bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
BLAZING A NEW TRAIL FOR SCIENCE‐AND‐RELIGION
Authors: Haag James W. 
Published: October 2015

Abstract.Science‐and‐religion must be cognizant of the future on several fronts. A challenge that remains central to our endeavor is the issue of diversity—not topical diversity, but participant diversity. As a way of initially addressing this problematic, I suggest a threefold tactic. First, there needs to be a refocus of primary attention toward the realm of public/ethical issues. Second, with this shift comes the need to avoid extreme positions by finding a middle ground. Third, a highly promising path worth pursuing toward this end is paved by the once‐again burgeoning theory of emergence.
IMAG(IN)ING THE BUDDHIST BRAIN: EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION
Authors: Colzato Lorenza S. , Silk Jonathan A. 
Published: October 2015

Abstract.Buddhism has captured the imagination of many in the modern (Western) world. Recently, scientists have seemed eager to discover whether claims about Buddhist meditation can be verified experimentally. Brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence that mental discipline and meditative practice can change the workings of the brain and allow practitioners to achieve different levels of awareness, as measurable for instance in reaction times to stimuli. The goal of this section of articles in Zygon is to address recent developments in this area. The contributions address a wide array of questions, although they certainly do not cover the whole ground of what one may consider “problems” of meditation. Yet, we believe that the issues addressed here have widespread implications and that they constitute a strong argument for the richness of the meditation domain.
Education, Languages and Linguistic Minorities in the EU: Challenges and Perspectives
Authors: Guliyeva Gulara 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAlthough, with the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty, two provisions of EU primary law now refer to ‘minorities,’ there are no explicit EU competences and policies to promote the rights of minority groups in education. Nevertheless, EU law has a strong potential to impact the educational rights of linguistic minorities in Member States. To evaluate the right to access education, with an emphasis on the needs of minorities to preserve their identity, this paper first discusses the EU's relevant competences in education (Part II) and then in languages (Part III). Based on the analysis of relevant EU provisions, the paper concludes that EU law is unlikely to offer meaningful protection to linguistic minorities without explicitly endorsing their educational rights. However, to do so, the EU needs a stronger competence in education and minority rights.
Late presentation for HIV diagnosis and care in Germany
Authors: Zoufaly A , an der Heiden M , Marcus U , Hoffmann C , Stellbrink HJ , Voss L , van Lunzen J , Hamouda O ,   the ClinSurv Study Group
Published: October 2015

ObjectivesAntiretroviral therapy reduces mortality and morbidity in HIV‐infected individuals most markedly when initiated early, before advanced immunodeficiency has developed. Late presentation for diagnosis and care remains a significant challenge. To guide public health interventions effectively it is crucial to describe the factors associated with late presentation.MethodsCase surveillance data for all individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection in Germany in the years 2001–2010 and data for the years 1999–2010 from the German Clinical Surveillance of HIV Disease (ClinSurv) cohort study, a large multicentre observational study, were analysed. Factors associated with late presentation (CD4 count < 350 cells/μL or clinical AIDS) were assessed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression methods.ResultsAmong 22 925 eligible patients in the national surveillance database, 49.5% were late presenters for HIV diagnosis. Among 6897 treatment‐naïve patients in the ClinSurv cohort, 58.1% were late presenters for care. Late presenters for care were older (median 42 vs. 39 years for early presenters), more often heterosexuals from low‐prevalence countries (18.1% vs. 15.5%, respectively) and more often migrants (18.2% vs. 9.7%, respectively; all P < 0.005). The probability of late presentation was >65% throughout the observation period in migrants. The probability of late presentation for care clearly decreased in men who have sex with men (MSM) from 60% in 1999 to 45% in 2010.ConclusionsIn Germany, the numbers of late presenters for HIV diagnosis and care remain high. The probability of late presentation for HIV diagnosis seems to be particularly high for migrants. These results argue in favour of targeted test promotion rather than opt‐out screening. Late presentation for care seems to be an additional problem after HIV diagnosis.
Should Central Banks Target Consumer or Producer Prices?
Authors: McKnight Stephen 
Published: October 2015

