Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR ALIESTERASE ENZYMES IN INSECTS

The level of aliesterase enzymes in Musca domestica L. was found to be higher in females than males, higher in mated flies of both sexes than in unmated flies and to show a cyclic activity with age in mated flies. Tri‐o‐cresyl phosphate inhibited the aliesterase by approximately 68 per cent. for eight days at a dosage of 90 μg/fly. Increasing dosages of this phosphate did not further inhibit the enzyme nor further reduce the batch of eggs (approximately 40 per cent. reduction) but did progressively increase the pre‐ovipositional period. A possible role for aliesterase enzyme in oögenesis is discussed.
Industrial Policy at Work: Evidence from Romania's Income Tax Break for Workers in IT

Abstract We study the firm and sector-level effects of an industrial policy designed to support the development of the IT sector in Romania. In 2001, Romania introduced an unexpected personal income tax break to programmers with eligible bachelor’s degrees and who work on software development for firms in eligible IT sector codes. In 2013, policy-makers suddenly expanded the scope of the original tax break to cover more bachelor’s degrees and sector codes in IT. We first use firm-level data and difference-in-difference designs around each policy episode to show that treated firms experience strong and long-lasting growth. We then employ sector-level data and a synthetic control design to show that after the introduction of this policy in 2001, the IT sector grew faster in Romania than in otherwise similar countries. Finally, downstream sectors relying more on IT services also grew faster in Romania after 2001. Our results suggest that this policy has been effective in promoting the development of the IT sector, a sector typically seen as key to the transition to a knowledge economy.
Canonical Valuation of Mortality‐Linked Securities

A fundamental question in the study of mortality‐linked securities is how to place a value on them. This is still an open question, partly because there is a lack of liquidly traded longevity indexes or securities from which we can infer the market price of risk. This article develops a framework for pricing mortality‐linked securities on the basis of canonical valuation. This framework is largely nonparametric, helping us avoid parameter and model risk, which may be significant in other pricing methods. The framework is then applied to a mortality‐linked security, and the results are compared against those derived from other methods.
Metals and Histopathological Alterations in the Liver of Schizothorax niger, Heckel From The Dal Lake of Kashmir Valley

The study was conducted to evaluate the metal induced abnormalities in the liver of Schizothorax niger from Dal Lake seasonally for a period of two years. The varied seasonal metal concentrations for copper (66.77 ± 3.12 to 81.68 ± 3.51 ppm), zinc (73.81 ± 2.52 to 97.84 ± 4.62 ppm), iron (204.92 ± 5.21 to 296.51 ± 4.37 ppm) and manganese (01.13 ± 0.02 to 08.30 ± 1.00 ppm) were observed during the entire period of study. The highest concentration of metals was observed in the summer seasons and the lowest concentrations in the winter seasons during the study period. Further, histochemical analysis demonstrated enormous amount of metals (Cu, Fe and Zn) in the liver of Schizothorax niger in summer seasons during the entire study period. The subsequent effects of metals, demonstrated by wet digestion-based Atomic Absorption Method and histochemical methods showed histological changes on the liver of Schizothorax niger . The liver showed disruption of the hepatic cords with congestion and degenerative changes in hepatocytes that varied from mild in winter seasons to severe vascular degeneration in summer season. From the present study it may be concluded that the metals in the environment are polluting the water bodies and their subsequent deleterious effects harm the aquatic fauna particularly the sensitive native fish, Schizothorax niger which is one of the reasons for its decline from the fresh water resources of the Kashmir Valley. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jesnr.v5i2. 14820 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(2): 231-237 2012
The relationship between primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of cereal aphids: an analysis of field data

