Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VALUING FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT IN THE FITZROY BASIN RESEARCH REPORTS

Policy makers are often interested in how values for an environmental asset may be disaggregated into component pieces and transferred from one site to another. This issue can be described in relation to environmental values for the Fitzroy Basin in Central Queensland. The Basin comprises several smaller catchments that share similar development opportunities, environmental issues and water resource constraints. This paper describes the application of Choice Modelling to estimate environmental and social values for the Basin as a whole and two of its component sub-catchments. The results of the application provide an understanding of how the values estimated at different scales may be related. If there are no significant differences in values estimated at different scales, it implies that benefit transfer may be undertaken for different sites at different scales without adjustment. Various experiments using scale and quantity variances are reported to allow comparison of the estimates.
Fluctuations and Factors Affecting the Wing-Form Ratio of the Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stal in Rice Fields

Fluctuations in the wing-form ratio of the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, were examined by collecting fifth-instar nymphs from rice fields. Two peaks of brachypterous females were observed at 40–50 days after transplanting (DAT) and 75–85 DAT (5 days before heading–10 days after heading). After 75–85 DAT, the percentage of brachypterous females decreased with an increase in BPH density. However, the BPH density was still low after 40–50 DAT when the first decrease in the percentage of brachypterous females occurred. Thus, not only population density of BPH, but also the rice plant stage seems to affect the fluctuations in female wing-form ratio. The SPAD readings of rice leaf, which are associated with leaf nitrogen content, fluctuated with rice plant stage and showed two peaks at 30–50 DAT and 65–80 DAT. The fluctuation pattern of the SPAD readings was similar to that of the percentage of brachypterous females. This suggests that the percentage of brachypterous females fluctuated in accordance with a decrease in nitrogen content of rice plants.
Extrapolation for Time-Series and Cross-Sectional Data

Preface. Dedication. List of Contributors. 1. Introduction J.S. Armstrong. 2. Role-Playing. 3. Intentions. 4. Expert Opinions. 5. Conjoint Analysis. 6. Judgmental Bootstrapping. 7. Analogies. 8. Extrapolation. 9. Rule-based Forecasting. 10. Expert Systems. 11. Econometric Models. 12. Selecting Methods. 13. Integrating, Adjusting, and Combining Procedures. 14. Evaluating Methods. 15. Assessing Uncertainty. 16. Gaining Acceptance. 17. Monitoring Forecasts. 18. Applications of Principles. 19. Diffusion of Principles. 20. Summary. Appendix. Reviewers. Biographical sketches of authors. People Index. Subject Index. The Forecasting Dictionary.
Hanna Lee 2008

Prior research and recent anecdotes during the financial crisis demonstrate that lack of creditor coordination can exacerbate distress thereby illustrating the economic importance of creditor coordination effects. This study develops and incorporates empirical ex ante measures, or predictors, of creditor coordination effects in distress prediction. Using a comprehensive distress dataset, I find that empirical ex ante measures of creditor coordination effects (CCE) are robust incremental predictors of distress. I further find that CCE substantially improves the prediction accuracy of hazard rate models (e.g., by 10 percent, on average, for private firm models), which suggests that the explanatory power of CCE is economically meaningful. Additional tests that explore the link between CCE and ex post creditor coordination failures are consistent with CCE predicting distress caused by coordination failure among creditors, and inconsistent with these effects explaining other sources of distress. The results of this study point towards a distinct contribution of creditor coordination effects in predicting firm distress, with greater improvements in predicting distress in incidences with a higher likelihood of creditor coordination failure, such as bankruptcies that are not pre-packaged or prearranged and defaults triggered by creditor runs.
Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure within the Icelandic cattle breed using molecular markers

Abstract The Icelandic cattle breed is believed to have been brought to Iceland from Norway around 1100 years ago. Since then it is thought to have been almost completely isolated and to have gone through large fluctuations in population size. Here molecular markers were used to assess the breed's genetic diversity and the current within-population genetic structure using a randomly selected unbiased sample from the population as verified by calculations of the coefficient of relationship (R). Measures of genetic diversity suggest that there is considerable diversity within the breed despite long-term isolation and the effective population size is high considering the isolation and the breeding system used in recent years. No evidence of recent bottlenecks was found and analysis of population structure suggests that the population is uniform in structure.
Why CanModern Governments Tax So Much? An Agency Model of Firms as Fiscal Intermediaries By HENRIK JACOBSEN KLEVEN†, CLAUS THUSTRUP KREINER‡ and EMMANUEL SAEZ††

We develop an agency model explaining why third-party information reporting by firms makes tax enforcement successful. While third-party reporting would be ineffective with frictionless collusion between firms and employees, collusive evasion is impossible to sustain in firms with many employees and accurate business records as any single employee may reveal evasion. We embed our agency model into a macro model where the number of employees grows with development, showing that the tax take evolves as an S-shape driven by changes in third-party information. We show that our model is consistent with a set of stylized facts on taxation and development.
Strategic approaches to CO2 emissions: cement vs chemicals

