bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work and Wage Dynamics around Childbirth
Authors: Ejrnæs Mette , Kunze Astrid
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we investigate how the wage processes of women who are well established in the labour market are affected by having children. We estimate a flexible fixed‐effects wage regression model extended by post‐childbirth fixed effects. We use register data on West Germany, and we exploit the expansionary family policy during the late 1980s and 1990s for identification. On their return to work after childbirth, the wages of mothers drop by 3–5.7 per cent per year of leave. We find negative selection back to full‐time work after childbirth. We discuss the policy implications regarding statistical discrimination and the results concerning the family gap.
Oil, Growth, and Health: What Does the Cross‐Country Evidence Really Show?*
Authors: Cotet Anca M. , Tsui Kevin K.
Published: October 2015

We show that previous results from the body of literature on the resource curse have primarily been driven by the collapse in oil prices during the mid‐1980s. By exploiting cross‐country variations in the size of initial oil endowments and the timing of oil discoveries, we find that there is a stable positive relationship between oil abundance and long‐run economic growth. Using dynamic panel data methods, we also find that there is no evidence that higher oil rents hinder growth. However, to focus on material gain means that the welfare gain from oil is understated, because oil‐rich countries benefit more by the reduction in infant mortality and the gain in longevity. Interestingly, such oil‐led health improvements are more pronounced in non‐democratic countries, where initial heath conditions were poor and oil wealth is concentrated among the ruling elites.
Do First‐Time House Buyers Receive Financial Transfers from Their Parents?*
Authors: Kolodziejczyk Christophe , Leth‐Petersen Søren
Published: October 2015

Using Danish longitudinal data with information about wealth for a sample of first‐time house buyers and their parents, we test whether there are direct financial transfers from parents to children in connection with the house purchase, or in connection with unemployment spells occurring just after the purchase, when children typically hold few liquid assets. First, we document that child and parent financial resources are correlated. Then, we introduce conditioning variables and exploit the panel aspect of the data to also condition on fixed unobserved factors, which arguably govern preferences and/or productivity. We find no evidence of direct financial transfers.
Assessing Macroprudential Policies: Case of South Korea*
Authors: Bruno Valentina , Shin Hyun Song
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we develop methods for assessing the sensitivity of capital flows to global financial conditions. We use these methods to assess the impact of macroprudential policies introduced by South Korea in 2010. Relative to a comparison group of countries, we find that the sensitivity of capital flows into South Korea to global conditions decreased in the period following the introduction of macroprudential policies.
Debt Crises and Risk‐Sharing: The Role of Markets versus Sovereigns
Authors: Kalemli‐Ozcan Sebnem , Luttini Emiliano , Sørensen Bent
Published: October 2015

Using a variance decomposition of shocks to gross domestic product (GDP), we quantify the role of international factor income, international transfers, and saving in achieving risk‐sharing during the recent European crisis. We focus on the subperiods 1990–2007, 2008–2009, and 2010 and consider separately the European countries hit by the sovereign debt crisis in 2010. We decompose risk‐sharing from saving into contributions from government and private saving, and show that fiscal austerity programs played an important role in hindering risk‐sharing during the sovereign debt crisis.
Early Tracking and the Misfortune of Being Young
Authors: Schneeweis Nicole , Zweimüller Martina
Published: October 2015

Recent research suggests that the relative age of a student within a grade has a causal effect on educational achievement, and that this effect fades with the duration of schooling. In this study, we estimate the causal relative‐age effect on track choice in Austria, a country where students are first tracked in grade 5 (at the age of 10 years), and again in grade 9. We find a strong positive relative‐age effect on track choice in grades 5–8. The age effect persists beyond grade 8 for students from less‐favorable socioeconomic backgrounds and students in urban areas.
Civil Conflict, Democratization, and Growth: Violent Democratization as Critical Juncture
Authors: Cervellati Matteo , Sunde Uwe
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we provide an empirical investigation of the interaction between violent conflicts, democratization, and growth in the “third wave” of democratization. The effect of democratization is weakened when taking into account the incidence of civil conflict. The results show that the growth effect of democratization is heterogeneous and depends on the democratization scenario. Peaceful transitions to democracy have a significant positive effect on growth that is even larger than reported previously in the literature, whereas violent transitions have no, or even negative, growth effects.
Determinants of Anti‐Trafficking Policies: Evidence from a New Index
Authors: Cho Seo‐Young , Dreher Axel , Neumayer Eric
Published: October 2015

We develop an index measuring the three main dimensions – prosecution, protection, and prevention – of the anti‐trafficking policies of the governments of up to 180 countries over the 2000−2010 period. Overall, developed countries perform better than the rest of the world; compliance with prosecution policy is highest, while governmental efforts to protect victims of human trafficking remain weakest. We employ the new indices to investigate which factors determine anti‐trafficking policies. We find that compliance with anti‐trafficking policies significantly decreases with corruption and is higher in countries that also respect the rights of women. We also find some tentative evidence for spatial dependence in anti‐trafficking policies.
Gender Inequality, Endogenous Cultural Norms, and Economic Development
Authors: Hiller Victor
Published: October 2015

