bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risks of testosterone therapy in elderly men
Authors: Ramasamy Ranjith , Dupree James M. , Kovac Jason R. , Lipshultz Larry I.
Published: January 2014

Testosterone supplementation therapy (TST) is a widely used treatment for men with late onset hypogonadism. The benefits seen with TST, such as improved libido and energy level, beneficial effects on bone density have been well documented. Although hypogonadism remains an independent risk factor for mortality, recent studies have examined the association between testosterone therapy and cardiovascular risk.
Typifications, new synonyms and a new combination in Himatanthus (Apocynaceae)
Authors: Spina Andréa Pozetti , Bittrich Volker , Kinoshita Luiza Sumiko
Published: January 2014

A revision of the nomenclature of Himatanthus (Apocynaceae) is presented as part of a taxonomic revision. Himatanthus as accepted here comprises nine Neotropical species. The infrageneric and infraspecific taxa proposed by Plumel and Müller, Woodson and Plumel, respectively, are not recognized. Lectotypes are designated for the following names: P. floribunda, P. floribunda var. crassipes, P. lancifolia, P. tarapotensis and P. warmingii. Neotypes are designated for H. rigidus, P. ambigua, P. latifolia and P. lancifolia var. microphylla. An examination of the types of both H. phagedaenicus and H. bracteatus showed that recently these names have been misapplied. Complete synonymies are provided for the nine recognized species of Himatanthus. Also, the new combination H. revolutus (Huber) Spina & Kinoshita is effected.
A multidisciplinary approach reveals hidden taxonomic diversity in the morphologically challenging Taxus wallichiana complex
Authors: Möller Michael , Gao Lian-Ming , Mill Robert R. , Liu Jie , Zhang De-Quan , Poudel Ram C. , Li De-Zhu
Published: January 2014

Addressing the taxonomy of morphologically complex groups can be challenging. Correlating results from multivariate morphological analyses and molecular data and reconciling these with geographic distributions allowed us to address the classification of the taxonomically difficult Taxus wallichiana complex in China and surrounding areas. We used 27 morphological characters (phenotype) and sequences of the chloroplast trnL–F intron/spacer region (genotype) on 1240 samples of 79 populations and 43 type and paratype specimens and demonstrated a strong correlation between phenotype and genotype and geographic distribution. We were able to define the number of taxonomically discrete units in the complex and delineate the geographic distribution of five species, T. chinensis, T. florinii, T. mairei, T. wallichiana and the here described new species T. calcicola in China and adjacent regions. These are much fewer than the number of recently proposed species and these exhibit greatly non–overlapping and continuous distributions. Based on descriptions of species–“typical” specimens, we prepared species–specific morphometric profiles, that allowed the generation of a species differentiation matrix, allowing the quick selection of the most suitable characters for the separation of any species pair. This work represents a step forward towards the completion of a workable taxonomy of Asian Taxus.
Organically Bound Tritium (OBT) in Soil at Different Depths Around Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), Canada
Authors: Kim S.B. , Bredlaw M. , Korolevych V.Y.
Published: January 2014

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) is a large nuclear research and test establishment with nuclear and non-nuclear facilities located in Chalk River, Ontario. The CRL Environmental Monitoring Program is designed to demonstrate that radiological exposure resulting from releases from the CRL site remain below the public dose limit specified in the regulations (1 mSv/year). This study was conducted to consolidate environmental effects following a continuous atmospheric tritium release observed at CRL.

Soil samples were collected at depths of up to 20 cm using soil probes at the CRL site and surrounding areas. The samples were sectioned at 5 cm intervals, and HTO and OBT concentrations were measured in the samples. Prevailing winds at CRL are from NW and SE, which was suggested to be in close relationship with tritium distribution in environmental samples such as soils and plant leaves. The HTO concentration was the highest in surface soil water and plant leaves at a given sampling point. This result suggests that the concentration of tritium in surface soil water and in plants tissue free water essentially reflects the surrounding atmospheric tritium concentration.

OBT concentrations in soil were measured at the historical HT release site, Plant Road, Mattawa Road and three background sites near CRL. The top layer of soil generally had the highest OBT concentration among collected soil samples. This result suggests that OBT concentrations are different from HTO concentrations at the same site and can be representative of previously released environmental tritium at the sampling point. The relationship between the OBT concentration in soil and the amount of tritium released into the environment will be useful for the evaluation of environmental tritium effects and the fate of tritium in the terrestrial ecosystem. The study points out that HTO shows shorter-term dynamic conditions, whereas OBT shows longer-term steady-state conditions.
Edibility of Sport Fishes in the Ottawa River near Chalk River Laboratories
Authors: Lee D. R. , Chaput T. , Miller A. , Wills C. A.
Published: January 2014