The ability of companies to turn an environmental constraint into a source of strategic opportunities is a controversial topic in published research. The article, which is based on a comparative study of the CO2 emission reduction strategies implemented by the cement and chemical industries, shows that companies’ freedom to adopt a proactive approach to sustainable development is severely constrained by the characteristic features of the sector, in terms of its dependence on natural resources, of flexibility in the composition of the business portfolio, and of the structure of the downstream sector.
Prospects and limitations for mycorrhizas in biocontrol of root pathogens

More than 80 disease biocontrol products are on the market worldwide, but none of these contain mycor rhizal fungi. This is despite ample evidence that both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi can control a number of plant diseases. A procedure for successful development of disease biocontrol agents in general is used as a background to examine the potential for achieving commercial mycorrhizal biocontrol agents. This includes (i) selection and screening; (ii) characterization involving identification, studies of modes of action and ecophysiology, as well as inoculum production, formulation, application and shelf life; (iii) registration. The last stage is problematic for mycorrhizal fungi, as currently they can be sold as plant growth promoters without any form of costly registration, even though in some instances they may actually function to some extent through biocontrol activity. The significance of this approach is discussed, and some possible ways of enhancing biocontrol by mycor.
Delineation of the European Armillaria species based on the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA

Variation within the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal RNA gene of 15 isolates representing seven European Armillaria species, was examined by sequencing of the PCR-amplified products. The analysis of an 744-bp region showed that the 5.8S gene appeared to be highly conserved in the 15 isolates and in other Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes, whereas ITS1 and especially ITS2 spacers exhibited polymorphisms due to base substitutions, insertions or deletions of up to eight nucleotides. An initial dendrogram for the full sequence was drawn using cluster analysis (UPGMA), and a tree was constructed using the maximum parsimony method. Both methods indicated that the isolates could be divided into four major groups. One group, consisting of A. ectypa, was distinct from all the other species. Examination of the other groups indicated that A. tabescens and A. mellea were in a separated cluster, with a significant variation between the two isolates of the latter species. A. gallica and A. cepistipes constituted another closely related group distinguishable from A. ostoyae and A. borealis, these latter two species exhibiting the highest similarity. The results are consistent with, and discussed in regard to, the relationships estimated previously by pairing tests, morphological and physiological comparisons, as well as by restriction fragment length polymorphism of the rDNA.
The Cultural Determinant of Board Structure: Religion and Gambling Preference

This study investigates the cultural determinant of board structure by examining the impact of the geographic divergence of gambling preference induced by religion. Using the county’s Catholic-to-Protestant ratio to proxy for gambling preference, we find that firms headquartered in gambling-prone regions tend to have smaller and less independent boards. We argue that the religiously induced risk-taking environment of the county influences the firms headquartered there, and this influence is reflected in the firm’s board structure. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on cultural determinants of board structure. JEL classification:
A Putative Prodiamine-Resistant Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) Population is Controlled by Indaziflam

Abstract Prodiamine is a mitotic inhibiting herbicide regularly used to control annual bluegrass PRE. A population of annual bluegrass not controlled by prodiamine at 1,120 g a.i. ha−1 was identified on a golf course in Alcoa, TN, in 2012. A whole-plant hydroponics bioassay was used to screen this biotype for prodiamine resistance (PR) compared with a known susceptible population (SS). Multitiller (i.e., > 4 tillers) PR and SS annual bluegrass plants were established in hydroponic culture and exposed to 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.10, 1.0, and 10.0 mM prodiamine. Exposure to prodiamine at 0.001 mM reduced root growth of the SS biotype to 26% of the nontreated check (i.e., 0 mM prodiamine) but had no effect on the PR biotype. When exposed to 10 mM prodiamine, root growth of the PR biotype was reduced to 24% of the nontreated check compared with 9% for the SS biotype. I50 values for the PR and SS biotypes were 0.04 and 2.8 × 10−6 mM prodiamine, respectively. The PR biotype measured lower in plant height and leaf width than the SS population. In field trials, prodiamine at 560, 840, 1,120, and 1,400 g ha−1 only controlled the PR biotype 0 to 22%. PRE applications of the cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor indaziflam at 35, 52.5, and 70 g a.i. ha−1 controlled this PR biotype 70 to 97%. This marks the second instance of annual bluegrass developing resistance to prodiamine in Tennessee during the past 5 yr. Future research should evaluate indaziflam efficacy for control of other prodiamine-resistant biotypes of annual bluegrass as well as annual bluegrass biotypes resistant to herbicidal inhibitors of 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase, acetolactate synthase, and photosystem II. Nomenclature: Indaziflam; prodiamine; annual bluegrass, Poa annua L. var. annua; bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES TWO GREAT TRADE COLLAPSES: THE INTERWAR PERIOD & GREAT RECESSION COMPARED