In this paper, I explore the joint dynamics between gender inequality and cultural norms along the process of development. Cultural norms regarding gender roles are shaped by the relative female labor supply, and thus depend on the gender gap in education. In turn, these norms influence the relative education provided to boys and girls. I show that this two‐way causality between the inegalitarian nature of norms and the educational gender gap might explain the emergence of high gender inequality and low development traps. The model also makes it possible to replicate a U‐shaped relationship between the relative status of women and the economic development.
Price Discrimination with Private and Imperfect Information
Authors: Esteves Rosa‐Branca
Published: October 2015

In this paper, I investigate the competitive and welfare effects of the improvements in information accuracy in markets where firms can price discriminate after observing a private and noisy signal about a consumer's brand preference. I show that when firms believe that consumers have a brand preference for them, then they charge more to these consumers, and this price has an inverse U‐shaped relationship with the signal's accuracy. In contrast, the price charged after a disloyal signal has been observed falls as the signal's accuracy rises. While industry profit and overall welfare fall monotonically when price discrimination is based on increasingly more accurate information, the reverse happens to consumer surplus.
War, Marriage Markets, and the Sex Ratio at Birth
Authors: Bethmann Dirk , Kvasnicka Michael
Published: October 2015

In belligerent countries, male‐to‐female sex ratios at birth increased during and shortly after the two world wars. These rises occurred amidst dramatically changed marriage‐market conditions caused by war‐related declines in adult sex ratios, and still defy explanation. Based on county‐level census data for the German state of Bavaria in the years just before and immediately after World War II, we explore the reduced‐form relationship between changes in marriage‐market tightness (the adult sex ratio) and changes in the offspring sex ratio, and we discuss potential mechanisms that might link the two. Our results suggest that war‐induced shortfalls of men significantly increased the percentage of boys among newborns.
A Fiscal Stimulus and Jobless Recovery
Authors: Cantore Cristiano , Levine Paul , Melina Giovanni
Published: October 2015

We analyze the effects of a government‐spending expansion in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with Mortensen–Pissarides labor‐market frictions, deep habits in private and public consumption, investment adjustment costs, a constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function, and adjustments in employment at both intensive and extensive margins. The combination of deep habits and CES technology is crucial. The presence of deep habits magnifies the responses of macroeconomic variables to a fiscal stimulus, while an elasticity of substitution between capital and labor in the range of available estimates allows the model to produce a scenario compatible with the observed jobless recovery.
International Trade and Collective Bargaining Outcomes: Evidence from German Employer–Employee Data
Authors: Felbermayr Gabriel , Hauptmann Andreas , Schmerer Hans‐Jörg
Published: October 2015

In theoretical trade models with variable mark‐ups and collective wage bargaining, exposure to international markets might reduce the exporter wage premium. We test this prediction using linked German employer–employee data covering the years 1996–2007. To separate the rent‐sharing mechanism from assortative matching, we exploit individual worker information to construct profitability measures that are free of skill composition. Our results show that rent‐sharing is less pronounced in more export‐intensive firms or in more open industries. The exporter wage premium is highest for low‐productivity firms. In line with theory, these findings are unique to the subsample of plants covered by collective bargaining.
Interfirm Bundling and Vertical Product Differentiation
Authors: Brito Duarte , Vasconcelos Helder
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we study the competitive effects of bundled discounts offered by pairs of independent firms. In a setting with vertically differentiated goods, where firms decide whether to participate in a discounting scheme before prices are set, it is shown that, in equilibrium, all pairs of firms producing goods of the same quality level offer bundled discounts. Relative to the no‐bundling benchmark, we find that (i) all headline prices rise, (ii) all bundle prices, net of the respective discount, decrease, and (iii) only high‐quality sellers will obtain higher profits. Furthermore, this equilibrium corresponds to the worst scenario in terms of consumer welfare, and it and decreases social welfare.
Imitation, Contagion, or Exertion? Using a Tax Reform to Reveal How Colleagues' Sick Leaves Influence Worker Behaviour
Authors: Dale‐Olsen Harald , Østbakken Kjersti Misje , Schøne Pål
Published: October 2015

We analyse the social interaction effects in sick‐leave behaviour in the workplace, using high‐quality Norwegian matched employer–employee data with detailed individual information on sick leaves during the 2004–2006 period. We find that social interaction effects in sick‐leave behaviour in the workplace do exist, and that the effects are noticeable in size. The strong relationship between the sick‐leave rates among colleagues is not solely the result of contagious diseases, nor is it caused by improved informational quality or by the increased workload for the non‐absent workers. Evidence supports the existence of reciprocal worker behaviour that is unrelated to joint leisure‐seeking activities.
Dancing to the Donors' Tune? Policy Choice in Aid‐Dependent Countries
Authors: Hagen Rune Jansen
Published: October 2015

