Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colony kin structure and host‐parasite relatedness in the barnacle goose

Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), females laying eggs in the nest of other ‘host’ females of the same species, is a common alternative reproductive tactic among birds. For hosts there are likely costs of incubating and rearing foreign offspring, but costs may be low in species with precocial chicks such as waterfowl, among which CBP is common. Waterfowl show strong female natal philopatry, and spatial relatedness among females may influence the evolution of CBP. Here we investigate fine‐scale kin structure in a Baltic colony of barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, estimating female spatial relatedness using protein fingerprints of egg albumen, and testing the performance of this estimator in known mother‐daughter pairs. Relatedness was significantly higher between neighbour females (nesting ≤ 40 metres from each other) than between females nesting farther apart, but there was no further distance trend in relatedness. This pattern may be explained by earlier observations of females nesting close to their mother or brood sisters, even when far from the birth nest. Hosts and parasites were on average not more closely related than neighbour females. In 25 of 35 sampled parasitized nests, parasitic eggs were laid after the host female finished laying, too late to develop and hatch. Timely parasites, laying eggs in the host’s laying sequence, had similar relatedness to hosts as that between neighbours. Females laying late parasitic eggs tended to be less related to the host, but not significantly so. Our results suggest that CBP in barnacle geese might represent different tactical life‐history responses.
Scale effects found!

A key feature of early endogenous growth models is their prediction of scale effects – the larger the economy, as measured by population, the number of firms or employment, the faster the economy should grow. However, empirical work has failed to support the existence of scale effects. As a result, much human capital has been expended in order to ‘fix’ this problem by eliminating scale effects in endogenous growth models. We contend that econometric techniques used in the empirical search for scale effects are inconsistent with growth theory. Using data from US states and an econometric technique that better matches growth theory by allowing each economy to have its own steady state, we provide empirical support for the existence of scale effects. Results call into question the need to reformulate the first models of endogenous growth.
Product and Labour Market Interactions in OECD Countries

This paper analyses several of the cross-market effects of policies aimed at influencing outcomes in product and labour markets. Focusing on subsets of OECD countries, we look at the implications of product market competition for industry wages and overall employment, and the implications of labour market arrangements for industrial structure and innovation potential. We also look at the potential implications of regulatory reform for employment security and income inequality. We provide empirical evidence on long-run policy interactions by exploiting the cross-country and intersectoral dimensions of the data, though the analysis of employment uses also the time-series dimension. To this end, we rely on a large set of indicators of (economy-wide) labour market policies and institutions and (economy-wide, industry-specific and time-varying) product market regulations. We find that: (a) anticompetitive product market regulations have significant negative effects on non-agricultural . Interactions entre les marches des produits et du travail dans les pays de l'OCDE Ce papier analyse plusieurs effets inter-marches que peuvent avoir des mesures de politique visant a influencer les resultats sur les marches des produits et du travail. Nous concentrant sur un sous-ensemble de pays de l’OCDE, nous analysons les implications de la concurrence sur le marche des produits pour les salaires industriels et l’emploi total, et les implications des arrangements sur le marche du travail pour la structure industrielle et le potentiel d’innovation. Nous examinons egalement les implications potentielles de la reforme de la reglementation pour la securite de l’emploi et les inegalites des revenus. Nous avancons de l’evidence empirique concernant des interactions politiques a long terme en exploitant les dimensions transversales et intersectorielles de la base de donnees, bien que l’analyse du niveau de l’emploi utilise egalement la dimension temporelle. A cette fin, nous nous basons sur un large ensemble d’indicateurs de la reglementation et des institutions du .
Pituitary involvement in renal adaptation to phosphate deprivation.

The present study was undertaken to examine 1) the effect of phosphate restriction on growth hormone (GH) secretory dynamics in freely moving, chronically cannulated rats and 2) the effect of hypophysectomy on the renal adaptive responses to phosphate deprivation. Phosphate restriction led to an increase in renal brush-border membrane Na+-dependent phosphate transport (2,511 +/- 283 vs. 1,006 +/- 122 pmol.mg protein-1.15 s-1, P less than 0.001) and in the plasma concentration of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] (127 +/- 10 vs. 63 +/- 4 pg/ml, P less than 0.001). In contrast, phosphate deprivation had no effect on either amplitude or frequency of spontaneous GH secretory bursts and did not alter pituitary GH concentration. Hypophysectomy led to a decrease in brush-border membrane Na+-dependent phosphate transport (669 +/- 78 vs. 1,006 +/- 122 pmol.mg protein-1. 15 s-1, P less than 0.003) and to a fall in plasma 1,25(OH)2D (42 +/- 9 vs. 63 +/- 4 pg/ml, P less than 0.02). Phosphate restriction of hypophysectomized rats elicited a twofold increase in Na+-dependent phosphate transport (1,312 +/- 106 vs. 669 +/- 78 pmol.mg protein-1.15 s-1, P less than 0.001) but no rise in plasma 1,25(OH)2D. We conclude that the renal adaptive responses to phosphate deprivation are not mediated by specific alterations in pulsatile GH secretion. Moreover, we demonstrate that the adaptive increase in brush-border membrane phosphate transport occurs after hypophysectomy, is not dependent on increased vitamin D hormone production, and is most likely subject to a different regulatory mechanism.
Fusidic acid treatment of HIV infection: no significant effect in a pilot trial.

