bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gap junctions and tissue business: problems and strategies for developing specific functional reagents
Authors: Goodenough Daniel A. , Musil Linda S.
Published: May 2013

The complex and overlapping tissue distribution of different members of the gap junctional connexin protein family is reviewed. Intermixing of different connexins in the building of intercellular channels and translational and posttranslational regulation of gap junctional channels add additional challenges to the interpretation of the possible functions played by gap junction-mediated intercellular communication in tissue business.
The role of transepithelial transport by M cells in microbial invasion and host defense
Authors: Neutra Marian R. , Kraehenbuhl Jean-Pierre
Published: May 2013

Transepithelial transport of antigens by M cells in the epithelium associated with lymphoid follicles in the intestine delivers immunogens directly to organized mucosal lymphoid tissues, the inductive sites for mucosal immune responses. We have exploited M cell transport to generate and characterize specific monoclonal IgA antibodies that can prevent interaction of pathogens with epithelial surfaces. The relative protective capacities of specific monoclonal IgA antibodies have been tested in vivo by generation of hybridoma tumors that result in secretion of monoclonal IgA into the intestine. Using this method, we have established that secretion of IgA antibodies recognizing a single surface epitope on enteric pathogens can provide protection against colonization or invasion of the intestinal mucosa.
Epithelial polarity and differentiation in polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Avner Ellis D.
Published: May 2013

Renal cysts are central pathological features in a number of human congenital and acquired diseases, and produce significant morbidity and mortality. This review describes our laboratory’s efforts to identify specific alterations in epithelial cell polarity and differentiation associated with renal tubular cyst formation and progressive enlargement. Studies in a murine model of human autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, the C57BL/6J cpk/cpk (CPK) mouse have demonstrated quantitative (increased activity) and qualitative (apical membrane distribution) alterations in Na+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase activity that mediate tubular cyst formation. Proximal tubular cyst formation in CPK kidneys is characterized by increased activity of a basolat-eral Na+,K+-ATPase, which drives organic anion secretion and consequent tubular fluid secretion. In contrast, collecting tubule cyst formation is characterized by increased apical membrane Na+,K+-ATPase expression, which may be a marker of the relatively undifferentiated phenotype of cyst lining cells. If such apically expressed enzyme is active, it may have pathogenic import in collecting tubule cyst formation and enlargement by mediating net basal to apical vectorial solute and fluid transport.
Characterization of the execution phase of apoptosis in vitro using extracts from condemned-phase cells
Authors: Lazebnik Y. A. , Takahashi A. , Poirier G. G. , Kaufmann S. H. , Earnshaw W. C.
Published: May 2013

Apoptotic cell death is characterized by a dramatic morphological transformation during which apparently healthy cells suddenly initiate a comprehensive program of motility changes and degradative activities that culminates in disassembly of the cell into membrane-enclosed vesicles. The mechanism of the cellular changes during this spectacular execution phase of apoptosis is just now yielding to biochemical analysis. In our laboratory, we have applied a novel in vitro system to the study of these events. In this system, nuclei isolated from healthy cells undergo the characteristic changes of apoptosis rapidly and synchronously. Using this system we have identified the first substrates for interleukin-1 β-converting enzyme (ICE)-like proteinases during apoptotic execution. One of these, the nuclear enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase is cleaved very early in the apoptotic process. A second class of proteins, the nuclear lamins, is cleaved later in the pathway. Lamin cleavage requires a second ICE-related proteinase, and is essential for the complete dissolution of nuclei into apoptotic bodies. Studies with our cell-free extracts reveal that the various proteinases and nucleases that operate during the execution phase of apoptosis do so largely in independent parallel biochemical pathways. However, all of these pathways require the action of ICE-related proteinases for their initiation.
K-Promoted Co–CeO2 Catalyst for the Reverse Water–Gas Shift Reaction
Authors: Wang Luhui , Liu Hui , Chen Ying , Zhang Renkun , Yang Shuqing
Published: May 2013

A K-promoted Co–CeO2 catalyst prepared through the coprecipitation–impregnation method was shown to give a higher activity for the reverse water–gas shift reaction but with lower formation of the side product CH4. TPR results suggested that the addition of small amounts of K (1 wt %) improved the cobalt oxide reducibility through an electron-donation effect.
Enantioselective Synthesis Induced by the Helical Molecular Arrangement in the Chiral Crystal of Achiral Tris(2-hydroxyethyl) 1,3,5-Benzenetricarboxylate in Conjunction with Asymmetric Autocatalysis
Authors: Kawasaki Tsuneomi , Uchida Mizuki , Kaimori Yoshiyasu , Sasagawa Taisuke , Matsumoto Arimasa , Soai Kenso
Published: May 2013

5-Pyrimidyl alkanol with an enantiomeric excess of up to >99.5% was formed using chiral crystals of achiral tris(2-hydroxyethyl) 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate as a chiral initiator. In the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde, the helicity of the molecular arrangement of achiral tricarboxylate in the crystalline state could be successfully used as a source of chirality to afford enantioenriched alkanol in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of enantiomeric excess.
MnI2-catalyzed Dimerization of 2-Hydroxyanthracene
Authors: Zhang Sicheng , Wang Yanqing , Song Zhiyi , Nakajima Kiyohiko , Takahashi Tamotsu
Published: May 2013

