bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drugs and Crime
Authors: Jelsma Martin , Bewley-Taylor David
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses the relatively little-known convention framework focusing on the traditionally connected issues of drugs and crime and the differing consequences of treaty flexibility within each domain. It begins with an overview of the evolution and expansion in scope of the international drug control regime and its structural focus on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and illicit traffic in both. A range of growing tensions are discussed as views of the issue area among member states diverge and systemic dissonance across the UN becomes more obvious, particularly in relation to human rights. The chapter then moves on to examine the development of the transnational organized crime and corruption regime and assessment of the conventions upon which it is based. It concludes by looking to the future with a discussion of some of the available options to address tensions within the drug control regime, including what lessons might be learned from the governance structures of their sister crime control conventions.
The Human Rights Treaty Body System
Authors: Connors Jane
Published: July 2019

This chapter provides an overview of the human rights treaty bodies, including their composition, and the tools they have to encourage states parties to implement their treaty obligations fully. It also traces the development of their working methods relating to reporting, petitions and inquiries, and interface with stakeholders, such as civil society and UN entities. The discussion includes analysis of the composition of the treaty bodies that do this work, their competence to oversee core treaties, and the ways treaty bodies strengthen the human rights treaty body system. Finally, the chapter also touches on the many initiatives that have been launched to strengthen the treaty bodies and create an aligned human rights treaty body system.
The Covenants
Authors: Ramcharan Bertrand G.
Published: July 2019

The adoption of the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic and Social Rights in 1966 heralded a new international order grounded in human dignity and freedom. They have contributed to the emergence of a common universal language of human rights and offered a protection shield to millions of people worldwide. However, ideals of the UN Charter, of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the Covenants are widely flouted. In calling for a modernized approach to human rights protection, this chapter calls for moving beyond a formal, diplomatic ritualism. The concrete application of the Covenants requires that states adhere to their reporting obligations under the treaties, that the treaty body mechanisms pay more attention in the future to urgent, preventive measures to the poorest and most vulnerable sections of population and that national human rights mechanisms be created in each state with the capacity to effectively promote and protect human rights. In doing so, greater attention must be placed on economic, social, and cultural rights.
United Nations Treaty-Making
Authors: Goodwin-Gill Guy S.
Published: July 2019

Refugees, stateless persons, and those without protection were among the first international problems faced by the League of Nations, almost from the moment of its creation. Building on the practice of the League’s High Commissioner for Refugees, Fridtjof Nansen, in securing agreement on issues such as identity and travel documents for those without or denied the nationality or protection of their country of origin, the United Nations took steps from its opening session onward to ensure protection and facilitate solutions. It established its own organizations and promoted a series of treaties on refugees, stateless persons, and statelessness, which to this day remains the basic international legal framework. States, in turn, have recognized that refugees (and now migration) are an international issue, and that no state should be expected to shoulder alone the responsibilities of admission, protection, and solutions. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, is mandated to provide international protection, to assist governments in finding solutions, to promote treaties and agreements, and to supervise their application. UNHCR’s direct engagement with states and its worldwide operational activities contribute significantly to the consolidation of protection principles, such as non-refoulement and asylum, to the expansion of humanitarian relief for the displaced, and to the progressive development of customary international law. Recent displacement crises, protracted refugee situations, greater mobility, and a highly globalized and securitized environment will bring fresh challenges to an international protection regime with nearly one hundred years of law and organization behind it.
International Criminal Law and UN Treaties
Authors: Zappalà Salvatore
Published: July 2019

The United Nations has been very closely linked to the development of international criminal law (ICL), including in the area of multilateral treaty-making. The UN General Assembly has been the forum for negotiations or preparation of most ICL treaties: from the Genocide Convention to the International Criminal Court Statute, and many other UN bodies (from the Secretariat to the Security Council, as well as the Economic and Social Council and the entire human rights machinery) have significantly contributed to the establishment and evolution of ICL. Moreover, the values protected through ICL enhance and reinforce some of the basic tenets of the UN Charter, including the prohibition of the use of armed force (reflected in the criminalization of aggression), as well as the protection and promotion of human rights (linked to the notion of crimes against humanity and war crimes). This chapter illustrates the historical developments of ICL and emphasizes the pivotal role of the UN in the implementation and further improvement of ICL.
Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies
Authors: Aziz Davinia , See Alison
Published: July 2019