Current aid rhetoric emphasizes the selective allocation of otherwise unconditional funds in support of the recipients' own plans, in contrast to the old donor practice of bundling money and policies. I show that when recipients have private information, policies reflecting their preferences and knowledge might result in such a regime. However, generous transfers can also induce them to conform to the outcome‐oriented expectations of donors at the expense of lower aid impact. Such behaviour is consistent with an abundance of case‐study evidence. Moderate disagreements over what the optimal policy is could actually produce better results. Certain forms of both donor competition and coordination might also eliminate this distortion, while a donor concern for need only removes incentives for aid‐seeking in the least needy countries. In summary, optimal aid policies are highly context‐specific, and donors should thus concentrate their efforts to practise more informed selectivity.
Gender Power, Fertility, and Family Policy
Authors: Kemnitz Alexander , Thum Marcel
Published: October 2015

The birth of children often shifts the balance of power within a family. If family decisions are made according to the welfare function of the spouses, this shift in power might cause a time‐consistency problem. In a model of cooperative family decision‐making, we show that this problem can lead to a systematic downward bias in fertility. By keeping fertility low, spouses mitigate the ex ante undesired shift in the balance of power that results from the presence of children. This provides scope for welfare‐enhancing policy intervention. We discuss to what extent existing family policy measures are suitable for overcoming the bias.
Heaven's Swing Door: Endogenous Skills, Migration Networks, and the Effectiveness of Quality‐Selective Immigration Policies
Authors: Bertoli Simone , Rapoport Hillel
Published: October 2015

A growing number of OECD countries are leaning toward the adoption of selective immigration policies, which are expected to raise the quality (or education level) of migrants. This view neglects two important dynamic effects: the role of migration networks, which could reduce the quality of migrants, and the responsiveness of education decisions to the prospect of migration. We propose a model of self‐selection into migration with endogenous education choices, which predicts that migration networks and the quality of migrants can be positively associated when destination countries adopt sufficiently selective immigration policies. Empirical evidence, presented as background motivation, suggests that this is indeed the case.
Efficiency Gains from Liberalizing Labor Mobility
Authors: Docquier Frédéric , Machado Joël , Sekkat Khalid
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we quantify the effect of a complete liberalization of cross‐border migration on the world GDP and its distribution across regions. We build a general equilibrium model, endogenizing bilateral migration and income disparities between and within countries. Our calibration strategy uses data on effective and potential migration to identify total migration costs and visa costs by education level. Data on potential migration reveal that the number of people in the world who have a desire to migrate is around 400 million. This number is much smaller than that predicted in previous studies, and reflects the existence of high “incompressible” migration costs. In our benchmark framework, liberalizing migration increases the world GDP by 11.5–12.5 percent in the medium term. Our robustness analysis reveals that the gains are always limited, in the range of 7.0 percent (with schooling externalities) to 17.9 percent (if network effects are accounted for).
Climatic Factors as Determinants of International Migration
Authors: Beine Michel , Parsons Christopher
Published: October 2015

We examine natural disasters and long‐run climatic factors as potential determinants of international migration, implementing a panel dataset of bilateral migration flows from 1960 to 2000. We find no direct effect of long‐run climatic factors on international migration across our entire sample. These results are robust when conditioning on origin‐country characteristics, when considering migrants returning home, and when accounting for the potential endogeneity of migrant networks. Rather, we find evidence of indirect effects of environmental factors operating through wages. We find that epidemics and miscellaneous incidents spur international migration, and there is strong evidence that natural disasters beget greater flows of migrants to urban environs.
The Effect of Emigration from Poland on Polish Wages
Authors: Dustmann Christian , Frattini Tommaso , Rosso Anna
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we analyse the effect of emigration from Poland on Polish wages. Focusing on the 1998–2007 period for Poland, we use a unique dataset that contains information about household members who are currently living abroad, which allows us to develop region‐specific emigration rates and to estimate the effect of emigration on wages using within‐region variation. Our findings show that emigration led to a slight increase in wages for high‐ and medium‐skilled workers, which are the two groups with the largest relative outmigration rates. Workers at the low end of the skill distribution might have experienced wage decreases.
“To Have and Have Not”: International Migration, Poverty, and Inequality in Algeria
Authors: Margolis David N. , Miotti Luis , Mouhoud El Mouhoub , Oudinet Joel
Published: October 2015

In this paper, using an original survey, we analyze the distributional impact of international migration across two regions of Algeria. A semi‐parametric descriptive analysis is complemented with a parametric model. Remittances do not significantly change the Gini coefficient in nearly any of the counterfactual scenarios. However, migration reduced poverty by 40 percent, with different effects across regions for extreme poverty. Foreign transfers, especially foreign pensions, have a strong positive impact on very poor families in one region. Poor families in the other region suffer from a “double loss”: their migrants do not provide local income and they do not send much money home.
The Home Bias in Equities and Distribution Costs
Authors: Harms Philipp , Hoffmann Mathias , Ortseifer Christina
Published: October 2015

