bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and Free Riding
Authors: Vanderheiden Steve
Published: September 2015

Does the receipt of benefits from some common resource create an obligation to contribute toward its maintenance? If so, what is the basis of this obligation? I consider whether individual contributions to climate change can be impugned as wrongful free riding upon the stability of the planet's climate system, when persons enjoy its benefits but refuse to bear their share of its maintenance costs. Two main arguments will be advanced: the first urges further modification of H.L.A. Hart’s “principle of fairness” as the basis for demanding that would-be free riders pay their fair share in the context of climate change, while the second claims that remedial action on climate change is better captured through collective action analysis than through harm principles that seek to connect individual actions to bad environmental outcomes.
How Association Matters for Distributive Justice
Authors: de Bres Helena
Published: September 2015

Under which conditions does the relation between the levels of benefit and burden held by distinct individuals become a concern of justice? Associativists argue that principles of comparative distributive justice apply only among those persons who share some (special) form of association; humanists argue that some such principles apply among all human persons qua human persons. According to the “weak associativist” account that I defend, humanism is wrong, but so are current versions of associativism. Association is necessary if talk of comparative distributive justice is to be apt, but no special form of it is required. Whether or not principles of comparative distributive justice do in fact apply to an association will depend on whether or not the conditions for legitimate enforcement of the resulting duties are satisfied, and we can expect these conditions to be satisfied by a wide range of associative forms.
Relational Contractualism and Future Persons
Authors: Gibb Michael
Published: September 2015

A moral theory should tell us something about our obligations to future persons. It is therefore sometimes objected that contractualist moral theories cannot give a satisfactory account of such obligations, as there is little to motivate a contract with persons who can offer us almost nothing in return. I will argue that more recent “relational” forms of contractualism escape these objections. These forms of contractualism do, however, remain vulnerable to Derek Parfit’s non-identity problem. Recent attempts to resolve this problem have looked to the role “generic reasons” and “standpoints” play in contractualist theories. I argue that these views provide an important line of response in cases where the deliberating agent has limited information about the identities of those their actions will affect, but that the non-identity problem is not such a case. I conclude by considering some remaining options for the relational contractualist.
Phylogenetic analysis and redefinition of the maculata species group of Epicauta (Meloidae: Meloinae: Epicautini)
Authors: Campos-Soldini María Paula , Sergio Alberto Roig-Juñent
Published: September 2015

A cladistic analysis based on 81 morphological characters was performed in order to determine the phylogenetic relationships of 11 species ofEpicautafrom South America. We find that the 11 South American species constitute a monophyletic group together with all the North American species of theEpicauta maculatagroup. Within this clade, the 11 species from South America conforms an apical monophyletic group within theE. maculatagroup. We propose to maintain the validity of theEpicauta maculatagroup, but also to redefine it with new characters. The South American species of theEpicauta maculatagroup are also described and illustrated. We propose the following nomenclatural changes:Epicauta rosilloiMartínez, junior synonym ofEpicauta minutepunctataBorchmann;Epicauta fourcadeiDenier, junior synonym ofEpicauta fulvicornis(Burmeister), andEpicauta breyeriDenier, junior synonym ofEpicauta nigropunctataBlanchard. We provide an identification key, new host plant associations, and updated geographic distribution.
New fossil wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) from the Middle Jurassic of China
Authors: Wang Menglun , Li Longfeng , Shih Chungkun
Published: September 2015

Two new species,Symphytopterus gracilersp. nov. of the family Ephialtitidae andPraeaulacus byssinussp. nov. of the family Praeaulacidae, are described and illustrated from the late Middle Jurassic of Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou in Inner Mongolia, China. Based on new information onS. gracilersp. nov. andP. byssinussp. nov., two taxonomic keys to the known species of generaSymphytopterusandPraeaulacusare provided. By comparing the wings ofSymphytopterus, we find that the change of the veins length is the main interspecific difference andS. liasinusmay occupy the most basal position inSymphytopterus.
The Triple Crisis in the New Member States: The Historical Trajectory of nms-8 in the Past Quarter Century
Authors: Ágh Attila
Published: September 2015

After the first decade following their inclusion, it is a good occasion to evaluate the developments of the New Member States in the eu. This paper tries to conceptualize the historical trajectory of the nms from the perspectives of the first quarter century, in which the states have undergone three crises, termed in the paper as the ‘triple crisis’. The triple crisis is discussed in this paper in the case of eight nms (nms-8). The first part of the paper deals with the heavy social price paid by the nms populations during the systemic change, and the following parts analyse the ensuing decline in democracy, good governance, and competitiveness. Finally, in the conclusion the question of the ‘re-entry’ of nms into the eu is raised, pointing out that there have also been some signs of creative crisis that may bring ‘a better future’ if the nms can have a second try at catching up in the processes of Europeanization and democratization.
Transitional Justice in Syria: The Role and Contribution of Syrian Refugees and Displaced Persons
Authors: Al Jazairi Rania
Published: September 2015

