Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new species of Acentrella Bengtsson (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) from New York and New England (USA), redescription of the nymph of A. parvula (McDunnough), and key to known adult males of Nearctic Acentrella

A new species Acentrella rallatoma (type locality: Connetquot River, Oakdale, NY, USA) is described from nymphs and reared adults. Additional specimens were studied from southeastern New York, southeastern New Hampshire, coastal Connecticut, and Martha's Vineyard, MA, USA. Nymphs can be separated from those of other Nearctic species by: scraper-like outer incisors of mandibles, cerci alternately banded from bases to tips, and row of robust bristle-like setae (with modified tips) on dorsal edge of femora. Male imagos can be separated from those that lack hind wings by: distinctive colour pattern of abdominal terga, and genitalia with pigmented sclerotised penes cover. Comparative analysis of A. rallatoma with other Nearctic species revealed a lack of comparative data on nymphs of its presumptive sister species A. parvula. To facilitate future studies of this group, the nymph of A. parvula is redescribed and regional differences are discussed. Abdominal colour patterns of A. parvula that vary over its range from Florida, USA to Labrador, Canada are illustrated. Problems concerning genus-level diagnostic characters for Acentrella nymphs and adults are discussed to facilitate placement of future taxa. To complement existing keys to Nearctic nymphs of Acentrella a provisional key to the known adult males is given.
The relationship of bacterial numbers and types to diamine concentration in fresh and aerobically stored beef, pork and lamb

Summary Bacterial numbers and putrescine and cadaverine concentrations were measured in intact beef, pork and lamb and minced beef at retail and during aerobic chill storage at 5°C. Putrescine concentrations increased consistently with ‘total’ aerobic viable count (TAVC) but cadaverine concentrations increased only when high numbers of presumptive Enterobacteriaceae were present. Significant changes in diamine concentration did not occur until the TAVC exceeded 4.2 × 107/cm2 or g when the meat was clearly spoiled. Changes prior to the onset of spoilage were not sufficient for their use as a predictive indicator of the acceptability of the meat.
Intercept Estimation in Nonlinear Sample Selection Models

We propose various semiparametric estimators for nonlinear selection models, where slope and intercept can be separately identifed. When the selection equation satisfies a monotonic index restriction, we suggest a local polynomial estimator, using only observations for which the marginal distribution of instrument index is close to one. Such an estimator achieves a univariate nonparametric rate, which can range from a cubic to an `almost' parametric rate. We then consider the case in which either the monotonic index restriction does not hold and/ or the set of observations with propensity score close to one is thin so that convergence occurs at most at a cubic rate. We explore the finite sample behaviour in a Monte Carlo study, and illustrate the use of our estimator using a model for count data with multiplicative unobserved heterogeneity.
Evaluation of dietary strategies to reduce methane production in ruminants: A modelling approach

The objective of this study was to use the modelling approach to assess the effectiveness of different existing nutritional strategies to reduce methane production from ruminants. For this purpose, a modified version of a mechanistic and dynamic model of rumen digestion was used. Simulated strategies included: dry matter intake (DMI), forage to concentrate ratio, nature of concentrate (fibrous vs. starchy concentrate), type of starch (slowly vs. rapidly degraded), forage species (legume vs. grass), forage maturity, forage preservation method (dried vs. ensiled), forage processing, and upgrading and supplementation of poor quality forages (straw). This study showed that mathematical modelling is a valuable tool to evaluate the impact of a given dietary manipulation not only on methanogenesis but also on the metabolism of the whole rumen system. Depending on the nature of the intervention, methane production can be reduced by 10 to 40%. Increasing DMI and the proportion of concentrate in the diet reduced me.
Relationships Among Foreign Institutional Investments, Stock Returns and Currency Change-Over Rates in India