AbstractShould central banks target consumer price inflation (CPI) in the setting of monetary policy, as has been orthodoxy in most of the developed world since the 1990s? Several prominent recent studies have argued against this, based on the finding that targeting CPI can make expectations of higher consumer prices self‐fulfilling. If the central bank responds to an extrinsic‐shock‐driven rise in CPI expectations by driving up the real interest rate, the argument goes, the resulting improvement in the terms of trade can increase consumer prices even if producer prices fall. These studies are, however, based on a flawed assumption that what motivates current transactions is the money consumers have after leaving the goods market. Using what is shown to be the more defensible assumption that such transactions are motivated by the money consumers have before entering the goods market, this paper demonstrates that targeting CPI helps to prevent self‐fulfilling expectations. This is because an improvement in the terms of trade now serves to exert downward pressure on CPI, irrespective of the response of producer prices. Consequently, the initial rise in CPI expectations is not self‐fulfilling under CPI targeting, whereas under producer price inflation (PPI) targeting, improvements in the terms of trade act as an undesirable negative cost shock. Central banks in open economies would therefore be ill‐advised to shift from CPI to PPI targeting, as the latter is more likely to result in welfare‐reducing, self‐fulfilling expectations.
Anti‐Smoking Policies and Smoker Well‐Being: Evidence from Britain
Authors: Leicester Andrew , Levell Peter 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAnti‐smoking policies can in theory make smokers better off, by helping smokers with time‐inconsistent preferences commit to giving up or reducing the amount they smoke. We use almost 20 years of British individual‐level panel data to explore the impact on self‐reported psychological well‐being of two policy interventions: large increases in tobacco excise taxes and bans on smoking in public places. We use a difference‐in‐differences approach to compare the effects on well‐being for likely smokers and non‐smokers. We find robust evidence that increases in tobacco taxes raise the relative well‐being of likely smokers. Exploiting regional variation in the timing of the smoking ban across Britain, we find no evidence that it raised smoker well‐being. Our findings give some support to the view that tobacco taxes are at least partly justifiable because of the benefits they have for smokers themselves.
Russian comparative embryology takes form: a conceptual metamorphosis toward “evo‐devo”
Authors: Mikhailov Alexander T. 
Published: October 2015

SUMMARYThis essay recapitulates major paths followed by the Russian tradition of what we refer to today as evolutionary developmental biology (“evo‐devo”). The article addresses several questions regarding the conceptual history of evolutionary embryological thought in its particularly Russian perspective: (1) the assertion by the St. Petersburg academician Wolff regarding the possible connections between environmental modifications during morphogenesis and the “transformation” of species, (2) the discovery of shared “principles” underlying animal development by von Baer, (3) the experimental expression of Baer's principles by Kowalevsky and Mechnikoff, (4) Severtsov's theory of phylembryogenesis, (5) Filatov's approach to the study of evolution using comparative “developmental mechanics”, and (6) Shmalgausen's concept of “stabilizing” selection as an attempt to elucidate the evolution of developmental mechanisms. The focus on comparative evolutionary embryology, which was established by Kowalevsky and Mechnikoff, still continues to be popular in present‐day “evo‐devo” research in Russia.
Development of head and trunk mesoderm in the dogfish, Scyliorhinus torazame: I. Embryology and morphology of the head cavities and related structures
Authors: Adachi Noritaka , Kuratani Shigeru 
Published: October 2015

SUMMARYVertebrate head segmentation has attracted the attention of comparative and evolutionary morphologists for centuries, given its importance for understanding the developmental body plan of vertebrates and its evolutionary origin. In particular, the segmentation of the mesoderm is central to the problem. The shark embryo has provided a canonical morphological scheme of the head, with its epithelialized coelomic cavities (head cavities), which have often been regarded as head somites. To understand the evolutionary significance of the head cavities, the embryonic development of the mesoderm was investigated at the morphological and histological levels in the shark, Scyliorhinus torazame. Unlike somites and some enterocoelic mesodermal components in other vertebrates, the head cavities in S. torazame appeared as irregular cyst(s) in the originally unsegmented mesenchymal head mesoderm, and not via segmentation of an undivided coelom. The mandibular cavity appeared first in the paraxial part of the mandibular mesoderm, followed by the hyoid cavity, and the premandibular cavity was the last to form. The prechordal plate was recognized as a rhomboid roof of the preoral gut, continuous with the rostral notochord, and was divided anteroposteriorly into two parts by the growth of the hypothalamic primordium. Of those, the posterior part was likely to differentiate into the premandibular cavity, and the anterior part disappeared later. The head cavities and somites in the trunk exhibited significant differences, in terms of histological appearance and timing of differentiation. The mandibular cavity developed a rostral process secondarily; its homology to the anterior cavity reported in some elasmobranch embryos is discussed.
The Effect of Neuromuscular Blockade on Canine Laparoscopic Ovariectomy: A Double‐Blinded, Prospective Clinical Trial
Authors: Bart Van Goethem , Sebastiaan Alexander van Nimwegen , Ies Akkerdaas , Joanna Claire Murrell , Kirpensteijn Jolle 
Published: October 2015

