bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Policy Entrepreneurship and Policy Transfer: Flood Risk Governance in Northern Sweden
Authors: Petridou Evangelia , Olausson Pär M.
Published: January 2017

Central to policies relating to risk governance at the regional and local levels is the interaction between the public and private sectors also referred to as networked governance. At the same time, the role of political actors in general and policy entrepreneurs in particular, in terms of policy change, has gained considerable traction in recent policy scholarship. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in governance arrangements resulting in the formation of a coordination network in regional flood risk management-the first of its kind in Sweden. Our research is guided by the following questions: first, would the policy change (the establishment of the networks)have taken place if a policy entrepreneur were not part of the policy transfer process? Second, what is the role of policy entrepreneurship in the implementation of the policy after its nationwide adoption? Third, what other factors played a role in the variation of the results in the implemented policy that is, the enforced networks? We find the role of a policy entrepreneur key in the policy transfer from the regional to the national level. In order to investigate the resultant networks, we draw from B. Guy Peters (1998) and his conceptualization of factors which affect the politics of coordination. In addition to the presence of a policy entrepreneur, we compare: (i) pluriformity of network members;(ii) member interdependence; (iii) redundancy of structures, and (iv) degree of formality (in terms of meetings). Our findings suggest that entrepreneurs contribute to the variation in the functionality of the enforced river groups, though other factors play a significant role as well.Most importantly, perhaps, we did not identify entrepreneurs in any of the river groups which were not functional.
Occurrence and dynamics of Impatiens parviflora depending on various environmental conditions in the protected areas in Slovakia
Authors: Bobuľská Lenka , Macková Dagmar , Malina Radovan , Demková Lenka
Published: January 2017

Biological invasion as one of the main threats to natural ecosystems has big economic impact on conservation of nature. Studies of the population biology of invasive species may allow more precise focus on specific plant and soil characteristics involved in invasiveness. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between selected biological population characteristics of Impatiens parviflora and a few chosen chemical and physical soil features. Sites were selected because of the poor mapping of invasive plants in the protected natural areas and their interactions with specific soil characteristics. Research on I. parviflora was realised during a vegetation season in three forest nature reserves in Prešov district, Slovakia. Some population biological characteristics of I. parviflora as one of the most invasive plant species in Slovakia and Central Europe were surveyed. The correlation between the numbers of plants was analysed, as well as select population biological characteristics of I. parviflora (plant height, width of the largest leaf and the number of flowers/fruits) on some select chemical and physical soil attributes (soil pH, bulk density, porosity and soil moisture) were analysed. The results suggest that biological characteristics of I. parviflora in three different microhabitats – a meadow (a habitat without tree vegetation), a habitat close to the stumps and a habitat under dense tree vegetation seemed to influence the selected soil parameters. Our results showed that I. parviflora prefers acidic and non-compacted soil conditions. Sunlight and soil moisture do not show statistically significant differences on any biological characteristic of the population. The results also suggest that the autecology of I. parviflora in Western and Central Europe is not very well known and deserves further study.
Spatial Aspects of University Graduates in Slovakia
Authors: Rafaj Oliver , Rehák Štefan
Published: January 2017

University and college graduates do not represent just a highly skilled workforce. They are holders of a high level of education and they serve also as a component of human capital that have a high potential for increase productivity, create new jobs and discover new innovative production processes. This contribution deals with the concentration and dispersion of the production of university and college graduates of master level studies in Slovak cities, as holders of a high level of human capital. Examined were 41 of 46 fields of master level studies, which were assigned to 6 groups of studies. Within the overall production of graduates, there was observed a dispersion of production, because during the observed time period, between 1997 and 2015, the competition between cities in generating graduates of master level studies has increased. Within the production of individual groups of studies, the evolution was not so clear. In some groups of studies, the production of master level graduates has concentrated over the observed period time, in other groups the production has dispersed and in one group of studies the situation has not changed.
Will Distance to the Capital City Matter When Supplying New Cities in Egypt?
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed R. , Masoumi Houshmand E.
Published: January 2017

Unlike other developing countries, the housing market in Egypt is characterized by densely populated urban areas in old cities and the peripheral urban agglomeration. In contrast, a high rate of vacancy along most of the new cities that have been established since the 1980s is seen. Regardless of such high rate of vacancies, still the variation in occupancy rates among those new cities is notable. Questions arising include: Does proximity to old cities or Greater Cairo affect the size of the population of the new cities? Is the size of the city or the year of establishment plays roles in attracting more inhabitants? The factors of spatial characteristics of new cities in Egypt remain questionable. This research aims to reveal the association between occupancy rate and six factors related to the spatial characteristics of new cities and their geographical locations, such as; current inhabitants, the estimated size of the target group, the size of new cities, total number of housing units, distance to nearby old city, and distance to Greater Cairo.
Population Development and its Typology in the Czech Republic at the Level of Micro-regions
Authors: Šašek Miloslav
Published: January 2017

