Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of the self- and inter-incompatibility of the olive cultivars 'Arbequina' and 'Koroneiki' in the Mediterranean climate of Sicily

In this investigation, the self-(in)compatibility of the Spanish cultivar Arbequina and the Greek cultivar Koroneiki was studied for the first time in Sicily, where these low vigour cultivars were recently introduced in super-intensive olive groves. Self- (S.P.) and open-pollination (O.P.) tests, observation of fruit set and paternity test of seeds with microsatellite (SSR) markers, were performed to ascertain whether these cultivars were self-fertile and/or inter-compatible. For S.P. tests, branches with flowers at the balloon stage were bagged. For the O.P. tests, flowers were left to pollinate under natural conditions. Fruits from S.P. and O.P. were collected in November and fruit set was calculated. Genomic DNA was extracted from seeds. None of the 'Arbequina' seeds studied in either the S.P. or O.P. tests originated from self-fertilization. In addition, none of these seeds had 'Koroneiki' as the pollen parent. In contrast, 'Koroneiki' was found to be predominantly self-compatible in self-bagged branches, with 70% of the seeds originating from self-fertilization. However, the incidence of self-fertilization was low (11%) in seeds from the O.P. test. Low levels of inter-compatibility were found between 'Arbequina' and 'Koroneiki', while many local cultivars were found to be good pollinators. The information presented here will be useful to growers for planning their orchards with suitable pollinators and for our breeding program aiming at obtaining new low vigour olive genotypes. In addition, our results suggested that the recent model of attribution of S-alleles and the prediction of suitable pollinizers for a given variety should be more cautious and always based on controlled crosses and paternity testing of seed from those crosses.
The Economics of Hybrid Organizations

This paper analyzes the recent progress in the understanding of a class of organizations known as hybrid forms. The growing literature on these forms, standing between markets and hierarchies, raises important questions about their nature and role in a market economy. Adopting a transaction-cost perspective, the paper first confronts the conceptual problem posed by this apparently heterogeneous set of arrangements. It then proceeds to explore the attributes characterizing their mode of coordination. The last section examines the complex forms of "government" adopted by these arrangements and proposes a model for encapsulating these properties. The conclusion emphasizes several remaining issues.
Community Heterogeneity and Political Participation in American Cities

This paper analyzes the eects of racial diversity on political participation in American cities. Previous work on the relationship between diversity and participation has produced ambiguous results. Some find that diversity suppresses political participation while others maintain the opposite. I argue that incentives for participation are reduced by homogeneity. Heterogeneous places are characterized by more conflict over resources and more mobilized groups, leading to higher levels of political participation. However, I also argue that different racial groups react dierently to diversity. The paper uses data from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, respondents from which were matched with census data on their place of residence. The results of this analysis indicate that racial diversity aects the propensity to vote dierently for dierent racial groups and that these dierences
The deterrent effect of higher fines on recidivism: driving offences

Each year in New South Wales more than 50,000 persons convicted by a court receive a fine as their principal penalty. Little is known about the deterrent efficacy of these penalties. This study investigates whether fine amount has an impact on reoffending. The study examines the history and subsequent reoffending of 70,000 persons who received a court imposed fine for a driving offence between 1998 and 2000. The problem of selection bias that has handicapped deterrence research in the past has been addressed by the use of two-stage models. The results provide little evidence to suggest the presence of marginal deterrent effects from court-imposed fines on driving offenders; the most consistent predictors of returning to court were individual attributes of offenders. As a result, it is suggested that substantial increases in fines and licence disqualifications would have limited potential in deterring recidivist offenders.
Analysis of grain size trends, for defining sediment transport pathways in marine environments

An approach to grain size trend analysis is developed on the basis of a semi-quantitative filtering technique. Using this technique, grain size trends identified from a grid of surficial sediment samples ere transformed into a "residual pattern" representing net sediment transport paths. The method assumes that the grain size trends used for the analysis, have a higher frequency of occurrence in sediment transport directions than in the opposite directions but such dominance does not exist if there is no exchange of material between the sampling sites. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of grain size trends over the Christchurch Bay area, southern England. Mean grain size, sorting and skewness are used to form eight possible grain size trends; two of these are used to derive a residual pat tern. The pattern obtained shows general agreement with transport patterns derived from other sediment dynamics investigations undertaken for the region. Further, a residual pattern similar to that of transport paths on the basis of estimates of longshore transport rates, for the Rhone Delta, is derived. The present investigation indicates that the feasibility of grain size trend analysis depends upon the selection of appropriate grain size trends and the analytical approach.
Parents Motivation for Participation in Physical Activity for Children with Impairments

