Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Context evaluation: a profile of irrigator climate knowledge, needs and practices in the northern Murray-Darling Basin to aid development of climate-based decision support tools and information and dissemination of research

Understanding client needs, knowledge and practices offers a means of ensuring research outputs match intended audience requirements. This paper shows the initial impact of context evaluation on the development of a suite of decision support tools and information to help irrigators better manage their water resources under different climatic conditions. The context evaluation study involved a survey of ~170 irrigators in the northern MurrayÐDarling Basin in Australia. It sought to clarify how they make cropping area and water management decisions and their levels of understanding and use of climate information. We found irrigators consult widely on cropping decisions and those with large areas commonly apply the Southern Oscillation Index to property decisions. Respondents demonstrated a reasonably good understanding of climate phenomena in an Southern Oscillation Index knowledge test. Two-thirds use seasonal climate outlook information, but only 20% are very confident to apply climate information to decisions. More than half would find a decision support system (comprising tools and information) useful for cropping decisions. Almost 75% would change their crop area, and 43% their crop type, if given advance information about water availability up to 4 months ahead of irrigation season. About 70% have access to a computer and half to the internet, but two-thirds consider their personal computing skill is only nil or basic. Twenty-three percent of respondents expressed interest in working directly with the research team to interact regarding their requirements, indicating the potential for future participative research activities such as collaborative, on-farm research. The context evaluation facilitated formation of a focus group that cooperated to assess research findings and incorporate improvements to the projectOs set of decision support tools. The evaluation was a new experience for the researchers and, albeit an arms-length consultation process, it has broadened our knowledge about our target audience and their preferred ways to access research findings.
What Explains the Dynamics of 100 Anomalies?

Are anomalies strongest when investor sentiment or limits of arbitrage are considered to be greatest? We empirically explore these theoretically deducted predictions. We first identify, categorize, and replicate 100 long-short anomalies in the cross-section of expected equity returns. We then comprehensively study their interaction with popular proxies for time-varying market-level sentiment and arbitrage conditions. We find a powerful (relatively weak) role of the variation in proxies for sentiment (arbitrage constraints). In this context, the predictive power of sentiment is mostly restricted to the short leg of strategy returns. Our insights collectively suggest that the dynamics of sentiment combined with the base level (and not primarily the variations) of limits to arbitrage provide at least a partial explanation for inefficiencies.
Social Policies on Labor Market as Theory and Practice in Bulgaria

Current paper presents challenges to development of labor market and social policies in transition periods through the example the transition from planned to market economy in the Republic of Bulgaria. Some important implications are made about passive and active social programs as a whole and in particular about advantages and disadvantages of national social programs targeted to overcoming social marginalization. The specific example of the National program “From social support to employment” is discussed as a good practice in the attempts to conduct an active social policy addressing to some extent education and qualification problems and providing useful recommendations for future development of social policies in the country, organization and implementation of social programs and measures on different levels and assessments of their effectives.
Utilização do Campus da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados como refúgio para as aves do fragmento da Mata do Azulão em Dourados, Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v31i4.4548

This paper aimed to verify the day-active birds in the area of the campus of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados – Mato Grosso do Sul State, which is next to the fragment of the Atlantic forest of Mata do Azulao, Dourados – Mato Grosso do Sul State. There were 65 hours of visual and audio observations during the period from April to September 2007. Seventy-two species were observed, which were gradually emerging on campus. This shows that the campus is used as a refuge for birds of fragment of the Mata Azulao and suggests that further work with an even greater sampling effort considering the seasonal nature be conducted
Business Cycle Synchronization of CEECs with the Euro Area: A Regime Switching Approach

This article investigates the possible business cycle linkages between CEECs (Central and Eastern European countries) that were candidates to enter the EMU and the euro area for the period 1993 to 2014. We analyse business cycle (a)symmetries for these countries by using Markov switching autoregressive models and synchronization tests. By analysing the correlations between the cyclical fluctuations for these countries, we examine the existence of common features between the individual cycles. By distinguishing between different regimes, we show that the indications of business cycle synchronization are quite high in the recession regime, but lower in the normal and high growth regimes, with the exceptions of Hungary and Poland.
Hybrid Model: A Dynamic Multi-Curve Framework

