Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rumen fermentation and food selection in East African sheep, goats, Thomson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle and impala

Summary The relationship between the selected food and rumen fermentation was investigated in Thomson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, impala and Maasai haired sheep and goats. All animals were shot in the same grass-bushland area within 1 week during the dry season. According to rumen contents, sheep were almost exclusively grazers. In goats, Thomson's gazelle and impala, grass accounted for about 70% of all plant parts identified. In Grant's gazelle, browse including Acacia seed constituted 68% of rumen ingesta. The two gazelle species showed a very marked preference for green grass leaves. In sheep and goat rumens, concentrations of NH3-N and volatile fatty acids, and in vitro fermentation rates (262 and 272 μmoles gasNTPD/g D.M./h, respectively) were lowest. In the wild ruminants, concentrations of fermentation end-products were higher and the rate of fermentation significantly (P < 0·05) faster, namely 420 in Thomson's gazelle, 356 in Grant's gazelle and 376 in impala. Rumen pH was not significantly different between species, with mean values ranging between 6·3 and 6·0. Total VFA concentrations ranged between 124 and 178 m-equiv/1 in the rumen and around 25 m-equiv/1 in the abomasum. Acetic acid accounted for about 75% of the total VFAs. It is concluded that there are large differences in the pattern of rumen fermentation between wild and domestic mixed-feeding ruminants which reflect their respective food preferences.
Tariff Pass-Through and Welfare in the Tablet Computer Market

This paper estimates the short-run effects of tariffs on United States tablet computer prices and welfare. Market-level data are used to estimate a model of demand, supply and trade policy and to simulate equilibria prices and sales in scenarios with tariffs on Chinese production. A 25 percent tariff on firms assembling in China results in a tariff elasticity of consumer prices of 1.108, a 29.6 percent decline in profits for firms assembling in China, and a deadweight loss of 28.8 percent of total economic surplus. Firms assembling elsewhere benefit from the reduction in rival’s competitiveness by increasing their prices, market shares and profits. A long-run implication is that firms may be incented to shift production from “uncompetitive” facilities in China to lower-cost countries that are politically favored by the United States.
Plant naturalizations and invasions in the Eastern United States: 1634-1860.

Plant immigrants to North America arrived from Europe with the first human immigrants, products of the intense incentive early colonists felt to transplant European agriculture into the Western Hemisphere. Among early deliberate and accidental introductions were species that would soon become naturalized in eastern North America: Artemisia absinthium, Hyoscyamus niger, Plantago lanceolata, and Taraxacum officinale. The naturalized flora grew as species for food, forage, seasonings, and medicine were imported, cultivated, and escaped the bounds of cultivated fields. Importation of what has become the most common category of naturalized species, erstwhile ornamentals, had a modest beginning by the mid 17th century. The first recorded invasion, the spread and proliferation of Linaria vulgaris in the Mid-Atlantic colonies, was recognized by the mid 18th century, and Berberis vulgaris was rampant in southern New England before 1800. Botanical records, including published floras, became much more common in the first decades of the 19th century and reveal a naturalized flora in the U.S. that was quite similar in composition to the agricultural weed flora of Western Europe. Marly ruderals and agricultural weeds were widespread in the eastern U.S., but probably not invasive by 1860, and included Bromus secalinus, Cynoglossum officinale, Galium aparine, and Senecio vulgaris. Other alien species had, however, become invasive by the 1840s, such as Echium vulgare in Virginia. Species that were to form devastating invasions in the United States from 1860 onward (e.g., Bromus tectorum, Euphorbia esula, Lonicera japonica, Melaleuca quinquenervia) had either not arrived by 1860, were undetected, or were not reported as having escaped from cultivation. Growth of the naturalized flora and the subsequent number of invasive taxa was certainly facilitated, and probably sparked, by the enormous growth of railroads and rail-borne commerce in the late 19th century.
The role of psyllids (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and bell miners (Manorina melanophrys) in canopy dieback of Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna Sm.)