To date, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. While over 3 million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria. Whereas most research has focused on examining Syrian refugees’ status and living conditions in host countries; few studies aimed to document their views and perceptions about transitional justice processes, including reparation issues and how they perceived a durable and sustainable peace in Syria. This paper focuses on Syrian refugees and displaced persons’ role and contribution to transitional justice processes. It explores their views and perceptions about a wide range of political, civil, social, economic and cultural issues, including accountability, reparation, the nature of the future governance system, Syria’s cultural identity, the rights of minorities and women, reconstruction and development priorities and Demilitarization, Demobilization and Reintegration (ddr) issues.
A Priori Skepticism and the KK Thesis
Authors: Beebe James R.
Published: September 2015

In a previous article, I argued against the widespread reluctance of philosophers to treat skeptical challenges to oura prioriknowledge of necessary truths with the same seriousness as skeptical challenges to oura posterioriknowledge of contingent truths. Hamid Vahid has recently offered several reasons for thinking the unequal treatment of these two kinds of skepticism is justified, one of which isa prioriskepticism’s seeming dependence upon the widely scornedkkthesis. In the present article, I defenda prioriskepticism against Vahid’s criticisms.
Scepticism by a Thousand Cuts
Authors: Smith Martin
Published: September 2015

Global sceptical arguments seek to undermine vast swathes of our putative knowledge by deploying hypotheses that posit massive deception or error. Local sceptical arguments seek to undermine just a small region of putative knowledge, using hypotheses that posit deception or error of a more mundane kind. Those epistemologists who have devised anti-sceptical strategies have tended to have global sceptical arguments firmly in their sights. I argue here that local sceptical arguments, while less dramatic, ultimately pose just as serious a challenge to our epistemic self-image and that some prominent anti-sceptical strategies are very poorly placed to meet it.
Attention Mediates the Effect of Context-Relevant Social
Authors: Srinivasan N. , Tewari S. , Makwana M. , Hopkins N. P.
Published: September 2015

In everyday life we perceive events as having durations. Recent research suggests that the labeling of a stimulus influences the experience of its duration. Plausibly, the social meaning attributed to a stimulus impacts upon the amount of attention allocated to it, with greater attention resulting in better encoding and longer reproduction times. However, direct evidence for the role of attention in this effect of social meaning on duration reproduction is lacking. The present study addresses this issue directly. Eighty-four male Hindu pilgrims attending theKumbh Melain India listened to an ambiguous sound clip and reproduced its duration in a prospective timing task. The context-relevant social meaning of this sound clip was manipulated through attributing the sound to either the religious festival or busy city streets. Attentional load was manipulated by asking half the participants to perform a concurrent task. Reproduced durations were longer in the Mela compared to the City condition but only when participants completed a single task. The finding that mere labeling of the stimulus impacts duration judgments in a prospective paradigm in the single-task but not the dual-task conditions suggests that the effect of social meaning is indeed mediated through the deployment of attentional resources.
The Mediterranean Hybridity Project
Authors: Patrick Donlan Seán
Published: September 2015

The extraordinary legal and normative hybridity (“hybridity”) of the Mediterranean region was produced in a complex history of conquest, colonisation, and social and legal diffusion across shifting and porous boundaries. Its various legal traditions, past and present, include the Anglo-British, canonical, continental, Islamic, Ottoman, Roman, socialist, and Talmudic traditions as well as various other customary and trans-territorial traditions. This plurality of official or state laws is complemented and further complicated by an equally diverse and dynamic normative pluralism. Studies of hybridity have, however, been isolated, sporadic, and too often framed within narrow jurisdictional and disciplinary constraints. This paper briefly outlines an emerging research project, the Mediterranean Hybridity Project, on the legalities, both state laws and other meaningful normative orders, in the Mediterranean. Rooted in established comparative methods and employing the conceptual vocabulary of the social sciences, a questionnaire will guide the production of reports that attempt to capture the hybridity of the jurisdictions/locales studied. It is our hope that the published reports and their analysis will generate more accurate, useful, and accessible accounts of Mediterranean hybridity than existing taxonomies, models, and methods. Developed by the Juris Diversitas group, the Project will build on a ‘new rapproachement’ between comparatists and social scientists. In particular, it will draw on the analysis of (i) the legal hybridity of, “mixed legal systems,” where diverse state laws emerge from different legal traditions and (ii) the normative hybridity of so-called, “legal,” or, “normative pluralism.” The former acknowledges a legal world of great variety and complexity; the latter posits an essential dialectic between state law and other meaningful, non-state normative orders. Recent events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and beyond suggest how useful greater knowledge of Mediterranean hybridity might be.
Double Reasoning in the Codified Mixed Systems – Code and Case Law as Simultaneous Methods
Authors: Valentine Palmer Vernon
Published: September 2015

The thesis of this Article is that the mixed jurisdiction judges often use a system of double reasoning to decide cases under the Civil Codes. In select areas where the Code texts contain principles (rather than rules) and hence are particularly wide, the judges of the codified systems are prone to use two methods at once.