1. We analysed data collected in 1983-89 from cereal fields to elucidate the relationships between the primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids of cereal aphids. The analysis aimed to establish whether or not hyperparasitoids interfere with the impact of primary parasitoids on cereal aphid populations. 2. From more than 10000 parasitized aphids, 14 primary parasitoid and 18 hyperparasitoid species were reared. The five most common hyperparasitoids attacked the five most common primary parasitoids, which, in turn, parasitized most frequently the most abundant aphid species, Sitobion avenae (F.)
ON THREE NEW CAVE PSEUDOSCORPION SPECIES (PSEUDOSCORPIONES, NEOBISIIDAE) FROM MT. MOSOR, DALMATIA (CROATIA)

Most subterranean pseudoscorpions are concentrated in regions with a Mediterranean climate. Although data on the abundance of pseudoscorpion species in the humid tropics are lacking, preliminary observations suggest that the number of species is greater in the Mediterranean area than in tropical rain forests. Speciation in pseudoscorpions has not been studied in great detail. New taxa are constantly being described. Exact data on the different niche preferences which are a prerequisite for evolutionary studies are available for only a few cases. The pseudoscorpions are not particularly suitable for genetic investigations due to their extended generation times. The cave-dwelling forms of the genus Neobisium L. Koch comprise many phyletic lines, some less specialized and others highly adapted to cave life. To trace their origin, biogeography and evolution, it is necessary to compare the evidence about troglobitic species with that of the epigean forms from different European habitats, especially in the Mediterranean or Dinaric regions. To the south of the river Zrmanja, up to the lower Neretva valley, a massive Holokarst region rises to a considerably height. Many summits attain between 1800 and 2000 m, and Mt. Dinara gave its name to both the Dinaric region and the Dinaric Karst. The karst of Mt. Mosor (and Mts. Kozjak and Biokovo), is quite different from that previously discussed. This is a zone of younger, intensively folded mountains. Their karst, although young, appears to be deep and almost fully developed. In this study, descriptions of Neobisium montdori n. sp. , N. mosorensis n. sp. , and N. dalmatinum Beier, 1939, all from caves on Mt. Mosor, Dalmatia (Croatia), have been presented, with some details on the comparative morphology of both sexes and tritonymph.
Platform Governance

Platforms that intermediate trades—such as Amazon, Airbnb, and eBay—play a regulatory role in deciding how to govern the marketplaces they create. We propose a framework to analyze a platform’s nonprice governance design and its incentive to act in a welfare-enhancing manner. We show that the platform’s governance design can be distorted toward inducing insufficient or excessive seller competition, depending on the nature of the fee instrument employed by the platform. These results are illustrated with micro-founded applications to a platform’s control over seller entry, information provision and recommendations, quality standards, and search-design choices. (JEL D21, D83, L15, L23, L81, M37)
Phylogenetic reconstructions of the Haptophyta inferred from 18S ribosomal DNA sequences and available morphological data

Abstract Most haptophytes are unicellular, photosynthetic flagellates, although some have coccoid, colonial, amoeboid, or filamentous stages. Nearly all have a characteristic filamentous appendage, the haptonema, arising between the two flagella. The small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (l8S ribosomal DNA) from 18 haptophyte species has been sequenced, and the sequences aligned with those of more than 300 published and unpublished chlorophyll a + c algae. Phylogenies were constructed using maximum likelihood, neighbor-joining, and weighted maximum parsimony analyses. The high divergence (6%) between members of Pavlova and the remaining haptophytes supports the division of Haptophyta into two classes: Prymnesiophyceae and Pavlovophyceae. Three major clades that correspond to known taxa within the Prymnesiophyceae were identified: one clade embraces Phaeocystis spp. ; the second includes members of the genera Chrysochromulina, Prymnesium, and Imantonia; and the third includes coccolithophorid genera and the genus Isochrysis. Two other clades contain taxa whose sequences were derived from a gene clone library. These taxa are not strongly related to any of the cultured taxa included in this study. Based on 18S ribosomal DNA sequence data and available information on morphological structure and ultrastructure, we propose that the class Prymnesiophyceae be divided into four orders: Phaeocystales ord. nov., Prymnesiales, Isochrysidales, and Coccolithales. A total of 1–2% divergence at this level in the 18S ribosomal RNA gene analysis warrants a separation above the level of family. Within the Pavlovophyceae, a new genus is established, Rebecca J.C. Green gen. nov., into which Pavlova salina and Pavlova helicata are moved.
Selecting broilers for low or high abdominal fat: initial observations.

