bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of heat waves on embryo mortality in the pine processionary moth
Authors: Rocha S. , Kerdelhué C. , Ben Jamaa M.L. , Dhahri S. , Burban C. , Branco M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractExtreme climate events such as heat waves are predicted to become more frequent with climate change, representing a challenge for many organisms. The pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa is a Mediterranean pine defoliator, which typically lays eggs during the summer. We evaluated the effects of heat waves on egg mortality of three populations with different phenologies: a Portuguese population with a classical life cycle (eggs laid in summer), an allochronic Portuguese population reproducing in spring, and a Tunisian population from the extreme southern limit of T. pityocampa distribution range, in which eggs are laid in fall. We tested the influence of three consecutive hot days on egg survival and development time, using either constant (CT) or daily cycling temperatures (DT) with equivalent mean temperatures. Maximum temperatures (Tmax) used in the experiment ranged from 36 to 48°C for DT and from 30 to 42°C for CT. Heat waves had a severe negative effect on egg survival when Tmax reached 42°C for all populations. No embryo survived above this threshold. At high mean temperatures (40°C), significant differences were observed between populations and between DT and CT regimes. Heat waves further increased embryo development time. The knowledge we gained about the upper lethal temperature to embryos of this species will permit better prediction of the potential expansion of this insect under different climate warming scenarios.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE DECISION-MAKING AUTONOMY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA
Authors: Osamor Pauline , Grady Christine 
Published: February 2017

