bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender fluidity as luxury in perfume packaging
Authors: McIntyre Magdalena Petersson
Published: August 2019

As the world changes, so do perceptions of luxury. Consequently, the luxury industry’s efforts to capture the consumer’s imagination also change. Traditionally, the visual language that is used to market perfumes builds on a heterosexual logic; by objectifying and subordinating the feminine subject and portraying ‘her’ as desirable to an internalized male gaze. However, if you want the best money can buy, why would you subject yourself to such subordination? To deal with this seeming paradox, the marketing of luxury perfumes has, in the last decade, increasingly portrayed gender identity as something fluid. A new discerning consumer has emerged; a customer who is not constrained to making conventional product choices that are based on price and quality. More and more diverse concepts of ‘consumer types’ and ‘identities’ have emerged, where notions of gender rigidity are challenged, by blending and blurring the categories of masculine, feminine, unisex and androgynous. According to many perfume brands, consumers are now free to choose and rise above (and even break free from) the stereotypes previously represented by the industry. This article presents the argument that that these shifting representations of gender should be interpreted as ways of enacting luxury, congruent with definitions of luxury as ‘emotional’ and ‘self-pleasure’, instead of indicative of a real change in the luxury industry’s view on gender identity. Gender fluidity is only presented as ‘luxury for women’, thereby indicating that freedom from structures is qualified as luxury for women. Therefore, the marketing representations employed in the perfume industry express a commodification of gender fluidity rather than the dissolution of gender categories.
Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum, Pneumoperitoneum, and Pneumoretroperitoneum After Endoscopic Cryoablation Without Frank Perforation
Authors: Chen Brendan , Ferreira Jason
Published: August 2019

Perforation after endoscopic cryoablation is a rare but serious complication. We present a middle-aged male patient who presented for an elective session of endoscopic cryoablation for his Barrett esophagus with high-grade dysplasia. After cryoablation, the patient complained of abdominal pain, and his abdomen became distended and tympanic. Computed tomography showed pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum, and pneumoretroperitoneum but no evidence of extraluminal contrast extravasation. The patient was treated with antibiotics and had no complications. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum, and pneumoretroperitoneum without frank perforation after endoscopic cryoablation.
Citizen science – bridging the gap between scientists and amateurs
Authors: Urválková Eva Stratilová , Janoušková Svatava
Published: August 2019

The European Union has been facing common issues such as early school leaving and lifelong learning for years. They are main targets that remain on the EU agenda and all good practice examples are welcome. Citizen science is one of the approaches that seems to have great potential to draw a wide group of people to science in a popular way. People can easily become a part of a scientific team and contribute to research that could hardly be carried out by one small team. Many citizen science researchers deal with issues that are attractive for people because of their usefulness or application (gathering ticks, taking photographs of surroundings) and/or because of the accessibility of the data (typical for biological issues). This aspect also supports bridging the gap between citizens-amateurs and scientists-professionals, as well as lifelong learning. Chemistry is a natural science subject that is rarely performed in citizen science, and little research is devoted to the educational aspect of citizen science projects. Therefore, we present here a brief overview of an increasing scientific design that is widely used in natural science, although rarely in chemistry. Citizen science seems to be a potentially useful tool for improving chemistry education.
A Decade after Lehman: An Assessment of Key Regulatory Responses to the Global Financial Crisis
Authors: Kerkemeyer Andreas
Published: August 2019

In September, 2008, the meltdown of the investment bank Lehman Brothers accelerated the Global Financial Crisis, which affected economies and consumers worldwide. As soon as the Global Financial Crisis broke out, governments and legislators recognized the need for macroprudential reform in order to build a resilient financial system. Today, legislators in every major jurisdiction have finalized almost all major reforms that were envisaged once it had become clear that the crisis was also due to regulatory shortcomings. The reforms especially targeted (over-the-counter) derivatives and the equity base of banks. Following an analysis of the reasons for the Global Financial Crisis and the regulatory failures that contributed to its severity this article will discuss two major legislative responses that intend to make the financial system robust – the establishment of a central dearing obligation for over-the-counter derivatives and the revised Basel Accords on capital requirements for banks.
Comparison of whole-tree wood property maps based on near-infrared spectroscopic calibrations utilizing data at different spatial resolutions
Authors: Schimleck Laurence R. , Antony Finto , Mora Christian , Dahlen Joseph
Published: August 2019

Near-infrared (NIR) spectra or NIR-hyperspectral images obtained from radial strips or wood discs provide a cost-effective methodology for examining wood property variation within trees. The calibration used for wood property prediction is critical and can be obtained using two fundamentally different approaches. One involves using a spatial-specific model where wood property data and corresponding spectral data are measured at the same resolution for calibration and prediction, e.g. 10-mm radial increments. The other provides a spatial-interpolated model and involves measuring a property on a broad-scale, e.g. whole-tree, calibrating this data against NIR spectra representing the equivalent scale and then using the calibration to predict the property at higher resolution. To understand the impact of these approaches on subsequent patterns of within-tree variation, whole-tree air-dry density (ADD) and coarseness maps, based on data obtained using the two different approaches, were compared. Patterns of ADD and coarseness variation were comparable indicating that both approaches can be utilized to examine within-tree variation. Spatial-interpolated models have a distinct advantage; being based on whole-tree (or disc) samples, they greatly reduce the cost of wood property analysis and allow the development of maps for properties that are costly and difficult to measure, for example, pulp yield.
Influence of Loading, Regeneration and Recalling Elements Processes on the System Behavior of All Optical Data Bus Line System Random Access Memory
Authors: Amiri I. S. , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki , Mohammed Abd El-Naser A. , Fawzy Zaky Walid
Published: August 2019