The contribution mainly focuses on monitoring of the population development in the Czech Republic, particularly at the micro-regional level. It monitors development of the natural population change, migration, and overall population development in two monitored periods, and conducts SO ORP typology based on this development with respect to the natural population change, migration, and overall increase. Today, the migration in the developed regions is the determinative element of the population development. To put it simply, the determinative division of the migration population development is into two units (east and west zone, Moravia and Bohemia), where Moravia has negative migration and Bohemia sees positive migration; however, there are significant differences in the middle of the units where Brno metropolitan area has highly positive migration, especially from the rest of Moravia and Silesia, and on the contrary, Karlovy Vary region sees significantly negative migration; over the last years, the negative migration has been relatively higher compared to Moravia-Silesia Region. The micro-regions at SO ORP level assist us in distinguishing of continuous territories with either positive or negative population development.
Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior of Vanadium Microalloyed Cryogenic Fine Grain Structural Steel Pipe at High Strain Rate
Authors: Zhou S. S. , Liu X. Q. , Liu Z. L. , Hou Z. G. , Tian Q. C.
Published: January 2017

Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior of a vanadium microalloyed steel pipe was systematically investigated at temperatures range of 850–1,200 °C and a strain rate of 5 s−1 on a Gleeble-3800 thermo-simulation machine. Constitutive equation was obtained by characteristic points of DRX which derived from the strain hardening rate and stress curves. DRX kinetics model was established for determining the recrystallization volume fraction (X). Effect of dynamic precipitation of V(C, N) imposed on DRX at temperatures from 850–1,000 °C was analyzed. Results show that true stress-strain curves exhibited no clearly defined stress peaks with typical dynamic recovery behavior. X increased from 43.9 % to 100 % with increasing deformation temperature, which was in reasonable agreement with the observation of microstructure. Moreover, the calculation pinning force of V(C, N) precipitates was weaker than the recrystallization driving force, revealing that V(C, N) precipitates could effectively retard rather than prevent the progress of DRX.
Free Market Institutions and FDI Performance in Emerging Asian Economies
Authors: Vogiatzoglou Klimis
Published: January 2017

This paper examines long-term developments in the quality and efficiency of free market institutional systems across thirteen emerging economies from South, South-east, and East Asia over the 1995–2014 period. The paper also empirically assesses the impact of free market institutions on a country’s inward foreign direct investment (FDI) performance. We find that the free market institutional framework in most economies is still relatively inefficient, restrictive, and underdeveloped but has, nevertheless, substantially improved during the last twenty-year period. Our empirical results also indicate that a free market institutional system in a host-country is a factor that attracts inward FDI to emerging Asian economies by multinational companies. Consequently, policy makers should focus on further improving the quality of free market institutions.
Comparative Models of Capitalism in the Areas of Financial System and Corporate Governance – the Diversity of Capitalism Approach Perspective
Authors: Pisany Paweł
Published: January 2017

This article presents and assesses the methodology and results of a comparative analysis conducted by Bruno Amable in financial systems and corporate governance in the context of current policy and regulatory challenges. The article, which is based on a literature review and game theory examples, first describes and evaluates the methodology and final classification given by Amable. The role of Amable’s core concept; namely, institutional complementarity, is underlined. A game theory application in comparative institutional studies is then presented, including the author’s own “institutional game.” Finally, we assess Amable’s achievements in financial systems and corporate governance, concluding that they are valuable, innovative and useful despite some (perhaps justified) criticisms of the framework Amable used. In particular, the value of introducing institutional complementarity into comparative studies should not be underestimated. The analysis presented here suggests that Amable’s methodology may also be applicable when designing current financial reforms in the EU, especially European Capital Markets Union (CMU), because it can broaden policy maker’s horizons and promote consistent solutions.
Thomas Hodgskin, Socialist or Anti-Privilege Libertarian?
Authors: Mingardi Alberto
Published: January 2017

Thomas Hodgskin (1797–1869) is still studied as a forerunner of modern socialism: in fact, he is typically characterized as a prominent “Ricardian socialist”. Among the most influential of Hodgskin’s works was his pamphlet Labour Defended Against the Claims of Capital (1825a), thus prefiguring with its very title announces a denunciation of capitalism. Hodgskin’s work should be considered instead in its entirety, paying proper attention to its nuances. If Hodgskin indeed chastised “capitalism,” he meant precisely what we now call “crony capitalism.” He did not condemn the “higgling of the market,” which he thought should be the sole mechanism by which resources, including human labour, are allocated. But he saw clearly that legislative meddling served specific interests and often prevented market forces to emerge and blossom. If he was unfriendly towards the “capitalist” class, it was only because he saw them as disproportionally benefiting from the favour of political power. Hodgskin denounced the idle classes but did not want to substitute the market process with any alternative distributive scheme. He considered a sound understanding of an innovation-fostering economy incompatible with archaic distribution of privilege on the part of government. His work can help to clarify how embracing the market economy did and does not entail a defence of the status quo.
Performance of FSO Links using CSRZ, RZ, and NRZ and Effects of Atmospheric Turbulence
Authors: Nadeem Lubna , Saadullah Qazi M. , Hassam Ammar
Published: January 2017

