bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting single-molecule conductance through machine learning
Authors: Lanzillo Nicholas A. , Breneman Curt M.
Published: October 2016

We present a robust machine learning model that is trained on the experimentally determined electrical conductance values of approximately 120 single-molecule junctions used in scanning tunnelling microscope molecular break junction (STM-MBJ) experiments. Quantum mechanical, chemical, and topological descriptors are used to correlate each molecular structure with a conductance value, and the resulting machine-learning model can predict the corresponding value of conductance with correlation coefficients of r2=0.95 for the training set and r2=0.78 for a blind testing set. While neglecting entirely the effects of the metal contacts, this work demonstrates that single molecule conductance can be qualitatively correlated with a number of molecular descriptors through a suitably trained machine learning model. The dominant features in the machine learning model include those based on the electronic wavefunction, the geometry/topology of the molecule as well as the surface chemistry of the molecule. This model can be used to identify promising molecular structures for use in single-molecule electronic circuits and can guide synthesis and experiments in the future.
Tunable continuous-wave dual-wavelength laser by external-cavity superluminescent diode with a volume Bragg grating and a diffraction grating
Authors: Zheng Yujin , Kurita Takashi , Sekine Takashi , Kato Yoshinori , Kawashima Toshiyuki
Published: October 2016

We demonstrate the tunable continuous-wave dual-wavelength laser based on a double external-cavity superluminescent diode (SLD). The double external cavity consisted of a volume Bragg grating (VBG) and a diffraction grating bracketing the SLD's two facets. The VBG was used as an output coupler to enable the external-cavity SLD to achieve a stable wavelength. A narrow bandwidth of 0.25 nm was achieved in single-wavelength operation. The diffraction grating served as an end mirror to create another tunable wavelength external cavity for the SLD. A wavelength tuning range of 23 nm was achieved. The laser output of the double external-cavity SLD had a tunable spectral separation with dual-wavelengths from +6.42 to −16.94 nm. An output power of up to 37.7 mW was achieved with a frequency difference of 7.1 THz.
Structure and enhanced thermochromic performance of low-temperature fabricated VO2/V2O3 thin film
Authors: Sun Guangyao , Cao Xun , Gao Xiang , Long Shiwei , Liang Mengshi , Jin Ping
Published: October 2016

For VO2-based smart window manufacture, it is a long-standing demand for high-quality thin films deposited at low temperature. Here, the thermochromic films of VO2 were deposited by a magnetron sputtering method at a fairly low temperature of 250 °C without subsequent annealing by embedding a V2O3 interlayer. V2O3 acts as a seed layer to lower the depositing temperature and buffer layer to epitaxial grow VO2 film. The VO2/V2O3 films display high solar modulating ability and narrow hysteresis loop. Our data can serve as a promising point for industrial production with high degree of crystallinity at a low temperature.
Recombination activity of nickel, copper, and oxygen atoms segregating at grain boundaries in mono-like silicon crystals
Authors: Ohno Yutaka , Kutsukake Kentaro , Deura Momoko , Yonenaga Ichiro , Shimizu Yasuo , Ebisawa Naoki , Inoue Koji , Nagai Yasuyoshi , Yoshida Hideto , Takeda Seiji
Published: October 2016

Three-dimensional distribution of impurity atoms was determined at functional Σ5{013} and small-angle grain boundaries (GBs) in as-grown mono-like silicon crystals by atom probe tomography combined with transmission electron microscopy, and it was correlated with the recombination activity of those GBs, CGB, revealed by photoluminescence imaging. Nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and oxygen atoms preferentially segregated at the GBs on which arrays of dislocations existed, while those atoms scarcely segregated at Σ5{013} GBs free from dislocations. Silicides containing Ni and Cu about 5 nm in size and oxides about 1 nm in size were formed along the dislocation arrays on those GBs. The number of segregating impurity atoms per unit GB area for Ni and that for Cu, NNi and NCu, were in a trade-off correlation with that for oxygen, NO, as a function of CGB, while the sum of those numbers was almost constant irrespective of the GB character, CGB, and the dislocation density on GBs. CGB would be explained as a linear combination of those numbers: CGB (in %) ∼400(0.38NO + NNi + NCu) (in atoms/nm2). The GB segregation of oxygen atoms would be better for solar cells, rather than that of metal impurities, from a viewpoint of the conversion efficiency of solar cells.
Proposal for a 1×3 Goos-Hänchen shift-assisted de/multiplexer based on a multilayer structure containing quantum dots
Authors: Sattari H. , Ebadollahi-Bakhtevar S. , Sahrai M.
Published: October 2016

