bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex-specific consequences of an induced immune response on reproduction in a moth
Authors: Barthel Andrea , Staudacher Heike , Schmaltz Antje , Heckel David G. , Groot Astrid T.
Published: December 2015

Background

Immune response induction benefits insects in combatting infection by pathogens. However, organisms have a limited amount of resources available and face the dilemma of partitioning resources between immunity and other life-history traits. Since males and females differ in their life histories, sex-specific resource investment strategies to achieve an optimal immune response following an infection can be expected. We investigated immune response induction of females and males ofHeliothis virescensin response to the entomopathogenic bacteriumSerratia entomophila, and its effects on mating success and the female sexual signal.

Results

We found that females had higher expression levels of immune-related genes after bacterial challenge than males. However, males maintained a higher baseline expression of immune-related genes than females. The increased investment in immunity of female moths was negatively correlated with mating success and the female sexual signal. Male mating success was unaffected by bacterial challenge.

Conclusions

Our results show that the sexes differed in their investment strategies: females invested in immune defense after a bacterial challenge, indicating facultative immune deployment, whereas males had higher baseline immunity than females, indicating immune maintenance. Interestingly, these differences in investment were reflected in the mate choice assays. As female moths are the sexual signallers, females need to invest resources in their attractiveness. However, female moths appeared to invest in immunity at the cost of reproductive effort.
Gravity and magnetic constraints on the Jurassic opening of the oceanic Gulf of Mexico and the location and tectonic history of the Western Main transform fault along the eastern continental margin of Mexico
Authors: Nguyen Luan C. , Mann Paul
Published: December 2015

Although the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been the subject of geophysical and geologic studies for several decades, its crustal structures and opening kinematics remain poorly understood largely because of the difficulty in imaging the deeper basinal structure beneath its thick sedimentary and evaporitic layers. We have used gravity and magnetic data combined with seismic reflection and refraction data to better understand the crustal structure and basin opening kinematics. We have focused on the 700-km-long Jurassic continent/ocean transform fault that accommodated counterclockwise rotation of the Yucatan Block along the eastern continental margin of Mexico. We have used recent satellite-derived gravity data to reveal the pattern of spreading ridge-transform segments in the center of the basin. We then derived on a pole of rotation that revealed the kinematics of early opening of the GOM basin and the tectonic control the continent-ocean transform fault, the Western Main Transform fault (WMTF), that defined the continent-ocean boundary (COB) between continental rocks in the eastern Mexico and Jurassic oceanic crust in the western GOM. Regional magnetic anomaly data along with seismic reflection and refraction data were used to further constrain the location of the WMTF. Three 2D gravity models revealed the location of the WMTF approximately 100 km offshore eastern Mexico at its furthest point and extending onshore in southern Mexico. The gravity models found that the contact between continental and oceanic crust is marked by an abrupt increase from 6.5 to 10 km in crustal thickness. To the west of the WMTF, the eastern Mexico margin is underlain by a 60-km-wide zone of stretched continental crust. We also determined a COB for the entire GOM that was consistent with the plate reconstruction, values of crustal thickness based on seismic refraction, and fracture zone azimuths related to the Jurassic spreading system.
Ghrelin Promotes Functional Angiogenesis in a Mouse Model of Critical Limb Ischemia Through Activation of Proangiogenic MicroRNAs
Authors: Katare Rajesh , Rawal Shruti , Munasinghe Pujika Emani , Tsuchimochi Hirotsugu , Inagaki Tadakatsu , Fujii Yutaka , Dixit Parul , Umetani Keiji , Kangawa Kenji , Shirai Mikiyasu , Schwenke Daryl O.
Published: December 2015

Current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI) have only limited success. Recent in vitro evidence in the literature, using cell lines, proposes that the peptide hormone ghrelin may have angiogenic properties. In this study, we aim to investigate if ghrelin could promote postischemic angiogenesis in a mouse model of CLI and, further, identify the mechanistic pathway(s) that underpin ghrelin's proangiogenic properties. CLI was induced in male CD1 mice by femoral artery ligation. Animals were then randomized to receive either vehicle or acylated ghrelin (150 μg/kg sc) for 14 consecutive days. Subsequently, synchrotron radiation microangiography was used to assess hindlimb perfusion. Subsequent tissue samples were collected for molecular and histological analysis. Ghrelin treatment markedly improved limb perfusion by promoting the generation of new capillaries and arterioles (internal diameter less than 50 μm) within the ischemic hindlimb that were both structurally and functionally normal; evident by robust endothelium-dependent vasodilatory responses to acetylcholine. Molecular analysis revealed that ghrelin's angiogenic properties were linked to activation of prosurvival Akt/vascular endothelial growth factor/Bcl-2 signaling cascade, thus reducing the apoptotic cell death and subsequent fibrosis. Further, ghrelin treatment activated proangiogenic (miR-126 and miR-132) and antifibrotic (miR-30a) microRNAs (miRs) while inhibiting antiangiogenic (miR-92a and miR-206) miRs. Importantly, in vitro knockdown of key proangiogenic miRs (miR-126 and miR-132) inhibited the angiogenic potential of ghrelin. These results therefore suggest that clinical use of ghrelin for the early treatment of CLI may be a promising and potent inducer of reparative vascularization through modulation of key molecular factors.
Why arboreal snakes should not be cylindrical: body shape, incline and surface roughness have interactive effects on locomotion
Authors: Jayne Bruce C. , Newman Steven J. , Zentkovich Michele M. , Berns H. Matthew
Published: December 2015

