27 research outputs found
Reasoning about leadership in infancy
No full textThree experiments investigated infants’ understanding of authority-based asymmetrical relations and in particular asked whether infants possess expectations about how leaders will act towards subordinates. I presented infants with live events involving interactions between three puppets of the same kind (or from the same social group). Infants watched either a leader (authority condition) or a target-subordinate (no-authority condition) interact with two other subordinates (all three subordinates were of equal status). In Experiments 1 and 2, the leader or target-subordinate made two toys available to the two subordinates, but one selfishly took them both. I found that 16- to 18-month-old infants expected the leader to rectify, as opposed to ignore, this transgression (i.e., taking more than one’s share). Infants held no particular expectations about the target-subordinate’s response in the same situation. This result held regardless of how leadership was marked (Experiment 1: physical size; Experiment 2: control over others’ actions). In Experiment 3, a single toy was requested by two subordinates, though one had had several turns at playing with it prior to the other subordinate’s arrival. I found that 20- to 24-month-old infants expected the leader to regulate the use of this limited resource fairly, by handing the toy to the subordinate with no previous turns at playing with it. Infants held no expectations about the target-subordinate’s actions in the same situation. This pattern, however, was found only in infants who attended daycare and presumably had more experience with authority figures regulating turn-taking. Together, these experiments suggest that infants within the second year of life (1) are sensitive to authority-based asymmetrical social relations and (2) already have differential expectations about how a leader versus an equal-status group member will act in situations that could violate group harmony. These findings also indicate that relevant social experiences may be needed to support the emergence of some of these expectations.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2018-12-01The student, Maayan Stavans, accepted the attached license on 2016-11-29 at 19:51.The student, Maayan Stavans, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2016-11-29 at 20:18.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2016-11-30 at 14:06.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #10328 on 2017-02-28 at 14:42:10Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-01T17:01:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2016-11-30Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 98706
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Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 98706
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Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemLimited Restriction Lifted for Item 98706 on 2019-03-02T10:15:24Z
Optimizing Ribozyme Reporters Using RNase J1 in E.coli Based Cell-Free Systems
No full textSynthetic ribozyme reporters are RNA regulatory elements that can be modified to control the expression of downstream reporter proteins such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) in response to the binding of a target ligand. Ligand binding can activate or inhibit ribozyme self-cleavage, regulating the release of a mRNA segment that encodes for a fluorescent protein. RNase J1, a 5’-to-3’ endonuclease from Gram-positive bacteria, enables improved degradation of this protein in E. coli, unlike the native RNase E, which inefficiently degrades the transcript due to a 5’-hydroxyl group. We introduced RNase J1 into E. coli-based cell-free lysates and tested its effect on reporter expression. In a one-pot solution, RNase J1 decreased GFP expression in cell free reactions with the ribozyme reporters irrespective of ligand presence, however it did not decrease the expression of Pbab GFP, the control reporter tested. However, when testing a two-step reaction with titrated crude lysate containing RNaseJ1, we achieved expected performance in which RNaseJ1 decreased the fluorescent signal with the addition of a ligand.
Further testing and optimization are needed to confirm that the decrease in fluorescent signal is both significant and reproducible, followed by additional optimization to increase the magnitude of that decrease
Human rights litigation and the transition from policing to warfare:the case of Israel and its governance of the West Bank and Gaza in the Al-Aqsa Intifada
No full textThis article explores the relationship between human rights NGOs and state/military policies in the case of Israeli organisations operating in West Bank and Gaza. The article focuses on a period of fundamental change in Israel’s management of the West Bank and Gaza unfolding alongside the Al-Aqsa Intifada, a transition from a framework of policing to a framework informed by the logic of war. It argues that NGO litigation, in this case, aided broader legal/political shifts that drifted away from a human rights agenda. Based on the Israeli/Palestinian case, the article aims to contribute to scholarship critically reflecting on human rights NGOs’ position vis-à-vis the state and broader geo-political processes of change. © 2017, published by Taylor and Francis. The attached document (embargoed until 09/04/2019) is an author produced version of a paper, uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link below. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it
Government policies, new voter coalitions, and the emergence of ethnic dimension in party systems
No full textConventional theories of ethnic politics argue that political entrepreneurs form ethnic parties where there is ethnic diversity. Yet empirical research finds that diversity is a weak predictor for the success of ethnic parties. When does ethnicity become a major element of party competition? Scholars have explained the emergence of an ethnic dimension in party systems as the result of institutions, mass organizations, and elite initiatives. But these factors can evolve in response to an emerging ethnic coalition of voters. The author advances a new theory: ethnic cleavages emerge when voters seek to form a parliamentary opposition to government policies that create grievances along ethnic identities. The theory is tested on rare cases of government policies in Prussia between 1848 and 1874 that aggrieved Catholics but were not based on existing policies or initiated by entrepreneurs to encourage ethnic competition. Using process tracing, case comparisons, and statistical analysis of electoral returns, the author shows that Catholics voted together when aggrieved by policies, regardless of the actions of political entrepreneurs. In contrast, when policies were neutral to Catholics, the Catholic party dissolved
Optimizing Ribozyme Reporters using RNase J in E.coli based Cell-Free Systems