A multilayer structure with the wavelength selective features based on Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift is proposed and investigated. We present a layered media containing quantum dots for active control of the GH shift for the reflected light. This configuration includes a distributed Bragg reflector to have minimum optical power transmission to the substrate. In addition, a passive cladding layer is used to enhance the total lateral shift for the reflected beams. For a fixed structure and incident angle, our results demonstrate that by proper manipulation of the optical properties and susceptibility of the active layer, de/multiplexing capabilities of such a device could be controlled. This type of grating-less device can be used as a compact wavelength division multiplexing system with actively controllable channel spacing. We demonstrate possibility of a 1×3 de/multiplexer with channel spacing of 2 nm.
Physiological and biochemical indicators for assessing nitrogen-use efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa) genotypes under dry direct seeding
Authors: Kaur Rupinder , Bedi Seema , Mahajan Gulshan , Kaur Gurpreet , Chauhan Bhagirath Singh
Published: October 2016

To achieve high productivity of labour and water in rice cropping, farmers in South Asia have recently shown more interest in dry direct-seeded rice (DSR). An understanding of physiological and biochemical traits associated with high grain yield and efficiency of nitrogen (N) use is important to the development of genotypes for DSR. We investigated this issue with rice genotypes adapted to DSR in response to N rates. A 2-year study was conducted in a factorial randomised complete block design with eight genotypes and two N rates (75 and 150 kg N ha–1). Almost all of the physiological and biochemical traits studied (e.g. plant height, chlorophyll content, panicle weight, soluble sugars, starch) in DSR improved with increasing N from 75 to 150 kg ha–1, resulting in a 6% increase in yield at 150 kg N ha–1 relative to 75 kg N ha–1. Partial factor productivity of N was highest for the genotype IET-23455 (72.4 kg kg–1) and lowest for the genotype AAUDR (37.4 kg kg–1). Our results suggest that genotypes such as IET-23455 can maintain grain yield at low N rates as N-efficient genotypes. The greater biochemical activity (nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase, sugar, protein and proline) and higher photosynthetic N-use efficiency at low N rates could be used in selection for N-efficient rice genotypes for DSR.
Nitrogen rate and timing effects on growth and yield of drill-sown rice
Authors: Dunn B. W. , Dunn T. S. , Orchard B. A.
Published: October 2016

Eight rice experiments were established at two sites in the Riverina district of south-eastern Australia in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons. Two semi-dwarf rice varieties were drill-sown and nitrogen (N) fertiliser (urea) was applied at different rates at the 4-leaf stage before permanent water (pre-PW) and at panicle initiation (PI). The research assessed the impact of timing of N application on grain yield, compared the apparent N recovery of N fertiliser applied at the two stages, and determined an application strategy for N to obtain consistently high grain yields for current, semi-dwarf rice varieties when drill-sown. The apparent N recoveries achieved were 59% for N applied pre-PW and 25% for N applied at PI, averaged across years, sites, varieties and N rates. Grain yield increased significantly with increased rate of N applied at both stages, but the rate of increase from N applied at PI decreased as the rate of N applied pre-PW increased. The grain yield increase for N applied pre-PW was due to increased number of panicles at maturity and increased number of florets per panicle. Nitrogen applied at PI increased dry matter at maturity and number of florets per panicle. Application of N at PI increased grain yield over that when no N was applied; however, at low PI N-uptake levels, application of N at PI is not enough to achieve high grain yields. Therefore, sufficient N should be available to the crop from a combination of soil- and pre-PW-applied N for the crop to reach a level of N uptake at PI whereby high yields can be achieved. Nitrogen applied at PI did not appear to increase the potential for cold-induced floret sterility as much as pre-PW-applied N. Further research is required to confirm this in other seasons and for other rice varieties.
Contextual factors in geosocial-networking smartphone application use and engagement in condomless anal intercourse among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who use Grindr
Authors: Goedel William C. , Duncan Dustin T.
Published: October 2016

Background
Geosocial-networking smartphone applications (apps) have been used increasingly by men who have sex with men (MSM) to meet new sexual partners. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between contexts of app use (e.g. using apps when drinking) and condomless anal intercourse among a sample of MSM who use these apps. Methods: MSM (n = 174) in New York City were recruited through Grindr, a geosocial-networking app popular among MSM, using broadcast advertisements asking MSM to complete an Internet-based survey about their app use and sexual behaviours. Log-binomial regression models were fit to assess the association between each of the six app-use contexts (e.g. using apps when lonely, when drinking) and engagement in condomless insertive and receptive anal intercourse with one or more partners in the past 3 months. Results: Engagement in condomless receptive and insertive anal intercourse with one or more partners in the preceding 3 months was common (39.7% and 43.1% respectively) and was associated with several app-use contexts. For example, significant associations (P < 0.05) were observed between alcohol and other drug use when using these apps and engagement in condomless receptive and insertive anal intercourse. Conclusion: Given that 57.5% of respondents had engaged in condomless anal intercourse in the preceding 3 months and the associations of app-use contexts with condomless sexual behaviours, these findings suggest that reductions in substance use may lead to safer sexual practices among MSM who use apps to meet sexual partners.
Prevalence of oral human papillomavirus in men attending an Italian sexual health clinic
Authors: Drago Francesco , Herzum Astrid , Ciccarese Giulia , Bandelloni Roberto
Published: October 2016

