Williams College

About: Williams College is a education organization based out in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Politics. The organization has 2257 authors who have published 5015 publications receiving 213160 citations. The organization is also known as: Williams.

Restructuring of the 'Macaronesia' biogeographic unit: A marine multi-taxon biogeographical approach.

Abstract: The Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde are commonly united under the term “Macaronesia”. This study investigates the coherency and validity of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit using six marine groups with very different dispersal abilities: coastal fishes, echinoderms, gastropod molluscs, brachyuran decapod crustaceans, polychaete annelids, and macroalgae. We found no support for the current concept of Macaronesia as a coherent marine biogeographic unit. All marine groups studied suggest the exclusion of Cabo Verde from the remaining Macaronesian archipelagos and thus, Cabo Verde should be given the status of a biogeographic subprovince within the West African Transition province. We propose to redefine the Lusitanian biogeographical province, in which we include four ecoregions: the South European Atlantic Shelf, the Saharan Upwelling, the Azores, and a new ecoregion herein named Webbnesia, which comprises the archipelagos of Madeira, Selvagens and the Canary Islands.

Picturing qubits in phase space

Abstract: Focusing particularly on one-qubit and two-qubit systems, I explain how the quantum state of a system of n qubits can be expressed as a real function--a generalized Wigner function--on a discrete 2n ?? 2n phase space. The phase space is based on the finite field having 2n elements, and its geometric structure leads naturally to the construction of a complete set of 2n + 1 mutually conjugate bases.

An effective Z

Abstract: We describe a method to couple ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ gauge bosons to the standard model (SM), without charging the SM fields under the $U(1{)}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, but instead through effective higher-dimension operators. This method allows complete control over the tree-level couplings of the ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and does not require altering the structure of any of the SM couplings, nor does it contain anomalies or require introduction of fields in nonstandard SM representations. Moreover, such interactions arise from simple renormalizable extensions of the SM---the addition of vectorlike matter that mixes with SM fermions when the $U(1{)}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ is broken. We apply effective ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ models as explanations of various recent anomalies: the D0 same-sign dimuon asymmetry, the CDF $W+\mathrm{di}\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\mathrm{jet}$ excess and the CDF top forward-backward asymmetry. In the case of the $W+\mathrm{di}\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\mathrm{jet}$ excess we also discuss several complementary analyses that may shed light on the nature of the discrepancy. We consider the possibility of non-Abelian groups, and discuss implications for the phenomenology of dark matter as well.

System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances: A Tool for Research and Practice.

Abstract: To advance research and inform practice, the authors developed an observational rating system of client behavior reflecting strong and weak therapeutic alliances in couple and family therapy. The System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA), in both English and Spanish, has 2 dimensions that are common across therapy modalities ("emotional connection to the therapist" and "engagement in the therapeutic process") and 2 dimensions that reflect the uniqueness of conjoint treatment ("safety within the therapeutic system" and "shared sense of purpose within the family"). Psychometric support is provided by 5 reliability studies, an exploratory factor analysis with data from 120 diverse English- and Spanish-speaking couples and families, and meaningful associations with various process and outcome indices. Recommendations are made for using the SOFTA in research, training, and (self-)supervision.

The introduction of price signals into land use planning decision-making: a proposal

Abstract: Although directed to the British system of Town and Country Planning this paper has relevance for many OECD countries, including some with systems of land use regulation which evolved entirely independently of the British. The paper starts by characterising the basic features of the British land use planning system, viewed from the resource allocation point of view of an economist. A conclusion is that the system explicitly excludes any use of price signals from its decisions. The paper then summarises the problems which the exclusion of price information has given rise to. Because the UK planning system has deliberately constrained the supply of space, and space is an attribute of housing which is income elastic in demand, rising incomes not only drive rising real house prices but also mean that land prices have risen considerably faster than house prices. Several housing attributes other than garden space are to a degree substitutes for land but the underlying cause of the inelastic supply of housing in the UK is the constraint on land supply. The final section proposes a mechanism which would make use of the information embodied in the price premiums of neighbouring parcels of land zoned for different uses. Such premiums signal the relative scarcity of land for different uses at each location and should become a ‘material consideration’ in planning decision-making. If they were above some threshold, this should provide a presumption of development unless maintaining the land in its current use could be shown to be in the public interest. If combined with Impact Fees, such a change would not only make housing supply more elastic and the system more transparent but would help to distance land availability decisions from the political process.