bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein kinase A modulation of CaV1.4 calcium channels
Authors: Sang Lingjie , Dick Ivy E. , Yue David T.
Published: July 2016

The regulation of L-type Ca2+ channels by protein kinase A (PKA) represents a crucial element within cardiac, skeletal muscle and neurological systems. Although much work has been done to understand this regulation in cardiac CaV1.2 Ca2+ channels, relatively little is known about the closely related CaV1.4 L-type Ca2+ channels, which feature prominently in the visual system. Here we find that CaV1.4 channels are indeed modulated by PKA phosphorylation within the inhibitor of Ca2+-dependent inactivation (ICDI) motif. Phosphorylation of this region promotes the occupancy of calmodulin on the channel, thus increasing channel open probability (PO) and Ca2+-dependent inactivation. Although this interaction seems specific to CaV1.4 channels, introduction of ICDI1.4 to CaV1.3 or CaV1.2 channels endows these channels with a form of PKA modulation, previously unobserved in heterologous systems. Thus, this mechanism may not only play an important role in the visual system but may be generalizable across the L-type channel family.
Brain tumor imaging of rat fresh tissue using terahertz spectroscopy
Authors: Yamaguchi Sayuri , Fukushi Yasuko , Kubota Oichi , Itsuji Takeaki , Ouchi Toshihiko , Yamamoto Seiji
Published: July 2016

Tumor imaging by terahertz spectroscopy of fresh tissue without dye is demonstrated using samples from a rat glioma model. The complex refractive index spectrum obtained by a reflection terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system can discriminate between normal and tumor tissues. Both the refractive index and absorption coefficient of tumor tissues are higher than those of normal tissues and can be attributed to the higher cell density and water content of the tumor region. The results of this study indicate that terahertz technology is useful for detecting brain tumor tissue.
Unsharpness of generalized measurement and its effects in entropic uncertainty relations
Authors: Baek Kyunghyun , Son Wonmin
Published: July 2016

Under the scenario of generalized measurements, it can be questioned how much of quantum uncertainty can be attributed to measuring device, independent of the uncertainty in the measured system. On the course to answer the question, we suggest a new class of entropic uncertainty relation that differentiates quantum uncertainty from device imperfection due to the unsharpness of measurement. In order to quantify the unsharpness, we suggest and analyze the quantity that characterizes the uncertainty in the measuring device, based on Shannon entropy. Using the quantity, we obtain a new lower bound of entropic uncertainty with unsharpness and it has been shown that the relation can also be obtained under the scenario that sharp observables are affected by the white noise and amplitude damping.
New cosurface capacitive stimulators for the development of active osseointegrative implantable devices
Authors: Soares dos Santos Marco P. , Marote Ana , Santos T. , Torrão João , Ramos A. , Simões José A. O. , da Cruz e Silva Odete A. B. , Furlani Edward P. , Vieira Sandra I. , Ferreira Jorge A. F.
Published: July 2016

Non-drug strategies based on biophysical stimulation have been emphasized for the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal conditions. However, to date, an effective stimulation system for intracorporeal therapies has not been proposed. This is particularly true for active intramedullary implants that aim to optimize osseointegration. The increasing demand for these implants, particularly for hip and knee replacements, has driven the design of innovative stimulation systems that are effective in bone-implant integration. In this paper, a new cosurface-based capacitive system concept is proposed for the design of implantable devices that deliver controllable and personalized electric field stimuli to target tissues. A prototype architecture of this system was constructed for in vitro tests, and its ability to deliver controllable stimuli was numerically analyzed. Successful results were obtained for osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation in the in vitro tests. This work provides, for the first time, a design of a stimulation system that can be embedded in active implantable devices for controllable bone-implant integration and regeneration. The proposed cosurface design holds potential for the implementation of novel and innovative personalized stimulatory therapies based on the delivery of electric fields to bone cells.
Hydrogen sulfide mediates the protection of dietary restriction against renal senescence in aged F344 rats
Authors: Wang Wen-juan , Cai Guang-yan , Ning Yi-chun , Cui Jing , Hong Quan , Bai Xue-yuan , Xu Xiao-meng , Bu Ru , Sun Xue-feng , Chen Xiang-mei
Published: July 2016

Renal aging is always accompanied by increased oxidative stress. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can be up-regulated by 50% dietary restriction (DR) for 7-day and can block mitochondrial oxidative stress. H2S production exerts a critical role in yeast, worm and fruit fly models of DR-mediated longevity. In this study, we found that renal aging could be attenuated by 30% DR for 6-month (DR-6M) and life-long (DR-LL), but not for 6-week (DR-6W). The expressions of cystathionine-γ-lyase (CGL) and cystathionine-β- synthase (CBS) were improved by DR-6M and DR-LL. Endogenous H2S production shared the same trend with CBS and CGL, while glutathione (GSH) didn’t. When comparing efficiencies of DR for different durations, more evident production of H2S was found in DR-6M and DR-LL than in DR-6W. Finally the level of oxidative stress was improved by DR-6M and DR-LL rather than by DR-6W. It concluded that aged rats had the ability to produce enough H2S on 30% DR interventions protecting against renal aging and the effect of DR for long-term were more significant than that of DR for short-term.
Enhancing Intrinsic Stability of Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cell by Strong, yet Balanced, Electronic Coupling
Authors: El-Mellouhi Fedwa , Bentria El Tayeb , Rashkeev Sergey N. , Kais Sabre , Alharbi Fahhad H.
Published: July 2016

