Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-resolution alkenone palaeobarometry indicates relatively stable pCO2 during the Pliocene (3.3–2.8 Ma)

Temperature reconstructions indicate that the Pliocene was approximately 3°C warmer globally than today, and several recent reconstructions of Pliocene atmospheric CO2 indicate that it was above pre-industrial levels and similar to those likely to be seen this century. However, many of these reconstructions have been of relatively low temporal resolution, meaning that these records may have failed to capture variations associated with the 41 kyr glacial–interglacial cycles thought to have operated in the Pliocene. Here we present a new, high temporal resolution alkenone carbon isotope-based record of pCO2 spanning 3.3–2.8 Ma from Ocean Drilling Program Site 999. Our record is of high enough resolution (approx. 19 kyr) to resolve glacial–interglacial changes beyond the intrinsic uncertainty of the proxy method. The record suggests that Pliocene CO2 levels were relatively stable, exhibiting variation less than 55 ppm. We perform sensitivity studies to investigate the possible effect of changing sea surface temperature (SST), which highlights the importance of accurate and precise SST reconstructions for alkenone palaeobarometry, but demonstrate that these uncertainties do not affect our conclusions of relatively stable pCO2 levels during this interval.
Bioagents: an effective and ecofriendly option for the management of maize cyst nematode, Heterodera zeae on sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata)

The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of seed treatment through bio-agent on maize cyst nematode, Heterodera zeae on sweet corn (varietyMadhuri). For this study, bio-agents viz., Paecilomyces lilacinus, Pochonia chlamydosporia and Trichoderma viride were tested as seed treatment at 1, 2 and 4 % w/w for the management of maize cyst nematode, H. zeae on sweet corn. A standard chemical (Acephate 2%w/w) and untreated check was also maintained for comparison. Observations on shoot weight (g), root weight (g), cyst per 100 cc soil, cyst per plant, and final larvae population per 100 cc soil were recorded to interpretate the experimental findings. Results showed that Paecilomyces lilacinus at 4 per cent was found most effective followed by Pochonia chlamydosporia at 4 per cent and Paecilomyces lilacinus at 2 per cent in enhancing plant growth of sweet corn and to reduced the infection of Heterodera zeae. Seed treatment with Paecilomyces lilacinus at 4 per cent w/w was found most effective to enhanced plant growth of sweet corn and management of H. zeae. MS History: 27.10. 2015 (Received)-28.10. 2015 (Revised)-22.11. 2015 (Accepted)
Working from home across countries

We study how the share of employment that can work from home changes with country income levels. We document that in urban areas, this share is only about 20% in poor countries, compared to close to 40% in rich ones. This result is driven by the self-employed workers: in poor countries their share of employment is large and their occupational composition not conducive to work from home. At the level of the entire country, the share of employment that can work from home in poor countries compared to rich countries depends on farmers’ ability to work from home. This finding is due to the high agricultural employment share in poor countries.
Performance of biological sulphate reduction at low pH, low temperature and low hydraulic retention time

Performance of Biological Sulphate Reduction at Low pH, Low Temperature and Low Hydraulic Retention Time Mukhethwa J. Mukwevho*, Evans M.N. Chirwa, Dheepak Maharajh a University of Pretoria, Department of Chemical Engineering, Water Utilisation and Environmental Engineering Division, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, South Africa b Biotechnology Division, Mintek, Private Bag X3015, Randburg 2125, South Africa [Style: CET Address] mukhethwa.judy@gmail.com
Is there a garbage Kuznets curve? Evidence from OECD countries

This note examines the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for municipal solid waste in 33 OECD countries between 1995 and 2012. Wang's (2013) flexible polynomial model is utilized. The results show that there exists no inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve relationship between per capita income and Municipal Solid Waste in OECD countries. Instead, they reveal a downward sloping relationship.
Gender differences in hedge fund performance

This paper analyses gender differences in Hedge Fund (HF) performance using 13 risk-adjusted performance measures and two performance persistence methods. We show that both male and female HF managers tend to produce similar risk-adjusted returns using the Sharpe ratio. When incorporating performance measures that account for the asymmetric return distributions of HFs, female HF managers tend to produce lower returns than their male counterparts. Our findings show that controlling for higher-order statistics is crucial in identifying gender differences in HF performance. Furthermore, we find that the HFs led by both genders exhibit short-term negative performance persistence in the aggregated ‘universe’ setting. However, focusing on the largest HF strategy (Equity) reveals that male managed funds in most cases are in fact generating the positive short-term persistence, with female managed funds remaining in the negative territory.
'Revitalize or Stabilize': Does Community Development Financing Work?

