Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Controlling Failure Perceptions Affects Performance: Evidence from a Field Experiment

We conducted a clustered randomized field experiment with 20 Brazilian distributorships of a multi-national direct sales organization to examine whether controlling failure perceptions through formal communications increases performance. We used the organization’s weekly sales meetings to deliver a video-based message from the regional head that either communicates workers should view failure as a natural part of learning rather than an indictment of their ability (treatment condition) or simply summarizes the organization’s history (control condition). We find that those who were assigned to the treatment condition were more likely to sustain their effort in response to economic adversity that coincided with our experiment. Additional analyses suggest that our treatment accomplished this by increasing job-specific confidence, and by reinforcing social norms that encourage workers to persevere after failure. Overall, our findings highlight that formal communications from senior management are a viable control mechanism for sustaining effort in the face of failure.
Media, Pulpit, and Populist Persuasion: Evidence from Father Coughlin

New technologies make it easier for charismatic individuals to influence others. This paper studies the political impact of the first populist radio personality in American history. Father Charles Coughlin blended populist demagoguery, anti-Semitism, and fascist sympathies to create a hugely popular radio program that attracted tens of millions of listeners throughout the 1930s. I evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of exposure to Father Coughlin's radio program. Exploiting variation in the radio signal strength as a result of topographic factors, I find that a one standard deviation increase in exposure to Coughlin's anti-FDR broadcast reduced FDR's vote share by about two percentage points in the 1936 presidential election. Effects were larger in counties with more Catholics and persisted after Father Coughlin left the air. An alternative difference-in-differences strategy exploiting Coughlin's switch in attitude towards FDR during 1932-1936 confirms the results. Moreover, I find that places more exposed to Coughlin’s broadcast in the late 1930s were more likely to form a local branch of the pro-Nazi German-American Bund, sell fewer war bonds during WWII, and harbor more negative feelings towards Jews in the long run.
Biotechnology of Perennial Fruit Crops , by F. A. Hammerschlag & R. E. Litz. xxi + 550 pp. Wallingford: CAB International (1992). £75.00 or $142.50 (hardback). ISBN 0 85198 708 7.

sistencies in the organization of the information distracting. The following three chapters are devoted to bacterial blight, verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt respectively. A thorough account of each disease is given, including useful practical information on topics such as inoculum preparation, culture storage and screening techniques. Reviews of the remaining fungal diseases (of root and stem, leaf and boll) and microbial contamination of the lint are all equally informative. The continued development of diagnostic tools for use in virus detection and identification is seen as an important factor in increasing knowledge of virus diseases of cotton. The amount of work still to be done in this area is perhaps best illustrated by four tables which summarize the number of partially characterized virus and virus-like diseases of cotton (6), the number of suspected virus-like disorders of cotton (13), virus-like disease agents which infect cotton as an alternate host (4) and diseases of cotton associated with MLOs and MLO-like symptoms (4). Nematodes have a dual role in causing damage to cotton crops. In Chapter 10, a number of plant pathogenic nematodes which attack cotton roots are described briefly. The practical details of field sampling and extraction given in this chapter should prove to be useful to plant pathologists developing an interest in plant pathogenic nematodes. The indirect effect of nematodes in increasing root infection by fungal pathogens is dealt with in the chapters on seedling diseases and fusarium wilt. The final chapter covers common nutrient deficiency disorders and discusses nutrient requirements in relation to the wide range of soil types in which the crop is cultivated. Details are provided of the effect of soil type, cropping practice and the relationship between soil nutrients and disease susceptibility. The account of determination of fertilizer requirement is quite practical and includes useful information on sampling.
Protein and Amino Acid Digestibility in Dairy Cows Measured with Mobile Nylon Bags Recovered in Ileum or in Faeces