Dimerization of 2-hydroxyanthracene was investigated with 5 mol % of various catalysts that are efficient catalysts for the dimerization of 2-naphthol. Catalysts such as Cu(OH)Cl·TMEDA, [Mn(acac)3], and [Mn(acac)2] did not give satisfactory results. However, MnI2, which gave only trace amounts of dimerization product of 2-naphthol under the same conditions, afforded 2,2′-dihydroxy-1,1′-bianthracene in 74% yield.
Comparisons of Weekly Hours over the Past Century and the Importance of Work-Sharing Policies in the 1930s
Authors: Neumann Todd C , Taylor Jason E , Fishback Price
Published: May 2013

Changes in the work week drove a larger portion of changes in total labor input during the Great Depression of the 1930s than during other decades. Work-sharing policies appear to be responsible. Herbert Hoover created various work-sharing committees--led by key industrialists--which pushed for shorter work weeks. And Franklin Roosevelt's President's Reemployment Agreement called for sharp cuts in weekly work hours. Spreading available work amongst more people was the goal. During these periods between 50 and 90 percent of declines in labor input were accommodated by falling hours. In recent decades employers have instead relied on layoffs to achieve the same end.
Are Government Spending Multipliers Greater during Periods of Slack? Evidence from Twentieth-Century Historical Data
Authors: Owyang Michael T , Ramey Valerie A , Zubairy Sarah
Published: May 2013

A key question that has arisen during recent debates is whether government spending multipliers are larger during times when resources are idle. This paper seeks to shed light on this question by analyzing new quarterly historical data covering multiple large wars and depressions in the United States and Canada. Using Jorda's (2005) method for estimating impulse responses, we find no evidence that multipliers are greater during periods of high unemployment in the United States. In every case, they are below unity. We do find evidence of higher multipliers during periods of slack in Canada, with some multipliers above unity.
Output Spillovers from Fiscal Policy
Authors: Auerbach Alan J , Gorodnichenko Yuriy
Published: May 2013

For a large number of OECD countries we estimate the cross-country spillover effects of government purchases on output. Following the methodology in Auerbach and Gorodnichenko (2012a, b), we allow these multipliers to vary smoothly according to the state of the economy and use real-time forecast data to purge policy innovations of their predictable components. Our findings suggest that cross-country spillovers have an important impact. The findings also confirm those of our earlier papers--namely that fiscal shocks have a larger impact when the affected country is in recession.
Forecasting the Recovery from the Great Recession: Is This Time Different?
Authors: Dominguez Kathryn M. E , Shapiro Matthew D
Published: May 2013

This paper asks whether the slow recovery of the US economy from the trough of the Great Recession was anticipated, and identifies some of the factors that contributed to surprises in the course of the recovery. We construct a narrative using news reports and government announcements to identify policy and financial shocks. We then compare forecasts and forecast revisions of GDP to the narrative. Successive financial and fiscal shocks emanating from Europe, together with self-inflicted wounds from the political stalemate over the US fiscal situation, help explain the slowing of the pace of an already slow recovery.
Extreme Wage Inequality: Pay at the Very Top
Authors: Bell Brian D , Reenen John Van
Published: May 2013

We provide new evidence on the growth in pay at the very top of the wage distribution in the United Kingdom. Sectoral decompositions show that workers in the financial sector have accounted for the majority of the gains at the top over the last decade. New results are also presented on the pay of CEOs in the United Kingdom. We show how improved measurement of pay points to a stronger pay-performance link than previously estimated. This link is stronger, and more symmetric, for those firms in which institutional investors play a larger role.
Family, Education, and Sources of Wealth among the Richest Americans, 1982–2012
Authors: Kaplan Steven N , Rauh Joshua D
Published: May 2013

We examine characteristics of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the United States over the past three decades as tabulated by Forbes Magazine, and analyze which theories of increasing inequality are most consistent with these data. The people of the Forbes 400 in recent years did not grow up as advantaged as in decades past. They are more likely to have started their businesses and to have grown up upper-middle class, not wealthy. Today's Forbes 400 were able to access education while young, and apply their skills to the most scalable industries: technology, finance, and mass retail. Most of the change occurred by 2001.
Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great Recession
Authors: Meyer Bruce D , Sullivan James X
Published: May 2013

We examine changes in consumption and income inequality between 2000 and 2011. During the most recent recession, unemployment rose and asset values declined sharply. We investigate how the recession affected inequality while addressing concerns about underreporting in consumption data. Income inequality rose throughout the period from 2000 to 2011. The 90/10 ratio was 19 percent higher at the end of this period than at the beginning. In contrast, consumption inequality rose during the first half of this period but then fell after 2005. By 2011, the 90/10 ratio for consumption was slightly lower than it was in 2000.
The Scale and Selectivity of Foreign-Born PhD Recipients in the US
Authors: Grogger Jeffrey , Hanson Gordon
Published: May 2013