Depending on animal size, shape, body plan and behaviour, variation in surface structure can affect the speed and ease of locomotion. The slope of branches and the roughness of bark both vary considerably, but their combined effects on the locomotion of arboreal animals are poorly understood. We used artificial branches with five inclines and five peg heights (≤40 mm) to test for interactive effects on the locomotion of three snake species with different body shapes. Unlike boa constrictors (Boa constrictor), corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) and brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) can both form ventrolateral keels, which are most pronounced in B. irregularis. Increasing peg height up to 10 mm elicited more of the lateral undulatory behaviour (sliding contact without gripping) rather than the concertina behaviour (periodic static gripping) and increased the speed of lateral undulation. Increased incline: (1) elicited more concertina locomotion, (2) decreased speed and (3) increased the threshold peg height that elicited lateral undulation. Boiga irregularis was the fastest species, and it used lateral undulation on the most surfaces, including a vertical cylinder with pegs only 1 mm high. Overall, B. constrictor was the slowest and used the most concertina locomotion, but this species climbed steep, smooth surfaces faster than P. guttatus. Our results illustrate how morphology and two different aspects of habitat structure can have interactive effects on organismal performance and behaviour. Notably, a sharper keel facilitated exploiting shorter protrusions to prevent slipping and provide propulsion, which became increasingly important as surface steepness increased.
Culture and Institutions
Authors: Alesina Alberto , Giuliano Paola
Published: December 2015

A growing body of empirical work measuring different types of cultural traits has shown that culture matters for a variety of economic outcomes. This paper focuses on one specific aspect of the relevance of culture: its relationship to institutions. We review work with a theoretical, empirical, and historical bent to assess the presence of a two-way causal effect between culture and institutions. ( JEL D02, D72, I32, J12, Z13)
Variable effects of nicotine, anabasine, and their interactions on parasitized bumble bees
Authors: Thorburn Lukas P. , Adler Lynn S. , Irwin Rebecca E. , Palmer-Young Evan C.
Published: December 2015

Secondary metabolites in floral nectar have been shown to reduce parasite load in two common bumble bee species. Previous studies on the effects of nectar secondary metabolites on parasitized bees have focused on single compounds in isolation; however, in nature, bees are simultaneously exposed to multiple compounds. We tested for interactions between the effects of two alkaloids found in the nectar ofNicotianaspp. plants, nicotine and anabasine, on parasite load and mortality in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) infected with the intestinal parasiteCrithidia bombi. Adult worker bees inoculated withC. bombiwere fed nicotine and anabasine diet treatments in a factorial design, resulting in four nectar treatment combinations:  2 ppm nicotine, 5 ppm anabasine, 2ppm nicotine and 5 ppm anabasine together, or a control alkaloid-free solution. We conducted the experiment twice: first, with bees incubated under variable environmental conditions (‘Variable’; temperatures varied from 10-35°C with ambient lighting); and second, under carefully controlled environmental conditions (‘Stable’; 27°C incubator, constant darkness). In ‘Variable’, each alkaloid alone significantly decreased parasite loads, but this effect was not realized with the alkaloids in combination, suggesting an antagonistic interaction. Nicotine but not anabasine significantly increased mortality, and the two compounds had no interactive effects on mortality. In ‘Stable’, nicotine significantly increased parasite loads, the opposite of its effect in ‘Variable’. While not significant, the relationship between anabasine and parasite loads was also positive. Interactive effects between the two alkaloids on parasite load were non-significant, but the pattern of antagonistic interaction was similar to that in the variable experiment. Neither alkaloid, nor their interaction, significantly affected mortality under controlled conditions. Our results do not indicate synergy betweenNicotiananectar alkaloids; however, they do suggest a complex interaction between secondary metabolites, parasites, and environmental variables, in which secondary metabolites can be either toxic or medicinal depending on context.
Advances in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
Authors: Graham David G. , Banks Matthew R.
Published: December 2015