Digestibility of protein and amino acids in dairy cows was measured using the mobile nylon bag technique and collection of bags in ileum and in faeces. The feeds studied were untreated and expander treated barley and oats, solvent extracted rapeseed meal (RSM) and soybean meal (SBM), lignosulfonate treated SBM (SoyPass) and fish meal (FM). The nylon bags were recovered in ileum by trapping the bags with a magnet. The functionality of the technique was considered good although a metallic slice in the bags increased intestinal retention time. Compared to intact feed, pre-incubation 16 hours in the rumen increased digestibility of dietary protein and amino acids. The indigestible residues were in general lower in bags recovered in faeces than in ileum. In addition, some variation in digestibility among amino acids within feedstuffs seems to exist. The general conclusion was that the procedure of collecting bags in ileum can be skipped when digestibility of protein and amino acid is determined on rumen pre-incubated feed, but not when intact feed is used. Except for increased digestibility in intact barley, no major effect of expander treatment or lignosulfonate treatment on digestibility of protein and amino acids was found.
Total Government Spending On Agriculture and Its Output Growth in Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between government spending on agriculture and its output over the period 1970-2015 using Engle-Granger (1987) two step modeling (EGM) procedure involving: co-integration analysis and error correction of parameter estimates. Additionally, Granger causality test was carried out to determine the direction of causation between government spending on agriculture and agriculture sectors output. Based on the data analysis, it was discovered that Total government spending on agriculture (TGSA) has significant effect on agriculture output (AGDP) in the long and short-run. ; this relationship is statistically significant in the long run and in the short run. Spending on agriculture sector has the capacity to increase its output by 10.7% if the allocation increases by 1% in the long run while in the short run, one percent increase in government expenditure on agriculture will bring about 10% increase in agriculture output. The study concludes that public expenditure is very crucial instruments for economic growth at the disposal of policy makers in Nigeria and government expenditure on agriculture is basically related to agricultural development and recommends that efforts should be made to increase government funding on agricultural sector and also compliment it with stable macroeconomic policies in order to curtail the level of food shortage and over-dependence on foreign food and as well increase funding on anti-graft or anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) in order to arrest and penalize those who divert and embezzle public funds.
Weaning age variation in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have a protracted nursing period estimated to last from 6–32 months, although current estimates of beluga nursing duration are derived using approaches subject to capture bias. Recent studies have shown stable isotope profiles of dentin growth layer groups (GLGs) in marine mammal teeth serve as a reliable nursing proxy and can be used to assess individual weaning patterns. We measured stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (&dgr;15N) and carbon (&dgr;13C) of dentin GLGs in teeth from eastern Canadian Arctic belugas to estimate weaning age and assess relative contributions of milk and solid food during the nursing period. &dgr;15N declines of ∼1‰ over the first 3 GLGs of most individuals were interpreted as evidence of weaning. Individual &dgr;15N profiles indicated 15 of 27 whales were completely weaned by the end of their 2nd year, although a number of whales were weaned by the end of their 1st or 3rd year (9 and 3, respectively). Intermediate GLG2 &dgr;15N values relative to GLGs 1 and 3 indicated most whales consumed a mixture of milk and solid food during their 2nd year, consistent with gradual weaning. Contrary to predictions based on parental care theory, nursing duration was not related to relative GLG width (used as a proxy for somatic growth) and did not differ for females and males, or among populations. &dgr;13C variation was not a reliable indicator of nursing duration, as approximately half of the whales showed no ontogenetic &dgr;13C patterns across GLGs deposited over the nursing period. This study provides novel life history information, which may inform beluga conservation and management decisions, and indicates belugas share prolonged nursing duration marked by individual variation observed in other odontocetes.
Unbundling Returns to Degrees and Skills

