General Ramifications Research Articles

Hecke eigenspaces for the projective line

In this article we investigate the action of (ramified and unramified) Hecke operators on automorphic forms for the function field of the projective line defined over Fq and for the group GL2. We first compute the dimension of the Hecke eigenspaces for every generator of the unramified Hecke algebra. Thus, we consider the ramification in a point of degree one and explicitly describe the action of certain ramified Hecke operators on automorphic forms. Moreover, we also compute the dimensions of its eigenspaces for those ramified Hecke operators. We finish the article considering more general ramifications, namely those one attached to a closed point of higher degree.

David Cockburn Wittgenstein Human Beings and Conversation (London: Anthem Press, 2022)

David Cockburn Wittgenstein Human Beings and Conversation (London: Anthem Press, 2022)

Research in a Minefield: Relating with Tea Party Activists

Based on a doctoral research project on Tea Party groups in Pennsylvania, this article deals both with the various pitfalls I had to learn to avoid and the significant impact that being a young, white French woman had on the way activists interacted with me. In addition, I reflect upon the general ramifications of studying a right-wing social movement while not aligning with it politically. The automatic distance—and presumed ensuing objectivity that this viewpoint initially seems to afford—is much more fragile and complicated than apparent at first glance.

Editor's Letter

Editor's Letter

An Adequate Account of Excluded Volume Is Necessary To Infer Compactness and Asphericity of Disordered Proteins by Förster Resonance Energy Transfer.

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is an important tool for studying disordered proteins. It is commonly utilized to infer structural properties of conformational ensembles by matching experimental average energy transfer ⟨E⟩exp with simulated ⟨E⟩sim computed from the distribution of end-to-end distances in polymer models. Toward delineating the physical basis of such interpretative approaches, we conduct extensive sampling of coarse-grained protein chains with excluded volume to determine the distribution of end-to-end distances conditioned upon given values of radius of gyration Rg and asphericity A. Accordingly, we infer the most probable Rg and A of a protein disordered state by seeking the best fit between ⟨E⟩exp and ⟨E⟩sim among various (Rg,A) subensembles. Application of our method to residues 1-90 of the intrinsically disordered cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor Sic1 results in inferred ensembles with more compact conformations than those inferred by conventional procedures that presume either a Gaussian chain model or the mean-field Sanchez polymer theory. The Sic1 compactness we infer is in good agreement with small-angle X-ray scattering data for Rg and NMR measurement of hydrodynamic radius Rh. In contrast, owing to neglect or underappreciation of excluded volume, conventional procedures can significantly overestimate the probabilities of short end-to-end distances, leading to unphysically large smFRET-inferred Rg at high [GdmCl]. It follows that smFRET Sic1 data are incompatible with the presumed homogeneously expanded or contracted conformational ensembles in conventional procedures but are consistent with heterogeneous ensembles allowed by our subensemble method of inference. General ramifications of these findings for smFRET data interpretation are discussed.

The matrix model for dessins d'enfants

We present the matrix models that are the generating functions for branched covers of the complex projective line ramified over 0, 1, and \infty (Grotendieck’s dessins d’enfants) of fixed genus, degree, and the ramification profile at infinity. For general ramifications at other points, the model is the two-logarithm matrix model with the external field studied previously by one of the authors (L.Ch.) and K.Palamarchuk. It lies in the class of the generalised Kontsevich models (GKM) thus being the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) hierarchy tau function and, upon the shift of times, this model is equivalent to a Hermitian one-matrix model with a general potential whose coefficients are related to the KP times by a Miwa-type transformation. The original model therefore enjoys a topological recursion and can be solved in terms of shifted moments of the standard Hermitian one-matrix model at all genera of the topological expansion. We also derive the matrix model for clean Belyi morphisms, which turns out to be the Kontsevich–Penner model introduced by the authors and Yu. Makeenko. Its partition function is also a KP hierarchy tau function, and this model is in turn equivalent to a Hermitian one-matrix model with a general potential. Finally we prove that the generating function for general two-profile Belyi morphisms is a GKM thus proving that it is also a KP hierarchy tau function in proper times.