In the past few years, the meteoric development of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSC) astonished the community. The efficiency has already reached the level needed for commercialization; however, the instability hinders its deployment on the market. Here, we report a mechanism to chemically stabilize PSC absorbers. We propose to replace the widely used methylammonium cation (CH3NH3+) by alternative molecular cations allowing an enhanced electronic coupling between the cation and the PbI6 octahedra while maintaining the band gap energy within the suitable range for solar cells. The mechanism exploits establishing a balance between the electronegativity of the materials’ constituents and the resulting ionic electrostatic interactions. The calculations demonstrate the concept of enhancing the electronic coupling, and hence the stability, by exploring the stabilizing features of CH3PH3+, CH3SH2+, and SH3+ cations, among several other possible candidates. Chemical stability enhancement hence results from a strong, yet balanced, electronic coupling between the cation and the halides in the octahedron. This shall unlock the hindering instability problem for PSCs and allow them to hit the market as a serious low-cost competitor to silicon based solar cell technologies.
Identification and characterization of the role of c-terminal Src kinase in dengue virus replication
Authors: Kumar Rinki , Agrawal Tanvi , Khan Naseem Ahmed , Nakayama Yuji , Medigeshi Guruprasad R.
Published: July 2016

We screened a siRNA library targeting human tyrosine kinases in Huh-7 cells and identified c-terminal Src kinase (Csk) as one of the kinases involved in dengue virus replication. Knock-down of Csk expression by siRNAs or inhibition of Csk by an inhibitor reduced dengue virus RNA levels but did not affect viral entry. Csk partially colocalized with viral replication compartments. Dengue infection was drastically reduced in cells lacking the three ubiquitous src family kinases, Src, Fyn and Yes. Csk knock-down in these cells failed to block dengue virus replication suggesting that the effect of Csk is via regulation of Src family kinases. Csk was found to be hyper-phosphorylated during dengue infection and inhibition of protein kinase A led to a block in Csk phosphorylation and dengue virus replication. Overexpression studies suggest an important role for the kinase and SH3 domains in this process. Our results identified a novel role for Csk as a host tyrosine kinase involved in dengue virus replication and provide further insights into the role of host factors in dengue replication.
Switching between intermolecular and intramolecular reactions using flow microreactors: lithiation of 2-bromo-2′-silylbiphenyls
Authors: Nagaki A. , Kim S. , Miuchi N. , Yamashita H. , Hirose K. , Yoshida J.
Published: July 2016

Switching between the intermolecular reaction and the intramolecular reaction was achieved at will using flow microreactors.
An advanced asymmetric supercapacitor based on a binder-free electrode fabricated from ultrathin CoMoO4nano-dandelions
Authors: Kazemi Sayed Habib , Tabibpour Mahmoud , Kiani Mohammad Ali , Kazemi Hojjat
Published: July 2016

Dandelion shaped cobalt molybdenum oxide nanostructures (ND-CoMoO4) were synthesized through a facile, mild and green hydrothermal method on nickel foam. Binder-free ND-CoMoO4electrode showed superior long-term stability and charge capacitance.
3-Hydroxyflavone derivatives synthesized by a new simple method as chemosensors for cyanide anions
Authors: Wu Qianqian , Wang Zian , Li Jiale , Qiu Shuang , Cao Duxia , Liu Zhiqiang , Guan Ruifang
Published: July 2016

Two 3-hydroxyflavone derivatives as chemosensors for cyanide were synthesized by one step simple condensation, cyclization and subsequent oxidation reaction catalyzed by pyrrolidine, which shows great convenience compared with traditional method.
Self-assembled peptide-based supramolecular hydrogel for ophthalmic drug delivery
Authors: Liang Renlong , Luo Zichao , Pu Guojuan , Wu Wei , Shi Shuai , Yu Jing , Zhang Zhaoliang , Chen Hao , Li Xingyi
Published: July 2016

Conventional ophthalmic formulations such as eye drops normally suffer from limited therapeutic efficacy with a requirement for frequent instillation.
Facile synthesis of iron oxide coupled and doped titania nanocomposites: tuning of physicochemical and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Ganeshraja Ayyakannu Sundaram , Rajkumar Kanniah , Zhu Kaixin , Li Xuning , Thirumurugan Subramani , Xu Wei , Zhang Jing , Yang Minghui , Anbalagan Krishnamoorthy , Wang Junhu
Published: July 2016

The iron oxide coupled and doped titania nanocomposites exhibited altered compositional, optical, electrical, magnetic and photocatalytic properties with respect to varying dosage of iron in the titania matrix.
A spiro-type ammonium based switchable dielectric material with two sequential reversible phase transitions above room temperature
Authors: Wang Xiao-Li , Zhou Lin , Ye Qiong , Geng Fu-Juan , Ye Heng-Yun , Fu Da-Wei , Zhang Yi
Published: July 2016