The most powerful computer is in a very big need for a reliable random access memory (RAM) which can buffer digital data in. All optical RAM design is introduced in three phases. Those are the loading process phase which describes how data will be entering the closed trap from the line bus. The regeneration process phase which describes how data trapped are regenerated to not to lose its power or get a distortion. As well as the recalling process which describes how trapped data be handled to the line bus is also introduced.
The Aristotelian Context of the Existence-Essence Distinction inDe Ente Et Essentia
Authors: Brook Angus
Published: August 2019

This paper explores the Aristotelian context of the real distinction between existence and essence thought to be posited in Thomas Aquinas’ early workDe Ente Et Essentia. In doing so, the paper situates its own position in the context of contemporary scholarship and in relation to the contemporary trend to downplay Aristotle’s influence in Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. The paper argues that re-readingDe Ente Et Essentiain this way sheds new light on some of the crucial debates in contemporary Thomist scholarship, particularly with respect to the analogous relation between potency and act: essence and existence, the distinction between conceptual and causal explanation, and the relationship between philosophy and theology in the thought of Thomas Aquinas.
Phthalocyanines core-modified by P and S and their complexes with fullerene C60: DFT study
Authors: Kuznetsov Aleksey E.
Published: August 2019

Phthalocyanines (Pcs) and their derivatives have attracted a lot of attention because of their both biological importance and technological applications. The properties of Pcs can be tuned by replacing the central atom, by modifying the periphery of phthalocyanine ring, and by changing the meso-atoms. One more promising pathway for modifying Pcs and their derivatives can be the core-modification, or substitution of the core isoindole nitrogen(s) by other elements. Motivated by the results obtained for some core-modified porphyrins, we investigated computationally complete core-modification of regular Zn phthalocyanine (ZnPc) with P and S. We performed density functional theory studies of the structures, charges, and frontier molecular orbitals of P-core-modified and S-core-modified ZnPcs, ZnPc(P)4 and ZnPc(S)4, using both B3LYP and two dispersion-corrected functionals. Also, we studied computationally formation of complexes between the fullerene C60 and ZnPc(P)4 and ZnPc(S)4. Both ZnPc(P)4 and ZnPc(S)4 show strong bowl-like distortions similar to the results obtained earlier for ZnP(P)4 and ZnP(S)4. The size of the “bowl” cavity of the both core-modified Pcs is essentially the same, showing no dependence on the core-modifying element. For ZnPc(S)4, the HOMO is quite different from those of ZnPc and ZnPc(P)4. When the fullerene C60 forms complexes with the ZnPc(P)4 and ZnPc(S)4 species in the gas phase, it is located relatively far (4.30–5.72 Å) from the one of the P-centers and from the Zn-center of ZnPc(P)4, whereas with ZnPc(S)4 C60 forms relatively short bonds with the Zn-center, varying from ca. 2.0 to ca. 3.0 Å. The very strong deformations of both the ZnPc(P)4 and ZnPc(S)4 structures are observed. The calculated binding energy at the B3LYP/6-31G* level for the C60-ZnPc(P)4 complex is quite low, 1.2 kcal/mol, which agrees with the quite long distances fullerene - ZnPc(P)4, whereas it is noticeably larger, 13.6 kcal/mol, for the C60-ZnPc(S)4 complex which again agrees with the structural features of this complex. The binding energies of the complexes optimized using the dispersion-corrected functionals, CAM-B3LYP and wB97XD, are significantly larger, varying from ca. 14 till 52 kcal/mol which corresponds with the shorter distances between the fullerene and ZnPc(X)4 species.
Present state of the art of and outlook on oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane: catalysts and mechanisms
Authors: Alamdari Amin , Karimzadeh Ramin , Abbasizadeh Saeed
Published: August 2019

Oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes is a more appropriate approach than other conventional methods of light olefin production. Recently, several researchers have focused on more economical and cleaner processes because of the high demand for olefins and environmental problems. This paper reviews a series of catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, including transition-metal oxides, rare earth metal oxides, calcium oxide, supported alkali chlorides, molecular sieves, as well as monolithic, perovskite, and carbon catalysts. Also, a detailed literature review is presented for the comparison of effective parameters such as acid-base property, redox property, oxidant types, and oxygen species. Mechanisms proposed for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane are also presented. Recommendations for future researches are also discussed based on catalyst design, promotors, and reaction conditions.
Novel and efficient simulation approach for effective permeabilities of randomly ordered two-phase compounds
Authors: Wöckinger Daniel , Amrhein Wolfgang , Schuster Stefan , Reisinger Johann
Published: August 2019