Seasonality of CO<sub>2</sub> in coastal oceans altered by increasing anthropogenic nutrient delivery from large rivers: evidence from the Changjiang–East China Sea system

Abstract. Model studies suggested that human-induced increase in nutrient load may have stimulated primary production and thus enhanced the CO2 uptake capacity in the coastal ocean. In this study, we investigated the seasonal variations of the surface water's partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2sw) in the highly human-impacted Changjiang–East China Sea system between 2008 and 2011. The seasonality of pCO2sw has large spatial variations, with the largest extreme of 170 ± 75 μatm on the inner shelf near the Changjiang Estuary (from 271 ± 55 μatm in summer to 441 ± 51 μatm in autumn) and the weakest extreme of 53 ± 20 μatm on the outer shelf (from 328 ± 9 μatm in winter to 381 ± 18 μatm in summer). During the summer period, stronger stratification and biological production driven by the eutrophic Changjiang plume results in a very low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in surface waters and a very high DIC in bottom waters of the inner shelf, with the latter returning high DIC to the surface water during the mixed period. Interestingly, a comparison with historical data shows that the average pCO2sw on the inner shelf near the Changjiang Estuary has decreased notably during summer, but has increased during autumn and winter from the 1990s to the 2000s. We suggest that this decadal change is associated with recently increased eutrophication. This would increase both the photosynthetic removal of DIC in surface waters and the respiratory release of DIC in bottom waters during summertime, thereby returning more DIC to the surface during the subsequent mixing seasons and/or episodic extreme weather events (e.g., typhoons). Our finding demonstrates that increasing anthropogenic nutrient delivery from a large river may enhance the sequestration capacity of CO2 in summer but may reduce it in autumn and winter. Consequently, the coastal ocean may not necessarily take up more atmospheric CO2 in response to increasing eutrophication, and the net effect largely depends on the relative timescale of air–sea gas exchange and offshore transport of the shelf water. Finally, the case we report for the Changjiang system may have general ramifications for other eutrophic coastal oceans.

ChemInform Abstract: Forced Wetting of a Reactive Surface

AbstractReview: 34 refs.

Solar Water Oxidation by Composite Catalyst/α-Fe2O3 Photoanodes

Electrodeposition of an amorphous cobalt catalyst layer over a high-surface-area alpha-Fe(2)O(3) photoanode causes a more than 350 mV cathodic shift in the onset potential for photoelectrochemical water oxidation using this anode and simulated solar irradiation. The catalyst layer is shown to deposit conformally onto the mesostructured alpha-Fe(2)O(3), leading to a large contact area at the interface between the two halves of the composite photoanode. Photoelectrochemical measurements show that the photocurrent generated from this composite photoanode still derives from alpha-Fe(2)O(3) excitation but is now accessible at an external bias several hundred millivolts below what is typically required for alpha-Fe(2)O(3) photoanodes alone, indicating a reduced external bias would be needed to drive overall water splitting. These results demonstrate modification of this prototypical photoanode material with a conformal layer of a competent electrocatalyst to separate the tasks of photon absorption and redox catalysis, a strategy that may have important and general ramifications for solar photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation.

Ecological correlates of species differences in the Lake Tanganyika crab radiation

The endemic crabs of Lake Tanganyika include a phenotypically diverse clade that exhibits recent divergence and low phylogenetic species resolution. There are indications that ecological niche segregation has played a prominent role in the divergence of this clade. We used habitat surveys, gut content analyses and stable isotope analyses to test the extent to which morphological species are ecologically different. Our data show some interspecific segregation in depth, substrate type and mean stable isotope signatures. At the same time, a considerable level of ecological niche overlap is evident among species of Platythelphusa that coexist in rocky littoral habitats. We consider these results in the framework of adaptive radiation theory, and we discuss general ramifications for the maintenance of species diversity in Lake Tanganyika.