A novel spiro-type hybrid undergoes two phase transitions at 336 and 357 K, accompanied by remarkable changes of H-bond interactions.
Enhancement of oral bioavailability of akebia saponin D by destroying self-micelles and inhibiting multidrug resistance-associated protein mediated efflux
Authors: Shen Jinyang , Jin Ye , Tian Hongli , Wang Yuan , Yang Xiaolin , Yang Zhonglin , Guo Changrun , Li Fei
Published: July 2016

Akebia saponin D (ASD), a triterpenoid saponin with numerous pharmacological activities, is isolated from the rhizome of Dipsacus asper Wall.
A phenomenon of degradation of methyl orange observed during the reaction of NH4TiOF3 nanotubes with the aqueous medium to produce TiO2 anatase nanoparticles
Authors: Ildefonso Zamudio Torres , José de Jesús Pérez Bueno , Celeste Yunueth Torres López , Luis Lartundo Rojas , Maria Luisa Mendoza López , Yunny Meas Vong
Published: July 2016

The phenomenon of decolourization of MO was observed when NH4TiOF3 nanotubes, in water, underwent a transformation toward anatase due to the effect of hydroxyl radicals.
Supramolecular delivery of fluorescent probes in developing embryos
Authors: Zhang Yang , Thapaliya Ek Raj , Tang Sicheng , Baker James D. , Raymo Françisco M.
Published: July 2016

Self-assembling nanocarriers of amphiphilic polymers encapsulate hydrophobic fluorophores in their hydrophobic interior and, upon injection in Drosophila melanogaster embryos, release their cargo into the cellular blastoderm.
Optimizing semiconductor thin films with smooth surfaces and well-interconnected networks for high-performance perovskite solar cells
Authors: Wu Wu-Qiang , Chen Dehong , Huang Fuzhi , Cheng Yi-Bing , Caruso Rachel A.
Published: July 2016

Combined hydrothermal treatment, gas-assisted spin coating and mixed vapor annealing approaches can effectively optimize the semiconducting networks in thin film perovskite photovoltaic devices, which leads to efficient light harvesting, suppressed charge recombination and effective charge extraction.
3D composites of layered MoS2 and graphene nanoribbons for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes
Authors: Tian Ran , Wang Weiqiang , Huang Yaolin , Duan Huanan , Guo Yiping , Kang Hongmei , Li Hua , Liu Hezhou
Published: July 2016

3D composites of layered MoS2 and interconnected graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method exhibit excellent cycling stability and rate capacity.
Flexible supercapacitor with a record high areal specific capacitance based on a tuned porous fabric
Authors: Liu Lianmei , Weng Wei , Zhang Jing , Cheng Xunliang , Liu Ning , Yang Junjie , Ding Xin
Published: July 2016

A general and effective strategy was developed to fabricate flexible supercapacitors by using a tuned porous fabric as the substrate to deposit active materials such as poly (pyrrole) with a high mass loading of 12.3 mg cm−2. A record high areal specific capacitance of 4117 mF cm−2 was achieved in the resulting supercapacitor fabric.
Guanidinylated cationic nanoparticles as robust protein antigen delivery systems and adjuvants for promoting antigen-specific immune responses in vivo
Authors: Li Pan , Shi Gaona , Zhang Xiuyuan , Song Huijuan , Zhang Chuangnian , Wang Weiwei , Li Chen , Song Bing , Wang Chun , Kong Deling
Published: July 2016

Guanidinylated nanoparticles could act as effective immune adjuvants to elicit both potent antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses.
Cysteine-induced hormesis effect of silver nanoparticles
Authors: Guo Zhi , Chen Guiqiu , Zeng Guangming , Huang Zhenzhen , Chen Anwei , Hu Liang , Wang Jiajia , Jiang Longbo
Published: July 2016

The toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is widely exploited, but their hormesis effect has, so far, received little attention.
High-power terahertz quantum cascade lasers with ∼0.23 W in continuous wave mode
Authors: Wang Xuemin , Shen Changle , Jiang Tao , Zhan Zhiqiang , Deng Qinghua , Li Weihua , Wu Weidong , Yang Ning , Chu Weidong , Duan Suqing
Published: July 2016

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers with a record output power up to ∼0.23 W in continuous wave mode were obtained. We show that the optimal 2.9-mm-long device operating at 3.11 THz has a low threshold current density of 270 A/cm2 at ∼15 K. The maximum operating temperature arrived at ∼65 K in continuous wave mode and the internal quantum efficiencies decreased from 0.53 to 0.19 for the devices with different cavity lengths. By using one convex lens with the effective focal length of 13 mm, the beam profile was collimated to be a quasi Gaussian distribution.
Effects of mid-gap defects and barrier interface reactions on tunneling behaviors of ZnO-i-Si heterojunctions
Authors: Chang Chun-Fu , Wadekar Paritosh V. , Hsieh Wan-Chen , Lin Wen-Yen , Wang Yu-Sheng , Wang Jun-Hau , Lin Jyun-Jie , Huang Hui-Chun , Chang Ching-Wen , Tu Li-Wei , Liao Chih-Hsiung , Liao Hua-Hsien , Ho New-Jin , Seo Hye-Won , Chen Quark Y. , Chu Wei-Kan
Published: July 2016

