Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Status of Poplar Clones Selected for Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Abstract The aim of this work was to study the colonization of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species in fine-roots of poplar clones. Roots of 7 poplar clones were sampled from a 1-year-old trial established at an industrial site strongly polluted with heavy metals at Balatonfűzfő , Hungary. The poplar clones have shown variable degrees of colonization by AMF, suggesting differential host susceptibility or mycorrhizal dependency. After outplanting the percentage of poplar survival was strongly correlated with the frequency of AMF infection. Two clones that survived at the lowest ratio after outplanting had not been colonized by AMF in contrast to those which survived to a much higher extent.
The Big Society, values and co-operation

In a context of government promotion of co-operatives, a growth in the co-operative economy, and in times when use of the term ‘co-operative’ appears to have broadened to include any form of employee ownership, this article sets out a research agenda for exploring producer co-operatives, focusing on what co-operation means to those who work in them. Based on exploratory research in three producer co-operatives, the article argues that the values and principles are being used so liberally that co-operatives have a very wide appeal, making co-operation attractive to a wide spectrum of political ideals and values – perhaps surprisingly, those associated with individualism alongside those of co-operation.
Crowd Knowledge Creation Acceleration

Crowd knowledge creation plays a central role in many types of Web based information systems, ranging from community question-answering (CQA) systems (e.g. StackOverflow and Quora) to micro-task crowdsourcing systems (e.g. Amazon mTurk and CrowdFlower). In these systems, knowledge demands are generally fulfilled by means of tasks (e.g. questions in CQA systems, micro-tasks in crowdsourcing systems) executed by group of individuals (e.g. contributors in CQA systems, workers in crowdsourcing systems). Despite of the success in some platforms, knowledge creation tasks so far are assumed to be of low cognitive complexity and are generally solved as a bottom-up process; as a consequence, outcomes are heavily dependent on the spontaneous and autonomous contribution of crowds. This limits our ability to control the volume, speed, and quality of knowledge creation. By unlocking the value of features related to human knowledge, e.g. expertise and motivation, we envision that crowd knowledge creation can reach its full potential where complex, cognitively intensive tasks are solved and thus high-quality knowledge is efficiently generated.
Value relevance of voluntary disclosure and the global financial crisis: evidence from China

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine whether the level of voluntary disclosure affects firm value in the Chinese capital market. It also investigates whether voluntary disclosure and the values of Chinese firms are influenced by the global financial crisis (GFC). Design/methodology/approach - The study used a sample of 714 firm-year annual reports of listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges over a period of five years from 2005 to 2009 and adopt a two-stage OLS (2SLS) procedure. Findings - It is found that the extent of voluntary disclosure has improved in China during the period studied. The multiple regression results indicate that more voluntary disclosure does not create value for Chinese firms. It is also observed that multinational ownership, non-executive directors, and audit committee presence are positively and significantly associated with voluntary disclosure. Furthermore, the study reports that state and individual ownerships are negatively associated with firm value while multinational ownership and liquidity have a positive significant association with firm value. During the financial crisis, voluntary disclosure continues to increase, however, firm value has decreased. Originality/value - Using data from the Chinese market, the study fills a research gap by examining the value relevance of voluntary disclosure and tests whether the Global Financial Crisis has influenced voluntary disclosure levels and Chinese firms' values.
Inter‐firm market orientation as antecedent of knowledge transfer, innovation and value creation in networks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish a framework for clarifying and extending the concept of inter‐firm market orientation (IMO) and to complement the relatively small body of literature related to this concept.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual framework is informed by empirical research based on a longitudinal multi‐case study.Findings – This research identifies a nexus linking IMO with value creation in inter‐firm partnerships. The findings also suggest that IMO has an impact on companies' performance in terms of knowledge transfer, innovation and market access.Research limitations/implications – IMO contributes to value creation processes in the context of strategic networks.Originality/value – A discussion of these findings, together with implications for practice and proposals for further research, is provided.
Analysis of Square-wave Bouts to Verify VO2max

Abstract Submaximal and supramaximal square-wave bouts have been reported to consistently verify ‘true’ VO2max. Although a direct comparison between both protocols exists, knowledge on the statistical consistency between the protocols using the same group of participants is lacking. The purpose of this study was to conduct an analysis of the submaximal and supramaximal verification bout performed shortly subsequent to a graded exercise test (GXT). On 2 separate occasions, 6 males and 7 females (age: 29±9 years) completed a GXT protocol and an exhaustive, square-wave bout at either end-GXT power minus 2-stages or 105% end-GXT power. No differences (p>0.05) in VO2max were observed between the GXT and square-wave bouts. The typical error (ml/kg/min) for submaximal (1.09) and supramaximal (1.04) trials was similar. Likewise, similar relative measures of consistency were observed for the submaximal (ICC α=0.97, CV=2.4%) and supramaximal trials (ICC α=0.95, CV=2.3%). For a GXT lasting ~10–12 min, the submaximal or supramaximal protocols appear to be equally effective.
Requirement of protein synthesis for the degradation of host mRNA in Friend erythroleukemia cells infected wtih herpes simplex virus type 1