To address the question of edibility of fish in the Ottawa River near Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), 123 game fish were collected for analysis from four locations: Mackey and Rolphton (45 km and 35 km upstream of Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), respectively), the Sandspit (Pointe au Baptême) and Cotnam Island (1.6 km and 45 km downstream of CRL, respectively). Twenty-six to thirty-six game fish were collected at each location in 2007 and samples of flesh or bone were analyzed. Trap nets were used to collect only the fish required, allowing release of management-sensitive species. The focus was on walleye (Sander vitreus) because they are abundant and popular among anglers. A few northern pike (Esox lucius) and a smaller number of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) were also collected at three of the four sites. Samples of the fish were analyzed for cesium-137 (137Cs), strontium-90 (90Sr), mercury (Hg), and selected organo-chlorine compounds. Concentrations of 137Cs in the flesh and 90Sr in the bones of sport fish were low and similar at all four locations and appear to reflect the global residuals from nuclear weapons testing (primarily in the 1960’s) as opposed to releases from CRL. Possible explanations are: 1) Reductions in radionuclide releases from CRL in recent decades and 2) Relatively large foraging ranges of sport fish. Mercury concentrations were elevated in fishes in the Ottawa River and were significantly higher at the Sandspit and Rolphton than at Mackey and Cotnam Island (p<0.001). Mercury concentrations from the four sites are comparable to concentrations in other Ontario and Quebec lakes. It is advisable therefore, that consumers follow the fish consumption guidelines issued by provincial authorities when eating fish from the Ottawa River. Organo-chlorine compounds were not detected in walleye; however, they were detected in all eight of the pike collected at Cotnam Island. The highest organo-chlorine concentrations were measured in two of the three pike collected at Mackey. PCB values were less than the consumption guideline in all fish analyzed.
Thoughts on Writing a History of the Oxford English Dictionary
Authors: Gilliver Peter
Published: January 2014

I have now been researching the history of the Oxford English Dictionary for a little over a decade, at the same time as continuing to work as a member of the team of lexicographers preparing the third edition of the Dictionary . My article considers some of the challenges, frustrations, and compensations of researching and writing about the development of the project from its origins in the mid nineteenth century to the present day, and reflects on what it means to be both a lexicographical historian and a historical lexicographer. I also recount some of the discoveries I have made along the way, as well as some of the mysteries which I have not yet solved, and some aspects of the history of the OED which would benefit from further investigation.
Applied theatre as research: Provoking the possibilities
Authors: Anderson Michael , O’Connor Peter
Published: January 2014

This article examines the potential for applied theatre as a research method. The context of the applied theatre as research (ATAR) approach is discussed, positioning the methodology within the community-based participatory research (CBPR) tradition and providing a discussion of the relationship between applied theatre as research (ATAR) and participatory action research (PAR). This approach positions research participants as ‘actors’ and, through various aesthetic approaches (including drama, music visual arts and dance), allows them to create meaning. The article contextualizes this discussion within a case study of an ATAR project developed in Redfern, Sydney, Australia in partnership with a large non-government organization (NGO) and young Aboriginal participants. We conclude with a discussion of the potential of this approach to become an effective and powerful research methodology and identify some of the impediments to that development.
The MDM2 gene family
Authors: Mendoza Michael , Mandani Garni , Momand Jamil
Published: January 2014

MDM2 is an oncoprotein that blocks p53 tumor suppressor-mediated transcriptional transactivation, escorts p53 from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm, and polyubiquitylates p53. Polyubiquitylated p53 is rapidly degraded in the cytoplasm by the 26S proteasome. MDM2 is abnormally upregulated in several types of cancers, especially those of mesenchymal origin. MDM4 is a homolog of MDM2 that also inhibits p53 by blocking p53-mediated transactivation. MDM4 is required for MDM2-mediated polyubiquitylated of p53 and is abnormally upregulated in several cancer types. MDM2 and MDM4 genes have been detected in all vertebrates to date and only a single gene homolog, named MDM, has been detected in some invertebrates. MDM2, MDM4, and MDM have similar gene structures, suggesting that MDM2 and MDM4 arose through a duplication event more than 440 million years ago. All members of this small MDM2 gene family contain a single really interesting new gene (RING) domain (with the possible exception of lancelet MDM) which places them in the RING-domain superfamily. Similar to MDM2, the vast majority of proteins with RING domains are E3 ubiquitin ligases. Other RING domain E3 ubiquitin ligases that target p53 are COP1, Pirh2, and MSL2. In this report, we present evidence that COP1, Pirh2, and MSL2 evolved independently of MDM2 and MDM4. We also show, through structure homology models of invertebrate MDM RING domains, that MDM2 is more evolutionarily conserved than MDM4.
A potent soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, t-AUCB, modulates cholesterol balance and oxidized low density lipoprotein metabolism in adipocytes in vitro
Authors: Shen Li , Peng Hongchun , Zhao Shuiping , Xu Danyan
Published: January 2014