India from a conservative macroeconomic policy has gradually shifted focus towards attracting foreign capital. From September 14, 1992, with suitable controls, it allowed foreign investors to invest in primary and secondary capital markets in India and foreign funds started flowing from the year 1993. Foreign Institutional Investments has steadily grown from $11,268 million in March 2000 to $62,464 million in July 2009. Foreign fund flow increases demand for good stocks causing upward movement in stock prices. Currency changeover rates also influence foreign investments as Foreign institutional investors calculate returns in foreign currencies. In this study, we explored relations between foreign investment in India with that of stock prices in the domestic market and domestic currency changeover rates. Using daily data for the period January 2000 to July 2009, the study examined cause-effect relations and long-term relations among the series. Most of the studies in Indian market reported that domestic stock returns attract foreign fund flows but foreign flows do not cause stock returns in India. The results of this study using data for past nine and half years however detected bidirectional causality.
Enhancing Yield of Semidwarf Barley

Semidwarf barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) lines and cultivars with the sdw gene have not fulfilled early expectations of increased grain yield. Accordingly, both breeding and molecular mapping experiments were undertaken to enhance and evaluate performance of lines with sdw The objectives were to examine, in sdw semidwarf barley, the effect on grain yield of enhancing yield component traits—spike number, kernel number, and kernel weight—to confirm the reported allelic relationship between sdw and denso, to identify the chromosome location of sdw, and to determine the genetic relationship between sdw, height, and heading date. Eight tall barley lines having high yield-component phenotypes or high grain yield were crossed to `Royal', an sdw semidwarf, to obtain semidwarf populations for study. Grain yield of semidwarf lines was not significantly increased by enhancing yield-component traits or by the use of high-yield parents. Allelism tests and gene mapping procedures were used to determine the relationship between sdw and denso and to map the sdw allele location. The sdw gene was allelic to denso and mapped to barley chromosome 3H in the same region as denso The sdw allele reduced height by 10 to 20 cm and delayed maturity by ≈3 d. We hypothesize that the sdw allele itself, not linkage drag, is the basis for mediocre yield and late maturity of this short-stature germplasm. The information obtained encourages use of alternative short-stature sources.
Leaks and Takeovers

I present a cheap talk model of information leaks in takeovers. Takeover targets strategically leak information about the value of synergies to attract an additional bidder. Targets with high synergies leak exaggerated information, cause a runup, and are sold in an auction. Targets with low synergies do not leak and are sold to a single acquirer. Traditional takeover defenses backfire, by increasing the likelihood that the target is sold to a single acquirer, while toeholds increase the acquirer's revenue by discouraging leaks. Enforcement of insider trading reduces the likelihood of leaks, reduces runups, and increases efficiency in the takeover market.
The Economic Effects of Owner Distance and Local Property Management in U.S. Office Markets

Using a large dataset of U.S. offices we analyze the relationship between investors’ distance to their assets and the effective rent of these assets, and study the extent to which property managers can influence this relationship. We construct hedonic rent models to control for other known rent determinants. It turns out that proximity matters: holding everything else constant, investors located closely to their office buildings are able to extract significantly higher effective rents from these assets, especially if these buildings are of low quality. This effect is due to significant differences in occupancy levels. Interestingly, property managers can affect this relationship, mitigating the adverse effects of investor distance on effective office rents. Especially if the owner does not reside in the same state as the building, external property management is of importance, most prominently so for class-B office buildings.
Diet composition of the scops owl (Otus scops) in central Romania

