Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sources of Gain in Airline Merger: Evidence from China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines

This paper examines the motives behind the horizontal merger between China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines in 2009. We develop testable hypotheses, incorporating the two merging airlines, their domestic rivalries, and relevant airports into a unified framework. Our results are based on an event study approach show that the merging airlines, namely China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, experience significantly positive abnormal returns around the days of the merger announcement. There is also evidence showing that rivals and the hub airport experience positive abnormal returns. These results are robust to the use of alternative estimation period, alternative samples and event windows, and are confirmed by analyst forecasts and long-run stock performance. Further, we find positive long-run operating performances of the merged airline relative to its rivals, and utilize a decomposition analysis to verify the positive role of cost savings in this merger. Our results indicate that the sources of gain for the merging firms are market power and efficiency improvement, but not bargaining power towards airports.
Youth Labour Market Participation and Sectoral Choices in Côte d'Ivoire

Several employment options are available to job seekers in Côte d’Ivoire. Four employment options are offered according to the market structure. This makes reference to the public sector, formal private sector, non-agricultural informal sector, and the agricultural informal sector. This study aims at analysing the determinants for youth labour market participation and sectoral choices. The data is drawn from the National Survey on the Employment Situation and Child Labour (ENSETE) conducted in 2013 by the Agency for Studies and Job Promotion (AGEPE). In this study, two econometric tools have been used. The binary probit model by selection reveals that age, gender and place of residence impacts negatively the participation of the youth in the labour market. The individual multinomial probit model underlines the negative influence of gender on employment in the formal sectors (public sector and formal private sector). However, the young women have up to 18% chance of being absorbed in the non-agricultural informal sector. In the event that the urban area is conducive for all sorts of economic activities, the young women’s chances increase to more than 50% in terms of their likelihood to conduct non-agricultural informal businesses. The probability of a youth getting employed in public or non-agricultural formal sectors decreases as he or she continues to age. These phenomena create employability problem as underscored by the outcomes obtained with the duration of unemployment period.
First rDNA sequence data for Haplosplanchnus pachysomus (Digenea: Haplosplanchnidae) ex Mugil cephalus from the Black Sea, and molecular evidence for cryptic species within Haplosplanchnus pachysomus (Digenea: Haplosplanchnidae) in Palaearctic and Indo-West Pacific regions

Abstract Adult trematodes, morphologically similar to Haplosplanchnus pachysomus (Eysenhardt, 1829), were extracted from the intestine of Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758, collected in the Black Sea basin. Morphological, morphometric and 28S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) partial sequence data were obtained for these trematodes following comparative analysis with previous data on this species. Worms from this study were morphologically identical to all previously reported H. pachysomus specimens from different locations. The results of the morphometric analysis indicated general similarity between H. pachysomus from the Black Sea and trematodes from Vietnam and Australia. Trematodes from the Black Sea and specimens from Spain were identical based on 28S rDNA partial sequences; however, these sequences differed from that of H. pachysomus from Vietnam and Australia by eight fixed substitutions. Overall, our results indicate that H. pachysomus from Spain and the Black Sea and from Vietnam and Australia can presently be considered as two cryptic species, one in Palaearctic and one in Indo-West Pacific regions. Our results provide a molecular base for including Haplosplanchnus purii in the genus Provitellotrema or to consider H. purii, P. crenimugilis and H. pachysomus within the same genus.
Background substrate and nest semiochemicals mediate ant aggression towards a parasitic beetle

1. Background cues may affect the perception and processing of sensory stimuli used by species to detect other organisms. These additional environmental cues change the effectiveness of behavioural responses and eventually influence species interactions. Ants make use of an advanced sensing system to detect intruders, but little is known how cues of the heterogeneous soil substrate influence their behavioural response.
In the following the reviewer comments appear in black with the author responses in blue

The manuscript is well-written, follows a clear narrative and the conclusions are supported by the analysis and literature cited in the paper. I especially appreciate the comprehensive literature review and that the observation-based results are frequently compared to results from modelling studies and vice versa. The study complements existing work in the field and provides added value to the understanding of past extreme events and long-term changes in extreme indicators. It shows that the dynamical adjustment method is a practical and versatile approach that can even be considered for rapid attribution of extreme events.
Qiangjing Tablets Regulate Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress via Keap/Nrf2 Pathway to Improve the Reproductive Function in Asthenospermia Rats