This chapter considers the United Nations’ contribution to the law on privileges and immunities of international organizations through its earliest forays into multilateral treaty-making. The chapter focuses on the origins of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and the 1947 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies; their conceptual innovations, including the key shift from diplomatic to functional immunity; and the driving considerations underlying their treaty design. The chapter also explores the key features of the treaty-making process of both Conventions, the key substantive and structural aspects of both Conventions, and how the Conventions have been applied in practice, including through implementing decisions, and national and institutional positions, as well as headquarters and other bilateral agreements. The chapter concludes by assessing the Conventions’ legacy for multilateral treaty-making, and for the broader law of international organizations.
Responsibility of States and International Organizations
Authors: Bodeau-Livinec Pierre
Published: July 2019

Quite paradoxically given the importance of the topic in the system of international law, issues pertaining to responsibility of states and international organizations are not dealt with in treaties of universal character or “United Nations” treaties. So far, the General Assembly has merely taken note of the Articles on State Responsibility and the Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations—respectively adopted by the International Law Commission (ILC) in 2001 and 2011—and refrained from taking any decision as to the final status of these texts. Three options are available: keeping the formal status quo, adopting the Articles as a General Assembly declaration, or using the text as a basis for a United Nations Convention on Responsibility. While the latter option would bring the Articles on state responsibility outside the realm of soft law, it could also have a “decodifying effect,” insofar that it could threaten the balance carefully designed by the ILC. Even though the 2001 Articles will most likely retain their current status, drafting a treaty on state responsibility could however prove useful.
The Participation of Nonstate Actors in the Multilateral Treaty Process
Authors: Webb Philippa
Published: July 2019

This chapter analyzes the participation of nonstate actors (NSAs) in contemporary UN treaty-making. It uses the Lasswell-McDougal-Reisman “seven decision functions” to understand the role played by NSAs at the various stages of treaty creation, negotiation, and implementation. It sets out four ways in which NSAs may participate in treaty-making: being at the table, on the sidelines, behind the scenes, and on the outside. The UN has established practices for accreditation and participation that have facilitated the increasing contribution of NSAs. Several key challenges remain, from risks to legitimacy to controversy over the involvement of industry and business interests.
Japan
Authors: Weitzdörfer Julius , Lu Reimers Lucy
Published: July 2019

This chapter provides the only up-to-date overview of Japanese environmental law available in English. Starting with a systematic overview of the allocation of powers with respect to Japanese environmental law, it takes into account the constitutional basis of environmental protection, the Environmental Basic Law, the Environmental Basic Plans for environmental conservation, and the environmental planning frameworks set for prefectures and municipalities. The analysis then turns to the substance of environmental law as it applies to nature conservation, air quality, noise protection, waste management, water quality, hazardous substances, environmental impact assessment, and climate change. The chapter also considers the implementation framework for environmental law, including civil liability in tort, civil injunctive remedies, administrative trials and pre-trial review, state liability, and environmental alternative dispute resolution (mediation, conciliation, formal arbitration, and informal arbitration). Finally, it discusses the issues surrounding the inclusion of nuclear energy law in the corpus of Japanese environmental law.
Mexico
Authors: Anglés Hernández Marisol , Rovalo Otero Montserrat
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the environmental law system of Mexico. It first provides an overview of the allocation of powers with respect to environmental protection in Mexico, and more specifically in relation to sustainable development, the constitutional basis of the protection of human rights, the human right to a healthy environment, the human right to water and sanitation, and collective rights and access to natural resources. The discussion then turns to the structure and substance of environmental law as it applies to air pollution and climate change, water use and preservation, biological diversity, and waste management. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the implementation framework for Mexican environmental law, taking into account the right of access to environmental information, access to environmental participation, and access to environmental justice.
Singapore
Authors: Lin-Heng Lye
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the environmental law system of Singapore, with particular emphasis on the role of an effective environmental management system (EMS) in the city-state’s successful management of the environment. The EMS of Singapore consists of an administrative framework, comprehensive land use planning, and the implementation and enforcement of effective pollution control laws. Before analysing the central features of the EMS, the chapter provides an overview of Singapore’s legal system and sources of law. It then considers the structure and substance of environmental law as it applies to pollution control (air pollution, pollution from stationary sources/industries, pollution from vehicles, emissions from other sources), water pollution and water management, waste management, contaminated sites, noise, nature conservation, and climate change. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the administrative framework for environmental management, focusing on the role of government agencies and strategies for land use planning, including judicious siting of industries.
South Korea
Authors: Cho Hong Sik , Choi Gina J.
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the overall structure of environmental law in South Korea and its impact on energy policy as the climate change regime. It first provides an overview of the allocation of powers with regards to Korean environmental policy, along with the constitutional right to a healthy and pleasant environment and an obligation resting on both the government and citizens to protect the environment. It then considers the structure and substance of environmental law, with emphasis on its overall principles and relevant environmental statutes as well as medium-specific regulations as they apply to air preservation and climate change, water preservation, soil environment preservation, chemicals management, recycling and waste management, and wildlife and national resources preservation. The discussion concludes with an analysis of the administrative, criminal, and private enforcement of Korean environmental law.
United Kingdom
Authors: Bell Stuart
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the overall structure and substance of environmental law in the United Kingdom (UK). There are three main sections—the first considers the allocation of power for environmental regulation in the UK by analysing three competing forces that have helped to shape the ‘infrastructure’ of environmental law in the United Kingdom. The second section provides an outline of the structure and substance of the core areas of environmental regulation in the United Kingdom. The aim here is to summarize the techniques employed in the UK to regulate environmental quality, land use, waste management, nature conservation, and industrial pollution control. The final section addresses implementation; focusing on the role of central government, local government, specialist agencies, and courts and tribunals.
Nature Conservation
Authors: García-Ureta Agustín
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses the international legal regime on nature conservation. It first provides a brief overview of the evolution of national and international instruments to protect wildlife before exploring the concept of biodiversity and the dimensions of its intrinsic value. It then considers the relationship between protected areas and wildlife species, with particular emphasis on the designation of certain areas based on the wonders they sheltered and later based on the need to conserve wildlife. It also describes the legal definition and criteria for designation of an area for purposes of nature conservation, the importance of the size of protected areas in wildlife protection, and the link between wildlife and environmental connectivity. Finally, it analyses a range of specific measures designed to protect wild species, including wandering and alien species, trade in species, and the debate surrounding property rights and market mechanisms as they apply to wildlife protection.
Regulation of Marine Capture Fisheries
Authors: Markus Till
Published: July 2019