Free space optical (FSO) communication is a wireless communication technology in which data is transferred from one point to another through highly directed beam of light. The main factors that limit the FSO link availability is the local weather conditions. It guarantees the potential of high bandwidth capacity over unlicensed optical wavelengths. The transmission medium of FSO is atmosphere and is significantly affected by the various weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, wind, etc. In this paper, the modulation techniques under consideration are RZ, NRZ and CSRZ. Analysis is carried out regarding Q-factor with respect to varying distance, bit rates and input laser power.
Prediction of a Newbuilding Proce of the Bulk Carriers based on Gross Tonnage GT and Main Engine Power
Authors: Cepowska Żaneta , Cepowski Tomasz
Published: January 2017

The paper presents mathematical relationships that allow us to forecast the newbuilding price of new bulk carriers, based on data concerning vessels built in 2005-2015. The presented approximations allow us to estimate the price based on a gross tonnage capacity and a main engine power The approximations were developed using linear regression and the theory of artificial neural networks. The presented relations have practical application for estimation of bulk carrier newbuilding price needed in preliminary parametric design of the ship. It follows from the above that the use of artificial neural networks to predict the price of a bulk carrier brings more accurate solutions than linear regression.
Biosurfactants’ Production from Renewable Natural Resources: Example of Innovativeand Smart Technology in Circular Bioeconomy
Authors: Satpute Surekha K. , Płaza Grażyna A. , Banpurkar Arun G.
Published: January 2017

A strong developed bio-based industrial sector will significantly reduce dependency on fossil resources, help the countries meet climate change targets, and lead to greener and more environmental friendly growth. The key is to develop new technologies to sustainably transform renewable natural resources into bio-based products and biofuels. Biomass is a valuable resource and many parameters need to be taken in to account when assessing its use and the products made from its. The bioeconomy encompass the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed and bio-based products (chemicals, materials and fuels) via innovative and efficient technologies provided by industrial biotechnology. The paper presents the smart and efficient way to use the agro-industrial, dairy and food processing wastes for biosurfactant’s production. Clarification processes are mandatory to use the raw substrates for microbial growth as well as biosurfactant production for commercial purposes. At the same time it is very essential to retain the nutritional values of those cheap substrates. Broad industrial perspectives can be achieved when quality as well as the quantity of the biosurfactant is considered in great depth. Since substrates resulting from food processing, dairy, animal fat industries are not explored in great details; and hence are potential areas which can be explored thoroughly.
Ecological Growth Boundaries
Authors: Bluszcz Anna
Published: January 2017

The trends of the society for the continuous growth, combined with the demographic changes, today have led to the important ecological problems on a global scale, which include, among others: the increased use of non-renewable natural resources, an increase of the greenhouse gas emissions, contamination of soil, water, air and the progressive degradation of ecosystems. In the face of such serious threats the global initiatives of all countries are important to limit the results of the excessive consumption. The aim of the article is to present the methods of measurement of the consumption level of natural resources by the societies and the examination of relationships between the level of development of the societies and the use of resources. The popular measure – the ecological footprint – was used as a measurement method for the consumption of the today’s generations in relation to the regenerative possibilities of the natural environment. On the other hand, as the assessment method for the level of development of societies – the Human Development Index (HDI), including three basic areas: the life expectancy, GDP level per capita and education was used. The results of the research indicate that the current trend of the unlimited consumption of the highly developed countries takes place at the expense of the future generations.
Degradation of the State of a Ball Track at the ZP 6600
Authors: Klouda Petr , Moni Vlastimil , Blata Jan , Donát Lubomír , Helebrant František
Published: January 2017

The article deals with the examination of the state of the ball track of the heavy mining machine ZP6600/Z79. It gives results of material exams which were taken on given samples and describes the progress and results of the numerical computation of the state of tenseness by finite element method of the bottom part of the ball track when it touches the ball.
The failure of intergovernmentalism in tackling the EU crisis and the European Parliament’s initiative
Authors: Castaldi Roberto
Published: January 2017