Asthenozoospermia (AZS), is a common cause of male infertility. Currently, most drugs for azoospermia lack desirable therapeutic efficiency, therefore developing new drug therapy is important. Qiangjing tablets could enhance renal function and improve sperm quality. The purpose of this study was to examine whether Qiangjing tablets could improve the reproductive function in azoospermia rats through activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway, and how to regulate energy metabolism and oxidative stress in this process. Sperm motility, sperm concentration and sperm viability were detected by WLJY-9000 Weili Digital Color Sperm Quality Detection System. HE staining was used to observe the pathological condition of testis in AZS rats. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by Tunnel staining and flow cytometry. The changes of mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by JC-1. The levels of Estradiol, testosterone and luteinizing hormone, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were detected by ELISA. The effects of Qiangjing Tablets on GC-1 spgs and Nrf2 protein were investigated through CCK-8 assay and western blot. The expression levels of HO-1, Keap1, and P-Nrf2 were detected by western blot. The results demonstrated that Qiangjing tablets upregulated levels of sperm motility, sperm concentration and sperm viability, which was shown to significantly increase levels of HO-1, Keap1, P-Nrf2, Estradiol and testosterone, along with increasing the activity of SOD, GSH-Px and GSH and suppressing the MDA content, luteinizing hormone and Vimentin level. Qiangjing tablets could significantly inhibit spermatogenic cells apoptosis and promote GC-1 spgs viability, increase PE/FITC ratio, mitochondrial membrane potential and reduc oxidative stress. Qiangjing tablets protected spermatogenic cell to upregulate male sex hormoneto, improved the sperm quality and reproductive function in AZS rats via activating the Keap/Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Updated Genome Assembly of Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Its Differences Between Male and Female on Genomic, Transcriptomic, and Methylation Level

Cyprinidae is one of the largest family in freshwater fishes, and it is most intensively cultured fish taxon of the world. However, studies about sex determination in this large family is still rear, and one of the reasons is lack of high quality and complete genome. Here, we used nanopore to sequence the genome of a male bighead carp, obtaining contig N50 = 24.25 Mb, which is one of the best assemblies in Cyprinidae. Five males and five females were re-sequenced, and a male-specific region on LG19 was confirmed. We find this region holds many male-specific markers in other Cyprinidae fishes, such as grass carp and silver carp. Transcriptome analyses of hypothalamus and pituitary tissues showed that several sex-specific differentially expressed genes were associated with steroid biosynthesis. The UCH64E gene, located in the male-specific region on LG19, showed higher expression levels in male than female tissues of bighead carp. The methyl-RAD of hypothalamus tissues between males and females indicated that the sexual methylation differences are significant in bighead carp. We also compared the methylation sites recognized using methyl-RAD and nanopore raw reads and found that approximately 73% of the methylation sites identified using methyl-RAD were within nanopore CpG sites.
Checking up to keep on track: An Aboriginal-led approach to monitoring well-being

This article reports the process of identifying a well-being monitoring and evaluation approach for a community development programme with Aboriginal Native Title Holders in Northern Australia. The process involved the use of an empowerment-based Aboriginal Family Well-Being framework to enable Native Title Holders to articulate domains of value to their local community. These domains aligned with an existing culturally sensitive Aboriginal well-being survey tool which the Native Title Holders saw as relevant for their use. The attempts to provide Aboriginal people with a broader and more long-term perspective from which to judge the value of short-term projects is a different approach to traditional programme assessment (monitoring and evaluation). It aims to provide Aboriginal people with a more relevant frame from which they can make judgements about the worth of any programme or project in their location, supporting local control and decision-making. Potentially it provides Aboriginal people with the information from which to advocate for other supports and to assess the value of Government and other projects.
Introducing Negatively Charged Residues on the Surface of Fetal Hemoglobin Improves Yields in Escherichia coli

Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) has been developed into an important alternative protein for oxygen therapeutics. Such applications require extensive amounts of proteins, which only can be achieved via recombinant means. However, the expression of vertebrate hemoglobins in heterologous hosts is far from trivial. There are several issues that need to be dealt with. These include, among others, the solubility of the globin chains, equimolar expression of the globin chains, and access to high levels of free heme. In this study, we examined the impact of introducing negative charges on the surface of HbF. Three different HbF mutants were examined, carrying four additional negative charges on the α-subunit (rHbFα4), two additional negative charges on the γ-subunit (rHbFγ2) or a combination of these (rHbFα4/γ2). The increase in negative surface charge in these HbF mutants required the development of an alternate initial capture step in the downstream purification procedures. For the rHbFα4 mutant, we achieved a significantly enhanced yield of purified HbF with no apparent adverse effects on Hb functionality. However, the presence of non-functional Hb portions in the rHbFγ2 and rHbFα4/γ2 samples reduced the yields significantly for those mutants and indicated an imbalanced expression/association of globin chains. Furthermore, the autoxidation studies indicated that the rHbFγ2 and rHbFα4/γ2 mutants also were less oxidatively stable than rHbFα4 and wt rHbF. The study further verified the need for an improved flask culture protocol by optimizing cultivation parameters to enable yield-improving qualities of surface-located mutations.
The vocal development of the pale spear-nosed bat is dependent on auditory feedback