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) on surgical time and various anesthetic variables during laparoscopic ovariectomy in dogs.Study DesignProspective, double‐blinded, randomized clinical trial.AnimalsFemale dogs (n = 40).MethodsLaparoscopic ovariectomy by bipolar electrocoagulation was performed by 1 surgeon using a standardized protocol, where 1 ovary was removed under NMB, and the other without NMB. Surgical and anesthetic (respiratory and circulatory) variables were recorded for predetermined procedural stages and were statistically evaluated.ResultsMean total surgical time was 25.1 ± 6.3 minutes (range, 16–47 minutes). With NMB, mean duration of surgical excision of the ovary (5.7 ± 2.3 minutes) was not significantly changed compared to ovariectomy without NMB (5.9 ± 1.9 minutes). Arterial blood pressure was the only recorded anesthetic variable that significantly changed under NMB (5% decrease). Occurrence of intraoperative complications did not differ. In obese dogs, total surgical time was increased by 22%. Other variables, including occurrence of intraoperative mesovarial bleeding did not influence surgical duration.ConclusionsNMB did not significantly improve laparoscopic ovariectomy times and except for a 5% decrease in arterial blood pressure did not change any of the evaluated anesthetic and surgical variables.
Local Government Capital Spending in Indonesia: Impact of Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers
Authors: LEWIS BLANE 
Published: October 2015

AbstractIndonesian policymakers intend to increase capital spending, especially on traditional infrastructure, at all levels of government in order to stimulate economic growth. Intergovernmental capital grants can have very significant impact on encouraging such spending at the subnational level. The main problems with capital transfers in the Indonesian context are that grant funding has stagnated at low levels and the proportion of funding allocated to infrastructure has declined considerably. Given current institutional constraints, the likelihood of increasing grant funding for subnational infrastructure is dubious, which suggests that economic growth in Indonesia may remain suboptimal for the near future.
The Salience of Ideology: Fifteen Years of Presidential Elections in El Salvador
Authors: Azpuru Dinorah 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe victory of the FMLN in El Salvador's presidential elections of March 2009 has been considered remarkable, given the dominance of ARENA in four consecutive presidential races from 1989 to 2004. Using individual-level data, this article examines the determinants of electoral support for both parties over the past 15 years. Several statistical models illuminate some of the factors that led to ARENA's dominance and ultimate defeat. A combination of variables associated with different theoretical models of voting helps explain the choices made by Salvadoran voters over the years. The most consistent predictors of vote have been voters' self-reported ideology and their evaluation of the incumbent government's performance. The 2009 turnaround relates to fundamental changes in the national and international context, and also to the selection of candidates.
Military Entrepreneurs: Patterns in Latin America
Authors: Mani Kristina 
Published: October 2015

AbstractDespite the recent shift to democratic regimes and market-based economies, in many Latin American countries the military retains important economic roles as owner, manager, and stakeholder in economic enterprises. Such military entrepreneurship poses a challenge to the development of democratic civil-military relations and, by extension, to the development of liberal democracy in the region. While scholars have noted this situation with concern, they have given little attention to distinguishing the different types of military entrepreneurship, which reflect distinct historical patterns and implications. This article identifies two major types of military entrepreneurs in Latin America: industrializers, determined to build national defense capabilities and compete for international prestige; and nation builders, seeking to promote economic development that can foster social development and cohesion. Case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador demonstrate important differences between these two types in their origins, paths, and political consequences.
Local variation in the thistle species Cirsium grayanum affects its utilization by the herbivorous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna niponica
Authors: Kikuta Shogo , Fujiyama Naoyuki , Katakura Haruo 
Published: October 2015

