Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant functional diversity and carbon storage – an empirical test in semi‐arid forest ecosystems

Carbon storage in vegetation and soil underpins climate regulation through carbon sequestration. Because plant species differ in their ability to capture, store and release carbon, the collective functional characteristics of plant communities (functional diversity) should be a major driver of carbon accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems. Three major components of plant functional diversity could be put forward as drivers of carbon storage in ecosystems: the most abundant functional trait values, the variety of functional trait values and the abundance of particular species that could have additional effects not incorporated in the first two components. We tested for associations between these components and carbon storage across 16 sites in the Chaco forest of Argentina under the same climate and on highly similar parental material. The sites differed in their plant functional diversity caused by different long‐term land‐use regimes. We measured six plant functional traits in 27 species and weighted them by the species abundance at each site to calculate the community‐weighted mean (CWM) and the functional divergence (FDvar) of each single trait and of multiple traits (FDiv). We also measured plant and soil carbon storage. Using a stepwise multiple regression analysis, we assessed which of the functional diversity components best explained carbon storage. Both CWM and FDvar of plant height and wood‐specific gravity, but no leaf traits, were retained as predictors of carbon storage in multiple models. Relationships of FDvar of stem traits and FDiv with carbon storage were all negative. The abundance of five species improved the predictive power of some of the carbon storage models. Synthesis. All three major components of plant functional diversity contributed to explain carbon storage. What matters the most to carbon storage in these ecosystems is the relative abundance of plants with tall, and to a lesser extent dense, stems with a narrow range of variation around these values. No consistent link was found between carbon storage and the leaf traits usually associated with plant resource use strategy. The negative association of trait divergence with carbon storage provided no evidence in support to niche complementarity promoting carbon storage in these forest ecosystems.
Automatic Editing Rights Management in Wikipedia

The free online encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the most successful collaborative web projects. It is based on an open editing model, which allows everyone to edit the articles directly in the web browser. As a result of the open concept, undesirable contributions like vandalism cannot be ruled out. These contributions reduce the article quality temporarily, consume system resources and cause effort for correcting. To address these problems, this paper introduces an approach for automatic editing rights management in Wikipedia that assigns editing rights according to the reputation of the author and the quality of the article to be edited. The analysis shows that this approach reduces undesirable contributions significantly while valuable contributions are nearly unaffected.
Asset Pricing with Heterogeneous Agents, Incomplete Markets and Trading Constraints

The consumption capital asset pricing model is the standard economic model used to capture stock market behavior. However, empirical tests have pointed out its inability to account quantitatively for the high average rate of return and volatility of stocks over time for plausible parameter values. Recent research has suggested that the consumption of stockholders is more strongly correlated with the performance of the stock market than the consumption of non-stockholders. We model two types of agents, non-stockholders with standard preferences and stock holders with preferences that incorporate elements of the prospect theory developed by Kahneman and Tversky (1979). In addition to consumption, stockholders consider fluctuations in their financial wealth explicitly when making decisions. Each agent faces idiosyncratic shocks to his labor income as well as aggregate shocks to the per-share dividend but markets are incomplete and agents cannot hedge consumption risks completely. In addition, consumers face both borrowing and short-sale constraints. Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to calibrate the labor income processes of the two types of agents. Our results show that in equilibrium, agents hold different portfolios. Our model is able to generate a time-varying risk premium of about 6% while maintaining a low risk free rate, thus suggesting a plausible explanation for the equity premium puzzle reported by Mehra and Prescott (1985).
Homogeneity Tests for Levy Processes and Applications

In this paper we will check the homogeneity/heterogeneity of Levy pro- cesses using some non-parametric homogeneity tests. First we create two samples from two Levy processes starting from the definition of the Levy process, and next we test if the two samples have the same distribution. Using the Levy—Ito decomposition we will perform the homogeneity tests for given parts of the Levi processes. The study of the homogeneity of stock markets shocks is usefull be- cause the eventualy homogeneity can produce a phenomenon analogue to the resonance that can be observed in mechanics. This resonance increase the idiosyncratic risk. Mathematics Subject Classification: 62G10, 60G51, 60J75.
Carabid assemblages along a land use gradient in a Carpathian Mountain landscape