Human vocal development and speech learning require acoustic feedback, and humans who are born deaf do not acquire a normal adult speech capacity. Most other mammals display a largely innate vocal repertoire. Like humans, bats are thought to be one of the few taxa capable of vocal learning as they can acquire new vocalizations by modifying vocalizations according to auditory experiences. We investigated the effect of acoustic deafening on the vocal development of the pale spear-nosed bat. Three juvenile pale spear-nosed bats were deafened, and their vocal development was studied in comparison with an age-matched, hearing control group. The results show that during development the deafened bats increased their vocal activity, and their vocalizations were substantially altered, being much shorter, higher in pitch, and more aperiodic than the vocalizations of the control animals. The pale spear-nosed bat relies on auditory feedback for vocal development and, in the absence of auditory input, species-atypical vocalizations are acquired. This work serves as a basis for further research using the pale spear-nosed bat as a mammalian model for vocal learning, and contributes to comparative studies on hearing impairment across species. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Vocal learning in animals and humans’.
Early Response to Dehydration Six-Like Transporter Family: Early Origin in Streptophytes and Evolution in Land Plants

Carbon management by plants involves the activity of many sugar transporters, which play roles in sugar subcellular partitioning and reallocation at the whole organism scale. Among these transporters, the early response to dehydration six-like (ESL) monosaccharide transporters (MSTs) are still poorly characterized although they represent one of the largest sugar transporter subfamilies. In this study, we used an evolutionary genomic approach to infer the evolutionary history of this multigenic family. No ESL could be identified in the genomes of rhodophytes, chlorophytes, and the brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus, whereas one ESL was identified in the genome of Klebsormidium nitens providing evidence for the early emergence of these transporters in Streptophytes. A phylogenetic analysis using the 519 putative ESL proteins identified in the genomes of 47 Embryophyta species and being representative of the plant kingdom has revealed that ESL protein sequences can be divided into three major groups. The first and second groups originated in the common ancestor of all spermaphytes [ζ: 340 million years ago (MYA)] and of angiosperms (ε: 170–235 MYA), respectively, and the third group originated before the divergence of rosids and asterids (γ/1R: 117 MYA). In some eudicots (Vitales, Malpighiales, Myrtales, Sapindales, Brassicales, Malvales, and Solanales), the ESL family presents remarkable expansions of gene copies associated with tandem duplications. The analysis of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions for the dN/dS ratio of the ESL copies of the genus Arabidopsis has revealed that ESL genes are evolved under a purifying selection even though the progressive increase of dN/dS ratios in the three groups suggests subdiversification phenomena. To further explore the possible acquisition of novel functions by ESL MSTs, we identified the gene structure and promoter cis-acting elements for Arabidopsis thaliana ESL genes. The expression profiling of Arabidopsis ESL unraveled some gene copies that are almost constitutively expressed, whereas other gene copies display organ-preferential expression patterns. This study provides an evolving framework to better understand the roles of ESL transporters in plant development and response to environmental constraints.
Mishearing as a Side Effect of Rational Language Comprehension in Noise

Language comprehension in noise can sometimes lead to mishearing, due to the noise disrupting the speech signal. Some of the difficulties in dealing with the noisy signal can be alleviated by drawing on the context – indeed, top-down predictability has shown to facilitate speech comprehension in noise. Previous studies have furthermore shown that strong reliance on the top-down predictions can lead to increased rates of mishearing, especially in older adults, which are attributed to general deficits in cognitive control in older adults. We here propose that the observed mishearing may be a simple consequence of rational language processing in noise. It should not be related to failure on the side of the older comprehenders, but instead would be predicted by rational processing accounts. To test this hypothesis, we extend earlier studies by running an online listening experiment with younger and older adults, carefully controlling the target and direct competitor in our stimuli. We show that mishearing is directly related to the perceptibility of the signal. We furthermore add an analysis of wrong responses, which shows that results are at odds with the idea that participants overly strongly rely on context in this task, as most false answers are indeed close to the speech signal, and not to the semantics of the context.
Hypertension Induced by Combination Therapy of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Clinical Trials