The cholesterol metabolism in adipose tissue is dependent on the balance between cholesterol uptake and efflux. Adipocytes dysfunction and its cholesterol imbalance are associated with obesity. Adipocytes are the site for clearance of oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in blood. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is highly expressed in adipocytes. sEH converts epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) into less bioactive dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids, which regulate cholesterol metabolism in adipocytes and block the development of atherosclerosis. In vitro, 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes were incubated with the sEH inhibitor t-AUCB (0, 1, 10, 50 or 100 mmol/l) for 24 h with or without the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662. To determine the effect of t-AUCB on oxLDL endocytosis, degradation and cholesterol efflux from adipocytes, we demonstrated that t-AUCB enhances the CD36-mediated recognition and degradation of oxLDL and improves cholesterol efflux via the upregulation of ABCA1 expression. Furthermore, t-AUCB blocked TNF-α secretion and increased adiponectin levels found in adipocytes culture medium. We provide evidence that these effects are PPARγ-dependent. These results suggest that an increase in EETs because of sEH inhibition could maintain cellular cholesterol homeostasis by the regulation of oxLDL clearance and cholesterol efflux via the EETs–PPARγ pathway.
Optimization of Closed-Cycle Fluidized Bed Drying of Sesame Seeds Using Response Surface Methodology and Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Hashemi Shahraki Masoud , Jafari Seid Mahdi , Mashkour Mana , Esmaeilzadeh Ebrahim
Published: January 2014

Optimization of fluidized bed drying of sesame seeds was done by response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithms (GA). Effect of drying parameters (drying temperature (40, 50, 60°C), drying time (60, 120, 180 min), air velocity (1, 1.5, 2 m/s) and bed depth of dryer (1–3 cm) was investigated based on the quality attributes of dried seeds. These factors were optimized with respect to the moisture ratio, color indices, and texture parameters (hardness and fracturability). The obtained models showed very well fitness with experimental data. The coefficients of resulting models with RSM were further optimized using GA. It was revealed that GA-optimized models have better fitness with the experimental results than RSM models. Our results suggest that sesame seed dried in 40–45°C for 115–120 min with 1 m/s air velocity had the lowest moisture content and color changes and the best texture.
Phasic Dopamine Release in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens Symmetrically Encodes a Reward Prediction Error Term
Authors: Hart Andrew S. , Rutledge Robb B. , Glimcher Paul W. , Phillips Paul E. M.
Published: January 2014

Making predictions about the rewards associated with environmental stimuli and updating those predictions through feedback is an essential aspect of adaptive behavior. Theorists have argued that dopamine encodes a reward prediction error (RPE) signal that is used in such a reinforcement learning process. Recent work with fMRI has demonstrated that the BOLD signal in dopaminergic target areas meets both necessary and sufficient conditions of an axiomatic model of the RPE hypothesis. However, there has been no direct evidence that dopamine release itself also meets necessary and sufficient criteria for encoding an RPE signal. Further, the fact that dopamine neurons have low tonic firing rates that yield a limited dynamic range for encoding negative RPEs has led to significant debate about whether positive and negative prediction errors are encoded on a similar scale. To address both of these issues, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure reward-evoked dopamine release at carbon fiber electrodes chronically implanted in the nucleus accumbens core of rats trained on a probabilistic decision-making task. We demonstrate that dopamine concentrations transmit a bidirectional RPE signal with symmetrical encoding of positive and negative RPEs. Our findings strengthen the case that changes in dopamine concentration alone are sufficient to encode the full range of RPEs necessary for reinforcement learning.
Neurofibromin Is the Major Ras Inactivator in Dendritic Spines
Authors: Oliveira Ana F. , Yasuda Ryohei
Published: January 2014

In dendritic spines, Ras plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity but its regulation mechanism is not fully understood. Here, using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer/fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy-based Ras imaging technique in combination with 2-photon glutamate uncaging, we show that neurofibromin, in which loss-of-function mutations cause Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), contributes to the majority (∼90%) of Ras inactivation in dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus. Loss of neurofibromin causes sustained Ras activation in spines, which leads to impairment of spine structural plasticity and loss of spines in an activity-dependent manner. Therefore, deregulation of postsynaptic Ras signaling may explain, at least in part, learning disabilities associated with NF1.
The Voltage-Gated Anion Channels Encoded byclh-3Regulate Egg Laying inC. elegansby Modulating Motor Neuron Excitability
Authors: Branicky Robyn , Miyazaki Hiroaki , Strange Kevin , Schafer William R.
Published: January 2014

CLC-2 is a hyperpolarization-activated, inwardly rectifying chloride channel. Although the properties of the CLC-2 channel have been well characterized, its functionin vivois not well understood. We have found that channels encoded by theCaenorhabditis elegansCLC-2 homologclh-3regulate the activity of the spontaneously active hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs), which control the egg-laying behavior. We identified a gain-of-function mutation inclh-3that increases channel activity. This mutation inhibits egg laying and inhibits HSN activity by decreasing its excitability. Conversely, loss-of-function mutations inclh-3lead to misregulated egg laying and an increase in HSN excitability, indicating that these channels modulate egg laying by limiting HSN excitability.clh-3-encoded channels are not required for GABAA-receptor-mediated inhibition of the HSN. However, they require low intracellular chloride for HSN inhibition, indicating that they inhibit excitability directly by mediating chloride influx. This mechanism of CLH-3-dependent modulation may be conserved in other neurons in which the driving force favors chloride influx.
Postsynaptic GABABReceptor Activity Regulates Excitatory Neuronal Architecture and Spatial Memory
Authors: Terunuma Miho , Revilla-Sanchez Raquel , Quadros Isabel M. , Deng Qiudong , Deeb Tarek Z. , Lumb Michael , Sicinski Piotr , Haydon Philip G. , Pangalos Menelas N. , Moss Stephen J.
Published: January 2014