The presence of the aggressive, colony-forming honeyeater, Manorina melanophrys (bell miner), in the canopies of unhealthy eucalypts has been well reported. There is, however, some debate as to the actual mechanisms producing these unhealthy trees. To investigate further some of the processes that may be contributing to this form of canopy dieback, two field trials were carried out in Olney State Forest, near Wyong, New South Wales. The study site contained Eucalyptus saligna (Sydney blue gum) with canopy dieback and was occupied by a large colony of bell miners. Close examination of the foliage revealed a large and diverse suite of phytophagous insects, including at least 16 species of psyllid (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). In the first trial, the use of bird exclusion cages over selected branches significantly improved leaf survival compared to leaves exposed to a relatively high density of bell miners. It is proposed that colonization by bell miners may interfere with the efficacy of both other insectivorous birds (through aggressive interspecific territoriality) and the invertebrate predators and parasitoids. Interference with such regulatory factors may enable some phytophagous insect populations to rise to sustained damaging levels. In the second trial, an insecticide application combined with reduced competition from the dense understorey and neighbouring trees was required to significantly improve trunk diameter and crown condition scores. After 12 months, neither treatment, by itself, significantly improved both growth measures. Possibly both treatments were required because the E. saligna trees were suffering from another source of stress (e.g. drought) in addition to the relatively high level of insect attack.
IPO Issuers’ Reservation Price and Market Over-Optimism

Assuming that initial public offering (IPO) issuers can value their own firms more accurately, we test the hypothesis that the stock markets tend to overvalue IPOs. Using the lower limit of initial filing price range as issuers’ reservation price, we estimate the premiums of IPO first day closing price and first month closing price over the reservation price using 3,138 initial public offerings (IPOs) from 1983 to 2012. We find that the price premiums are positively related to proxies for market over-optimism and uncertainty. IPOs with higher price premiums have worse stock performance in the long run. The results are robust to various economic specifications. The findings are consistent with the argument that the stock markets get over- optimistic about IPOs from time to time.
Why Does Corporate Governance Affect Firm Value: Evidence on a Self-Dealing Channel from a Natural Experiment in Korea

Prior work in emerging markets provides evidence that better corporate governance predicts higher market value, but very little on the specific channels through which governance increases value. We provide evidence, from a natural experiment in Korea, that reduced tunneling can be an important channel. Korean legal reform in 1999 improved board independence of “large” firms (assets &gt; 2 trillion won) relative to smaller firms. This shock to governance allows us to assess the effects of reform using a regression discontinuity design. In event studies of the reform events, we show that large firms whose controllers have incentive to tunnel (positive Expropriation Risk Index firms) earn strong positive returns, relative to other large firms. In panel regressions over 1998-2004, we also show that better governance (higher Korea Corporate Governance Index) moderates the negative effect of related-party transactions on value and increases the sensitivity of firm profitability to industry profitability (consistent with less tunneling). <br><br>In a companion paper, Bernard Black and Woochan Kim, The Effect of Board Structure on Firm Value: A Multiple Identification Strategy Approach Using Korean Data (working paper 2008), <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=968287">http://ssrn.com/abstract=968287</a>, we seek to identify Korean board structure reforms as likely causing an increase in firm market value. <br><br>For our earlier cross-sectional research on Korean corporate governance, see: <br><br>Bernard Black, Hasung Jang and Woochan Kim, Does Corporate Governance Affect Firms' Market Values? Evidence from Korea,: 22 Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 366-413 (2006), nearly final version at <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=311275">http://ssrn.com/abstract=311275</a>. <br><br>Bernard Black, Hasung Jang &amp; Woochan Kim, Predicting Firms' Corporate Governance Choices: Evidence from Korea, 12 Journal of Corporate Finance 660-691 (2006), nearly final version at <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=428662">http://ssrn.com/abstract=428662</a>.
Proteolytic activity of black-pigmented Bacteroides strains