We show that incorporating distribution costs into a general equilibrium model of international portfolio choice helps to explain the home bias in international equity investment. Our model is able to replicate observed investment positions for a wide range of parameter values, even if agents have an incentive to hedge labor income risk by purchasing foreign equity. This is because the existence of a retail sector affects both the correlation of domestic returns with the domestic price level and the correlation between financial and non‐financial income.
Taxation and Capital Structure Choice: The Role of Ownership
Authors: Krämer Robert
Published: October 2015

Applying firm fixed‐effects estimations to European firm‐level data, I analyze how ownership structure affects the relationship between taxation and capital structure. I find that an increase in the corporate tax rate affects the debt‐to‐assets ratio positively, and that this effect is stronger for firms with concentrated ownership. These results hold independently of whether firms are standalone or subsidiaries, and are also valid if subsidiaries are divided into those that are foreign‐owned and those domestically owned. Lastly, ownership plays a role even when controlling for other potentially important determinants of the relation between corporate taxation and capital structure.
Hospital Competition with Soft Budgets
Authors: Brekke Kurt R. , Siciliani Luigi , Straume Odd Rune
Published: October 2015

We study the incentives for quality provision and cost efficiency for hospitals with soft budgets, where the payer can cover deficits or confiscate surpluses. While a higher bailout probability reduces cost efficiency, the effect on quality is ambiguous. Profit confiscation reduces both quality and cost efficiency. First‐best is achieved by a strict no‐bailout and no‐profit‐confiscation policy when the regulated price is optimally set. However, for suboptimal prices, a more lenient bailout policy can be welfare‐improving. When we allow for heterogeneity in costs and qualities, we also show that a softer budget can raise quality for high‐cost patients.
Revealing Uncertainties in Land Change Modeling Using Probabilities
Authors: Krüger Carsten , Lakes Tobia
Published: October 2015

Land change models are frequently used to analyze current land change processes and possible future developments. However, the outcome of such models is accompanied by uncertainties that have to be taken into account in order to address their reliability for science and decision‐making. While a range of approaches exist that quantify the disagreement of land change maps, the quantification of uncertainty remains a major challenge. The aim of this article is therefore to reveal uncertainties in land change modeling by developing two measures: quantity uncertainty and allocation uncertainty. We choose a Bayesian Belief Network modeling approach for deforestation in Brazil to develop and apply the two measures to the resulting probability surface. Quantity uncertainty describes the uncertainty about the correct number of cells in a land change map assigned to different land change categories and allocation uncertainty expresses the uncertainty about the correct spatial placement of a cell in the land change map. Thus, uncertainty can be quantified even in those cases where no reference data exist. Informing about uncertainty in probabilistic outcomes may be an important asset when land change projections are being used in science and decision‐making and moreover, they may also be further evaluated for other spatial applications.
Recovery of visual functions in amblyopic animals following brief exposure to total darkness
Authors: Mitchell Donald E. , MacNeill Katelyn , Crowder Nathan A. , Holman Kaitlyn , Duffy Kevin R.
Published: October 2015

Key points

Occlusion of one eye of kittens (monocular deprivation) results in a severe and permanent loss of visual acuity in that eye, which parallels closely the vision loss characteristic of human amblyopia.

We extended earlier work to demonstrate that amblyopic vision loss can be either blocked or erased very fast by a 10 day period of total darkness following a period of monocular deprivation that begins near birth and extends to at least 8 weeks of age.

The parameters of darkness were strict because no visual recovery was observed after 5 days of darkness. In addition, short periods of light introduced each day during an otherwise 10 day period of darkness obliterated the benefits.

Despite recovery of normal visual acuity, only one‐quarter of the animals showed evidence of having attained normal stereoscopic vision.

A period of total darkness may catalyse and improve treatment outcomes in amblyopic children.

A 10 day period of total darkness has been shown to either block or erase the severe effects on vision of a prior short period of monocular deprivation (MD) in kittens depending on whether darkness is contiguous or is delayed with respect to the period of MD. We have extended these earlier findings from kittens for which the period of MD began at 1 month and lasted for 1 week to more clinically relevant situations where MD began near birth and lasted for ≥6 weeks. Despite the far longer MD and the absence of prior binocular vision, all animals recovered normal visual acuity in the previously deprived eye. As before, when the period of darkness followed immediately after MD, the vision of both eyes was initially very poor but, subsequently, the acuity of each eye increased gradually and equally to attain normal levels in ∼7 weeks. By contrast, when darkness was introduced 8 weeks after MD, the visual acuity of the deprived eye recovered quickly to normal levels in just 1 week without any change in the vision of the fellow (non‐deprived) eye. Short (15 or 30 min) periods of illumination each day during an otherwise 10 day period of darkness obliterated all the benefits for vision, and a 5 day period of darkness was also completely ineffective. Measurements of depth perception indicated that, despite possessing normal visual acuity in both eyes, only about one‐quarter of the animals showed evidence of having attained normal stereoscopic vision.
Multiwalled carbon nanotube forest grown via chemical vapor deposition from iron catalyst nanoparticles by ToF-SIMS
Authors: Kanyal Supriya S. , Jensen David S. , Zhu Zihua , Linford Matthew R.
Published: October 2015