This chapter focuses on laws that regulate marine capture fisheries. It first provides a brief overview of the current state of world fisheries resources before introducing a systematic and flexible analytical framework for assessing and comparing the regulation of marine capture fisheries. In particular, it considers key regulatory instruments that address the problem of overfishing, along with criteria for designing and narrowing down possible scopes of comparisons. Based on this approach, the chapter compares the fisheries laws of Japan, New Zealand, and the European Union, with emphasis on scope, competence order, and central legislative acts as well as the regulation of the management process. It also explores laws and policies that affect the functioning and effectiveness of fisheries rules before concluding with a discussion of commonalities and differences, system specificities, and specific shortcomings.
Genetically Modified Organisms
Authors: Saab Anne
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines comparative approaches to risk assessment and regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It first provides a brief background on the emergence, increased use, and controversy surrounding GMOs as well as the important legal questions and complexities they raise before discussing the legal approaches used to assess and regulate risks associated with GM foods, labelling of GM foods, and the application of intellectual property rights (IPRs) to GMOs. In particular, it considers risk assessment in the United States and in the European Union, focusing on the precautionary approach versus the permissive approach. It also compares process regulation and product regulation for regulating the risks posed by GMOs in the United States and the European Union, along with risk assessment and regulation in Brazil, China, and Costa Rica. Finally, it analyses the legal framework for IPRs as they apply to GMOs and comparative approaches to patenting GMOs.
Contaminated Sites
Authors: Lees Emma
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines models of regulation for historical pollution of sites. It begins with an overview of the various challenges involved in a comparative study of the rules regarding the clean-up of contaminated sites, in part due to the existence of a huge variety of global approaches to the question of contamination as well as the patchwork and complex response. This chapter addresses these challenges by analysing not only the technical and design-based points of comparison, but also the normative premises upon which such design decisions are based. It considers various elements of regulatory ‘models’ for contaminated sites, emphasizing the importance of having a unified aim which underpins every regulatory regime. It also outlines three parameters that need to be assessed to get a sense of the different models for legal responses to polluted sites: the definition of harm/pollution/contamination, liability, and models and goal of remediation.
Distribution of Powers
Authors: Reese Moritz
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses the distribution of powers in environmental policy, with emphasis on vertical—rather than horizontal—division of powers. The goal is to identify prominent model approaches and important differences in power distribution, as well as the pros and cons, and to derive lessons for future governance reforms. The chapter begins with an analysis of the distribution of powers in multilevel environmental governance, taking into account the distinction between federal and unitary systems; the role of administrative regulation and of executive competences; fiscal, taxing, and spending competences; and the role of local community governments and self-governing bodies. The most relevant normative concepts of vertical power distribution are then examined, with a particular focus on how centralization or decentralization of government powers is motivated or could be motivated. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the ‘telic’ approach of cooperative steering for functional distribution of powers.
Transnational Networks
Authors: Heyvaert Veerle
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the transnational and networked aspects of contemporary environmental law and governance. It first explains why there is a need for a deeper and stronger engagement with the transboundary nature of environmental law before discussing the rise of transnational networks as sources of environmental law and governance, along with the reasons for their proliferation and the possibility that they will persist in the coming decades. The chapter then introduces a mapping approach that may facilitate the inclusion of transnational networks in comparative analyses. The proposed methodology organizes the field into five cohorts of transnational networks: public/public networks; public/private networks; private/public networks; private/private networks; and hybrid networks. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the impact of engaging with transnational networks on the practice of comparative environmental law, along with the challenges and opportunities that such networks present for comparative studies.
Environmental Planning
Authors: Wang Jin
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses the importance of environmental plans as an instrument of environmental law and policy across jurisdictions. It first explains the concept of environmental plan, how environmental plans evolved in different jurisdictions, and the theory of environmental plans before considering the contents of national environmental plans. Using the examples of China, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, the chapter examines the emergence and consolidation of national environmental plans, their underlying rationales, the processes through which they are formulated, and the areas most frequently addressed by them. It also shows how national environmental plans are implemented in those jurisdictions, along with their legal effects.
Protection of Sites
Authors: Reid Colin
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the role of protected sites in biodiversity conservation and in the overall conservation enterprise. It first provides an overview of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s work on definition and classification for protected sites before discussing the legal basis and the governance arrangements for protected areas. It then considers a range of issues surrounding the designation of protected sites, along with legal measures for their conservation and enhancement (e.g. management plans, controls on visitors and activities, positive conservation). It also explores the issue of enforcement and various measures used for the conservation of marine-protected areas before concluding with an analysis of two major challenges which may necessitate a rethinking of the role and place of protected areas in conservation: the first arises from our improved understanding of what is needed for biodiversity to thrive, and the second is posed by climate change.
Command and Control Standards and Cross-jurisdictional Harmonization
Authors: Lange Bettina
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the strengths and weaknesses of ‘command and control’ environmental standards. It argues that a key shortcoming of such standards is a ‘conceptualization gap’: i.e. limited conceptualizations of how the natural environment works, and how it is influenced by human actions. After considering a working definition of command and control standards, the chapter discusses their significance, how they are related to self-regulation and economic incentives, and their implementation deficit. The chapter then explains how applied science models that analyse environmental risks can help to close the ‘conceptualization gap’ that limits the significance and effectiveness of command and control environmental standards. It suggests that closing the conceptualization gap can involve to rely on integrated and harmonized standards, which, in turn, can be achieved by using the abstract, conceptual, and thus potentially trans-jurisdictional ‘language of science’. To this end, the chapter introduces the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts, and Responses) applied science model, describing its features and highlighting its limitations in providing an integrated view of environmental risks.
The Assessment of Environmental Impact
Authors: Craik Neil
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the role of environmental assessment (EA) in mediating between the scientific, political, and normative elements within environmental decision-making. It first provides an overview of the origins of EA and how it spread worldwide before considering the different theoretical models that have been developed to explain the structure and role of EA as an institutionalized approach to environmental decision-making. It then discusses the elements of environmental impact assessment (EIA) as a policy instrument, namely: application, screening, scoping, participation, decisions, and follow-up and monitoring. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the convergence and divergence in EA practice and how the diverging approaches to EA may affect the degree or type of influence that assessment processes have on environmental outcomes.
A Cartography of Environmental Education
Authors: Cutter-McKenzie-Knowles Amy , Logan Marianne , Khatun Ferdousi , Malone Karen
Published: July 2019

