Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioural observations of mating disruption in three lepidopteran pests

[The effect of long term exposure to sex pheromones on calling behaviour and mating in three important lepidopteran pests, the European grape berry moth, Eupoecillia ambiguella (Hubner), the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermuller), and the Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) were investigated in laboratory experiments. In the three species, permanent exposure of females to their main sex pheromone compound did not alter either the onset or the patterns in the calling activity. When both males and females of each species were constantly exposed to their main sex pheromone compound, the percentage of females that were mated was significantly reduced. However, the degree of mating suppression varied, with 100%, 86%, and 53% in E. ambiguella , L. botrana and S. littoralis , respectively. These results indicate that males but not females are the only sex that is primarily affected by permanent exposure to sex pheromone. It also suggests that sensory overload which results in adaptation in the olfactory sensilla and/or habituation in central nervous system is the key mechanism of mating disruption in the three species. , The effect of long term exposure to sex pheromones on calling behaviour and mating in three important lepidopteran pests, the European grape berry moth, Eupoecillia ambiguella (Hubner), the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermuller), and the Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) were investigated in laboratory experiments. In the three species, permanent exposure of females to their main sex pheromone compound did not alter either the onset or the patterns in the calling activity. When both males and females of each species were constantly exposed to their main sex pheromone compound, the percentage of females that were mated was significantly reduced. However, the degree of mating suppression varied, with 100%, 86%, and 53% in E. ambiguella, L. botrana and S. littoralis, respectively. These results indicate that males but not females are the only sex that is primarily affected by permanent exposure to sex pheromone. It also suggests that sensory overload which results in adaptation in the olfactory sensilla and/or habituation in central nervous system is the key mechanism of mating disruption in the three species. ]
Examining the Nelson-Siegel Class of Term Structure Models: In-Sample Fit versus Out-of-Sample Forecasting Performance

In this paper I examine various extensions of the Nelson and Siegel (1987) model with the purpose of fitting and forecasting the term structure of interest rates. As expected, I find that using more flexible models leads to a better in-sample fit of the term structure. However, I show that the out-of-sample predictability improves as well. A four-factor model, which adds a second slope factor to the three-factor Nelson-Siegel model, forecasts particularly well. Especially with a one-step state-space estimation approach the four-factor model produces accurate forecasts and outperforms competitor models across maturities and forecast horizons. Subsample analysis shows that this outperformance is also consistent over time.
The sequence of the ribosomal 16S RNA from Proteus vulgaris. Sequence comparison with E. coli 16S RNA and its use in secondary structure model building

The complete nucleotide sequence of the 16S RNA from Proteus vulgaris has been determined. The molecule (1544 nucleotides) shows 93% homology with the sequence of E. coli 16S RNA. Six methylated nucleotides have been localized in positions homologous to those observed in the E. coli RNA molecule. Both E. coli and P. vulgaris 16S RNA chains can be folded up into a common secondary structure scheme. Comparative sequence analysis of the two molecules has provided a valuable contribution to 16S RNA secondary structure model building.
Feeding ecology of the long-eared owl (Asio otus) in northern Italy: is it a dietary specialist?

The feeding ecology of the long-eared owl (Asio otus) in the Stupinigi Natural Park, northwestern Italy, was investigated for 1 year. Owls fed seasonally on three main prey categories. Mice (Murinae) constituted the bulk of the diet from September to March, with voles (Arvicolinae) and birds as secondary prey. During the breeding season, birds became preeminent, constituting about half of the prey ingested. Dietary overlap between the overwintering period and breeding season was low. Food-niche breadth was low in autumn and winter but increased markedly from May to August. A comparison of our results with those of eight other European studies showed that the long-eared owl in Italy has a more varied diet. The diet in Italy and Spain (southern Europe) is based on at least three prey groups and differs from that described for areas in central and northern Europe, where only species of voles are the main prey. Our results show that the long-eared owl is an adaptable predator that expands its food niche in th.
Acquiring Divestors

This paper examines the relationship between targets’ asset divestitures and takeover premiums. We ﬁnd that divesting targets (divestors) receive lower oﬀered premiums, experience less positive announcement returns, and have a trade discount relative to non-divesting targets. We show that the eﬃciency of divestitures explains the eﬀects. Speciﬁcally, they are more pronounced when targets divest assets more eﬃciently, operate in non-competitive industries, or announce divestitures before Sarbanes Oxley Act. We further document that the neo-agency view “eat or be eaten” is only partially supported. Asset divestitures have no signiﬁcant eﬀects on transaction synergies and acquirer announcement returns. Overall, our ﬁndings support the view that asset divestitures increase target eﬃciency that deter the interest of potential bidders. <br>
The genetic basis of balanced polymorphism in Philaenus (Homoptera)

In Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera), colour polymorphism is mainly determined by a series of allelic genes. The dominance and co-dominance relationships of the following seven alleles were analysed: T (trilineatus), M (marginellus), F (flavicollis-F), L (lateralis), C (flavicollis-C, gibbus and leucocephalus), O (quadrimaculatus, albomaculatus and leucophthalmus) and t (typicus). The colour phenotypes are indicated in brackets. On the basis of partly direct and partly indirect evidence, T was found to be the top dominant and t the bottom recessive allele in the female sex. In the males, T is also the top dominant, but t comes second in the hierarchy. Conclusive evidence of the dominance of T over L, T over O and T over t was obtained, as well as of dominance of M over O. Codominance was found between L and F, L and C, and M and F. Three different allele combinations, M/t, L/F and L/C, were found to be expressed as marginellus. Modifiers non-allelic with the genes mentioned above influence the expression of the genes C and O. The presence and manifestation of these modifiers is basic to the existence of the colour forms flavicollis-C, gibbus, quadrimaculatus, and albomaculatus. Evidence is presented for the hypothesis, here advanced explicitly for the first time, that the colour genes are components of supergenes. Certain assumptions are made to support the hypothesis that alleles high in the dominance hierarchy are of more recent origin than alleles at or near the bottom. This hypothesis is discussed in connexion with Sheppard's well-known theory of the co-evolution of dominance and balanced polymorphism.
The Changing Health of Coral Reefs

Throughout their entire global range coral reefs are in decline. Coral bleaching, macroalgal overgrowth and coral diseases — responses signaling the declining health of coral reefs — have occurred with increasing frequency and intensity in recent decades. Decreased calcification may also be affecting coral reefs over longer time scales. Declines in coral reef health have been attributed to various natural and anthropogenic processes, but assignment of causality has proved problematic. Coral bleaching has been observed during extreme climate events such as El Niño; furthermore, there are indications that exposure to UV radiation, air, infectious microbes, and elevated temperature plays a role in the dramatic increase of coral bleaching since the mid-1970s. Macroalgal overgrowth is usually ascribed to eutrophi-cation and coral diseases to weakening of the coral host resistance by anthropogenic pollution. An issue precluding a strict anthropogenic cause of coral reef decline is that both overgrowth and coral diseases are known to occur, although less frequently, on reefs remote from human development. While its causes are still being unraveled, the overall decline in coral reef health sends an unambiguous signal that the coral reef system is losing its ability to withstand sudden or persistent environmental changes.
How Sensitive are Tail-Related Risk Measures in a Contamination Neighbourhood?

Estimation or mis-specification errors in the portfolio loss distribution can have a considerable impact on risk measures. This paper investigates the sensitivity of tail-related risk measures including the Value-at-Risk, expected shortfall and the expectile-quantile transformation level in an epsilon-contamination neighbourhood. The findings give the different approximations via the tail heaviness of the contamination models and its contamination levels. Illustrating examples and an empirical study on the dynamic CRIX capturing and displaying the market movements are given.
Understanding Usda Corn and Soybean Production Forecasts: Methods, Performance and Market Impacts Over 1970-2005

The purpose of this report is to improve understanding of USDA crop forecasting methods, performance and market impact. A review of USDA's forecasting procedures and methodology confirmed the objectivity and consistency of the forecasting process over time. Month-to-month changes in corn and soybean production forecasts from 1970 through 2005 indicated little difference in magnitude and direction of monthly changes over time. USDA production forecast errors were largest in August and smaller in subsequent forecasts. There appeared to be no trend in the size or direction of forecast errors over time. On average, USDA corn production forecasts were more accurate than private market forecasts over 1970-2005, with the exception of August forecasts since the mid-1980s. The forecasting comparisons for soybeans were somewhat sensitive to the measure of forecast accuracy considered. One measure showed that private market forecasts were more accurate than USDA forecasts for August regardless of the time period considered. Another measure showed just the opposite. As the growing season progresses the difference in the results across the two measures of forecast accuracy diminished, with USDA forecast errors in soybeans about equal to or smaller than private market errors. USDA corn production forecasts had the largest impact on corn futures prices in August and recent price reactions have been somewhat larger than historical reactions. Similar to corn, USDA soybean production forecasts had the largest impact on soybean futures prices in August with recent price reactions appearing somewhat larger than in the past. Overall, the analysis suggests that over the long-run the USDA performs reasonably well in generating crop production forecasts for corn and soybeans.
Can Equity Crowdfunding Mitigate the Gender Gap in Startup Finance?