Abstract Insect diversity correlates negatively with increasing management intensity of grasslands and with latitude. We supposed that similar patterns might be found in the diet spectra of insectivorous birds. The diet composition of the insectivorous scops owl was studied by analysing the prey remnants collected from 21 nests during 2008-2009 in an extensively cultivated rural area in the centre of the owl’s distribution range in Central Romania. Altogether 831 prey items belonging to 45 prey taxa were identified. Similarly to the other parts of the scops owl range, orthopterans were high dominant prey items (86.8%) - especially bush-crickets Tettigoniidae (78.6%). In food samles were found also beetles (Coleoptera, 5.7%) and rarely spiders Araneidea, moths Lepidoptera, mantids Mantodea, Hymenoptera and Neuroptera (<1 .5%). Vertebrates were rarely represented by rodents (2.5%) and passerines (1 .3%). The following diagnostic prey species were identified in 20 nests using the MDFM method: bush-crickets Tettigonia viridissima, Decticus verrucivorus, Metrioptera bicolor and other species of the family Tettigoniidae, the beetle Onthophagus spp. , the cricket Gryllus campestris and other unidentified beetles Coleoptera g. sp. Furthermore, the scops owl’s diet in different parts of its range was compared. As expected, there were more Orthoptera and generally more prey taxa in food in the range centre than at its northern limit. Abstrakt Diverzita hmyzu negatívne koreluje so stúpajúcou intenzitou obhospodarovania trávnatých plôch a so zemepisnou šírkou. Predpokladali sme, že podobný model môže fungovat aj v prípade potravného spektra hmyzožravých vtákov. Zistovali sme potravné zloženie hmyzožravého výrika lesného skúmaním potravných zvyškov z 21 hniezd v rokoch 2008-2009. Sledované lokality sa nachádzajú v extenzívne využívanej vidieckej krajine v centre areálu rozšírenia, v strednom Rumunsku. V potrave sa zistilo spolu 831 kusov koristi patriacich do 45 taxónov. Podobne ako v ostatných castiach areálu výrika, rovnokrídlovce (Orthoptera) boli v potrave vysoko dominantné (86,8 %), a to hlavne druhy celade Tettigoniidae (78,6 %). V potravných vzorkách boli nájdené tiež chrobáky (Coleoptera, 5,7 %), zriedkavejšie pavúky Araneidae, mory Lepidoptera, modlivky Mantodea, blanokrídlovce Hymenoptera a sietokrídlovce Neuroptera (<1 ,5 %). Stavovce boli zriedkavo zastúpené hlodavcami (2,5 %) a spevavcami (1 ,3 %). Pomocou metódy MDFM boli v 20 hniezdach identifikované ako diagnostické druhy nasledujúce: kobylky Tettigonia viridissima, Decticus verrucivorus, Metrioptera bicolour a dalšie druhy celade Tettigoniidae, chrobáky Onthophagus spp. , svrcky Gryllus campestris a dalšie neidentifikovatelné chrobáky (Coleoptera g. sp.). Okrem toho sme porovnali potravné zloženie výrika lesného v jednotlivých castiach jeho areálu. Ako sme ocakávali, v centre areálu sme zistili viac rovnokrídlovcov a všeobecne viac taxónov koristi v potrave výrikov ako na severnej hranici jeho rozšírenia.
Testing Conflicting Political Economy Theories? Full-Fledged versus Partial-Scope Regional Trade Agreements

The median voter approach to trade policies within a Heckscher-Ohlin framework predicts that trade policy is pro-labor; while the lobbying model based on the argument of the free rider problem predicts that trade policy is pro-capital. We test these conflicting political economy theories using data on regional trade agreements (RTAs). Due to the violation of the conditional independence assumption of RTAs, we apply a duration analysis rather than standard binary choice analysis to the RTA panel data. The results show that the prediction of the median-voter model is supported by the full-fledged free trade areas and customs unions (FTAs/CUs); while the prediction of the lobbying model is supported by the partial-scope preferential trade arrangements (PTAs) among developing countries. Our findings hold better for the country pairs with more different capital-labor ratios due to stronger distributional effects of RTAs. The support for the median voter model (lobbying model) is stronger when the two countries in a pair have left-oriented (right-oriented) governments. We also find stronger support for the median voter model for the subset of FTAs/CUs with service coverage and stronger support for the lobbying model for countries that place higher weight on political contribution.
Análises histológica e morfométrica do uso de membrana biossintética de celulose em trocleoplastia experimental de cães