We describe experiments which demonstrate that shortly after infection of Friend erythroleukemia cells with herpes simplex virus (HSV), polyribosomes dissociate and cellular mRNA degrades. Analysis of infected cell extracts on sucrose density gradients demonstrates that the majority of the polyribosomes have dissociated to monoribosomes at 2 h postinfection. Physical measurements of infected-cell RNAs support this conclusion and demonstrate that the polyadenylated RNAs decrease in size. The degradation of mRNA is apparently a stochastic process as judged by the failure to detect a shift in the Crt1/2 when polyadenylated RNA extracted from infected cells at different times is hybridized to globin complementary DNA. In experiments designed to determine whether dissociation of polyribosomes is sufficient to cause degradation of globin mRNA, the amount of globin mRNA in uninfected cells did not change when cells were treated with NaF or pactamycin at concentrations sufficient to dissociate all polyribosomes. In cells infected with UV-irradiated virus polyribosomes dissociate but globin mRNA does not degrade, suggesting that it is possible to separate dissociation from degradation.
Does Raiding Explain the Negative Returns to Faculty Seniority?

"We track faculty for 30 yr at five PhD-granting departments of economics. Two-thirds of faculty who take alternative employment move downward; less than one-quarter moves upward. We find a substantial penalty for seniority, even after richly controlling for faculty productivity, and the penalty is little changed when we allow wages and returns to seniority to differ by mobility status. Faculty who end up moving to better or comparable positions were penalized as severely for seniority while they were in our sample as faculty who stay. These results are incompatible with the raiding hypothesis. Faculty from top 10 programs are also punished for seniority but to a lesser degree than other faculty, which could reflect reduced monopsony power against such faculty if they are more marketable. All results persist when we control for prospective publications and allow lower returns for older publications. Match-quality bias has dissipated in the post-internet period, which may be the consequence of greater availability of information. "("JEL" J62, J44, J42) Copyright (c) 2009 Western Economic Association International.
Corporate Cash Reserves and Acquisitions

The acquisition behavior of cash-rich firms is examined for evidence of free cash flow-related behavior. A model of cash management is developed and used to identify a sample of cash-rich firms. The model provides a benchmark "normal" level of cash reserves based on industry characteristics and dynamic cash management over time. Cash-rich firms are found to be more likely to begin acquisitions, increase current acquisition spending, and engage in large acquisitions than the rest of the population of firms. In a multivariate setting, cash- richness is a strong predictor of acquisition likelihood, even controlling for sales growth and stock price performance. Additional tests support the free cash flow hypothesis over a hypothesis in which managers optimally stockpile cash before an acquisition. Among cash- rich firms, the decision to spend the cash on an acquisition rather than pay it out is strongly related to how well the agency conflict between managers and owners is controlled. Further, the abnormal return from an acquisition announcement is decreasing in the deviation of a firm's cash reserves from its predicted optimal level. Cash-rich firms are more likely to make diversifying acquisitions and their targets are less likely to attract other bidders. Overall, the evidence supports the explanatory power of the free cash flow hypothesis for the investment decisions of cash-rich firms.
DO GAMMA-RAY BURST SOURCES REPEAT?