SummaryWomen’s decision-making autonomy has been poorly studied in most developing countries. The few existing studies suggest that it is closely linked to women’s socio-demographic characteristics and the social settings in which they live. This study examined Nigerian women’s perceived decision-making autonomy about their own health care using nationally representative data from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. The study sample consisted of 27,135 women aged 15–49 years who lived with their husbands/partners. Responses to questions about who usually makes decisions about the respondent’s health care were analysed. Factors associated with women’s health care decision-making were investigated using logistic regression models. Only 6.2% of the women reported making their own decisions about health care. For most women (61.1%), this decision was made by their husband/partner alone and 32.7% reported joint decision-making with their husband/partner. Factors independently associated with decision-making by the woman included: geographical region, rural/urban residence, age, education, religion, wealth index, occupation, home ownership and husband’s occupation. A strong association between women making their own health care decision was seen with region of residence (χ2=3221.48,p<0.0001), even after controlling for other factors. Notably, women from the South West region were 8.3 times more likely to make their own health care decisions than women from the North West region. Factors that were significantly associated with joint health care decision-making were also significantly associated with decision-making by the woman alone. The study found that individual-level factors were significantly associated with Nigerian women’s decision-making autonomy, as well as other factors, in particular geographic region. The findings provide an important perspective on women’s health care decision-making autonomy in a developing country.
Impaired awareness of motor intention in functional neurological disorder: implications for voluntary and functional movement
Authors: Baek K. , Doñamayor N. , Morris L. S. , Strelchuk D. , Mitchell S. , Mikheenko Y. , Yeoh S. Y. , Phillips W. , Zandi M. , Jenaway A. , Walsh C. , Voon V. 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundFunctional neurological disorders (FNDs), also known as conversion disorder, are unexplained neurological symptoms unrelated to a neurological cause. The disorder is common, yet poorly understood. The symptoms are experienced as involuntary but have similarities to voluntary processes. Here we studied intention awareness in FND.MethodA total of 26 FND patients and 25 healthy volunteers participated in this functional magnetic resonance study using Libet's clock.ResultsFND is characterized by delayed awareness of the intention to move relative to the movement itself. The reporting of intention was more precise, suggesting that these findings are reliable and unrelated to non-specific attentional deficits. That these findings were more prominent with aberrant positive functional movement symptoms rather than negative symptoms may be relevant to impairments in timing for an inhibitory veto process. Attention towards intention relative to movement was associated with lower right inferior parietal cortex activity in FND, a region early in the processing of intention. During rest, aberrant functional connectivity was observed with the right inferior parietal cortex and other motor intention regions.ConclusionsThe results converge with observations of low inferior parietal activity comparing involuntary with voluntary movement in FND, emphasizing core deficiencies in intention. Heightened precision of this impaired intention is consistent with Bayesian theories of impaired top-down priors that might influence the sense of involuntariness. A primary impairment in voluntary motor intention at an early processing stage might explain clinical observations of slowed effortful voluntary movement, heightened self-directed attention and underlie functional movements. These findings further suggest novel therapeutic targets.
Selective functional disconnection of the orbitofrontal subregions in schizophrenia
Authors: Xu Y. , Qin W. , Zhuo C. , Xu L. , Zhu J. , Liu X. , Yu C. 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundAs a disconnection syndrome, schizophrenia has shown impaired resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC); however, the OFC is a rather heterogeneous region and the rsFC changes in the OFC subregions remain unknown.MethodA total of 98 schizophrenia patients and 102 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional MRI using a sensitivity-encoded spiral-in imaging sequence (SENSE-SPIRAL) to reduce susceptibility-induced signal loss and distortion. The OFC subregions were defined according to a previous parcellation study that divided the OFC into the anterior (OFCa), medial (OFCm), posterior (OFCp), intermediate (OFCi), and lateral (OFCl) subregions. The rsFC was compared using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA.ResultsWhether or not global signal regression, compared with healthy controls, schizophrenia patients consistently exhibited decreased rsFC between the left OFCi and the left middle temporal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), between the right OFCi and the right MFG and the left inferior frontal gyrus, between the right OFCm and the middle cingulate cortex and the left Rolandic operculum. These rsFC changes still remained significant even after cortical atrophy correction.ConclusionsThese findings suggest a selective functional disconnection of the OFC subregions in schizophrenia, and provide more precise information about the functional disconnections of the OFC in this disorder.
Unraveling amyloid formation paths of Parkinson's disease protein α-synuclein triggered by anionic vesicles
Authors: Kiskis Juris , Horvath Istvan , Wittung-Stafshede Pernilla , Rocha Sandra 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAmyloid formation of the synaptic brain proteinα-synuclein (αS) is related to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease patients.αS is thought to function in vesicle transport and fusion and it binds strongly to negatively charged vesiclesin vitro. Here we combined circular dichroism, fluorescence and imaging methodsin vitroto characterize the interaction ofαS with negatively charged vesicles of DOPS (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine, sodium salt) and DOPG (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1′-rac-glycerol), sodium salt) and the consequences of such interactions onαS amyloid formation. We found that lipid head-group chemistry modulatesαS interactions and also affects amyloid fiber formation. During the course of the experiments, we made the unexpected discovery that pre-formedαS oligomers, typically present in a small amount in theαS starting material, acted as templates for linear growth of anomalous amyloid fibers in the presence of vesicles. At the same time, the remainingαS monomers were restricted from vesicle-mediated nucleation of amyloid fibers. Although not a dominant process in bulk experiments, this hiddenαS aggregation pathway may be of importancein vivo.
Clothes and Identity: The Case of the Greeks in Ionia c. 400 BC
Authors: Miller Margaret 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe capacity of the individual to maintain several identities concurrently is well established, as is the ability of dress to reflect (passively) or to announce (actively) the social identities of its bearer. Within a multi-national structure such as the Achaemenid Persian Empire the semiosis of dress is especially complex. Since dress functions as a form of non-verbal communication, study of the language of dress of past cultures must appeal to the widest possible range of literary and visual sources.Analysis of the visual arts within the Persian sphere shows careful attention to vestimental definition of the Iranian ‘dominant ethno-class’ and its separation from the dress of the subject peoples in the western empire. Artistic and literary evidence for the Greek and West Anatolian experience of the Persian Empire testifies to the extent of the Persian presence in the west. It also shows the cultural flexibility of the local populations, who might occasionally emulate the Persian model by adopting Persian dress while retaining the traits of their traditional cultures.
Insulting Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi
Authors: Beness J. Lea , Hillard Tom 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPlutarch records calumny directed at Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi, though he offers no detail as to its content. This article speculates that Cicero's reference to rhetorical misgivings concerning her marriage offers a clue. References by Pliny and Solinus to the ominous nature of Cornelia's postnatal condition prompt the further speculation that enemies of the Gracchi were able to claim that both her marriage and the birth of her children had run counter to divine injunction.
The Euphrates as a Boundary between Rome and Parthia in the Late Republic and Early Empire
Authors: Edwell Peter 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIt is generally agreed that during the first century BC the Euphrates River came to represent a negotiated boundary of Roman and Parthian power in the Near East, and that this remained the case until the overthrow of the Parthians by the Sassanians in the third century AD. It was during the first century BC that the term imperium began to be used in the context of expressions of corporate Roman power; this eventually saw an additional important usage of the term evolve to that of an expression of physical territory, that is, empire, by the end of the reign of Augustus. This paper argues that it is possible to link the development of the Euphrates as a boundary of Roman and Parthian power in the first century BC with developments and changes in the usage of the term imperium. It traces the history of Roman and Parthian agreements and conflicts throughout the first century BC in the context of the development of the Euphrates as a boundary. The paper also argues that only the upper section of the Euphrates came to play this role and that previous analyses of the middle Euphrates have produced a misleading understanding of Roman and Parthian activity on this section of the river. The analysis of archaeological evidence from the first centuries BC and AD from the middle Euphrates site of Dura Europos is employed to illuminate the analysis of the Euphrates as a boundary. We arrive at a better understanding of Dura's history during this period if we considert Dura in the broader context of the Euphrates’ role in dividing Roman and Parthian power.
The InternationalAmicitiabetween Athens and Rome
Authors: Burton Paul J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThere is no agreement on when internationalamicitiabetween Rome and Athens was first established. This article proposes that the most likely date for it belongs in the context of the later stages of the First Macedonian War (215-205) – specifically, during the mediation attempts of 209 or 208 – rather than the other commonly canvassed candidates, 228,205 and 201-200.
Sincere Humans and Insincere Beasts: Cicero’s Politics of Humanity
Authors: Maric Lazar 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis article analyses the ‘politics of humanity’ in Cicero’s philosophical and rhetorical works, the practice of projecting and shifting the moral and political boundary that separates the ‘human’ from the ‘inhuman’, the ‘inept at being human’, and the ‘undeserving of being human’. This practice has many affinities with the relatively modern phenomenon of ‘dehumanisation’. In the first part, the emphasis is on Cicero’s humanism, in particular his ideas on human nature as they appear inDe Officiis. Here I also show the impact of this practice on Roman ideas of self-fashioning, ‘sincerity’ and social performance. In the second part, I observe the way in which Cicero’s political and legal theory fits within this ideological project. I further argue that Cicero’s humanism provided a conceptual background to the rhetorical dehumanisation of his political enemies, that is, to the claims in his invective that these men could no longer be considered as proper human beings. My final suggestion is that the goal of this practice, at least some of the time, was to make a case for excluding these individuals from the state’s legal system and thus depriving them of its protections.
On Optimal Simulations of Econometric Models
Authors: Rouzier Philippe 
Published: February 2017

