To Consider or to Use? Citation to Foreign Authority and Legal Aesthetics

In this essay I consider what it means to consider something. More directly, I consider how a judge might distinguish a source used for inspiration from a source used as legal authority. I wonder if Justice Sotomayor posits this line-drawing problem as a koan to would-be clerks. To my limited ken, the epistemological limits of the English language make it impossible to separate these concepts with precision. I argue that we should instead lobby Bluebook editors to create a new signal that can capture a heuristic of citing something for edifying or contextual value. This is not a purely pedantic or indulgent exercise. Rather this solution reflects a core motivation of lawyers and judges who cite to non-authoritative authority–that it is bricolage, ornamental, an aesthetic. We expect legal documents to look a certain way. Perhaps literary icons like First Circuit Judge Bruce Selya can get away with the no-citation opinion. For the rest of us, there must be a reference to something. Whether it is M*A*S*H*, or rapper Biggie Smalls, or your own planted dissent or concurrence from a previous opinion, the reader expects your argument to have a provenance. Signals reify and concretize this visual need for citation, and at the same time congeal ineffable gradations of inference into discrete pictographic symbols with uniform meanings. I thus present the signal ß–or sharp S–in honor of the alliterative resonance of Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s own name. She first articulated the nicety of this distinction at a 2009 conference in reference to the perennially debated topic of foreign authority in U.S. courts. According to Justice Sotomayor, judges possess the robotic ability to compartmentalize what they read or experience from what they think or feel. They can look at something without letting it inform them. This feels counter to current trends in constructivist theories of education. It also feels contrived

Triclinic polymorph of bis­(triphenyl­sil­yl) oxide toluene disolvate

A new polymorph of the title compound, C36H30OSi2·2C7H8, is reported, which is triclinic (P-1) instead of possessing the previously reported rhombohedral symmetry [Hönle et al. (1990). Acta Cryst. C46, 1982–1984]. Each of the –SiPh3 units are related by the inversion center. The Si—O—Si moiety is linear with the O atom sitting on an inversion center, and the O—Si—(toluene ring centroid) angle is 3.69 (15)°. Each toluene mol­ecule is 5.622 (2) Å from the Si atom and has its closest contacts with the phenyl rings outside of the van der Waals radii

Metastable dark matter mechanisms for INTEGRAL 511 keV γ\gamma rays and DAMA/CoGeNT events

We explore dark matter mechanisms that can simultaneously explain the galactic 511 keV gamma rays observed by INTEGRAL/SPI, the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation, and the excess of low-recoil dark matter candidates observed by CoGeNT. It requires three nearly degenerate states of dark matter in the 4-7 GeV mass range, with splittings respectively of order an MeV and a few keV. The top two states have the small mass gap and transitions between them, either exothermic or endothermic, can account for direct detections. Decays from one of the top states to the ground state produce low-energy positrons in the galaxy whose associated 511 keV gamma rays are seen by INTEGRAL. This decay can happen spontaneously, if the excited state is metastable (longer-lived than the age of the universe), or it can be triggered by inelastic scattering of the metastable states into the shorter-lived ones. We focus on a simple model where the DM is a triplet of an SU(2) hidden sector gauge symmetry, broken at the scale of a few GeV, giving masses of order \lsim 1 GeV to the dark gauge bosons, which mix kinetically with the standard model hypercharge. The purely decaying scenario can give the observed angular dependence of the 511 keV signal with no positron diffusion, while the inelastic scattering mechanism requires transport of the positrons over distances \sim 1 kpc before annihilating. We note that an x-ray line of several keV in energy, due to single-photon decays involving the top DM states, could provide an additional component to the diffuse x-ray background. The model is testable by proposed low-energy fixed target experiments.Comment: 27 pp, 19 figures; v2. minor clarification, added refs; v3. corrected observed rate of positron production, added new section responding to criticisms of arXiv:0904.1025; v4. corrected typos in eqs. (6) and (40