We study the scale and selectivity of foreign-born PhD students in science and engineering. We focus on students from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan, which together account for most roughly one-third of science and engineering PhD students in the United States. The selectivity of these students is high, as measured by their fathers' relative education levels. In China and India, fathers of students who receive US PhDs in these fields are roughly 15 times more likely to have a BA degree than their contemporaries are to have tertiary education. Over time, selectivity falls for China but the trend for other countries is ambiguous.
Pathways to Adjustment: The Case of Information Technology Workers
Authors: Bound John , Braga Breno , Golden Joseph M , Turner Sarah
Published: May 2013

One long-standing hypothesis about science and engineering labor markets is that the supply of highly skilled workers is likely to be inelastic in the short run. We consider the market for computer scientists and electrical engineers (IT workers) and the evolution of wages and employment through two periods of increased demand. Relative to the boom of the 1970s, the demand shock in the 1990s generated relatively greater changes in employment and smaller changes in wages. The growth in the pool of skilled workers abroad, combined with increased immigration in high-skill fields, is central to this story.
Achieving Escape Velocity: Neighborhood and School Interventions to Reduce Persistent Inequality
Authors: Fryer Roland G , Katz Lawrence F
Published: May 2013

This paper reviews the evidence on the efficacy of neighborhood and school interventions in improving the long-run outcomes of children growing up in poor families. We focus on studies exploiting exogenous sources of variation in neighborhoods and schools and which examine at least medium-term outcomes. Higher-quality neighborhoods improve family safety, adult subjective well-being and health, and girls' mental health. But they have no detectable impact on youth human capital, labor market outcomes, or risky behaviors. In contrast, higher-quality schools can improve children's academic achievement and can have longer-term positive impacts of increasing educational attainment and earnings and reducing incarceration and teen pregnancy.
Career, Family, and the Well-Being of College-Educated Women
Authors: Bertrand Marianne
Published: May 2013

I report on measures of life satisfaction and emotional well-being across groups of college-educated women, based on whether they have a career, a family, both, or neither. The biggest premium to life satisfaction is associated with having a family. While there is also a life satisfaction premium associated with having a career, women do not seem able to “double up” on these premiums. A qualitatively similar picture emerges from the emotional well-being data. Among college-educated women with family, those with a career spend a larger share of their day unhappy, sad, stressed and tired.
Shocking Labor Supply: A Reassessment of the Role of World War II on Women's Labor Supply
Authors: Goldin Claudia , Olivetti Claudia
Published: May 2013

The most prominent feature of the female labor force across the past hundred years is its enormous growth. But many believe that the increase was discontinuous. Our purpose is to identify the short- and long-run impacts of WWII on the labor supply of women who were currently married in 1950 and 1960. Using WWII mobilization rates by state, we find a wartime impact on weeks worked and the labor force participation of married white (non-farm) women in both 1950 and 1960. The impact, moreover, was experienced almost entirely by women in the top half of the education distribution.
Trade Liberalization and Gender Inequality
Authors: Juhn Chinhui , Ujhelyi Gergely , Villegas-Sanchez Carolina
Published: May 2013

We consider a model where firms differ in their productivity and workers are differentiated by skill and gender. A reduction in tariffs induces more productive firms to modernize their technology and enter the export market. New technologies involve computerized production processes and lower the need for physically demanding skills. As a result, the relative wage and employment of women improves in blue-collar tasks, but not in white-collar tasks. We empirically confirm these theoretical predictions using a panel of Mexican establishments and the tariff reductions associated with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The Effects of School Calendar Type on Maternal Employment across Racial Groups: A Story of Child Care Availability
Authors: Graves Jennifer
Published: May 2013

This paper presents evidence that school districts' use of an alternative academic calendar, the year-round school calendar, results in a reduction in maternal employment for women with school-aged children that varies in magnitude across racial groups. Negative employment effects are larger in districts with a particularly high proportion white and smaller in districts with a particularly high proportion of minorities. The larger effects in primarily white school districts is not likely to be explained by income differences, yet could potentially be explained by the lower reliance on relatives for child care among whites than minorities.
The Impact of Crime and Insecurity on Trust in Democracy and Institutions
Authors: Blanco Luisa , Ruiz Isabel
Published: May 2013

This paper examines the impact of crime and insecurity on support for and satisfaction with democracy and trust in institutions. We use survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) for Colombia during the 2004-2010 period. We find that perceptions of insecurity, crime victimization, being asked for a bribe and being affected by the armed conflict have a negative significant effect on satisfaction with democracy and trust in public institutions. Our findings show an important indirect channel through which crime can hinder development because distrust in institutions is associated with lower levels of social capital.
Earnings Inequality and the Intersectionality of Gender and Ethnicity in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Tanzanian Manufacturing
Authors: Elu Juliet U , Loubert Linda
Published: May 2013