Cognitive dysfunction is a common symptom in many neuropsychiatric disorders and directly correlates with poor patient outcomes. The majority of prolonged inhibitory signaling in the brain is mediated via GABABreceptors (GABABRs), but the molecular function of these receptors in cognition is ill defined. To explore the significance of GABABRs in neuronal activity and cognition, we created mice with enhanced postsynaptic GABABR signaling by mutating the serine 783 in receptor R2 subunit (S783A), which decreased GABABR degradation. Enhanced GABABR activity reduced the expression of immediate-early gene-encoded protein Arc/Arg3.1, effectors that are critical for long-lasting memory. Intriguingly, S783A mice exhibited increased numbers of excitatory synapses and surface AMPA receptors, effects that are consistent with decreased Arc/Arg3.1 expression. These deficits in Arc/Arg3.1 and neuronal morphology lead to a deficit in spatial memory consolidation. Collectively our results suggest a novel and unappreciated role for GABABR activity in determining excitatory neuronal architecture and spatial memory via their ability to regulate Arc/Arg3.1.
Cognitive Enhancing Treatment with a PPARγ Agonist Normalizes Dentate Granule Cell Presynaptic Function in Tg2576 APP Mice
Authors: Nenov Miroslav N. , Laezza Fernanda , Haidacher Sigmund J. , Zhao Yingxin , Sadygov Rovshan G. , Starkey Jonathan M. , Spratt Heidi , Luxon Bruce A. , Dineley Kelly T. , Denner Larry
Published: January 2014

Hippocampal network hyperexcitability is considered an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD) memory impairment. Some AD mouse models exhibit similar network phenotypes. In this study we focused on dentate gyrus (DG) granule cell spontaneous and evoked properties in 9-month-old Tg2576 mice that model AD amyloidosis and cognitive deficits. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we found that Tg2576 DG granule cells exhibited spontaneous EPSCs that were higher in frequency but not amplitude compared with wild-type mice, suggesting hyperactivity of DG granule cells via a presynaptic mechanism. Further support of a presynaptic mechanism was revealed by increased I–O relationships and probability of release in Tg2576 DG granule cells.

Since we and others have shown that activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) axis improves hippocampal cognition in mouse models for AD as well as benefitting memory performance in some humans with early AD, we investigated how PPARγ agonism affected synaptic activity in Tg2576 DG. We found that PPARγ agonism normalized the I–O relationship of evoked EPSCs, frequency of spontaneous EPSCs, and probability of release that, in turn, correlated with selective expression of DG proteins essential for presynaptic SNARE function that are altered in patients with AD. These findings provide evidence that DG principal cells may contribute to early AD hippocampal network hyperexcitability via a presynaptic mechanism, and that hippocampal cognitive enhancement via PPARγ activation occurs through regulation of presynaptic vesicular proteins critical for proper glutamatergic neurotransmitter release, synaptic transmission, and short-term plasticity.
Cocaine Dysregulates Opioid Gating of GABA Neurotransmission in the Ventral Pallidum
Authors: Kupchik Yonatan M. , Scofield Michael D. , Rice Kenner C. , Cheng Kejun , Roques Bernard P. , Kalivas Peter W.
Published: January 2014

The ventral pallidum (VP) is a target of dense nucleus accumbens projections. Many of these projections coexpress GABA and the neuropeptide enkephalin, a δ and μ opioid receptor (MOR) ligand. Of these two, the MOR in the VP is known to be involved in reward-related behaviors, such as hedonic responses to palatable food, alcohol intake, and reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Stimulating MORs in the VP decreases extracellular GABA, indicating that the effects of MORs in the VP on cocaine seeking are via modulating GABA neurotransmission. Here, we use whole-cell patch-clamp on a rat model of withdrawal from cocaine self-administration to test the hypothesis that MORs presynaptically regulate GABA transmission in the VP and that cocaine withdrawal changes the interaction between MORs and GABA. We found that in cocaine-extinguished rats pharmacological activation of MORs no longer presynaptically inhibited GABA release, whereas blocking the MORs disinhibited GABA release. Moreover, MOR-dependent long-term depression of GABA neurotransmission in the VP was lost in cocaine-extinguished rats. Last, GABA neurotransmission was found to be tonically suppressed in cocaine-extinguished rats. These substantial synaptic changes indicated that cocaine was increasing tone on MOR receptors. Accordingly, increasing endogenous tone by blocking the enzymatic degradation of enkephalin inhibited GABA neurotransmission in yoked saline rats but not in cocaine-extinguished rats. In conclusion, our results indicate that following withdrawal from cocaine self-administration enkephalin levels in the VP are elevated and the opioid modulation of GABA neurotransmission is impaired. This may contribute to the difficulties withdrawn addicts experience when trying to resist relapse.
Prion Transmission Prevented by Modifying the β2-α2 Loop Structure of Host PrPC
Authors: Kurt Timothy D. , Bett Cyrus , Fernández-Borges Natalia , Joshi-Barr Shivanjali , Hornemann Simone , Rülicke Thomas , Castilla Joaquín , Wüthrich Kurt , Aguzzi Adriano , Sigurdson Christina J.
Published: January 2014