This paper introduces a novel simulation approach for the magnetic properties of two-phase randomly ordered compounds. In industry, materials such as ferrous powder mixtures or metallic granulates are very often used as raw materials. Hence, their material characteristics are of utmost interest for material manufacturers in order to guarantee high quality standards. Typically, many parameters such as composition, inclusion shape, and the characteristics of the constituents affect the macroscopic physical behavior of such materials. In particular, the resulting permeability of multi-phase and randomly ordered materials exhibits a strong variation despite constant compounds. For the design and optimization of measurement setups, efficient simulators are necessary to estimate the effective permeability and its fluctuation range of a huge number of arrangements. In addition to the basic concept of the novel simulation method, this article presents some possible evaluations of the simulated results and their dependencies on the properties of the constituents. In the last century, a large number of different mixing formulas have been established in literature, which are summarized and compared to the simulation results. Finally, the simulated magnetic characteristics are evaluated with finite element simulation of a comparable particle arrangement.
A novel, thermotolerant, extracellular PHB depolymerase producer Paenibacillus alvei PHB28 for bioremediation of biodegradable plastics
Authors: Bano Kulsoom , Kuddus Mohammed , Rehan Zaheer Mohd , Rehan Zaheer Roohi
Published: August 2019

Background

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is the most important and versatile class of biodegradable polymers used successfully in the medical, agricultural and industrial field. Idea is to find the novel isolate for degradation of biodegradable plastics that can enhance the bioremediation.

Materials and methods

Thirty-one PHB and PHB depolymerase enzyme producing isolates out of 80 mesophilic bacteria from Lucknow region were further screened for PHB degradation capability by secreting extracellular PHB depolymerase enzyme in minimal salt media supplemented with PHB (0.15%). Various biodegradable plastic films were tested by soil burial method for weight loss determination.

Result

37.3% weight loss has been observed in PHB films when buried under the soil for 45 days in the presence of a novel PHB degrader identified as Paenibacillus alvei PHB28 by 16S rRNA sequencing (GenBank accession number KX886342). These Gram-negative, spore-forming, thermotolerant bacteria produce maximum PHB depolymerase (5.03 U/mL) at 45°C, pH 8.0, with 0.15% substrate concentration when incubated for 96 h with starch (0.1%) and yeast extract (0.01%) as an additional nutrient supplements.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of PHB depolymerase production by P. alvei PHB28 which may contribute successfully to combat plastic pollution and to sustain the green environment.
Die Gesamthand – was ist das eigentlich?
Authors: Beuthien Volker
Published: August 2019

Der nachfolgende Beitrag untersucht die Herkunft und Reichweite des Gesamthandprinzips. Er zeigt auf, dass dieses nicht personen-, sondern vermögensrechtlicher Natur ist, wie begrenzt es Gesetzesinhalt geworden ist und wie weitgehend es überdeutet wird und wie wenig es in das organschaftlich verfasste Personengesellschaftsrecht passt.
Some Things Are Rarely Discussed in Public – on the Discourse of Corruption in Healthcare Comment on "We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems"
Authors: Stiernstedt Peter
Published: August 2019

In an editorial titled "We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems" the authors Hutchinson, Balabanova, and McKee hope to encourage a wider conversation about corruption in the health sector. Such conversations are difficult to hold for at least five reasons; it is hard to define corruption; corruption may allow some fragile health systems to subsist, shifting blame – are those involved in anti-corruption research colluding with corrupt officials; the legitimacy of studying corruption; and, that far too little is known about how to tackle corruption. This commentary explores those reasons and concludes that the authors make a strong case for a more open and directed discussion about corruption.
Evaluating the Effect of the Compressive Strength Development Factor on Concrete Creep Deformation in Bridge Construction
Authors: Sun Yong , Zhang Lianzhen , Wang Zonglin , Gao Qingfei , Liu Chenguang , Qin Lihui
Published: August 2019

Excessive midspan deflection is often observed in large-span prestressed concrete girder bridges. In particular, the deformation caused by shrinkage and creep of concrete is an important part of deflection that often exceeds expectations. To achieve creep deformation control, extending the curing time and postponing the loading age are frequently adopted during construction. This article proposed an approach based on creep experiments with prismatic and beam specimens and viscoelastic model-based finite element analyses to evaluate the effect of the concrete strength development factor on the ultimate creep coefficient in the Comité Euro-International du Béton-Fédération internationale de la précontrainte (CEB-FIP) model. The concrete strength development factor ξcc(t/tu) is defined as the ratio of the mean compressive strength at the loading time to the maximum mean compressive strength obtained in the test. The strategies for targeted regulation and control of ξcc(t/tu) were discussed by establishing an artificial neural networks model for strength prediction from a database provided in our previous work. Uniaxial compressive prismatic specimens and pure bending beam specimens with a span of 5.0 m were used in the experiment for creep behavior observation. A viscoelastic finite element analysis (FEA) model was established based on solidification theory. The FEA model results were verified with measured data for capturing the creep behavior under ambient conditions to obtain reliable long-term creep deformation predictions. Finally, the proposed method was validated with the Xincheng bridge construction for the optimistic loading age determination, and the results indicated good feasibility in girder deflection control.
The Effect of Shrinkage-Reducing Polycarboxylate Superplasticizers in Cement-Based Materials
Authors: Mao Qianjin , Ma Jianfeng , Wang Ziming , Wu Wenwen , Cui Suping
Published: August 2019

Shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticizer (SRPC) has a good effect on reducing shrinkage of cement-based materials because of its low surface tension. However, the effect of SRPC on the properties of cement-based materials needs to be further explored. A comparative study of SRPC and polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) was carried out with the aim of correlating the adsorption in fresh cement pastes with their dispersing capability and the impacts on cement hydration. The results indicate that the adsorption amounts of SRPC are less than PCE. Both of them exhibit a multilayer adsorption; the fluidity of cement pastes with SRPC and PCE are related to the first adsorbed layer, and the secondary adsorbed layer does not contribute to the enhancement of fluidity. The retarding cement hydration of SRPC is weaker than PCE because of weak adsorption capacity of SRPC.
An Open Source Syringe Pump Controller for Fluid Delivery of Multiple Volumes
Authors: Amarante Linda M. , Newport Jonathan , Mitchell Meagan , Wilson Joshua , Laubach Mark
Published: August 2019

Syringe pumps are a necessary piece of laboratory equipment that are used for fluid delivery in behavioral neuroscience laboratories. Many experiments provide rodents and primates with fluid rewards such as juice, water, or liquid sucrose. Current commercialized syringe pumps are not customizable and do not have the ability to deliver multiple volumes of fluid based on different inputs to the pump. Additionally, many syringe pumps are expensive and cannot be used in experiments with paired neurophysiological recordings due to electrical noise. We developed an open source syringe pump controller using commonly available parts. The controller adjusts the acceleration and speed of the motor to deliver three different volumes of fluid reward within one common time epoch. This syringe pump controller is cost effective and has been successfully implemented in rodent behavioral experiments with paired neurophysiological recordings in the rat frontal cortex while rats lick for different volumes of liquid sucrose rewards. Our syringe pump controller will enable new experiments to address the potential confound of temporal information in studies of reward signaling by fluid magnitude.
A Translation of the Linguae Annamiticae seu Tunchinensis brevis declaratio: The First Grammar of Quốc Ngữ
Authors: Gaudio Andrew
Published: August 2019

The oldest known surviving grammar of quốc ngữ, called the Linguae Annamiticae seu Tunchinensis brevis declaratio, was published in 1651 in Rome and written in Latin by French Jesuit missionary Alexandre de Rhodes. Presented here is the first complete English translation of de Rhodes’ text. It comprises eight chapters: quốc ngữ letters; accents; nouns; personal, reflexive, and demonstrative pronouns; relative and interrogative pronouns; verbs; additional parts of speech; and syntax. This English version makes this Latin text, which is a fundamental work highlighting the origins of quốc ngữ, accessible to non-Latin-reading scholars of the Vietnamese language for the first time. Included with this translation is an introduction that situates de Rhodes’ work in the context of other contemporary Jesuit linguists also working on quốc ngữ and points out that the Brevis declaratio follows the model of the grammar book of Manuel Alvares. Appended at the end of the translation is a glossary that clarifies some linguistic vocabulary de Rhodes used.
Role of mPRα (PAQR7) in progesterone-induced Ca2+ decrease in human vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Pang Yefei , Thomas Peter
Published: August 2019

We have shown progesterone exerts a direct action on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to induce relaxation through activation of membrane progesterone receptor alpha (mPRα)-dependent signaling pathways, but information on downstream events is lacking. Progesterone-induced changes in calcium concentrations in human umbilical artery VSMCs through mPRα-dependent signaling pathways and the involvement of Rho/ROCK signaling were investigated. Acute in vitro treatment with progesterone and the selective mPRα agonist 10-ethenyl-19-norprogesterone (Org OD 02-0, 02-0) blocked the rapid prostaglandin F2α-induced calcium increase. This inhibitory progesterone action was prevented by knockdown of mPRα but not by knockdown of the nuclear progesterone receptor, confirming it is mediated through mPRα. The decrease in calcium levels and VSMC relaxation were abolished by treatment with FPL64176 (Ca2+ channel activator), supporting a role for decreased calcium channel activity in this progesterone action. The reduction in calcium was attenuated by pretreatment with pertussis toxin, 8-Bromo-cAMP and forskolin, indicating this progesterone action involves activation of an inhibitory G protein and downregulation of cAMP-dependent signaling. Inhibition of MAPK and Akt signaling with PD98059 and ML-9, respectively, prevented the progesterone-induced calcium concentration decrease and VSMC relaxation. Forskolin decreased progesterone-induced MAPK and Akt phosphorylation which suggests that the cAMP status influences calcium levels indirectly through altering these signaling pathways. Progesterone and 02-0 treatments decreased RhoA activity and ROCK phosphorylation, which suggests that reduced RhoA/ROCK signaling is a component of the mPRα-mediated progesterone actions on VSMCs. The results suggest that progesterone induces VSMC relaxation by reducing cellular calcium levels through mPRα-induced alterations in multiple signaling pathways.
The crosstalk between the cardiovascular and the immune system
Authors: Dal Lin Carlo , Tona Francesco , Osto Elena
Published: August 2019