ABSTRACTThe demonstration of repeated gamma-ray bursts from an individual source would severely constrain burstsource models. Recent reports (Quashnock & Lamb 1993; Wang & Lingenfelter 1993) of evidence for repeti-tion in the first BATSE burst catalog have generated renewed interest in this issue. Here, we analyze theangular distribution of 585 bursts of the second BATSE catalog (Meegan et al. 1994). We search for evidenceof burst recurrence using the nearest and farthest neighbor statistic and the two-point angular correlationfunction. We find the data to be consistent with the hypothesis that burst sources do not repeat; however, arepeater fraction of up to about 20% of the observed bursts cannot be excluded.Subject headings: gamma rays: bursts 1. INTRODUCTION The isotropic and inhomogeneous spatial distributionderived from BATSE burst data (Meegan et al. 1992; Fishmanet al. 1994) severely constrains possible Galactic distributionsand argues in favor of sources at cosmological distances.Although neutron stars in an extended Galactic halo were con-sidered as an alternative to cosmological models, the obser-vational constraints are now so severe that a halo origin ofbursts appears unlikely (Hakkila et al. 1994; Hartmann et al.1994; Briggs et al. 1995). In contrast, cosmological modelsnaturally explain the observed isotropy and inhomogeneity,but some of these are incapable of producing multiple burstsfrom one source.The absence of an excess of overlapping error circles in pre-BATSE burst localizations provides a model-dependent upperlimit of ~ 10 years on the burst repetition timescale (Schaefer& Cline 1985; Atteia et al. 1987). Several recent reports,however, have cited evidence for repetition on much shortertimes. Quashnock & Lamb find an excess of close neighbors inthe IB burst catalog, and conclude that a large fraction ofclassical bursts repeat on timescales of order months(Quashnock & Lamb 1993). Wang & Lingenfelter (1993) claimevidence for repetition with recurrence times perhaps as shortas days from one particular location (0855 — 00). Both Quash-nock & Lamb (1993) and Wang & Lingenfelter (1993) interprettheir results as evidence for multiple repetitions, of about fiveobserved bursts per repeating source. Also, the coincidence ofthe locations of GRB 940301 and GRB 930704 determinedwith COMPTEL has a 3% chance probability, suggesting apossible repeater (Kippen et al. 1995). To investigate burst repetition, we test the null hypothesisthat " the angular distribution of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) isconsistent with the isotropic distribution," i.e., equal probabil-ity per unit solid angle. Tests of isotropy have varying sensiti-vities to clustering, which can indicate the presence of
The Location of Pay Discrimination in the National Hockey League

Past studies have only uncovered a limited amount of evidence regarding salary discrimination in the National Hockey League (NHL). Only French Canadian defensemen sometimes seemed to be underpaid. It has been argued recently that the lack of evidence may be more a reflection of excessive aggregation than an absence of pay discrimination. In the present article, both national origin and the location of a player’s team are taken into account in salary regressions. The main outcome of the study is that salary discrimination based on team location appears to be a weak but pervasive phenomenon, more surely so in English Canada. An incidental outcome is that players located in English Canada cities were underpaid during the 1993-1994 season.
Performance management in the public sector

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to assess the state of performance management within the public sector and suggest areas for further research.Design – This is a theoretical paper based on a literature review.Findings – The expected improvements in performance, accountability, transparency, quality of service and value for money have not yet materialised in the public sector. There are three classes of problems with performance management in the public sector – technical, systems and involvement. Externally imposed restructurings and reorganisations restrict the successful implementation of performance management.Research limitations/implications – The paper is theoretical, and empirical research to test the results is required.Practical implications – The findings can be used to enhance performance management systems within both the public and private sectors.Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of the state of performance management and measurement within public sector organisations a.
The impact on performance of IPO allocation reform: An event study of Shanghai Stock Exchange A‐shares

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the changes in initial public offering (IPO) underpricing and short-run performance following a regulatory reform (No. 54 [2002] China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC)) of the method of allocating IPO shares in China. Design/methodology/approach - On 20 May 2002, the CSRC announced that IPO subscription and allotment would be based on the market value of investors' tradable shareholdings. Before the regulatory change, this was determined by the amount of funds used for subscription. The reform was intended to increase participation by both smaller and institutional investors. Based on a sample of 209 IPOs in the Shanghai A-share market during the period 2001-2003, the paper employs an event study methodology to examine the impact of this IPO regulatory reform. Findings - The paper finds that the overall (pre- and post-reform) average abnormal initial return of 116.94 per cent is lower than in earlier studies of Chinese IPOs but higher than in other markets. Post-reform underpricing decreases by 42.27 per cent compared to pre-reform levels. In the post-listing aftermarket a pre-reform upward trend of cumulative abnormal returns was reversed to become downward post-reform. The results suggest that the regulatory change has encouraged well-informed investors, consistent with Information Cascades and Bandwagon hypotheses. It also appears that the reform improved market efficiency and secondary market liquidity. Originality/value - The findings shed light on the relationship between IPO costs, IPO pricing, market liquidity and market microstructure. They also have important implications for issuers, underwriters and in particular for policy markers.
Financial Statements as Monitoring Mechanisms: Evidence from Small Commercial Loans

Using a dataset which records banks’ ongoing requests of information from small commercial borrowers, we examine when banks use financial statements to monitor borrowers after loan origination. We find banks request financial statements for half the loans and this variation is related to borrower credit risk, relationship length, collateral, and the provision of business tax returns, but in complex ways. The relation between borrower risk and financial statement requests has an inverted U-shape; and tax returns can be both substitutes and complements to financial statements, conditional on borrower characteristics and the degree of bank-borrower information asymmetry. Frequent financial reporting is used to monitor collateral, but only for non-real estate loans and only when the collateral is easily accessible to lenders. Collectively, our results provide novel evidence of a fundamental information demand for financial reporting in monitoring small commercial borrowers and a specific channel through which banks fulfill their role as delegated monitors.
Legislative Organization of Fiscal Policy