Low-leakage pin diodes based on ZnO-i-Si are realized by redox reaction of aluminum with the native oxide SiOx into AlOx and by proper selection of annealing conditions. The main sources of electric leakage was found to arise from charge carrier tunneling via mid-gap states in the semiconductors or lowered tunneling barriers. Less mid-gap states in n-ZnO and high tunneling barrier of the i-layer are key to lowering the leakage. Proper post-annealing of pin diodes effectively heal the mid-gap defects, while maintaining the integrity of the tunneling layers, thus lowering the leakage currents to reach a rectification ratio of 2400, surpassing most similarly benchmarked devices reported in literature. Excessive annealing causes some part of the i-layer to transform into to ZnAl2O4 and Al:ZnO. High Al-doping and lowered potential barrier provided by ZnAl2O4 are responsible for high leakage currents in devices so fabricated.
Improvement of the self-cleaning capabilities and transparency of cover glasses for solar cell applications by modification with atmospheric pressure plasma
Authors: Han Duksun , Ahn Seoung Kyu , Park Sangho , Moon Se Youn
Published: July 2016

Using a cover glass is indispensable for protecting solar cells in photovoltaic systems. Herein, the surface of the cover glass was modified by atmospheric pressure plasma to enhance the self-cleaning effect without degrading the transmittance. A lower surface energy was achieved by depositing fluorocarbon polymers, and a micro-nano multi-scale morphology was built on the cover glass within 50 s. These two properties led to an increase in the hydrophobicity, which enhanced the self-cleaning effect of the surface. The morphology of the surface also helped to improve the transparency by reducing reflections. Both the enhanced self-cleaning effect and the improved transparency induced by the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment were confirmed by analyzing the total conversion efficiency of a solar cell by outdoor field testing.
Stathmin 1 plays a role in endometrial decidualisation by regulating hypoxia inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor during embryo implantation
Authors: Gou Jinhai , Jia Jia , Feng Juntao , Zhao Xia , Yi Tao , Cui Tao , Li Zhengyu
Published: July 2016

The aim of the present study was to explore the potential mechanism underlying stathmin 1 (Stmn1) regulation of embryo implantation, as a continuation of previous proteomic research. Adult healthy female mice were mated naturally with fertile males. Murine uterine tissue was collected during the peri-implantation period. Local expression of Stmn1 during embryo implantation was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), which showed that Stmn1 was extensively expressed in endometrial glandular epithelium, vascular endothelium, luminal epithelium and the underlying stromal cells at the implantation site on Day 5. The role of Stmn1 during embryo implantation was evaluated by transient knockdown of Stmn1 in vivo using short interference (si) RNA, and some associated factors including Akt, phosphorylated (p-) Akt, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, prolactin (PRL), insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were examined by western blotting analysis and ELISA. The number of embryos implanted after Stmn1-siRNA infusion into the lumen of one uterine horn was lower than that with normal pregnancies (2.2 ± 1.5 vs 8.6 ± 0.5 respectively; P < 0.05). The expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, p-Akt and the decidualisation biomarkers PRL and IGFBP 1 was upregulated at the implantation site on Day 5, but downregulated after Stmn1-siRNA infusion. These findings suggest that during embryo implantation, knockdown of Stmn1 suppresses decidualisation by inhibiting the expression of p-Akt, HIF-1α and VEGF, thus leading to impaired embryo implantation. These findings provide clues for understanding the complicated process of embryo implantation and the potential role of Stmn1 during embryo implantation.
Transcription factors of the alternative NF-κB pathway are required for germinal center B-cell development
Authors: De Silva Nilushi S. , Anderson Michael M. , Carette Amanda , Silva Kathryn , Heise Nicole , Bhagat Govind , Klein Ulf
Published: July 2016

Significance

In many human B-cell cancers, a complex signaling cascade called NF-κB is abnormally activated by genetic mutations. The uncontrolled activity of NF-κB because of genetic mutations promotes the formation of B-cell tumors. The NF-κB cascade is comprised of two distinct pathways. We here define the role of one of these routes, called the alternative NF-κB pathway, in the normal cells from which these B-cell tumors are derived, namely germinal center (GC) B cells or plasma cells (PCs). We found that the inactivation of the alternative NF-κB pathway led to the loss of GC B cells and impaired PC development. Understanding the role of this pathway in normal cells may provide important insights into how aberrant activation promotes B-cell tumors.
The Ten-Year War
Authors: Phillips Christopher
Published: July 2016

The open national conflict over slavery drew the West into the vortex of events during the 1850s. In the final antebellum decade, political fault lines compromised the former regional consensus as increasing numbers of white residents aligned for and against slavery. The moderate regional variants of the national parties, including the new Republican Party born in the region, were challenged by sectionalized platforms. Despite the region’s slave states having comparatively few bondpeople, the democratic contours of slaveholding altered their political economy to defend the peculiar institution against “northern” agitators, namely abolitionists. Each successive controversy sent shock waves through the region and complicated the western consensus. But it did not yet fully sectionalize it, evidenced by voters’ response to the outcome of the 1860 presidential election that polarized the North and South politically and ideologically.
The Shaping of New Subjects
Authors: Degiuli Francesca
Published: July 2016

