also point out that, despite the 5.2 yr peak being significant if a single source is considered, further analysis is required to account for the fact that PG1302 was selected among a large sample of 247 000 quasars. We derive upper limits on any additional periodic modulations in the available data, by modelling the light curve as the sum of stochastic noise and the known 5.2 yr periodic component, and injecting additional sinusoidal signals. We find that, with the current data, we would be able to detect with high significance (false alarm probability <1 per cent) secondary periodic terms, with periods in the range predicted by the simulations, if the amplitude of the variability was at least ∼0.06 mag (compared to 0.14 mag for the main sinusoid). A three-year follow-up monitoring campaign with weekly observations can increase the sensitivity for detecting secondary peaks by ≈50 per cent, and would allow a more robust test of predictions from hydrodynamical simulations.
Discovery of a second outbursting hyperluminous X-ray source
Authors: Heida M. , Jonker P. G. , Torres M. A. P.
Published: September 2015

We report on six Chandra and one HST/WFC3 observation of CXO J122518.6+144545, discovered by Jonker et al. (2010) as a candidate hyperluminous X-ray source (HLX), X-ray bright supernova or recoiling supermassive black hole at LX = 2.2 × 1041 erg s−1 (if associated with the galaxy at 182 Mpc). We detect a new outburst of the source in a Chandra image obtained on 2014 November 20 and show that the X-ray count rate varies by a factor >60. New HST/WFC3 observations obtained in 2014 show that the optical counterpart is still visible at g′= 27.1 ± 0.1, 1 ± 0.1 mag fainter than in the discovery HST/Acs observation from 2003. This optical variability strongly suggests that the optical and X-ray source are related. Furthermore, these properties strongly favour an HLX nature of the source over the alternative scenarios. We therefore conclude that CXO J122518.6+144545 is most likely an outbursting HLX. It is only the second such object to be discovered, after HLX-1 in ESO 243-49. Its high X-ray luminosity makes it a strong candidate to host an intermediate-mass black hole.
Experience
Authors: Grant Judith
Published: September 2015

This chapter analyzes multiple conceptualizations of experience developed within Anglo-American and French feminist theory, and traces their relation to the concepts “woman,” “patriarchy,” and “personal politics.” It explores experience as epistemological ground, as a mechanism of subject formation, as a technique in consciousness raising, and as a methodology. Taking the feminist sexuality debates as a point of departure, the chapter also situates the limitations of feminist notions of experience in relation to queer theory, critical theory, poststructuralism, and the problematics of humanism. Finally, the chapter shows how feminist theoretical uses of the idea of experience parallel explorations and developments of the concept in other non-feminist critical theories. Though it has very often been ignored or considered as something of an anomaly by other critical theorists, the chapter demonstrates that feminist theory is a kind of critical theory and situates it in that broader context.
Intersectionality
Authors: Cooper Brittney
Published: September 2015

Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, the term intersectionality has become the key analytic framework through which feminist scholars in various fields talk about the structural identities of race, class, gender, and sexuality. This chapter situates intersectionality within a long history of black feminist theorizing about interlocking systems of power and oppression, arguing that intersectionality is not an account of personal identity but one of power. It challenges feminist theorists, including Robyn Wiegman, Jennifer Nash, and Jasbir Puar, who have attempted to move past intersectionality because of its limitations in fully attending to the contours of identity. The chapter also maps conversations within the social sciences about intersectionality as a research methodology. Finally, it considers what it means for black women to retain paradigmatic status within intersectionality studies, whether doing so is essentialist, and therefore problematic, or whether attempts to move “beyond” black women constitute attempts at erasure and displacement.
Pop Culture/Visual Culture
Authors: Wanzo Rebecca
Published: September 2015

Feminist scholars in fields as varied as art history, film studies, cultural studies, literary studies, sociology, communications, and performance studies have made important contributions to discussions about representations of gender and sexuality in everyday life. This chapter examines themes and issues in the feminist study of popular culture and visual culture, including: the history of sexist representation; the gendered nature of the “gaze” and the instability of that concept; the question of whether or not representation has effects; the anxieties surrounding consumption of “women’s texts”; and the challenges in deciphering women’s agency and authorship given constraints produced by institutions and ideology.
Instrumentalism
Authors: Stanford P. Kyle
Published: September 2015