In the voluminous literature on fiscal policy, there is little evidence about the impact of legislative organization on shaping fiscal decisions. By comparing different organizations of committee structure to control tax and spending policies, this article presents such evidence. Regarding spending, we test whether the dispersion of spending authority among multiple committees creates a problem similar to that of the "common pool. " Using American state data, we find that when only one committee has the authority to spend, spending is restrained relative to when spending authority is balkanized. Regarding taxation, we hypothesize that if a single committee controls not only all spending authority but also all taxation authority, that committee will have more incentive to tax than a committee that does not control spending; it can obtain the benefits of increased taxation more directly. Again, this proposition is supported by evidence at the state level.
A Study into the Persistence of Living in a Jobless Household

Relatively little is known about the dynamics of living in a jobless household at the individual level. We seek to fill this gap by using the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey to estimate a dynamic random effects probit model of household joblessness. We find that state dependence clearly is an important factor in the persistence of household joblessness, as are a number of observed characteristics, while unobserved heterogeneity is also shown to play an important role. Interestingly, the results indicate that the degree of state dependence differs very little between individuals with different characteristics.
THE COMMUTING PARADOX: EVIDENCE FROM THE TOP TWENTY

Abstract A comparison of auto commuting trip durations from the 1985 American Housing Survey to data from the 1980 census for the twenty largest metropolitan areas suggests that during the study period average trip times either fell by a statistically significant amount or remained the same. A paradox may exist in the widespread reports of congestion in spite of stable average trip durations. Perhaps average commute times are contained by the location adjustments that households and businesses make. Perhaps there is no paradox. Location adjustments would not be made were it not for the perception of congestion.
Controversies about the visual areas located at the anterior border of area V2 in primates

Abstract Anatomical and electrophysiological studies have provided us with detailed information regarding the extent and topography of the primary (V1) and secondary (V2) visual areas in primates. The consensus about the V1 and V2 maps, however, is in sharp contrast with controversies regarding the organization of the cortical areas lying immediately rostral to V2. In this review, we address the contentious issue of the extent of the third visual area (V3). Specifically, we will argue for the existence of both ventral (V3v) and dorsal (V3d) segments of V3, which are located, respectively, adjacent to the anterior border of ventral and dorsal V2. V3v and V3d would together constitute a single functional area with a complete representation of both upper and lower visual hemifields. Another contentious issue is the organization of the parietal-occipital (PO) area, which also borders the rostral edge of the medial portion of dorsal V2. Different from V1, V2, and V3, which exhibit a topography based on the defined lines of isoeccentricity and isopolar representation, area PO only has a systematic representation of polar angles, with an emphasis on the peripheral visual field (isoeccentricity lines are not well defined). Based on the connectivity patterns of area PO with distinct cytochrome oxidase modules in V2, we propose a subdivision of the dorsal stream of visual information processing into lateral and medial domains. In this model, area PO constitutes the first processing instance of the dorsal-medial stream, coding for the full-field flow of visual cues during navigation. Finally, we compare our findings with those in other species of Old and New World monkeys and argue that larger animals, such as macaque and capuchin monkeys, have similar organizations of the areas rostral to V2, which is different from that in smaller New World monkeys.
The association between eNOS intron 4 VNTR polymorphism and delayed graft function of kidney allografts

Dutkiewicz G, Domanski L, Binczak‐Kuleta A, Pawlik A, Safranow K, Ciechanowicz A, Dziedziejko V, Ciechanowski K. The association between eNOS intron 4 VNTR polymorphism and delayed graft function of kidney allografts. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2009. 01187.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Determinants of Agricultural Economics Faculty Salaries

In the spring of 1980, 500 randomly selected agricultural economists at land grant universities were asked to complete a pretested mailed questionnaire. ' The questionnaire was designed to secure individual information and preserve respondent anonymity. The 311 returned questionnaires represented a response rate of nearly 60%. Two hundred and forty-one of the respondents held Ph.D. degrees. These individuals formed the sample for the following analysis.2
Corporate Governance Through an Audit Committee: An Empirical Study

Even though there are many measures to put corporate governance (CG) in place and practise, an important tool essential for the success is the efficacy and effective functioning of an audit committee (AC). Nowadays, an AC is being looked upon as a distinct culture for CG and has received wide-publicity across the globe. Government authorities, regulators and international bodies all have indicated that they view an AC as a potentially powerful tool that can enhance the reliability and transparency of financial information. Being mandatory under SEBI’s clause 49 of the listing agreement, an AC can be of great help to the board in implementing, monitoring and continuing ‘good’ CG practises to the benefit of the corporation and all its stakeholders. This study performs a ‘content’ analysis on the AC reports of the top 500 listed companies in India during 2005 to 2008 to determine the information content of these reports and the extent to which these reports conform to the clause 49 requirements of the SEBI.