In this paper, I offer some preliminary comparisons between the trade collapses of the Great Depression and Great Recession. The commodity composition of the two trade collapses was quite similar, but the latter collapse was much sharper due to the spread of manufacturing across the globe during the intervening period. The increasing importance of manufacturing also meant that the trade collapse was more geographically balanced in the later episode. Protectionism was much more severe during the 1930s than after 2008, and in the UK case at least helped to skew the direction of trade away from multilateralism and towards Empire. This had dangerous political consequences. Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke All Souls College University of Oxford Oxford OX1 4AL, UK and NBER kevin.orourke@all-souls.ox. ac.uk
“Rankins Ratings (RKS)”, as a proxy for the quality of environmental performance in China – along with the previously unexplored newly designed China-specific financial distress measure, named “Altman Z

This study investigates the effect of environmental performance that is driven by good environmental policies, regulations and management on firm’s financial distress, and consequently, ascertains the extent to which top management teams’ (TMT) characteristics can moderate the environmental performance–financial distress nexus in China using 749 firms over the 2009-2014 period (i.e., generating over 3,000 individual observations). Our findings are twofold. First, our results indicate that increased environmental performance that is driven by good environmental policies tend to strategically reduce the extent of firm financial distress. Second, this nexus is moderated by TMT gender diversity, foreign exposure and political connection. We interpret our findings within neo-institutional, upper echelons and risk management theoretical perspectives. The findings are robust to the use of alternative measures of financial distress, estimation techniques and endogeneity problems.
The environment and fishery status of the River Ganges

This paper briefly describes the current status of ecology, fisheries and biodiversity of the River Ganges. Apart from being the original abode of the most prized Indian major carps, viz., Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Labeo calbasu, the river sustains fisheries of large catfish, mahseers, hilsa and other miscellaneous fishes. Over the years the fish catch per kilometre stretch in the river has declined significantly and species composition has changed more in favor of non major carp and miscellaneous species. It has also been observed that some exotic fishes have gained a foothold in the ecosystem at favorable stretches, where flows have drastically reduced as a result of abstraction of water from the main river. Changing hydrology, apart from deteriorating environmental conditions, has been to a large extent responsible for change in the fishery scenario in the river. This change has also affected the income levels of riparian fishers. Review of the data generated, over the years, also indicated deteriorating water quality at the stressed sites. The contamination of river water, sediments and fish with heavy metal and pesticide residues is also a factor of concern. With continued stress on the river system an environmental restoration plan was launched by the Indian authorities; its impacts over the years on ecosystem health is also discussed.
Funcionalidade do sulco do retículo em bovinos adultos e avaliação de técnicas alternativas para preparação, infusão e coleta de marcadores da fase fluida ruminal

The objectives of this work were to determine the functionality of the reticular groove in adult cattle and to evaluate alternative techniques for preparation, infusion and collection of ruminal dynamics markers. Four cows with rumen cannulas were used in three experimental assays. In the first assay the water percentage that passed directly to the omasum (27.39 %) tended to be lower (P = 0.14) than the water percentage that reached the reticulorumen (72.61 %), indicating inefficient functioning of the reticular groove in adult bovines. In assay 2, the fractional rates estimated simultaneously by Cr-EDTA (14.79 % h-1) and Co-EDTA prepared for an alternative technique (14.76 % h-1) did not differ (P = 0.96). The exponential regressions had a high determination coefficient (r2 = 0.90). The Co : Cr ratio in the ruminal fluid did not differ during the four hour sampling period (P = 0.68). There was no variation in the Co : Cr ratio in urine or feces. The simple technique proposed for the preparation of Co-EDTA, was effective. In assay 3, markers were infused into digesta without homogenization. The best plotting (r2 = 0.88; P < 0.001) of the exponential regression was obtained by excluding the five initial collection times (1.67 h after infusion) and by doubling the sampling intervals until 5.33 h after infusion. Under this collection pattern, the exponential regression determination coefficients did not differ (P = 0.17) from the standard curves (r2 = 1), when hypothetically compared. The alternative techniques proposed for infusion and sampling are viable, but require validation.
The existence of banks as financial intermediaries and the functioning of the banking system are argued to be of great importance in determining a country’s economic growth and stability

