The Choice-Based Perspective of Choice-of-Law

This article offers an innovative basis for the choice-of-law question: the Choice-Based Perspective (CBP). The main argument is that there exists an alternative rights-based understanding of choice-of-law to that which is presently known as the vested rights theory. This understanding is based on the legal philosophy of perhaps the greatest expositor of the rightsbased concept, Immanuel Kant. In contrast to alternative approaches, CPB insists on a purely private conception of the subject, grounded on an organizing principle of unity of persons\u27 choices. Furthermore, the proposed approach holds much sway in practice, for the normative underpinnings of CBP are already embedded in many traditional and contemporary choice-of-law rules, doctrines, and concepts

The Choice-Based Perspective of Choice-of-Law

This article offers an innovative basis for the choice-of-law question: the Choice-Based Perspective (CBP). The main argument is that there exists an alternative rights-based understanding of choice-of-law to that which is presently known as the vested rights theory. This understanding is based on the legal philosophy of perhaps the greatest expositor of the rightsbased concept, Immanuel Kant. In contrast to alternative approaches, CPB insists on a purely private conception of the subject, grounded on an organizing principle of unity of persons\u27 choices. Furthermore, the proposed approach holds much sway in practice, for the normative underpinnings of CBP are already embedded in many traditional and contemporary choice-of-law rules, doctrines, and concepts

High fidelity of RecA-catalyzed recombination: a watchdog of genetic diversity

Homologous recombination plays a key role in generating genetic diversity, while maintaining protein functionality. The mechanisms by which RecA enables a single-stranded segment of DNA to recognize a homologous tract within a whole genome are poorly understood. The scale by which homology recognition takes place is of a few tens of base pairs, after which the quest for homology is over. To study the mechanism of homology recognition, RecA-promoted homologous recombination between short DNA oligomers with different degrees of heterology was studied in vitro, using fluorescence resonant energy transfer. RecA can detect single mismatches at the initial stages of recombination, and the efficiency of recombination is strongly dependent on the location and distribution of mismatches. Mismatches near the 5' end of the incoming strand have a minute effect, whereas mismatches near the 3' end hinder strand exchange dramatically. There is a characteristic DNA length above which the sensitivity to heterology decreases sharply. Experiments with competitor sequences with varying degrees of homology yield information about the process of homology search and synapse lifetime. The exquisite sensitivity to mismatches and the directionality in the exchange process support a mechanism for homology recognition that can be modeled as a kinetic proofreading cascade.Comment: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/complex/tlusty/papers/NuclAcidRes2006.pdf http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/34/18/502

SMBH Seeds: Model Discrimination with High Energy Emission Based on Scaling Relation Evolution

We explore the expected X-ray (0.5-2keV) signatures from super massive black holes (SMBHs) at high redshifts ($z\sim5-12$) assuming various models for their seeding mechanism and evolution. The seeding models are approximated through deviations from the M$_{BH}-\sigma$ relation observed in the local universe. We use results from N-body simulations of the large-scale structure to estimate the density of observable SMBHs. We focus on two families of seeding models: (\textit{i}) light seed BHs from remnants of Pop-III stars; and (\textit{ii}) heavy seeds from the direct collapse of gas clouds. We investigate several models for the accretion history, such as sub-Eddington accretion, slim disk models allowing mild super-Eddington accretion and torque-limited growth models. We consider observations with two instruments: (\textit{i}) the Chandra X-ray observatory, and (\textit{ii}) the proposed Lynx. We find that all the simulated models are in agreement with the current results from Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) - \textit{i.e.,} consistent with zero to a few observed SMBHs in the field of view. In deep Lynx exposures, the number of observed objects is expected to become statistically significant. We demonstrate the capability to limit the phase space of plausible scenarios of the birth and evolution of SMBHs by performing deep observations at a flux limit of $1\times10^{-19}\mathrm{erg\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$. Finally, we estimate the expected contribution from each model to the unresolved cosmic X-ray background (CXRB), and show that our models are in agreement with current limits on the CXRB and the expected contribution from unresolved quasars. We find that an analysis of CXRB contributions down to the Lynx confusion limit yields valuable information that can help identify the correct scenario for the birth and evolution of SMBHs