The proteolytic activity of several black-pigmented Bacteroides species was measured. Bacteroides gingivalis was the only species having collagenolytic activity. General proteolytic activity on gelatin and Azocoll was shown in cultures of B. gingivalis, B. asaccharolyticus, B. endodontalis, B. intermedius, B. corporis and to a lesser extent B. melaninogenicus; B. loescheii did not show proteolytic activity. When culture filtrates were tested, B. gingivalis showed high cell free proteolytic activity, whereas the other species had only very weak cell free activity. Growth curves of B. gingivalis revealed two distinct proteolytic activities; general proteolytic activity was found during the logarithmic growth phase, whereas a second peak containing high collagenolytic activity was found after prolonged incubation of cells showing autolysis.
Does Corruption Increase Emerging Market Bond Spreads?

We study the relationship between corruption and borrowing costs for governments and firms in emerging markets. Combining data on bonds traded in the global market with survey data on corruption compiled by Transparency International, we show that countries that are perceived as more corrupt may pay a higher risk premium when issuing bonds. The global bond market ascribes a significant cost to corruption: an improvement in the corruption score from the level of Lithuania to that of the Czech Republic lowers the bond spread by about one-fifth. This is true even after controlling for macroeconomic effects that are correlated with corruption. We find little evidence that investors became more sensitive to corruption in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
Feeding standards during lay and reproductive performance of broiler breeders

1. Broiler parent stock (Marshall) were supplied with energy and protein from diets in amounts defined as percentages of an allowance such that nutrient intake increased or decreased in three consecutive periods from 23 to 63 weeks of age. 2. A 20% reduction in energy allowance from 23 to 34 weeks was associated with reduced body‐weight gain, egg weight and carcass constituents except ash, but had no significant effect on egg production or hatchability. 3. Increases in nutrient intake after 34 weeks were associated with an increase in body‐weight gain and carcass fat. 4. Moderate decreases in energy intake after 34 weeks were associated with reduced body‐weight gain, and a 15% reduction in nutrient intake resulted in a decrease in body weight and egg weight. 5. It is suggested that a feeding allowance which controls body‐weight gain during early lay, and then allows for a gradual increase in body weight over the breeding period may be the most efficient way of feeding the broiler breeder hen.
Becoming Friends or Foes? How Competitive Environments Shape Social Preferences

We study the interaction between competition and social proximity on altruism, trust, and reciprocity. We decompose the behavioral channels by utilizing variants of both the Trust Game and the Dictator Game in a design that systematically controls the transmission of relevant information. Our results suggest that competitive environments, and in particular the outcomes thereof when competitors are socially proximate, affect social preferences. Within the context of the Trust Game, we find that winning makes individuals more trusting, less reciprocal, and less altruistic. In order to decompose the underlying mechanism of decision-makers, we subsequently use the Dictator Game and find that knowledge about winning the competition decreases giving, especially with increased proximity between competitors. From this we can conclude that the observed increase in trust is guided by self-serving concerns to maximize the total pie rather than altruistic concerns to compensate the competitor who lost the competition. Our results provide helpful insights into the structure of incentives within institutions and companies, which is known to affect performance.
Borrowing Constraints, Home Ownership and Housing Choice: Evidence from Intra-Family Wealth Transfers

We study the impact of borrowing constraints on home ownership and housing demand by comparing the tenure choice and housing quality of consumers who receive intra-family wealth transfers to those that do not. Our analysis is based on household-level panel data providing information on the receipt of wealth transfers, changes in tenure status as well as changes in the size and quality of housing. On average we find that the receipt of a wealth transfer increases the propensity of consumers to transition from renters to home-owners by 6-8 percentage points (35% of the sample mean). Additional analyses suggest that this effect is unlikely to be driven by wealth effects and thus can be attributed to the relaxation of borrowing constraints. By contrast, wealth transfers do not increase the likelihood that existing homeowners “trade-up” to larger homes in better locations.
Star Turnover and the Value of Human Capital: Evidence from Broadway Show