This paper estimates quantile earnings functions with data from the 2004 Tanzanian Household Worker Survey to determine if ethnicity and gender--being female--matters per se and across the distribution of earnings. We find that in the Tanzanian manufacturing sector gender intersects with ethnicity to condition earnings and the return to schooling across the distribution of earnings. This suggests that in Sub-Saharan Africa--at least in Tanzania--labor market policies aimed at eradicating gender earnings inequality may not be effective if not accompanied by policies that also aim to eradicate ethnic inequality.
What Does Reputation Buy? Differentiation in a Market for Third-Party Auditors
Authors: Duflo Esther , Greenstone Michael , Pande Rohini , Ryan Nicholas
Published: May 2013

We study differences in quality in the market for third-party environmental auditors in Gujarat, India. We find that, despite the low overall quality, auditors are heterogeneous and some perform well. We posit that these high-quality auditors survive by using their good name to insulate select client plants from regulatory scrutiny. We find two pieces of evidence broadly consistent with this hypothesis: (i) though estimates are not precise, higher-quality auditors appear to be paid more both in their work as third-party auditors and in their complementary work as consultants; and (ii) plants with high-quality auditors incur fewer costly penalties from the regulator.
Transportation Fuels Policy Since the OPEC Embargo: Paved with Good Intentions
Authors: Knittel Christopher R
Published: May 2013

The price of oil increased more than 650 percent from 1972 to 1980. I review the policy discussion of the time through the lens of the printed press. I pay particular attention to whether gasoline taxes were “on the table” and how consumers viewed the different policies. Meaningful changes in gasoline taxes were on the table, but polling evidence at the time suggests that consumers preferred price controls, rationing and vehicle taxes. Given the saliency of rationing and vehicle taxes, it seems difficult to argue that these alternative polices were adopted because they hide their true costs.
Efficient Retail Pricing in Electricity and Natural Gas Markets
Authors: Puller Steven L , West Jeremy
Published: May 2013

A long line of research investigates whether the retail prices of electricity and natural gas send proper signals about scarcity in order to induce efficient consumption. Historically, regulated utilities have not designed tariffs that set marginal prices equal to marginal costs. Currently, some jurisdictions are opening the retail sectors to competition via “retail choice.” These new regimes replace imperfect regulation with imperfect competition as the process by which retail tariffs are formed. We discuss the challenges in evaluating the efficiency of tariffs and present evidence of how pricing has changed in markets with retail choice.
Informal Risk Sharing, Index Insurance, and Risk Taking in Developing Countries
Authors: Mobarak Ahmed Mushfiq , Rosenzweig Mark R
Published: May 2013

Preliminary findings are presented from a research project which examined the interactions between informal risk sharing, index insurance and risk-taking. Rainfall insurance contracts were randomly offered to cultivating and landless households in a set of Indian villages where preexisting census data on caste networks allowed the characterization of the nature and extent of informal risk sharing. We study how informal risk sharing mediates the demand for index insurance, whether index insurance or informal indemnification allows farmers to invest in risky technologies, and the general equilibrium effects of offering insurance contracts to cultivators and agricultural laborers.
Benefit-Cost Analysis for Financial Regulation
Authors: Posner Eric , Weyl E. Glen
Published: May 2013

Calls for benefit-cost analysis in rule-making, based on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, have revealed a paucity of work on allocative efficiency in financial markets. We propose three principles to help fill this gap. First, we highlight the need for quantifying the statistical cost of a crisis to trade off the risk of a crisis against loss of growth during good times. Second, we propose a framework quantifying the social value of price discovery, and highlighting which arbitrages are over- and under-supplied from a social perspective. Finally, we distinguish between insurance benefits and gambling-facilitation harms of market completion.
The Effects of Job Corps Training on Wages of Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Blanco German , Flores Carlos A , Flores-Lagunes Alfonso
Published: May 2013

Previous evaluations of Job Corps document disparate effects on the earnings of adolescents (aged 16-19) and young adults (aged 20-24). These are conjectured to be due to differential human capital accumulation within the program between these groups. If correct, the effect of the program on wages should be larger than that on earnings, since wages more accurately reflect human capital. We estimate bounds on average and quantile treatment effects of Job Corps on wages and find that the relative effects on both outcomes are similar, casting some doubt on the conjecture that human capital is driving the disparate effects.
The Poverty Gap in School Spending Following the Introduction of Title I
Authors: Cascio Elizabeth U , Reber Sarah
Published: May 2013

Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act explicitly directed more federal aid for K-12 education to poorer areas for the first time in US history, with a goal of promoting regional convergence in school spending. Using newly collected data, we find some evidence that Title I narrowed the gap in per-pupil school spending between richer and poorer states in the short- to medium-run. However, the program was small relative to then-existing poverty gaps in school spending; even in the absence of crowd-out by local or state governments, the program could have reduced the gap by only 15 percent.
Glass-Steagall: A Requiem
Authors: Lucas Robert E
Published: May 2013

This paper is a discussion of monetary efficiency, monetary safety, and the relation of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act to both. It contains speculation about whether a modified version of the Act could have postponed or prevented the crisis of 2008.
SSI for Disabled Immigrants: Why Do Ethnic Networks Matter?
Authors: Furtado Delia , Theodoropoulos Nikolaos
Published: May 2013