A high-risk population, formed by 79 consecutive male attendees of our sexually transmissible infections clinic, and who did not have any overt signs of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, were examined. Oral HPV prevalence (37%) was much higher than previously reported. Periurethral HPV-DNA was found in 49% of the patients and anal HPV-DNA was found in 43% of the patients. Considering the high prevalence of oral HPV obtained in the current study, it is important to further investigate the burden of oral HPV, not only in men who have sex with men, but also in heterosexual men and in women.
Environmental and genetic factors support the dissociation between α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity
Authors: Villar-Piqué Anna , Lopes da Fonseca Tomás , Sant’Anna Ricardo , Szegö Éva Mónika , Fonseca-Ornelas Luis , Pinho Raquel , Carija Anita , Gerhardt Ellen , Masaracchia Caterina , Abad Gonzalez Enrique , Rossetti Giulia , Carloni Paolo , Fernández Claudio O. , Foguel Debora , Milosevic Ira , Zweckstetter Markus , Ventura Salvador , Outeiro Tiago Fleming
Published: October 2016

Significance

Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the abnormal accumulation of aggregated proteins in the brain. In Parkinson’s disease and related disorders, this process involves the accumulation of α-synuclein (aSyn). Thus, understanding the relationship between aSyn aggregation and pathological conditions is essential for the development of novel and efficient therapies against these disorders. Here, we studied the effects that different aSyn species have on neurons using a combination of neurodegeneration-associated factors: the H50Q aSyn mutant and the presence of copper. Importantly, we demonstrate that exogenous aSyn promotes toxicity and inclusion formation, and that these effects are inversely correlated. Our data shed light onto the pathological mechanisms associated with aSyn aggregation, forming the foundation for future therapeutic strategies.
Scale-free channeling patterns near the onset of erosion of sheared granular beds
Authors: Aussillous Pascale , Zou Zhenhai , Guazzelli Élisabeth , Yan Le , Wyart Matthieu
Published: October 2016

Significance

The response of erodible granular beds to shearing flows controls numerous natural phenomena. A central aspect is the existence of a threshold stress below which erosion stops, and whose microscopic underpinning is debated. We use an experiment where this threshold is spontaneously reached to study the spatial organization of the erosion flux. We find that erosion is heterogeneous in space and occurs along favored channels whose distribution is extremely broad, with strongly anisotropic spatial correlations. These findings can be quantitatively explained by a model incorporating both the disorder of the static bed and the interactions between mobile particles, establishing a link between erosion and dynamical phase transitions known to occur in disordered environments.
Accumulation of specific sterol precursors targets a MAP kinase cascade mediating cell–cell recognition and fusion
Authors: Weichert Martin , Lichius Alexander , Priegnitz Bert-Ewald , Brandt Ulrike , Gottschalk Johannes , Nawrath Thorben , Groenhagen Ulrike , Read Nick D. , Schulz Stefan , Fleißner André
Published: October 2016

Significance

Deficiencies in sterol biosynthesis resulting in the accumulation of precursor sterol molecules are commonly associated with cellular malfunctioning and disease, including neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders. However, the molecular and cellular consequences of the aberrant accumulation of sterol precursors are not understood. In particular, it is unclear whether specific biochemical or signaling pathways are targeted by the precursors and to what extent their specific structures contribute to their disruptive effects. Here we show that the accumulation of ergosterol precursors specifically targets a conserved ERK MAP kinase pathway that mediates fungal cell–cell communication and fusion. This effect is only caused by precursors with a conjugated double bond in their aliphatic side chain, indicating specific structure–function relationships in the mechanism of action.
Amyloid-β effects on synapses and memory require AMPA receptor subunit GluA3
Authors: Reinders Niels R. , Pao Yvonne , Renner Maria C. , da Silva-Matos Carla M. , Lodder Tessa R. , Malinow Roberto , Kessels Helmut W.
Published: October 2016

Significance

In Alzheimer’s disease, soluble clusters of amyloid-β (Aβ) are believed to degrade synapses and impair memory formation. The removal of AMPA receptors from synapses was previously shown to be a critical step in Aβ-driven synapse loss. In this report, we establish that AMPA receptors that contain subunit GluA3 play a central role in Aβ-driven synaptic and memory deficits. Neurons that lack GluA3 are resistant to synaptic weakening and inhibition of synaptic plasticity, and mice that lack GluA3 were resistant to memory impairment and premature mortality. Our experiments suggest that Aβ initiates synaptic and memory deficits by removing GluA3-containing AMPA receptors from synapses.
Arabidopsis
small nucleolar RNA monitors the efficient pre-rRNA processing during ribosome biogenesis
Authors: Zhu Pan , Wang Yuqiu , Qin Nanxun , Wang Feng , Wang Jia , Deng Xing Wang , Zhu Danmeng
Published: October 2016