Theater shows routinely turn-over actors in lead roles. Otherwise the show stays the same, including the director, the script, other actors and the physical theater environment. Even the lines uttered do not change. Therefore, the theater provides a unique laboratory for assessing the value of human capital to an enterprise, a question that has been studied in other contexts including the CEO value literature. We compare revenues, capacity and ticket prices just before and just after transitions of top cast members. We also characterize the performers in various ways, control for the attributes of the show, and for team characteristics. We find that decorated theater stars significantly affect the financial success of theater shows, supporting the MacDonald (1988) version of the superstar hypothesis. Movie stars and celebrities do not seem to affect ticket prices or show revenues. Teams and seasonal effects seem to matter as well.
Phylogenetic evidence for loss of sound production and a shift in sexual recognition signals in Hamadryas butterflies (Nymphalidae: Biblidinae)

The neotropical butterfly genus Hamadryas Hübner comprises 20 species that exhibit an intriguing variation in their natural history traits. Although revised in 1983, no phylogenetic hypothesis was presented: the first phylogenetic hypothesis is estimated here based on 93 characters and including species from the three other genera in the tribe Ageroniini. The phylogeny is used to test the monophyly of the genus, establish the sister group of Hamadryas and identify its apomorphies. The tree allows the inference of patterns of character change in sound production and sexual dimorphism. Implied weights show that Hamadryas is monophyletic and corroborate Ectima Doubleday as a sister genus. Previously suggested subgenera for Hamadryas were non‐monophyletic, with the exception of the laodamia clade, supported by the presence of a complete sterigma. Sound production is inferred to be a derived condition in Hamadryas that has been lost in the laodamia clade. This, plus the presence of androconial organs and sexual dimorphism in the laodamia clade, suggests a shift in sexual recognition signalling. Furthermore, the phylogeny indicates that the colour pattern of males in the laodamia clade is novel, supporting a Darwinian origin of sexual dimorphism.
Efficiency of Trissolcus basalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) as an Egg Parasitoid of Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Central Italy

The natural control exerted by Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston), a solitary egg parasitoid of Nezara viridula (L.), in soybean fields in central Italy over 6 yr has been assessed. T. basalis was the only egg parasitoid attacking N. viridula egg masses. In total, 260 N. viridula egg masses were collected. Of these, 105 contained at least 1 egg parasitized by T. basalis . Approximately 20% of egg masses were parasitized during the first 2 yr (1986 and 1987), increasing to 50% in the following years (1988, 1990, 1991, and 1992). Parasitism efficiency (the percentage of eggs parasitized over the total egg masses discovered) was =65% in 1986 and 1987, significantly less than in 1988 and 1990 (=92%). The impact of the parasitoid on the N. viridula population was low, <13%, for the first 2 yr, and much higher, =40%, in the following years.
Who Uses Intermediaries in International Trade? Evidence from Firm-Level Survey Data

The present paper uses data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey conducted in Turkey in 2005 to shed light on the firms that use intermediaries in international trade. It lends robust empirical support to recent theories which suggest that indirect exporters are mostly small firms that are not profitable enough to cover the high fixed costs of building an own distribution network abroad. Manufacturers who develop new products are more likely to use trade intermediaries, as are firms that produce low‐quality goods. In contrast, neither foreign ownership nor credit constraints are correlated with the choice of export mode. Moreover, firms that rely on trade intermediaries to sell their goods abroad also do so to source their foreign inputs, implying that the role of intermediaries in facilitating trade may be larger than previous studies suggest.
Regulation of alternative splicing of α‐actinin transcript by Bruno‐like proteins