In a recent note [Rouzier (1973, a)] we indicated a method for correcting certain parameters of an econometric model in order to minimize a weighted sum of mean square errors for the endogenous variables. A crude justification of this method was that, since the equations are generally estimated separately, there is no obvious reason why the complete model should lead to consistent solutions. Indeed, when a model is being constructed, there are implicit interactions whose effects are not revealed until numerical simulations are performed.The final run of a model differs a lot from the first one because the builder adds subjective informations to the results of the estimation. But when changing a coefficient, or when opting for another specification, he is probably paying a price in terms of the economic meaning of certain trade-offs. This is a rather vague statement, but we think that this study is able to contribute to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of our models.In this paper, we intend to show that the above mentioned method can in fact be used not only to improve the performances, but also as a tool to analyze the trade-offs of a model.
Les salaires, les prix et l’index
Authors: Kervyn de Lettenhove Albert , Staes Véronique 
Published: February 2017

Le débat en cours sur la liaison des salaires à l’index se déroule dans une certaine confusion de concepts et d’arguments. Aussi le premier but de cet article sera de clarifier les concepts (et les faits indiscutables) : ce sera l’objet de la première partie. On y présentera une hypothèse sur la formation des prix pour pouvoir examiner les relations entre prix, salaires et index. Une seconde partie, empirique, analysera les données belges à la lumière des concepts présentés au début. On y étudiera principalement l’évolution des parts distributives.Il est peut-être utile de préciser dès l’abord que la partie théorique cherchera à montrer que la liaison des salaires à l’index ne peut être rendue responsable d’une détérioration de la position compétitive. En d’autres mots, dans la mesure où il y a détérioration de celle-ci, elle provient d’augmentations rapides des salaires réels (au-delà de l’index); le problème discuté se limite à ce point précis. Le modèle utilisé tient compte, bien entendu, des influences réciproques des prix et des salaires et conclut que ces interrelations peuvent provoquer une période de stagflation même sans invoquer la liaison des salaires à l’index. Par ailleurs, il n’est pas tenu compte des attentes et, par conséquent, sont négligées les influences, positives ou négatives, de l’indexation sur l’évolution des salaires réels.
Professor Schroeder’s Report on Soviet Economic Development Trade with Eastern Europe: A Comment
Authors: Praussello F. 
Published: February 2017

