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1. How barriers become invisible: Children are less sensitive to constraints that are stable over time

   https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13496  

   Amemiya, Jamie; Heyman, Gail D; Walker, Caren M (July 2024, Developmental Science)

   Abstract When making inferences about the mental lives of others (e.g., others’ preferences), it is critical to consider the extent to which the choices we observe are constrained. Prior research on the development of this tendency indicates a contradictory pattern: Children show remarkable sensitivity to constraints in traditional experimental paradigms, yet often fail to consider real‐world constraints and privilege inherent causes instead. We propose that one explanation for this discrepancy may be that real‐world constraints are often stable over time and lose their salience. The present research tested whether children (N = 133, 5‐ to 12‐year‐old mostly US children; 55% female, 45% male) becomelesssensitive to an actor's constraints after first observing two constrained actors (Stable condition) versus after first observing two actors in contexts with greater choice (Not Stable condition). We crossed thestabilityof the constraint with thetypeof constraint: either the constraint was deterministic such that there was only one option available (No Other Option constraint) or, in line with many real‐world constraints, the constraint was probabilistic such that therewasanother option, but it was difficult to access (Hard to Access constraint). Results indicated that children in the Stable condition became less sensitive to the probabilistic Hard to Access constraint across trials. Notably, we also found that children's sensitivity to constraints was enhanced in the Not Stable condition regardless of whether the constraint was probabilistic or deterministic. We discuss implications for children's sensitivity to real‐world constraints. Research HighlightsThis research addresses the apparent contradiction that children are sensitive to constraints in experimental paradigms but are ofteninsensitiveto constraints in the real world.One explanation for this discrepancy is that constraints in the real world tend to be stable over time and may lose their salience.When probabilistic constraints (i.e., when a second option is available but hard to access) are stable, children become de‐sensitized to constraints across trials.First observing contexts with greater choice increases children's sensitivity to both probabilistic and deterministic constraints. 

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2. Causal Constraints in the Life and Social Sciences

   https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.2023.165  

   Ross, Lauren N. (December 2023, Philosophy of Science)

   Abstract This paper examines constraints and their role in scientific explanation. Common views in the philosophical literature suggest that constraints are non-causal and that they provide non-causal explanations. While much of this work focuses on examples from physics, this paper explores constraints from other fields, including neuroscience, physiology, and the social sciences. I argue that these cases involve constraints that are causal and that provide a unique type of causal explanation. This paper clarifies what it means for a factor to be a constraint, when such constraints are causal, and how they figure in scientific explanation. 

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3. Construction costs and tradeoffs in carnivorous pitcher plant leaves: towards a pitcher leaf economics spectrum

   https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf024  

   Gilbert, Kadeem J; Armitage, David; Bauer, Ulrike; Fukushima, Kenji; Gaume, Laurence; Love, Rachel; Lin, Qianshi; Liu, Sukuan; Martin-Eberhardt, Sylvie; Millett, Jonathan; et al (April 2025, Annals of Botany)

   Abstract BackgroundLeaf economics theory holds that physiological constraints to photosynthesis have a role in the coordinated evolution of multiple leaf traits, an idea that can be extended to carnivorous plants occupying a particular trait space that is constrained by key costs and benefits. Pitcher traps are modified leaves that may face steep photosynthetic costs: a high-volume, three-dimensional tubular structure may be less efficient than a flat lamina. While past research has investigated the photosynthetic costs of pitchers, the exact suite of constraints shaping pitcher trait variation remain under-explored, including constraints to carnivorous function. ScopeIn this review, we describe various constraints arising from the dual photosynthetic and carnivorous functions of pitchers arising from developmental, functional, budgetary and environmental factors. In addition, we identify the data required to establish the leaf economics spectrum (LES) for carnivorous pitcher plants (CPPs), and – owing to the multifunctional roles of pitcher leaves – discuss difficulties in placing pitchers onto existing frameworks. ConclusionBecause pitcher traps serve multiple functions, both photosynthesis and nutrient acquisition (carnivory), they are difficult to place in the context of the LES, especially in light of a current lack of trait data. We describe a spectrum across the independent CPP lineages in approaches to balancing carnivory–photosynthesis tradeoffs. Future efforts to collect relevant data can clarify the forces that shape observed pitcher trait variation, and increase understanding of principles that may be ultimately generalized to other plants. 

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4. Freeze-in dark matter perturbations are adiabatic

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2023/01/020  

   Racco, D.; Riotto, A. (January 2023, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics)

   Abstract We show that the large-scale perturbations in the dark matter generated by the freeze-in mechanism are only of adiabatic nature. The freeze-in mechanism is not at odds with the current stringent constraints on isocurvature perturbations. 

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5. Optimal data driven resource allocation under multi-armed bandit observations

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-025-06554-3  

   Burnetas, Apostolos N; Kanavetas, Odysseas; Katehakis, Michael N (March 2025, Annals of Operations Research)

   Abstract This paper introduces the first asymptotically optimal strategy for a multi armed bandit (MAB) model under side constraints. The side constraints model situations in which bandit activations are limited by the availability of certain resources that are replenished at a constant rate. The main result involves the derivation of an asymptotic lower bound for the regret of feasible uniformly fast policies and the construction of policies that achieve this lower bound, under pertinent conditions. Further, we provide the explicit form of such policies for the case in which the unknown distributions are Normal with unknown means and known variances, for the case of Normal distributions with unknown means and unknown variances and for the case of arbitrary discrete distributions with finite support. 

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