Significance

Box C (RUGAUGA)/D (CUGA) and H (ANANNA)/ACA small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are important for the modification and processing of rRNA during ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes. However, the molecular role of snoRNAs throughout the multiple steps of pre-rRNA processing remains poorly understood. This study shows that an uncharacterized C/D box snoRNA,
HIDDEN TREASURE 2
(
HID2
)
,
functions as a prominent player in the monitoring of efficient pre-rRNA processing, which, in turn, is essential for accurate ribosome assembly in
Arabidopsis
. Our data explore a link between a spatially regulated snoRNA and the complexity and the precise control of ribosome biogenesis. Further, the conservation of
HID2
’
s
signature motif and function highlights its importance in multicellular organisms.
hid2
appears to be a representative snoRNA mutant exhibiting pleiotropic developmental defects in plants.
Channel Islands Surnames of French Origin in North America
Authors: Picard Marc
Published: October 2016

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, migrants from the Channel Islands settled in various parts of North America. Many of them bore French names which their ancestors had brought over from Normandy and Brittany to Jersey and Guernsey in previous centuries. However, since many of these surnames were no longer found to exist in France or had evolved beyond recognition, their etymologies became irretrievable in standard French onomastic works. In this study, it will be shown that their origins can be ascertained for the most part by supplementing traditional research methods with the vast onomastic, geographical and genealogical data that has become available on the internet in recent years.
Fracture behaviour of nc-TiAlN/a-Si3N4 nanocomposite coating during nanoimpact test
Authors: Ravi N. , Markandeya R. , Joshi S. V.
Published: October 2016

Cyclic nanoimpact tests were carried on nc-TiAlN/a-Si3N4 nanocomposite, TiN and multilayered TiN/nanocomposite (NC) coatings to evaluate their resistance to fracture under cyclic impact loads. Fracture behaviour of the coatings was ascertained from fracture probability obtained from time-depth curves and focus ion beam milling images of resulting indentation impressions. TiN coating mainly showed intercolumnar cracks while the other coatings showed other modes of cracking, that is, lateral, inclined, bending, edge cracks, during testing. The performance ranking of the coatings, TiN > TiN/NC > nc-TiAlN/a-Si3N4, is linked to their β0 value, representing relative indentation depth of the coating-substrate composite hardness system at which the fractional hardness improvement equal to 50% of the maximum is retained and also their corresponding microstructure. Apart from enabling prediction of fracture resistance of the coatings, these studies provide useful insights into design and selection of coating materials for targeted machining applications.
madSTORM: a superresolution technique for large-scale multiplexing at single-molecule accuracy
Authors: Yi Jason , Manna Asit , Barr Valarie A. , Hong Jennifer , Neuman Keir C. , Samelson Lawrence E.
Published: October 2016

Investigation of heterogeneous cellular structures using single-molecule localization microscopy has been limited by poorly defined localization accuracy and inadequate multiplexing capacity. Using fluorescent nanodiamonds as fiducial markers, we define and achieve localization precision required for single-molecule accuracy in dSTORM images. Coupled with this advance, our new multiplexing strategy, madSTORM, allows accurate targeting of multiple molecules using sequential binding and elution of fluorescent antibodies. madSTORM is used on an activated T-cell to localize 25 epitopes, 14 of which are on components of the same multimolecular T-cell receptor complex. We obtain an average localization precision of 2.6 nm, alignment error of 2.0 nm, and <0.01% cross-talk. Combining these technical advances affords the ability to move beyond obtaining superresolved structures to defining spatial relationships among constituent molecules within structures. Probing the molecular topology of complex signaling cascades and other heterogeneous networks is feasible with madSTORM.
AnNXF1mRNA with a retained intron is expressed in hippocampal and neocortical neurons and is translated into a protein that functions as an Nxf1 cofactor
Authors: Li Ying , Bor Yeou-cherng , Fitzgerald Mark P. , Lee Kevin S. , Rekosh David , Hammarskjold Marie-Louise
Published: October 2016

The Nxf1 protein is a major nuclear export receptor for the transport of mRNA, and it also is essential for export of retroviral mRNAs with retained introns. In the latter case, it binds to RNA elements known as constitutive transport elements (CTEs) and functions in conjunction with a cofactor known as Nxt1. The NXF1 gene also regulates expression of its own intron-containing RNA through the use of a functional CTE within intron 10. mRNA containing this intron is exported to the cytoplasm, where it can be translated into the 356–amino acid short Nxf1(sNxf1) protein, despite the fact that it is a prime candidate for nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). Here we demonstrate that sNxf1 is highly expressed in nuclei and dendrites of hippocampal and neocortical neurons in rodent brain. Additionally, we show that sNxf1 localizes in RNA granules in neurites of differentiated N2a mouse neuroblastoma cells, where it shows partial colocalization with Staufen2 isoform SS, a protein known to play a role in dendritic mRNA trafficking. We also show that sNxf1 forms heterodimers in conjunction with the full-length Nxf1 and that sNxf1 can replace Nxt1 to enhance the expression of CTE-containing mRNA and promote its association with polyribosomes.
Cognitive, Linguistic, and Motor Abilities in a Multigenerational Family with Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Authors: Carrigg Bronwyn , Parry Louise , Baker Elise , Shriberg Lawrence D. , Ballard Kirrie J.
Published: October 2016

Objective

This study describes the phenotype in a large family with a strong, multigenerational history of severe speech sound disorder (SSD) persisting into adolescence and adulthood in approximately half the cases. Aims were to determine whether a core phenotype, broader than speech, separated persistent from resolved SSD cases; and to ascertain the uniqueness of the phenotype relative to published cases.