The rapidly moving technological advances in gastrointestinal endoscopy have enhanced an endoscopist’s ability to diagnose and treat lesions within the gastrointestinal tract. The improvement in image quality created by the advent of high-definition and magnification endoscopy, alongside image enhancement, produces images of superb quality and detail that empower the endoscopist to identify important lesions that have previously been undetectable. Additionally, we are now seeing technologies emerge, such as optical coherence tomography and confocal laser endomicroscopy, that allow the endoscopist to visualize individual cells on a microscopic level and provide a real time,in vivohistological assessment. Within this article we discuss these technologies, as well as some of the results from their early use in clinical studies.
Recent advances in treatment of severe primary immunodeficiencies
Authors: Gennery Andrew R.
Published: December 2015

Primary immunodeficiencies are rare, inborn errors that result in impaired, disordered or uncontrolled immune responses. Whilst symptomatic and prophylactic treatment is available, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an option for many diseases, leading to cure of the immunodeficiency and establishing normal physical and psychological health. Newborn screening for some diseases, whilst improving outcomes, is focusing research on safer and less toxic treatment strategies, which result in durable and sustainable immune function without adverse effects. New conditioning regimens have reduced the risk of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and new methods of manipulating stem cell sources should guarantee a donor for almost all patients. Whilst incremental enhancements in transplantation technique have gradually improved survival outcomes over time, some of these new applications are likely to radically alter our approach to treating primary immunodeficiencies.
Innovative Processes Audit in Agricultural Complex
Authors: Ветрова  , Vetrova I. , Ситнов  , Sitnov Alyeksyey
Published: December 2015

Th e proposed article summarized and systematized basic issues of innovative processes audit and the features

of auditing within the agricultural complex. It determines the principal features of audit investigation of specifi ed subject

area.
Linear Approximation of Costs As the Basis of Planning Company’s Activity
Authors: Машинистова  , Mashinistova G.
Published: December 2015

Th is paper considers the ways and methods of planning based on variable and fi xed costs, along with the need

of linear approximation of expenses as the basis of planning company’s activity.
Application of Coercimeters for Equipment Diagnostics
Authors: Сивирюк  , Siviryuk Vladimir , Безруков  , Bezrukov Aleksey
Published: December 2015

Introduction. Changes of metal structure commonly result in equipment failures; early recognition of such changes is necessary in order to prevent emergency situations. Coercimetry is a simple and informative method for metal structure estimation.

Method. The coercive force measurement method was used for estimation of the metal fatigue state.

Results. The article presents the results of coercive force measurement application for the diagnosis of blast furnace jackets, overhead cranes, load-bearing elements of buildings and structures, pressure vessels, industrial pipelines, chimney stacks, ropes of hoisting devices. Manual testing of the equipment working under metallurgical production conditions is complicated; in hard-to-reach places and gas hazardous areas the stationary testing system has been used; the system has included permanently installed sensors connected to the switchboard. The equipment residual life has been determined by the coercive force maximum values with the use of nomograms.

Conclusions. The coercive force measurement method for diagnostic survey of the equipment working under considerable thermal effect makes it possible to determine the metal stress state, predict zones of corrosion cracks formation and development, estimate the residual operation life, plan worn areas replacement/repair and as the final result – reduce unplanned and emergency shutdowns.
Technical Policy of Gazprom in the Field of Welding Production and Nondestructive Quality Testing of Welded Connections
Authors: Вышемирский  , Vyshemirskiy Evgeniy
Published: December 2015

Introduction. The article is based on the plenary report taken place on 22–24 September, 2015 in Minsk at the “Gazprom” branch meeting “Gas Transmission Objects. Nondestructive Testing of Welded Connections. Condition and Mainstreams”. Special attention is given to regulatory documents improvement for better implementation of advanced NDT means and materials compliant with “Gazprom” technical requirements.

Method. Route and qualification tests of modern NDT systems were fulfilled. On the basis of the tests results the “Program for development of nondestructive methods for welds quality testing for the period 2015-2017” was developed.

Results. Route tests have shown that full detection of inadmissible defects is only possible when radiographic and ultrasonic methods are used together. The tests have confirmed that the volume of testing with physical methods should be increased. The results have been processed and analyzed.

