Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic expression of Scots pine growth and survival in varying environments

The aim of the studies underlying this thesis was to quantify the genetic variability of important traits used for ranking candidate trees in northern Swedish Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) breeding populations, with special focus on growth and survival and the genetic association between these traits. The thesis reports studies based on simulated data, field data from 28 progeny trials, and early test data from four artificial freezing experiments. The field and freezing experiments comprised half-sib progenies of Swedish and Finnish Scots pine plus-trees. The field trials (9–21 years old) were established in a wide range of environmental conditions. The traits analyzed were survival, tree height, spike knot frequency, branch diameter, branch angle, stem straightness, and susceptibility to infections of the fungi Phacidium infestans, Gremmeniella abietina, Melampsora pinitorqua and Lophodermella sulcigena. In the freezing experiments cold hardiness of 1-year-old seedlings was assessed after freezing in a climate chamber. In the simulation study the accuracy of single- and multiple-trait REML procedures was examined by studying estimates of within-individual genetic correlations between a categorical trait and a continuous trait with selectively deleted records. The average bias generated by multiple-trait REML was generally low, whereas single-trait REML systematically provided too moderate estimates. The variation among the correlations was generally high, showing that single-site estimates might be seriously misleading. The average within-site genetic correlation between tree height and field survival was generally positive, whereas corresponding between-site estimates were positive when the tree heights were assessed in harsh environments, but negative if the tree heights were assessed in mild environments (0.05 and –0.25, respectively). The genetic correlation between cold hardiness and field survival was on average positive (0.30), while the average correlation between cold hardiness and tree height was negative (–0.23). For the quality characters and susceptibility to infections of the pathogens, genetic associations with cold hardiness could not be verified. The most notable result was the contrasting correlation patterns across environments between tree height and field survival in the material sampled. The results show that tree heights from young trials located in harsh areas may reflect tree health and survival ability to a greater extent than growth capacity.
Extirpation and Recolonization in a Metapopulation of an Endangered Fish, the Tidewater Goby

Abstract: The tidewater goby ( Eucyclogobius newberryi ), an endangered species in the United States, occurs in a series of isolated coastal wetlands in California. Using historical presence‐absence data and our own surveys, we estimated annual rates of extirpation and recolonization for several populations of the goby in southern California. As predicted, large wetlands had lower rates of extirpation than small wetlands. There was a negative but statistically nonsignificant correlation between recolonization rate and distance to the nearest northerly source population. Populations at small sites were sensitive to drought, presumably because droughts can eliminate suitable habitat at small wetlands. Populations in small wetlands have declined over time, even after accounting for variation in stream flow, supporting the species' endangered status. Our study emphasizes the need to understand metapopulation dynamics for conserving species where the unit of conservation is a local population. It is also emphasizes the importance of not treating metapopulations as identical units. Finally, our results provide a means for describing the decline of a species that is complex in time and space and provide insight into how to target protection measures among metapopulations.
Reconciling National and Regional Estimates of the Effect of Immigration on U.S. Labor Markets: The Confounding Effects of Native Male Incarceration Trends

In this paper, we reconcile the disparity between regional and national level estimates of the effect of immigration on native earnings. The reconciliation derives from the fact that existing national level studies fail to adequately control for changes in other determinants of the wage structure that correspond closely with the skill distribution of immigrant shocks. We focus specifically on the effect of accounting for incarceration trends. Over the past thirty years, an increasing proportion of low skilled native workers have served time in prison, a development that has arguably harmed their employment prospects. We show that the fraction of a given education-experience group that is immigrant is strongly correlated with the fraction of native born workers in the demographic group that is institutionalized. Holding constant incarceration trends considerably diminishes the estimated magnitude of the reduced-form relationship between native labor market outcomes and the fraction in their skill cell that is immigrant.An alternative interpretation of these findings offered by Borjas, Grogger, and Hansen (2006) is that immigration-induced wage declines have pushed more men into criminal activity which, in turn, has increased the incarceration rate. The authors present a model whereby the reduced form effect of immigration on incarceration reflects the product of (1) the effect of immigration on wages and (2) the elasticity of labor demand in the crime sector. The latter elasticity gauges the extent to which the local crime market is able to absorb additional offenders as the quality of legitimate work opportunities (as measured by wages) diminishes. While national level correlations presented by the authors are consistent with this interpretation, we show that the state level results are not. Despite a sizable and statistically significant negative reduced-form effect of immigrant penetration on wages in state-level panel regressions, there is no statistically significant relationship between state-level immigrant shocks and state-level incarceration rates - i.e., despite an identifiable dose to state-level wages, there is no incarceration response. Estimates of the elasticity of demand in the criminal sector using both the original state-level estimates presented in Borjas, Grogger, and Hansen (2006) as well as our replication and simple alternative specification of these regressions are essentially zero. Thus, we conclude that immigration has had no impact on criminal activity among natives operating through labor market competition.
Throughflow and Gravity Modulation Effects on Heat Transport in a Porous Medium

