Between Restitution and International Morality

This Essay explores a rush of restitution cases throughout the globe. The author sees in the pattern formed by these cases a central component of a new international morality. The Essay claims that these cases testify to a new globalism that pays greater attention to human rights. The author underscores the increasing way in which our histories shape our identities. Both realism and tentativeness of the historical identity have become part of the growing liberal political space that includes no longer merely Western countries, but has become attractive to numerous diverse groups and nations globally

Evolution of Xenopus Vocal Patterns: Retuning a Hindbrain Circuit During Species Divergence

Circuits underlying motor patterns of closely related species provide an ideal framework in which to study how evolution shapes behavioral variation. Male African clawed frogs (Xenopus and Silurana) advertisement call to attract female mates and silence male rivals. Males of each species produce a unique vocal pattern that serves as a species-identifier. Xenopus laevis is the most well-studied species in terms of its vocal behavior and underlying anatomy and physiology. The clade that includes X. laevis, or X. laevis senso lato, also includes 3 other species that diverged ~8.5 million years ago. All 4 of these species produce advertisement calls that include fast trills – trains of fast rate (~60 Hz) sound pulses. However, their calls differ substantially between species in measures of trill duration and period. I examined the premotor circuit underlying vocal patterning in three of these species: X. laevis, X. petersii, and X. victorianus. I used extracellular recordings to find that a premotor nucleus, DTAM, which is part of the vocal central pattern generator, is the likely source of species-variation of vocal patterns. Species-specific trill duration and period are intrinsic to the region of the hindbrain that includes DTAM. Next, I used blind whole-cell patch recordings in DTAM of X. laevis and X. petersii to examine the cells that encode trill duration and period. I identified homologous populations of premotor vocal cells in both species that code for trill duration and period in a species-specific manner. Together, these results support an autonomous role of the DTAM circuit for generation of species variation in call duration and period

Controlled self-assembly of periodic and aperiodic cluster crystals

Soft particles are known to overlap and form stable clusters that self-assemble into periodic crystalline phases with density-independent lattice constants. We use molecular dynamics simulations in two dimensions to demonstrate that, through a judicious design of an isotropic pair potential, one can control the ordering of the clusters and generate a variety of phases, including decagonal and dodecagonal quasicrystals. Our results confirm analytical predictions based on a mean-field approximation, providing insight into the stabilization of quasicrystals in soft macromolecular systems, and suggesting a practical approach for their controlled self-assembly in laboratory realizations using synthesized soft-matter particles.Comment: Supplemental Material can be obtained through the author's website at: http://www.tau.ac.il/~ronlif/pubs/ClusterCrystals-Supp.pd

Individual Parental Coaching (IPC) - an optional way to improve communication between parents and adolescents in conventionally structured families in Israel

This research explores the connection and influence that individual parental coaching (IPC) has on the teenager-parent relationship. Essentially, the research had two main goals, firstly to examine the possible influence of a parental coaching process, with respect to the parents’ ability to form better connections and communication with their adolescent children. Furthermore, it sought out to validate a certain perception of parenting - the notion that a parent must first establish a firm sense of "self" before taking part in parenting. As described by Ayn Rand (1943): "for one to say "I love you', one must first say the 'I', thus self-definition, purpose and meaning are the individual's significant guidelines when establishing relations with others, especially the demanding relations with teenagers. The initial assumption of the research was that individual parental coaching, would give parents an opportunity to undergo an extensive personal coaching process that would help strengthen the parents’ core values, boundaries and priorities. This would then enable them to address their parental role with confidence, conviction and flexibility, rather than confusion, fear of losing significance and control, and consequently effecting the teenager-parent equation for the better. This was a qualitative narrative research, since the parents' life stories, as perceived and related by them, were at the base of this research. Seven Israeli families participated; heterosexual married couples that had raised at least one teenager between the ages of 13 to 18. On the one hand, the parents took part in a comprehensive coaching process consisting of ten weekly sessions; on the other hand, the teenagers filled out questionnaires, and thus were a part of the research in an indirect manner. All the data that was collected from questionnaires, coaching sessions and open interviews were analyzed using the "Theme Analysis" method, which revealed some prominent individual and parental issues that contemporary Israeli parents deal with. Results indicate two central findings - a great appreciation on the parents' part for the opportunity to enter into a deep process of self-encounter and its benefits, despite all the difficulties along the way. The second one addressed the research question itself and showed an explicit change process in the communication and connection between parents and teenagers on varying levels, from both the parents' as well as the teenagers' points of view. Improvements included more time spent together, less anger and friction, more patience and tolerance, awareness to discourse style and word choices and an overall better atmosphere around the house. All participating parents without exception stated that it was a worthy journey, which they would recommend all parents experienced