The heart and the immune system are highly integrated systems cross-talking through cytokines, hormones and neurotransmitters. Their balance can be altered by numerous physical or psychological stressors leading to the onset of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and tissue damage. Here, we review the main players and mechanisms involved in the field. A new research paradigm, which considers also novel contributors, like endothelial cells, is needed to better understand the pathophysiology of immune-mediated cardiovascular disorders and beyond.
Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata) Genome and Protein Analysis Provides Insights into Maturation and Spawning
Authors: Botwright Natasha A , Zhao Min , Wang Tianfang , McWilliam Sean , Colgrave Michelle L , Hlinka Ondrej , Li Sean , Suwansa-ard Saowaros , Subramanian Sankar , McPherson Luke , King Harry , Reverter Antonio , Cook Mathew T , McGrath Annette , Elliott Nicholas G , Cummins Scott F
Published: August 2019

Wild abalone (Family Haliotidae) populations have been severely affected by commercial fishing, poaching, anthropogenic pollution, environment and climate changes. These issues have stimulated an increase in aquaculture production; however production growth has been slow due to a lack of genetic knowledge and resources. We have sequenced a draft genome for the commercially important temperate Australian ‘greenlip’ abalone (Haliotis laevigata, Donovan 1808) and generated 11 tissue transcriptomes from a female adult abalone. Phylogenetic analysis of the greenlip abalone with reference to the Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) indicates that these abalone species diverged approximately 71 million years ago. This study presents an in-depth analysis into the features of reproductive dysfunction, where we provide the putative biochemical messenger components (neuropeptides) that may regulate reproduction including gonad maturation and spawning. Indeed, we isolate the egg-laying hormone neuropeptide and under trial conditions induce spawning at 80% efficiency. Altogether, we provide a solid platform for further studies aimed at stimulating advances in abalone aquaculture production. The H. laevigata genome and resources are made available to the public on the abalone ‘omics website, http://abalonedb.org.
On palaeomagnetic dating of fluvial deposits in the section of Neporotove gravel quarry on the Middle Dniester
Authors: Bondar Kseniia , Ridush Bogdan , Baryshnikova Mariia , Popiuk Yana
Published: August 2019

The paper presents the results of palaeomagnetic studies of Quaternary noncemented deposits from the section of Neporotove on the VIIIth terrace of the Dniester River valley with abnormal thickness (more than 20 m) of the channel alluvium near the village of Neporotove, located on the right bank of the Dniester River. Alluvial facies of river terraces’ deposits are valuable palaeogeographic archives but not quite complete. They are affected by denudation and often do not contain fossils. The possible way for their dating is provided by a palaeomagnetic method performed on suitable for sampling underlying and overlying beds. The alluvial sequence consists of four units. Unit I is composed of inclined gravel-pebble layers with the sand filler with a visible thickness of about 8 m. Unit II has bedded over the denudated surface of Unit I; it consists of light-yellow laminated aleurit loam, 5-30 cm thick underlaid by 0.5-1.5 bed of fine sand. We consider Unit II to be lacustrine deposits accumulated in quiet water. Unit III is represented with inclined or sub-horizontally layered gravel-pebble-boulder deposits with up to 10 m of visible thickness. It includes boulders and blocks of sedimentary rocks up to 1.0 in diameter, considered as drop-stones. In the roof of the gravel-pebble Unit III, there is the white carbonate layer, probably, the illuvial horizon of the palaeosol (mr1), which transited up into the brownish-red horizon A (Unit IV). Unit IV – dark-red sandy-gravel horizon, pedosediment, probably partly the reworked material washed into ice wages in the roof of Unit III. As a result of alternating field stepwise demagnetisation of natural remanence of sediments, we determined that loamy Unit II, which separates members of gravel stratum, and sandy Unit IV, which overlays packs of gravel alluvium, bear characteristic remanent magnetisation (RM) with normal geomagnetic polarity. Taking into consideration lithology and two-fold structure of terrace gravel alluvium as well as palaeomagnetic results, we assume the lacustrine deposits of Unit II was formed during Jaramillo palaeomagnetic subchron corresponding to the end of Shyrokyne Stage, and a pedosediment of Unit IV was formed during Martonosha Stage. The upper alluvial suite of a terrace (Unit III) was generally deposited during a cold stage,directly prior to the onset of lacustrine loam sedimentation, while the lower alluvial member (Unit I) dates from the preceding warm stage. Thus, we defined the geological age of the whole channel alluvium strata of the VIIIth Dniester terrace as Shyrokyne-Pryazovya Stage.
Refined magnetostratigraphic position of the Shyrokyne unit in loess sequences from Central Ukraine
Authors: Hlavatskyi D. V.
Published: August 2019