Immigrants residing among many coethnics are especially likely to receive SSI for a disability when they belong to high SSI take-up immigrant groups. After showing that this relationship cannot be fully explained by differences in health, we consider the likely sources of these network effects by separately examining their role in the decision to apply for SSI and, conditional on applying, their role in determining who ultimately receives benefits. Our results suggest that networks may increase the probability of applying for SSI despite minor disabilities, but it is unlikely that network effects are driven by egregious lies on applications.
Boys' Cognitive Skill Formation and Physical Growth: Long-Term Experimental Evidence on Critical Ages for Early Childhood Interventions
Authors: Barham Tania , Macours Karen , Maluccio John A
Published: May 2013

It is often assumed that early life circumstances, in particular before age two, are important for later human capital development. Using experimental variation in the timing of benefits from a conditional cash transfer program, we test the hypothesis that intervention starting in utero and continuing in the first two years is critical. At age ten, boys exposed to the program during this period had better cognitive, but not anthropometric, outcomes than those exposed in their second year of life or later. The lack of a differential effect on anthropometrics was due catch-up growth.
Income and Substitution Effects of Estate Taxation
Authors: Hines James R
Published: May 2013

This paper evaluates the effect of estate taxes on labor supply. The analysis decomposes the effect of estate taxation into the substitution effect of relative price changes and the two income effects for which the estate tax is responsible. These two income effects arise from tax burdens on those who leave estates plus tax burdens on those who receive them. Despite the double income burden of the estate tax, existing empirical evidence suggests that the net effect of estate taxation on aggregate labor supply is uncertain.
Estate Taxation with Altruism Heterogeneity
Authors: Farhi Emmanuel , Werning Iván
Published: May 2013

We develop a theory of optimal estate taxation in a model where bequest inequality is driven by differences in parental altruism. We show that a wide range of results are possible, from positive taxes to subsidies. The results depend on redistributive objectives implicit in the cardinal specification of utility and social welfare functions. We propose a normalization that is helpful in classifying these different possibilities. We isolate cases where the optimal policy bans negative bequests and taxes positive bequests, features present in most advanced countries.
Optimal Progressive Labor Income Taxation and Education Subsidies When Education Decisions and Intergenerational Transfers are Endogenous
Authors: Krueger Dirk , Ludwig Alexander
Published: May 2013

We quantitatively characterize the optimal mix of progressive income taxes and education subsidies in a model with endogenous human capital formation, borrowing constraints, income risk and incomplete financial markets. In addition to the distortions of labor supply, progressive taxes weaken the incentives to acquire education. The latter distortion can potentially be mitigated by an education subsidy. We find that the welfare-maximizing fiscal policy is indeed characterized by a substantially progressive labor income tax code and a positive subsidy for college education. Both the degree of tax progressivity and the education subsidy are larger than in the current US status quo.
Social Organizations, Violence, and Modern Growth
Authors: Greif Avner , Iyigun Murat
Published: May 2013

Social institutions were often founded by the elite to avoid social upheavals. Institutions helped mitigate the threat of violent social responses to labor-saving innovations. But their organizational forms were influenced by preexisting cultural and social factors. The differences in Chinese and English social institutions explain why England became the first modern economy. Using an English panel of poor relief and social unrest from 1650 to 1830, we document that poor relief was statistically significant in reducing social disorder. Social instability, in turn, negatively influenced innovations, while innovations were positively and significantly related to poor relief.
The Most Dangerous Idea in Federal Reserve History: Monetary Policy Doesn't Matter
Authors: Romer Christina D , Romer David H
Published: May 2013

Monetary policy-makers' beliefs about how the economy functions are a key determinant of the conduct of policy. That monetary policy has little impact under the prevailing circumstances is a belief which has resurfaced periodically over the Federal Reserve's 100-year history. In both the 1930s and the 1970s a belief in the ineffectiveness of monetary policy led to policy inaction and poor economic outcomes. For some of the recent period, the same view appears to have limited the policy response to prolonged high unemployment in the presence of low inflation.
Control Functions and Simultaneous Equations Methods
Authors: Blundell Richard , Kristensen Dennis , Matzkin Rosa L
Published: May 2013

The control function approach is a convenient method of estimation in simultaneous equation systems. This requires that the system can be expressed in triangular form with variables satisfying a conditional mean independence restriction. Linear simultaneous models with additive errors can always be expressed in this form. However, in nonlinear nonadditive simultaneous systems, conditional independence requires a strong additional restriction known as control function separability. We argue that nonadditive models are a key characteristic of simultaneous models of economic behavior with unobserved heterogeneity. We review alternative “system” approaches and document the biases that occur when the control function approach is used inappropriately.
An Approach to Incorporating Psychology into Economics
Authors: Rabin Matthew
Published: May 2013