Chapter 5 analyzes how im/migrant women coming to Italy from all corners of the world and from very different backgrounds in terms of class, education, and work experience are transformed into home eldercare assistants. The chapter shows how this transformation happens at different levels: at the global level through the process of migration and at the local level through the constant struggle to gain legal status in the country of arrival, as well as in the encounter with the actual employers. Through this process im/migrant women from different social, cultural, and class backgrounds are first stripped of their individual identity to become an undifferentiated group, that of im/migrant women in need of work. This first transformation allows for a second one, enforced by employers, in which im/migrant women are then transformed into the ideal workers needed by Italian families according to idealized hierarchies of race/ethnicities, religion, age, familial status, and more.
Integrating spatial synchrony/asynchrony of population distribution into stock assessment models: a spatial hierarchical Bayesian statistical catch-at-age approach
Authors: Jiao Yan , O'Reilly Rob , Smith Eric , Orth Don ,   Handling editor: Ernesto Jardim
Published: July 2016

In many marine fisheries assessments, population abundance indices from surveys collected by different states and agencies do not always agree with each other. This phenomenon is often due to the spatial synchrony/asynchrony. Those indices that are asynchronous may result in discrepancies in the assessment of temporal trends. In addition, commonly employed stock assessment models, such as the statistical catch-at-age (SCA) models, do not account for spatial synchrony/asynchrony associated with spatial autocorrelation, dispersal, and environmental noise. This limits the value of statistical inference on key parameters associated with population dynamics and management reference points. To address this problem, a set of geospatial analyses of relative abundance indices is proposed to model the indices from different surveys using spatial hierarchical Bayesian models. This approach allows better integration of different surveys with spatial synchrony and asynchrony. We used Atlantic weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) as an example for which there are state-wide surveys and expansive coastal surveys. We further compared the performance of the proposed spatially structured hierarchical Bayesian SCA models with a commonly used Bayesian SCA model that assumes relative abundance indices are spatially independent. Three spatial models developed to mimic different potential spatial patterns were compared. The random effect spatially structured hierarchical Bayesian model was found to be better than the commonly used SCA model and the other two spatial models. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate the uncertainty resulting from model selection and the robustness of the recommended model. The spatially structured hierarchical Bayesian model was shown to be able to integrate different survey indices with/without spatial synchrony. It is suggested as a useful tool when there are surveys with different spatial characteristics that need to be combined in a fisheries stock assessment.
Pelagic seascape ecology for operational fisheries oceanography: modelling and predicting spawning distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna in Western Mediterranean
Authors: Alvarez-Berastegui Diego , Hidalgo Manuel , Tugores María Pilar , Reglero Patricia , Aparicio-González Alberto , Ciannelli Lorenzo , Juza Mélanie , Mourre Baptiste , Pascual Ananda , López-Jurado José Luís , García Alberto , Rodríguez José María , Tintoré Joaquín , Alemany Francisco
Published: July 2016

The ecology of highly migratory marine species is tightly linked to dynamic oceanographic processes occurring in the pelagic environment. Developing and applying techniques to characterize the spatio-temporal variability of these processes using operational oceanographic data is a challenge for management and conservation. Here we evaluate the possibility of modelling and predicting spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Western Mediterranean, using pelagic seascape metrics specifically designed to capture the dynamic processes affecting the spawning ecology this species. The different seascape metrics applied were processed from operational oceanographic data products providing information about the temporal and spatial variability of sea surface temperature, kinetic energy and chlorophyll a. Spawning locations were identified using larval abundances sampled in the Balearic Sea, one of the main reproductive areas for this species in the Mediterranean Sea. Results confirm the high dependence of bluefin tuna spawning ecology on mesoscale oceanographic processes while providing spawning habitat maps as a tool for bluefin tuna assessment and management, based on operational oceanographic data. Finally, we discuss the coming challenges that operational fisheries oceanography and pelagic seascape ecology face to become fully implemented as predictive tools.
Changes in habitat utilization of slope-spawning flatfish across a bathymetric gradient
Authors: Vestfals Cathleen D. , Ciannelli Lorenzo , Hoff Gerald R.
Published: July 2016

Understanding how fish distributions may change in response to environmental variability is important for effective management of fish populations, as predicted climate change will likely alter their habitat use and population dynamics. This research focused on two commercially- and ecologically-important flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS), Greenland halibut ( Reinhardtius hippoglossoides ) and Pacific halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis ), which may be especially sensitive to climate-induced shifts in habitat due to strong seasonally and ontogenetically variable distributions. We analysed data from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent sources to determine how environmental variability influenced habitat use, thus gaining a uniquely comprehensive range of seasonal and geographic coverage of each species’ distribution. Greenland and Pacific halibut exhibited strong and contrasting responses to changes in temperature on the shelf, with catches decreasing and increasing, respectively, beyond 1 °C. The effect of temperature was not as prominent along the slope, suggesting that slope habitats may provide some insulation from shelf-associated environmental variability, particularly for Greenland halibut. With warming, Greenland halibut exhibited more of a bathymetric shift in distribution, while the shift was more latitudinal for Pacific halibut. Our results suggest that habitat partitioning may, in part, explain differences in Greenland and Pacific halibut distributions. This research adds to our understanding of how the distributions of two fish species at opposite extremes of their ranges in the EBS – Greenland halibut at the southernmost edge and Pacific halibut at the northernmost edge – may shift in relation to a changing ocean environment.
From Jonestown to 9/11 and Beyond
Authors: Moore Rebecca
Published: July 2016