The youngest geomagnetic polarity reversal, the Matuyama–Brunhes boundary (MBB), which occurred 780 kyr ago, is a “golden spike” in the age calibration of sediment sequences. The use of palaeomagnetic method as a stratigraphic tool in the study of loess sequences from Ukraine originated some 50 years ago. One major problem in using the available data is the contradictory position of the MBB in different stratigraphic units, which affected historic evolution of thechronostratigraphic models of the Quaternary in Ukraine. The most important units in this regard are the Shyrokyne and Martonosha units, in which the MBB had been defined most often. This paper provides the careful analysis of the previous magnetostratigraphic data and new preliminary results from key loess-palaeosol sections in Central Ukraine. Shyrokyne palaeosol complex in four loesspalaeosol sections located in the Middle Dnieper and Podolia regions has been palaeomagnetically studied. It is shown that the transition zone of the Matuyama–Brunhes palaeomagnetic reversal is most likely located at the base of the soil complex. In the Vyazivok section the MBB has been found in the lowermost part of Shyrokyne palaeosol sh1. Preliminary palaeomagnetic studies of theStari Kaydaky section reveal that the MBB cannot be defined at least above sh1 subunit. Medzhybizh and Holovchyntsi sections were deposited after the Matuyama–Brunhes reversal; however, the palaeomagnetic informativeness of the part of studied strata is doubtful. Magnetostratigraphic position of the Shyrokyne unit below the MBB in some previous studies is explained by methodological reasons and inconsistent chronostratigraphic models. The paper substantiates that normal magnetic polarity zone in the Pryazovya loess and upper part of the Shyrokyne soil is not associated with the influence of secondary processes on the palaeomagnetic record.
Changes in Pleistocene vegetation and climate of Ukraine in the range of 1.8-0.4 million years
Authors: Sirenko O. A.
Published: August 2019

On the basis of the analysis of the results of detailed palynological studies of Pleistocene deposits in Ukraine, the correlation between climatic changes and vegetation dynamics was retraced in the range of 1.8-0.43 million years. The curve of paleoclimate changes was constructed and analyzed. It was shown that certain climatic characteristics were inherent for each stage of the nature development, which was reflected in the composition of vegetation. It was found thattemperature and humidity fluctuations also occurred during each stage. The evidence of this is the reconstructed micro-rhythm in the development of vegetation of each stage. The main features of vegetation composition were determined for four warm and five cold stages of nature development, and a pattern of vegetation changes was retraced during each stage. The dynamics of vegetation cover of the Prydonetska Plain, different parts of the Prydniprovska Lowland, the Prydniprovska Upland, the Near Black Sea Lowland, and the Podil’ska Upland vegetation during the specified geological time was reconstructed. General and regional distinctions of the composition of vegetation cover were revealed, and the influence of the main climatic factors such as temperature and humidity on the character of its changes was retraced. The stages characterized by the warmest and wet climatic conditions and the most cold and dry ones were established. It was substantiated that the climatic conditions of the Sula period were less severe than in the subsequent stages of the fall of temperature. The existence of refugiums of thermophilic flora in the Sula period within separate regions of Ukraine was established. The existence of vegetation zonality was substantiated not only in warm stages, but also in cold periods of the Early Neopleistocene.
Los aranceles aduaneros como herramienta de protección comercial. Límites y alternativas para repensar el caso argentino
Authors: Padín Juan Manuel
Published: August 2019

La utilización de los aranceles aduaneros como herramienta de protección comercial parecía haber quedado en el olvido luego del avance de la agenda de liberalización que se impuso a nivel global desde los años setenta. No obstante, estos aún conservan cierta relevancia, especialmente en los países en desarrollo. En este marco, el presente trabajo tiene por finalidad analizar los límites y alternativas que tiene la política comercial externa argentina para hacer uso de este instrumento en función de los compromisos asumidos a nivel multilateral, y reflexionar respecto al impacto que tienen sobre los aranceles otros acuerdos comerciales internacionales.
El camino mexicano del lento crecimiento económico: una interpretación espuria de la metáfora del desarrollo como un rompecabezas de Albert O. Hirschman
Authors: Matamoros Romero Guillermo Rufino
Published: August 2019

El texto propone una explicación al lento crecimiento económico de México de los últimos años, basada en la visión del desarrollo y los encadenamientos productivos de Albert O. Hirschman en su libro The Strategy of Economic Development. Se expone críticamente el proceso de reformas de mercado puesto en marcha desde la década de 1980. Posteriormente, se contrasta la visión del desarrollo que fundamentó dichas reformas con la visión de Hirschman. A partir de ello se obtienen dos posturas contrapuestas sobre el papel del Estado en el proceso de desarrollo. De un lado, se relaciona teóricamente el desarrollo con los encadenamientos productivos a la manera de Hirschman. Por otro lado, se establecen relaciones empíricas con la medición de los encadenamientos en México utilizando el análisis de insumo-producto. Los resultados respaldan la visión del desarrollo de Hirschman con la evidencia para el caso mexicano en el periodo de reformas de mercado.
Política fiscal, pobreza y desigualdad: un modelo de microsimulación para Colombia
Authors: Rodriguez Guerrero David Arturo
Published: August 2019