The effect of vertical throughflow and time-periodic gravity field has been investigated on Darcy convection. The amplitude of gravity modulation is considered to be very small and the disturbances are expanded in terms of power series of amplitude of convection. A weak nonlinear stability analysis has been performed for the stationary mode of convection. As a consequence heat transport evaluated in terms of the Nusselt number, which is governed by the non-autonomous Ginzburg-Landau equation. Throughflow can stabilize or destabilize the system for stress free and isothermal boundary conditions. The amplitude and frequency of modulation, Prandtl Darcy number on heat transport have been analyzed and depicted graphically. Further, the study establishes that the heat transport can be controlled effectively by a mechanism that is external to the system. Finally flow patterns are presented in terms of streamlines and isotherms
Do short-term behavioural responses of consumers in tri-trophic food chains persist at the population time-scale?

We present a theoretical study of individual response to the feeding efficiency–predation risk trade-off in tri-trophic food chains where consumers (the species at the intermediate trophic level) choose their activity level to maximize their fitness. We derive the optimal level of foraging activity as a function of resource abundance and predation risk, and we study the long-term effects of these behavioural traits on population dynamics. We compare different models of population dynamics and we show that long-term predictions depend heavily on the model description. In particular, linear functional responses lead to maximal foraging activity of consumers at the population equilibrium, while Holling type II functional responses can lead to moderate or low levels of consumer activity at the population equilibrium.
Explanatory Definitions of the Technology Push Success Factors

The main task for most development-intensive organizations is to create, develop and commercialize new products and services. Because development processes are risky and failure rates are high, especially in the case of technology pushed projects, unambiguous success factors are valuable knowledge for the management of development-intensive firms. New product development and innovation literature has presented many success factors for developed products, but, unfortunately, many of them are nebulous in nature. The aim of this paper is to clarify what elements comprise the exact factors. After an extensive review and screening of the technology push success factor related literature, a total of 13 success factors were rationalized and transcribed according the previous literature. As a result, three separate keynotes were recognized, and the survey instrument framework was proposed. The practical relevance of this study is to help firm management to recognize the real actions needed to reduce product development risks and also to help scholars to focus on key issues when studying the key factors of breakthrough development cases.
A note on the effect of pre-slaughter transport duration on nutrient composition and fatty acid profile of broiler breast meat.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of pre-slaughter transport duration, as a stress factor, on nutrient and fatty acid composition of broiler breast meat. The study was conducted on 48 breast muscles obtained from Ross broilers slaughtered at the average weight of 1.8 or 2.6 kg, 36 and 46 days old, respectively. Transport duration was 1.5 or 3 h. Heavier broilers transported for longer duration had the higher protein content, while lighter broilers gave similar results. Lower moisture but higher lipid content was observed for the long transported broilers. Fatty acid composition was significantly influenced by body weight and transport duration: a lower content of PUFA was obtained for heavier broilers. Ratios of PUFA/SFA was lower in heavier broilers. A decrease in MUFA and a lower n-3/n-6 ratio was evidenced in the meat from broilers transported for longer duration.
22. QUATERNARY OXYGEN ISOTOPE RECORD OF PELAGIC FORAMINIFERS: SITE 806, ONTONG JAVA PLATEAU1

We present an oxygen isotope record that can serve as a new standard for Quaternary chronology in the western Pacific. The record is not entirely without problems. A coring gap misses Isotope Stage 19, which contains the Brunhes/Matuyama boundary. We bridged the gap by importing the corresponding portion of the record from adjacent Hole 805C. By counting the cycles related to obliquity, within the completed δ 18 θ record, we date the Brunhes/Matuyama boundary at 792 ka (±10 k.y.), in excellent agreement with previous estimates based on tuning to astronomical signals and with recent radiometric determinations. Thus, the conventional age of 730 ka for this boundary should be abandoned. The major feature of the record is the appearance of a strong component in the band centered on 100 k.y. , near 900 ka. At this time, the obliquity-dominated fluctuations give way to eccentricity-dominated fluctuations (whereas precession-related signals remain insignificant throughout). It is not necessary to call for a sudden event at the position of the main change; instead, superposition of long cycles is sufficient cause. Nevertheless, the break in the character of the cyclicity of the record is very clear; we put it at 918 ka, at the entrance to glacial Isotope Stage 22 (mid-Pleistocene climate revolution [MPR]). The change in response of the climate system to astronomic forcing apparently is not accompanied by distinct changes in the trends of sedimentation rates. Sand content increases and carbonate decreases, on the whole, after the mid-Pleistocene climate shift. We suggest that this is a result of increased winnowing during glacial periods.
Investor relations on the internet: a survey in the Euronext zone