The authors report the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of carbon nanotubes grown catalytically from iron nanoparticles. Both positive and negative ion spectra were obtained using a cluster ion source (Bi32+ primary ions at 50 keV). The positive mode contains an intense C+ signal. The Cn− peaks in the negative ion spectrum show an odd–even effect in their intensities.
Muscle Fatigue When Swimming Intermittently Above and Below Critical Speed
Authors: Dekerle Jeanne , Paterson James
Published: October 2015

Purpose:

To examine muscle fatigue of the shoulder internal rotators alongside swimming biomechanics during long-duration submaximal swimming sets performed in 2 different speed domains.

Methods:

Eight trained swimmers (mean ± SD 20.5 ± 0.9 y, 173 ± 10 cm, 71.3 ± 10.0 kg) raced over 3 distances (200-, 400-, 800-m races) for determination of critical speed (CS; slope of the distance–time relationship). After a familiarization with muscle isokinetic testing, they subsequently randomly performed 2 constant-speed efforts (6 × 5-min blocks, 2.5-min recovery) 5% above (T105) and 5% below CS (T95) with maximal voluntary contractions recorded between swimming blocks.

Results:

Capillary blood lactate concentration ([La]), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), peak torque, stroke length, and stroke rate were maintained throughout T95 (P < .05). [La], RPE, and stroke rate increased alongside concomitant decreases in maximal torque and stroke length during T105 (P < .05) with incapacity of the swimmers to maintain the pace for longer than ~20 min. For T105, changes in maximal torque (35.0 ± 14.9 to 25.8 ± 12.1 Nm) and stroke length (2.66 ± 0.36 to 2.23 ± 0.24 m/cycle) were significantly correlated (r = .47, P < .05).

Conclusion:

While both muscle fatigue (shoulder internal rotators) and task failure occur when swimming at a pace greater than CS, the 2.5-min recovery period during the sub-CS set possibly alleviated the development of muscle fatigue for the pace to be sustainable for 6 × 5 min at 95% of CS. A causal relationship between reduction in stroke length and loss of muscle strength should be considered very cautiously in swimming.
Draft Plastid and Mitochondrial Genome Sequences from Antarctic Alga
Prasiola crispa
Authors: Carvalho Evelise Leis , Wallau Gabriel da Luz , Rangel Darlene Lopes , Machado Laís Ceschini , da Silva Alexandre Freitas , da Silva Luiz Fernando Duarte , Macedo Pablo Echeverria , Pereira Antonio Batista , Victoria Filipe de Carvalho , Boldo Juliano Tomazzoni , Dal Belo Cháriston André , Pinto Paulo Marcos
Published: October 2015

The organelle genomes of the Antarctic alga
Prasiola crispa
(Lightfoot) Kützing have been sequenced. The plastid and mitochondrial genomes have a total length of 196,502 bp and 89,819 bp, respectively. These genomes have 19 putative photosynthesis-related genes and 17 oxidative metabolism-related genes, respectively.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Type Strain of the Acetogenic Bacterium Moorella thermoacetica DSM 521
T
Authors: Poehlein Anja , Bengelsdorf Frank R. , Esser Carola , Schiel-Bengelsdorf Bettina , Daniel Rolf , Dürre Peter
Published: October 2015

Here we report the closed genome sequence of the type strain
Moorella thermoacetica
DSM 521
T
, an acetogenic bacterium, which is able to grow autotrophically on H
2
+ CO
2
and/or CO, using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. The genome consists of a circular chromosome (2.53 Mb).
Draft Genome Sequences of Four Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis Strains Associated with Walnut Blight in Chile
Authors: Higuera Gastón , González-Escalona Narjol , Véliz Camila , Vera Francisca , Romero Jaime
Published: October 2015

Xanthomonas arboricola
pv. juglandis is an important pathogen responsible for walnut blight outbreaks globally. Here, we report four draft genome sequences of
X. arboricola
pv. juglandis strains isolated from Chilean walnut trees.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Exiguobacterium
sp. Strain BMC-KP, an Environmental Isolate from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Authors: Hyson Peter , Shapiro Joshua A. , Wien Michelle W.
Published: October 2015

Exiguobacterium
sp. strain BMC-KP was isolated as part of a student environmental sampling project at Bryn Mawr College, PA. Sequencing of bacterial DNA assembled a 3.32-Mb draft genome. Analysis suggests the presence of genes for tolerance to cold and toxic metals, broad carbohydrate metabolism, and genes derived from phage.
Draft Genome Sequence of a Diarrheagenic Morganella morganii Isolate
Authors: Singh Pallavi , Mosci Rebekah , Rudrik James T. , Manning Shannon D.
Published: October 2015