1. Two lines of broiler breeders were selected for three generations using a high (fatty line) or a low (lean line) ratio of abdominal fat to live weight as criterion in males at 9 weeks of age. 2. The heritability of this character remained high in both lines. 3. By the third generation, the progress achieved was much more marked in males than in females. The difference between the females of both lines was nevertheless significant. 4. The differences between the two lines were already discernible at 4 weeks of age. 5. Selecting for low or high abdominal fat content was accompanied by a better food conversion ratio in males of the lean line. 6. Selecting for the amount of abdominal fat produced similar effects on the other fatty deposits.
Labor Unemployment Insurance and Bank Loans

I investigate the influence of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on the cost of bank loans by exploiting changes in state unemployment insurance laws as a source of variation in labor unemployment costs. The evidence shows that the cost of bank loans is significantly lower for firms headquartered in states with more generous UI programs. The relation between UI benefits and cost of bank loans is more pronounced for firms that face higher unionization, are more labor intensive, and have higher layoff propensity. These results are robust to controlling for loan characteristics, macroeconomic conditions, borrower characteristics and using fixed effect regressions. I also find further evidence of a causal relation between UI benefits and the cost of bank loans through a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. Overall, results suggest that the credit market evaluates workers’ unemployment costs while approving and pricing loan contracts.
Effects of environmental variables on the competition between inoculum strains and naturalized populations of Rhizobium trifolii for nodulation of Trifolium subterraneum L. and on rhizobia persistence in the soil

Experiments were conducted at six field sites in south-eastern Australia with three cultivars of Trifolium subterraneum L, inoculated with diverse strains of Rhizobium trifolii. The various locations provided different edaphic and climatic conditions for plant growth, and naturalized populations of R. trifolii provided competition in forming nodules for the inoculum strains. Success of the inocula in forming nodules in the first year was used as an index of competitiveness, and success in the second year as an index of persistence. Inoculum strains formed a majority of nodules in the first year but fewer in the second. Inocula generally persisted better at those sites which had smaller populations of naturalized rhizobia. Competitiveness and persistence did not appear to be related characteristics, although some strains were superior to others especially in terms of persistence. Values for strain persistence tended to be similar at locations where the Mt Barker cultivar was grown, indicating an effect of host on the expression of this character. Significant effects of soil texture, soil pH, or growth temperature (individually) on the relative competitiveness and persistence of the inoculum strains could not be measured, although the cumulative effects of these (and other) environmental variables may have been substantial. The inoculum strains could be assembled into groups according to strong relationships of nodulating performance at each harvest. Within these distinct groups, the nodulation behaviour of the strains relative to each other remained approximately constant, irrespective of the absolute levels of competitiveness or persistence, the location of the experiment, or the year of the harvest.
Is An Informative Stock Price Used Less in Incentive Contracts?

II address the way agency incentives evolve, from listed equity with low liquidity to highly liquid stocks with active informed speculators. I conclude that, as the informativeness of stock price about the manager’s actions improves, less weight needs to be given to both equity and non-price incentives due to this higher quality. Hence managerial pay-performance sensitivity should be lower in more liquid stocks but higher in illiquid start-ups and where face-to-face monitoring is impossible (franchise contracts). The model explains why firms with low inside-ownership and high liquidity increasingly dominate the U.S. market even as the total number of listings declines.
Cash versus Debit Card: The Role of Budget Control