No full textBiosensors detect target molecules using biological components that generate measurable signals. RNA regulatory elements, such as ribozymes, can be engineered into biosensor designs to control the expression of downstream reporter proteins like green fluorescent protein (GFP) in response to target binding. In many synthetic ribozyme reporter systems, ligand binding either activates or inhibits ribozyme self-cleavage, regulating release of the mRNA transcript encoding a fluorescent reporter. RNase J1, a 5′-to-3′ endonuclease from Gram-positive bacteria, enables improved degradation in E. coli, unlike the native RNase E, which inefficiently degrades the transcript due to the 5'-hydroxyl group. In this study, we designed cell-free reactions incorporating ribozyme-based fluorescent reporters with either a synthetic theophylline ribozyme or the naturally occurring glmS ribozyme upstream of a deGFP reporter. We introduced RNase J1 into E. coli-based cell-free lysates and tested its effect on reporter expression. We observed that GFP expression decreased in reactions with PCR products encoding the ribozyme reporters and RNase J1, regardless of whether the ligand was present. We achieved expected performance in a two-step reaction, in which we added RNase J1 from a prior cell-free reaction to a cell-free reaction containing the ribozyme reporter PCR product. However, the fold change with and without the ligand was relatively small. Further optimization is needed to use RNase J1 to enhance ribozyme reporter activity in cell-free systems
Regulation of AP-1 by MAPK Signaling in Metal-Stressed Sea Anemone
No full textBackground/Aims: AP-1 transcription factor plays a conserved role in the immediate response to stress. Activation of AP-1 members jun and fos is mediated by complex signaling cascades to control cell proliferation and survival. To understand the evolution of this broadly-shared pathway, we studied AP-1 regulation by MAPK signaling in a basal metazoan. Methods: Metal- stressed cnidarian Nematostella vectensis anemones were tested with kinase inhibitors and analyzed for gene expression levels and protein phosphorylation. Results: We show that in cnidarian, AP-1 is regulated differently than in bilaterian models. ERK2 and ERK5, the main MAPK drivers of AP-1 activation in Bilateria, down-regulated fos1 and jun1 transcription in anemones exposed to metal stress, whereas p38 MAPK, triggered transcription of jun1 but not fos1. Furthermore, our results reveal that GSK3-β is the main driver of the immediate stress response in Nematostella. GSK3-β triggered transcription of AP-1 and two other stress-related genes, egr1 and hsp70. Finally, phylogenetic analysis and protein characterization show that while MAPKs and GSK3-β are evolutionarily conserved, Fos and Jun proteins in Nematostella and other cnidarians lack important regulatory and phosphorylation sites found in Bilateria. Conclusion: These findings reveal alternative network interactions of conserved signaling kinases, providing insight into the evolutionary plasticity of immediate stress response mechanisms
Law, politics and violence in Israel/Palestine /
No full text"This book investigates the Israeli engagement with international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) between 1967 and 2009. Grounded in a field-based study of the military international law department, it examines the dynamic position and impact that international law has had in the OPT. By analysing the Israeli 2008/9 offensive in Gaza as an example of contemporary warfare, the author argues that law and military agenda have become intertwined in 'lawfare', a condition sanctioning new forms of law and violence. The military legal system is central to the Israeli management of the OPT, yet despite the great interest in the legal aspects of the Israeli occupation, scholarly accounts of this institution are scarce. This discussion also has wider international relevance, particularly in the backdrop of the contemporary prominence of international law in Western militaries' operations."-
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Law, politics and violence in Israel/Palestine /
No full text"This book investigates the Israeli engagement with international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) between 1967 and 2009. Grounded in a field-based study of the military international law department, it examines the dynamic position and impact that international law has had in the OPT. By analysing the Israeli 2008/9 offensive in Gaza as an example of contemporary warfare, the author argues that law and military agenda have become intertwined in 'lawfare', a condition sanctioning new forms of law and violence. The military legal system is central to the Israeli management of the OPT, yet despite the great interest in the legal aspects of the Israeli occupation, scholarly accounts of this institution are scarce. This discussion also has wider international relevance, particularly in the backdrop of the contemporary prominence of international law in Western militaries' operations."-
Military Lawyers Making Law: Israel’s Governance of the West Bank and Gaza
No full textThis article examines Israeli military lawyers’ practice of international law revolving around the West Bank and Gaza. Based on interviews with legal officers serving in the army between 1967-2009 and archival materials, it interrogates these lawyers’ work – the stories that they tell about law, their legal interpretations and their interactions with military decision-makers. This interrogation is set in the context of broader structural, historical and political shifts. Anchored around lawyers’ stories about law, their narration of law’s relationship with politics and its position in relation to violence, this account sets out to contribute to discussions on lawyers’ - and by extension law’s - past and present positions in states’ military affairs. © 2019, American Bar Foundation . The attached document (embargoed until 24/04/2021) is an author produced version of a paper published in LAW & SOCIAL INQUIRY uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it. </p
Citation network analysis for viewpoint plurality assessment of historical corpora: The case of the medieval rabbinic literature.
No full textCitation networks enable analysis of author groups, defining in-group dynamics, and mapping out inter-group relationships. While intellectual diversity and inclusiveness is one of the important principles of modern scholarship, it is intriguing to explore the extent to which these principles apply to historical communities of leaders and intellectuals. This paper introduces a novel methodological framework aimed at assessing the degree of viewpoint plurality and diversity of historical scholarship communities, through an in-depth analysis of the citations used in their literature, which has become possible due to the recently developed advanced computational analysis techniques. To achieve this goal, we have devised a set of new network-based indicators grounded in standard network metrics. These indicators can be applied at both the individual author and community levels. The developed methodology was applied to a citation network automatically constructed from a corpus of Rabbinic Halachic literature spanning the 10th to 15th centuries. This corpus includes over 5,000 citations from hundreds of books authored by approximately 140 Rabbinic scholars from six diverse geographic communities. We found that most of the authors and communities cite many more external resources from other communities than their own reflecting a willingness to engage with a diverse range of viewpoints. A more in-depth analysis based on the novel proportional diversity measures unveils more intriguing insights. Contrary to expectations, communities with the greatest number of external citations, such as Spain and Ashkenaz, surprisingly exhibit lower levels of viewpoint plurality compared to others, such as Italy and North Africa, elucidating a key finding of the study