This is a report of the whole-genome draft sequence of a diarrheagenic
Morganella morganii
isolate from a patient in Michigan, USA. This genome represents an important addition to the limited number of pathogenic
M. morganii
genomes available.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Bacteroidales
Strain 6E, Isolated from a Rice Paddy Field in Japan
Authors: Tourlousse Dieter M. , Honda Takuya , Matsuura Norihisa , Ohashi Akiko , Tonouchi Akio , Sekiguchi Yuji
Published: October 2015

We generated a high-quality draft genome sequence of
Bacteroidales
strain 6E, a strict anaerobe newly isolated from Japanese rice paddy field soil. The genome consists of 61 contigs, with a total size of 4,436,542 bp and mean G+C content of 45.4%. Annotation predicted 3,620 protein-coding and 54 RNA genes.
Effect of 100 hz Electroacupuncture on Salivary Immunoglobulin a and the Autonomic Nervous System
Authors: Hideaki Waki , Tatsuya Hisajima , Shogo Miyazaki , Naruto Yoshida , Hideaki Tamai , Yoichi Minakawa , Yoshihiro Okuma , Kazuo Uebaba , Hidenori Takahashi
Published: October 2015

Background

A previous study has reported that low-frequency (LF) electroacupuncture (EA) influences salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is known to control the secretion volume of sIgA; however, the effect of high-frequency (HF) EA on salivary sIgA has not been determined. We investigated whether HF EA affects salivary sIgA levels and the ANS.

Method

Sixteen healthy subjects were randomly classified into two groups: a control group and an EA group. After a 5 min rest, subjects in the EA group received EA at 100 Hz bilaterally at LI4 and LI11 for 15 min before resting for a further 40 min post-stimulation. Subjects in the control group rested for a total of 60 min. Measurements of the ANS and sIgA levels in both groups were made before, immediately after, 20 min after, and 40 min after rest or 15 min EA treatment. HF and LF components of heart rate variability were analysed as markers of ANS function. LF/HF ratio and HF were taken as indices of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity, respectively. Salivary protein concentrations and sIgA levels were determined by Bradford protein assay and ELISA, respectively.

Results

LF/HF ratio was significantly increased immediately after EA. HF was significantly increased at 20 min after EA and sIgA level was significantly increased at 40 min after EA. In addition, HF and salivary sIgA level were positively correlated with each another.

Conclusions

HF EA exerted sequential positive effects on sympathetic nerve activity, parasympathetic nerve activity, and salivary sIgA level (immediately and after 20 and 40 min, respectively). HF EA may increase salivary sIgA levels by influencing parasympathetic nerve activity.
Fever-triggered Brugada syndrome in an adult patient presenting with hemophagocytic syndrome induced byChlamydophila pneumoniae
Authors: Bigotte Vieira Miguel , Gaibino Nuno , Pignatelli Alexandra , Oliveira Anabela
Published: October 2015

A previously healthy 29-year-old man was admitted to our hospital, with a 4-day history of fever (>39°C), rigours, diaphoresis, fatigue and retro-orbital headache. On examination, he was febrile (37.8°C) and tachycardic (110 bpm). Laboratory work up revealed bicytopenia (white cell count 1.37×109/L, platelets 60×109/L) and an increase in C reactive protein (9 mg/dL). The ECG showed ST segment elevation in V1, V2 and V3 leads. The patient was admitted and investigation was initiated revealing prolonged fever (>7 days), pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, hyperferritinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, elevated soluble CD25 and hemophagocytosis in bone marrow. Therefore, the patient presented 7 of the 8 diagnostic criteria of hemophagocytic syndrome. Laboratorial investigation for infectious causes was negative, except for IgA and IgGChlamydophila pneumoniae. ECG re-evaluation on the day of discharge showed no ST segment elevation and no other abnormalities. Genetic testing for known mutations associated with hemophagocytic syndrome and Brugada syndrome did not show any mutations in these genes.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in Takayasu arteritis: watching and monitoring the arterial inflammation
Authors: Herlin Bastien , Baud Jean-Michel , Chadenat Marie-Laure , Pico Fernando
Published: October 2015

A 43-year-old man was diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis, and treated with methotrexate and corticosteroids. While under treatment and with normal biological inflammatory parameters, he experienced an ischaemic stroke, successfully treated with intravenous thrombolysis (alteplase). The B-mode ultrasound examination revealed circumferential wall thickening of the left common carotid artery. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography showed a progressive arterial wall enhancement of the left common carotid artery. This pathological enhancement indicates neovascularisation of the arterial wall, which is supposed to correlate with active vascular inflammation. After an increase in immunosuppressive treatment, follow-up contrast-enhanced ultrasonography no longer showed artery wall enhancement. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination is an inexpensive, reproducible and minimally invasive method, providing dynamic information on arterial wall neovascularisation and thus inflammation. This case illustrates that contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can be a useful tool for the management and follow-up of Takayasu arteritis, and its use as a marker of disease activity and arterial inflammation in Takayasu arteritis should be evaluated in further studies.
Zinc in denture adhesive: a rare cause of copper deficiency in a patient on home parenteral nutrition
Authors: Prasad Rakesh , Hawthorne Barney , Durai Dharmaraj , McDowell Ian
Published: October 2015