This chapter examines violent outbursts perpetrated by New Religious Movements (NRMs) and considers the competing and complementary theories that have arisen to explain them. It argues that theories about cult violence change as new data become available. Public perceptions of cults and a shifting religious-political landscape also shape theoretical considerations of religion and violence. The chapter notes that prior to the mass murders-suicides in Jonestown, Guyana, and immediately following, theories of violence focused on inwardly-directed coercion and control. The demise of the Branch Davidians in 1993, along with other eruptions of violence in the 1990s, challenged this perspective, and a theory of interaction between external and internal forces arose. The events of September 11, 2001 internationalized considerations of religious violence, and returned attention to the influence of apocalyptic worldviews. A pressing problem that has emerged most recently is the violence perpetrated against NRMs, particularly state-sponsored repression.
Conspiracy Theories and New Religious Movements
Authors: Dyrendal Asbjørn
Published: July 2016

This chapter describes and discusses some of the central research into conspiracy theories as related to new religious movements. The first part outlines the area of conspiracy and conspiracy theory. Thereafter, the chapter considers some general and specific topics related to conspiracy theoriesaboutandinnew religious movements, with reference to both recent and earlier theories, movements, and research.
Gender and New Religions
Authors: Tøllefsen Inga
Published: July 2016

This chapter presents a broad overview of NRM research on gender, and to some extent sexuality. The first section covers early feminist scholarship, Scandinavian scholarship, quantitative approaches and male majority adherence to NRMs. The second section features examples of gender perspectives on select new religions, ranging from the extremely diverse Pagan movement to ‘fundamentalist’ movements such as the Unification Church and Mormonism, with perspectives on cultural change, gender roles and the “youth crisis theory.”
Sex and New Religions
Authors: Goodwin Megan
Published: July 2016

New religions have historically been sites of sexual experimentation, and popular imaginings of emergent and unconventional religions usually include the assumption that members engage in transgressive sexual practices. It is surprising, then, that so few scholars of new religions have focused on sexuality. In this chapter, I consider the role of sexual practice, sexual allegations, and sexuality studies in the consideration of new religions. I propose that sex both shapes and haunts new religions. Because sexuality studies attends to embodied difference and the social construction of sexual pathology, the field can and should inform theoretically rigorous scholarship of new religious movements.
The Mythic Dimensions of New Religious Movements
Authors: Tumminia Diana G.
Published: July 2016

Mythology refers to sacred narratives that form the basis of a religion’s world view. In this chapter, Diana Tumminia argues that, despite the significant body of theoretical work that has been carried out by anthropologists and others, the mythological dimension of new religions has been largely ignored. Using Unarius Society, feminist Witchcraft and the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness as examples, the author observes that NRM myths are not fixed, but, rather, change in response to the ongoing process of reality construction taking place within such movements.
New Religious Movements and Scripture
Authors: Gallagher Eugene V.
Published: July 2016

In their efforts to establish legitimacy, many new religious movements link themselves to an authoritative past by producing interpretations of established scriptures or holy books. In the process, they sometimes produce holy books of their own that can be accorded the same status for their adherents as other, better known well-established, scriptural texts. As they do for established religions, in new religions scriptural texts serve as vehicles for the expression of fundamental practices and beliefs and support the efforts to gain the attention, approval, and even allegiance of a particular audience. This essay analyzes multiple examples of how new religious movements both offer innovative commentaries on existing sacred texts and produce their own, new scriptures.
Material Religion
Authors: Moberg Jessica
Published: July 2016

This chapter introduces material studies, a theoretical field rooted in performance studies, embodiment phenomenology, critical theory and post-functionalist anthropology. It lays out central analytical points and presents four approaches that can be used in the study of NRMs: 1) material mediation – the process by which objects and bodies are transformed into mediators of the otherworldly; 2) material socialization – how practitioners learn religion by acquiring correct ways of relating to objects and material worlds; 3) circulation of artifacts – how religious objects are produced, distributed and used; and 4) foodways – the process where food and drink is cultivated, prepared and consumed, and its importance for the cultivation of religious communities. The chapter includes an example of how material theory can be applied, and a discussion of how such perspectives can contribute to, and further, the study of new religions.
Quantitative Approaches to New Religions
Authors: Løøv Margrethe
Published: July 2016