This Article describes the judicial use of both syllogistic and inductive reasoning and proposes a new functional classification of civilian jurisprudence. A small case study is used to provide data, concepts and illustrations. The data set encompasses about thirty decisions in the field of medical liability in Quebec, Puerto Rico, and Louisiana. The field of tort law, presided over by the tort General Clause, thus serves as an area par excellence to observe this phenomenon.
A Pluralist Approach to Mixed Jurisdictions
Authors: Bussani Mauro
Published: September 2015

The paper claims that ‘mixity’ is an inherent quality of almost any legal systems, and not only of those that, for historical reasons, inherited legal features from the civil and common law traditions. From this ‘pluralistic’ point of view, all the experiences where Western legal models interact among themselves, or with religious, indigenous or customary laws, deserve to be included into the ‘mixed’ category. Such an approach reveals itself as a powerful cognitive tool to advance comparative knowledge about legal systems. In particular, it enables one to better understand: (a) the dynamism of any given legal system – be it national, sub-, or supra-national –; (b) the driving forces behind the penetration of ‘foreign’ elements in a given legal experience; and (c) the reasons for which there are variable degrees of resistance and/or resilience amidst the different layers a legal system is made of.
Liability of the State and Public Authorities in Israel and South Africa
Authors: Loubser Max , Gidron Tamar
Published: September 2015

Both the Israeli and the South African legal systems are classified as mixed legal systems, or mixed jurisdictions. In Israel, tort law was originally pure English common law, adopted by legislation and later developed judicially. In South Africa, the law of delict (tort) was originally Roman-Dutch but was later strongly influenced by the English common law. Under both systems, tort law is characterized by open-ended norms allowing extensive judicial development. This paper traces and compares the structural basis, methodology, policy, and trends of the judicial development of state and public-authority liability in the Israeli and South African jurisdictions. Specific factors that have impacted the development of state- and public-authority liability are: (1) constitutional values, (2) the courts’ recognition of the need for expanded protection of fundamental human rights and activism towards achieving such protection, (3) the multicultural nature of the societies, (4) problems of crime and security, and (5) worldwide trends, linked to consumerism, toward the widening of liability of the state and public authorities.

Within essentially similar conceptual structures the South African courts have been much more conservative in their approach to state liability for pure economic loss than their Israeli counterparts. This can perhaps be attributed to a sense of priorities. In a developing country with huge disparities in wealth, the courts would naturally be inclined to prioritize safety and security of persons above pure economic loss. The South African courts have been similarly more conservative in cases involving administrative negligence and evidential loss.

The development of the law on state and public-authority liability in Israel and South Africa is also the product of factors such as the levels of education, the effectiveness of the public service, and the history and pervasiveness of constitutional ordering. Despite important differences, the law in the two jurisdictions has developed from a broadly similar mixed background; the courts have adopted broadly similar methods and reasoning; and the outcomes show broadly similar trends.
Innovation in a Hybrid System: The Example of Nepal
Authors: Heckendorn Urscheler Lukas
Published: September 2015

The Nepali legal tradition is a legal hybrid in many regards. Nepal was not colonised by a Western state, and the Hindu legal tradition therefore dominated all areas of law until the middle of the 20th century. Since the 1950s there has been a strong influence of Indian common law. It is probably for this reason that comparative classifications that include Nepal see the legal system as a mixture of common law and customary law. However, other mixtures mark the Nepali legal tradition. French law inspired the ruler in the 19th century, and that influence can still be found in the formal law. In addition, the plurality of Nepalese society made it necessary to provide space for different customary regimes to coexist with the formal Hindu law. When it comes to innovations within the legal system, including international law, the different ingredients interact.In family-related matters, the case-law of the Nepali Supreme Court illustrates the confrontation between international legal standards and the traditional rules. The Supreme Court has referred to the culturally conditioned discrimination against women and called for a thorough (political) analysis in order to eliminate discrimination without a radical change of culture. In the area of discrimination against homo- and transsexuals the Supreme Court took a more innovative approach. It remains to be seen, however, if such a change is effective beyond the courtroom.In the area of private financial compensation for wrongs, the formal (written) Nepali law does not have a general concept of tort. Compensation is generally integrated within the ambit of criminal law. Field research indicates that it would be possible to resort to existing customary principles of compensation rather than to the relatively complex common law of torts favoured by some Nepali scholars. However, this approach might not be without difficulty, as it might imply admitting the “superiority” of the customary practices of ethnic groups of lower standing in society.The example of Nepal shows that innovation in a hybrid system is often marked by the difficulty of – at least apparently – contradictory elements and layers of the legal system. There might be a tendency towards choosing the dominant or the most easily accessible solution. This paper suggests that the hybrid nature of the legal system offers opportunities that could be taken in order to achieve effective change and appropriate solutions.
The Italian Legal Recipe: Basic Ingredients and the Bustle of Time
Authors: Infantino Marta
Published: September 2015

Many legal systems beyond the classical common/civil law mixed world may show themselves as the result of a historical combination of different paradigms, and of ever changing legal blends. Allegedly ‘pure’ (i.e. unmixed) civilian systems are no exception, as the Italian legal experience demonstrates. The Italian legal system stands as an emblematic illustration of how, in a civilian context, original and foreign (both civil law and common law) inspired legal rules, institutions, and attitudes may interact, develop through time, and synthesize themselves in a complex, yet unified legal culture.