Este documento presenta un modelo de microsimulación de impuestos y transferencias para Colombia el cual permite estudiar a priori los efectos sobre la distribución del ingreso y el recaudo fiscal de cambios de política. Al basarse en EUROMOD1 se posibilitan estudios comparativos con países desarrollados y en desarrollo que se han implementado bajo el mismo marco analítico. El alcance del modelo tiene un especial énfasis, el cual se ilustra con dos reformas hipotéticas: el reemplazo del sistema de transferencias monetarias del país por un ingreso básico y la implementación del sistema de impuesto a la renta de Ecuador y de Estonia en Colombia. Para el escenario base se encuentra que tanto la desigualdad como la pobreza no se ven alteradas Las capacidades del modelo se ilustran con dos reformas hipotéticas: el reemplazo del sistema de transferencias monetarias del país por un ingreso básico y la implementación del sistema de impuesto a la renta de Ecuador y de Estonia en Colombia. Para el escenario base se encuentra que tanto la desigualdad como la pobreza no se ven alteradas significativamente después de la intervención del Estado. Así mismo, las simulaciones resaltan las dificultades de recaudo con un sistema tributario con un elevado tramo exento al igual que la dirección de futuras mejoras en el sistema de transferencias monetarias.
The Way as the Goal
Authors: Widmann Irena
Published: August 2019

With the ever-growing net of cultural-touristic holiday routes in Switzerland, people are becoming more and more tired of impersonal travel and aimless wandering. While some are still satisfied with the commonplace phrase “the way as a goal,” others look for more meaning in their favorite activity. Here comes pilgrimage as an ideal combination of bodily and spiritual search. But is a leap from “tourist” to “pilgrim” realistic and how can it help to replenish one’s Christian faith? A project of two Swiss missional organizations was set exactly for this purpose: to animate the life of faith of the post-modern seekers of truth.
The Strategic Importance of the Regional Economic System Innovative Potential
Authors: Marusinina Elena , Moseyko Victor , Epinina Veronica , Korobov Sergey
Published: August 2019

The purpose of this article is to substantiate regional innovative potential as one of the main conditions for the competitiveness growth in the future of any economic system. The paper studies the essence of “innovation” and “potential” concepts, which together form the concept of “innovative potential”. The authors analyze the structure of innovative potential and present it by three components: resources, internal sphere, production. The interaction of these components with each other determines the common essence of innovative potential. In order to determine a more complete description of the object under analysis, the authors identify the criteria for the classification of its types. The paper proves that the innovative potential of any economic system needs analysis and evaluation since it allows determining strategic directions of the economic system development, which ensures the future growth of its competitiveness. In the framework of the proposed assessment model the authors identify the main indicators that can be used to assess the economic system innovative potential. The suggested methodology for assessing the innovative potential of enterprises is aimed at a fuller use of resource and managerial components of this potential, as well as at comparing available resources and actual results of innovative activities. In order to increase the innovative activity of enterprises in the region the paper substantiates the need for the timely adjustment of the regional economic policy in terms of encouraging and supporting business entities. The authors identify three main areas of monitoring which will allow assessing the general state of the regional innovative system and obtaining data on innovative processes in the region. They are the analysis of the knowledge generation subsystem, the analysis of the innovation production subsystem, the analysis of the innovation distribution subsystem.
The Agriculture of Volgograd Region: Modern Trends and Prospects for Growth
Authors: Shlevkova Tatyana , Buyanova Marina
Published: August 2019

The article is devoted to analyzing the current state of agriculture in Volgograd region and identifying the problems that impede successful functioning of a number of branches included in its structure. Currently, the strategy for developing the Russian agro-industrial complex is set out in the “State Program for Developing Agriculture and Regulating Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Food Markets for 2013–2020” adopted by the Government in 2012. This document set the following main tasks for the domestic agriculture: ensuring food security and accelerated import substitution of meat, dairy products, vegetables, potatoes, etc. The analysis carried out in the article showed that the greatest success in the region was achieved in the production of crop products. Volgograd region is one of the leaders in cropping vegetables, grain crops, and sunflower seeds not only in the Southern Federal District, but also in Russia as a whole. At the same time, the region lags far behind other agricultural regions in producing the most important food products such as milk and meat.
The accumulated problems have a negative impact on the development of agriculture. Among them, one should highlight low productivity of a hectare of land due to the decrease in soil fertility. Another serious problem remains the extremely low material and technical equipment status of agricultural production. The author sees the way out of this situation, first of all, in the active state support of local agricultural producers. Such support has been carried out in Volgograd region in recent years and is already yielding results.
The Analysis of Foreign Experience in Implementing Cluster Policy
Authors: Kalinina Alla , Petrova Elena , Lapina Marina , Rvacheva Alexandra
Published: August 2019