This study investigates the investor relations activities on the Internet of companies listed on the Euronext stock exchange. For this purpose, the homepages of the 50 largest listed companies in each of the countries Belgium, France and the Netherlands were searched and screened for investor relations items. Results obtained by using a three stages model show that most companies in the Euronext zone are in the second stage of Internet investorrelations. In this stage, information available through other sources is combined to better inform investors. In the third stage companies use the full interactive possibilities of the Internet for investor relations purposes. French and Dutch companies use the Internet for investor relations purposes more widely and more intensely than do Belgian companies. The study also revealed a size effect; large companies use the Internet for investor relations purposes more extensively than do smaller companies. This conclusion holds for each of the three countries. The leading companies in France and the Netherlands are either in the third stage of Internet investor relations or they are ready to enter it.
Fram Strait sea ice export variability and September Arctic sea ice extent over the last 80 years

Abstract. A new long-term data record of Fram Strait sea ice area export from 1935 to 2014 is developed using a combination of satellite radar images and station observations of surface pressure across Fram Strait. This data record shows that the long-term annual mean export is about 880 000 km2, representing 10 % of the sea-ice-covered area inside the basin. The time series has large interannual and multi-decadal variability but no long-term trend. However, during the last decades, the amount of ice exported has increased, with several years having annual ice exports that exceeded 1 million km2. This increase is a result of faster southward ice drift speeds due to stronger southward geostrophic winds, largely explained by increasing surface pressure over Greenland. Evaluating the trend onwards from 1979 reveals an increase in annual ice export of about +6 % per decade, with spring and summer showing larger changes in ice export (+11 % per decade) compared to autumn and winter (+2.6 % per decade). Increased ice export during winter will generally result in new ice growth and contributes to thinning inside the Arctic Basin. Increased ice export during summer or spring will, in contrast, contribute directly to open water further north and a reduced summer sea ice extent through the ice–albedo feedback. Relatively low spring and summer export from 1950 to 1970 is thus consistent with a higher mid-September sea ice extent for these years. Our results are not sensitive to long-term change in Fram Strait sea ice concentration. We find a general moderate influence between export anomalies and the following September sea ice extent, explaining 18 % of the variance between 1935 and 2014, but with higher values since 2004.
Magellan/PFS Radial Velocities of GJ 9827, a Late K dwarf at 30 pc with Three Transiting Super-Earths

The Kepler mission showed us that planets with sizes between that of Earth and Neptune appear to be the most common type in our Galaxy. These “super-Earths” continue to be of great interest for exoplanet formation, evolution, and composition studies. However, the number of super-Earths with well-constrained mass and radius measurements remains small (40 planets with σmass < 25%), due in part to the faintness of their host stars causing ground-based mass measurements to be challenging. Recently, three transiting super-Earth planets were detected by the K2 mission around the nearby star GJ 9827/HIP 115752, at only 30 pc away. The radii of the planets span the “radius gap” detected by Fulton et al. (), and all orbit within ∼6.5 days, easing follow-up observations. Here, we report radial velocity (RV) observations of GJ 9827, taken between 2010 and 2016 with the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the Magellan II Telescope. We employ two different RV analysis packages, SYSTEMIC and RadVel, to derive masses and thus densities of the GJ 9827 planets. We also test a Gaussian Process regression analysis but find the correlated stellar noise is not well constrained by the PFS data and that the GP tends to over-fit the RV semi-amplitudes resulting in a lower K value. Our RV observations are not able to place strong mass constraints on the two outer planets (c and d) but do indicate that planet b, at 1.64 R⊕ and ∼8 M⊕, is one of the most massive (and dense) super-Earth planets detected to date.
Does the Type of Family Control Affect the Relationship between Ownership Structure and Firm Value?