As is well-known, from a comparative perspective Italy is commonly conceived as a member of the civilian legal family, and, more in particular, as a mix of XIX-XXth century French and German influences. This is, however, only one side of the picture. Whatever their current respective zones of influences are, the point is that French and German legal models are no more (as they have never been) the only ingredient of the Italian recipe. As a matter of fact, the origin of many components stretches wider both in time and space. In some cases, it stretches back to the fragmented plurality of normative levels which characterized the peninsula’ legal edifice for centuries before political unification. In other cases, the origin of legal rules stretches up to the more recent borrowings from the United States experience: from the plea bargain to the ‘quasi’ adversary criminal trial, from securitization techniques to financial contracts models, from class action devices to the overarching patterns of judicial review.

Hence, far from being a purely civilian amalgam, the Italian legal framework presents itself as the fruit of an endless interaction of local patterns with foreign-inspired paradigms. This is why the third legal family lenses can prove extremely useful in looking at the Italian allegedly ‘pure’ legal experience, and in highlighting the multiple ingredients of its somewhat mixed recipes. More generally, third legal family’s perspective may help put countries belonging to civilian legal family in context, and lead to a better understanding not only of the dynamic relationships between this family and other legal families, but also of the cross-fertilization phenomena which endlessly take place within and beyond family borders.
Crossmodal Correspondences: Four Challenges
Authors: Deroy Ophelia , Spence Charles
Published: September 2015

The renewed interest that has emerged around the topic of crossmodal correspondences in recent years has demonstrated that crossmodal matchings and mappings exist between the majority of sensory dimensions, and across all combinations of sensory modalities. This renewed interest also offers a rapidly-growing list of ways in which correspondences affect — or interact with — metaphorical understanding, feelings of ‘knowing’, behavioral tasks, learning, mental imagery, and perceptual experiences. Here we highlight why, more generally, crossmodal correspondences matter to theories of multisensory interactions.
Las Lejeuneaceae (Hepaticae) de Misiones, Argentina I. Las especies holostipas
Authors: Reiner-Drehwald María Elena
Published: September 2015

Seventeen species of holostipous (underleaves undivided) Lejeuneaceae (Jungermanniales) found in the province of Misiones, Argentina, are described and illustrated. The species are members of the subfamilies Lejeuneoideae and Ptychanthoideae and belong to the genera Anoplolejeunea, Lejeunea, leucolejeunea, Omphalanthus, Acanthocoleus, Archilejeunea, Brachiolejeunea, Bryopteris, Caudalejeunea, Frullanoides, lopholejeunea, Marchesinia, Mastigolejeunea, Odontolejeunea and Schiffneriolejeunea. All of the species are new records for Misiones and, with exception of Omphalanthus filiformis and Frullanoides densifolia (known for the province of Salta), all of them are new records for Argentina. For each taxon the habitat and the geographical distribution are indicated. A key to the species and a synopsis of their systematic position are also provided.
Mosses from the Mascarenes - 4.
Authors: Een Gillis
Published: September 2015

Thirty-seven species of mosses are reported from the Mascarenes and three are republished under new names. Didymodon michiganensis (Steere) K. Saito is new to Africa. Campylopus bartramiaceus (C. Muell.) Thér., Pogonatum proliferum (Griff.) Mitt. and Zygodon intermedius B.S.G. are new to the Mascarenes. Calymperes palisotii ssp. palisotii Schwaegr. is new to Mauritius.
Notes on the circumscription of the lichens Lecanora leprosa and L. sulphurescens (Lecanoraceae, lichenised Ascomycotina)

Authors: Lumbsch H. Thorsten , Elix John A.
Published: September 2015

Lecanora leprosa and L. sulphurescens are two commonly misidentified pantropical lichens. A detailed circumscription is presented to help overcome such difficulties. Both species contain a chemosyndrome of chlorodepsidones based on gangaleoidin. The new depsidone chlorolecideoidin (methyl 2,4,9-trichloro-3,8-dihydroxy-1,6-dimethyl-11-oxo-11H-dibenzo[b,e][1,4]-dioxepin- 7-carboxylate) has been shown to be a minor component of both species.
Climatic Consequences of a Pine Island Glacier Collapse
Authors: Green J. A. M. , Schmittner A.
Published: September 2015

An intermediate-complexity climate model is used to simulate the impact of an accelerated Pine Island Glacier mass loss on the large-scale ocean circulation and climate. Simulations are performed for preindustrial conditions using hosing levels consistent with present-day observations of 3000 m3 s−1, at an accelerated rate of 6000 m3 s−1, and at a total collapse rate of 100 000 m3 s−1, and in all experiments the hosing lasted 100 years. It is shown that even a modest input of meltwater from the glacier can introduce an initial cooling over the upper part of the Southern Ocean due to increased stratification and ice cover, leading to a reduced upward heat flux from Circumpolar Deep Water. This causes global ocean heat content to increase and global surface air temperatures to decrease. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) increases, presumably owing to changes in the density difference between Antarctic Intermediate Water and North Atlantic Deep Water. Simulations with a simultaneous hosing and increases of atmospheric CO2 concentrations show smaller effects of the hosing on global surface air temperature and ocean heat content, which the authors attribute to the melting of Southern Ocean sea ice. The sensitivity of the AMOC to the hosing is also reduced as the warming by the atmosphere completely dominates the perturbations.
The Collection Efficiency of Shielded and Unshielded Precipitation Gauges. Part II: Modeling Particle Trajectories
Authors: Colli Matteo , Lanza Luca G. , Rasmussen Roy , Thériault Julie M.
Published: September 2015