Due to the financial crisis, an increasing number of households face financial problems. This may lead to an increasing need for monitoring spending and budgets. We demonstrate that both cash and the debit card are perceived as helpful in this respect. We show that, on average, consumers responsible for the financial decision making within a household find the debit card more useful for monitoring their household finances than cash. Individuals differ in major respects, however. In particular, low earners and the liquidity-constrained prefer cash as a monitoring and budgeting tool. Finally, we present evidence that at an aggregated level, such preferences strongly affect consumer payment behaviour. We suggest that the substitution of cash by cards may slow down because of the financial crisis. Also, we show that cash still brings benefits that electronic alternatives have been unable to match. This suggests that inclusion of enhanced budgeting and monitoring features in electronic payment instruments may encourage consumers to use them more frequently.
Bluegill Recruitment, Growth, Population Size Structure, and Associated Factors in Minnesota Lakes

Abstract To better understand the differences among populations of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, we analyzed the relationships between bluegill recruitment, growth, population size structure, and associated factors from approximately 2,600 Minnesota lakes. Potential explanatory variables for our models included bluegill year-class strength, growth, population size structure, the relative abundance and mean weight of predator species, physical and chemical characteristics of lakes, summer air temperature, and season. Bluegill year-class strength, growth, and population size structure were more strongly related to each other than to predator and lake characteristics, temperature, or season. Growth of age-6 bluegills was positively associated with population size structure and inversely related to year-class strength, suggesting density-dependent growth effects for adult bluegills. Growth of age-3 bluegills was inversely related to Secchi depth, so early growth and productivity may be linked. Bluegill popula.
Do Educational Campaigns for On-Shelf Nutritional Labeling Work?

Front-of-package and on-shelf nutrition labelling systems in supermarkets, such as Guiding Stars, have been shown to lead to only modest increases in the purchase of more nutritious foods. Educational campaigns may increase their use if there is 1) a lack of consumer awareness and/or understanding of the labels, and 2) the information provided lead consumers to prefer different products. We study a large-scale, national campaign for Guiding Stars conducted by a grocery retailer in Canada who implemented the program. Using detailed transaction data, we find only a small increase in the purchase of higher star-rated foods during the campaign, driven by consumers who were already purchasing healthy products, and 40-50% of the effect disappears after the campaign’s conclusion. To explain the limited response, exit surveys were conducted outside of stores before and after the campaign. Awareness and understanding of the nutrition labelling system increased marginally after the campaign, with no increases in self-reported use. To have impact, on-shelf labelling programs must achieve higher levels of awareness and understanding and increase desired usage of the information.
Evaluation of Solanum xanthocarpum extract as a synergist for cypermethrin against larvae of the filarial vector Culex quinquefasciatus (Say)

Cypermethrin and crude extracts of Solanum xanthocarpum were both observed for their larvicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus. Petroleum ether extract with lethal concentration (LC)50 and LC90 of 41.28 and 111.16 p.p.m. after 24 h and LC50 38.48 and LC90 80.83 p.p.m. after 48 h, respectively, was found to be the most effective, followed by carbon tetrachloride and methanol extracts. LC50 and LC90 for cypermethrin were 0.0027 and 0.0097 p.p.m. after 24 h and 0.0013 and 0.0092 p.p.m. after 48 h of exposure, respectively. Combined formulations were evaluated for synergistic activity and a 1:1 ratio of cypermethrin and petroleum ether extract was observed to be more effective than 1:2 and 1:4 ratios. Combinations of S. xanthocarpum extracts and cypermethrin demonstrated higher larvicidal activity, indicating synergistic activity. These results demonstrate the need for further studies on the effectiveness and toxicity to humans and animals, particularly aquatic forms.
Demand or Productivity: What Determines Firms Growth?