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of impairment type, child’s gender, and parent’s gender on parent’s motives for letting their children with various impairments participate in physical activity. Participants were 184 Taiwanese parents (n=78 fathers, n=106 mothers) of elementary school age children with impairments. Parents’ motives were assessed using the revised Exercise Participation Motives (EPM) scale (Wu & Liao, 2011). Parents rated personal fitness and skill improvement, positive emotion and friendship, and teamwork as the top three reasons for their child’s participation in physical activity. Differences in parents’ motives by impairment and child’s gender were not statistically significant. A significant effect of parent’s gender on parents’ motives was found only for the social enhancement construct on the EPM. The cross cultural similarity of the findings and impact of the results in regard to program planning and implementation for children with impairments and their families are discussed.
On Higher Integrability Estimates for Elliptic Equations with Singular Coefficients

In this note we establish existence and uniqueness of weak solutions of linear elliptic equation $\text{div}[\mathbf{A}(x) \nabla u] = \text{div}{\mathbf{F}(x)}$, where the matrix $\mathbf{A}$ is just measurable and its skew-symmetric part can be unbounded. Global reverse Holder's regularity estimates for gradients of weak solutions are also obtained. Most importantly, we show, by providing an example, that boundedness and ellipticity of $\mathbf{A}$ is not sufficient for higher integrability estimates even when the symmetric part of $\mathbf{A}$ is the identity matrix. In addition, the example also shows the necessity of the dependence of $\alpha$ in the Holder $C^\alpha$-regularity theory on the \textup{BMO}-semi norm of the skew-symmetric part of $\mathbf{A}$. The paper is an extension of classical results obtained by N. G. Meyers (1963) in which the skew-symmetric part of $\mathbf{A}$ is assumed to be zero.
Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan(JMSJ)

Summer weather in northern Japan since 1982 appears to exhibit a distinct five-year cycle, with the pressure difference between Wakkanai and Sendai (PDWS) as an index of this climatic variability. The temporal variation in the June–August mean PDWS in the period 1982 to 2001 progresses through four cycles, each with conspicuous similarities, such as a peak PDWS in the second year of each cycle. The temperature also progresses in similar five-year cycles, varying inversely to the trend in the PDWS. The pattern of mean surface-pressure anomalies in the second year of each cycle is typical of the Yamase, a cold northeasterly wind, and is consistent with the cool summer in northern Japan. The following year of each cycle is characterized by a prevailing subtropical high-pressure cell, consistent with the hot summer. The correlations between the seasonal variations in the PDWS, and sea-surface temperature indicate that in the summer following an El Niño event, the PDWS tends to become positive and a cool summer ensues. An area of strong positive correlation between the PDWS and the 500 hPa geopotential height, can be identified extending from Southeast Asia to east of the Philippines, appearing to be closely related to the convective activity around the western tropical Pacific. The progression of the difference in sea-surface temperature between the South China Sea, and east of the Philippines, exhibits similar temporal variations to the PDWS, and may play an important role in the sudden change from cool summer to hot summer in northern Japan.
Joana Catarina Soares Ferreira

In this study, I assess the discretion in financial reported earnings before seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). Using a sample of 344 European SEOs between 2000 and 2010, together with a propensity score matched control sample, I find evidence of statistically significant and economically relevant real earnings manipulation before these corporate events; in contrast, there is no evidence of accruals manipulation. The results also suggest that prior to the equity issue the amount of earnings management is higher in countries where the quality of the information environment is poor. Additionally, I do not find significant differences in post-issue long-term stock performance between issuers and comparable non-issuers. However, consistent with the literature, I find that post-issue market-adjusted performance is significantly lower for issuers. To some extent, the results suggest a negative relation between pre-issue earnings management and post-issue stock performance.
Perceptions of teachers on the benefits of teacher development programmes in one province of South Africa

Evidence in literature indicates that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers is essential in creating effective schools. Since 2001 the implementation of education legislation and policies has progressively shifted the new agenda within a transformation framework aimed at reconstructing the education system to the fore. The many changes that have taken place in the education system arise out of the implementation of legislation and policies and the restructuring of the education system to align with the vision of the National Department of Education. One such policy, the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) was introduced in an attempt to improve the culture of teaching and learning in schools. CPD is a performance standard in the IQMS policy which aims to contribute to the professional development of teachers. Quantitative research was used to investigate the perceptions of teachers in South African public schools on the importance of continuing professional development. The data analysis from questionnaires administered to teachers revealed that two factors form the underlying components of CPD as an aspect of IQMS, namely, purpose of teacher development programmes, and the process of teacher development programmes.
Winter distribution of macroplankton and micronekton in Masfjorden, western Norway