The use of windshields to reduce the impact of wind on snow measurements is common. This paper investigates the catching performance of shielded and unshielded gauges using numerical simulations. In Part II, the role of the windshield and gauge aerodynamics, as well as the varying flow field due to the turbulence generated by the shield–gauge configuration, in reducing the catch efficiency is investigated. This builds on the computational fluid dynamics results obtained in Part I, where the airflow patterns in the proximity of an unshielded and single Alter shielded Geonor T-200B gauge are obtained using both time-independent [Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)] and time-dependent [large-eddy simulation (LES)] approaches. A Lagrangian trajectory model is used to track different types of snowflakes (wet and dry snow) and to assess the variation of the resulting gauge catching performance with the wind speed. The collection efficiency obtained with the LES approach is generally lower than the one obtained with the RANS approach. This is because of the impact of the LES-resolved turbulence above the gauge orifice rim. The comparison between the collection efficiency values obtained in case of shielded and unshielded gauge validates the choice of installing a single Alter shield in a windy environment. However, time-dependent simulations show that the propagating turbulent structures produced by the aerodynamic response of the upwind single Alter blades have an impact on the collection efficiency. Comparison with field observations provides the validation background for the model results.
Thermally Forced Transients in the Thermohaline Circulation
Authors: Spall Michael A.
Published: September 2015

The response of a convective ocean basin to variations in atmospheric temperature is explored using numerical models and theory. The results indicate that the general behavior depends strongly on the frequency at which the atmosphere changes relative to the local response time to air–sea heat flux. For high-frequency forcing, the convective region in the basin interior is essentially one-dimensional and responds to the integrated local surface heat flux anomalies. For low-frequency forcing, eddy fluxes from the boundary current into the basin interior become important and act to suppress variability forced by the atmosphere. A theory is developed to quantify this time-dependent response and its influence on various oceanic quantities. The amplitude and phase of the temperature and salinity of the convective water mass, the meridional overturning circulation, the meridional heat flux, and the air–sea heat flux predicted by the theory compare well with that diagnosed from a series of numerical model calculations in both strongly eddying and weakly eddying regimes. Linearized analytic solutions provide direct estimates of each of these quantities and demonstrate their dependence on the nondimensional numbers that characterize the domain and atmospheric forcing. These results highlight the importance of mesoscale eddies in modulating the mean and time-dependent ocean response to atmospheric variability and provide a dynamical framework with which to connect ocean observations with changes in the atmosphere and surface heat flux.
Foot orthoses for the prevention of lower limb overuse injuries in naval recruits: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Bonanno Daniel R. , Murley George S. , Munteanu Shannon E. , Landorf Karl B. , Menz Hylton B.
Published: September 2015

Background

Foot orthoses are frequently used for the prevention of lower limb overuse injuries but evidence for their effectiveness is limited. The primary aim of this study is to determine if prefabricated foot orthoses reduce the incidence of lower limb overuse injuries in naval recruits undertaking 11 weeks of basic training.

Methods

This study is a participant and assessor blinded, parallel‐group, randomised controlled trial. The trial will recruit participants undertaking 11 weeks of basic training at the Royal Australian Navy Recruit School, Cerberus, Victoria, Australia. Participants will be randomised to a control group (flat insole) or an intervention group (prefabricated foot orthosis). Over the 11 weeks of basic training, participants will document the presence and location of pain in weekly self‐report diaries. The end‐point for each participant will be the completion of 11 weeks of basic training. The primary outcome measure will be the combined incidence of four lower limb injuries (medial tibial stress syndrome, patellofemoral pain, Achilles tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis/plantar heel pain) which are common among defence members. Secondary outcome measures include: (i) overall incidence of lower limb pain, (ii) severity of lower limb pain, (iii) time to injury, (iv) time to drop‐out due to injury, (v) adverse events, (vi) number of lost training days, (vii) shoe comfort, and (viii) general health status. Data will be analysed using the intention‐to‐treat principle.

Discussion

This randomised controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of prefabricated foot orthoses for the prevention of common lower limb overuse injuries in naval recruits.

Trial registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12615000024549.
Did the Intergenerational Solidarity Pact increase the employment rate of older workers in Belgium? A macro-econometric evaluation
Authors: Dejemeppe Muriel , Smith Catherine , der Linden Bruno Van
Published: September 2015

In December 2005, the Belgian government adopted the law on the Intergenerational Solidarity Pact (ISP) aimed at increasing the employment rate of older workers. The main policies of the ISP consist of a pension bonus, reductions in employers’ social security contributions and measures discouraging early retirement while encouraging working time reductions at the end of the career. We aim at evaluating the overall effectiveness of the ISP in raising the employment rate of older workers. To that purpose, we compare the actual evolution of the employment rate after the implementation of the policies to its predicted (counterfactual) evolution based on the estimation of a macro-econometric model in a period prior to the ISP. The results suggest a slight positive impact of the ISP on the employment rate of older workers but to the detriment of the younger workers. However, there is a lack of statistical power to draw firm conclusions on the overall effect of the ISP.