Background: The Bruno‐like or CELF proteins, such as mammalian CUGBP1 and Etr‐3, Xenopus EDEN‐BP, and Drosophila Bruno (Bru), are regulators of gene expression at the post‐transcriptional level, and contain three RNA‐recognition motifs (RRMs). It has been shown that mammalian CUGBP1 and Etr‐3 regulate alternative splicing of cardiac troponin T pre‐mRNA via binding to CUG‐triplet repeats.
Firm Level Productivity, Risk, and Return

This paper provides new evidence about the link between firm level total factor productivity (TFP) and stock returns. We estimate firm level TFP and show that it is strongly related to several firm characteristics such as size, the book to market ratio, investment, and hiring rate. Low productivity firms earn a significant premium over high productivity firms in the following year, and this premium is countercyclical. We show that a production based asset pricing model calibrated to match the cross section of measured firm level TFPs can replicate the empirical relationship between TFP, many firm characteristics, and stock returns. Our results offer an explanation as to how these firm characteristics rationally predict returns.
Moving Up or Just Surviving? Non-Farm Self-Employment in India

The classical economic development literature argues that growth is accompanied by a reduction in agriculture's share and an increase in non-agriculture's share of employment. Yet, growth of the non-farm sector does not necessarily signal increasing levels of development, as the sector may serve as subsistence employment for many individuals. This ambiguity is heightened by a surprising lack of microevidence regarding sectoral and occupational choice and, especially, how government policies impact these decisions. In this paper, I make a simple observation regarding how non-farm self-employment reacts to market conditions: households and individuals that enter into non-farm self-employment for subsistence reasons are more likely to exit the sector when wages increase or when more stable employment becomes available. With this assumption as a starting point, I examine the effects of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which increased prevailing wages in rural India. I find that the program significantly decreases days spent in non-farm self-employment. In addition, the implied labor elasticity is almost three time higher than economy-wide estimates, suggesting rural non-farm self-employment is a sector of last resort for many individuals. Additional analyses suggest this impact is driven primarily by two mechanisms: higher wages and alternative options for risk-management.
Show Your Flag or Be Everyone's Friend?: The Effects of District Magnitude on Vote-Securing Strategies

In this paper, we argue that a difference in district magnitude—the number of seats per district—causes variation in electoral competition. We show that in the Single-Member District with Plurality voting (SMDP) system, voters may cast their ballots using the candidate’s “visual cues�? —this is particularly notable when voters cannot rely on party labels. We quantify the candidate’s smile in a replicable form by using automated facial recognition technology. Using data from local assembly elections in an urban area in Japan, we showed how a candidate’s smile, the proxy of the candidate’s visual, is effective in gathering floating votes in SMDP, but it does not increase the vote share in Multi-Member Districts with Single Non-Transferable Voting (MMDs/SNTV) system.
The effect of Trichoderma harzianum and T. koningii on the control of tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) and leaf blotch (Mycosphaerella graminicola) of wheat under field conditions in Argentina

Abstract The effect of six isolates of Trichoderma harzianum and one isolate of T. koningii on the incidence and severity of tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) and leaf blotch of wheat (Mycosphaerella graminicola) was evaluated under field conditions. Significant differences between wheat cultivars, inoculum types and growth stages were found. Three of the isolates tested (T2 for M. graminicola, T7 for P. tritici-repentis and T5 for both of them) showed the best performance in controlling leaf blotch and tan spot when coated onto seed or sprayed onto wheat leaves at different growth stages, with significant severity reduction up to 56%. At tillering, six of the isolates reduced the severity of P. tritici-repentis and M. graminicola compared to the control by up to 39% and 12–53%, respectively. In some experiments, the biocontrol preparation (T2 and T5) gave a level of disease control similar to that obtained with Tebuconazole (70 and 48%, respectively). The effect of Trichoderma against P. tritici-repentis was also observed at the heading stage, when six of the treatments reduced disease severity by 16–35%. This is the first report on the efficacy of Trichoderma spp. against wheat necrotrophic pathogens under field conditions in Argentina.