Masfjorden was investigated as a potential site for sea ranching of cod. The macroplankton and micronekton were studied in order to reveal the distributional patterns of species and biomass during winter. The biomass was dominated by the mesopelagic fishes Benthosema glaaale and Maurolicus muelleri, the pelagic shrimps Pasiphaea multidentata and Sergestes arcticus, and the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica. All species performed die1 vertical migrations. B. glaciale was almost exclusively found in the deepest locations (>400 m). M. muelleri was found throughout the fjord, but large individuals were most common at one of the deep stations. The shrimps were mainly confined to the deeper parts of the fjord, where the 2 species were prominent in separate basins. The largest individuals were found at the deepest locations. The distribution of M. norvegica seemed to be unrelated to the topography. There was a marked maximum of euphausiids at the head of the fjord; these were probably advected into the fjord system. The total standing stock of macroplankton and rnicronekton was estimated to be 19.5 tonne ash-free dry weight. We conclude that the amount of macroplankton and micronekton present in Masfjorden does not provide a food resource on which several hundred thousand codlings could rely during winter
Effect of temperature on behavior, glycogen content, and mortality in Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Bivalvia: Mytilidae)

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) is a freshwater mussel with physiological tolerance to different environmental conditions, which may explain its success as an invasive species. The role of abiotic factors in its establishment, abundance and projections of risk of further spread into several areas has been studied. These mussels may respond to multiple environmental stressors, such as temperature, through physiological mechanisms, behavioral responses, mortality or some combination of these. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral responses (valve closing), glycogen concentrations and mortality of L. fortunei under four different temperatures (5°C, 10°C, 20°C and 30°C) during a chronic test (30 days). Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare glycogen concentrations across days of the experiment and at the different temperatures. Differences in valveclosing behavior and mortality among temperatures were tested using repeated-measures ANOVA. We observed that most of the mussels maintained at 5°C closed their valves (74.7±15.3%), indicating that they remain inactive at low temperatures. The glycogen levels significantly differed among the temperatures tested. These differences occurred mainly due to the high glycogen values observed in mussels exposed to 10°C. Stability in glycogen concentrations was observed within each particular temperature. The cumulative mortality was higher at extreme temperatures (5°C and 30°C). The ideal temperature for laboratory maintenance and tests is approximately 20°C. Our data also show that L. fortunei can survive and maintain their energy reserves (glycogen) for several days at 5°C, an important feature related to its invasion success.
Maximizing water use efficiency in wheat yields based on drip irrigation systems.

2 Abstract: Maximizing irrigation water use efficiency is one of the most important policies under arid ecosystems conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the wheat yield response to drip irrigation systems and the attributed water use efficiency and saving water indices under sandy soil conditions of arid regions. Results revealed that about 16.33 and 26.57% of wheat grain yield reduction had been observed under the alternative irrigation systems (subsurface and surface drip) compared with the solid-set sprinkler irrigation system. On the other hand, data revealed that attributed water use efficiency and water saving had been enhancement with about 43.13 and 76%, respectively, when using drip irrigation systems. It can be concluded that the alternative irrigation system (subsurface drip irrigation) has an effective way for irrigating intensive field crops, but more studies have to be conducted under similar field conditions.
Influence of environmental variability and age on the body condition of small pelagic fish in the Gulf of Lions

Endogenous and environmental variables are fundamental in explaining variations in fish condition. Based on more than 20 yr of fish weight and length data, relative condition indices were computed for anchovy and sardine caught in the Gulf of Lions. Classification and regression trees (CART) were used to identify endogenous factors affecting fish condition, and to group years of similar condition. Both species showed a similar annual cycle with condition being minimal in February and maximal in July. CART identified 3 groups of years where the fish populations generally showed poor, average and good condition and within which condition differed between age classes but not according to sex. In particular, during the period of poor condition (mostly recent years), sardines older than 1 yr appeared to be more strongly affected than younger individuals. Time-series were analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs) to examine the effects of oceanographic abiotic (temperature, Western Mediterranean Oscillation [WeMO] and Rhone outflow) and biotic (chlorophyll a and 6 plankton classes) factors on fish condition. The selected models explained 48 and 35% of the variance of anchovy and sardine condition, respectively. Sardine condition was negatively related to temperature but positively related to the WeMO and mesozooplankton and diatom concentrations. A positive effect of mesozooplankton and Rhone runoff on anchovy condition was detected. The importance of increasing temperatures and reduced water mixing in the NW Mediterranean Sea, affecting planktonic productivity and thus fish condition by bottom-up control processes, was highlighted by these results. Changes in plankton quality, quantity and phenology could lead to insufficient or inadequate food supply for both species.
Validating satellite derived and modelled sea-ice drift in the Laptev Sea with in situ measurements from the winter of 2007/2008