This chapter seeks to explore and develop the proposal that even our best scientific theories are not (as the scientific realist would have it) accurate descriptions of how things stand in otherwise inaccessible domains of nature but are instead simply powerful conceptual tools or instruments for engaging practically with the world around us. It describes a number of persistent challenges facing any attempt to apply the American Pragmatists’ global conception of all ideas, beliefs, theories, and cognitions quite generally as such tools or instruments to only a restricted class or category of such entities (such as our best scientific theories) instead. It then seeks to overcome these challenges by regarding scientific instrumentalism as simply applying the scientific realist’s own attitude toward a theory like Newtonian mechanics to even the most empirically successful and instrumentally powerful theory we have in any given scientific domain.
Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy
Authors: Glennan Stuart
Published: September 2015

The past twenty years have seen a resurgence of philosophical interest in mechanisms, an interest that has been driven both by concerns with the logical empiricist tradition and by the sense that a philosophy of science that attends to mechanisms will be more successful than traditional alternatives in illuminating the actual content and practice of science. In this chapter, the author surveys some of the topics discussed by the so-called new mechanists. These include the nature of mechanisms themselves, how mechanisms are discovered and represented via models, the debate over the norms of mechanistic explanation, and the relationship between mechanisms and causation.
Computer Simulation
Authors: Lenhard Johannes
Published: September 2015

This article interprets computer simulation modeling as a new type of mathematical modeling that comprises a number of interdependent components, among them experimentation, visualization, and adaptability. Furthermore, it is argued, simulation modeling can be characterized as a particular style of reasoning, namely a combinatorial style, that assembles and balances elements from different other styles. Two examples are discussed that exemplify the transformative force of this style: what counts as “understanding phenomena” and what counts as a “solution.” Both are seminal pieces of traditional mathematical modeling and both are transformed, if not inverted, in simulation modeling. Finally, some challenges are considered that computer simulations pose for philosophy of science.
A Pound of Flesh
Authors: Torche Florencia , Conley Dalton
Published: September 2015

Birthweight is increasingly being used by economists and other social scientists to measure health endowment at birth. Research in this tradition has evolved from regression analysis to twin difference models to natural experiment approaches that use such events as natural disasters to capture the effects of fetal nutrition and stress on this measure of neonatal health. Furthermore, causal inference approaches have been used to show that birthweight affects health, cognitive and noncognitive development, and educational achievement and attainment, as well as adult wages. An important recent line of literature investigates the heterogeneous impact of birthweight within and between families, examining such moderating factors as family resources, parental investment, and even genotype. This chapter discusses various methods (and their limitations) to incorporating birthweight into economic models as an outcome predictor or moderator.
Birth Weight as an Indicator of Human Welfare
Authors: Ward W. Peter
Published: September 2015

Birth weight is a biometric measure of well-being widely used as an infant health indicator. It also offers insights into maternal and population health more generally. The most common measures of weight at birth are the mean and the proportion of low birth weight (LBW; less than 2,500 g) infants. LBW neonates experience higher risk of infant morbidity and mortality. Globally, LBW rates average 15%. Wealthy Western societies generally experience the highest mean weights whereas the lowest are found in some of the globe’s poorest nations. Factors affecting newborn weight fall into five categories: genetic, environmental, gestational, socioeconomic, and nutritional. Studies of birth weight concerned with change over time reveal important regional and temporal differences, notably during times of social and economic crisis. Numerous studies have identified relationships between low birth weight and a range of health problems in later life, including hypertension, coronary heart disease and non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
The Church
Authors: McPartlan Paul
Published: September 2015

This essay begins by emphasizing that the Church is the gathering into one of the children of God, dispersed by sin. The idea of communion is thus vital for an understanding of the Church, and this communion is particularly a work of the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council reflected intently on the nature of the Church, incorporating biblical and patristic emphases, in the light of subsequent scholastic discussions and with a constant concern to enhance the unity to which Christ calls all Christians. The essay then considers historically the development of ecclesiology though the Second Vatican Council. It ends by considering the shifts in ecclesiological teaching embraced by Vatican II.
Settlement Pattern Studies in Polynesia
Authors: Morrison Alex E. , O'Connor John T.
Published: September 2015