A 65-year-old woman with Crohn's disease, who had been on home parenteral nutrition for many years, presented with perioral paraesthesia and a burning sensation in the mouth. Initial blood tests including serum ferritin, vitamin B12and folate, were normal apart from mild pancytopaenia. Serum copper was low, in spite of receiving regular copper in her parenteral feeds. The copper in her parenteral feeds was increased initially, but when it did not improve, she was started on weekly intravenous copper infusions. She was using dental adhesive, which had zinc in it, and a possibility that this was causing her copper deficiency was raised. Serum zinc levels were normal, but urinary zinc was very high. The patient was advised to use zinc-free dental adhesive and her copper level returned to normal within a few months with normalisation of her pancytopaenia, and partial resolution of her oral paraesthesia.
A deceitful stroke, a hidden tumour
Authors: Canepa Carlo , Dasgupta Aban
Published: October 2015

A 41-year-old woman with malignant left middle cerebral artery infarction underwent an immediate decompressive craniectomy, obtaining good recovery, both clinically and radiologically. However, approximately 6 months after a successful discharge, the patient returned with gradual memory deterioration, dysarthria and progressively worsening headaches. Subsequent CT and MRI of the brain revealed a solid malignancy located in the same region as the extensive infarction. Following this finding, she underwent surgical debulking of the tumour and follow-up radiotherapy, with good progression of symptoms and overall good outcome.
Successful medical treatment of infective endocarditis caused byCandida parapsilosisin an immunocompromised patient
Authors: Reyes Hans Alexi , Carbajal Walter Hernan , Valdez Luis Manuel , Lozada Claudia
Published: October 2015

Candidaspp is a common pathogen of nosocomial infections that has increased in recent decades, with mortality rates close to 40% in cases of systemic candidiasis. One type of presentation is infective endocarditis, which, by its prolonged need for treatment, represents a constant challenge for clinicians. We describe a 36-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, who developed aortic valve infective endocarditis caused byCandida parapsilosisand who was treated with oral antifungal medication, with no surgical intervention required.
Optical coherence tomography for serial in vivo imaging of aortic plaque in the rabbit: a preliminary experience
Authors: Fulcher Jordan , Patel Sanjay , Nicholls Stephen J , Bao Shisan , Celermajer David
Published: October 2015

Background

In this pilot feasibility study, we aimed to establish a reproducible means of performing serial optical coherence tomography (OCT) procedures in the abdominal aorta of the cholesterol-fed rabbit.

Methods

Eight cholesterol-fed New Zealand White rabbits were assigned to abdominal aortic balloon injury at baseline (n=6) or as controls (n=2). Three of the balloon injured rabbits received statins from weeks 6 to 12 post balloon injury. OCT of the abdominal aorta in each rabbit was performed at baseline±week 6±week 12 via alternate vascular access points (left or right femoral artery or left carotid artery). OCT sequences were analysed to derive an indexed plaque volume and other OCT measures of plaque complexity, and results were compared between groups. Histopathological correlations with OCT images were made following terminal procedures.

Results

Of the 16 OCT procedures in these rabbits (6 at baseline, 4 at 6 weeks, 6 at 12 weeks), excellent and analysable images were obtained on 15 occasions (94%). Inability to obtain adequate arterial access for the OCT catheter was the major experimental limitation encountered in the early part of our experience. Balloon injured rabbits developed larger volume and more complex plaque than non-balloon injured rabbits on all OCT indices measured (eg, both mean plaque volume and lumen stenosis were approximately double in the balloon injured group, p<0.0001). A significant correlation between 12 week measures of plaque area by OCT and histology was demonstrated (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.992, p<0.0001).

Conclusions

Our preliminary experience suggests that serial OCT of the abdominal aorta in the New Zealand White rabbit is feasible and a potentially promising means of performing serial studies of aortic atherosclerosis.
Enhancement of Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity in Spiking Neural Systems with Noise
Authors: Nobukawa Sou , Nishimura Haruhiko
Published: October 2015

Synaptic plasticity is widely recognized to support adaptable information processing in the brain. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity, one subtype of plasticity, can lead to synchronous spike propagation with temporal spiking coding information. Recently, it was reported that in a noisy environment, like the actual brain, the spike-timing-dependent plasticity may be made efficient by the effect of stochastic resonance. In the stochastic resonance, the presence of noise helps a nonlinear system in amplifying a weak (under barrier) signal. However, previous studies have ignored the full variety of spiking patterns and many relevant factors in neural dynamics. Thus, in order to prove the physiological possibility for the enhancement of spike-timing-dependent plasticity by stochastic resonance, it is necessary to demonstrate that this stochastic resonance arises in realistic cortical neural systems. In this study, we evaluate this stochastic resonance phenomenon in the realistic cortical neural system described by the Izhikevich neuron model and compare the characteristics of typical spiking patterns of regular spiking, intrinsically bursting and chattering experimentally observed in the cortex.
Parton energy loss and momentum broadening at NLO in high temperature QCD plasmas
Authors: Ghiglieri Jacopo , Teaney Derek
Published: October 2015