It is well documented that firms led by females do not obtain capital investment at the same rate as males. Part of the reason behind this funding gap is gender-based differences in access to investors. In this study, I evaluate the effects of the 2012 legislation that legalized accredited equity crowdfunding and relaxed regulations on advertising private firm equity offerings. Using a novel dataset of startups and financing sources, I find that the policy change decreased the gap in average funding to male-founded firms and firms with female founders by 3 percentage points. I argue that the mechanisms behind the change are increases in both female investor activity and investment to industries with a higher concentration of female firms.
Spillover Effects in SRI Fund Families

This paper investigates spillovers in cash flow to SRI funds within the fund family due to the existence of a star (poor) performing peer SRI fund. Using a sample of SRI funds domiciled in the U.S. and considering survivorship, we find a positive spillover effect from having a star SRI fund on the monthly cash flow of their SRI siblings. However, the reverse is not found in the presence of a poor SRI performer. The spillover effect is more pronounced in SRI funds with a lower opportunity set, as shown by the higher contribution of the star (poor) performers to the flow of combined-ESG and environmental funds. Having a star conventional fund provides insignificant contributions to the flow of SRI siblings, suggesting that SRI investors are concerned only with the performance of SRI funds. Further, the magnitude of the spillover effect in SRI fund families is lower than in conventional fund families.
Economic Structural Transformation and CO2 Emissions in Asian Countries: Homogeneous Vs. Heterogeneous Estimators

This study examines the impact of structural transformation on environmental pollution in selected Asian countries for the years 1990-2016. This transformation decomposes into sectoral compositions, urbanization, and demographic changes in Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model and estimates using the panel model that under the homogeneous slope assumption and also accounts for heterogeneity across countries. The study has sorted out the problem of cross-sectional as well as the heterogeneity in Asian countries and suggests the prime catalyst of 𝐶𝑂2 emissions is the brisk industrialization, urbanization rate and economic development. Further, this finding also support the existence of an inverted-U curve between affluence level and 𝐶𝑂2 emissions and urbanization and 𝐶𝑂2 emissions, implying that at a higher scale of the economy and higher urbanize level, 𝐶𝑂2 emissions decrease but this remained inconclusive in the heterogeneous panel. This study provides policymakers with clear picture on how to promote growth in achieving the sustainability development policy.
Innovation and Crowdsourcing Contests

In an innovation contest, an organizer seeks solutions to an innovation-related problem from a group of independent agents. Agents, who can be heterogeneous in their ability levels, exert efforts to improve their solutions, and their solution qualities are uncertain due to the innovation and evaluation processes. In this chapter, we present a general model framework that captures main features of a contest, and encompasses several existing models in the literature. Using this framework, we analyze two important decisions of the organizer: a set of awards that will be distributed to agents and whether to restrict entry to a contest or to run an open contest. We provide a taxonomy of contest literature, and discuss past and current research on innovation contests as well as a set of exciting future research directions.
Genetic variability in bryophytes: does mating system really matter?

Abstract Mating patterns do not alter allelic frequencies in natural populations. Therefore, if evolution is defined as changes in allelic frequencies in a population through time, then mating system is not an evolutionary force. There is no direct causal link between mating patterns and the familiar measures of genetic variability applied to allele frequency data from haploid gametophyte populations. In this paper we focus on how mating patterns may affect intralocus variability when acting together with evolutionary forces, like selection and drift. Moreover, we address how levels of inbreeding can have a profound influence on haplotypic variation. Measures for estimating the extent of recombination from haplotypic variation are presented. It seems that high levels of selfing are not necessarily associated with bisexuality in bryophytes.
Character Displacement and Acoustic Insects

Crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, and cicadas should be ideal for illustrating character displacement. Their species-specific calling songs are of direct importance to reproductive success, and species with similar songs and overlapping ranges should develop greater differences in their songs in areas of sympatry. Although many pairs of species have suitably similar songs and overlapping ranges and the data concerning songs are extensive for crickets and katydids, no convincing example of character displacement has been found in acoustic insects. Lack of such examples can be attributed to false premises, to divergence completed in allopatry. to elimination of geographical variation in song by gene flow between the zone of sympatry and the zones of allopatry, and to the scanty sample that has been intensively studied.
Idiosyncratic Jump Risk Matters: Evidence from Equity Returns and Options