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a locally made biosynthetic cellulose membrane after experimental trochleoplasty, in order to verify whether its use could support migration of chondrogenic cells. Twelve male and female adult healthy dogs and without claudication were used. All dogs were submitted to trochleoplasty in both pelvic limbs after sedation and epidural anesthesia. In the left hind limb, the biosynthetic cellulose membrane was fixed with simple suture using Polyglactin 910 6-0 after performing trochleoplasty (treated group); whereas in the right limb (control group) only trochleoplasty was performed. The dogs were subdivided into 4 subgroups for postoperative evaluation at 15, 30, 60 and 90 days post-surgery. Biopsy was performed after exploratory arthrotomy for histopathologic and morfometric evaluation. At 30 and 60 days post-surgery, more condrocyte-like cells of immature aspect were observed in lesions treated with the cellulose membrane. At 90 days post-surgery the reparative tissue was characterized as mature fibrocartilage-like tissue without difference between the groups. In the control group there was a progressive increase of the number of cells until the end of the evaluation period. Otherwise, when compared to the initial period (15 days), there was an increase in the number of cells until 60 days, followed by a return the initial values at 90 days in the treated group. In comparison to controls, the number of cells was greater in the treated group from 15 to 60 days. Initially, the neoformed repair tissue was thicker in the treated group. From the results of this study, it was concluded that the cellulose membrane shortened the initial tissue repair process in the trochleoplasty area, showing good integration of the neoformed tissue with the adjacent cartilage.
DISTRIBUTION OF RHIZOBIA IN LEGUMINOUS PLANTS SURVEYED BY PHYLOGENETIC IDENTIFICATION

The distribution of rhizobia, bacteria which nodulate roots of leguminous plants, was surveyed for 91 species of the family Leguminoceae. One hundred and twenty-one strains of rhizobia were isolated, and 29 strains were obtained from culture collections. The total of 150 strains were classified based on their small subunit (ssu) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences. The analyses of the partial sequences (157 bases from positions 1220 to 1377 in Escherichia coli numbering system) revealed the presence of three major groups which corresponded with the genera Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Azorhizobium and the presence of 17 varieties (eight varieties for the genus Rhizobium, eight for the genus Bradyrhizobium, and one for the genus Azorhizobium). Several phenotypic characteristics and DNA base compositions were determined for 27 representative strains from 17 varieties. Also, genomic relatedness among the 27 strains was estimated by DNA-DNA hybridization. The strains which were different in their ssu rRNA partial sequences never showed close relationships in DNA-DNA hybridization. Further, sequences covering most of ssu rRNA were compared among 17 representative strains of the 17 varieties including type strains of seven Rhizobium species, Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azorhizobium caulinodans, and phylogenetic relationships among rhizobia were discussed. From phylogenetic analyses it is inferred that the nodulation genes transferred among rhizobia.
High Frequency Labor

Continued technological progress has placed IT at the epicenter of new markets (Archak & Sundararajan 2009),spawning a significant reduction in traditional market search and market coordination costs (Malone, Yates & Benjamin 1987, Bakos 1997). In this work, premised on the observation that virtual labor markets (VLMs) can generally be engaged through two different modes of IT (i.e.Dashboard vs.API), this exploratory work begins to unpack the ramifications of these material differences for Crowdsourcing market function.
The Role of Monetary Policy in the New Keynesian Model: Evidence from Vietnam

This paper reproduces a version of the New Keynesian model developed by Ireland (2004) and then uses the Vietnamese data from January 1995 to December 2012 to estimate the model’s parameters. The empirical results show that before August 2000 when the Taylor rule was adopted more firmly, the monetary policy shock made considerable contributions to the fluctuations in key macroeconomic variables such as the short-term nominal interest rate, the output gap, inflation, and especially output growth. By contrast, the loose adoption of the Taylor rule in the period of post-August 2000 leads to a fact that the contributions of the monetary policy shock to the variations in such key macroeconomic variables become less substantial. Thus, one policy implication is that adopting firmly the Taylor rule could strengthen the role of the monetary policy in driving movements in the key macroeconomic variables, for instance, enhancing economic growth and stabilizing inflation.
Precision and Accuracy of Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) in the Mouse Skeleton Compared With Histology and Microcomputed Tomography (μCT)

pQCT was evaluated for accuracy of phenotypic characterization of mouse bone in vivo. Bones (tibia, femur, spine) of 27 animals were measured ex vivo with pQCT, μCT, and histomorphometry and of 23 mice in vivo (pQCT). pQCT yielded satisfactory in vivo precision and accuracy in skeletal characterization.
Semiparametric Estimation of Consumption Based Equivalence Scales - the Case of Germany