22 HIV-positive homosexual men were treated with fusidic acid tablets (500 mg t.i.d.) for a period of 2-12 months (mean 71/2). At entry, all had a CD4-count less than 500 X 10(6)/l, and/or a pokeweed mitogen lymphocyte proliferation response of less than 50% of 2 normal controls, and no overt opportunistic infections. No significant immunological changes were observed and no definite beneficial clinical effect. On the 10th-13th day of treatment, 12 of the patients developed fever and an itchy exanthema. The symptoms disappeared spontaneously in 9 patients. No hematological or biochemical side effects were seen. Thus, in this pilot study of fusidic acid therapy of HIV-infected men, no significant effect could be detected.
Epidemiology of primary blepharospasm

We review epidemiological data on primary blepharospasm (BSP). There is a large variation in the stated prevalence of BSP, with crude estimates ranging from 16 to 133 per million in different studies. A large proportion of this variability may be the result of differences in physician education on BSP. Age and female gender may increase the risk of developing BSP. The few case‐control studies focusing on adult dystonias including BSP showed an increased risk in association with family history of dystonia and/or postural tremor, prior head and face trauma, and prior eye disease (e.g., blepharitis and keratoconjunctivitis), and a decreased risk associated with cigarette smoking. No association was found with age‐related medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, family history of parkinsonism, and a history of anxiety or depression. Broocks et al. [Am J Psychiatry, 1998;155:555–557] found a significantly higher frequency of obsessive–compulsive symptoms in BSP than hemifacial spasm despite the clinical similarity. Among putative risk factors for BSP, age at onset, female gender, and prior head or face trauma may affect spread of dystonia to adjacent body regions. While limited, the body of epidemiological data support the idea that environmental and familial, possibly genetic, factors may both be important in the etiology of BSP. © 2001 Movement Disorder Society.
Rules, Principles and Judgments in Accounting Standards

The distinction between rules-based and principles-based standards is not well defined and is subject to a variety of interpretations (SEC, 2003, p. 5). Yet there is a commonly held view that the FASB's standards are rules-based and the IASB's standards are principles-based. This article identifies the basis of this distinction. For research and development, the article compares the FASB standard with two principles-based standards. For each standard we identify and classify rules and judgments, and observe the level of justifications for the rules and assistance to support the judgments. The three standards have rules, are based on principles, and require the exercise of professional judgment; the less conservative standard requires more judgments and, unexpectedly, more rules. The results suggest that the rules-based versus principles-based distinction is not meaningful, except in relative terms. We conclude that a relatively more principles-based standards regime requires professional judgment at both the transaction level (substance over form) and at the financial statement level (‘true and fair view’ override). Furthermore, it is suggested that any FASB and IASB convergence will require agreement on the weightings given to the qualitative characteristics.
Teaching Physical Education in International Schools

JOPERD • Volume 83 No. 2 • February 2012 T eaching at the many international schools around the world is an opportunity with diverse challenges and benefits. Yet, it is often an opportunity that many experienced teachers, physical education teacher education (PETE) students, and their professors may be unaware of. Several years ago, on a flight from Kunming, China, to Singapore, David (first author) looked out the window and reflected on the challenges and joys of the previous seven years of teaching K-12 physical education at several international schools in those two countries. Upon David’s return to the United States to pursue graduate studies, there were many opportunities to share his experiences of teaching in international schools, but he quickly discovered that many PETE students had little knowledge of this career option. Yet, they were keen to learn more about the possibility of pursuing international schools as a viable employment opportunity. The purpose of this article is to provide information for physical education teachers about teaching in international schools. In light of the economic downturn in the United States and the difficulty that many experienced teachers and PETE candidates are having to secure employment, it may be helpful to consider the tremendous opportunities that teaching in an international school provides, both for employment and for learning and appreciating diverse cultures. Specifically, this article will give an overview of international schools, point out some of the common challenges and positive aspects of teaching at international schools, and highlight, for PETE candidates and their professors, the possibilities regarding teaching physical education at international schools.
Incubation time, incubator age, and firm survival after graduation