Conclusions. The updated “Register of nondestructive instruments for welded connections quality testing” has been prepared and then approved. The regulatory document for NDT of welded T-joints with covers has been developed with the aim to estimate their applicability for future operations.
Protection of Individuals Who Fell Victims to Car Accidents (Current Legislation and the Way It Is to Be Developed)
Authors: YAroshyenko Klavdiya
Published: December 2015

The article speaks of the ways and methods designed to perfect rules of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation relating to the compensation of damages caused by accidents. In defines specific features pertaining to the structure of obligations relating to the damage caused by a source of excessive danger. It explains the legal meaning of the power of attorney for driving as the basis to determine the proper defendant in legal claims for compensation. The author speaks of the need to establish all persons responsible for the damage caused along with the owner of the vehicle and to qualify them all guilty for the consequences.
Transnational Corruption as a Type of International Corpus Delicti
Authors: Gravina Alla
Published: December 2015

Over the last decades corruption was taking on a huge scale to become the most dangerous phenomenon in the world community and has made such crime transnational. However, there is no generally accepted definition of a corruption corpus delicti. The difficulty is that corruption manifests itself in various forms. International legal acts in general define such crime as transnational corpus delicti of corruption. Such definition includes: bribery (active and passive) of public officials, abuse of influence for corruption purposes, illegal enrichment, money laundering, particular forms of making obstacles for justice, introduction of criminal liability for legal entities. Universal human environment can be achieved through implementation of internationally accepted standards in national legislations. This article deals with implementation of the relevant international anti-corruption rules into the Russian Criminal Code, it also draws attention to those international rules which should be included into the Criminal Code to make anti-corruption actions successful. The article justifies amendments to the Russian Criminal Code relating to illegal enrichment, it extends the definition of bribery to include non-material benefits. The issue of re-introduction of the confiscation of property as a separate type of punishment has been raised more than once. Criminal liability for legal entities should make an issue. By way of concluding, the author suggests the framework definition of the corpus delicti of corruption as an international crime.
Expert Opinion and Evidence in Criminal Proceedings
Authors: Selina Elena
Published: December 2015

Expert opinion and evidence is a new kind of evidence in criminal proceedings. There are still a lot of gaps regarding the expert’s opinion in law and in practice. The expert invited by the defender for the criminal case study, conducts a short survey using portable equipment, if it does not damage the materials under study. This requires the judge’s permission. Polygraph testing is carried out by a specialist. The expert can check everything that is available for public inspection: streets, buildings, countryside. The defender can announce in court the information obtained on the expert’s advice.
Speculative Investors and Transactions Tax: Evidence from the Housing Market
Authors: Fu Yuming , Qian Wenlan , Yeung Bernard
Published: December 2015

This paper examines the impact of a policy change in transaction tax on speculators. The policy intervention took place in Singapore’s housing market; it effectively raised the transaction cost in a segment favored by short-term speculators. Relative to the unaffected control sample, we find that the rise in transaction cost, equivalent to a two- to three-percentage-point increase in transaction tax, reduced speculative trading in the treatment segment by 75% and raised its price volatility by 18%. It also significantly reduced price informativeness. We further show that the results are likely due to a relatively greater withdrawal by informed speculators than by destabilizing speculators following the transaction cost increase.

This paper was accepted by Amit Seru, finance.
Hidden Illiquidity with Multiple Central Counterparties
Authors: Glasserman Paul , Moallemi Ciamac C. , Yuan Kai
Published: December 2015

Regulatory changes are transforming the multitrillion dollar swaps market from a network of bilateral contracts to one in which swaps are cleared through central counterparties (CCPs). The stability of the new framework depends on the CCPs’ resilience. Margin requirements are a CCP’s first line of defense against the default of a counterparty. To capture liquidity costs at default, margin requirements need to increase superlinearly in position size. However, convex margin requirements create an incentive for a swaps dealer to split its positions across multiple CCPs, effectively “hiding” potential liquidation costs from each CCP. To compensate, each CCP needs to set higher margin requirements than it would in isolation. In a model with two CCPs, we define an equilibrium as a pair of margin schedules through which both CCPs collect sufficient margin under a dealer’s optimal allocation of trades. In the case of linear price impact, we show that a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an equilibrium is that the two CCPs agree on liquidity costs, and we characterize all equilibria when this holds. A difference in views can lead to a race to the bottom. We provide extensions of this result and discuss its implications for CCP oversight and risk management.
Learning by Hiring: The Effects of Scientists’ Inbound Mobility on Research Performance in Academia
Authors: Slavova Kremena , Fosfuri Andrea , De Castro Julio O.
Published: December 2015