The article represents the results of the comparative analysis of implementing cluster policy in foreign and Russian practice. The proposed methodology is based on the main characteristics of clusters (the presence of competitive enterprises, the presence of competitive advantages for cluster development in the region, geographical concentration and proximity, a wide range of participants and the presence of “critical mass”, the presence of links and interaction between cluster members) that characterize them as complex economic structures. Creating clusters involves a number of studies at the territorial level, which, above all, relate to determining the competitive advantages of the territory in a particular industry. Therefore, at the first stage of benchmarking, the authors propose to systematize theoretical approaches to the definition of “cluster” category. The second stage involves identifying the features of the cluster approach as a tool to improve the competitiveness of individual territories, regions, economies. At the last stage, authors determine structuring of foreign and Russian experience in the development of clusters and analyze the approaches to implementing cluster policy and identify their strengths and weaknesses. In contrast to the existing methods for assessing the potential of a cluster, the approach implemented in this article makes it possible to identify not only promising territories from the point of view of the industry clusterization, but also to identify possible participants of such a cluster, which is the most promising in forming regional cluster development programs in the regional economy. The article presents the approbation of the proposed methodology for the Russian Federation based on statistical data for 2014–2016. The authors highlight industries and enterprises that can be clustered, which will ensure adequate support of regional authorities.
Emergency Department Online Patient-Caregiver Scheduling
Authors: Rosemarin Hanan , Rosenfeld Ariel , Kraus Sarit
Published: August 2019

Emergency Departments (EDs) provide an imperative source of medical care. Central to the ED workflow is the patientcaregiver scheduling, directed at getting the right patient to the right caregiver at the right time. Unfortunately, common ED scheduling practices are based on ad-hoc heuristics which may not be aligned with the complex and partially conflicting ED’s objectives.

In this paper, we propose a novel online deep-learning scheduling approach for the automatic assignment and scheduling of medical personnel to arriving patients. Our approach allows for the optimization of explicit, hospitalspecific multi-variate objectives and takes advantage of available data, without altering the existing workflow of the ED. In an extensive empirical evaluation, using real-world data, we show that our approach can significantly improve an ED’s performance metrics.
Towards Better Accuracy and Robustness with Localized Adversarial Training
Authors: Rothberg Eitan , Chen Tingting , Ji Hao
Published: August 2019

As technology and society grow increasingly dependent on computer vision, it becomes important to make sure that these technologies are secure. However, even today’s stateof-the-art classifiers are easily fooled by carefully manipulated images. The only solutions that have increased robustness against these manipulated images have come at the expense of accuracy on natural inputs. In this work, we propose a new training technique, localized adversarial training, that results in more accurate classification of both both natural and adversarial images by as much as 6.5% and 99.7%, respectively.
Variational BEJG Solvers for Marginal-MAP Inference with Accurate Approximation of B-Conditional Entropy
Authors: Kiselev Igor
Published: August 2019

Previously proposed variational techniques for approximate MMAP inference in complex graphical models of high-order factors relax a dual variational objective function to obtain its tractable approximation, and further perform MMAP inference in the resulting simplified graphical model, where the sub-graph with decision variables is assumed to be a disconnected forest. In contrast, we developed novel variational MMAP inference algorithms and proximal convergent solvers, where we can improve the approximation accuracy while better preserving the original MMAP query by designing such a dual variational objective function that an upper bound approximation is applied only to the entropy of decision variables. We evaluate the proposed algorithms on both simulated synthetic datasets and diagnostic Bayesian networks taken from the UAI inference challenge, and our solvers outperform other variational algorithms in a majority of reported cases. Additionally, we demonstrate the important real-life application of the proposed variational approaches to solve complex tasks of policy optimization by MMAP inference, and performance of the implemented approximation algorithms is compared. Here, we demonstrate that the original task of optimizing POMDP controllers can be approached by its reformulation as the equivalent problem of marginal-MAP inference in a novel single-DBN generative model, which guarantees that the control policies computed by probabilistic inference over this model are optimal in the traditional sense. Our motivation for approaching the planning problem through probabilistic inference in graphical models is explained by the fact that by transforming a Markovian planning problem into the task of probabilistic inference (a marginal MAP problem) and applying belief propagation techniques in generative models, we can achieve a computational complexity reduction from PSPACE-complete or NEXP-complete to NPPP-complete in comparison to solving the POMDP and Dec-POMDP models respectively search vs. dynamic programming).
SAX Breakpoints for Random Forest Based Real-Time Contrast Control Chart
Authors: Lee In-Seok , Baek Jun-Geol
Published: August 2019

In the manufacturing process, process monitoring is very important. Real-time contrast (RTC) control chart outperforms existing monitoring methods. However, the performance of RTC control chart depends on the classifier. The existing RTC charts use random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), or kernel linear discriminant analysis (KLDA) as a classifier. RF classifier can find cause of faults but the performance is lower than others. Therefore, we suggest the data representation method to improve the RF based RTC control chart. Symbolic aggregate approximation (SAX) is famous method to improve the performance of classification and clustering. We convert the input data by using SAX. We change the parameters of SAX such as alphabet size and breakpoints to improve the performance. Experiment shows that represented data is efficient method to improve the performance of RTC control chart.