Method

Eleven members of the PM family (9–55 years) were assessed across cognitive, language, literacy, speech, phonological processing, numeracy, and motor domains. Between group comparisons were made using the Mann–WhitneyU-test (p < 0.01). Participant performances were compared to normative data using standardized tests and to the limited published data on persistent SSD phenotypes.

Results

Significant group differences were evident on multiple speech, language, literacy, phonological processing, and verbal intellect measures without any overlapping scores. Persistent cases performed within the impaired range on multiple measures. Phonological memory impairment and subtle literacy weakness were present in resolved SSD cases.

Conclusion

A core phenotype distinguished persistent from resolved SSD cases that was characterized by a multiple verbal trait disorder, including Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Several phenotypic differences differentiated the persistent SSD phenotype in the PM family from the few previously reported studies of large families with SSD, including the absence of comorbid dysarthria and marked orofacial apraxia. This study highlights how comprehensive phenotyping can advance the behavioral study of disorders, in addition to forming a solid basis for future genetic and neural studies.
Using social media to monitor mental health discussions − evidence from Twitter
Authors: McClellan Chandler , Ali Mir M , Mutter Ryan , Kroutil Larry , Landwehr Justin
Published: October 2016

Objectives: Given the public health importance of communicating about mental illness and the growing use of social media to convey information, our goal was to develop an empirical model to identify periods of heightened interest in mental health topics on Twitter.

Materials and Methods: We collected data on 176 million tweets from 2011 to 2014 with content related to depression or suicide. Using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) data analysis, we identified deviations from predicted trends in communication about depression and suicide.

Results: Two types of heightened Twitter activity regarding depression or suicide were identified in 2014: expected increases in response to planned behavioral health events, and unexpected increases in response to unanticipated events. Tweet volume following expected increases went back to the predicted level more rapidly than the volume following unexpected events.

Discussion: Although ARIMA models have been used extensively in other fields, they have not been used widely in public health. Our findings indicate that our ARIMA model is valid for identifying periods of heightened activity on Twitter related to behavioral health. The model offers an objective and empirically based measure to identify periods of greater interest for timing the dissemination of credible information related to mental health.

Conclusion: Spikes in tweet volume following a behavioral health event often last for less than 2 days. Individuals and organizations that want to disseminate behavioral health messages on Twitter in response to heightened periods of interest need to take this limited time frame into account.
Brain metastasis reirradiation in patients with advanced breast cancer
Authors: Huang Zhou , Sun Bing , Shen Ge , Cha Lei , Meng Xiangying , Wang Junliang , Zhou Zhenshan , Wu Shikai
Published: October 2016

The outcome of recurrent brain metastasis is dismal. This study aims to assess the clinical outcomes and toxicity of reirradiation as a salvage treatment for progressive brain metastasis in patients with advanced breast cancer. Between July 2005 and September 2014, the medical records of 56 patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Of these patients, 39 received whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) followed by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) reirradiation (Group 1), and 17 received SRS followed by WBRT reirradiation (Group 2). Overall survival (OS) and brain progression-free survival rates/times were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic factors were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Change in neurologic function was also assessed. The median OS was 10.8 months (range, 1.3–56.8 months). In Group 1, the median PFS time (PFS-1) was 6.5 months and the OS time was 11.4 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that longer OS was significantly associated with a high Karnofsky performance score (KPS) (P = 0.004), controlled extracranial metastasis (P = 0.001) and a good response to reirradiation (P = 0.034). In Group 2, the median PFS time (PFS-2) after reirradiation was 8.5 months and the OS time was 10.8 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that longer OS was significantly associated with a high KPS (P = 0.018). The majority of the patients had improved or stable neurological function. Reirradiation is an effective and a safe treatment for patients with brain metastases from breast cancer. It might delay the progression of intracranial disease and improve neurological function. A suitable patient selection for reirradiation was suggested.
Acculturation and Alcohol Use Among Hispanic and Asian American College Students
Authors: Zamboanga Byron L. , Tomaso Cara C. , Lui P. Priscilla
Published: October 2016