JEL classification:J21, J26, H53, E32
HDAC5-mTORC1 Interaction in Differential Regulation of Ghrelin and Nucleobindin 2 (NUCB2)/Nesfatin-1
Authors: Ma Liangxiao , Tang Hong , Yin Yue , Yu Ruili , Zhao Jing , Li Yin , Mulholland Michael W. , Zhang Weizhen
Published: September 2015

Sodium valporate (VPA), a broad-spectrum inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACs), increased ghrelin whereas decreased nesfatin-1 in mice fed normal chow diet or high-fat diet. Alterations in ghrelin and nucleobindin 2/nesfatin-1 were mediated by HDAC5 but not HDAC4. Activation of mTORC1 significantly attenuated the effect of VPA on ghrelin and nesfatin-1 levels. HDAC5 coimmunoprecipitated with raptor. Inhibition of HDAC5 by VPA, trichostatin A, or siHDAC5 markedly increased acetylation of raptor Lys840 and subsequent phosphorylation of raptor Ser792, resulting in suppression of mTORC1 signaling. A raptor mutant lacking the Lys840 acetylation site showed a decrement in phosphorylation of raptor Ser792 and subsequent increase in mTORC1 signaling. These alterations were associated with reciprocal changes in ghrelin and nucleobindin 2/nesfatin-1 expression. These findings reveal HDAC5-mTORC1 signaling as a novel mechanism in the differential regulation of gastric ghrelin and nesfatin-1.
Pop, Collaboration, Utopia: Bruce Conner's BREAKAWAY in 1960s Los Angeles
Authors: Gosse Johanna
Published: September 2015

San Francisco artist Bruce Conner established himself as a major figure in postwar underground cinema with his first film, A MOVIE (1958), a masterpiece of found-footage montage. Yet Conner also shot several films with his own camera, many of which feature a nude or partially clothed female performer and, in some cases, a pop music sound track; these films include COSMIC RAY (1961), VIVIAN (1964), EASTER MORNING RAGA (1966), and THE WHITE ROSE (1967). This essay examines a work by Conner that combines all of these elements, 1966's BREAKAWAY, an experimental dance film he made in collaboration with Los Angeles choreographer and actress Toni Basil. Shot over a period of two years in Santa Monica, BREAKAWAY draws from Conner and Basil's mutual involvement in both the Hollywood entertainment industry and the West Coast artistic underground through its curious fusion of pop and avant-garde sensibilities. This essay argues that BREAKAWAY is an inherently collaborative and cross-disciplinary work that self-reflexively invokes the utopian aspirations of the American underground and popular culture during the mid-1960s, especially through its utilization of rock and roll, a genre rooted in vernacular African American music. To unpack these connections, BREAKAWAY is analyzed in the context of two contemporary films in which Basil played significant roles: The T.A.M.I. Show (dir. Steve Binder, US, 1964), a groundbreaking concert film that signaled a new era of on-screen racial integration, and the classic psychedelic road movie Easy Rider (dir. Dennis Hopper, US, 1969).
Race and the First-Person Shooter: Challenging the Video Gamer in BioShock Infinite
Authors: Mafe Diana Adesola
Published: September 2015

This article argues that the 2013 first-person shooter (FPS) video game BioShock Infinite (2K Games) challenges gamers in its representations of race. Launched in 2007, the BioShock franchise has a reputation for thoughtful dystopian narratives, beautiful retro worlds, and addictive gameplay. As the latest installment in an award-winning franchise, BioShock Infinite entices players on reputation alone. Although the game's marketing presents it as a clichéd FPS game with a stereotypical white male hero and nonstop action, BioShock Infinite regularly interrogates its own models of hegemonic power through both the narrative and the gameplay. This article tracks the ways in which the game encourages the player to notice and engage with white supremacism and race relations in an allegorical American context. The early twentieth-century world of Columbia functions not only as a playground for the player but also as a proving ground where social mores are repeatedly tested. Practices such as lynching, segregation, and phrenology are woven into the narrative and the player must sometimes literally decide whether to endorse or oppose the racism modeled in the game. The hack-and-slash gameplay also becomes inextricable from the racial identities and views of both the protagonist and his enemies. In this way, BioShock Infinite balances gaming as entertainment with gaming as education and contributes to the broader debate around the social function of video games.
Fission yeast Kinesin-8 controls chromosome congression independently of oscillations
Authors: Mary Hadrien , Fouchard Jonathan , Gay Guillaume , Reyes Céline , Gauthier Tiphaine , Gruget Clémence , Pécréaux Jacques , Tournier Sylvie , Gachet Yannick
Published: September 2015