Virus shedding kinetics and unconventional virulence tradeoffs

Tradeoff theory, which postulates that virulence provides both transmission costs and benefits for pathogens, has become widely adopted by the scientific community. Although theoretical literature exploring virulence-tradeoffs is vast, empirical studies validating various assumptions still remain sparse. In particular, truncation of transmission duration as a cost of virulence has been difficult to quantify with robust controlled in vivo studies. We sought to fill this knowledge gap by investigating how transmission rate and duration were associated with virulence for infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Using host mortality to quantify virulence and viral shedding to quantify transmission, we found that IHNV did not conform to classical tradeoff theory. More virulent genotypes of the virus were found to have longer transmission durations due to lower recovery rates of infected hosts, but the relationship was not saturating as assumed by tradeoff theory. Furthermore, the impact of host mortality on limiting transmission duration was minimal and greatly outweighed by recovery. Transmission rate differences between high and low virulence genotypes were also small and inconsistent. Ultimately, more virulent genotypes were found to have the overall fitness advantage, and there was no apparent constraint on the evolution of increased virulence for IHNV. However, using a mathematical model parameterized with experimental data, it was found that host culling resurrected the virulence tradeoff and provided low virulence genotypes with the advantage. Human-induced or natural culling, as well as host population fragmentation, may be some of the mechanisms by which virulence diversity is maintained in nature. This work highlights the importance of considering non-classical virulence tradeoffs

Genome sequence of a gammaherpesvirus from a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

A herpesvirus genome was sequenced directly from a biopsy specimen of a rectal lesion from a female common bottlenose dolphin. This genome sequence comprises a unique region (161,235 bp) flanked by multiple copies of a terminal repeat (4,431 bp) and contains 72 putative genes. The virus was named common bottlenose dolphin gammaherpesvirus 1

A mantle plume origin for the Palaeoproterozoic Circum-Superior Large Igneous Province

The Circum-Superior Large Igneous Province (LIP) consists predominantly of ultramafic-mafic lavas and sills with minor felsic components, distributed as various segments along the margins of the Superior Province craton. Ultramafic-mafic dykes and carbonatite complexes of the LIP also intrude the more central parts of the craton. Most of this magmatism occurred ∼1880 Ma. Previously a wide range of models have been proposed for the different segments of the CSLIP with the upper mantle as the source of magmatism. New major and trace element and Nd-Hf isotopic data reveal that the segments of the CSLIP can be treated as a single entity formed in a single tectonomagmatic environment. In contrast to most previous studies that have proposed a variety of geodynamic settings, the CSLIP is interpreted to have formed from a single mantle plume. Such an origin is consistent with the high MgO and Ni contents of the magmatic rocks, trace element signatures that similar to oceanic-plateaus and ocean island basalts and εNd-εHf isotopic signatures which are each more negative than those of the estimated depleted upper mantle at ∼1880 Ma. Further support for a mantle plume origin comes from calculated high degrees of partial melting, mantle potential temperatures significantly greater than estimated ambient Proterozoic mantle and the presence of a radiating dyke swarm. The location of most of the magmatic rocks along the Superior Province margins probably represents the deflection of plume material by the thick cratonic keel towards regions of thinner lithosphere at the craton margins. The primary magmas, generated by melting of the heterogeneous plume head, fractionated in magma chambers within the crust, and assimilated varying amounts of crustal material in the process

Evolutionary History and Attenuation of Myxoma Virus on Two Continents

The attenuation of myxoma virus (MYXV) following its introduction as a biological control into the European rabbit populations of Australia and Europe is the canonical study of the evolution of virulence. However, the evolutionary genetics of this profound change in host-pathogen relationship is unknown. We describe the genome-scale evolution of MYXV covering a range of virulence grades sampled over 49 years from the parallel Australian and European epidemics, including the high-virulence progenitor strains released in the early 1950s. MYXV evolved rapidly over the sampling period, exhibiting one of the highest nucleotide substitution rates ever reported for a double-stranded DNA virus, and indicative of a relatively high mutation rate and/or a continually changing selective environment. Our comparative sequence data reveal that changes in virulence involved multiple genes, likely losses of gene function due to insertion-deletion events, and no mutations common to specific virulence grades. Hence, despite the similarity in selection pressures there are multiple genetic routes to attain either highly virulent or attenuated phenotypes in MYXV, resulting in convergence for phenotype but not genotype. © 2012 Kerr et al