This chapter presents a historical and policy cartography of environmental education. It begins with a brief historical overview of significant environmental education initiatives, focusing on how they became part of a highly political and intergovernmental agenda and how the concept of sustainable development has infiltrated the field of environmental education. It then considers the neoliberal relationship between environmental education and sustainable development before providing a cartography of environmental education policies and an analysis of ‘currents’ (the complex and evolving perspectives and pedagogies) in the field. Two case studies of environmental education are discussed, namely, the Climate Change + Me project in Australia and the story of a teacher named Rose in Bangladesh who inspired environmental consciousness and sustainable practices amongst her students.
Environmental Liability
Authors: Hinteregger Monika
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses the potential and the limits of civil law for the prevention and remediation of environmental harm. It first provides a brief overview of the environmental liability regimes established by international conventions, including those on nuclear liability and oil pollution damage by ships, and the basic rules of selected national tort laws (e.g. fault-based liability, no-fault liability for pollution damage, product liability, neighbourhood law and nuisance). It then considers the main problems of environmental liability, namely: proof of causation, legal standing for the remediation and compensation of environmental damage, the evaluation of natural resource damage, and the relationship between tort liability and environmental regulations. The chapter concludes with a critical analysis of the uses of tort law in environmental protection while also emphasizing that it must meet some requirements in order to become fully effective.
Environmental Law and Constitutional and Public Law
Authors: Pedersen Ole W.
Published: July 2019