In higher eukaryotes, efficient chromosome congression relies, among other players, on the activity of chromokinesins. Here, we provide a quantitative analysis of kinetochore oscillations and positioning in S. Pombe, a model organism lacking chromokinesins. In wild type cells, chromosomes align during prophase and while oscillating, maintain this alignment throughout metaphase. Chromosome oscillations are dispensable both for kinetochore congression and stable kinetochore alignment during metaphase. In higher eukaryotes, Kinesin-8 controls chromosome congression by regulating their oscillations. Oppositely, we demonstrate that fission yeast Kinesin-8 controls chromosome congression by an alternative mechanism. We propose that Kinesin-8 aligns chromosomes by controlling pulling forces in a length dependent manner. A coarse grained model of chromosome segregation implemented with a length-dependent process that controls the force at kinetochores is necessary and sufficient to mimic kinetochore alignment and prevents the appearance of lagging chromosomes. Altogether, these data illustrate how the local action of a motor protein at kinetochores provides spatial cues within the spindle to align chromosomes and to prevent aneuploidy.
Galactosylsphingosine (psychosine)-induced demyelination is attenuated by sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling
Authors: O'Sullivan Catherine , Dev Kumlesh K.
Published: September 2015

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) is a rare infantile neurodegenerative disorder. Krabbe disease is caused by deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme galactocerebrosidase (GALC) resulting in accumulation, in the micromolar range, of the toxic metabolite galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) in the brain. Here we find that psychosine induces human astrocyte cell death probably via an apoptotic process in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (EC50∼15 μM at 4 h). We show these effects of psychosine are attenuated by pre-treatment with the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor agonist pFTY720 (fingolimod) (IC50∼100 nM). Psychosine (1 μM, 10 μM) also enhances LPS-induced (EC50∼100 ng/ml) production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mouse astrocytes, which is also attenuated by pFTY720 (1 μM). Most notably, for the first time, we show that psychosine, at a concentration found in the brains of patients with Krabbe disease (EC50∼100 nM), directly induces demyelination in mouse organotypic cerebellar slices in a manner that is independent of pro-inflammatory cytokine response and that pFTY720 (0.1 nM) significantly inhibits. These results support the idea that psychosine is a pathogenic agent in Krabbe disease and suggest that sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling could be a potential drug target for this disorder.
Dexamethasone-induced cellular tension requires SGK1-stimulated Sec5/GEF-H1 interaction
Authors: Wang Hong-Ling , Yang Chih-Hsuan , Lee Hsiao-Hui , Kuo Jean-Cheng , Hur Sung-Sik , Chien Shu , Lee Oscar Kuang-Sheng , Hung Shih-Chieh , Chang Zee-Fen
Published: September 2015

Dexamethasone (Dex), a glucocorticoid drug, is often used to induce osteoblast commitment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that requires RhoA-dependent cellular tension. The underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we show that Dex stimulates expression of fibronectin (FN) and integrin α5 (ITGA5), accompanied by an increase in the interaction of GEF-H1 with Sec5, a microtubule (MT)-regulated RhoA activator and a component of exocyst, respectively. Disruption of this interaction abolishes Dex-induced cellular tension and GEF-H1 targeting to focal adhesion sites at cell periphery without affecting Dex-induced levels of ITGA5 and FN, while the extracellular deposit of FN to adhesion sites is specifically inhibited. We demonstrate that Dex stimulates the expression of serum/glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 1 (SGK1), which is necessary and sufficient for the induction of Sec5/GEF-H1 interaction. Given the function of SGK1 in suppressing MT growth, our data suggest that the induction of SGK1 by Dex treatment alters MT dynamics to increase Sec5/GEF-H1 interaction, which promotes GEF-H1 targeting to adhesion sites. This mechanism is essential for the fibril formation of FN with integrin at adhesion sites that generates cellular tension.
A Review of The Age of Sustainable Development by Jeffrey Sachs
Authors: Kahn Matthew E.
Published: September 2015

How does economic science inform the study of sustainable development? In his new book, Jeffrey D. Sachs analyzes the challenges of achieving economic growth while protecting the environment and achieving an equitable distribution of resources. This review presents an overview of this ambitious book with special emphasis on the role of the objectives of local and national leaders and their incentives to pursue the sustainability agenda. Given the huge migration to cities now playing out in the developing world, special attention is paid to the role of urbanization as a cause of sustainability opportunities and challenges. (JEL Q01, Q54, Q56, R11)
The Role and Place of a Counselor in the Educational Process
Authors: Саханский  , Sakhanskiy N.
Published: September 2015

The paper considers the role and place of a counselor within the educational process and the role of counseling in modernizing the education in Rissia.
Implementation of Didactic Principles of Students’ Research Potential Development in Subject Oriented Education
Authors: Макотрова  , Makotrova Galina
Published: September 2015