Zoonotic prion transmission was reported after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic, when >200 cases of prion disease in humans were diagnosed as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Assessing the risk of cross-species prion transmission remains challenging. We and others have studied how specific amino acid residue differences between species impact prion conversion and have found that the β2-α2 loop region of the mouse prion protein (residues 165–175) markedly influences infection by sheep scrapie, BSE, mouse-adapted scrapie, deer chronic wasting disease, and hamster-adapted scrapie prions. The tyrosine residue at position 169 is strictly conserved among mammals and an aromatic side chain in this position is essential to maintain a 310-helical turn in the β2-α2 loop. Here we examined the impact of the Y169G substitution together with the previously described S170N, N174T “rigid loop” substitutions on cross-species prion transmissionin vivoandin vitro. We found that transgenic mice expressing mouse PrP containing the triple-amino acid substitution completely resisted infection with two strains of mouse prions and with deer chronic wasting disease prions. These studies indicate that Y169 is important for prion formation, and they provide a strong indication that variation of the β2-α2 loop structure can modulate interspecies prion transmission.
Zu alt für den Arbeitsmarkt. Arbeitslosenrenten als Rationalisierungsmaßnahme in Finnland in den 1980er Jahren in einer historischen Perspektive
Authors: Rahikainen Marjatta
Published: January 2014

This article argues that welfare schemes, which served to remove elderly workers from the labour force around the 1970s, foreshadowed the breakdown of the world of work in which permanent employment contracts and secure jobs until old-age retirement were the norm. As the global economy put heavier pressure on profitability and all sectors became subject to international shareholder scanning, the policy of ‘lifelong jobs’ began to give way to flexible labour throughout Europe. This change is discussed here using the empirical case of the Finnish unemployment pension schemes providing for the elderly labour force. The article asks how Finnish employers made use of unemployment pensions in the 1970s and 1980s in order to get rid of older employees. A large Finnish corporation, in particular its female labour force, are discussed in detail. Based on the working careers of about 100 women (manual workers and salaried employees) this article examines who kept their jobs and who were dismissed and pensioned off on unemployment pensions. The examples of women who succeeded in keeping their jobs at the time of mass-dismissals imply that careers (internal labour market) and occupational sociability (social capital) may be equally as valuable for women as they are for men.
Zahlenfähigkeit und Zahlendisziplin in Nord- und Westdeutschland, 16.-18. Jahrhundert
Authors: Baten Jörg , Crayen Dorothee , Manzel Kerstin
Published: January 2014

Before World War I the modern insurance industry had spread out across the globe from This article introduces a new methodology to approximate education in terms of numerical abilities and numerical discipline based on age-misreporting in population statistics. We review why age heaping is a helpful indicator for education and describe potential problems in applying this strategy.

The study presents human capital estimates for the early modern period in a number of places in Northern and Western Germany. Based on individual population census data for Schleswig-Holstein, we show time trends and regional disparities in the evolution of human capital. Our preliminary results indicate that urbanization, Protestantism and protein proximity may have led to stronger numeracy.
Die Spitzenverbände der westdeutschen Industrie und die europäische Integration seit 1945: Motive, Konzepte, Politik
Authors: Bührer Werner
Published: January 2014

This article examines the ideas and politics of the Federation of German Industry and two other peak associations of West German Industry concerning the integration of (Western) Europe. Their attitudes towards European integration were characterized, at least from the late 1950s, by a great degree of continuity: They supported the integration process not only for economic, but also for political reasons. Principal criticism was directed against dirigisme and poor efficiency, and in the dispute between the advocates of supranational and inter-governmental ideas they leaned towards the latter. All in all, the three most important German business associations practised, and practise to this day, a sort of pragmatic Europeanism.
Spezialisierungsinteresse und Integrationsaversion im Rat für Gegenseitige Wirtschaftshilfe: Der DDR-Werkzeugmaschinenbau in den 1970er Jahren
Authors: Ahrens Ralf
Published: January 2014

Socialist economic integration’ in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA)officially aimed at progressing from the member states’ bilateral trade to the bi- and multilateral coordination of production, research and development. The East German economy had, on the one hand, a vital interest in this international division of labour through political planning that stabilized markets for imports and exports and created economies of scale. On the other hand, politically planned specialization with the lower industrialized CMEA countries tended to preserve the existing structure of GDR industry instead of stimulating technological progress. The article illustrates this dilemma with a case study of the machine tool industry. In the 1970s, this highly qualified and traditionally trade-intensive branch fell behind the international trend that went from numerical control (NC) to computerized numerical control (CNC) technology. But the problem of declining international competitiveness was already detected in the 1960s and early 1970s regarding traditional NC machine tools. Evidence shows that even these less complex tasks could not be managed sufficiently by CMEA or bilateral integration measures.
The Worlds of Work: Formal Knowledge and Practical Abilities in Diderot’s Encyclopédie
Authors: Poni Carlo
Published: January 2014