We present an overview of a perturbative-kinetic approach to jet propagation, energy loss, and momentum broadening in a high temperature quark–gluon plasma. The leading-order kinetic equations describe the interactions between energetic jet-particles and a non-abelian plasma, consisting of on-shell thermal excitations and soft gluonic fields. These interactions include [Formula: see text] scatterings, collinear bremsstrahlung, and drag and momentum diffusion. We show how the contribution from the soft gluonic fields can be factorized into a set of Wilson line correlators on the light-cone. We review recent field-theoretical developments, rooted in the causal properties of these correlators, which simplify the calculation of the appropriate Wilson lines in thermal field theory. With these simplifications lattice measurements of transverse momentum broadening have become possible, and the kinetic equations describing parton transport have been extended to next-to-leading order in the coupling [Formula: see text].
ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING, NON-TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF SMEs
Authors: KAFETZOPOULOS DIMITRIOS , PSOMAS EVANGELOS
Published: October 2015

The purpose of the present study is to analyse the role of organisational learning as an antecedent to non-technical innovation comprising organisational and marketing innovation. Examining the effect of these dimensions of non-technical innovation on customer satisfaction is also an aim of the present study. The paper formulates research hypotheses based on a comprehensive literature review. These hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on data collected from 226 Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The formulated conceptual model is strongly supported based on empirical evidence. The results confirm that organisational learning capability favours the development of organisational innovation and marketing innovation. Furthermore, the study shows that both dimensions of non-technical innovation promote the achievement of customer satisfaction.
A novel counter electrode material of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Zhong Yongfeng , Qin Tianze , Yang Bo , Zuo Xueqin , Li Guang , Wu Mingzai , Ma Yongqing , Jin Shaowei , Zhu Kerong
Published: October 2015

In this work, La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSCO) perovskite oxide with perfect crystallinity was successfully synthesized via a sol–gel method and then used as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSCs with LSCO CEs exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for the triiodide reduction and yielded a power conversion efficiency of 7.17%, which is greater than that of the Pt electrode (7.06%). Compared with the hydrothermal method and solvothermal method, sol–gel method is more suitable for large scale preparation. This work should open up a new class of CE materials for low-cost and high-efficiency DSSCs.
Adjustments of Capital Account Restrictions and Exchange Rate Regimes in East Asia
Authors: Yoshino Naoyuki , Kaji Sahoko , Asonuma Tamon
Published: October 2015

This paper discusses adjustments of capital account restrictions and exchange rate regimes in East Asia. Monetary authorities have two options for these adjustments: Gradual adjustments and rapid adjustments. We analyze the costs and benefits for both adjustment options in each area, i.e., capital account restrictions and exchange rate regimes. The paper provides prominent country cases for each adjustment option to emphasize the benefits for policymakers. We then propose four transition policy options for East Asian countries aiming to relax capital account restrictions and increase flexibility in exchange rates from fixed regimes with capital account controls.
The Middle-Income Trap from the Viewpoint of Trade Structures: Are the Geese Trapped or Still Flying?
Authors: Kumagai Satoru
Published: October 2015

In this paper we try to explain the concept of middle-income trap from the viewpoint of international trade. We conduct an empirical analysis on the relationship between income levels and net export ratios for different types of goods for trapped and non-trapped countries separately. Our findings indicate that industrial upgrading appears to occur exactly as depicted by the flying-geese (FG) model for non-trapped countries. Trapped countries tend to depend on the export of primary commodities and industrialization appears to be driven by forward linkages to processed goods.
Where2Stand
Authors: Wang Yinting , Song Mingli , Tao Dacheng , Rui Yong , Bu Jiajun , Tsoi Ah Chung , Zhuo Shaojie , Tan Ping
Published: October 2015

People often take photographs at tourist sites and these pictures usually have two main elements: a person in the foreground and scenery in the background. This type of “souvenir photo” is one of the most common photos clicked by tourists. Although algorithms that aid a user-photographer in taking a well-composed picture of a scene exist [Ni et al. 2013], few studies have addressed the issue of properly positioning human subjects in photographs. In photography, the common guidelines of composing portrait images exist. However, these rules usually do not consider the background scene. Therefore, in this article, we investigate human-scenery positional relationships and construct a photographic assistance system to optimize the position of human subjects in a given background scene, thereby assisting the user in capturing high-quality souvenir photos. We collect thousands of well-composed portrait photographs to learn human-scenery aesthetic composition rules. In addition, we define a set of negative rules to exclude undesirable compositions. Recommendation results are achieved by combining the first learned positive rule with our proposed negative rules. We implement the proposed system on an Android platform in a smartphone. The system demonstrates its efficacy by producing well-composed souvenir photos.