This article proposes an approach to improving the psychological realism of economics while maintaining its conventional techniques and goals--formal theoretical and empirical analysis using tractable models, with a focus on prediction and estimation. Besides tolerating the imperfections that come with precision, models should aim for two crucial criteria: power and scope. The approach advocated is to develop portable extensions of existing models that embed preexisting theories as parameter values, while introducing the new psychological assumptions as alternative parameter values, and make the model portable by defining it in all cases where existing models make predictions.
Course Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees in Economics
Authors: Bosshardt William , Watts Michael , Becker William E
Published: May 2013

We conducted a national survey of department Chairs to investigate whether departments of economics changed course requirements for bachelors degrees since the Siegfried and Bidani (1992) paper using 1980 data. There have been few changes to course requirements. Most notable are a large increase in the number of departments requiring econometrics and a drop in departments requiring courses such as money, banking and economic history--courses once required in many business schools.
Economic Understanding in US High School Courses
Authors: Walstad William B
Published: May 2013

The effects of courses on student achievement are studied using 2006 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in economics. A regression analysis showed expected and significant achievement differences by course, with the highest scores in advanced economics, followed by general economics. Courses in business and personal finance were not substitutes for advanced or general economics courses. A probit analysis showed that students taking economics courses relative to personal finance courses are significantly more likely to think their courses helped them understand the US economy, the international economy, and current events--but not how to manage personal finances.
The Transmission of Democracy: From the Village to the Nation-State
Authors: Giuliano Paola , Nunn Nathan
Published: May 2013

We provide evidence that a tradition of village democracy is associated with the presence of national democracy today. We also show that a tradition of local democracy is associated with attitudes which are more supportive of democracy, with better quality institutions and with higher levels of economic development. Our findings indicate persistence in democratic institutions over time, and suggest the importance of traditional local institutions for well-functioning national-level institutions.
Dendrophyllia in Greek waters, Mediterranean Sea, with the first record of D. ramea (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) from the area
Authors: SALOMIDI M. , ZIBROWIUS H. , ISSARIS Y. , MILIONIS K.
Published: May 2013

no abstract
Macrophthalmus graeffei A. Milne Edwards, 1873 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Macrophthalmidae): a new Indo-Pacific guest off Rhodes Island (SE Aegean Sea, Greece)
Authors: PANCUCCI-PAPADOPOULOU M.A. , CORSINI-FOKA M. , NALETAKI M.
Published: May 2013

A new alien crab, the macrophthalmid Macrophthalmus graeffei, is reported from the eastern coastline of Rhodes Island. The species, of Indo-West Pacific origin, is known from muddy sediments up to about 80 m depth. In the Mediterranean, its presence has been observed along Levantine coasts as well as along the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea.Macrophthalmus graeffei increases to twelve the number of alien brachyurans present in the Hellenic SE Aegean Sea, ten of them having Indo-Pacific origin.
On some Indo-Pacific boring endolithic Bivalvia species introduced into the Mediterranean Sea with their host – spread of Sphenia rueppelli A. Adams, 1850
Authors: ZENETOS A. , OVALIS P. , EVIKER D.
Published: May 2013

The study of the endolithic molluscs found on/in living alien Spondylusshells collected in the Gulf of Iskenderun (Turkey) brought to light three more alien bivalvia species namely Petricola hemprichi, Gastrochaena cymbium and Sphenia rueppelli. The presence of Sphenia rueppellideserves attention as it constitutes the first record of this species as living in the Mediterranean Sea. The definitive establishment and spreading of these bivalves in the basin seems to be also attested by careful analysis of specimens sampled in other southern Turkish localities and previously retained in local private collections. The present records raise some questions on the vector of arrival of the species in the Mediterranean Sea that could be strictly connected with their hosts.
Polychlorinated Biphenyl Levels and its Correlation to Size of Marine Organisms Harvested from a War-Induced Oil Spill Zone of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: BARBOUR E.K. , SABRA A.H. , SHAIB H.A. , BERCKLEY A.M. , FARAJALLA N.S. , ZURAYK R.A. , HAMADEH S.K. , KASSAIFY Z.G.
Published: May 2013

This is the first work establishing a base-line data of the level of total Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) contaminants in selected marine organisms (Siganus rivulatus, Mullet spp., and oysters) and its relationship to organism size and the harvest distance from the oil spill source. Six locations across the Lebanese Mediterranean were included for sampling. Oysters and the two fish types were collected after 72 days of the spill. The length, maximum width, and whole weight of individual organisms were recorded. Methanol extracts of the samples were analyzed for total PCB using a Competitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) based Spectrophotometry.All means of PCB in the three selected marine organisms were below the guidance level set by USFDA (2 ppm). A total of 6 significant regression equations were established between the total PCB level and certain size dimensions of specific selected marine species, with values of R2 ranging between 0.719 – 0.909 and P values ranging from 0.038 – 0.099.In addition, the total PCB level in Siganus rivulatus correlated with the harvest distance north of the oil spill source, signifying a drop in total PCB level with an increase in harvest distance from the oil spill source.
Remarks on Echinodermata from the South Central Mediterranean Sea based upon collections made during the MARCOS cruise (10 to 20th April, 2007)
Authors: MIFSUD C. , TAVIANI M. , STOHR S.
Published: May 2013

