Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mortality of immature houseflies (Musca domestica L.) in artificial diet and chicken manure after exposure to encapsulated entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae, Heterorhabditidae)

The entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinernema felitae (=bibionis) and Heterorhabditis megidis, were encapsulated in calcium alginate and their efficacy was tested against immature houseflies. Aliquots of capsules (15 ml) containing either 1 000 000, 500 000, 250 000 or 125 000 nematodes were added to 70-ml portions of grassmeal diet containing either eggs of first, second or third instar larvae. After 2 days, the treatment with 1 000 000 encapsulated S. feltiae (=bibionis) had killed 94% of housefly eggs and 90% of first instar larvae. By day 6, both of these mortalities had increased significantly (P 0.005) to 100%. By day 2, in the same medium, 1 000 000 encapsulated H. megidis had killed 71.4% of eggs and 90% of first instar larvae. This increased significantly (P 0.01) by day 6, to 99.2% and 100% respectively. Another experiment was carried out where immature houseflies were placed in chicken manure. The emergence of houseflies as adults was used to measure the effect of the encapsulated nematodes. Depe.
Persuasion with Strategic Reporting

This paper introduces strategic reporting to a Bayesian persuasion problem in which a sender publicly designs an experiment and after privately observing an experiment result, she reports a message with some cost to influence a receiver’s action. The cost depends on both results and messages. First, for each experiment choice, there exists a unique sequential equilibrium selected by the D1 criterion, based on which, I establish the existence of the optimal experiment and its characterization. Then I derive respective sufficient conditions for full and partial (or no) information transmission. Lastly, given the same cost structure, though full commitment to truthful reporting enables the sender to report the cost-minimized message for any realized result, I still identify the condition under which strategic reporting is better than full commitment for the sender ex ante.
Optimizing Electrofishing Sample Duration for Estimating Relative Abundance of Largemouth Bass in Reservoirs

Abstract We evaluated the precision of 5–60-min electrofishing samples for estimating relative abundance of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and developed guidelines for optimizing sample duration so that catch rates may be estimated precisely and with the least effort. Catch per hour in the study reservoirs ranged from 16 to 98 and was independent of sample duration. However, the variation in catch per hour among samples of equal duration increased as catch rate and sample duration decreased, resulting in the need for more samples. The total effort (i.e., time spent electrofishing, traveling between sample sites, and processing fish) needed to estimate a mean catch rate with specified precision was a function of sample duration, catch per hour, and travel time. More effort was needed as catch rate decreased and travel time increased, but the relation between sample duration and total effort was parabolic. Short-duration samples (5 and 10 min) generally resulted in greater total effort as catch rate .
Dynamical Regularities of US Equities Opening and Closing Auctions

We first investigate static properties of opening and closing auctions such as typical auction volume relative to daily volume and order value distributions. We then show that the indicative match price is strongly mean-reverting because the imbalance is, which we link to strategic behavior. Finally, we investigate how the final auction price reacts to order placement, especially conditional on imbalance improving or worsening events and find a large difference between the opening and closing auctions, which emphasizes the role of liquidity and simultaneous trading in the pre-open or open-market order book.
Understanding Asset Prices: An Overview

This paper reviews analytical work carried out by central banks that participated at the Autumn Meeting of Central Bank Economists on "Understanding asset prices: determinants and policy implications", which the BIS hosted on 30-31 October 2006. The paper first discusses some general properties of asset prices, focusing on volatilities and co-movements. It then reviews studies that look at determinants of asset prices and that attempt to estimate a fair value of assets. The next part of the paper focuses on research that aims at measuring the impact of changes in asset wealth on the real economy. It then goes on to discuss how central banks use information from asset prices to develop indicators of market expectations that are useful for monetary policy purposes. Finally, the paper reviews central banks' views on whether monetary policy should react in a direct way to asset price developments.
Residence patterns and site fidelity in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu) (Cetacea, Delphinidae) off Southern Brazil

Residence patterns, habitat use, range, and some population estimate of the coastal bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821), were documented in two coastal sites in southern Brazil: Laguna (Santa Catarina) (28o30'S; 48o55'W), and Imbe/Tramandai (Rio Grande do Sul) (29o58'S; 50o07'W). Regular observations were carried out at the Laguna system for 27 months (August 1989 to December 1991). The dolphins were photo-identified using natural permanent marks. Over 4,500 photograps were taken from shore grounds 6 to 14 meters away. Up to 51 dolphins have used the estuaries of Laguna's canal and Imarui-Santo Antonio's lagoon system in 1991. A stable group of nine animals has inhabited the Imbe/Tramandai area for over 13 years. Both sites were considered distinctive geographical communities, with 5.7% interchange within their individuals. In Laguna 88.5% of the individuals were resident and the rest were nonresident. Four cases of movement along the coastline were followed and females were more resident than males.
The importance of high-level predators in marine protected area management: Consequences of their decline and their potential recovery in the Mediterranean context