Many college students, are susceptible to alcohol use and related problems, including Hispanic and Asian Americans. A potential factor contributing to this risk is acculturation, which can be defined as the process of psychological, behavioral, social, and cultural change and adaptation that occurs when individuals or groups from different cultural backgrounds come in contact. This chapter provides a narrative review of the literature examining acculturation and alcohol use among these populations. One key theme to emerge from this review is that the exact direction of the association between these variables is unclear and therefore should be considered with caution. While the existing evidence is relatively limited, gender and, to some extent, ethnic group membership appear to moderate the association between acculturation and alcohol use. Several methodological issues pertaining to the study of acculturation, future research directions, and implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.
A Cultural Perspective on Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Earley P. Christopher , Calic Goran
Published: October 2016

In this chapter, we discuss research related to the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) construct from a cross-cultural perspective and propose a framework to aid in understanding how cultural frames influence the engagement and display of OCB. The terms “intercultural” and “cross-cultural,” as defined in this chapter, are not limited by geographic boundaries and can be used to depict differences in individual values regardless of nationality. In creating such a synthesis, we aim to stimulate a conversation about potential directions for future work at the intersection of these two literatures. Here we explore how the contextual impact of culture and its relation to motivational, metacognitive/cognitive, and behavioral processes in individuals helps us better understand OCB using facets of justice (interactional, procedural, and distributive) as a linking mechanism.
Semantic Networks and Applications in Public Opinion Research
Authors: Yang Sijia , González-Bailón Sandra
Published: October 2016

Semantic networks represent and model messages and discourse as a relational structure, emphasizing patterns of interdependence among semantic units or actors-concepts. This chapter traces the epistemological roots of semantic networks, then illustrates with examples how this approach can contribute to the study of political rhetoric or opinions. It focuses on three levels of analysis: cognitive mapping at the individual level, discourse analysis at the interpersonal level, and framing and salience at the collective level. Drawing from the rich literature on natural language processing and machine learning, the chapter introduces readers to essential methodological considerations when extracting and building up semantic networks from textual data. It also offers a discussion on the relevance of semantic networks to analyzing public opinion, especially as it manifests in discursive and deliberative theories of democracy.
Judicial Networks
Authors: Box-Steffensmeier Janet M. , Christenson Dino P. , Leavitt Claire
Published: October 2016

We present a comprehensive summary of the networks of actors and concepts in the courts with particular attention to those that are thought to influence political outcomes across branches. We explore burgeoning literatures in networks of legal precedents, issues, judges, clerks, jurists, lawyers, and legal briefs. In addition to discussing the frequently employed tools and measures used to study these networks, we describe the varying processes of data collection. In doing so we highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses of the current literature and lay out an agenda for further research in the courts and beyond.
Exploring the Challenges of Broadening Accounting Reports
Authors: Potter Brad , Soderstrom Naomi
Published: October 2016

Company stakeholders have unprecedented access to information about company activities and are looking beyond accounting reports for broader information to better assist their decisions (IIRC, 2011). Integrated reporting (IR) is a reporting framework promoted in recent years that aims to capture the broader social and environmental dimensions of company operations and report the information in meaningful ways. While the intuition behind IR is simple and attractive, debates relating to the practicalities of implementing this “new” form of reporting persist. We use the lens of research on financial and sustainability reporting to explore some challenges faced by IR. We examine a significant body of work conducted over the past three decades that has shaped our understanding of how company reports are interpreted and used. Based on this analysis, we offer insight into the challenges facing IR. These insights can be useful for informing the debate on implementation of this proposed reform.
Sheldon Wolin,Politics and Vision
Authors: Cane Lucy
Published: October 2016

When Sheldon Wolin’s Politics and Vision was first published in 1960, the dominance of liberalism, democratic pluralism, and behavioralism had thrown the discipline of political theory into an existential crisis. Politics and Vision interpreted the history of political thought as a series of visions of commonality (of “the political”), ultimately arguing that modern liberalism had disavowed this dimension of experience in dangerous ways. In urging readers to offer new political visions, and particularly to re-imagine equality through the concept of citizenship, it galvanized theorists of the Left at a crucial moment. Indeed, the text continues to inspire newcomers to the field, exemplifying the power of historically engaged political thought to expose contemporary dilemmas. When the book was reissued with new chapters in 2004, however, Wolin had moved beyond his early appeal to citizenship to envision a theory of radical democracy at odds with corporate capitalism and the modern state.
Muḥibb Allāh Ilāhābādī on Ontology
Authors: Nair Shankar
Published: October 2016