The MARCOS cruise, which took place in the South Central Mediterranean Sea on board the RV ‘Urania’, resulted in the collection of 27 species of Echinodermata from shallow to bathyal depths, many from around Malta (the Fisheries Management Zone). The fauna is represented by common to rare taxa already reported from the Mediterranean with the exception of the amphi-Atlantic ophiuroid Ophiotreta valenciennesi rufescens (Koehler, 1896), recorded from the Mediterranean Basin for the first time. Odontaster mediterraneus (von Marenzeller, 1893) and Luidia sarsi Lutken, 1858 are also first records for the Maltese Islands.
Description of the first Lessepsian squid migrant, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (CEPHALOPODA: Loliginidae), in the Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)
Authors: LEFKADITOU E. , CORSINI-FOKA M. , KONDILATOS G.
Published: May 2013

Loliginid squids of the Sepioteuthis lessoniana complex are widely spread in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, where they constitute a commercially important resource for neritic fisheries. Sepioteuthis lessoniana is the only Lessepsian squid migrant till now, recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean in 2002 along the Turkish Levantine coasts. Two maturing males, with mantle lengths 193 mm and 244 mm, have been recently caught near the coasts of Rhodes Island (SE Aegean), extending the species distribution northward, into Hellenic waters. Their identity was confirmed by comparison of the main body, beak characteristics and morphometric measurements with those available in the literature for this species. Suspected expansion of the Lessepsian loliginid into the Aegean Sea, due to the gradual warming of the sea, is discussed.
Haliotis mykonosensis Owen, Hanavan & Hall, 2001 in the Procida Island (Gulf of Naples) and in the Central Mediterranean Sea, with notes on the Mediterranean HALIOTIDAE
Authors: CROCETTA F. , RISMONDO S.
Published: May 2013

Seventeen living specimens of Haliotis mykonosensis Owen, Hanavan & Hall, 2001 are reported from the area between the wharf of Sancio Cattolico and Punta di Pioppeto (northern side of Procida Island, Naples) and twenty-six from further Central Mediterranean localities. The species was known up to now from the original description only and this note contributes to a better understanding of its real distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.
New data on the occurrence of two alien fishes, Pisodonophis semicinctus and Pomadasys stridens, from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: BILECENOGLU M. , KAYA M. , ERYIGIT A.
Published: May 2013

The tropical Atlantic originated saddled snake eel, Pisodonophis semicinctus (Richardson, 1848) and the Indian Ocean originated striped piggy, Pomadasys stridens (Forsskål, 1775), are being recorded for the first time from Turkish coasts. First species is also a new addition to the eastern Mediterranean ichthyofauna, while the latter species has expanded its range to the northeastern Levant Sea.
Catch per unit effort of coastal prawn trammel net fishery in Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea
Authors: AKYOL O. , CEYHAN T.
Published: May 2013

Catch per unit effort (CPUE) data from the coastal trammel prawn net fishery was estimated from fishery-dependent surveys in Izmir Bay (Aegean Sea) during the 2004-2005 fishing season. Catches were sampled from 18 boats for a total of 170 landings, 60 landings from April to July (first period) and 110 landings from August to November (second period). The mean CPUEs were 2.56 ± 0.39 kg. 10 net unit-1 in the first period and 2.29 ± 0.20 kg. 10 net unit-1 in the second period, and not significantly different between periods (P>0.05).
Bathymetric and longitudinal distribution analyysis of the rockfish Helicolenus Dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (central Mediterranean)
Authors: ROMEO T. , CASTRIOTA L. , CONSOLI P. , FALAUTANO M. , FLORIO G. , PERDICHIZZI F. , FINOIA M.G. , ANDALORO F. , RINELLI P.
Published: May 2013

This study provides information on bathymetric and longitudinal distribution heterogeneity of the rockfish Helicolenus dactylopterus in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Data were drawn from experimental bottom trawl (1996-2002) plus bottom trap (2001-02) surveys. The frequency of occurrence and mean relative density (N/km2) and biomass (kg/km2) indexes were calculated for two survey seasons (spring and autumn), four geographic sectors and three depth strata. MANOVA was used to test fish abundance among years, sectors and strata. Analysis of the length-frequency distributions was carried out by two-way (gears and depths) ANOVA, post hoc multiple comparisons for testing differences among depths and Student’s t test for testing differences between gears. Length-weight relationship was also estimated and the allometric coefficient was tested with the Student’s t test. The results showed a significant positive bathymetric gradient of sizes both for trawl and trap surveys; at same depths, fish caught by traps were significantly longer than those caught by trawl. In spring surveys, significant differences were found among strata for both abundance indexes; in autumn surveys, significant differences between depth strata were found only for density indices. The distribution and abundance patterns of H. dactylopterus along the southern Tyrrhenian Sea was homogeneous among sectors. Length-weight relationship showed a significant positive allometric growth.
First record of the red shrimp, Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) (Decapoda: Aristeidae) from the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey
Authors: OZCAN T. , IRMAK E. , ATES A.S. , KATAGAN T.
Published: May 2013