High-level predators have been depleted in the oceans worldwide following centuries of selective fishing. There is widespread evidence that high-level predators’ extirpation may trigger trophic cascades leading to the degradation of marine ecosystems. Restoration of large carnivores to former levels of abundance might lead to ecosystem recovery, but very few pristine ecosystems are left as baselines for comparison.Marine protected areas (MPAs) can trigger initial rapid increases of high-level predator abundance and biomass. Nevertheless, long term protection is needed before the ecosystem's carrying capacity for large carnivores is approached and indirect effects on lower trophic levels are observed.The Mediterranean is probably very far from its pristine condition, due to a long history of fishing. Today small to medium-sized consumers (e.g. sea breams) are the most abundant predators shaping coastal benthic communities, while historical reconstructions depict abundant populations of large piscivores and.
How student teachers use scientific conceptions to discuss a complex environmental issue

This paper focuses upon the extent to which student teachers develop conceptual understanding about key scientific principles through their training, and the extent to which they can deploy this knowledge in discussions of complex environmental issues. All students involved in the teacher-training programme answered a questionnaire — before and after their first term of the programme — in which their conceptions of respiration and photosynthesis were tested. 15 students were also interviewed about a newspaper article that discusses the ethicality of using surplus heat from a crematorium in the far heating system. They were asked to comment on the article, to pose questions about the issue and explicitly asked what happens to the bodies if either combusted or buried. The first results show that some students, though not the majority, develop their ability to answer conceptual questions about scientific content as a result of their first science course. However, even among these students, the task of deploying this conceptual understanding in discussions of complex, socially relevant questions proved very difficult. Most students expressed personal opinions without using scientific arguments. It may be that the students have not developed the ability to recognise and distinguish different contexts or that the learning situation has not been challenging enough.
Sequestration and turnover of plant‐ and microbially derived sugars in a temperate grassland soil during 7 years exposed to elevated atmospheric pCO2

Temperate grasslands contribute about 20% to the global terrestrial carbon (C) budget with sugars contributing 10–50% to this soil C pool. Whether the observed increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO2) leads to additional C sequestration into these ecosystems or enhanced mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of the presented study was to investigate the impact of elevated atmospheric pCO2 on C sequestration and turnover of plant‐ (arabinose and xylose) and microbially derived (fucose, rhamnose, galactose, mannose) sugars in soil, representing a labile SOM pool. The study was carried out at the Swiss Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment near Zurich. For 7 years, Lolium perenne swards were exposed to ambient and elevated pCO2 (36 and 60 Pa, respectively). The additional CO2 in the FACE plots was depleted in 13C compared with ambient plots, so that ‘new’ (<7 years) C inputs could be determined by means of compound‐specific stable isotope analysis (13C : 12C). Samples were fractionated into clay, silt, fine sand and coarse sand, which yielded relatively stable and labile SOM pools with different turnover rates. Total sugar sequestration into bulk soil after 7 years of exposure to elevated pCO2 was about 28% compared with the control plots. In both ambient and elevated plots, total sugar concentrations in particle size fractions increased in the order sand
Market Liquidity, Private Information, and the Cost of Capital: Microstructure Studies on Family Firms in Japan

We investigate market liquidity, distribution of private information-based trades, and the cost of capital of publicly traded family firms in Japan. First, we find that family firms in Japan have a lower cost of debt, lower market liquidity, and higher information asymmetry. However, we did not find any difference in the cost of equity, although it is slightly higher for family firms. Accordingly, the WACC of family firms is higher than that for non-family firms although it is significant only for the conventional t-test. As for estimation of information asymmetry and illiquidity, we use the private information flow (Adjusted PIN) and the symmetric order inflow shock (PSOS). In addition, we estimate several conventional measures of market liquidity and illiquidity as used in microstructure studies. We find that the PSOS is a good measure of market illiquidity for our sample of family firms and control non-family firms. In conclusion, we claim that more voluntary disclosure is called for among Japanese family firms; first, to decrease the cost of equity, and second, to increase market liquidity of traded stocks as well as reduce the probability of private information-based trades. This is the first study to use asymmetric information related variables in family business research, which is a new contribution to the literature.
Genetic diversity in local barley accessions collected from different geographical regions of Tunisia