This paper shows that returns to education are not enough to capture all the returns to human capital. Using longitudinal data of all college graduates in Colombia, we estimate labor market returns to postsecondary degrees and to various skills— including literacy, numeracy, foreign language, field-specific, and non-cognitive skills. Graduates of longer programs, of private institutions, and of schools with higher reputation earn higher wages. Even after controlling for all the characteristics of the degree, a one standard deviation increase in each skill predicts an average wage increase of two percent. Returns to skills vary along the wage distribution, with tenure, with the field of specialization and the type of job obtained immediately after graduation.
Voting or Abstaining in 'Managed' Elections? A Field Experiment in Bangladesh

Many governments in weak democracies countries "manage" the electoral process to make their defeat very unlikely. We aim to understand why citizens decide to vote or abstain in managed elections. We focus on the 2018 general election in Bangladesh and randomize the salience of the citizens' views (i) that election outcomes matter for policy outcomes and (ii) that high voting participation increases the winning party's legitimacy. These treatments increase voting participation in government strongholds and decrease participation in opposition strongholds. The legitimacy treatment has stronger effects. These results have important implications for get-out-the-vote and information campaigns in weak democracies.
CEO Turnover Announcements and Information Frictions

This paper analyzes the market reaction to CEO turnover announcements in the presence of information frictions. We find that the market reaction to forced CEO turnover announcements is negatively related to the level of asymmetric information between a firm and its investors. No such relation exists for voluntary turnovers. We also find that in cases where information frictions are high, companies attempt to present forced turnover as voluntary and this behavior leads to a less negative market response. Overall, our results suggest that firms act strategically when disclosing information about CEO turnover to avoid a negative market reaction.
Quantitative Variation, Heritability, and Trait Correlations for Ultraviolet Floral Traits in Argentina anserina (Rosaceae): Implications for Floral Evolution

Premise of research. Variation in flower color in the human-visible spectrum is well studied but less understood for ultraviolet (UV) floral traits despite their ubiquity and importance in mediating plant-insect interactions. Describing the extent of quantitative phenotypic variation and determining the heritability of UV pattern are crucial for understanding the evolution of flower color. Finally, selection on vegetative biochemical properties can indirectly influence flower color evolution, and thus, establishing correlation between biochemistry and color pattern will inform whether indirect selection could act on flower color patterns. Methodology. We characterize phenotypic variation for the proportion of petal area that absorbs UV (UV proportion) in 13 populations representing two taxa in the Argentina anserina aggregate. We estimate broad-sense heritability and genetic correlations for UV proportion, floral spectral qualities measured at the base and apex of petals (UV reflectance, UV chroma, brightness, green chroma), and the concentration of foliar UV-absorbing compounds. Pivotal results. We found substantial quantitative variation for UV proportion in the field (0.34–0.99) and UV proportion was heritable in both taxa (). In one taxa, heritabilities for quantitative measures of petal color were low but significant. Petal color at the petal base and apex were independent in one taxon but positively correlated in the other. UV proportion was not correlated with foliar UV-absorbing compound concentration in either taxa. Conclusions. Variation and heritability of UV proportion suggest that it could respond to selection. Within-petal spatial correlations for color in one taxon but not the other shows that, for species with patterned petals, color of distinct petal regions may evolve independently in some taxa but be constrained in others. The decoupling of UV proportion from vegetative biochemistry in this system implies that indirect selection on UV pattern through selection on vegetative organs is unlikely.
Supplier Financing and Stock Price Crash Risk: Monitoring versus Concession?

Supplier financing, or trade credit, is an increasingly important source of financing for a company. This paper tests two alternative views on the relation between trade credit and future stock price crash risk: monitoring and concession. We present robust evidence that supplier financing is negatively associated with stock price crash risk, consistent with the former view that suppliers can effectively monitor buyers through the provision of trade credit and therefore constrain their bad-news-hoarding behavior. Further analyses reveal that the role of trade credit in mitigating stock price crash risk is more pronounced among buyers with weaker market power and those that require more monitoring, such as firms with higher distress risk or weaker governance due to limited monitoring by institutional investors and banks. Overall, our results shed light on how trade credit shapes managers’ disclosure incentives and firms’ extreme negative stock returns.
A Non Isolated High Gain DC-DC Converter for DC Microgrid Application