Settlement pattern archaeology has had a major impact on archaeological research in Oceania. This article reviews the history of the settlement pattern approach in Polynesia and provides case studies from the archipelagos of Samoa and Hawai’i. The primary theoretical and methodological foundations and limitations of settlement pattern archaeology are discussed. Recent technological innovations in spatial analysis, including remote sensing, computer analysis, and geographical information systems, are presented. Finally, the chapter concludes with a brief discussion of current and future avenues of development for settlement pattern studies, including the use of remote sensing technology and non-site approaches to archaeological survey and recording.
Crime and the Natural Environment
Authors: White Rob
Published: September 2015

This chapter explores crimes affecting the natural environment. Drawing on insights from green criminology—the study by criminologists of environmental harms, laws, and regulation—the chapter examines the impact of environmental crime on the natural environment. It begins with an overview of the theoretical and conceptual lens offered by green criminology in the study of eco-crime and the natural environment before turning to a discussion of natural resources crimes such as illegal logging and wildlife trade. It then considers pollution offenses and the contamination of air, land, and water, along with issues of illegal waste disposal. It also emphasizes the importance of having the right kinds of laws and regulatory mechanisms, as well as the right kinds of environmental law enforcement practices and procedures, in responding to eco-crime. The chapter concludes with an analysis of overarching trends and the challenges involved in confronting environmental crime.
Narrative, Multiplicity, and the Letters of Paul
Authors: Johnson-DeBaufre Melanie
Published: September 2015

Paul is a central, even paradigmatic, character in both popular and scholarly versions of Christian origins and the development of Christian thought. However, the result is not a singular Paul; indeed, the history of interpretation suggests the opposite: Pauls abound. This chapter explores the historical, ethical, and theological value of the multiplicity of stories within and around the Pauline letters. Considering how characters, plots, and intertexts become local and translocal places for diverse identifications and significations opens up an alternative approach to the largely orthodox and universalizing Paul that predominates among both Christian and nontheist narrations of the mind of Paul. The narrative character of social identity and values engenders a theological and philosophical orientation to biblical text—even letters—that embraces multiplicity and calls for an articulation and adjudication of complex, intersecting, and competing values and ideals.
Responsiveness, Minimal Detectable Change, and Minimally Clinically Important Differences for the Disorders of Consciousness Scale
Authors: Mallinson Trudy , Pape Theresa Louise-Bender , Guernon Ann
Published: September 2015

Objectives:

To determine the responsiveness, minimal detectable change (MDC95), and minimally clinically important difference (MCID) of the Disorders of Consciousness Scale (DOCS-25) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to report the percentages of patients' change scores exceeding MDC and MCID after 3 weeks of inpatient rehabilitation.

Setting:

Post–acute rehabilitation hospitals.

Participants:

One hundred seventy-two patients with severe TBI. Ninety-two were included in the DOCS-25 3-week analysis.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Main Measure(s):

Disorders of Consciousness Scale, Glasgow Coma Scale.

Results:

The effect size and standardized response mean of the DOCS-25 for those who improved were 0.45 and 1.3, respectively—moderate to large by Cohen criteria. The MDC95 (95% confidence interval) was 5.6. Distribution-based MCIDs for small (0.20 SD), moderate (0.33 SD), and large (0.50 SD) differences were 2.6 units, 4.4 units, and 6.6 units, respectively. The anchor-based MCID was 8.6 units. On average, patients who improved (n = 57) gained 14.5 units by week 3, exceeding the anchor-based MCID. On average, patients who did not improve (n = 35) declined by 7.2 units, which exceeds both the MDC95 and the largest distribution-based MCID.

Conclusion(s):

The DOCS-25 is a responsive, clinician-observed assessment tool for capturing change in neurobehavioral function in adults recovering from severe TBI. This is the first study to provide evidence for the size of neurobehavioral function change that might indicate meaningful recovery in patients with severe TBI. Results from this study may support future research by better informing sample size calculations for clinical trials and also assist clinicians in identifying when variation in level of consciousness is consequential enough to warrant changes in intervention.