The work practices of different crafts are subjects of articles in Diderot’s Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, arts et métiers, in which writers, including Diderot and the chevalier de Jaucourt, reflect on the nature of work and contemporary economic activity. The distinction between the mechanical arts and the liberal arts was fundamental for Diderot, and he affirmed the importance of the former. Articles on pinmaking, watch-making and silk, and more general articles on masterpiece, commerce, art, manufacture, and industry are examined. In the latter, Jaucourt identified art exclusively with beaux arts, and underscored industry as a process of mechanical operations, foreshadowing a new economic system.
Prophecy, eclipses and whole-sale markets: A case study on why data driven economic history requires history of economics, a philosopher’s reflection
Authors: Schliesser Eric
Published: January 2014

In this essay, I use a general argument about the evidential role of data in ongoing inquiry to show that it is fruitful for economic historians and historians of economics to collaborate more frequently. The shared aim of this collaboration should be to learn from past economic experience in order to improve the cutting edge of economic theory. Along the way, I attack a too rigorous distinction between the history of economics and economic history. By drawing on the history of physics, I argue that the history of a discipline can be a source of important evidence in ongoing inquiry. My argument relies on the claim that it is a constitutive element of science that evidence is never discarded forever and is thus historical in nature. In the final section, I offer a case study by explaining a research proposal that turns on a long-running data-set Babylonian whole-sale prices of six commodities noted in pre-Hellenistic and Hellenistic times. To motivate my reading of this data-set, I critically discuss Aristotle′s successful attempt to distinguish between astrology and political economy.
Wie viel Geschichte braucht die Ökonomie? Das Verhältnis von Theorie und Geschichte in evolutionstheoretischer Interpretation
Authors: Dopfer Kurt
Published: January 2014

Economic History and History of Economic Thought haven been relegated increasingly from the teaching and research curricula of economics in recent years. The paper starts off arguing that this trend is due to the mechanistic ontology of mainstream economics, and it continues setting out an alternative evolutionary ontology expounding how the historical element must and can be integrated into the body of economic theory. Centre stage is a lingua franca composed of analytical terms that are designed to bridge the domains of theoretical and of historical economic analysis. Economists are viewed in their status as observers whose cognitive dispositions as well as social behaviour co-evolve with the environment they inhabit. Further advances in economic theory are seen as being critically dependent on employing an evolutionary approach and on establishing a communication link to economic history and the history of economic thought which likewise may get essential inspirations from applying that approach.
Regeln, Willkür und der gute Ruf: Geldpolitik und Finanzmarkteffizienz in Deutschland, 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert
Authors: Volckart Oliver
Published: January 2014

This paper examines the questions of whether and how feudal rulers were able to credibly commit to monetary stability, and of which consequences their decisions had for the efficiency of financial markets. The study reveals that princes were usually only able to commit to issuing a stable coinage in gold, but not in silver. As for silver currencies, the hypothesis is that transferring the right of coinage to an autonomous city was the functional equivalent of establishing an independent central bank. An analysis of market performance indicates that financial markets between cities that were autonomous with regard to monetary policies were significantly better integrated and more efficient than markets between cities whose currencies were supplied by a feudal ruler.
Getauschte Arbeit. Das Konzept des Arbeitsmarktes in dogmenhistorischer Perspektive
Authors: Tilly Stephanie
Published: January 2014

The emergence of an industrial labor market is an important dimension of structural change in the 19th and 20th century western world. The paper describes how the labor market has been modeled in economic theory from classical liberalism through neo-classicism up to the New Institutional Economics and evaluates the fruitfulness of these theoretical schools for historical analysis. The examination of the changes in how economic theory has treated the exchange of labor in markets suggests that the separation of the once-integral subject of national economy into theory and history was accompanied by a fading concern for the institutional framework of labor market processes. It argues that this lack of institutional foundation has widened the gap between economic and historical approaches and led to an artificial vision of labor markets which is not appropriate for historical-empirical questions. In the author’s view, meaningful empirical findings in this field call for a theoretical framework for labor market analysis that is institutionally sensitive. The paper concludes that this goal can best be achieved by refashioning the theory-kit according to the postulates laid down in the New Institutional Economics.
German Machine Building: A New Benchmark before World War I
Authors: Fremdling Rainer
Published: January 2014