Over the last 10 years, the multi-curve and collateral framework has become the standard for vanilla interest rate derivatives pricing. The static description of the framework, including the curve calibration, is well documented. When going to the dynamic behaviour of the framework, the modelling has not evolved as much and no approach to modelling the multi-curve framework is considered a standard. In this note, we propose an approach to multi-curve framework modelling. We call it hybrid approach as it is based on standard models for the discounting curve and an adjusted approach for IBOR curves which is design to have a natural control on the basis. We show that the approach can match simultaneously the main features of the option market and of historical data.
Beyond Signaling and Human Capital: Education and the Revelation of Ability

In traditional signaling models, education provides a way for individuals to sort themselves by ability. Employers in turn use education to statistically discriminate, paying wages that reflect the average productivity of workers with the same given level of education. In this paper, we provide evidence that education (specifically, attending college) plays a much more direct role in revealing ability to the labor market. We use the NLSY79 to examine returns to ability early in careers; our results suggest that ability is observed nearly perfectly for college graduates but is revealed to the labor market much more gradually for high school graduates. As a result, from very beginning of the career, college graduates are paid in accordance with their own ability, while the wages of high school graduates are initially completely unrelated to their own ability. This view of ability revelation in the labor market has considerable power in explaining racial differences in wages, education, and the returns to ability. In particular, we find no racial differences in wages or returns to ability in the college labor market, but a 6-10 percent wage penalty for blacks (conditional on ability) in the high school market. These results are consistent with the notion that employers use race to statistically discriminate in the high school market but have no need to do so in the college market. That blacks face a wage penalty in the high school but not the college labor market also helps to explains why, conditional on ability, blacks are more likely to earn a college degree, a fact that has been documented in the literature but for which a full explanation has yet to emerge.
Breeding season weather determines long-tailed tit reproductive success through impacts on recruitment

Productivity is a key demographic trait that can be influenced by climate change, but there are substantial gaps in our understanding of the impact of weather on productivity and recruitment in birds. Weather is known to influence reproductive success in numerous species, although such effects have not been reported in all studies, perhaps because they are masked by high nest predation rates or buffered by density dependence. Here, we use a 19-yr study of a population of individually marked long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus to quantify the impacts of weather on productivity in the nest (from eggs to fledging) and subsequent recruitment, while taking nest predation rates and density dependence into account. We find that weather has negligible effects on clutch size, hatching success, brood size, probability of fledging and number of fledglings. Annual variation in nest predation rates is a strong predictor of productivity, but we find no evidence that the magnitude of nest predation is determined by weather. Recruitment was strongly associated with breeding season weather, even when taking density dependence effects into account. This contrasts with the conventional view that first year survival of temperate passerines is primarily determined by winter weather. Recruitment was reduced when March temperatures were high, perhaps caused by earlier peaks in caterpillar abundance and thus reduced food availability at the time of fledging. Recruitment increased following high May temperatures, perhaps due to an improved thermo-regulatory environment for young fledglings. These opposing effects of warm March and May temperatures highlight the importance of considering asymmetrical rates of warming in different months when predicting climate change impacts.
Corporate Political Connections and Favorable Environmental Regulatory Enforcement

We examine whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uniformly enforces the Clean Air Act for politically connected and unconnected firms using a close election setting. We find no difference in regulated pollutant emissions or EPA investigations between the two groups, although connected firms experience less regulatory enforcement and lower penalties. These results are more pronounced for firms connected to politicians capable of influencing regulatory bureaucrats and for connected firms that are more important to their supported politicians. Taken together, our results show that campaign contributions can indirectly benefit firms by way of reduced environmental regulatory enforcement and penalties. This paper was accepted by Colin Mayer for the Special Issue of Management Science: Business and Climate Change.
Commodity Financialization and Information Transmission

We provide a model to understand the effects that commodity futures financialization has on various market variables. We distinguish between financial speculators and financial hedgers and study their separate and combined effects on the informativeness of futures prices, the futures price bias, the comovement of futures prices with other markets, and the predictiveness of financial trading. We capture the interactions between commodity futures financialization and the real economy through spot prices and production decisions. A dynamic extension illustrates how key variables change over time in a period of acute financialization in a way that is consistent with observed empirical patterns.
Parental care strategies in Eurasian penduline tit are not related to breeding densities and mating opportunities