This study examines empirically how bank regulations adopted in lender countries influence the characteristics of loan contracts, using a sample of 46,453 loans made by 278 large commercial banks around 39 countries, to borrowers in 83 countries, in the period from 1998 to 2006. Our findings indicate that the stringency of capital regulations have an inverse Ushaped relationship with priced risk characteristics (spread and maturity) of loan contracts. In addition, more powerful official supervision is associated with riskier loan contracts. Both official supervisory power and private monitoring work as substitutes to capital regulation to reduce the (priced) risk measures of loan contracts when capital stringency is low. For higher capital stringency, supervision and private monitoring complement capital regulation in reducing loan contracts risk measures. Finally, we found that a country’s degrees of legal enforcement and bank industry competition complement capital and private monitoring regulations to improve risk characteristics of loan contracts. The evidence highlights the importance of how bank lending practices are affected by bank regulations and their interactions with themselves and other institutional country factors. JEL Classification:. G21, G28, G32
Dynamic self-thinning model for sessile animal populations with multilayered distribution

The main drawback of the traditional self-thinning model is how time is handled. Self-thinning (ST) has been formally recognized as a dynamic process, while the current ST models have not included the temporal effect. This restricts the analysis to the average competitive behaviour of the population and produces a biased estimation of the self-thinning parameters. In this study, we extend the dynamic ST model introduced by Roderick and Barnes (2004) to the analysis of multilayered sessile animal populations. For this purpose, we incorporate the number of layers and the density per layer into the dynamical approach. The performance of the dynamic model was checked and compared with the classical ST model through the analysis of mussel populations grown at different density treatments. Unlike the traditional model, the dynamical approach detected the effect of culture density on the competitive behaviour of individuals and allowed to analyse the temporal evolution of intraspecific competition by estimating the ST exponent trajectory. Moreover, this approach provided an ecological interpretation of any possible value of the ST exponent. Thus, our results support the use of the dynamic model in the analysis of selfthinning in sessile animal multilayered populations. The estimation of the ST exponent trajectory reflects the dynamic nature of the ST process, providing a more realistic description of population dynamics than the traditional model.
Conservation of Biodiversity in a Changing Climate

*Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International, Washington, D.C, 20037, U.S.A. †Climate Change Research Group, Ecology and Conservation, National Botanical Institute, Cape Town, South Africa‡The World Bank, Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. §Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa**Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Liberal Arts, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne,FL 32901–6975, U.S.A. ††Environment Department, University of York, York, Y010 5DD, United Kingdom‡‡Adaptation and Impacts Research Group, Environment Canada at the Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada§§Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
HERBERT G. HUNT III, PRAVEEN SINHA AND YUAN YIN Additional Evidence on Analysts’ Decision to Issue Disaggregated Earnings Forecasts: Strategic Biasingabac_364

This study examines why analysts issue disaggregated earnings forecasts to I/B/E/S. Some recent studies suggest that analysts with superior forecasting ability issue disaggregated earnings forecasts to build reputation in the marketplace and stop forecast disaggregation once their reputation has been established. Based on an analysis of I/B/E/S forecast data for U.S. firms from 1998 to 2008, we find that, in a given year, about 20%–34% of analysts disaggregate for some, but not for all the firms that they follow. This evidence of selective disaggregation by analysts suggests that reputation building alone does not fully explain the decision to disaggregate forecasts. We hypothesize that the decision to disaggregate earnings forecasts is at the firm-level as well and is systematically related to the analysts’ bias in the issued forecasts. Our findings are that (a) analysts’ overall optimistic bias and forecast errors decrease monotonically with the level of forecast disaggregation, and (b) analysts that selectively disaggregate their forecasts for some firms or who do not persistently disaggregate a given firm’s forecasts exhibit more positive bias and larger forecast errors. Our findings are consistent with the notion that the analysts who issue biased forecasts, for example, to curry favour with the management, are less likely to provide disaggregated information as part of the forecast.
Exchange Rate Risk Management: Evidence from East Asia

The recent East Asian financial crisis provides a natural experiment for investigating foreign exchange risk management by nonfinancial corporations. During this period, the financial crisis exposed local firms to large depreciations in exchange rates and reduced access to foreign capital. The authors explore the exchange rate hedging practices of firms that hedged exposure to foreign debt in eight East Asian countries between 1996 and 1998. They identify and characterize East Asian companies that used foreign currency derivatives, documenting differences in size, financial characteristics, and exposure to domestic and foreign debt. They investigate the factors improtant in the use of foreign currency derivatives. Unlike studies of US firms, they find limited support for existing theories of optimal hedging. Instead, they find that firms use foreign earnings as a substitute for hedging with derivatives. And they find evidence that firms engage in"selective"hedging. They investigate the relative performance of hedgers during and after the crisis. They find no evidence that East Asian firms eliminated their foreign exchange exposure by using derivatives. Firms that used derivatives before the crisis performed just as poorly as nonhedgers during the crisis. After the crisis, firms that hedged performed somewhat better than nonhedgers, but this result appears to be explained by a larger post-crisis currency exposure for hedgers (an exchange rate risk premium), which had limited access to derivatives during this period.