The EU is facing a multi-faceted, existential, crisis; it is an economic and social crisis in some countries, a political and cultural crisis all over the EU and a geopolitical crisis at the international level. National governments have taken the lead in the crisis management of the EU: the European Council has become the dominant institution and the intergovernmental method has come back into fashion. But intergovernmentalism has failed: since 2008 the crisis keeps getting worse. Intergovernmentalism is leading towards the EU’s disintegration. Among many voices to save the EU, it is interesting that the supranational institutions, and particularly the Parliament, are taking on themselves the responsibility to take the initiative and indicate a possible way forward for the Union.
The Establishment of Metropolitan Cities in Italy: An Advance or a Setback for Italian Regionalism?
Authors: Boggero Giovanni
Published: January 2017

This paper aims to provide a brief assessment of the legal framework of the newly established metropolitan cities in the Italian domestic legal order. After an historical overview of previous attempts to set up metropolitan cities in Italy (1), it summarizes the main statutory provisions of the Delrio Law (No. 56/2014) through which metropolitan cities finally came into operation (2) and it provides an analysis of its implementation, thereby attempting to make clear whether increased institutional pluralism and differentiation in the local government system will strengthen or weaken Italian regionalism (3). The conclusion will argue that, while the enactment of local government reforms combined with the entering into force of a significant constitutional amendment will increasingly diminish the role of the Regions, metropolitan cities, due to their ambivalent nature, still lack any propulsive thrust and face the risk of being marginalized until a consistent legal framework for their proper funding is laid down (4).
Constitutional Politics in East Germany and the Grand Coalition State
Authors: Reutter Werner
Published: January 2017

Constitutional politics seemingly corroborate the assumption that Germany is a Grand Coalition state. In this perspective German cooperative federalism and the supermajority required for any amendment to the constitution privilege bargaining and intertwined policy-making as modes of conflict resolution and thus support grand coalitions. In this paper I will explore whether this theory can explain constitutional politics in the German Länder. Firstly, I examine how far sub-national constitutional politics match the functioning of cooperative federalism that is a defining feature of the Grand Coalition state. Secondly, I examine sub-national constitutional politics in the five new Länder and bring the role parties played in this policy field to the fore. Overall, I conclude that cooperative federalism did not impact on constitutional politics in East Germany and that the features of consensus democracy are only partly able to explain law-making in this sector.
Austerity on the loose in Portugal: European judicial restraint in times of crisis
Authors: Coutinho Francisco Pereira
Published: January 2017

The international bailout granted to Portugal between 2011 and 2014 was conditional on the adoption by the Portuguese State of austerity measures included in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union (EU) and the Member States. The MoU was never published in an official journal or even translated into the Portuguese language. Its implementation caused a significant decrease in the level of protection of social rights.

The compatibility of the MoU with core principles of the rule of law and with the EU’s social Constitution was never tested in court. A systemic failure in the jurisdictional system of the EU immunized the MoU to any judicial challenge. At the apex of the system, the Court of Justice of the EU declined to answer preliminary references submitted by Portuguese lower courts that questioned the compatibility with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU of national budgetary measures that implemented the MoU. At the bottom, Portuguese courts either failed to properly identify the EU law acts that were the source of national austerity measures or disregarded their role as common EU law courts of ordinary jurisdiction when they bypassed the opportunity to refer a question for a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice challenging the validity of the MoU.
An open-sourced statistical application for identifying complex toxicological interactions of environmental pollutants
Authors: Perkins Jordan T. , Petriello Michael C. , Xu Li , Stromberg Arnold , Hennig Bernhard
Published: January 2017

The rising number of chemicals that humans are exposed to on a daily basis, as well as advances in biomonitoring and detection technologies have highlighted the diversity of individual exposure profiles (complex body burdens). To address this, the toxicological sciences have begun to shift away from examining toxic agents or stressors individually to focusing on more complex models with multiple agents or stressors present. Literature on interactions between chemicals is fairly limited in comparison with dose-response studies on individual toxicants, which is largely due to experimental and statistical challenges. Experimental designs capable of identifying these complex interactions are often avoided or not evaluated to their fullest potential because of the difficulty associated with appropriate analysis as well as logistical factors. To assist with statistical analysis of these types of experiments, an online, open-sourced statistical application was created for investigators to use to analyze and interpret potential toxicant interactions in laboratory experimental data using a full-factorial three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). This model utilizes backward selection on interaction terms to model main effects and interactions.
An Economic Viewpoint on Capitalism Bashing
Authors: Burnete Sorin
Published: January 2017