We disentangle the contribution of unobserved heterogeneity in idiosyncratic demand and productivity to ﬁrm growth. We use a model of monopolistic competition with Cobb-Douglas production and a data set of Italian manufacturing ﬁrms containing unique information on ﬁrm-level prices to reach three main conclusions. First, demand shocks are at least as important as productivity shocks for ﬁrm growth. Second, ﬁrms respond to shocks less than a frictionless model would predict, suggesting the existence of adjustment frictions. Finally, the degreeof under-responseis much larger for TFP shocks. This implies the existence of frictions with differential effects according to the nature of the shock, unlike the typical frictions studied by the literature on factor misallocation. We consider hurdles to ﬁrm reorganization as one such friction and show that they hamper ﬁrms’ responses to TFP shocks but not to demand shocks.
The age of the crown group of passerine birds and its evolutionary significance – molecular calibrations versus the fossil record

Based on calibrations of molecular phylogenies and biogeographic considerations, it has been argued that the basal divergences of crown group Passeriformes occurred in the late Cretaceous, following the break-up of eastern Gondwana. Some implications of this hypothesis have, however, not yet been adequately addressed. In particular, a Cretaceous divergence of crown group passerines would imply an unprecedented evolutionary stasis for more than 80 million years in one of the most species-rich group of endothermic vertebrates. The temporal distribution and phylogenetic affinities of northern hemispheric fossils further conflicts with current hypotheses on the historical biogeography of passerines, and is in better concordance with a Cenozoic divergence of crown group Passeriformes.
Caught between Scylla and Charybdis? Regulating Bank Leverage When There is Rent Seeking and Risk Shifting

We develop a theory of optimal bank leverage in which the benefit of debt in inducing loan monitoring is balanced against the benefit of equity in attenuating risk-shifting. However, faced with socially-costly correlated bank failures, regulators bail out creditors. Anticipation of this generates multiple equilibria, including one with systemic risk in which banks use excessive leverage to fund correlated, inefficiently risky loans. Limiting leverage and resolving both moral hazards — insufficient loan monitoring and asset substitution — requires a novel two-tiered capital requirement, including a “special capital account” that is unavailable to creditors upon failure.
Foreign Direct Investment, Multinational Entreprises and Climate Change

Foreign direct investment (FDI) may play a key role in the global effort to shift towards a low-carbon economy. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) can contribute in several important ways to climate change mitigation, by providing emission-saving technologies, financial resources and managerial skills to resource-constrained economies. On the other hand, the fact that firms are internationally mobile may limit the possibility to implement unilaterally mitigation measures, due to concerns about competitiveness and leakage. These issues were examined at a recent ICCG Workshop, bringing together experts from different professional contexts and disciplinary backgrounds.
Principles for the Authorities and for the Controlled Transactions (Maximization of Utility of Economy and Maximization of Utility of Companies of Controlled Transactions)

This paper shows the conclusions about the key elements which authorities and on the other hand to the companies of controlled transactions should follow to maximize their utility. Therefore, based on the analysis of the cycle of money are presented the significant bullets about the issue of the cycle of money, showing both sides. Then, we determine that we have a contra behavior between the authorities and the entrepreneurs which participate in controlled transactions.
Effect of Capital, Technology, Labor, and Production of Revenues

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of capital, production, technology, and labor to total revenue. This study was conducted using data collection techniques as much as 200 respondents. Data was collected by questionnaire and use software Smart PLS v.3 as an aid in calculating the results of the research. Once the research is done, it could be concluded from this research that capital, production, technology and manpower positive and significant impact on revenue. Capital and labor indirect effect on revenues through production.
Bank Equity Value And Loan Supply

We study how bank equity values affect loan supply. We exploit granular balance sheet information on euro area banks matched with financial market data. We address endogeneity concerns by instrumenting bank stock prices with a shifter derived from each bank stock price's sensitivity to non-financial corporations' equity values. Our results indicate that, other things equal, rises in bank stock prices cause increases in corporate and household lending, and in bank capitalization. We interpret these results as due to bank managers reading the rises in their bank's stock price as reductions in their bank's cost of equity