This article reconsiders the debate among Indian Muslim intellectuals regarding the philosophical doctrines of waḥdat al-wujūd (“unity of being”) and waḥdat al-shuhūd (“unity of witnessing”). With a view to reconstructing some of the broader Muslim scholarly networks that characterized the early modern subcontinent, I turn to Muḥibb Allāh ibn Mubāriz Ilāhābādī’s (1587–1648 c.e.) Arabic treatise on ontology, al-Taswiya bayna al-ifāda wa’l-qabūl, and the series of commentaries attached to it. An analysis of this treatise allows for the exploration of one of the foundational topics in Islamic metaphysics: the conceptual distinction between “quiddity” (māhiyya) and “being” or “existence” (wujūd). Through surveying the rival philosophical views given voice in the treatise—hailing from the Peripatetic, Ash‘arī, Illuminationist, “wujūdī,” and other traditions and involving such important Indian Muslim thinkers as Mullā Maḥmūd al-Jawnpūrī and Khwāja Khwurd—I hope to offer some early steps toward a fuller appreciation of the diverse currents of premodern South Asian Islamic philosophical debates, which extend far beyond the mere wujūd-versus-shuhūd dichotomy that has problematically preoccupied modern historians.
Compassion, Well-Being, and the Hypo-egoic Self
Authors: Neff Kristin , Seppälä Emma
Published: October 2016

This chapter reviews the fast-growing body of research on the personal and interpersonal benefits of compassion, discussing its evolutionary roots and distinguishing it from similar feelings states such as empathy. It reviews research that examines compassion as a trait, as a type of meditation practice, as a feature of organizations, and discusses intervention programs designed to enhance compassion for others. It provides an overview of research on the psychological health benefits of self-compassion, including its role in motivation, resilience, and relationship functioning, while also distinguishing the construct from self-esteem. Training programs designed to increase self-compassion are discussed. It considers future research directions, including the role culture plays in the prevalence and expression of compassion, the developmental trajectory of compassion and how compassion might be taught to youth, and a consideration of the complex relation between compassion for self and others.
Attachment Security as a Foundation for Kindness Toward Self and Others
Authors: Shaver Phillip R. , Mikulincer Mario , Sahdra Baljinder , Gross Jacquelyn
Published: October 2016

Based on attachment theory and decades of research on attachment processes and relationships, this chapter shows that attachment security, experienced in relationships with sensitive and responsive parents and partners across the life span, fosters positive attitudes toward both self and others, and also provides a foundation for desirable psychological states discussed in the Buddhist literature: mindfulness, self-compassion, and nonattachment. We review research involving children, adolescents, and adults showing that the major forms of attachment insecurity—anxiety and avoidance—interfere with healthy self-approval and self-acceptance, and also with kindness and generosity toward others. Self-acceptance and self-compassion are not “egoistic” in the negative sense; far from being psychologically and social destructive, they are foundations of openness and kindness toward others. The usual origin of attachment-related security is supportive relationships in childhood, but security can also be increased by later relationships and by laboratory and clinical interventions.
Informational Warfare
Authors: Hess Nicole H.
Published: October 2016

Evolutionary scholars often emphasize the strategic benefits of coalitions in male aggression and warfare. Evolutionary theories of human female coalitions, however, have not recognized any competitive function for coalitional behavior and instead emphasize mutual nurturing and help with child care. This focus is despite the fact that a significant body of research has shown that coalitions in nonhuman female primates do serve competitive functions. This essay argues that coalitional relationships among human females—like those among human males and those among female nonhuman primates—serve aggressive functions in reputational competition. It further argues that, for either sex, competition via gossip and coalitional gossip is usually a better strategy than physical aggression when it comes to within-group competition. Finally, the essay proposes that, because human females might face more within-group competition than human males, women and girls might engage in more gossip than men and boys.
Female Virtual Intrasexual Competition and Its Consequences
Authors: Yong Jose C. , Li Norman P. , Valentine Katherine A. , Smith April R.
Published: October 2016

Intrasexual competition is a key component of sexual selection. Evolutionarily, women compete for access to and retention of mates on key dimensions that men have evolved to value and prioritize in their long- and short-term mates, in particular physical attractiveness. Such competition evolved to be adaptive in ancestral environments as the perceived competition consisted of real individuals. However, underlying psychological mechanisms for competition are excessively triggered and more continuously engaged in modern environments, because these psychological mechanisms for social comparison and competition, at a deep level, do not differentiate between real people and imagined intrasexual competition in the form of mass media images. Utilizing an evolutionary mismatch framework, this chapter explores ways that women are psychologically influenced by the pervasive presence of virtual same-sex competitors for mates. Various negative psychological states in modern societies (e.g., depression, eating disorders) may be linked to virtual intrasexual competition.
The Kin Selection of Religion
Authors: Crespi Bernard
Published: October 2016

This chapter describes an integrative hypothesis for the origin and evolution of human religious cognition and behavior. The hypothesis is based on kin selection, which leads to reduced competition and increased cooperation within family and small-scale groups and generates novel forms of psychological kinship that foster cooperation in larger scale groups. The “concept of God” is represented by one’s circle of kin and one’s ancestors, such that serving God and serving these individuals become synonymous. Kinship pervades, motivates and supports all of the major manifestations of religiosity. The primary selective pressures favoring religious phenotypes are social and ecological selective pressures within and between groups. Religiosity represents group-specific adaptations that mediate cultural-group survival and reproduction. The kinship theory of religion is consistent with diverse data from anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology, psychiatry, endocrinology, and genetics.
‘Extraordinarie & Rare’
Authors: Ioppolo Grace
Published: October 2016