AbstractHost plants are the most critical environmental factor for phytophagous arthropods. Adaptation to a novel host will alter the distributional range of an herbivore to include the area the novel host covers, and might promote divergence between populations utilizing the old and new hosts. On the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido Island, northern Japan, the ladybird beetle Henosepilachna niponica (Lewis) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) usually occurs exclusively on the thistle Cirsium alpicola Nakai (Asteraceae), which is distributed in the southernmost part of the island, although some other Cirsium species often grow in sympatry. At least at one site (Assabu), however, H. niponica depends on another thistle, Cirsium grayanum (Maxim.) Nakai, the most abundant and widely distributed thistle species on the Oshima Peninsula. We examined adult feeding acceptance and preference, and larval performance, in two populations of H. niponica that utilize different species of thistles (the Assabu population occurs on C. grayanum; the Shiriuchi population, on C. alpicola) by testing three kinds of thistles (C. grayanum from Assabu, C. grayanum from Shiriuchi, and C. alpicola from Shiriuchi). Results strongly suggested that among the three plants tested, C. grayanum from Assabu was the most suitable host for H. niponica. We concluded that local differences in C. grayanum mainly explain why it is not used at Shiriuchi, but that there are also local differences in host use among the beetle populations, suggesting some degree of local adaptation. This suggests that different selective regimes associated with different host plants might promote divergence among beetle populations. We conclude that H. niponica is at present unlikely to expand its range to the whole range of C. grayanum.
Mating frequency and reproductive success in an income breeding moth, Mnesampela privata
Authors: Walker Paul W. , Allen Geoff R. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe frequency of mating in insects is often an important determinant of female reproductive output and male sperm competition. In Lepidoptera that provide male nutrients to the female when mating, it is hypothesized that polyandry may be more prevalent. This is thought to be especially so among species described as income breeders; that is, in species who do not derive all their nutrients for reproductive output entirely from the resources obtained during the larval stage. We selected the geometrid moth, Mnesampela privata (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), to examine this hypothesis further. We found this species was best characterized as an income breeder with female weight on emergence positively correlated with total egg load but not with the number of eggs laid. Further, in accord with income breeders, females emerged with a partially developed egg load and lifetime fecundity was positively correlated with the number of oviposition days. However, in the laboratory we found that incidence of repeated matings or polyandry was rare. When moths were paired singly over their lifetime, only 4% of mated females multiple mated. When females were paired with three males concurrently, female mating success increased from 60 to 81% with multiple mating among mated females increasing to just 15%. Dissection of wild caught M. privata found that polyandry levels were also low with a maximum of 16.4% of females collected at any one time being multiple mated. In accord with theory, mating significantly increased the longevity of females, but not of males, suggesting that females acquire essential resources from male ejaculates. Despite this, multiple mated females showed a trend toward decreasing rather than increasing female reproductive output. Spermatophore size, measured on death of the female, was not correlated with male or female forewing length but was negatively correlated with the number of fertile eggs laid and female longevity. Smaller spermatophore width may be related to uptake of more nutrients by the female from a spermatophore. We discuss our findings in relation to income breeding and its relationship to polyandry in Lepidoptera.
The ability of synthetic sex pheromone traps to forecast Plutella xylostella infestations depends on survival of immature stages
Authors: Nofemela Robert S. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe potential for using synthetic sex pheromone traps as a simple and practical method of monitoring population densities of insect pests has been investigated in many crop systems. Yet, factors enabling the forecast of infestations based on pheromone trap catches are not fully understood. This study tested the prediction that high survival of immature stages of the target pest is a pre‐requisite for trap catches to correlate well with future infestations on the crop. The influence of parasitoids, as an important natural mortality factor of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), larvae and pupae in South Africa, on the ability of pheromone traps to forecast infestations was investigated continuously at weekly intervals over 6 years on unsprayed cabbage. During late October–May, when parasitism levels were high (≥50%), infestations and trap catches were significantly lower than during low parasitism (<50%) observed during June–early October. Because infestations were negatively related to parasitism level, trap catches correlated with infestations better when observations were made in the same week during periods of high parasitism. Conversely, when survival of P. xylostella immature stages was high due to low parasitism levels, trap catches correlated with future infestations well for up to 2 weeks. Thus, trap catches can be used to forecast infestations during September–October, a period that coincides with high P. xylostella infestations as a consequence of low natural control by parasitoids. This is the first study to show that the ability of pheromone trap catches to forecast infestations depends on survival of the immature stages of the target pest.
Bioactive effects of a calcium/sodium phosphosilicate on the resin–dentine interface: a microtensile bond strength, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy study
Authors: Profeta Andrea C. , Mannocci Francesco , Foxton Richard M. , Thompson Ian , Watson Timothy F. , Sauro Salvatore 
Published: October 2015

This study evaluated, through microtensile bond strength (μTBS) testing, the bioactive effects of a calcium/sodium phosphosilicate (BAG) at the resin–dentine interface after 6 months of storage in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were also performed. Three bonding protocols were evaluated: (i) RES‐Ctr (no use of BAG), (ii) BAG containing adhesive (BAG‐AD), and (iii) BAG/H
3
PO
4 before adhesive (BAG‐PR). The dentin‐bonded specimens were prepared for μTBS testing, which was carried out after 24 h or 6 months of storage in PBS. Scanning electron microscopy ultramorphology analysis was performed after debonding. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to evaluate the morphological and nanoleakage changes induced by PBS storage. High μTBS values were achieved in all groups after 24 h of storage in PBS. Subsequent to 6 months of storage in PBS the specimens created using the BAG‐AD bonding approach still showed no significant reduction in μTBS. Moreover, specimens created using the BAG‐AD or the BAG‐PR approach showed an evident reduction of nanoleakage after prolonged storage in PBS. The use of BAG‐containing adhesive may enhance the durability of the resin–dentine bonds through therapeutic/protective effects associated with mineral deposition within the bonding interface and a possible interference with collagenolytic enzyme activity (matrix metalloproteinases) responsible for the degradation of the hybrid layer.