To assess the genetic diversity among Tunisian local barley, a set of 120 barley accessions representing five distinct geographical regions (North-West, Littoral, South, Jerba and Kerkennah Islands) was characterized with 20 simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 8 expressed sequence tag (EST)-SSR markers. The 28 loci revealed a total of 98 alleles, with an average of 3.76 alleles per locus (range 2–10). Gene diversity averaged 0.50 (range 0.09–0.84). Partitioning analysis of genetic diversity showed that about 95% of the total variation was within regions and no geographical differentiation could be found except for the North-West population. Similarly, neighbour joining clustering of the genotypes did not indicate any clear pattern of division among the barley accessions based on geographical origin. These results may reflect the impact of seed exchange between farmers which is likely to limit highlighting favourable alleles due to local adaptation.
Corporate Ownership: Some International Evidence

In this research we evaluate how corporate ownership around the world is defined and which variables, related to a firm's characteristics and the countries' infrastructures, influences this. We find that there are a small number of countries where firms present a lower percentage of block holdings. We find that firm's size is the most important determinant of block holdings worldwide, although some variables related with the quality of enforcement also play a crucial role.
Bond-CDS Implied Rating Systems

We propose an approach to sovereign market implied ratings based on informations coming both from Credit Default Swap spreads and bond spreads in a unified way. Operationally speaking, we implement a Support Vector Machine type of selection in the plane CDS-bond. Our numerical results seem to confirm that introducing the bond dimension accounts for implied ratings more accurate and with greater predictive power with respect to the 1-dimensional CDS implied ratings.
Importing, Productivity and SMEs: Firm-Level Evidence from the Netherlands

Constructing a comprehensive data set covering Dutch firms over the years 2002-2008 I am the first to investigate the relationship between trade status, firm size and firm-level productivity in the Netherlands, thereby focusing particularly on small and medium sized enterprizes (SMEs). The empirical evidence can be summarized in four stylized facts. The productivity ranking by trade status of Dutch manufacturing firms in increasing order of productivity is: non-traders, importers, exporters and two-way traders. Firm size and being controlled by a company located abroad are positively associated with firm-level productivity. The results point in the direction of self-selection of more productive manufacturing firms into importing, particularly for firms that did not trade altogether prior to the import start and for build-up periods of two and three years towards the import start. I do not find evidence that firms become more productive after an import start because of learning effects. I find considerable heterogeneity in the productivity premia of trade along the firm size distribution. The results suggest that exporting is more complex than sourcing inputs internationally for small firms relative to larger firms.
Carcass and meat quality of rabbits given diets having a high level of vegetable or animal fat

Three groups of does were fed respectively with three experimental diets: control (C), vegetable fat enriched (V) and animal fat enriched (A). Also their offspring were given their respective diets from weaning to slaughter. C was a standard commercial diet, V had 99 g vegetable fat per kg, and A had 114 g animal fat per kg. Sixty animals in the live-weight range 1·75 to 2·25 kg from each group were slaughtered at 9 weeks of age. The rabbits came from a commercial three-way cross. Animals on diets A and V had a better food conversion efficiency ratio, a lower drip loss and a dressing yield substantially better than those given diet C. Males had higher food conversion rate and smaller dressing yield. Carcass colour was not affected by the diet but rabbits given diet V showed less pale meat. Differences in the three colour parameters were found for the three diets for hot and chilled carcass fat colour. Muscular pH measured in the longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris were slightly higher for diets A and V and were also higher for males than for females. Water-holding capacity of raw meat from rabbits given diets A and V was higher than from rabbits given the control diet. Protein and moisture content of the meat of a hind leg was almost the same for the three diets but fat content was much higher in animals given diets A and V than in the control group.
Punitive Sanctions and the Transition Rate from Welfare to Work

In the Netherlands, the average exit rate out of welfare is dramatically low. Most welfare recipients have to comply with guidelines on job search effort that are imposed by the welfare agency. If they do not, then a sanction in the form of a temporary benefit reduction can be imposed. This article investigates the effect of such sanctions on the transition rate from welfare to work using a unique set of rich register data on welfare recipients. We find that the imposition of sanctions substantially increases the individual transition rate from welfare to work.
Where You Stand Depends Upon Where Your Grandparents Sat: The Inheritability of Generalized Trust

Generalized trust is a stable value that is transmitted from parents to children. Do its roots go back further in time? Using a person's ethnic heritage (where their grandparents came from) and the share of people of different ethnic backgrounds in a state, I ask whether your own ethnic background matters more than whom you live among. People whose grandparents came to the United States from countries that have high levels of trust (Nordics, and the British) tend to have higher levels of generalized trust (using the General Social Survey from 1972 to 1996). People living in states with high German or British populations (but not Nordic populations) are also more trusting (using state-level census data). Italians, Latinos, and African-Americans also tend to have lower levels of trust, but it is not clear that country of origin can account for these negative results. Overall, there are effects for both culture (where your grandparents came from) and experience (which groups you live among), but the impact of ethnic heritage seem stronger.
Increase in In Vivo Glutamate Release in the Mediobasal Hypothalamus During Progesterone-Enhanced LH Surge in Estrogen-Primed Ovariectomized Rats