In this paper I discuss two long disputed notions: that capitalism without crises is a fallacy respectively that capitalism bashing, however severe, will not endanger the system itself. Yet proving both is not an easy task since the capitalism issue has always been a cupellation of theory, ideology and political precepts, which are controversial and hard to disentangle. That capitalism detractors are numberless is a truism. Yet criticism against capitalism, however fierce, has always been clearly delineated. Not any more: globalization has rendered the picture dangerously fuzzy. It is now hard to ascertain whether someone who will harangue about the ostensible evils of globalization is also a declared anti-capitalist. The blend of capitalism and globalization seems to be pure dynamite.
Particularities of the European Consumer’s Behavior in Online Environments
Authors: Duralia Oana
Published: January 2017

Although it is no longer a novelty that the Internet has now become “fashionable”, being a means of informing, socializing and trading, which is being increasingly used by the general public, it is now imperative to study the implications of its use both on the consumer, including all the roles that it can take (initiating, financing, influencing, decision making, actual consumption of goods and services) and on the marketer, who is forced to consider the Internet as a marketing tool that can be used as a lever to generate positive reactions from the consumers. Against this background, the orientation of the individuals towards the online environment, defined by specialized literature as “the second life”, comes to justify, on the one hand, the consumers’ need for social interaction, and, on the other hand, the need for comfort and speed in identifying optimal alternatives. This paper aims to address only a facet of the behavior of the digital consumer, proposing a theoretical and instrumental analysis of the purchasing behavior of online goods and services.
Effect of Dimensions of Service Quality on the Brand Equity in the Fast Food Industry
Authors: Esmaeilpour Majid , Mohamadi Zahra , Rajabi Azade
Published: January 2017

Due to the increasing competition in the industry and service sectors, creating the powerful brands has great importance in these industries. One of the main factors that help to create a powerful brand is investment and improving the quality of services. Nowadays, the competition for improving the quality of services is raised as a key strategic issue for organizations that operate in the services sector. The aim of this research is to investigate how the dimensions of service quality affect the brand equity in the fast food industry. The customers of fast food industry (Restaurant Raphael) in Boushehr constitute the statistical population of this research. Given that the statistical population is unlimited, through sampling 390 questionnaires were distributed, collected and analyzed. For analyzing the data, the structural equations modelling was used by help of the software smart PLS. The results show that the entire dimensions of service quality of model SERVQUAL (tangible factors of services, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) have a positive and significant impact on the brand equity. It also became clear that among the five dimensions of quality of services, the tangible factors of services have the most impact on the brand equity in the fast food industry. So implementing the programs to enhance the quality of services will have to a very large extent a positive effect on increasing the brand equity in the fast food industry.
Breaking Bad in Mississippi: Do County-Level Alcohol Sale Bans Encourage Crystal Methamphetamine Production and Consumption?
Authors: Granger Maury , Price Gregory
Published: January 2017

If alcohol has substitutes, changes in its relative price can encourage the production and consumption of other illicit and harmful drugs. This paper considers if county-level bans on the sale of alcohol in the state of Mississippi encourage the production and consumption of crystal methamphetamine. We estimate the parameters of a drug production function in which the inputs are the density of people and firms, underscoring the importance of learning and knowledge spillovers to production and consumption. Poisson and Negative Binomial parameter estimates reveal that county-level bans on hard liquor sales; but not on beer and wine, increase the number of crystal methamphetamine labs. In the absence of such laws, there would be approximately 308 fewer crystal methamphetamine labs in the state of Mississippi. Our findings suggest that in Mississippi, which is the least healthiest state in the nation, county-level bans on hard liquor sales are not welfare improving as they encourage substitution for a drug that is potentially more harmful to individual health than alcohol.
Innovation Management: The Past, Present and Future of the Market
Authors: Alecusan Ana Maria , Dimitrescu Andrei
Published: January 2017

The paper presents aspects of innovation management, important issues based on literature and studies by Boston Consulting Group (USA). The case study lays on the survey made by BCG on 1500 subjects all over the world from all the industry sectors. The paper studies the importance of innovation management and makes predictions for research and development expenditure for Top4, Apple, Google, Tesla Motors and Microsoft, without taking into account rank number 5, Samsung, because the official income statement was in Korean Won.
Empirical Research Concerning the Impact of the Public Internal Audit on the Accounting System and its Reliability in Romanian Universities
Authors: Drăguşin Cristina-Petrina , Domnişoru Sorin , Mihai Magdalena
Published: January 2017

The present paper is materialized in an empirical study concerning the impact of the internal audit on the accounting system and its reliability, in case of public universities in Romania. In order to achieve the study, it was necessary to know the different points of view of the representatives of the accounting departments of public institutions of academic education, using a statistical survey based on questionnaire. The research objectives were focused on obtaining conclusions regarding: the importance of internal auditing of the accounting system and its reliability; the extent to which the internal audit manages to provide reasonable assurances regarding the accounting and financial activity; the importance in auditing of the items related to the accounting activity; the assurance and the adequacy of the human resources allocated to the internal audit departments; the frequency with which the internal audit reports projects are modified in order to follow the audited structure recommendations; the extent to which the audit reports reflect the reality; the internal audit activity contribution in improving the accounting systems and their reliability in the Romanian universities.
What we talk about when we talk about texts: Identity compressions and the ontology of the “work”
Authors: Tobin Vera , Oakley Todd
Published: January 2017