The present chapter provides an overview of existing quantitative research on New Religious Movements, the New Age and Neopagan movements. Covering both demographic studies of specific groups, studies conducted in a specific locality and census data, the chapter draws a broad and comprehensive outline of quantitative approaches to alternative spiritualities. It also addresses areas and questions that require further scholarly attention. There is a general lack of longitudinal studies, and many groups that have yet to be studied. Local variances and adaptations constitute another lacuna. Furthermore, the ‘common knowledge’ about NRMs tends to naïvely echo findings from the earliest wave of NRM studies conducted in the 1970s. A call is made for further and more systematic quantitative investigations, and interdisciplinary cooperation.
Varieties of Missionary Bishop
Authors: Chapman Mark
Published: July 2016

This chapter describes the origin and development of the concept of ‘missionary bishop’ from the mid-nineteenth century. Charting the origin of the term in the American Episcopal Church as it expanded westwards, which saw the appointment of the first ‘missionary bishops’ whose role was to plant churches, it shows how its own traditions of ‘primitive’ episcopacy chimed in with the elevation of the ‘apostolical succession’ by the Oxford Movement, which again emphasized the importance of the early church. This understanding of episcopacy allowed non-established missionary bishops to be sent across the British Empire, and even beyond the realms of the British Crown. The chapter concludes that a ‘primitive’ missionary episcopate was to some degree a cypher for a non-established, ‘free’ form of Anglicanism which created an independent ecclesial identity that nevertheless did little to challenge the wider imperial project.
West Africa
Authors: Atto-Baffoe Victor
Published: July 2016

This chapter is a study of an encounter between the church and the socio-political and cultural milieu of West Africa, with particular focus on Ghana. It closely analyses the relationship between contextualization and the mission of the church by addressing several questions. Does the mission of the Church require contextualization in order to be fully effective? If contextualization is necessary, then how can it best serve and enhance Anglicanism in Ghana so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can take deep and lasting root in the lives of the people, and become both the organizing principle and unifying factor of their everyday living? This chapter is based on research conducted among various people of different walks of life in the church. It seeks to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the different responses and approaches adopted by them with a view to developing an appropriate Ghanaian response to Anglicanism.
Sheng Kung Hui
Authors: Wickeri Philip , Kwong Paul
Published: July 2016

This chapter introduces contextualization in the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican Church) and its significance for Hong Kong and Macau and for the Anglican communion. We seek to be heuristic and probing, not definitive or comprehensive. After a description of the Hong Kong context and a brief survey of the history of the church, the chapter considers some key areas of concern: the contextualization of theology and liturgy and the decision to compile a new Book of Common Prayer, the church’s mission in social welfare and education; work in the Macau Missionary Area; and deepening relationships with the church in mainland China. The contextualization of Anglicanism in Hong Kong and Macau, may be seen as an issue of ‘identity-in-community’, which means that we need to learn to embrace not exclude one another in life together. As ‘Hongkongese’ Christians living together in a globalized metropolis, we need to affirm both the multiplicity and the hybridity of our identities.
Charismatic Renewal
Authors: Hassett Maranda
Published: July 2016

This chapter discusses charismatic renewal within Anglicanism. It begins with a brief description of charismatic Christian spirituality and its roots. The charismatic renewal movements of the 1960s and their Pentecostal origins, in the US and Britain, and their impact on Episcopal and Anglican churches are reviewed. Tensions between those within these renewal movements and the established churches are discussed. The chapter includes an overview of charismatic Christianity around the globe, and of the forms of worship and theology generally associated with charismatic renewal.
Moving the Anglican Communion
Authors: Snyder Susanna
Published: July 2016

This chapter explores Anglican ethical and ecclesiological responses to migration under such headings as hospitality to the stranger and justice. Following an historical discussion of Church of England responses to refugees, the chapter argues that two motifs—incarnate responsibility and strange grace—lie at the heart of Anglican moral responses to migrants today. It then discusses the way in which migration is calling the Anglican Communion to rediscover its ecclesiological identity as a ‘moving church’ or via ecclesiae, and presents an ethnographic glimpse of contemporary Anglican practices at San Pedro/St Peter’s in Salem, Massachusetts. This congregation embodies responsibility towards migrants, delights in strange grace, and enacts a dynamic understanding of church.
Mercy and Parole in Anglo-American Criminal Justice Systems from the Eighteenth Century to the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Strange Carolyn
Published: July 2016

Mercy’s long association with the whims of emperors and monarchs altered with the emergence of republics and democracies in the modern era. Over the nineteenth century mercy became bureaucratized, and new administrative forms of discretionary justice—parole and tickets of leave—emerged in Anglo-American penal systems. However, the ancient prerogative of mercy persisted through the powers of executive elected officers and the Crown and its representatives. Parole, coupled with indeterminate sentencing, became a hallmark of modern justice, incorporating notions of individual reform and the managed reintegration of offenders; however, it faced widespread criticism by the late twentieth century, when faith in behavioral and social scientific eroded and concern over the uncertainties of discretionary release grew. The subsequent turn toward punitiveness and mandatory sentencing has, since the early 2000s, provoked calls to reactivate the pardon as a means to reduce harshness, felt most keenly by the poor and racially stigmatized communities.
Charles E. Lindblom, “The Science of Muddling Through”
Authors: Migone Andrea , Howlett Michael
Published: July 2016