This study investigates the effects of scientists’ inbound mobility on the research performance of incumbent scientists in an academic setting. The theoretical framework integrates insights from learning theory and social comparison theory to suggest two main mechanisms behind these effects: localized learning and social comparison. The authors propose several hypotheses about the conditions that might intensify or weaken such effects. Specifically, the arrival of new scientific personnel is likely to exert stronger positive effects on the performance of incumbent scientists with shorter (cf. longer) organizational tenure; in addition, academic departments with less diversified expertise and with higher levels of internal collaborations likely reap greater benefits from learning by hiring. The empirical findings, based on a longitudinal analysis of a sample of 94 U.S. academic chemical engineering departments, provide empirical support for these contentions.
The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Depression Levels on The Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Burn-Out
Authors: Yasar Hasan , Demir Selim
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study is to understand the mediation effects of teachers’ depression levels on the relationship between emotional labor and burnout. The study group in this research consists of 163 teachers working at Gaziantep schools during 2013-2014 academic year. Since the research aims to analyze mediation effect of teachers’ depression levels on the relationship between emotional labor and burnout, the research design employed in this study is relational scanning model. Maslach’s Burnout Scale, Emotional Labor Scale and Depression Scale were used as data collection tools. Regression analysis of the effect of emotional labor on burnout show that, after depression level is added to the model, the effect of emotional intelligence on burnout decreases which indicates that the depression level is a mediator variable in this relationship. Results of analysis regarding mediation effect of depression levels on the relationship between teachers’ emotional labor and burnout also illustrate that depression levels are partial mediator in this relationship. Within that context, it is recommended that activities that could decrease teachers’ depression levels at schools should be organized by school administrators. Some other recommendations are presented based on findings.
An Analysis of the Relationship between School Managers’ Change Leadership Style and Multi-Factorial Leadership Styles from the Views of Teachers
Authors: Ozkan Suna , Alev Sedat , Ercan Abdulkadir
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study has been to identify school managers’ leadership styles and levels in terms of teachers’ perceptions. The focus of the study includes primary, secondary and high schools in Şahinbey and Şehitkamil districts of Gaziantep. In the study, the selection of the sample, which consists of 228 teachers, was carried out by using the disproportionate cluster sampling method. The data have been collected via change leadership scale and multi-factorial leadership scale. For analysis of data Pearson Correlation coefficients have been used. According to the research results, teachers believe that among the multi-factorial leadership styles their managers show mostly transformational, transactional and change leadership behaviors, while they show laissez-faire leadership behaviors less frequently. It was also found out that there is a moderate relation between transformational and change leadership styles; a low-level weak relation between transformational and transactional leadership; and a low-level relation between transformational and laissez-faire leadership. On the other hand, there is a respectively low and meaningful relationship between change leadership and transactional leadership; a negative and very low relationship between change leadership and laissez-faire leadership. Finally, a low level relation has been detected between transactional leadership and laissez-faire leadership.
Teachers’ perception on the Relationship between Change Leadership and Organizational Commitment
Authors: Savas Ahmet Cezmi , Kosker Erkan , Demir Selcuk , Utar Nurten
Published: December 2015

The aim of this survey is to analyze the perception of teachers regarding the relationship between change leadership and organizational commitment. The study sample is 221 teachers working in the schools of Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin during the 2014-15 educational year since it is easier to reach them. The sample choice of our study has been made by applying the disproportionate cluster sampling method. According to the linear regression analysis results; change leadership predicts organizational commitment in a positive way. Also, multiple regression analysis results indicate that change-selling behaviors of change leadership predict organizational commitment significantly. It is beneficial for principals who want to increase the organizational commitment of teachers to exhibit change leadership behaviors in schools.
Profil Kreativitas Mahasiswa Berdasarkan Gaya Berpikirnya dalam Memecahkan Masalah Fisika di Universitas Negeri Makassar
Authors: Bacong Hartono , S Subaer
Published: December 2015

A research that aims to determine the profile of student’s creative who have a concrete sequential thinking styles, sequential abstract, concrete random, and abstract random in solving physics problems at the State University of Makassar. This study is a qualitative research. The sample was taken by using purposive random sampling technique. The data obtained were analyzed using Miles and Hubermann model. The results describe creativity of student thinking style in solving physics problems. The conclusion shows that the concrete sequential of thinking’s style "less creative", abstract sequential "quite creative", random concrete "less creative" and abstract random "creative" in solving physics problems at the State University of Makassar
The use of urological hospital services by nonagenarians
Authors: Pridgeon S , Nagarajan E , Ellis G , Green JS
Published: December 2015

Introduction

The super-elderly population is a small but expanding group of patients who will pose a significant challenge to future healthcare resources. A snapshot audit was completed of all emergency and elective urological nonagenarian activity in a UK general hospital, including surgical outcomes in this group of patients.