The ideal of an “authoritative text” is no longer a taken-for-granted assumption among editorial and critical theorists of the literary text. Rather, texts are, and should be thought of as, composites of distributed activities of multiple social agents. This view has many virtues, but it quickly runs up against the deeply entrenched gestaltism of the “underlying work” stance, a perspective that invades some of the most commonplace ways of talking about Anglo-American literary texts. We explain the fundamental tensions that arise from this stance and offer a general ontology of literary artifacts that can account for the ways we habitually conceptualize texts and their effects. We provide a basic cognitive framework for understanding the ontology of the document, in its most generalized form, which can embrace a wide range of practices, literary and otherwise, that have significant implications for understanding editorial, authorial, and readerly behavior.
Change in Knowledge of Kindergarten Employees Participating in the Course “Diet full of life” in the Field of Children’s Nutrition, as Assessed by Generalized Estimating Equations
Authors: Zalewska Magdalena , Jamiołkowski Jacek , Genowska Agnieszka , Białokoz-Kalinowska Irena , Daszuta-Zalewska Anna , Maciorkowska Elżbieta
Published: January 2017

Nutrition is one of the most important environmental factors affecting the physical development and health of children. Education in this area and the development of proper eating habits are priorities. A prerequisite for the proper nutrition of preschool children is knowledge of proper nutrition of people working there. The aim of this study was an evaluation of the knowledge of kindergarten employees participating in the course “Diet full of life – courses in the field of children’s nutrition”. The study included 90 employees of nurseries and kindergartens, participants of the course in the field of children’s nutrition. The research tool was an original questionnaire. Study I (pre-test) was performed before the beginning of the course, while study II (post-test) was performed after its completion. Generalized Linear Models with a Generalized Estimating Equations extension was used to estimate the impact of the number of covariates on knowledge of course participants, taking into consideration the correlation between before- and after-course results. An increase in the knowledge of the participants of the investigated course on children’s nutritional standards was significant and reached 2.053 points on average. No relationship between age, job position, and knowledge level was determined. In the area of principles of proper nutrition for children, older participants had a lower level of knowledge compared to younger ones, and participants with higher education showed a significantly higher knowledge increase as compared to those with vocational education. A significant knowledge increase in the field of dietary behaviors of children was obtained during the course by all examined women, 1.6 points on average (p < 0.001). Younger participants obtained significantly more knowledge from the course than older ones (p < 0.001). Thus, it can be concluded that realization of the course entitled “Diet full of life” specifically relating to young children’s nutrition affected a significant increase in participant knowledge, particularly among the younger age groups and people with higher education. Kindergarten employees need constant supplemental education in the form of training courses, during which they acquire actual knowledge given in an accessible manner for use in practice. The proper assessment of the supplemental education course presented herein, as well as of the course participants, was performed using General Estimating Equations.
Bewertung der Formveränderung transienter Signale in GTEM-Zellen
Authors: Briest Niklas , Garbe Heyno , Potthast Stefan
Published: January 2017

Die Verifikation von transversal elektromagnetischen (TEM) Wellenleitern, speziell GTEM-Zellen, beruht auf der Norm IEC 61000-4-20 im Frequenz- und Zeitbereich. Die Verifikation im Zeitbereich basiert auf einem Nuklear elektromagnetischen Puls (NEMP) mit einer doppeltexponentiellen Form, der über die Parameter der Anstiegszeit und Pulsbreite in festgelegten Parametergrenzen definiert ist. Eine Verifikation der GTEM-Zelle für andere transiente Signalformen ist anhand dieser Parameter nicht zu realisieren. Des Weiteren lassen sich mit diesem Ultra-Breitbandpuls (UWB) keine eventuell kritischen Frequenzen des betrachteten Wellenleiters identifizieren. Im Hinblick auf neue Signalformen in der Nachrichtentechnik und transiente Signale die Anwendung in der elektromagnetischen Verträglichkeit (EMV) finden, ist eine Verifikation von TEM-Wellenleiter für diese Signalformen zwingend notwendig. Die in diesem Beitrag vorgestellte Methode ermöglicht die Qualifizierung eines TEM-Wellenleiters für jedes beliebige transiente Signal. Unter Anwendung der Korrelation wird ein Signalvergleich durchgeführt, der ein Maß für die Übertragungsqualität der betrachteten Wellenleiters für die jeweilige Signalform darstellt.
Orbitofrontal Cortex Signals Expected Outcomes with Predictive Codes When Stable Contingencies Promote the Integration of Reward History
Authors: Riceberg Justin S. , Shapiro Matthew L.
Published: January 2017