This chapter examines the relationship of environmental law to public and constitutional law. More specifically, it considers ‘points of interactions’ between public and constitutional law and environmental law and shows that these points of interaction are found throughout the ‘life cycle’ of environmental law. The chapter explores the ways in which environmental law is shaped by rules and doctrines of public and constitutional law, first by discussing policy and law-making in the administrative state. It then analyses constitutional environmental norms and their functions, the local and domestic context of constitutional environmental provisions, the non-constitutional points of interaction between environmental law and public and constitutional law, and how the form and content of environmental law are shaped by domestic structures of government (and governance). The chapter concludes with an assessment of the impact of environmental law on public and constitutional law.
The ‘Red Radio Ring’: ionized and molecular gas in a starburst/active galactic nucleus at z ∼ 2.55
Authors: Harrington Kevin C , Vishwas A , Weiß A , Magnelli B , Grassitelli L , Zajaček M , Jiménez-Andrade E F , Leung T K D , Bertoldi F , Romano-Díaz E , Frayer D T , Kamieneski P , Riechers D , Stacey G J , Yun M S , Wang Q D
Published: July 2019

We report the detection of the far-infrared (FIR) fine-structure line of singly ionized nitrogen, [N ii] 205 $\mu$m , within the peak epoch of galaxy assembly, from a strongly lensed galaxy, hereafter ‘The Red Radio Ring’; the RRR, at z = 2.55. We combine new observations of the ground-state and mid-J transitions of CO (Jup = 1, 5, 8), and the FIR spectral energy distribution (SED), to explore the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM) properties of the RRR. All line profiles suggest that the H ii regions, traced by [N ii] 205 $\mu$m , and the (diffuse and dense) molecular gas, traced by CO, are cospatial when averaged over kpc-sized regions. Using its mid-IR-to-millimetre (mm) SED, we derive a non-negligible dust attenuation of the [N ii] 205 $\mu$m line emission. Assuming a uniform dust screen approximation results a mean molecular gas column density >1024 cm−2, with a molecular gas-to-dust mass ratio of 100. It is clear that dust attenuation corrections should be accounted for when studying FIR fine-structure lines in such systems. The attenuation corrected ratio of $L_{\rm N\,{\small II}205} / L_{\rm IR(8\!-\!1000\, \mu m)} = 2.7 \times 10^{-4}$ is consistent with the dispersion of local and z > 4 SFGs. We find that the lower limit, [N ii] 205 $\mu$m -based star formation rate (SFR) is less than the IR-derived SFR by a factor of 4. Finally, the dust SED, CO line SED, and $L_{\rm N\,{\small II}205}$ line-to-IR luminosity ratio of the RRR is consistent with a starburst-powered ISM.
Effects of re-acceleration and source grammage on secondary cosmic rays spectra
Authors: Bresci V , Amato E , Blasi P , Morlino G
Published: July 2019

The ratio between secondary and primary cosmic ray (CR) particles is the main source of information about CR propagation in the Galaxy. Primary CRs are thought to be accelerated mainly in supernova remnant shocks and then released in the interstellar medium. Here, they produce secondary particles by occasional collisions with interstellar matter. As a result, the ratio between the fluxes of secondary and primary particles carries information about the amount of matter CRs have encountered during their journey from their sources to the Earth. Recent measurements by AMS-02 revealed an unexpected behaviour of two main secondary-to-primary ratios, the Boron-to-Carbon ratio and the antiproton-to-proton ratio. In this work, we discuss how such anomalies may reflect the action of two phenomena that are usually overlooked, namely the fact that some fraction of secondary particles can be produced within the acceleration region, and the non-negligible probability that secondary particles encounter an accelerator (and are re-accelerated) during propagation. Both effects must be taken into account in order to correctly extract information about CR transport from secondary-to-primary ratios.
Dark-ages reionization and galaxy formation simulation – XVII. Sizes, angular momenta, and morphologies of high-redshift galaxies
Authors: Marshall Madeline A , Mutch Simon J , Qin Yuxiang , Poole Gregory B , Wyithe J Stuart B
Published: July 2019