On the basis of a sample of 149 graduate firms from five German business incubators, this article contributes to incubator/incubation literature by investigating the effects of the age of the incubators and the firms' incubation time in securing long-term survival of the firms after leaving the incubator facilities. The empirical findings from Cox proportional hazards regression and parametric accelerated failure time models reveal a statistically significant negative impact for both variables incubator age and incubation time on post-graduation firm survival. One important implication that follows from the empirical results for policy makers and managers of those initiatives is that, when incubator managers become increasingly involved in various regional development activities, this may reduce the effectiveness of incubator support. Also, our finding speaks in favour of a strict limitation of incubation times and reinforces arguments of the supporters of maximum tenancy.
Mosaic properties of midget and parasol ganglion cells in the marmoset retina

We measured mosaic properties of midget and parasol ganglion cells in the retina of a New World monkey, the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus. We addressed the functional specialization of these populations for color and spatial vision, by comparing the mosaic of ganglion cells in dichromatic (“red–green color blind”) and trichromatic marmosets. Ganglion cells were labelled by photolytic amplification of retrograde marker (“photofilling”) following injections into the lateral geniculate nucleus, or by intracellular injection in an in vitro retinal preparation. The dendritic-field size, shape, and overlap of neighboring cells were measured. We show that in marmosets, both midget and parasol cells exhibit a radial bias, so that the long axis of the dendritic field points towards the fovea. The radial bias is similar for parasol cells and midget cells, despite the fact that midget cell dendritic fields are more elongated than are those of parasol cells. The dendritic fields of midget ganglion cells from the same (ON or OFF) response-type array show very little overlap, consistent with the low coverage of the midget mosaic in humans. No large differences in radial bias, or overlap, were seen on comparing retinae from dichromatic and trichromatic animals. These data suggest that radial bias in ganglion cell populations is a consistent feature of the primate retina. Furthermore, they suggest that the mosaic properties of the midget cell population are associated with high spatial resolution rather than being specifically associated with trichromatic color vision.
Sympatholytic action of intravenous amiodarone in the rat heart.

BACKGROUND Amiodarone is a commonly used antiarrhythmic agent with complex pharmacological effects. Although ventricular arrhythmias can be suppressed soon after intravenous amiodarone, the mechanisms responsible for this action are unclear. We studied the effects of acute treatment with amiodarone on the metabolism and release of norepinephrine (NE) in intact rats and in perfused rat hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS Experiments were performed in anesthetized rats and in perfused, innervated hearts with amiodarone administered intravascularly. NE release was induced by electrical stimulation of the sympathetic ganglion. Concentrations of NE and its intraneuronal metabolite dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) in hearts, plasma, and coronary venous effluent were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Acute administration of amiodarone induced dose-dependent increases in DHPG concentrations in plasma (5 mg/kg, +48%; 15 mg/kg, +84%; and 50 mg/kg, +467%) and in coronary venous effluent (1 mumol/L, +37%; 3 mumol/L, +510%; and 10 mumol/L, +1100%) together with an unchanged basal overflow of NE. In perfused hearts, NE release evoked by nerve stimulation was inhibited by infusion of amiodarone (1 mumol/L, -16%; 3 mumol/L, -24%; and 10 mumol/L, -64%) or by intravenous amiodarone (50 mg/kg) given 1 hour before heart perfusion (-70%), and the extent of this suppression correlated well with levels of DHPG overflow present immediately before nerve stimulation. When given in vitro and in vivo, amiodarone also significantly reduced NE and increased DHPG content in the heart, leading to a raised DHPG/NE ratio. All these effects of amiodarone were similar to those found with reserpine but less potent. In contrast, oral amiodarone produced none of these effects. CONCLUSIONS Acute administration of amiodarone in perfused hearts or intact rats induces partial NE depletion in the heart by interfering with vesicular NE storage and enhancing intraneuronal NE metabolism, effects associated with an impaired NE release during sympathetic activation. Oral dosing with amiodarone has no such effect. Further study is required to test whether this novel sympatholytic effect of amiodarone contributes to its antiarrhythmic action after intravenous administration.
Croatia and Serbia since 1991: An Assessment of Their Similarities and Differences

In spite of ostensibly similar starting points in 1991, Croatia and Serbia have followed somewhat different political trajectories since then. Three alternative hypotheses may be advanced to account for this. The first draws attention to differences in the degree of corruption and criminalization of politics. The second emphasizes structural and institutional differences, which widened in the years since 1991. The third stresses the impact of history textbooks, media and wartime propaganda on each nation's political culture. While all three hypotheses have something to offer, structural and institutional differences and differences in political culture have been more important than corruption or criminalization in accounting for the specific differences in the political paths of these two countries.
Credit Supply and Monetary Policy: Identifying the Bank Balance-Sheet Channel with Loan Applications