Consumption based equivalence scales are estimated by applying the extended partially linear model (EPLM) to the 1998 Income and Consumption Survey (EVS) carried out in Germany. In this model the equivalence scales are identified by virtue of nonlinearities in household demand. Therefore, the econometric framework should not impose any strong restrictions on the functional forms of household expenditure shares. The chosen semiparametric specification meets this requirement. It is flexible, it yields {N} consistent parameter estimates, and is consistent with consumer theory. Estimated equivalence scales are below or in the range of the expert equivalence scales of the German social benefits system.
Assessing genetic diversity for conservation management: a case study of a threatened reptile

The consequences of inbreeding in small isolated populations are well documented, yet populations are often managed in isolation to avoid irreversibly mixing genetic lineages and to maintain the historic integrity of each population. Three remaining populations of Whitaker's skink (Cyclodina whitakeri) in New Zealand, remnants of a once wider distribution, illustrate the conflict between this genetic goal (separate management of populations) with the more tangible and immediate threats of small population size and inbreeding. Middle and Castle Islands harbour populations of C. whitakeri and have been separated from each other and from the mainland for ∼10 000 years. The single mainland population at Pukerua Bay is extremely small, declining and deemed a high priority for management. We sequenced a 550 bp region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA,ND2) and genotyped animals from all three populations at 13 microsatellite loci. The population of C. whitakeri at Pukerua Bay showed marked differences from the island populations at both mtDNA (unique, fixed haplotype) and microsatellite loci (FST∼0.20), and private alleles were detected at a high frequency (24% of all alleles). However, we attribute this pattern to an historic genetic gradient coupled with rapid genetic drift. Further, animals in captivity show genetic signatures of both Pukerua Bay and island populations, despite the goal to maintain a pure Pukerua Bay stock. The mixed genetic stock in captivity provides an opportunity for the addition of skinks from Middle Island to evaluate the risks of further population hybridization, including the disruption of potential local adaptation, while mitigating the risks of inbreeding.
Committees and Decision Making

We study the interactions and strategies of economic agents within a business committee to better understand how decisions are made in an important group setting. Specifically, we study the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) monetary policy actions and meeting transcripts to understand how the committee members discussion impacts the chosen monetary policy. The results show that after controlling for the impact of macroeconomic variables related to the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate and past policy actions, variables which measure members efforts in interpreting the current economic data and persuading other members through cognitive and affective persuasion strategies have economically and statistically significant effect on the meeting outcomes. The implication is that for a business committee to arrive at a group decision, the members need to digest/interpret the relevant information, spend time persuading other members using logic/emotion in order to aggregate member viewpoints to a consensus decision. Thus, the interpretation processes and persuasion methods that are used within a committee discussion have a non-trivial impact on the final outcome.
The new use of Sorghum bicolor-derived SSR markers to evaluate genetic diversity in 17 Australian Sorghum species

The Sorghum genus is extremely diverse both morphologically and geographically, however, relatively few of the 25 recognized species have been evaluated genetically. The apparent lack of basic knowledge pertaining to the levels of genetic diversity both within and between the 17 Australian wild species is a major obstacle to both their effective conservation and potential use in breeding programmes. Twelve Sorghum bicolor-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were evaluated for cross-species amplification in all 25 Sorghum species. The SSR markers were highly polymorphic, with diversity indices ranging from 0.59 to 0.99 with mean of 0.91. Five markers combined were able to differentiate 24 of the 25 Sorghum species, with intra-species polymorphism apparent. Sorghum bicolor-derived SSRs have proven to be an efficient source of markers for genetic diversity studies of the relatively poorly characterized Australian indigenous Sorghum species.