Population size and density may influence various aspects of breeding systems. For example, the number of potential mates may influence the mating system and parental care strategies. The breeding system of Eurasian penduline fits, Remiz pendulinus, involves sequential polygamy by both sexes and uniparental care by either male or female. Additionally, about one third of the clutches is deserted by both parents. Mating opportunities and breeding behaviour were studied at two populations: a low-density population (The Netherlands) and a high-density population (Hungary). We expected that higher breeding density is associated with higher incidence of polygamy. However, despite the substantial differences in breeding density and mating opportunities between Hungary and The Netherlands, there was no difference in the frequency of parental care types. We further investigated the plasticity of the breeding system of penduline tits using data from five breeding populations in Europe, and found that care patterns did not differ between these populations. We conclude that the type of parental care is not related to local breeding density. Proximate mechanisms of breeding system variation (e.g., gene expression) may be inflexible and, thus, not adjusted to local conditions. Alternatively, long-distance dispersal of penduline fits may mix the gene pool, so that local adaptation cannot possibly occur.
Identification of Orius spp. by Cuticular Hydrocarbons.

Orius spp. are promising natural enemies for control of thrips, harmful insect pests of vegetables. It is, however, extremely difficult to identify adult females of Orius spp. by their appearance. The composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in O. strigicollis, O. minutus and O. sauteri were analyzed by GC-MS. Major components were C27:1 and 2-MeC28 for O. strigicollis, C29:1, 2-MeC28 and 2-MeC30 for O. minutus and 2-MeC28, 2-MeC30 and C33:1+2 for O. sauteri. The unique hydrocarbons were C25:1+2 for O. strigicollis, C29:2 and 2-MeC32 for O. minutus and C33:1+2 and C35:1+2 for O. sauteri. We concluded that it is possible to identify these three species by a difference in composition of components of the cuticular hydrocarbons by GC.
Small Scale Organic Farmers – Source of Growth in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Agri-Food Sector

Bosnia and Herzegovina as a hilly-mountainous country, with mainly unpolluted environment, available labour resources, small mixed farms are considered to be very suitable for organic farming which is seen as a comparative advantage of the country. Even with all these preconditions, the sector remains underdeveloped. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to assess and point out main factors which stimulate or hinder farmer’s decision to adopt organic agricultural practice. Structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to organic and conventional producers of medicinal and aromatic plants. Results of this study are profiles of both conventional and organic farmers, socio-demographic differences, differences in level of knowledge about organic agriculture production, openness for cooperation and capability to innovate. This will provide valuable inputs for policymakers responsible for shaping rural development policies that are tailored to the local conditions.
Allocation of Nonprofit Funds Among Program, Fundraising, and Administration

Problem definition: U.S. nonprofits declare three types of expenses in their IRS 990 forms: program spending to meet beneficiaries’ needs; fundraising spending to raise donations; and administration spending to build and maintain capacity. Charity watchdogs, however, expect nonprofits to prioritize program spending over other categories. We study when such expectations may lead to the “starvation cycle” or underspending on administration and fundraising. Methodology/results: We characterize optimal budget allocations to program, fundraising, and administration spending categories using a two-period model, which also includes the nonprofit’s capacity, return on program spending (the net value of program spending to beneficiaries), and beneficiaries’ uncertain future needs. We find that the nonprofit’s capacity plays a significant role in the optimal allocation. The nonprofit should (a) at high capacity, spend only the necessary amount on administration to maintain its current capacity; (b) at moderate capacity, maintain its current capacity while limiting program spending in favor of fundraising; and (c) at low capacity, increase administration spending to expand its future capacity. When we compare the optimal allocations prescribed by our model to the actual spending levels reported by a foodbank network, we find that the foodbank underspends on administration and fundraising, suggesting the forces that lead to the starvation cycle may be in play. Another possibility is that the nonprofit’s own estimate of its return on program spending is higher than our estimate—At higher estimates of return on program, the gap between our prescribed solutions versus actual spending levels decreases. Managerial implications: Our paper introduces an important discussion on nonprofits’ starvation cycle and finds conditions that justify prioritizing administration and fundraising expenses. It also highlights that watchdogs should consider nonprofits’ return on program spending in addition to their capacity and future needs when evaluating them. Funding: T. O. Kotsi thanks the Onassis Foundation (Greece) for financial support. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2020. 0660 .
Evaluation of winter wheat genotypes and seed treatments for control of dwarf bunt in Ontario