Banks in the United States originate $100 billion in community development loans every year and hold a similar amount of community development investments on their balance sheets. A number of federal place-based policies encourage the provision of these loans and investments to promote growth, employment and the availability of affordable housing to disadvantaged communities. Research into the effectiveness of privately supplied community development financing has been hampered, however, by the lack of comprehensive data on banks' community development activities at a local level. Hand collected data from thousands of Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluations fill this gap. Using these data, the effect of the supply of community development funding on local economic outcomes is estimated. Endogeneity of community development financing to local demand factors is addressed, exploiting the fact that banks exhibit fixed tendencies to engage in community development financing across markets. Shifts in the share of local deposit markets toward banks with a greater tendency to supply community development loans are associated with subsequent expansion in total employment and wages paid. Estimates suggest $56,000 in community development lending is required to create one job, on net. There is no measurable effect on the supply of affordable housing or the growth of house prices. Counties experiencing a shift in local deposit market shares toward community development intensive banks were on similar pre-trends as the rest of the country in the years prior to the shift, as measured across a range of economic and credit market outcomes.
Drug Class Update: Interstitial Lung Disease (formerly Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis)

Research Questions: 1. What are the differences in efficacy or effectiveness between drugs approved by the FDA to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)? 2. What are the differences in adverse events between drugs approved by the FDA to treat IPF? 3. Are there specific populations based on demographic characteristics in which drug treatments for interstitial lung diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are associated with greater harm or reduced effectiveness?
US Political Cycles and International Stock Returns

This paper demonstrates the US political cycle is important to understand the risk premia of the stock and currency markets worldwide. We frst document that the stock excess returns are higher and the USD is more appreciated when the US president is a Democrat rather than a Republican. Then, we argue that the US trade policy generates the cross-country spillovers to the non-US markets. From the networks constructed by trade and cross-border capital fows, we also fnd that the peripheral countries have higher stock returns when the US president is a Democrat. Lastly, we fnd that the return di ̇erences are largely mitigated after controlling for the trade tari ̇. It seems that the US presidential puzzle which is also observed in the international fnancial markets can be rationalized by the level of trade protectionism.
Enforcement and Public Corruption: Evidence from US States

We use high-quality panel data on corruption convictions, new panels of assistant U.S. attorneys and relative public sector wages, and careful attention to the consequences of modeling endogeneity to estimate the impact of prosecutorial resources on criminal convictions of those who undertake corrupt acts. Consistent with “system capacity” arguments, we find that greater prosecutor resources result in more convictions for corruption, other things equal. We find more limited, recent evidence for the deterrent effect of increased prosecutions. We control for and confirm in a panel context the effects of many previously identified correlates and causes of corruption. By explicitly determining the allocation of prosecutorial resources endogenously from past corruption convictions and political considerations, we show that this specification leads to larger estimates of the effect of resources on convictions. The results are robust to various ways of measuring the number of convictions as well as to various estimators.
Asset pricing risk factors and cultural dimensions: the hidden steady state variables?

We find international stock returns on common asset pricing risk factor mimicking hedge portfolios (especially HML and WML) to be connected to several cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede et al. Using a comprehensive sample of cross-sectional data of 41 countries, we check all factors of the FF five-factor model, RMRF, SMB, HML, RMW, and CMA as well as WML for dependence on national culture. We find substantial evidence for culture as possible omitted, hidden (steady) state variable that impacts the relevance and thus the efficacy of local asset pricing risk factors and in turn the significance of associated investment styles. JEL Classification: G02, G11, G12, G15
Genetic variability and correlation for yield and yield attributes in promising black pepper genotypes

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), belonging to the Piperaceae family, is the oldest known spice. Genetic variability and correlation for yield and yield attributes were estimated in nine black pepper genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences for all the characters studied. Maximum Genotypic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) were recorded for rachis weight vine-1 followed by dry berry yield vine-1 and fresh berry yield vine-1. These characters exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance over mean indicating the considerable contribution of additive genetic variance in the expression of these characters. Dry berry yield vine-1 had a highly significant and positive correlation with rachis weight vine-1, fresh berry yield vine-1, spike length and lateral branch length both at the genotypic and phenotypic level. Genotypes HP 2173 (HP1117 × Thommannkodi), OPKM, HP 780, Hp 1411 and HP 820 were found promising for the economically important characters and have the potentiality to release as new commercial varieties.
The Effect of Accounting Standards on Management of Earnings: Evidens from Germany

IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) is an accounting standard for annual reports of companies. Since January 1, 2005, all listed companies in the EU are required to report under the IFRS, that it means all companies from EUcountries from 1-1 -2005 had to switch from reporting under GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). German listed companies were allowed to present consolidated accounts prepared under German GAAP, IAS. This paper investigates whether the amount of management of earnings differs between the standards. While the manipulation under German GAAP and IFRS is relatively difference. I find that adoption of IFRS for reporting by listed companies in 2005 has surely reduced the use of management of earnings compared to German companies earlier reporting under generally accepted accounting principles GAAP. This is consistent with an interpretation that different amount of accounting choices enclosed firmly in different accounting standards affected the magnitude of management of earnings. The results of this paper hold for various proxies of management of earnings and after controlling for factors effecting the adoption of the standards. This paper documented that discretionary accruals under local GAAP are more valued in German listed companies. Moreover, the research finds that net income, accruals and discretionary accruals are more relevant than cash flow, non-discretionary accruals and nondiscretionary income. The evidence shows that accruals improve the association of earnings with contemporaneous stock returns.
Deep Relaxation Technique Improves Sleep Quality and Reduces Stress in Healthy Volunteers during Fasting Therapy

Introduction: Deep relaxation technique (DRT) is one of the mind– body relaxation techniques commonly employed in Yoga therapy. Fasting is a therapeutic approach which aims at cleansing the body but at the same time leading to physical and mental stress during adaptation tolow calories. Hence the present aims at evaluating the effect of DRT on stress and sleep quality in healthy volunteers undergoing fasting therapy. Methodology: In this single arm interventional study, 90 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects practiced DRT for 20 minutes for 10 consecutive days during the fasting period. Blood pressure (BP), Pulse Rate(PR), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) and International Stress Management Association (ISMA) stress questionnaire were assessed on 1 st and 10 th day of the intervention. Results: Wilcoxon matched pairs test showed a significant reduction in PSQI score (P=0.001), Stress scale score (P=0.001), PR (P=0.001), Systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P=0.001), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (P=0.001) values. Conclusion: Practicing DRT reduces stress and improves quality of sleep along with the reduction in BP and PR during fasting and hence it is concluded as having beneficial effect on reducing physical and mental stress posed by the calorie restriction during the fasting therapy period.
The relevance of high-frequency news analytics for lower-frequency investment stratergies*

This paper investigates whether lower-frequency investment strategies can be enhanced by the use of high-frequency news analytics. First, we study the cross-sectional characteristics of a broad set of indicators generated from news fow data. While long-short equity portfolios based on news sentiment indicators show promise in global and European stock universes, results for the US and Japan are rather modest. Second, we investigate the benefts of incorporating news-based equity factors into multi-factor investment strategies. Risk-based asset allocation strategies such as minimum-variance and risk parity strategies beneft from augmenting a portfolio of global equity factors by news sentiment-related equity factors. Also, active factor allocation strategies can be enhanced by utilizing the information embedded in news fow data. Factor timing using fundamental and technical time-series predictors generates statistically signifcant and economically relevant results. Similarly, a factor tilting strategy that exploits cross-sectional news-related information outperforms an equally weighted benchmark portfolio. JEL classifcation: G11, G12, G17.
Comparative Structural Analysis of 20S Proteasome Ortholog Protein Complexes by Native Mass Spectrometry

Ortholog protein complexes are responsible for equivalent functions in different organisms. However, during evolution, each organism adapts to meet its physiological needs and the environmental challenges imposed by its niche. This selection pressure leads to structural diversity in protein complexes, which are often difficult to specify, especially in the absence of high-resolution structures. Here, we describe a multilevel experimental approach based on native mass spectrometry (MS) tools for elucidating the structural preservation and variations among highly related protein complexes. The 20S proteasome, an essential protein degradation machinery, served as our model system, wherein we examined five complexes isolated from different organisms. We show that throughout evolution, from the Thermoplasma acidophilum archaeal prokaryotic complex to the eukaryotic 20S proteasomes in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mammals (rat - Rattus norvegicus, rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus and human - HEK293 cells), the proteasome increased both in size and stability. Native MS structural signatures of the rat and rabbit 20S proteasomes, which heretofore lacked high-resolution, three-dimensional structures, highly resembled that of the human complex. Using cryoelectron microscopy single-particle analysis, we were able to obtain a high-resolution structure of the rat 20S proteasome, allowing us to validate the MS-based results. Our study also revealed that the yeast complex, and not those in mammals, was the largest in size and displayed the greatest degree of kinetic stability. Moreover, we also identified a new proteoform of the PSMA7 subunit that resides within the rat and rabbit complexes, which to our knowledge have not been previously described. Altogether, our strategy enables elucidation of the unique structural properties of protein complexes that are highly similar to one another, a framework that is valid not only to ortholog protein complexes, but also for other highly related protein assemblies.
Partial and Full Arc Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy in Lung Cancer Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy with Different Definitions of Internal Target Volume Based on 4D CT