Progesterone has a facilitating effect on luteinizing hormone (LH) surges induced by estrogen in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the involvement of excitatory amino acids such as glutamate and aspartate, and noradrenaline (NA) in the mediobasal hypothalamus/median eminence (MBH) region in a progesterone-enhanced LH surge. Ovariectomized animals were implanted with a Silastic tubing containing crystalline estradiol (E2) for 2 days, and some of them received sc injection of progesterone (4 mg) at 0900 h on the day of sampling. The MBH was perfused using the push-pull perfusion method to determine the levels of glutamate, aspartate, glycine, glutamine, and NA during the LH surge. Blood samples were collected through an atrial cannula to determine plasma LH levels. In animals treated with both E2 and progesterone, levels of glutamate and glutamine significantly (P2 treatment alone. Levels of aspartate, glycine and NA showed no significant changes during steroid(s)-induced LH surges. These results suggest that the facilitating effect of progesterone on estrogen-induced LH surges might be mediated, at least in part, by glutamate released at the MBH where the majority of LHRH nerve terminals are distributed.
Agency-Based Asset Pricing and the Beta Anomaly

I argue that delegated portfolio management can cause the equilibrium relation between CAPM beta and expected stock returns to become flat, instead of linearly positive, and propose an alternative to the widely used Fama and French (1993) 3-factor asset pricing model which incorporates this agency effect. An empirical comparison of the two models shows that the agency-based 3-factor model is much better at explaining the performance of portfolios sorted on beta or volatility, and at least as good at explaining the performance of various other test portfolios, including those the original 3-factor model was designed to explain. These results are consistent with empirical studies which have previously established that market beta does not appear to be a priced risk factor in the cross-section of stock returns.
Preliminary study of gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity in juvenile spring chinook salmon following electroshock or handling stress.

Abstract We compared gill Na+, K+-ATPase in subyearling and yearling spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha 3 h, 24 h, and 7 d after exposure to either a short pulsed DC electroshock (300 V, 50 Hz, 8-ms pulse duration) or an acute handling stress. Mean gill Na+, K+-ATPase values ranged from 7.5 to 11.8 μmol inorganic phosphate (Pi) · (mg protein)−1 · h−1. No significant differences were detected, with the exception of electroshocked subyearlings 7 d after treatment. Increased activity was attributed to the presence of two influential values. No significant differences were detected after removal of these observations, so the increase was not considered biologically significant. Inclusion of the outliers did not alter our interpretation of the results given that the observed increase was slight compared with the magnitude of changes reported under experimental conditions and in migrating juvenile salmonids. The treatment groups underwent a typical stress response and had significantly elevated cort.
Self-Persuasion: Evidence from Field Experiments at Two International Debating Competitions

Does the wish to convince others lead people to persuade themselves about the moral and factual superiority of their position? We investigate this question in the context of two international debating competitions, where persuasion goals (pro or contra a motion) are randomly assigned to debaters shortly before the debate. Using incentives for truthful reporting, we find evidence of self-persuasion in the form of (i) factual beliefs that become more conveniently aligned with the debater’s side of the motion, (ii) shifts in attitudes, reflected in an increased willingness to donate to goal-aligned charities, and (iii) higher confidence in the strength of one’s position in the debate. Self-persuasion occurs before the debate and subsequent participation in the open exchange of arguments does not lead to convergence in beliefs and attitudes. Our results lend support to interactionist accounts of cognition and suggest that the desire to persuade is an important driver of opinion formation and political partisanship.
Asymptotic Glosten Milgrom Equilibrium

This paper studies the Glosten Milgrom model whose risky asset value admits an arbitrary discrete distribution. Contrast to existing results on insider's models, the insider's optimal strategy in this model, if exists, is not of feedback type. Therefore a weak formulation of equilibrium is proposed. In this weak formulation, the inconspicuous trade theorem still holds, but the optimality for the insider's strategy is not enforced. However, the insider can employ some feedback strategy whose associated expected profit is close to the optimal value, when the order size is small. Moreover this discrepancy converges to zero when the order size diminishes. The existence of such a weak equilibrium is established, in which the insider's strategy converges to the Kyle optimal strategy when the order size goes to zero.