Scholars have established Jonson’s art, reputation, and character almost entirely through study of his works in print in early quartos and the 1616 and 1640 Folios and thus have largely failed to investigate how Jonson composed his works in manuscript and how these manuscripts were copied, circulated, and used in the transmission of his texts, including into print. Thus Jonson’s careful, and often painstaking, construction of himself in manuscript form in his own time, which was widely imitated in manuscript form by his later readers, remains marginalized in the modern age, which continues to privilege print. This study of his many extant autograph and scribal manuscripts suggests that rather than being uniquely fastidious and flawless in composing his texts, Jonson considered writing to be a fluid, incomplete, and unstructured process that never seemed to end, and thus he composed and transmitted his texts to the playhouse and to printers in the same way as his contemporaries and colleagues.
The “Liberal Tradition” and American Racism
Authors: Smith Rogers M.
Published: October 2016

In 1955, Louis Hartz argued that the United States had been founded as a “liberal society” which unconsciously embraced the precepts of John Locke, in ways that dominated all other political perspectives throughout American history. Recent analysts of that thesis have focused on the relationship of this “liberal tradition” to American racial inequalities. How and why have both liberalism and racism grown so abundantly in the American political garden? This chapter reviews five types of responses: racism as an anomaly in American liberal society; the unity of American racism and liberalism; the existence of multiple liberalisms, some racist, some not; views seeing liberalism and racism as strongly symbiotic; and more contingent symbiotic accounts. None of these positions dominates modern scholarship. Together they define a vital research agenda.
Law and Technology in Civil Judicial Procedures
Authors: Contini Francesco , Cordella Antonio
Published: October 2016

This chapter analyses how technological systems shape the actions and the outcomes of judicial proceedings, through discussing the regulative regimes underpinning technical and legal deployment. The negotiation, mediation, or conflict between law and technology offer a new dimension to account for the digital transformation shaping the institutional settings and procedural frameworks of judicial institutions. These changes are not just instances of applied law, but are also the result of the transformation of law evolving into technological deployments. The chapter concludes that technological innovation in the judiciary unfolds in techno-legal assemblages. Technologies shape judicial institutions as they translate formal rules and existing practices into the code of technology. At the same time, technologies call for new regulations, which make legally compliant the use of given technological components within judicial proceedings. Such new techno-legal assemblages generate new institutional settings and profound changes in the administration of civil justice.
Prophetic Intermediation in the Ancient Near East
Authors: Nissinen Martti
Published: October 2016

The chapter serves as an introduction to the written evidence of the historical phenomenon of prophecy in the ancient Near East. Prophecy is understood as intermediation of divine knowledge by non-technical means, constituting one of the many modes of divination. The documents of ancient Near Eastern prophecy are scarce and their chronological or geographical distribution is uneven, the majority of texts deriving from Mari (seventeenth century B.C.E.) and Assyria (seventh century B.C.E.). Nevertheless, the phenomenon can be observed across the Near East, allowing a historical and phenomenological comparison with the later evidence of Greek oracles. The chapter surveys the prophetic phenomenon from the perspectives of writing and literary interpretation, spirit possession, gender, and the relationships of prophets with religious and political institutions. Enough commonalities are found in the Near Eastern, Greek, and biblical texts to warrant the assumption of the existence of a common ancient Eastern Mediterranean prophetic phenomenon.
The Phonetics and Phonology of Bilingualism
Authors: Simonet Miguel
Published: October 2016

This chapter provides a selective overview of recent research on the phonetics and phonology of bilingualism. The central idea put forth in the chapter is that, in bilingualism and second-language learning, cross-language categories are involved in complex interactions that can take many forms, including assimilations and dissimilations. The sound categories of the two languages of a bilingual seem to coexist in a common representational network and appear to be activated simultaneously in the processing of speech in real time, but some degree of specificity is attested. The chapter then goes on to explore some of the characteristics of cross-language sound interactions, including the fact that these interactions are pliable and appear to be mediated by the structure of the lexicon.
Innovation and Society in the Roman World
Authors: Flohr Miko
Published: October 2016

This article assesses the impact of innovation on Roman society. It starts from a critical engagement with past debate about technological progress, which over the past decades has been too strongly focused on economic growth, and a re-appreciation of the literary evidence for innovation, which points to a culture in which technological knowledge and invention were thought to matter. Then, it highlights two areas where the uptake of technology had a direct impact on everyday life: material culture, where the emergence of glass-blowing, a proliferation of metal-working, and innovation in pottery-production changed the nature and amount of artefacts by which people surrounded themselves, and construction, where building techniques using opus caementicium, arches and standardized building materials revolutionized urban and rural landscapes. A concluding discussion highlights the role of integration of the Mediterranean under Roman rule in making innovation possible, and the role of consumer demand in bringing it about.