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of partial arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in lung cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), as well the volumetric and dosimetric effects of different internal target volume (ITV) definitions with 4D CT. Methods: Fourteen patients with primary and metastatic lung cancer underwent SBRT were enrolled. Full and partial arc VMAT plans were generated with four different ITVs: ITVall, ITVMIP, ITVAIP and ITV2phases, representing ITVs generated from all 10 respiratory phases, maximum intensity projection (MIP), average intensity projection (AIP), and 2 extreme respiratory phases. Volumetric and dosimetric differences, as well as MU and delivery time were investigated. Results: Partial arc VMAT irradiated more dose at 2 cm away from planning target volume (PTV) (P = 0.002), however, it achieved better protection on mean lung dose , lung V5, spinal cord, heart and esophagus compared with full arc VMAT. The average MU and delivery time of partial arc VMAT were 240 and 1.6 min less than those of full arc VMAT. There were no significant differences on target coverage and organ at risks (OARs) sparing among four ITVs. The average percent volume differences of ITVMIP, ITVAIP and ITV2phases to ITVall were 8.6%, 13.4%, and 25.2%, respectively. Conclusions: Although partial arc VMAT delivered more dose 2 cm out of PTV, it decreases the dose to lung, spinal cord, and esophagus, as well decreased the total MU and delivery time compared with full arc VMAT without sacrificing target coverage. Partial arc VMAT was feasible and more efficient for lung SBRT.
Association of the leucine-7 to proline-7 variation in the signal sequence of neuropeptide Y with major depression

Objective: There is clear evidence of a genetic component in major depression, and several studies indicate that neuropeptide Y (NPY) could play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. A well-known polymorphism encoding the substitution of leucine to proline in the signal peptide sequence of NPY (Leu7Pro variation) was previously found to protect against depression. Our study aimed at replicating this association in a large Danish population with major depression. Method: Leu7Pro was studied in a sample of depressed patients and ethnically matched controls, as well as psychiatric disease controls with schizophrenia. Possible functional consequences of Leu7Pro were explored in vitro. Results: In contrast to previous studies, Pro7 appeared to be a risk allele for depression, being significantly more frequent in the depression sample (5.5%, n = 593; p = 0.009; odds ratio, OR: 1.46) as compared to ethnically matched controls (3.8%, n = 2912), while schizophrenia patients (4.1%, n = 503) did not differ. In vitro, the Pro7 substitution appeared to be associated with reduced levels of NPY without affecting its mRNA level. Conclusion: The Leu7Pro variation may increase the risk of major depression, possibly by affecting the biosynthesis of NPY.
A Search-based Training Algorithm for Cost-aware Defect Prediction

Research has yielded approaches to predict future defects in software artifacts based on historical information, thus assisting companies in effectively allocating limited development resources and developers in reviewing each others' code changes. Developers are unlikely to devote the same effort to inspect each software artifact predicted to contain defects, since the effort varies with the artifacts' size (cost) and the number of defects it exhibits (effectiveness). We propose to use Genetic Algorithms (GAs) for training prediction models to maximize their cost-effectiveness. We evaluate the approach on two well-known models, Regression Tree and Generalized Linear Model, and predict defects between multiple releases of six open source projects. Our results show that regression models trained by GAs significantly outperform their traditional counterparts, improving the cost-effectiveness by up to 240%. Often the top 10% of predicted lines of code contain up to twice as many defects.
Empirical Relationships Among Five Types of Well-Being

Philosophers, psychologists, economists, and other social scientists continue to debate the nature of human well-being. The authors argue that this debate centers around five main conceptualizations of well-being: hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, desire fulfillment, eudaimonia, and non-eudaimonic objective list well-being. Although each type of well-being is conceptually different, this chapter addresses the question of whether they are empirically distinguishable. The authors first developed and validated a measure of desire fulfillment and then examined associations between this new measure and several other well-being measures. In addition, they explored associations among all five types of well-being and found high correlations among all measures of well-being. However, correlations generally did not approach unity even when correcting for unreliability. Furthermore, correlations between well-being and related constructs (e.g., demographics, personality) depended on the type of well-being measured. The authors conclude that empirical findings based on one type of well-being measure may not generalize to all types of well-being.