Magneto-optical Kerr Effect Studies of Square Artificial Spin Ice

We report a magneto-optical Kerr effect study of the collective magnetic response of artificial square spin ice, a lithographically-defined array of single-domain ferromagnetic islands. We find that the anisotropic inter-island interactions lead to a non-monotonic angular dependence of the array coercive field. Comparisons with micromagnetic simulations indicate that the two perpendicular sublattices exhibit distinct responses to island edge roughness, which clearly influence the magnetization reversal process. Furthermore, such comparisons demonstrate that disorder associated with roughness in the island edges plays a hitherto unrecognized but essential role in the collective behavior of these systems.Comment: Physical Review B, Rapid Communications (in press

From Large Zones to Small Terranes to Detailed Reconstruction of an Early to Middle Ordovician Arc–Backarc System Preserved Along the Iapetus Suture Zone: A Legacy of Hank Williams

The Annieopsquotch accretionary tract (AAT) comprises a thrust stack of Lower to Middle Ordovician arc and backarc terranes that were accreted to the composite Laurentian margin of Iapetus during the Middle to Late Ordovician. Geological relationships suggest that the constituent terranes of the AAT initially formed outboard of the composite Laurentian margin in an extensional arc that underwent multiple rifting episodes prior to its accretion. The initiation of AAT magmatism led to the development of Tremadocian to Floian supra-subduction zone ophiolites (481 to 477 Ma) with organized ridges indicated by the presence of well-developed sheeted dyke complexes. This spreading centre propagated through a fragment of Laurentian crust and separated it from the composite Laurentian margin. This Laurentian crust fragment then formed the basement to subsequent Floian to Darriwilian AAT arc magmatism. The Floian arc (473 to 468 Ma) underwent extensive rifting indicated by organized spreading in the Lloyds River backarc basin, which was floored by juvenile backarc ophiolitic crust (472 Ma). The establishment of the Darriwilian arc (467 to 462 Ma) was in part coeval with yet another stage of rifting. Darriwilian magmatism is characterised by significant along-strike variability, ranging from continental to primitive calc-alkaline arc to tholeiitic backarc-like magmatism. The diversity of Darriwilian magmatism can be attributed to fragmentation and magmatic reworking of Laurenian-derived basement along strike in the same arc undergoing disorganized spreading. The development of the AAT is interpreted to be similar to that of the modern Izu – Bonin – Mariana arc in the western Pacific.SOMMAIRELa bande d’accrétion d’Annieopsquotch (AAT) est constituée d’un empilement de chevauchements de l’Ordovicien précoce à moyen, et de terranes d’arc et d’arrière-arc qui se sont accrétés à la marge composite laurentienne japétienne à l’Ordovicien moyen à tardif.  Les faits géologiques relevés portent à penser que les terranes constitutifs de l’AAT se sont constitués à l’extérieur de la marge laurentienne dans un arc d’extension qui a subi de multiples épisodes de rifting avant son accrétion.  L’initiation du magmatisme de l’AAT a mené au développement de zones d’ophiolites de supra-subduction du Trémadocien au Floien (481 Ma à 477 Ma), avec des crêtes ordonnées mises en évidence par la présence de complexes de tapis de dikes bien développés.  Ce centre d’extension s’est propagé à travers un fragment de la croûte laurentienne, et l’a ultimement séparé de la marge composite laurentienne.  Et, du Floien au Darriwilien, ce fragment de croûte laurentienne a servi de substratum au magmatisme d’arc de l’AAT.  Au Floien (473 Ma à 468 Ma), cette zone d’arc a subi un important rifting, comme l’indique la distension ordonnée du bassin d’arrière-arc de Lloyds River, lequel a servi de semelle à une croûte ophiolitique d’arrière-arc (472 Ma).  La mise en place de l’arc au Darriwilien (467 Ma à 462 Ma) a coexisté pour un temps avec un autre épisode de rifting.  Le magmatisme darriwilien est caractérisé par une variabilité de composition importante parallèlement à sa direction, passant d’une composition d’arc continental à celle d’arrière-arc primitif calco-alcalin jusqu’à une composition de magmatisme de type tholéiitique d’arrière-arc.  La diversité du magmatisme darriwilien peut être attribuée à la fragmentation et au remaniement magmatique de la croûte d’origine laurentienne parallèlement à la direction d’un même arc subissant une distension désordonnée.  Nous proposons que le développement de l’AAT a été similaire à celui de l’arc moderne Izy–Bonin–Marianne du Pacifique occidental