Dwarf bunt, caused by Tilletia controversa, is a destructive disease of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Ontario. The development of resistant cultivars and identification of effective seed treatment fungicides would be beneficial for controlling this disease. Two hundred eighty-five selected cultivars and germplasm lines were evaluated in T. controversa inoculated hill-plot field experiments and in the greenhouse from 2002 to 2005 to identify sources of resistance. Twenty-one genotypes, including the cultivars ‘Blizzard’, ‘Carlisle’, and ‘Tarso’, were identified with resistance to T. controversa. To determine the efficacy of seed treatments, T. controversa inoculated field trials were conducted at two locations in central Ontario for 3 years on eight winter wheat cultivars representing various market classes. The control agents included three rates of Dividend XL RTA® (difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M), Vitaflo-280® (carbathiin + thiram), and bioagent ACM941, a strain of Clonostachys rosea. All seed treatments significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced disease incidence compared with the untreated controls. The three rates of Dividend XL RTA were all highly effective, providing 98%–99% control. Vitaflo-280 and ACM941 were partially effective, reducing disease incidence by 50% and 35%, respectively. The chemical seed treatments increased emergence by 5%–8% and yield by 2%–4%, which were significantly different from the untreated control. Bioagent ACM941 was less effective for disease control than the chemical seed treatments and had no effect on yield but increased emergence. There were no significant cultivar × Dividend XL RTA treatment interactions for all measured parameters, suggesting that it is an effective fungicide for controlling dwarf bunt in all winter wheat cultivars tested.
Lunar and Seasonal Rhythms and Childhood Mortality

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of the lunar cycle phases, the lunar apogee and perigee, and the geophysical factors (humidity, temperature, and rainfall) on the childhood mortality. We designed a retrospective study by reviewing the clinical charts of the population of patient deceases during the lunar pre-phase (a day before), phase (day of lunar change of phase), and post-phase (a day after), between the years 1991–1996 in a children’s hospital. From the 44,982 discharges from the hospital in the interval between 1991 and 1996, 2003 corresponded to mortal cases, and 522 died within the 3 days we considered as representative for each phase. The number of deaths was approximately the same in between phases. The percentage of male deaths was higher during phase days than interphase ones. Male deceases exhibited a statistically significant predominance during lunar first quarter, full moon, and new moon. A discreet increase of mortality was present in the months of March, June, August, September, October, and November, as well as during summer and fall, but these increments were not significant. Minimum and maximum temperatures exhibited no relation to this behavioral pattern for deceases, nor the humidity index. Early lactating infants presented a significant higher mortality during November, December, and March. We suggest to investigate the causes of the increase of deceases in males in relation to the circalunar rhythms, as well as the lift up of deceases in neonates and early lactating children during November and December.
The Long Arm of the European VAT, Exemplified by the Dutch Experience

The European Commission is evaluating the performance of the common VAT, which has many shortcomings. The numerous exemptions and differentiated rate structures violate the logic and functionality of the VAT. The exemptions distort input choices and outsourcing policies. Reduced rates are ill-targeted tools for mitigating the regressivity of the VAT. In view of these design shortcomings, the EU VAT is in danger of becoming an anachronism compared with modern VATs elsewhere. This paper illustrates its shortcomings with reference to the Dutch experience. The paper does not break new ground, but provides a disconcerting picture of the excess burden of a major revenue source. Bold reform is indicated.
Savings Adequacy Uncertainty: Driver or Obstacle to Increase Pension Contributions

Deciding how much to save for retirement is a difficult task surrounded with many uncertainties. In this paper we study the impact of uncertainty about one’s savings adequacy on retirement savings contributions and information search. We combine ideas from literature in psychology and economics that have opposing predictions for the impact of uncertainty on retirement savings contributions. Accordingly, our results show that the effect of uncertainty is moderated by two factors: an individual’s perceived adequacy of current savings and financial constraints. In particular, we find that uncertainty triggers retirement contributions for those who think they save adequately. At the same time it hinders retirement contributions for those who think they save inadequately. This effect of uncertainty is further moderated by the availability of financial means: a reduction in uncertainty results in more savings contributions only when financial constraints are absent. Concerning the effect of uncertainty on savings information search, we find that uncertainty not only has an indirect effect – because uncertainty affects individuals’ intention to save more for which individuals need to engage in purchase-oriented information search – but that uncertainty also has a direct effect because individuals engage in ongoing information search to directly reduce uncertainty. Implications of these findings are discussed.