We study the sizes, angular momenta, and morphologies of high-redshift galaxies, using an update of the meraxes semi-analytic galaxy evolution model. Our model successfully reproduces a range of observations from redshifts z = 0–10. We find that the effective radius of a galaxy disc scales with ultraviolet (UV) luminosity as $R_\mathrm{ e}\propto L_{\textrm{UV}}^{0.33}$ at z = 5–10, and with stellar mass as $R_e\propto M_\ast ^{0.24}$ at z = 5 but with a slope that increases at higher redshifts. Our model predicts that the median galaxy size scales with redshift as Re ∝ (1 + z)−m, where m = 1.98 ± 0.07 for galaxies with (0.3–1)$L^\ast _{z=3}$ and m = 2.15 ± 0.05 for galaxies with (0.12–0.3)$L^\ast _{z=3}$. We find that the ratio between stellar and halo specific angular momentum is typically less than 1 and decreases with halo and stellar mass. This relation shows no redshift dependence, while the relation between specific angular momentum and stellar mass decreases by ∼0.5 dex from z = 7 to z = 2. Our model reproduces the distribution of local galaxy morphologies, with bulges formed predominantly through galaxy mergers for low-mass galaxies, disc-instabilities for galaxies with M* ≃ 1010–$10^{11.5}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, and major mergers for the most massive galaxies. At high redshifts, we find galaxy morphologies that are predominantly bulge-dominated.
A classifier to detect elusive astronomical objects through photometry
Authors: D. Bhavana , Vig S , Ghosh S K , Gorthi Rama Krishna Sai S
Published: July 2019

The application of machine learning principles in the photometric search of elusive astronomical objects has been a less-explored frontier of research. Here, we have used three methods, the neural network and two variants of k-nearest neighbour, to identify brown dwarf candidates using the photometric colours of known brown dwarfs. We initially check the efficiencies of these three classification techniques, both individually and collectively, on known objects. This is followed by their application to three regions in the sky, namely Hercules (2° × 2°), Serpens (9° × 4°), and Lyra (2° × 2°). Testing these algorithms on sets of objects that include known brown dwarfs show a high level of completeness. This includes the Hercules and Serpens regions where brown dwarfs have been detected. We use these methods to search and identify brown dwarf candidates towards the Lyra region. We infer that the collective method of classification, also known as ensemble classifier, is highly efficient in the identification of brown dwarf candidates.
Recurrent Losses and Rapid Evolution of the Condensin II Complex in Insects
Authors: King Thomas D , Leonard Christopher J , Cooper Jacob C , Nguyen Son , Joyce Eric F , Phadnis Nitin
Published: July 2019

Condensins play a crucial role in the organization of genetic material by compacting and disentangling chromosomes. Based on studies in a few model organisms, the condensins I and II complexes are considered to have distinct functions, with the condensin II complex playing a role in meiosis and somatic pairing of homologous chromosomes in Drosophila. Intriguingly, the Cap-G2 subunit of condensin II is absent in Drosophila melanogaster, and this loss may be related to the high levels of chromosome pairing seen in flies. Here, we find that all three non-SMC subunits of condensin II (Cap-G2, Cap-D3, and Cap-H2) have been repeatedly and independently lost in taxa representing multiple insect orders, with some taxa lacking all three. We also find that all non-Dipteran insects display near-uniform low-pairing levels regardless of their condensin II complex composition, suggesting that some key aspects of genome organization are robust to condensin II subunit losses. Finally, we observe consistent signatures of positive selection in condensin subunits across flies and mammals. These findings suggest that these ancient complexes are far more evolutionarily labile than previously suspected, and are at the crossroads of several forms of genomic conflicts. Our results raise fundamental questions about the specific functions of the two condensin complexes in taxa that have experienced subunit losses, and open the door to further investigations to elucidate the diversity of molecular mechanisms that underlie genome organization across various life forms.
Biogenesis of RNase P RNA from an intron requires co-assembly with cognate protein subunits
Authors: Palsule Geeta , Gopalan Venkat , Simcox Amanda
Published: July 2019