The article deals with the essence of the concept of "development of students’ research potential", shows the relationship between didactic regularities

and principles of development of students’ research potential, specifies the ways to implement the didactic principles of high school students’ research

potential development in subject oriented educational practice.
AÇÕES DE REDUÇÃO DE IMPACTO AMBIENTAL DAS EMPRESAS QUE COMPÕEM O ÍNDICE DE SUSTENTABILIDADE DA BM&FBOVESPA
Authors: Almeida de Souza Ana Augusta , Marchiori Pacheco Larissa , Ferreira Caldana Adriana Cristina , Bartocci Liboni Lara
Published: September 2015

A mudança de paradigmas enfrentada pelas empresas e as pressões feitas para que essas adotem os preceitos da sustentabilidade justificam a execução deste estudo. Dessa forma, o objetivo geral é verificar práticas de evidenciação e de gestão ambiental dos relatórios de sustentabilidade do conjunto de empresas listadas no índice de sustentabilidade empresarial (ISE) da BM&FBovespa do ano de 2014. Para isso, dois objetivos específicos foram criados: verificar se as empresas seguem as diretrizes do GRI para reportarem suas ações ambientais e identificar quais práticas de gestão ambiental são mais reportadas pelas empresas. A interpretação das informações se deu por meio da análise documental e da análise categórica temática, uma das técnicas da análise de conteúdo. Quanto à evidenciação das práticas, todas as empresas possuem sua própria maneira de reportar suas práticas de gestão ambiental, não encontrando a estrutura proposta pelo GRI em nenhum dos relatórios. Quanto às práticas de gestão ambiental mais evidenciadas, verificou-se que a preocupação está em adequar os processos produtivos aos preceitos da sustentabilidade por meio de seu redesenho e do uso eficiente dos recursos como água e energia elétrica. Contudo, nenhuma vez foi apresentada preocupação quanto ao o ciclo de vida do produto.
ARRUMAR DEVAGARZINHO OS “TREM”, PUXAR CARROÇAS, BINGAR BICICLETA, ENGAJAR PESSOAS: A DIFÍCIL ARTE DE CRIAR E GERIR UMA ASSOCIAÇÃO DE CATADORES DE RECICLÁVEIS
Authors: Freitag Maria Salete Batista , Camargo Filho Altair , Carvalho Jéssica Borges de , Borges Cândido
Published: September 2015

Objetiva-se fomentar discussões e reflexões sobre a criação e o gerenciamento de uma associação, com vistas ao engajamento das pessoas na lógica associativista. Pode ser usado em disciplinas que abordem o Empreendedorismo Social, a Responsabilidade Socioambiental e a Gestão nos cursos de graduação e pós-graduação. É narrada a história de um grupo de catadores de materiais recicláveis que moravam em uma favela em Goiânia, Goiás. Muitas dificuldades foram enfrentadas pelos catadores, como as condições precárias de moradia e de sustento e a concorrência, em alguns momentos, com a própria prefeitura, pela coleta dos materiais recicláveis. Além disso, havia conflito entre eles: enquanto uns vislumbravam a possibilidade de um trabalho em grupo na luta pelos objetivos comuns, outros achavam que catar individualmente seria mais viável. Esse desentendimento dificultava a ideia de criar uma associação para fortalecê-los no enfrentamento das demandas do trabalho. Quebrada a resistência de alguns, houve um consenso em buscar auxílio junto à Incubadora Social da UFG para ajudá-los a compreender a forma de se trabalhar em associação. A ajuda deu resultado. Em 2005 foi criada a Associação dos Catadores Augusto Comte (ACAC). Boa parte das reivindicações foi alcançada, mas há muito o que melhorar nos aspectos estruturais e de autogestão.
Assumed Higgs Boson Discovery Proved Einstein Right
Authors:   601 Pemberton Browns Mills Rd, Pemberton, NJ 08068, United States (USA), Morales Manuel S.
Published: September 2015

The selection-based Tempt Destiny experiment has provided evidence that the fundamental acts of selection are a dichotomy as ‎are their effects. By applying this knowledge to evaluate the preliminary findings of the Higgs boson discovery, we find an ‎omission error has taken place.‎
We give up far too easily
Authors: Piercy Marge
Published: September 2015

Marge Piercy is the author of eighteen poetry books, most recently The Hunger Moon: New & Selected Poems, 1980–2010 (Knopf, 2011). Her most recent novel is Sex Wars (Harper Perennial, 2005) and she has just published her first collection of short stories, The Cost of Lunch, Etc. (PM Press, 2014).

Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Secular Stagnation: Mainstream Versus Marxian Traditions
Authors: Despain Hans G
Published: September 2015

Paul M. Sweezy wrote in 1982, "it is my impression that the economics profession has not yet begun to resume the debate over stagnation which was so abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War." Thirty years later things appear to have changed. Former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Larry Summers shocked economists with his remarks regarding "stagnation" at the IMF Research Conference in November 2013, and he later published these ideas in the Financial Times and Business Economics.… Summers's remarks and articles were followed by an explosion of debate concerning "secular stagnation" [which] can be defined as the tendency to long-term (or secular) stagnation in the private accumulation process of the capitalist economy, manifested in rising unemployment and excess capacity and a slowdown in overall economic growth…. Responses to Summers have been all over the map, reflecting both the fact that the capitalist economy has been slowing down, and the role in denying it by many of those seeking to legitimate the system.

Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.