Our objective is to disentangle which family business characteristics enable family ownership to be an effective corporate governance mechanism. To this aim, we investigate whether the relationship between ownership concentration and firm value is moderated by the type of family influence. This study shows that family control positively affects performance, primarily when family members serve on the board and when the founder is still influential. Our findings hold when we control for the general blockholder effect and they are robust to a battery of tests. We conclude that the impact of ownership concentration on firm value differs across family firms.
Physicochemical Analysis of Honey in the Kenyan Retail Market

Retail honey has always been subjected to some form of processing during honey production thus its crucial to assess its quality periodically so as to ascertain whether it satisfies the minimum set requirements. This study intended to determine the quality of honey in the Kenyan retail market through physicochemical analysis and comparing them with the set standards by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and International Honey Commission (IHC). Nineteen (19) honey samples both locally produced and imported were obtained from the market; Samples obtained were analyzed following harmonized methods of the International Honey Commission. Even though there was great variation in electrical conductivity, acidity, diastase activity, and HMF Values, results obtained indicated that most of the honey samples met the minimum set requirements. Diastase activity and HMF proved to be the only possible criteria to discriminate between samples which satisfied and those that did not satisfy the minimum set standards. Keywords: Honey, quality, physicochemical analysis
Technical changes in hurdle clearances at the beginning of 110m hurdle event – a pilot study

Practically in all hurdle studies, the analysis has been carried out over a single hurdle. The purpose of this study was to investigate individual differences in hurdle clearances at the first 4 hurdles. Two male athletes were videotaped and 3D analysis was carried out. Athlete A showed a more consistent pattern than athlete B in over a range of variables. Athlete A was also able to increase the mean horizontal velocity from hurdle to hurdle. From a coaching point of view the main issues for athlete A are to avoid drifting too close to the first hurdle and to try to take-off more aggressively forward. Subject A's lead leg worked very well before and after the hurdle. Subject B has most problems around the lead leg, i.e. it is not bent enough at the take-off and it is not working effectively at the landing contact.
Celebrity Endorsement and Customer Loyalty in the Telecommunications Industry in Port Harcourt

The telecommunications industry has in recent times witnessed a tremendous upturn in patronage due to the use of various communication strategies for awareness creation on the existence of products. However, enough literature on the significance of the use of celebrity endorsement on customer loyalty has not been extensively reviewed. The telecoms sector is saturated and filled with intense competition with several companies and brand names striving to outperform one another and winning the customers all to themselves. This has resulted in the use of various marketing strategies to win the hearts of the ever dynamic, educated and enlightened customers of today’s market. Prominent among the strategies employed by major Telecommunication giants is the celebrity endorsement strategy (Waldt, Loggerenberg and Wehmeyer, 2009). The world has become a global village where information is being disseminated in a split of second (Asogwa, Ohaleme and Ugwuanyi, 2013). Also, with various online platforms and social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.), favourite celebrities can be accessed and followed online. Savvy marketing communication experts are taking advantage of fame and followership of these celebrities to draw attention, gain attraction and customer loyalty of the various brands these celebrities represent. With the advent of Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), many companies have emerged searching daily for strategies that can be best employed to win a greater share of the market. One of such strategies includes proper communication of the products existence to members of the public.
The Gravity of Foreign News Coverage in the EU: Does the Euro Matter?

This article investigates the systemic factors behind cross-country variability in transnational media coverage of foreign news in the EU in 2010. Using a large data set on the transnational coverage of news by 148 EU national media, the article maps the network of EU transnational citations and performs a quantitative assessment of their systemic determinants via the estimation of a gravity model of news. Nine empirical hypotheses are tested. Size and economic development of the target (source) country are positively (negatively) associated with the probability of coverage. Historical, linguistic and economic ties increase this probability. The evidence on the effect of the countries' participation in the currency union is weak: once the historical levels of trade integration and the effects of the sovereign debt crisis are accounted for, there is no robust evidence of a higher integration of the media spheres within the eurozone.
Basic Steps in Chemical Dissociation of Gaseous Molecules Using an Even-Odd Rule, a Specifically Adapted Periodic Table and a Covalent Bonding Rule

When writing equations of chemical dissociation, students and scholars are taught two fundamental rules to balance the equation. On both sides of the equation, the types of elements and their quantity are conserved, as well as the global electrical charge. This paper introduces additional methods during dissociation of gaseous compounds, to precisely describe how electrical charges locally move and how bonding structures are modified. Specific rules revolving around electrons pairs displacements are developed and applied to about 150 dissociations of small gaseous molecules using atoms from the three first rows of the periodic table. Results obtained tend to demonstrate the relevance of these tools for chemists.