Memory can inform goal-directed behavior by linking current opportunities to past outcomes. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) may guide value-based responses by integrating the history of stimulus–reward associations into expected outcomes, representations of predicted hedonic value and quality. Alternatively, the OFC may rapidly compute flexible “online” reward predictions by associating stimuli with the latest outcome. OFC neurons develop predictive codes when rats learn to associate arbitrary stimuli with outcomes, but the extent to which predictive coding depends on most recent events and the integrated history of rewards is unclear. To investigate how reward history modulates OFC activity, we recorded OFC ensembles as rats performed spatial discriminations that differed only in the number of rewarded trials between goal reversals. The firing rate of single OFC neurons distinguished identical behaviors guided by different goals. When >20 rewarded trials separated goal switches, OFC ensembles developed stable and anticorrelated population vectors that predicted overall choice accuracy and the goal selected in single trials. When <10 rewarded trials separated goal switches, OFC population vectors decorrelated rapidly after each switch, but did not develop anticorrelated firing patterns or predict choice accuracy. The results show that, whereas OFC signals respond rapidly to contingency changes, they predict choices only when reward history is relatively stable, suggesting that consecutive rewarded episodes are needed for OFC computations that integrate reward history into expected outcomes.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAdapting to changing contingencies and making decisions engages the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Previous work shows that OFC function can either improve or impair learning depending on reward stability, suggesting that OFC guides behavior optimally when contingencies apply consistently. The mechanisms that link reward history to OFC computations remain obscure. Here, we examined OFC unit activity as rodents performed tasks controlled by contingencies that varied reward history. When contingencies were stable, OFC neurons signaled past, present, and pending events; when contingencies were unstable, past and present coding persisted, but predictive coding diminished. The results suggest that OFC mechanisms require stable contingencies across consecutive episodes to integrate reward history, represent predicted outcomes, and inform goal-directed choices.
Neural Differentiation of Incorrectly Predicted Memories
Authors: Kim Ghootae , Norman Kenneth A. , Turk-Browne Nicholas B.
Published: January 2017

When an item is predicted in a particular context but the prediction is violated, memory for that item is weakened (Kim et al., 2014). Here, we explore what happens when such previously mispredicted items are later reencountered. According to prior neural network simulations, this sequence of events—misprediction and subsequent restudy—should lead to differentiation of the item's neural representation from the previous context (on which the misprediction was based). Specifically, misprediction weakens connections in the representation to features shared with the previous context and restudy allows new features to be incorporated into the representation that are not shared with the previous context. This cycle of misprediction and restudy should have the net effect of moving the item's neural representation away from the neural representation of the previous context. We tested this hypothesis using human fMRI by tracking changes in item-specific BOLD activity patterns in the hippocampus, a key structure for representing memories and generating predictions. In left CA2/3/DG, we found greater neural differentiation for items that were repeatedly mispredicted and restudied compared with items from a control condition that was identical except without misprediction. We also measured prediction strength in a trial-by-trial fashion and found that greater misprediction for an item led to more differentiation, further supporting our hypothesis. Therefore, the consequences of prediction error go beyond memory weakening. If the mispredicted item is restudied, the brain adaptively differentiates its memory representation to improve the accuracy of subsequent predictions and to shield it from further weakening.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCompetition between overlapping memories leads to weakening of nontarget memories over time, making it easier to access target memories. However, a nontarget memory in one context might become a target memory in another context. How do such memories get restrengthened without increasing competition again? Computational models suggest that the brain handles this by reducing neural connections to the previous context and adding connections to new features that were not part of the previous context. The result is neural differentiation away from the previous context. Here, we provide support for this theory, using fMRI to track neural representations of individual memories in the hippocampus and how they change based on learning.
Hypo-methylation mediates chromosomal instability in pancreatic NET
Authors: Marinoni I , Wiederkeher A , Wiedmer T , Pantasis S , Di Domenico A , Frank R , Vassella E , Schmitt A , Perren A
Published: January 2017