Methods

Prospective and retrospective databases and clinical records were examined to identify all patients aged 90–99 years who had patient episodes between January 2006 and August 2012. Patient outcomes were compared with those for a similar cohort of 80–89-year-olds during the same time period.

Results

A total of 653 nonagenarian patient episodes were identified (including 138 emergency admissions, 25 emergency surgical procedures, 71 elective surgical procedures, 173 local anaesthetic procedures and 270 outpatient visits). The in-hospital mortality rate for emergency admissions was 10%. The mean length of hospital stay was significantly longer for nonagenarians than for octogenarians (14.4 vs 6.5 days, p<0.00001). The postoperative mortality rate following emergency and elective surgery was 16% and 1% for nonagenarians and octogenarians respectively.

Conclusions

Nonagenarian patients often have complex medical co-morbidities and challenging social circumstances that contribute to delayed recovery from acute illness and surgery as well as long periods of hospitalisation. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach with formal input from specialist geriatric surgical services may improve patient outcomes and allow patients to be discharged to their former places of residence.
Partial salvage of avulsed tissue after dog bite
Authors: Øregaard JS , Lang CL , Venzo A
Published: December 2015

Injuries to the nose can be severe from both a functional and cosmetic perspective. After suffering a dog bite to the central part of the face, an 18-year old woman underwent replantation of the avulsed tissue with the help of microsurgical arterial anastomosis. A venous anastomosis was impossible and venous congestion was treated with leech therapy. Subsequent skin necrosis occurred after a few days and the replantation was revised, revealing healthy tissue immediately below. The defect was covered with a full-thickness skin graft. At follow-up review eight months later, the functional and cosmetic result was satisfactory. To our knowledge, this is one of few cases where an injury of this severity healed with a cosmetically acceptable result.
The Recent Transformations in the Cuban Economy
Authors: Dr José Luís Rodríguez
Published: December 2015

This article traces the origins and reasons for the ‘Lineamientos de la Política Económica y Social del Partido y la Revolución’ (Guidelines for Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution) adopted by the sixth Communist Party of Cuba Congress held in April 2011. It explains how this broad economic plan envisages a transformation of the Cuban economy utilising market mechanisms that are aimed at preserving socialism, in contrast to the former socialist countries where the reforms that were undertaken changed the system, rather than adapting it. The article uses economic data to discuss the progress made in the adoption of the principles contained in the Guidelines, analyses the problems that remain to be solved and offers some predictions as to the course of future developments. It concludes that the new reforms will allow Cuba to move gradually towards a sustainable socialist society without abandoning the principles of solidarity that characterise it, and which will compare favourably to the alternative that neoliberalism offers today.
The ‘Cuban Spring’ Fallacy: The Current Incarnation of a Persistent Narrative
Authors: Lana Wylie  , Lisa Glidden
Published: December 2015

This paper explores the role of communications technology in the U.S.-Cuban relationship. It argues that the idea that anti-government dissidents will use the Internet, cell phones, and social media to foment a popular uprising on the island, modelled after the ‘Arab Spring’ is flawed because it fails to take into account the uniqueness of the Cuban situation. The paper then explores how it has become possible for this idea to have gained such traction in certain discourses in the United States. In doing so, the paper considers the history of paternalism and imperial hubris that has dominated U.S. policy toward Cuba, with an emphasis on the relationship during the Castro era. The paper demonstrates that current U.S. policy rests on fallacious assumptions about Cuba, the Cuban state and the relationship between the Cuban state and the Cuban people. The belief in a ‘Cuban Spring’ and in the idea that the United States could engender revolution in Cuba via communications technology is part of this larger narrative.
Beyond Essence: Performing Gender and Sexuality in Ena Lucía Portela's Cien botellas en una pared
Authors: Karen S. Christian
Published: December 2015

Set against a backdrop of the chaotic, crumbling Cuban capital and the multiple crises of the Special Period, Ena Lucía Portela's 2002 novel Cien botellas en una pared portrays both consequences of economic collapse and the breakdown of traditional paradigms of gender and sexuality. In the text, the connection between biological sex and gender performance appears to be arbitrary; virtually all of the female characters are lesbians, while the male characters are either gay or emasculated heterosexuals. This essay argues that Portela's novel problematises the (hetero)sexist norms that have persisted in Cuban society, dismantling patriarchy in favour of a fluid, amorphous social structure in which power itself becomes ephemeral. While the image of La Habana presented in Cien botellas en una pared is far from utopian, the text nonetheless questions rigid hierarchies of gender and sexuality to a degree that is trailblazing in Cuban fiction of the Período especial.
The Milgram-Holocaust Linkage: Challenging the Present Consensus
Authors: Russell Nestar , Gregory Robert
Published: December 2015