A correct representation of the ice movement in an Arctic sea-ice–ocean coupled model is essential for a realistic sea-ice and ocean simulation. The aim of this study is to validate the observational and simulated sea-ice drift for the Laptev Sea Shelf region with in situ measurements from the winter of 2007/08. Several satellite remote-sensing data sets are first compared to mooring measurements and afterwards to the sea-ice drift simulated by the coupled sea-ice–ocean model. The different satellite products have a correlation to the in situ data ranging from 0.56 to 0.86. The correlations of sea-ice direction or individual drift vector components between the in situ data and the observations are high, about 0.8. Similar correlations are achieved by the model simulations. The sea-ice drift speed derived from the model and from some satellite products have only moderate correlations of about 0.6 to the in situ record. The standard errors for the satellite products and model simulations drift components are similar to the errors of the satellite products in the central Arctic and are about 0.03 m/s. The fast-ice parameterization implementation in the model was also successfully tested for its influence on the sea-ice drift. In contrast to the satellite products, the model drift simulations have a full temporal and spatial coverage and results are reliable enough to use as sea-ice drift estimates on the Laptev Sea Shelf.
A Welfare Analysis of Segmented Liquidity Markets

The 2008 financial crisis heightened concerns about contagion across high leverage investors. Some have suggested that segmenting markets into stand alone units may contribute to financial stability and enhance social welfare. We provide a welfare analysis of segmentation policies in a two country model with endogenous financial crises and cross country contagion due to fire sales externalities. We model a continuous shock to liquidity demand in each country, which allows us to distinguish between crises, depending on their severity and endogenize crisis probabilities. We identify a new trade-off created by segmentation decisions. When countries segment, they are protected from contagion when their shocks are mild, but exposed to crisis when shocks are large and access to a neighbor's liquidity is denied. This trade-off reduces welfare. We also show that segmentation only affects crisis probabilities when governments inject public liquidity. Then and only then can segmentation be welfare enhancing. Finally, failure to coordinate policies may lead to excessive segmentation when governments are involved in liquidity injection, but not when liquidity is provided solely privately.
Temporal and spatial variations of soil carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide fluxes in a Southeast Asian tropical rainforest

To clarify the factors controlling temporal and spatial variations of soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes, we investigated these gas fluxes and environmental factors in a tropical rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia. Temporal variation of CO 2 flux in a 2-ha plot was positively related to soil water condition and rainfall history. Spatially, CO 2 flux was negatively related to soil water condition. When CO 2 flux hotspots were included, no other environmental factors such as soil C or N concentrations showed any significant correlation. Although the larger area sampled in the present study complicates explanations of spatial variation of CO 2 flux, our results support a previously reported bipolar relationship between the temporal and spatial patterns of CO 2 flux and soil water condition observed at the study site in a smaller study plot. Flux of CH 4 was usually negative with little variation, resulting in the soil at our study site functioning as a CH 4 sink. Both temporal and spatial variations of CH 4 flux were positively related to the soil water condition. Soil N concentration was also related to the spatial distribution of CH 4 flux. Some hotspots were observed, probably due to CH 4 production by termites, and these hotspots obscured the relationship between both temporal and spatial variations of CH 4 flux and environmental factors. Temporal variation of N 2 O flux and soil N 2 O concentration was large and significantly related to the soil water condition, or in a strict sense, to rainfall history. Thus, the rainfall pattern controlled wet season N 2 O production in soil and its soil surface flux. Spatially, large N 2 O emissions were detected in wet periods at wetter and anaerobic locations, and were thus determined by soil physical properties. Our results showed that, even in Southeast Asian rainforests where distinct dry and wet seasons do not exist, variation in the soil water condition related to rainfall history controlled the temporal variations of soil CO 2 flux, CH 4 uptake, and N 2 O emission. The soil water condition associated with soil hydraulic properties was also the important controlling factor of the spatial distributions of these gas fluxes.