Background: Nowadays, due to the limitation of single therapy, combination therapy for cancer treatments has become important strategy. With the advancement of research on cardiotoxicities induced by anti-cancer treatment, among which cancer treatment-induced hypertension is the most frequent case. However, due to the small sample size and the absence of comparison (single-arm study alone), these studies have limitations to produce a feasible conclusion. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a meta-analysis focusing on hypertension caused by cancer combination therapy. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CNKI, from database inception to November 31, 2020, with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) associated with hypertension induced by cancer combination drugs. The main endpoint of which was to assess the difference in the incidence of hypertension in cancer patients with monotherapy or combination therapy. We calculated the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) according to the random effect model and evaluated the heterogeneity between different groups. Results: According to the preset specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 23 eligible RCTs have been included in the present meta-analysis, including 6,241 patients (Among them, 2872 patients were the control group and 3369 patients were the experimental group). The results showed that cancer patients with combination therapy led to a higher risk of hypertension (All-grade: RR 2.85, 95% CI 2.52∼3.22; 1∼2 grade: RR 2.43, 95% CI 2.10∼2.81; 3∼4 grade: RR 4.37, 95% CI 3.33∼5.72). Furthermore, compared with the control group who received or did not receive a placebo, there was a higher risk of grade 3-4 hypertension caused by cancer combination treatment. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis carries out a comprehensive analysis on the risk of patients suffering from hypertension in the process of multiple cancer combination therapies. Findings in our study support that the risk of hypertension may increase significantly in cancer patients with multiple cancer combination therapies. The outcomes of this meta-analysis may provide a reference value for clinical practice and may supply insights in reducing the incidence of hypertension caused by cancer combined treatment.
Neuroscientific Research on the Processing of Easy Language

In an increasingly networked world, people who cannot participate in written communication are particularly at risk of social exclusion. Like other concepts of barrier-free communication, Easy Language (“Leichte Sprache”) attempts to enhance perceptibility and comprehensibility of texts for people with reading impairments by means of a rule-based reduction of complexity on the text side. The underlying assumption of simplified languages is that the reduction of linguistic complexity correspondingly reduces cognitive processing costs. However, this interplay between linguistic complexity and cognitive processing costs still needs to be investigated by empirical research as up to date there are only a few studies investigating the perception and reception of Easy Language, mostly using offline methods (e.g., questionnaires or retrospective interviews). In contrast to offline methods, which are only capable of assessing comprehension products, online methods allow researchers to track what a participant is focusing their attention on at any given time and to thereby develop a detailed representation of the time-course of cognitive language processing. In our paper, we aim to point out how different online methods (eye-tracking, EEG and fMRI) can be used for investigating the empirical validity of the postulated rules for Easy Language by evaluating cognitive processing efficiency. Besides discussing the applicability of those neuroscientific online methods in Easy Language research, we discuss the importance of collecting personal and neuropsychological data to gain detailed profiles of the participants and therefore not only contribute to the explanation of variance but furthermore to determine the role of neuropsychological skills on reading proficiency. For each online method we elaborate basic principles, discuss some of the main findings in cognitive sciences and demonstrate the greatest advantages but also restrictions of the method and challenges related to the data collection process with impaired participants. Furthermore, we outline current challenges in Easy Language research and summarize remaining research gaps. On a final note, we emphasize that it is both the establishment of online methods and the data triangulation in Easy Language research that enable researchers to gain a profound insight into the cognitive processing of simplified languages.
Natural variation in Arabidopsis ISR1 affects iron localization and induced systemic resistance

Beneficial root-associated bacteria can induce systemic resistance (ISR) to foliar pathogens and there is known transcriptional and genetic overlap in the root response to iron deficiency and ISR. A previous study found that there is natural variation in ISR among Arabidopsis accessions. The Ws accession is deficient in ISR, and the responsible recessive genetic locus, named ISR1, was mapped to chromosome 3. To find candidate genes that may underlie ISR deficiency in Ws, we identified genes that are induced in response to the ISR-triggering bacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417 and to iron stress and that have non-synonymous mutations in the Ws genome with respect to the ISR-responsive Col-0. We identified a kelch-domain containing protein encoded by At3g07720 that has a genomic rearrangement in Ws. We found that overexpression of Col-0 At3g07720 restores ISR to Ws, indicating that At3g07720 encodes ISR1. Isr1 loss of function mutants do not affect plant growth under iron limiting conditions but have increased levels of apoplastic iron. We found that iron supplementation, P. simiae WCS417, or a loss of isr1 enhance ROS production in a non-additive manner, suggesting they work through the same mechanism to enhance resistance. Our findings show that ISR1 is required for iron localization, immunity, and ISR, and suggest that increased iron uptake induced by ISR-eliciting bacteria may directly contribute to immunity through increased reactive oxygen production.