Stanley Milgram's assertion that his “Obedience to Authority” (OTA) experiments replicated, in a laboratory setting, quintessential features of perpetrator behaviour during the Holocaust has been widely challenged. Most contemporary scholarship on this issue, known as the “Milgram-Holocaust (M-H) linkage”, argues that Milgram's experiments failed to capture important factors such as ideology, policy, bureaucracy and technology, which more fully explain perpetrator behaviour. However, it is argued here that when the obedience research programme is viewed from a different angle – that of being an emerging policy-driven bureaucratic process in pursuit of “scientific” goals with an impersonal means of inflicting harm – the interplay of factors such as ideology, policy, bureaucracy and technology did in fact play a central role in generating Milgram's high baseline completion rate. Hence, there is a much stronger theoretical connection between the OTA experiments and the Nazi state's perpetration of the Holocaust than the current scholarly consensus allows.
Black women in the marketplace: everyday gender-based risks against Haiti's madan saras (women traders)
Authors: Caroline Shenaz Hossein
Published: December 2015

In Haiti, madan saras have for centuries personalised economics through a sistèm pratik that has institutionalised market operations by connecting buyers and sellers. This study – based on 77 interviews, mainly (73%) with madan saras from northern Haiti – exposes gender-based violence (GBV) towards Black women entrepreneurs, examining the views of the madan saras about their work and using the framework of Black feminist theory to contextualise their experience. Despite social awareness of the contributions of madan saras, the pervasive GBV against madan saras in business is ignored by society and policymakers, and Haitian women must contend with these risks by themselves.
Working conditions in Ghana's export processing zone and women's empowerment
Authors: Faustina Adomaa Obeng  , Charlotte Wrigley-Asante  , Joseph Kofi Teye
Published: December 2015

Globalisation and the spread of export processing zones (EPZs) have created new opportunities in Ghana for women to obtain paid work. However, the empowering effects of this employment are quite poorly understood. This article examines the relationship between working conditions in EPZs and the empowerment of women. Although EPZs are globally depicted as characterised by harsh working conditions which militate against women's empowerment, the situation in Ghana is relatively better and this type of employment has enhanced the economic and psychological well-being of some women. However, the insecurity of jobs in the EPZs is a major hindrance to their empowerment.
Need for security and system fairness on the political extremes
Authors: Þórisdóttir Hulda , Önnudóttir Eva Heiða
Published: December 2015

We advance and empirically test the idea that people on both the far right and far left will be more likely than political moderates to perceive the system as fair, as long as it serves their heightened needs for security. We argue that political extremists may be especially drawn to systems that offer certainty and security. As long as ideological extremists are not alienated from the political system in general, they will, therefore, be especially motivated to see the system as fair, in particular, if extremism is coupled with a heightened need for security. We test this notion using data from Iceland, a country with a wide left–right spread in terms of the political opinions of both parties and people and which was, at the time of the study, still reeling from an economic crisis that strongly affected political trust and threatened people’s sense of security. We analyzed nationally representative data from the European Social Survey in 2012 (N = 752). The results showed a significant three-way interaction between political extremism, the need for security, and political trust in predicting perceived system fairness. The people most likely to perceive the system as fair were political extremists, with relatively high political trust and need for security. The results are discussed in light of context effects and how people on the left and right might have higher needs for security with different threats in mind.
Productivity and Institutions
Authors: Zoega Gylfi
Published: December 2015

Differences in productivity account for differences in output per capita between countries as well as changes in output and the standard of living for each country over long periods of time. During the first industrial revolution, one could already see the emergence of two groups of countries: the high- and the low-GDP per capita countries. The list of countries belonging to the highproductivity group has not changed much over the past century. Differences in institutions separate the two clubs. The high-productivity group is, amongst many other differences, characterized by less corruption, a better legal system, superior enforcement of contracts, a lower cost of starting a business and lower tariffs. Historical output series for Britain going back to the mid-19th century show that productivity has increased greatly and improved the standard of living.
Model-based Acceleration Control of Turbofan Engines with a Hammerstein-Wiener Representation
Authors: Wang Jiqiang , Ye Zhifeng , Hu Zhongzhi , Wu Xin , Dimirovsky Georgi , Yue Hong
Published: December 2015