DAXX and or ATRX loss occur in 40% of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). PanNETs negative for DAXX or ATRX show an increased risk of relapse. The tumor-associated pathways activated upon DAXX or ATRX loss and how this event may induce chromosomal instability (CIN) and alternative lengthening telomeres (ALT) are still unknown. Both DAXX and ATRX are involved in DNA methylation regulation. DNA methylation of heterochromatin and of non-coding sequences is extremely important for the maintenance of genomic stability. We analyzed the association of DAXX and/or ATRX loss and CIN with global DNA methylation in human PanNET samples and the effect of DAXX knock-down on methylation and cell proliferation. We assessedLINE1as well as global DNA methylation in 167 PanNETs, and we found that DAXX and or ATRX-negative tumors and tumors with CIN were hypomethylated. DAXX knock-down in PanNET cell lines blocked cells in G1/G0 phase and seemed to increase CIN in QGP-1 cells. However, no direct changes in DNA methylation were observed after DAXX knock-downin vitro. In conclusion, our data indicate that epigenetic changes are crucial steps in the progression of PanNETs loss and suggest that DNA methylation is the mechanism via which CIN is induced, allowing clonal expansion and selection.
El copatrocinio como estrategia legislativa de la oposición. Análisis de redes en las legislaturas de Buenos Aires y Córdoba
Authors: Rodríguez Cecilia Graciela
Published: January 2017

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las redes de cooperación legislativa que se conforman en la arena parlamentaria en las legislaturas de Buenos Aires y Córdoba durante el período 1995-2007 cuando un diputado inicia legislación en forma conjunta con un legislador de otro partido. Esta investigación analiza los datos de copatrocinio legislativo en las legislaturas subnacionales, diferenciando la legislación iniciada en copatrocinio opositor (entre distintos partidos del bloque opositor) y copatrocinio cooperativo (entre miembros del bloque opositor y del gobierno). Asimismo aborda la participación de los partidos políticos sobre la legislación iniciada en copatrocinio con la finalidad de conocer a los partidos políticos con mayor interés en establecer lazos de cooperación.
¿Existen un único concepto de libertad en el paradigma liberal?
Authors: Gil de Gómez Pérez-Aradros Carlos
Published: January 2017

La libertad -su ejercicio y su titularidad- ha sido un tema recurrente en el pensamiento a lo largo de la Historia. No obstante, cada autor que se ha acercado a ella la ha interpretado de un modo distinto; incluso dentro de la misma escuela de pensamiento. Así las cosas, este estudio pretende contraponer y enfrentar la diferente visión que de la libertad han tenido tres de los intelectuales más influyentes del siglo XX: F. Hayek, Isaiah Berlin y J. Rawls.
Secularizaciones y Manifestaciones Religiosas
Authors: Gil-Gimeno Javier
Published: January 2017

La secularización es un fenómeno fundamental para comprender las sociedades modernas. Pero si observamos las sociedades de comienzos del siglo XXI constatamos que lo religioso no solo no desaparece, sino que además surgen nuevas y plurales formas de religiosidad; además, lo secular no se impone definitivamente. Este hecho nos obliga considerar si la ‘teoría clásica de la secularización’ es válida –y si lo es en qué términos- para analizar ambos conceptos en la realidad social actual. Para ello, acudimos principalmente a dos fuentes: el trabajo de José Casanova Genealogías de la secularización (2012) -en el que propone una revisión de tres de las principales tesis asociadas a la secularización- y a los datos que nos proporciona el último Religions Monitor (Pickel, 2013) que realiza periódicamente la Fundación Bertelsmann. Tras el análisis realizado consideramos que, en el contexto actual, es más adecuado hablar de ‘secularizaciones’ y ‘manifestaciones religiosas’ que de ‘secularización’.
Memoria histórica del Estado y leyes de amnistía
Authors: Mastromarino Anna
Published: January 2017

A partir de una reflexión sobre la jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, el trabajo se propone analizar el papel juzgado en el pasado (en particular en el caso italiano y español) y el papel que todavia puede ser juzgado en concreto por parte de las leyes de amnistía en la construccion de una memoria histórica del Estado.
Securities Market Design and Stock Market Segments for Small Company Shares: Empirical Evidence from Initial Public Offerings in Germany
Authors: Bessler Wolfgang , Schneck Colin
Published: January 2017

In 1997 the “Neuer Markt” was opened as a stock market segment for small companies in Germany and initially performed well by attracting 329 initial public offerings (IPOs). It was closed in 2003 and listed companies were forced to transfer to either the higher ranked “Prime Standard” or to the lower ranked “General Standard”. We analyze the valuation effects of these “new economy” IPOs and whether the segment transfer decision could have been predicted with information that was available at the time of the IPO. Companies are more likely to change to the higher ranked Prime Standard if they are larger, more profitable, and have more growth opportunities. Firms that switch to the lower ranked General Standard improved the subsequent performance, suggesting that they are now traded on a market segment that better matches the firm characteristics with the listing requirements. Hence, designing different market segments that fit best with the heterogeneous characteristics of small companies are one avenue for convincing more companies to go public. Insight from this study may help with regard to establishing efficient and successful securities market segments for small company shares, which currently is intensively debated in many countries. Interestingly, Deutsche Börse announced another re-segmentation on November 21, 2016. This includes the closing of the Entry Standard and the opening of a new market segment for SMEs and growth companies on March 1, 2017.