RNase P RNA (RPR), the catalytic subunit of the essential RNase P ribonucleoprotein, removes the 5′ leader from precursor tRNAs. The ancestral eukaryotic RPR is a Pol III transcript generated with mature termini. In the branch of the arthropod lineage that led to the insects and crustaceans, however, a new allele arose in which RPR is embedded in an intron of a Pol II transcript and requires processing from intron sequences for maturation. We demonstrate here that the Drosophila intronic-RPR precursor is trimmed to the mature form by the ubiquitous nuclease Rat1/Xrn2 (5′) and the RNA exosome (3′). Processing is regulated by a subset of RNase P proteins (Rpps) that protects the nascent RPR from degradation, the typical fate of excised introns. Our results indicate that the biogenesis of RPR in vivo entails interaction of Rpps with the nascent RNA to form the RNase P holoenzyme and suggests that a new pathway arose in arthropods by coopting ancient mechanisms common to processing of other noncoding RNAs.
ULK1 phosphorylates Mad1 to regulate spindle assembly checkpoint
Authors: Yuan Fengjie , Jin Ximin , Li Dan , Song Yuanshuai , Zhang Nan , Yang Xin , Wang Lina , Zhu Wei-Guo , Tian Chan , Zhao Ying
Published: July 2019

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures the fidelity of chromosome segregation during mitosis. Here, we show that ULK1, a serine/threonine kinase that plays a key role in initiation of autophagy, also has an important function in the activation of SAC. ULK1 phosphorylates the SAC protein Mad1 at Ser546 to recruit Mad1 to kinetochores. Furthermore, Rod/ZW10/Zwilch (RZZ) complex may serve as a receptor for phos-Ser546-Mad1 at kinetochore, since phosphorylation of Mad1 by ULK1 strengthens the interaction between Mad1 and RZZ complex. In addition, deletion of ULK1 increases chromosome instability and cytotoxicity of paclitaxel, resulting in significant impairment of cancer cell growth. These findings highlight the role of ULK1 as a protein kinase controlling the fidelity of chromosome segregation and cell-cycle progression.
Philosophical and Qualitative Perspectives on Assessment in Music Education
Authors: Elliott David J. , Silverman Marissa , McPherson Gary E.
Published: July 2019

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an introduction and overview to the aims of the Oxford Handbook of Philosophical and Qualitative Assessment in Music Education. Why philosophical and qualitative perspectives on assessment in or for music education? While there are numerous quantitative research projects that investigate assessment in or for music education, which are certainly important, they typically do not help us understand (which this volume does) the fundamental conceptual nature of and assumptions about music education assessment and music education evaluation across global contexts, which in turn shape and drive why and how students, and their actual and potential creativities, are harmfully or ethically impacted.
A Music-Centered Perspective on Music Therapy Assessment
Authors: Carpente John A. , Aigen Kenneth
Published: July 2019

This chapter critiques existing music therapy assessment tools for their inadequate attention to specifically musical processes, for considering only nonmusical areas of functioning, and for an overly narrow examination of functional areas in isolation. A music-centered perspective is offered, the foundations of which remedy the deficiencies of the predominance of existing assessment tools. One assessment tool—the Individual Music-Centered Assessment Profile for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (IMCAP-ND)—is described in detail to illustrate a music therapy assessment that looks at functional areas within music and within the context of a coactive music therapy relationship.
Improvisation, Enaction, and Self-Assessment
Authors: van der Schyff Dylan
Published: July 2019

This chapter explores the challenging question of curriculum and assessment for music improvisation pedagogy. It begins by offering a critical review of standard approaches to improvisation pedagogy, arguing that they often neglect the processes of discovery and collaboration that more open or “free” approaches afford. It then discusses the challenges that free improvisation poses to traditional modes of practice and assessment in music education. The chapter considers the argument that improvisation, in its fullest sense, cannot be taught and assessed according to standardized models; it is not something to be inculcated in students, but rather is a fundamental disposition that should be nurtured. This perspective is then developed in light of recent advances in enactive cognitive science, in which living cognition is explored as a fundamentally embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended (4E) phenomenon. The suggestion is made that because the ways living agents engage with these dimensions are not pre-given but rather reflect the adaptive processes associated with survival and well-being in contingent sociomaterial environments, there is a very strong sense in which cognition may be understood as an improvisational process even at the most fundamental levels. Following this, the chapter explores how a 4E cognition model might help guide curriculum development and offer a framework for forms of self-assessment involving collaborative processes of creative action and reflection. In conclusion, the chapter offers a few final thoughts drawn from existing musical communities and the author’s experience as an improvising musician.
Could There Be Deleuzian Assessment in Music Education?
Authors: Richerme Lauren Kapalka
Published: July 2019