We analyze the impact of monetary policy on the supply of bank credit. Monetary policy affects both loan supply and demand, thus making identification a steep challenge. We therefore analyze a novel, supervisory dataset with loan applications from Spain. Accounting for time-varying firm heterogeneity in loan demand, we find that tighter monetary and worse economic conditions substantially reduce loan granting, especially from banks with lower capital or liquidity ratios; responding to applications for the same loan, weak banks are less likely to grant the loan. Finally, firms cannot offset the resultant credit restriction by applying to other banks. (JEL E32, E44, E52, G21, G32)
Insights from a Tax-Systems Perspective

The tax-systems perspective considers a variety of costs and behavioral margins often ignored in standard tax analysis: administrative and compliance costs, evasion and avoidance behavior, and multiple nonrate tax-system instruments (for example, withholding and public disclosure). We show how the standard optimal tax framework can be augmented to include these new sources of cost and behavioral response by considering some enduring tax policy questions: What is the optimal commodity tax base breadth? How does enforcement effort targeted to avoidance behavior affect optimal progressivity? What fraction of returns should be audited? Should small firms be excluded from a tax system? (JEL codes: H20, H21, H24-H26).
Rank Ordering Constraints Elimination with Application for Kernel Learning

A number of machine learning domains,such as information retrieval, recommender systems, kernel learning, neural network-biological systems etc,deal with importance scores. Very often, there existsome prior knowledge that could help improve the performance.In many cases, these prior knowledge manifest themselves in the rank ordering constraints.These inequality constraints are usually very difficult to deal with in optimization.In this paper, we provide a slack variable transformation methods, which effectively eliminatesthe rank ordering inequality constraints, and thus simplify the learning task significantly.We apply this transformation in kernel learning problem, and also provide an efficient algorithm tosolved the transformed system. On seven datasets,our approach reduces the computational time by orders of magnitudes as compared to the current standardquadratically constrained quadratic programming(QCQP) optimization approach.
Testing the Unstable Middle and Two Corners Hypotheses About Exchange Rate Regimes

The recent rash of international currency crises has generated considerable interest in the role that exchange rate regimes have played in contributing to these crises. Many economists have argued that efforts to operate adjustably pegged exchange rate regimes have been a major contributor to “the unstable middle” hypothesis and some have argued that this unstable middle is so broad that only the two corners of hard fixes or floating rates will be stable in a world of high capital mobility—the two corners or bipolar hypothesis. Two recent empirical studies by researchers at the International Monetary Fund reach opposing conclusions on these issues. We examine the issue further and show that conclusions can be quite sensitive to how exchange rate regimes are grouped into categories and the measures of currency crises that are used. In general we find that the dead center of the adjustable peg is by far the most crisis prone broad type of exchange rate regimes, but that countries need not go all the way to freely floating rates or hard fixes to substantially reduce the risks of currency crises.
Policy making for renewable energy in India: lessons from wind and solar power sectors

It is clear that developing countries will have to be part of the global mitigation effort to avoid ‘dangerous climate change’, and, indeed, many of them are already undertaking significant actions on multiple fronts to help address this problem, even if they have not yet taken on legally binding commitment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since the deployment of GHG-mitigating technologies is already a significant part of this effort and likely to be even more so in the future, drawing lessons from existing programmes can help accelerate and enhance the effectiveness of this deployment process. Accordingly, this article aims to examine the deployment of wind and solar power in India, paying specific attention to the role of public policy in incentivizing and facilitating this deployment, how these policies have evolved over time, what has shaped this evolution, and what the learning has been over this period. Through this analysis, the intention is to draw out key lessons from India's experience with deployment policies and programmes in these two sectors and highlight the issues that will need to be given particular consideration in the design of future domestic policies and international cooperation programmes to enhance the move towards climate-compatible development in India. Many of these lessons should also be relevant for other developing countries that are attempting to balance their climate and developmental priorities through the deployment of renewable energy technologies.
Industrial Structural Change and Economic Growth in China, 1987–2008

The present paper studies the sources of economic growth and the nature of structural change in the Chinese economy from 1987 to 2008. Using a methodology that evaluates the contribution of an industry to economic growth, the present paper shows that the post-2000 subperiod marked an increased reliance on the services sector as a source of growth in the Chinese economy. Much of the acceleration in real GDP or aggregate labor productivity growth in China in the post-2000 subperiod compared to the pre-2000 period can be traced to an increased contribution from service-producing and high-technology exporting manufacturing industries. The evidence indicates that the Chinese economy has been rebalancing toward domestic consumption and shifting its export sector toward high-technology manufacturing industries.