The figure most commonly used as benchmark for the output of machinery before WW I is based on an estimate by the Association of German Machinery Producers (VDMA). It estimated that all German firms in total had sold machines worth 2800 million Marks in 1913.Using a recently detected detailed report, filed in the Federal Archives in Berlin-Lichterfelde, on the internal statistics of VDMA results in alternative figures for the benchmark year 1913. Besides the original figure of VDMA, two different new benchmark figures are presented here, namely 2700 m. M (VDMA modified) and 2600 m. M (according to Rech). The two new benchmark figures for 1913, in combination with a new production index, yield two time series for German machinery output between 1909 and 1918.
Managing Resources. Water and Wood in the German Pulp and Paper Industry, 1870s-1930s
Authors: Mutz Mathias
Published: January 2014

Utilising natural resources demands for an effective management of knowledge, transport facilities, and resource supply. The essay looks at the pulp and paper industry’s use of water and wood to analyse this inter-connectedness of business and environmental history. In reference to Chandler’s view of business development as a process of growth and organisational differentiation, this is described as an internalisation of environmental aspects into the firm.
Going Round in Circles? The Disposal of PVC and Plastic at the Volkswagen Plant in Wolfsburg between Industrial Incineration and Landfilling since 1955
Authors: Grieger Manfred
Published: January 2014

This paper deals with the efforts of the Volkswagenwerk, to handle waste disposal problems between economical and ecological requirements. It shows how environmental demands influence the legitimate economical motivations of a company. The environmental policy of the early seventies, which favoured landfilling of waste, foiled technological innovations of industrial incineration.
“Small Car Blues” Die Produktpolitik US-amerikanischer und deutscher Automobilhersteller unter dem Einfluss umweltpolitischer Vorgaben, 1960-1980
Authors: Köhler Ingo
Published: January 2014

The future of the automobile lies in eco-friendly and fuel-efficient small cars. Nowadays, this prediction is considered to be an inevitable consequence of the costly shortage of fuel and the rising detrimental effects of motor traffic on the environment. But the debates are hardly new. In the context of the oil price crisis of the 1970s German and American carmakers were already massively criticised for their lack of innovative products in the small car segment. This essay deals with the different reasons for and effects of the Small Car Blues in the United States and Germany. Comparing the product strategies of carmakers in both countries it shows that the American Big Three were reluctant to adjust their product programmes for different reasons: First, the carmakers were bound in oligopolistic competition. Because of the high investments needed for entering the less profitable small car market, they considered a diversification too risky. Second, the producers were lacking the necessary know-how for producing small cars after having focused strongly on fullsizes and intermediates for years. Third, the American car buyers were much more accustomed to big, comfortable cars than Europeans. Even the technology forcing governmental obligations to enhance the fuel-efficiency and to reduce the exhaust emissions did not change their common reservations to-wards small cars. Given the obstacles from the demand as well as the supply side, it seemed to be the right strategy for the American manufacturers to continue to produce big cars. In Germany, however, the car makers revived the production of small and sub-medium-sized cars, building on a tradition of successful people cars that had briefly been suspended. Since the mid 1970s all major producers completed a downgrade of their model range and offered cars for each segment of buyers. Moving from a sellers’ to a buyers’ market, the manufacturers were not only much more adept in mass-producing small cars profitably. These car types were also socially more acceptable because only a few years ago they had made German mass motorization possible. In addition, governmental tax incentives encouraged the German customers to buy fuel-efficient small cars. The continuous demand in this segment of the market forced the carmakers to integrate small car offers back into their product programmes. Therefore, the Small Car Blues was just a short-term delay in the consumer-oriented adjustment of the German carmakers′ product strategies.
Soziale Ungleichheit im Spiegel des Konsums. Eine clusteranalytische Untersuchung zum differentiellen Konsum im Kaiserreich
Authors: Fischer Hendrik K.
Published: January 2014

The paper analyses consumer behaviour in different social classes in late 19th century Germany. Using a complete new database with 3,994 household budgets, it presents a new quantitative approach to answer the question how social stratification is reflected in different types of consumption. Unlike most previous attempts, the data set was not pre-classified first by some other attributes of social structure (such as occupation of the head of the household, income, etc.). Instead, the entire data set is classified and grouped by a cluster analysis of the households’ expenditure structures only. This approach has not been used for such a wide spectrum of society covering households of East-Prussian rural workers as well as the household of a Westphalian Count. Thus, the paper covers several new findings, e. g. a much wider variety of different consumption styles within working class households as traditionally assumed.
Vom ,Marketingloch‘ zur Wiederentdeckung der sportlichen Mittelklasse - vom Produktionsregime zur Marketingorientierung bei BMW
Authors: Triebet Florian
Published: January 2014

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) underwent a severe corporate crisis from 1954 onwards; at the climax of this crisis the company was almost sold to its competitor Daimler-Benz in a dramatic general assembly on December, 9th 1959 the plan was thwarted only by minor shareholders and dealer representatives. An analysis of BMW’s car business area during the 1950s using the 4 Ps of the classic marketing mix as a methodological framework, reveals a missing marketing orientation as the real cause of this severe crisis.