Authors of contemporary education and arts education policies tend to emphasize the adoption of formal, summative assessment practices. Poststructuralist philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s emphasis on ongoing differing and imaginative possibilities may at first glance appear incompatible with these overarching, codified assessments. While Deleuze criticizes the increasing use of ongoing assessments as a form of control, he posits a more nuanced explanation of measurement. This philosophical inquiry examines four measurement-related themes from Deleuze’s writings and explores how they might inform concepts and practices of assessment in various music teaching and learning contexts. The first theme suggests that each group of connective relations, what Deleuze terms a “plane of immanence,” demands its own forms of measurement. Second, Deleuze emphasizes varieties of measurement. Third, those with power, what Deleuze terms the “majority,” always set the standard for measurement. Fourth, Deleuze derides continuous assessment. His writings suggest that music educators might consider that assessments created for one musical practice or style should not transcend their own “plane of immanence,” that a variety of nonstandardized assessments is desirable, that the effect of measurement on “minoritarian” musical practices must be examined carefully, and that it is essential to ponder the potentials of unmeasured music making.
Music as Bildning
Authors: Söderman Johan
Published: July 2019

The Swedish concept of bildning connects to the democratization process of Swedish society and the struggle for social justice over the last 150 years. It can be regarded as permeating three main Swedish movements and was constituted as a tool for marginalized people to take part in society. Advocates for a holistic approach to learning claim that bildning should be defined as different from education, in the sense that the traditional education system stands for a more instrumental perspective on learning. Advocates for the opposing standpoint claim that bildning is simply the natural result of traditional education. Advocates for holistic bildning ideals have recurrently strongly criticized the formal school system and its cramming culture (“teaching for the test”) and elitist ideals. Their position is rather that learning should be enjoyable, motivational, and voluntary in order to lead citizens to a state of emancipation. In aesthetic activities such as music there are some knowledge elements that can be said to constitute the very essence of bildning, in the sense that the activity does not have to lead to something particular in order to be meaningful. Over the past few decades the focus on testing and grades appears to have increased in school and education discussions in Sweden and worldwide. Using the concept of bildning as a point of departure, this chapter highlights how standardized assessment procedures contradict its holistic ideals. For instance, music education that contains elements of testing may be regarded as conflicting with the bildning concept.
Alternative Assessment for Music Students with Significant Disabilities
Authors: DeVito Donald , Sheridan Megan M. , Chen-Edmund Jian-Jun , Edmund David , Bingham Steven
Published: July 2019

How is it possible to move beyond assessment for the purposes of evaluating teacher proficiency and student performance outcomes and instead to consider assessment for understanding student musical experiences and preferences for the purpose of promoting lifelong musical engagement? This chapter includes and examines three distinct music education approaches that have been taken at the K–12 Sidney Lanier Center School for students with varying exceptionalities in Gainesville, Florida. Megan Sheridan illustrates inclusion and assessment using the Kodály approach. David Edmund and Jian-Jun Chen-Edmund examine creative lessons developed for exceptional learners in a general music setting. Steven Bingham and Donald DeVito illustrate adaptive jazz inclusion and performance for public school and university students with disabilities. This collaborative development in qualitative music assessment has taken place through (1) developing methods of communicating recognition of student engagement and affective responses during inclusive engagement in public school music education settings, specifically in Kodaly-based music instruction, K–12 general music classes, and secondary jazz ensembles; (2) using students’ interest and engagement as a means of curriculum development and assessment in inclusive public school music settings; and (3) building collaborative relationships with parents and the community for post-school lifelong music learning.
Imagining Ends-Not-Yet-in-View
Authors: Treacy Danielle Shannon , Timonen Vilma , Kallio Alexis Anja , Shah Iman Bikram
Published: July 2019

The intensifying diversity and fast-paced social change characterizing contemporary societies requires music education policy and practice to contend with various and at times conflicting musical and cultural values and understandings. In Nepal this situation is intensified, with a music education curriculum adopted by the Ministry of Education in 2010 guiding music teaching and learning for 77 national districts and over 125 caste/ethnic groups within a rapidly globalizing society. In this context assessment plays a key role in framing the knowledge and pedagogical approaches deemed useful or desirable for Nepali music students, and contributes to the legitimation of music as a subject and as a career. Assessment is therefore of ethical concern and warrants critical reflection if music education is to uphold democratic ideals, such as participation and equal opportunity. In this chapter we identify four institutional visions framing music education in Nepali schools. Considering these visions through John Dewey’s Theory of Valuation (LW13), we suggest that ethical deliberations regarding assessment focus on the relationships between means and ends in learning processes and thereby the quality of student experience. Leaning on Arjun Appadurai’s theories of the imagination (1996) and the capacity to aspire (2004) we then propose that imagining ends-not-yet-in-view may allow for ethical engagements with values different to one’s own and encourage reflection upon the inclusive and exclusive processes of assessment that frame whose ends-in-view count, when, how, and what for.