Acceleration control of turbofan engines is conventionally designed through either schedule-based or acceleration-based approach. With the widespread acceptance of model-based design in aviation industry, it becomes necessary to investigate the issues associated with model-based design for acceleration control. In this paper, the challenges for implementing model-based acceleration control are explained; a novel Hammerstein-Wiener representation of engine models is introduced; based on the Hammerstein-Wiener model, a nonlinear generalized minimum variance type of optimal control law is derived; the feature of the proposed approach is that it does not require the inversion operation that usually upsets those nonlinear control techniques. The effectiveness of the proposed control design method is validated through a detailed numerical study.
Acetylcholine from Visual Circuits Modulates the Activity of Arousal Neurons inDrosophila
Authors: Muraro Nara I. , Ceriani M. Fernanda
Published: December 2015

Drosophila melanogaster's large lateral ventral neurons (lLNvs) are part of both the circadian and sleep-arousal neuronal circuits. In the past, electrophysiological analysis revealed that lLNvs fire action potentials (APs) in bursting or tonic modes and that the proportion of neurons firing in those specific patterns varies circadianly. Here, we provide evidence that lLNvs fire in bursts both during the day and at night and that the frequency of bursting is what is modulated in a circadian fashion. Moreover, we show that lLNvs AP firing is not only under cell autonomous control, but is also modulated by the network, and in the process we develop a novel preparation to assess this. We demonstrate that lLNv bursting mode relies on a cholinergic input because application of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists impairs this firing pattern. Finally, we found that bursting of lLNvs depends on an input from visual circuits that includes the cholinergic L2 monopolar neurons from the lamina. Our work sheds light on the physiological properties of lLNvs and on a neuronal circuit that may provide visual information to these important arousal neurons.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCircadian rhythms are important for organisms to be able to anticipate daily changes in environmental conditions to adjust physiology and behavior accordingly. These rhythms depend on an endogenous mechanism that operates in dedicated neurons. In the fruit fly, the large lateral ventral neurons (lLNvs) are part of both the circadian and sleep-arousal neuronal circuits. Here, we provide new details about the firing properties of these neurons and demonstrate that they depend, not only on cell-autonomous mechanisms, but also on a specific neurotransmitter derived from visual circuits. Our work sheds light on the physiological properties of lLNvs and on a neuronal circuit that may provide visual information to these important arousal neurons.
Role of IL-10 in Resolution of Inflammation and Functional Recovery after Peripheral Nerve Injury
Authors: Siqueira Mietto Bruno , Kroner Antje , Girolami Elizabeth I. , Santos-Nogueira Eva , Zhang Ji , David Samuel
Published: December 2015

A rapid proinflammatory response after peripheral nerve injury is required for clearance of tissue debris (Wallerian degeneration) and effective regeneration. Unlike the CNS, this response is rapidly terminated in peripheral nerves starting between 2 and 3 weeks after crush injury. We examined the expression and role of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the resolution of inflammation and regeneration after sciatic nerve crush injury in mice. IL-10 mRNA increased over the first 7 d after injury, whereas at the protein level, immunofluorescence labeling showed IL-10+cells increased almost 3-fold in the first 3 weeks, with macrophages being the major cell type expressing IL-10. The role of IL-10 in nerve injury was assessed using IL-10-null mice. Increased numbers of macrophages were found in the distal segment of IL-10-null mice at early (3 d) and late (14 and 21 d) time points, suggesting that IL-10 may play a role in controlling the early influx and the later efflux of macrophages out of the nerve. A chemokine/cytokine PCR array of the nerve 24 h after crush showed a 2- to 4-fold increase in the expression of 10 proinflammatory mediators inIL-10−/−mice. In addition, myelin phagocytosisin vitroby LPS stimulated bone-marrow-derived macrophages from IL-10-null mice failed to downregulate expression of proinflammatory chemokines/cytokines, suggesting that IL-10 is required for the myelin-phagocytosis-induced shift of macrophages from proinflammatory to anti-inflammatory/pro-repair phenotype. The failure to switch off inflammation in IL-10-null mice was accompanied by impaired axon regeneration and poor recovery of motor and sensory function.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAn appropriately regulated inflammatory response after peripheral nerve injury is essential for axon regeneration and recovery. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and role of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in terminating inflammation after sciatic nerve crush injury and promoting regeneration. IL-10 is rapidly expressed by macrophages after crush injury. Its role was assessed using IL-10-null mice, which showed that IL-10 plays a role in controlling the early influx and the later efflux of macrophages out of the injured nerve, reduces the expression of proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines, and is required for myelin-phagocytosis-induced shift of macrophages from proinflammatory to anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, lack of IL-10 leads to impaired axon regeneration and poor recovery of motor and sensory function.