To maintain a proper output voltage in a grid connected PV system or hybrid electric vehicle application, a transformer is used in power converters, which increases the system cost, weight and decreases the efficiency. The main problem that arises with the transformer is that, it is very bulky. A high gain DC-DC converter has been presented in this paper to overcome the issues associated with isolated converters. In addition, it also has less output ripples which eliminates the power losses up to a great extent. The smooth output current also increases the lifespan of the source. The presented converter uses the energy which has been utilized by the inductor and capacitor. The voltage stress on the switches which are being used is minimal, therefore increasing the lifespan of the switches and reducing the losses. This paper presents the circuit diagram, relevant simulation and experimental waveforms and operating modes of the given converter.
Dynamic Pricing and Organic Waste Bans: a Study of Grocery Retail Food Waste

The perishable grocery industry produces substantial waste. I use an economic model together with sales, perishability, and marginal cost data from a grocery chain’s artisan bread category to evaluate two potential remedies: dynamic pricing and organic waste landfill bans. First, I demonstrate that a store-product’s waste correlates positively with the degree of demand uncertainty and with its profit margin. These patterns are consistent with the classic newsvendor ordering model and suggest that waste is an endogenously determined outcome. Second, I extend the newsvendor model and show that the proposed remedies’ effects are ambiguous. Specifically, (i) dynamic pricing can increase ex ante waste, (ii) waste bans can disincentivize a store from adopting dynamic pricing, and (iii) even when waste bans incentivize its adoption, dynamic pricing can offset some of the waste reduction. Third, I structurally estimate the model on the artisan bread data and use the model to estimate the counterfactual for each remedy. I find that, while the effects vary by store and item, dynamic pricing would reduce total planned waste for the chain by 17.63% and increase gross profits by 3.22%. In comparison, under a fixed pricing policy, a waste ban would result in minimal waste reduction. A ten-fold increase in disposal costs would reduce waste by 4.93%. A waste ban would only marginally increase the return on adopting dynamic pricing, and I cannot rule out a null effect. These results suggest that emissions reductions from waste bans are likely generated by diverting waste away from landfills, rather than reducing waste at the retailer. (Formerly titled "Reducing Retailer Food Waste through Revenue Management")
From Inemployment to Unemployment Worldwide: Post-COVID-19

The impact of Post-COVID-19 on economic growth is obviously substantial, but measuring such impact to get a sense of the intensity of its effects on inflation and unemployment is subject to a great deal of uncertainty. As such, this paper primarily attempts to close this gap by introducing the COVIDECONOMICS-19-Simulator (COVIDECONOMICS-19-Simulator), a new economic instrument that could be used to evaluate the impact of Post-COVID-19 on inflation and unemployment. Based on five key indicators, the COVIDECONOMICS-19-Simulator considers and draws its assessment from different focuses of analysis to evaluate the Post-COVID-19 economic damage anywhere and anytime. Hence, in this article, the world economy was used to illuminate and illustrate the applicability of the COVIDECONOMICS-19-Simulator from where analyses provide a coherent evaluation of the degree to which Post-COVID-19 negative economic effects on the world inflation and unemployment. Finally, this paper also proposes a new concept entitled “Inemployment”. The inemployment define as the full or partial labor immobility or lockout from any contagious diseases (epidemics or pandemic) or natural disasters or social conflict (war). The inemployment can be considered as a pre-stage to unemployment in the short or medium run.
The Primacy of Performance for Regime Support: Evidence from A Global Dataset