In my comment paper on Professor Schroeder’s report (1974) I shall discuss two points. First of all I intend to examine whether the benefits that the Soviet Union gained and is gaining from its trade with the Comecon countries can be meant as due to «exploitation » or a « discrimination » against them. The second topic on which Professor Schroeder’s paper (1974) mainly caught my attention is that of Comecon integration. In the last part of my paper I shall therefore attempt an evaluation of the integration efforts within the Comecon compared with the parallel efforts made in Western Europe in the framework of the EEC.In the economics relationships between the Soviet Union and the Comecon countries Professor Schroeder (1974) distinguishes two main periods and argues that until 1956 the Soviet Union benefited from a net capital transfert from Eastern Europe, whose size however cannet be specified. This «unequal partnership » was made possible by the political dominance of the Soviet Union and its means were war reparations, unrequited export deliveries to Eastern Europe and discriminatory pricing in trade. Professor Schroeder (1974) seems therefore to support the opinion that during the first main period in the Comecon’s life. the Soviet Union, in a sense, « exploited » and « discriminated » its socialist partners in Eastern Europe.
The Equity Market and U.K. Railway Investment 1831-1850
Authors: Anderson B.L. , Wynn R.F. 
Published: February 2017

If I may be allowed to appropriate the term speculation for the activity of forecasting the psychology of the market, and the term enterprise for the activity of forecasting the prospective yield of assets over their whole life, it is by no means always the case that speculation predominates over enterprise.The interaction between investment activity and the capital market that has aroused so much discussion in the theoretical literature has also been the subject of considerable attention in historical studies, though in the case of the latter, often without benefit of firm quantitative evidence. One important exception has been the fruitful results of efforts to compile data for British railway investment expenditures and capitalisation, in the nineteenth century. In particular, the work of Mitchell (1964) and Kenwood (1965) has yielded more or less complete and reliable figures of capital expenditure for the periods 1831–1912 (U.K.) and 1825–1875 (Great Britain) respectively. More recently Hawke and Reed (1969) have provided separate series for share and loan capital raised over the period 1825–1912. Subsequently, Mitchell has also produced separate figures for gross and net investment in both current and constant price terms, though the net investment and constant price series are so far only available in published form for the period 1870–1912. Additional data include Gayer, Rostow and Schwartz’s ( 1953)
On the small discrepancies between the official and the free rate in the BLEU's dual exchange rate system
Authors: Boll F. 
Published: February 2017

Up till about 1969 little consideration was given to the BLEU's two-tier system. This situation has meanwhile changed. Since 1971, when disruptive short-term capital movements repeatedly upset the foreign exchange markets, domestic and foreign economists, both official and nonofficial ones, increasingly started investigating two-tier systems in general, and the implications of the BLEU arrangements in particular, as the ones with the longest lifetime.While lots of good work has already been performed on the latter issue, it could nonetheless be shown that in much of it there has not been sufficiently invested in scrutinizing the official regulations themselves - with main reliance on secondary sources instead - before rationalizing their economic implications and/or building econometric models. This most often resulted in the neglect of some of the system's characteristics, which crucially add to our global understanding of the behaviour of the free exchange rate
The Rules of Derived Demand when the Firm is a Monopolist
Authors: Latham R.W. , Peel D.A. 
Published: February 2017

In a recent paper Andrieu [l] derived the rules of derived demand for a factor in a perfectly competitive industry when the industry’s production function was homogeneous but not necessarily of degree one. In order to achieve compatibility with competitive behaviour economies of scale were assumed to be external to each firm but internal to the industry. Within this framework he showed that Marshall’s third rule concerning relative shares was modified and, further, proposed a ‘ fifth law ’ with respect to the returns to scale parameter :‘ Other things being equal, an increase in the returns to scale will make the derived demand for a factor more (less) elastic if the demand for output is elastic (inelastic).The purpose of this note is to examine a model which is the polar opposite to that considered by Andrieu. Here the firm is assumed to be the industry i.e. a monopolist. Non-constant returns to scale are introduced by assuming that the production function is homogeneous of an arbitrary degree. The analysis is not completely general since both the price elasticity of demand and the elasticity of supply of the second factor are assumed to be constant. However within this model it is shown that not only are Marshall’s second and third laws modified but also Andrieu’s fifth law.
Global Warming Responses at the Primary Secondary Interface 1. Students' Beliefs and Willingness to Act
Authors: Skamp Keith , Boyes Eddie , Stannistreet Martin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractUsing survey methodology, students' beliefs, and willingness to act, about 16 specific actions related to global warming are compared across the primary secondary interface. More primary students believed in the effectiveness of most actions to reduce global warming and were willing to take those actions. In general there was a disparity between students' beliefs and their actions and explanations are proffered for these differences. Characteristics that distinguish primary from secondary schooling are proposed for the variations across the interface and these have implications for practice.