This chapter discusses “The Science of Muddling Through”, a 1959 paper by Charles E. Lindblom that has influenced several generations of thinking about public policy decision-making in complex situations such as government and bureaucracy. The focus of Lindblom’s paper is on incrementalism, which he originally developed in the early 1950s as a decision-making model. Incrementalism refers to the study of “muddling through” behavior on the part of actual administrators and executives and is also called the method of “successive limited comparison” or “marginal” analysis by Lindblom. This chapter examines the impact of “The Science of Muddling Through” on the development of incrementalism and decision-making studies in the policy sciences. It also considers the influence of incrementalism on budgeting and management and on “punctuated equilibrium” thinking about decision-making outcomes. It concludes with an analysis of criticisms against incrementalism.
Terry M. Moe, “The New Economics of Organization”
Authors: MacDonald Jason
Published: July 2016

This chapter focuses on Terry Moe’s 1984 paper “The New Economics of Organization”, which offers an in-depth analysis of Congressional and presidential influence on the bureaucracy and suggests that these institutions, as well as their officeholders, have the incentive to influence bureaucratic policy. Moe urges scholars of public bureaucracy to emulate economists who study why firms exist in the marketplace. This chapter examines Moe’s main ideas on topics ranging from principal-agent theory to agency losses, the ability of political principals to effectively employ contract design to specify sanctions for bureaucratic agents, and how Congress and the Presidency go about trying to take advantage of bureaucratic manpower and expertise in order to meet their goals.
Securities Markets
Authors: Michie Ranald C.
Published: July 2016

Securities markets exist to serve the needs of governments and businesses on the one hand and investors on the other, and the role that they played was a product of the balance between these two needs. Securities market had to compete for business with government finance and the intermediation of banks while investors could invest directly in business or property or save with banks. Those providing the market for securities also helped determine its shape. In some countries, that shape was left to self-regulation, while in others there was a considerable government intervention, often driven by events such as wars and financial crises. The result in some countries was the emergence of banks that controlled all aspects of the securities markets while for others the business was distributed between specialist intermediaries such as investment banks, brokers and dealers.
International Financial Centres
Authors: Cassis Youssef
Published: July 2016

This chapter surveys the development of the world’s leading financial centres since the early nineteenth century, with particular attention to their working mechanisms, international influence, competition and cooperation, and rise and decline. In addition to the conditions for the development of international financial centres identified by contemporary economic and financial literature (such as political stability, strong currency, light tax burden, skilled workforce, efficient communications, and so on), the chapter emphasizes, from a long-term historical perspective, other factors of success and failure, in particular the economic power of the country hosting an international financial centre; the effects of major wars which, even more than financial crises, have affected the destiny of financial centres; and path dependency: once established, most financial centres have experienced remarkable longevity. From this perspective, it is not surprising that the financial debacle of 2008 has not fundamentally altered the hierarchy of international financial centres.
Financial History and History
Authors: Cassis Youssef
Published: July 2016

This chapter reflects on the connections between financial history and history, with particular attention to the specific contribution of the historical approach to a field that necessarily also draws from other disciplines, especially economics. It provides a historiographical survey of a field that matured in the 1980s and 1990s and considers the new challenges and the new opportunities that arose prior to the turn of the twenty-first century, with the growing use of formal economic theory and high-powered statistical techniques, the deepening divorce between economic history and history, the rise of financial economics, and also the financial crisis of 2008. The chapter argues that in order to survive as a distinct specialism and provide an essential contribution to the understanding of financial phenomena, financial history will have to integrate new theoretical and methodological trends, but obey the fundamental principles of the historical approach.
Digital Libraries for Singing
Authors: Cohen Annabel J. , Ludke Karen M.
Published: July 2016

There is a sizeable and growing body of research on singing. Contributing to the potential for ever-expanding knowledge in this field is the ability to collect singing data in digital formats as compared to formats derived from the analogue devices of the past. New technologies have also led to the possibility of collecting recordings from the different locations where researchers work or travel and sharing data across the world, free from geographic restrictions. Analysis of raw singing data could thereafter be conducted by other researchers, who could then disseminate their findings to others. This chapter outlines some of the information technology resources that have been developed to collect and share singing and musical data, focusing on the development of a digital library as part of the Advancing Interdisciplinary Research on Singing (AIRS) project which aims to advance knowledge about singing with a focus on human development, education, and well-being.
English Catholics and the Continent
Authors: Gibbons Katy
Published: July 2016

As Jane Kingsley-Smith has demonstrated, the prominence of exile in Shakespeare’s canon was influenced by contemporary debates as well as literary models (Shakespeare’s Drama of Exile, 2003). Exile was highly topical in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, not least because of the presence of English Catholics overseas, particularly in France, the Low Countries and Spain. This had consequences for the development of Catholic identity, and for the ways in which Catholics interacted with English Protestant society, as well as the Catholic continent. This chapter explores the engagement of English Catholics with continental Europe, including the polemic produced in exile, and how this informed political issues in England. More specifically in relation to Shakespeare’s plays, it discusses how the treatment of exile inRichard IImay have been suggestive of contemporary debates about English Catholics overseas.