Influence of urban design master plans on property sub‐markets: two case studies in Brisbane

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of urban design master plan projects in the Australian context of Brisbane. It first reviewed the general ramifications of urban design projects on property markets. The local impacts of two major projects were then analysed and compared. A limited statistical analysis was conducted to investigate whether local price growth could be attributed to the projects or resulted from generally buoyant market conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopted a largely descriptive approach. It first reviewed the theoretical outcomes urban design projects should deliver. It then looked at the specific details of two distinct urban design projects in Brisbane and descriptively assessed their impact on adjacent local housing markets. It then compared relative aggregated location price growth to isolate discernable project price effects. Finally, the paper anecdotally selected some master designed properties and considered whether their prices were excessive compared to average location rents.FindingsThe paper found conflicting evidence to support the view that urban design projects significantly lifted aggregated location prices. On the one hand, aggregated project location price growth was relatively muted. Other generic demand factors and local differences in housing stock quality swamped project effects. On the other hand, at the individual property level, there was some anecdotal evidence to suggest premiums were paid for urban designed homes. The paper indirectly suggests, then, that any price impacts of urban design projects are subject to rapid distance decay.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper conducted only a limited historical review of revitalisation and urban design. A systematic individual, project‐adjacent, property price analysis was not conducted. Rather, the aggregated dwelling price analysis and anecdotal rental review suggested, albeit inconclusively, that the effects of urban design are spatially restricted to the immediate vicinity of projects.Practical implicationsInvestors should note likely price impact of planned infrastructure projects is spatially restricted to the immediate environs of the project.Originality/valueThe paper combines an overview of urban design and property market analysis.

Are connectionist models cognitive?

Abstract In their critique of connectionist models Fodor and Pylyshyn (1988) dismiss such models as not being cognitive or psychological. Evaluating Fodor and Pylyshyn's critique requires examining what is required in characterizating models as ‘cognitive’. The present discussion examines the various senses of this term. It argues the answer to the title question seems to vary with these different senses. Indeed, by one sense of the term, neither representa‐tionalism nor connectionism is cognitive. General ramifications of such an appraisal are discussed and alternative avenues for cognitive research are suggested.

Replacement—A theory of stereotypy: A review

Three forms of stereotypy are described and an outline given of previous theories of simple stereotypy in the retarded and autistic. An alternative theory is put forward in which stereotypy is characterized as a replacement of unpalleatable stimuli and/or responses that are overloading the system in a way with which the individual cannot cope. Although the theory derives from cognitive psychology, it can also be expressed behaviorally or experientially without loss of impact. The manner in which replacement theory applies to the three types of stereotypy is described. Testable hypotheses are derived, predictions made, and implications considered. Finally, the more general ramifications of the theory are explored.

The Ethics of Corporate Lawyers: A Sociological Approach

The American Bar Association is considering a revision of its Code of Professional Responsibility. One revision deals specifically with lawyers whose clients are organizations; it attempts to delineate the ethical responsibilities of such lawyers when they discover an employee or a member of one of their clients is engaged in wrongdoing on the organization's behalf. Because the proposal suggests that corporate counsel may be justified in public disclosure of the wrongdoing when the organization itself fails to rectify the problem, it has sparked much controversy in the profession and much speculation as to whether and when corporate counsel will “blow the whistle.” The article offers a sociological perspective on the act of a corporate counsel's public disclosure of organizational wrongdoing. The act of disclosure is treated as a social behavior, the likelihood of which is increased or decreased by a number of factors including the attorney's awareness of the wrongdoing, the attorney's orientations to the larger profession, the structure of the professional practice setting within which the counsel is located, and the supports for disclosure offered by the legal profession through its formal organizations. These factors are described and then combined into a general predictive model of disclosure by corporate counsel. A concluding discussion of the general ramifications of the proposed revisions focuses on the social implications of the attorney-client privilege, in which the client is as unique an actor as is the large organization.