Early-Middle Pleistocene benthic turnover and oxygen isotope stratigraphy from the Central Mediterranean (Valle di Manche, Crotone Basin, Italy): data and trends

Ostracod faunal turnover and oxygen isotope data (foraminifera) along the Valle di Manche (VdM) section are herein compiled. Specifically, the material reported in this work includes quantitative palaeoecological data and patterns of ostracod fauna framed within a high-resolution oxygen isotope stratigraphy (δ18O) from Uvigerina peregrina. In addition, the multivariate ostracod faunal stratigraphic trend (nMDS axis-1 sample score) is calibrated using bathymetric distributions of extant molluscs sampled from the same stratigraphic intervals along the VdM section. Data and analyses support the research article “Dynamics of benthic marine communities across the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary in the Mediterranean region (Valle di Manche, Southern Italy): biotic and stratigraphic implications” Rossi et al. [1]

Wine tasting: a neurophysiological measure of taste and olfaction interaction in the experience

In the last years have been provided evidences of sensory–sensory connectivity and influences of one modality over primary sensory cortex of another, a phenomena called crossmodality. Typically, for the wine tasting, sommeliers in addition to the use of the gustation, by the introduction of the wine into the mouth, employ the stimulation of the olfactory system both through a direct olfactory stimulation (by the nose) and a retro-nasal pathway (inhaling air while swirling the wine around in the mouth). Aim of the present study was to investigate the reaction to the wine gustation with and without the direct olfactory contribution, through an electroencephalographic index of approach or withdrawal (AW) motivation, and an autonomic index (Emotional Index – EI), deriving from the matching of heart rate and galvanic skin response activity and considered an indicator of emotional involvement. Results showed a statistically significant increase of the EI values in correspondence of wine tasting with the olfactory component (p<0.01) in comparison to the tasting without the direct olfactory contribution, and a trend of greater approach attitude was reported for the same condition. Data suggest an interaction of the two sensory modalities influencing the emotional and the cognitive aspects of wine tasting experience in a non-expert sampl

Crystal and Molecular Structure of the Cyclodimeric Propylene-1,3-phenylenediacetate and of Its Di-n-butyltin Dichloride Complex

As part of a systematic Study on the synthesis and binding properties of a series of cyclophane ester hosts, the crystal structures of the cyclodimeric propylene-1,3-phenylenediacetate (C26H28O8) and of its di-n-butyltin dichloride complex {(C26H26O8) [SnCl2(C4H9)2]2} have been determined by X-ray analyses. The crystals of the free macrocycle are triclinic, space group P1&#773;, with a = 5.071(6), b = 8.108(3), c = 14.640(4) Å, &alpha; = 76.46(3), &beta; = 85.35(8), &gamma;= 86.04(7)°, Z = 1. Similarly, the crystals of the complex belong to the P1&#773; space group of the triclinic system and have the following cell parameters: a = 8.378(4), b = 11.524(3), c = 14.009(4) Å, &alpha; = 109.16(2), &beta; = 92.64(2), &gamma;= 100.93(3)°, Z= 1. The most important feature of the complex structure is represented by the unambiguous interaction between two cyclophane ester carbonyls and two molecules of Bu2SnCl2, the distance being 2.865(4) Å. The usual tetrahedral geometry of the organotin(IV) center is significantly influenced by the interaction, changing into a distorted trigonal bipyramid, with a longer apical distance, typical of the five-coordinate stannate complexes. Conformations of the cyclophane in the two structures have been analyzed in some detail

Gender and Age Related Effects While Watching TV Advertisements: An EEG Study

The aim of the present paper is to show how the variation of the EEG frontal cortical asymmetry is related to the general appreciation perceived during the observation of TV advertisements, in particular considering the influence of the gender and age on it. In particular, we investigated the influence of the gender on the perception of a car advertisement (Experiment 1) and the influence of the factor age on a chewing gum commercial (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 results showed statistically significant higher approach values for the men group throughout the commercial. Results from Experiment 2 showed significant lower values by older adults for the spot, containing scenes not very enjoyed by them. In both studies, there was no statistical significant difference in the scene relative to the product offering between the experimental populations, suggesting the absence in our study of a bias towards the specific product in the evaluated populations. These evidences state the importance of the creativity in advertising, in order to attract the target population

Small Firms, Corruption, and Demand for Credit. Evidence from the Euro Area

In this paper, we aim to assess how the quality of the institutional environment \u2013 identified according to the level of corruption perceived in a country \u2013 may affect the access to credit for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Based on a sample of 68,115 observations \u2013 drawn from the ECB-SAFE survey \u2013 related to MSMEs chartered in 11 euro area countries, we investigate whether the level of corruption affects their demand for bank loans during the period 2009\u20132014. Overall, we find that the degree of corruption seems to play a role in the applications for bank loans when small firms are under investigation. Interestingly, results highlight that small businesses chartered in highly corrupt countries face a greater probability of self-restraint regarding their loan applications (about 7.4%) than small firms located in low-corruption economies (around 6%). The results are robust to various model specifications and econometric methodologies. Our findings suggest that anti-corruption policies and measures enhancing transparency in the economy may be crucial in reducing the negative spillovers generated by a low-quality institutional environment on the access to credit by small firms

Do innovation and financial constraints affect the profit efficiency of European enterprises?

This paper investigates the relationship between profit efficiency, finance and innovation. By adopting stochastic frontiers, we pioneer the use of a novel dataset merging firm level survey data with balance sheet information for a large sample of European companies. We find that firms having difficulties in access to finance as well as firms introducing product innovation display an incentive to improve their efficiency. While innovation produces benefit for firms’ profitability, financial constraints impose a discipline to the firms forcing them to cut unproductive costs that reduce the profitability. We document nuanced differences between firms in industry and services, while they are more pronounced when we look at disaggregation across High-Tech and Low-Tech companies. From a policy perspective, our results enrich the understanding on the link between innovation, financial constraints and efficiency, which goes beyond the idea that easier access to finance is the panacea to get higher performance