Popular support is essential to the long-term survival of all political systems, yet the question of what affects citizens' faith in their political institutions remains debated. We construct a new measure of institutional trust for 130 countries between 1990 and 2017 and use it to evaluate two important theories of regime support: a procedure-based theory that emphasizes the adoption of democratic and rule-based institutions, and a performance-based theory that focuses on governments' effectiveness in delivering concrete and essential public goods. We find strong evidence that performance dominates procedures: Citizens report greater trust in their political systems when the government can achieve rapid economic growth, low unemployment, and domestic stability. However, just having “good” liberal democratic institutions alone does not seem to improve regime support. These findings have important implications for understanding the challenges currently faced by many democracies and the apparent resilience of some non-democracies.
A wheat-fallow rotation in northeastern Spain : water balance-yield considerations

Dans le but de determiner l'efficacite d'une rotation ble-jachere, on analyse une serie de 35 ans de donnees de production de ble et les pluviometries mensuelles correspondantes sur les zones de Los Monegros et de La Ribera del Ebro-Zaragoza, dans le centre de l'Aragon (Espagne). Les rendements en grains sont faibles (1 050 kg/ha en moyenne) et dependent fortement des precipitations saisonnieres (octobre-mai). La contribution de l'eau stockee pendant la periode de jachere apparait peu importante, en raison soit de la faible reserve utile du sol, soit du controle insutfisant des mauvaises herbes, soit de la distribution des pluies [. ]
Preparation of β‐Lactoglobulin and p‐Lactoglobulin‐Free Proteins from Whey Retentate by NaCI Salting Out at Low pH

Solubility of the main proteins in 10 x acid and rennet whey retentates was studied in the pH range 2.0 to 4.0 in the presence of NaCI from 2 to 15% (w/v) final concentration, at 20°C to find fractionation conditions suitable for preparing pure β-lactoglobulin and β-lactoglobu-lin-free whey proteins and scaling up. At pH 2.0, 7% NaCI, 20 min holding time, nearly all (3-lactoglobulin remained soluble while a precipitate (PI) containing all other proteins was formed. Pure p-lacto-globulin was quantitatively recovered by salting-out the centrifugation supernatant at 30% NaCI (w/v) final concentration. PI, insoluble at pHs lower than 4.0, was made soluble at any pH by dissolving at pH 9.0, dialyzing against 50 mM formic acid (pH 3.0) and freeze-drying.
Inferno: A Guide to Field Experiments in Online Display Advertising

Online display advertising is a hostile medium for field experiments. Display ad effects are tiny and necessitate large-scale experiments. The experimenter has limited control because ad exposure is jointly determined by advertisers, users, algorithms, and market competition. As such, online display ads provide useful lessons for experimenters at the frontier of digital research more generally. Display ad experiments place renewed focus on old topics like statistical power and compliance as well as on new issues like identity fragmentation and market spillovers. In this guide, we review challenges and best practices in this setting. New developments employ frontier econometric methods including causal machine learning and continuous-time modeling of dynamic treatment effects.
From Dancing on the Street to Dating Online: Evaluating the Effects and Outcomes of Guerrilla Street Marketing

Street guerrilla marketing uses features, artefacts and brand ambassadors in the urban environment in an innovative way to provoke customer engagement. The evaluation and classification of contemporary street guerrilla marketing are not reflected in the advertising literature yet. Understanding professionals' views on guerrilla marketing practices and evaluation is vital since they are responsible for developing and executing operations on the street. Using qualitative interviews with 20 practitioners from the Benelux Union, Canada, UK, US and France, this study revealed how they evaluate the responses of those observing or participating on the streets as well as online viewers. Practitioners carefully and purposefully select appropriate environments and combine distinctive instruments to track cognitive, affective and behavioural responses on street. The focus of large advertisers moved to acquiring and quantifying online diffusion rather than responses on street level. Understanding the practices of these professionals helped to propose practical guidelines and techniques to evaluate contemporary street guerrilla marketing aimed at cognitive, affective and conative communication. These guidelines are some of the first for evaluating the effects of contemporary guerrilla marketing on the street as well as online.