The recent literature provides conflicting empirical evidence about the pricing of idiosyncratic risk. This paper sheds new light on the matter by exploiting the richness of option data. First, we find that idiosyncratic risk explains 28% of the variation in the risk premium on a stock. Second, we show that the contribution of idiosyncratic risk to the equity premium arises exclusively from jump risk. Third, we document that the commonality in idiosyncratic tail risk is much stronger than that in total idiosyncratic risk documented in the literature. Tail risk thus plays a central role in the pricing of idiosyncratic risk. Received May 15, 2017; editorial decision September 12, 2018 by Editor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh. Authors have furnished code and an Internet Appendix, which are available on the Oxford University PressWeb site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Effect of Exchange Rate to Altman-Z in Mondelez International ‘Cadbury’

Altman-Z can caused by both internal and external factors, which is probably due to inefficient management or breakdowns in internal procedures, human errors and systems failure. It is important for an organisation to manage Altman-Z efficiently. This study aims to investigate the influence of firm-specific factors and macro-economic factors affecting Altman-Z among selected five years in Mondelez International (Cadbury) company. Multiple regression analysis of financial ratios of the five selected companies is conducted for the year from 2013 to 2017. The findings and analysis shows that macro-economic (GDP per capital, Unemployment, Exchange Rate) have a greater influence on Altman-Z of the company as compared to firm-specific factors (CGI, ROA, ROE, Tobin’s Q, Altman-Z). This study also suggest that it is necessary for a firm to manage its liquid assets in an optimum way and minimizing the cost of liquidation, in order to have sufficient cash flow for business operations. Besides, the company should manage its account receivables efficiently in order to reduce Altman-Z.
A study of calcium carbonate deposition in the genus Padina (Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales)

Three species of the phaeophycean genus Padina were investigated with the electron microscope. Calcification is initiated in P. japonica and P. pavonica at the inrolled thallus margin which contains chloroplasts and acts as a semi-enclosed space. In these species, the apical cells are covered with a pilose layer with which small aragonite crystals are associated. The non-calcareous P. arborescens has a similar anatomy but here the apical and young cells possess a smooth cuticular layer instead of a pilose layer and it is suggested that nucleation of aragonite is inhibited by this layer. In P. pavonica, carbonate deposition continues at the thallus surface and reaches a maximum, on a percentage dry weight basis, approximately mid-way along the lamina (mean CaCO3 content 9·3% dry wt). The deposits show concentric banding, but this could not be correlated with differences in photosynthetic activity associated with tetrasporangium production.
Towards the development of a macroinvertebrate sampling technique for palustrine wetlands in South Africa: a pilot investigation in the KwaZuluNatal midlands

A study was undertaken in November 2003 to derive a suitable sampling technique for collecting a representative sample of aquatic macroinvertebrates from a selected emergent vegetation biotope in a palustrine wetland, Melmoth Vlei, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The aim was to undertake a preliminary investigation on the development and testing of a macroinvertebrate sampling technique for use in emergent sedge-dominated palustrine wetlands (sensu Cowardin et al. 1979), which could contribute to the development of a South African wetland health biomonitoring programme. Sweep nets and activity traps were evaluated for their effectiveness in terms of macroinvertebrate collection. Sweep net sampling was tested over a range of sweep intensities to determine the minimum number of sweeps required to collect a representative sample. Sampling efficiency of activity traps placed at four depths was tested, and taxon diversity and composition of sweep net and activity trap samples were compared to determine whether activity traps are required to supplement sweep net data. A total of 32 taxa (identified mainly to family level) were identified in the samples collected. Taxon diversity and composition did not differ in the activity traps placed at the four depth locations. Taxon diversity did not differ significantly between different sweep intensities. This may be a result of high variability of macroinvertebrate distribution within a wetland. There is evidence, however, to suggest that this result is due to an inadequate sample size. There was a significant difference in taxon composition between the different sweep intensities (P < 0.05) and between activity trap and sweep net samples (P < 0.05). Sixty-eight percent of taxa appeared more frequently in sweep net sampling than in activity trap sampling. Two taxa were found exclusively in activity traps, although the numbers of these taxa collected were not significant, and they do not represent any unique trophic group. Based on these findings, it was concluded that activity traps are not required to supplement sweep net data, and a technique using a sweep net with a sweep intensity of five would be suitable for collecting a representative sample of macroinvertebrates from a palustrine wetland.