Moreover, set in the context of the history of BMW’s car business in the 1930s and during the reconstruction after the crisis in the 1960s, the 1950s could be characterized as a singular and outstanding »marketing hole« in BMW’s history.
The Belgian Economic Elite and the Punishment of Economic Collaboration after the Second World War: Power and Legitimacy (1944-1952)
Authors: Luyten Dirk
Published: January 2014

Punishment of economic collaboration was a priority for the Belgian judiciary after the Second World War. This led to a confrontation with the Belgian economic elite: during the occupation they had organized themselves in the Galopin-committee. This informal committee, dominated by the leaders of holdings and banks, elaborated a code of conduct concerning production for Germany. In so doing, the committee assigned itself a political role. This code of conduct was more or less put into practice in the key sectors of the economy. The judiciary did not agree with the political role the economic elite had assigned itself nor with the interpretation of what could be considered as acceptable economic collaboration. Repression of economic collaboration became an issue of confrontation between the economic and judicial elite: even if ultimately only a few big entrepreneurs were punished, the traditional economic elite’s legitimacy was called into question. The elite’s position was, on the other hand, enhanced by the Belgian economy’s successful recovery after the liberation, which was combined with an increase in workers’ purchase power and the introduction of a social security system.
Von der Tulpenkrise zum Finanzmarktkollaps. Das Allgemeine im Besonderen
Authors: Pierenkemper Toni
Published: January 2014

Contrary to the presumed perfect markets of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, the very concept of which seems logically flawed, numerous economic crises have been observed in the economic development of the last four hundred years. The following paper seeks to shed light on a specific type of crisis the speculative crisis and in particular its general pattern, from its starting point as an innovative business idea, to Boom and Crash, to exploring consequences, making use of examples from selected historical crises. This paper also seeks to demonstrate that speculations of this sort were also often associated with long term positive effects on economic growth. A complete prevention of dynamic processes of this sort, therefore, by means of comprehensive regulation, appears not only illusory, but also anti-progressive, although measures to limit the negative effects of crises as far as possible must, of course, be taken.
Zwischen Wettbewerbsideal und Staatsräson: Die Diskussionen im Deutschen Handelstag über Regulierung und Verstaatlichung der Eisenbahnen (1861–1879)
Authors: Gehlen Boris
Published: January 2014

The Deutsche Handelstag, founded in 1861, coordinated the interests of its regional members - the chambers of commerce (or equivalent organisations) and regional interest groups. It mainly discussed topics that affected the economy as a whole. It therefore strongly participated in the various negotiations concerning tariffs and the market organisation of German Railways. Discussions were predetermined by the logic of the different railway systems (state-owned, mixed, and private), that significantly affected each individual state’s railway policy. The Handelstag produced several proposals on market organisation and tariffs, most of which failed for political reasons. As well as revealing the difficulties inherent in getting these proposals publically adopted, internal discussions also reveal the complexity of integrating existing “national” markets in political negotiations. An appropriate form of market organisation still did not exist when the Deutsche Reich was founded in 1871. At this time the Handelstag (as it had done previously) favoured regulation, especially competition on the track, but finally conceded in nationalising the (Prussian) Railways in 1876/1879, as it was the only viable policy capable of overcoming market failure.
Industrial Districts – methodische und konzeptionelle Überlegungen zur Industriegeschichte Süd- und Westeuropas
Authors: Boldorf Marcel
Published: January 2014

This article explores the concept of industrial districts and outlines how they can be applied to economic history. The methodological debate centres around Italy, Spain, France, French-speaking Switzerland and the USA, and focuses on: the impact of institutional arrangements at the beginning of industrial development; co-operation between small and medium-sized firms in joining regional networks; the existence of governance structures in place to help mitigate district-internal conflicts; the institutionalisation of conjoint vocational training; producers’ willingness to share information, thus creating a skills market; and the common marketing of goods through the introduction of regional trade marks. The theoretical framework is contrasted with neighbouring approaches, such as the cluster economies. Finally, reasons behind the concept’s poor reception in German-speaking research are discussed.
After the Crisis: Nationalisation and re-privatization of the German great banks 1931–1937
Authors: Ziegler Dieter
Published: January 2014

After the 1931 banking crisis the survival of the four German great banks was safeguarded only by a huge injection of taxpayers’ money. In return, the great banks were partly nationalized and the two worst affected, the Dresdner Bank and the Danat Bank, were merged. Re-privatization was, however, started only a few years later and finalized under Nazi rule in 1937. This article assesses the costs of the bailing out and explains why the Nazi government was prepared to sacrifice more than 500m RM for the sake of re-establishing a banking system which had been a major target of Nazi propaganda before they came to power.
Bankenkrise und Bankenrettung – Die Reichs-Kredit-Gesellschaft in der Banken- und Finanzkrise des Jahres 1931
Authors: Wixforth Harald
Published: January 2014

After the German banking system’s collapse on July 13th 1931 the German government was faced with the problem of reorganizing and reconstructing the financial system. The first measures taken concentrated on the Reichs-Kredit-Gesellschaft, a state owned great bank, which played a prominent role in stabilizing the Dresdner Bank and some smaller regional banks. This article examines the different steps involved in restoring the Dresdner Bank’s liquidity, in granting it credit and in completely reconstructing it under German government control. Further, it analyses these steps for some smaller regional banks as well.