A female specimen of the deep-water red shrimp, Aristeus antennatus(Risso, 1816) was caught at depths of between 550 m and 670 m during 2005 by trawling off the Marmaris coast. A. antennatus is a species known to inhabit only the Levantine Sea coast of Turkey. This paper is on the first record of the species along the southern Aegean Sea coast of Turkey
Fouling Bryozoa from some Alexandria harbours, EGYPT. (II) Encrusting species
Authors: ABDEL-SALAM KH.M. , RAMADAN SH.E.
Published: May 2013

Polystyrene test panels immersed half a meter deep in the water were used to collect the fouling,encrusting Bryozoa at three harbours in Alexandria city. These were Abu Qir Harbour, the Eastern Harbourand El-Dekheila Harbour. Four species of encrusting bryozoa are recorded in the present study.These are Conopeum reticulum, Watersipora subtorquata, Cryptosula pallasiana and Schizoporella errata.The first species is affiliated to the Membraniporidae family , belonging to the suborder Anasca whilethe other three species are affiliated to the Watersiporidae, Cryptosulidae and Schizoporellidae familiesrespectively. These families belong to the suborder Ascophora. A re-description, supplied with full structuralillustrations of the recorded species is given. Moreover, the temporal and spatial distributions of thespecies recorded are provided
Preliminary biological data on Pomadasys incisus (Osteichthyes: Haemulidae) in the Aegean Sea, Greece
Authors: KAPIRIS K. , KALLIAS E. , CONIDES A.
Published: May 2013

The present paper gives, for the first time, some biological data concerning Pomadasys incisus in theArgolikos Gulf (C. Aegean Sea). The bastard grunt (Pomadasys incisus) is a thermophilic species welladapted in the above area, but the status of fishery suggests an overexploitation. The sex ratio was infavour of males. The length frequency distribution did not differ between the sexes. Growth in weight wasestimated by means of the length-weight relationship. Reproduction seemed to take place in summer. Certainmorphometric characters appeared to be useful while comparing populations among the differentpopulations in the Mediterranean.
Molluscs associated with a Sardinian deep water population of Corallium rubrum (Linnι, 1758)
Authors: CROCETTA F. , SPANU M.
Published: May 2013

Molluscan species living in association with Corallium rubrumcolonies are poorly known. Specimensfound on the branches of red coral colonies located off Capo Caccia (Alghero – SS, West Sardinia,Mediterranean Sea) were studied by analyzing red coral branches collected at a depth of between 100 and120 m; their assemblage was made up of 44 species, all belonging to the classes Gastropoda and Bivalvia.Some data on the geographical distribution, ecology, taxonomy and dominance of these species, bothalive and dead, are given and the most interesting are commented on. Among the recorded species Triviamultilirata, Simnia purpurea, Coralliophila brevis, Ocinebrina paddeui, Pleurotomella demosia, Palliolumstriatum and Pseudamussium sulcatum deserve attention. Moreover, the second finding of livingspecimens of Asperarca secreta, described only on loose valves, is reported, and finally the prey-predatorrelationships among several gastropods and Cnidarians are confirmed.
Riparian woodland flora in upland rivers of Western Greece
Authors: ZOGARIS S. , CHATZINIKOLAOU Y. , DIMOPOULOS P.
Published: May 2013

Although natural riparian woodlands are an important feature that affects the quality of aquatic conditionsin streams and rivers, surveying riparian zone flora is rarely implemented in the Mediterraneancountries. We developed a rapid assessment method for gathering standardized plot-based woody flora andvegetation data from riparian woodlands. In 2005 we surveyed 218 streamside vegetation plots at 109 sitesin upland areas of four major rivers in mainland Greece (Alfios, Acheloos, Arachthos, and Aoos). Herewe describe the survey method and provide selected results from its initial implementation. The simplicityand effectiveness of this survey procedure supports the use of rapid site-based biodiversity surveys for riparianzones alongside aquatic status assessments.
Occurrence of the alien sea hare Aplysia dactylomela Rang, 1828 (Opisthobranchia, Aplysiidae) in Malta
Authors: SCHEMBRI P.J.
Published: May 2013

The alien sea hare Aplysia dactylomela, which is already established in several localities in the centraland eastern Mediterranean, is recorded for the first time from Malta on the basis of a specimen photographedat Cirkewwa (northern Malta). It is hypothesised that the occurrence of this species in Malta isa recent event and may be due to range expansion of the species.
First occurrence of the invasive alien species Polydora cornuta Bosc, 1802 (Polychaeta: Spionidae) on the coast of Greece (Elefsis Bay; Aegean Sea)
Authors: SIMBOURA N. , SIGALA K. , VOUTSINAS E. , KALKAN E.
Published: May 2013

The present study reports on the occurrence of two specimens of the alien species Polydora cornutaBosc, 1802, in Elefsis Bay, the Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean). This is the firstrecord of this invasive alien species on the coast of Greece and the second report in the eastern MediterraneanSea after its first finding in Izmir Bay (on the Turkish Aegean coast). This finding enhances its distributionalpattern within the Mediterranean