Agricultural land use intensification and deforestation are between the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss of terrestrial systems. However, if used in small scale and extensive way (as in traditionally used farmlands), land use may create a heterogeneous landscape that maintains high biodiversity. Here we evaluate the effect of traditional land use on carabid beetle communities in Eastern Carpathians, Romania. Three sampling areas were selected along a gradient of mountain landscape within the boundaries of the Olt river and mountain zone from Eastern Carpathian region: (i) forests (natural deciduous and pine plantation), (ii) semi natural habitats (willow and clearcut), and (iii) extensively used agricultural areas (apple orchard and cropland). We found that carabid communities react to landscape change induced by land use, the highest species diversity was found in clearcut and willow, whereas arable land contained the highest number of individuals and most of the common species regarded as "habitat specialists" were not associated with a specific "habitat patch". The landscape heterogeneity created by traditional land management result in species rich carabid communities.
Title Signatures of Restoration and Management Changes in the Water Quality of a Central California Estuary Permalink

Coastal managers and policy-makers are concerned with tracking improvements to water quality linked to management changes. Long-term water quality data acquired from two wetland areas in the upper reaches of the Elkhorn Slough estuary in central California were analyzed for signatures of land restoration or water control structure management. Post-restoration averaged NO3, NH3, and PO4 concentrations were 50–70% less than before-restoration concentrations. Assessment of watershed-scale effects revealed that proximity of restoration to sampling locations had almost as strong an effect on water quality as the percentage of land restored relative to watershed size. Results also suggest that restoration of even 1% of an agriculturally intensive watershed such as that of the Elkhorn Slough may result in improvements to water quality. Finally, results indicate that tide gate function can dominate water quality in managed wetlands and must be carefully tracked and managed in the context of estuarine conservation targets.
Metamorphic chronology—a tool for all ages: Past achievements and future prospects

Abstract Metamorphic chronology or petrochronology has steadily evolved over several decades through ever improving analytical techniques and more complete understanding of the geochemical and petrologic evolution of metamorphosing rocks. Here, the principal methods by which we link metamorphic temperatures (T) and ages (t) are reviewed, focusing primarily on accessory minerals. Methods discussed include textural correlation, inversion of diffusion profiles, chemical correlation, and combined chronologic and thermometric microanalysis. Each method demonstrates remarkable power in elucidating petrologic and tectonic processes, as examples from several orogens illustrate, but limitations must also be acknowledged and help define future research directions. Correlation methods are conceptually simple, but can be relatively non-specific regarding pressure-temperature conditions of formation. A new consideration of errors indicates that modeling of chronologic diffusion gradients provides relatively precise constraints on cooling rates, whereas models of chemical diffusion gradients can lead to large (factor of 2 or more) cooling rate uncertainties. Although arguably the best method currently in use, simultaneous T-t measurements are currently limited to zircon, titanite, and rutile. Directions for future improvement include investigation of diffusion profiles for numerous trace element-mineral systems using now-routine depth profiling. New trace element models will help improve chemical correlation methods. The determination of inclusion entrapment P-T conditions based on Raman spectroscopic measurement of inclusion pressures (“thermoba-Raman-try”) may well revolutionize textural correlation methods.
Too much R&D? – vertical differentiation and monopolistic competition

Purpose - This paper aims to discuss whether product research and development (R&D) in developed economies tends to be too high compared with the socially desired level. Design/methodology/approach - In this context, a model of vertical and horizontal product differentiation within the Dixit-Stiglitz framework of monopolistic competition is set up. Firms compete in horizontal attributes of their products, and also in quality that can be controlled by R&D investments. Findings - The paper reveals that in monopolistic-competitive industries, R&D intensity is positively correlated with market concentration. Furthermore, welfare and policy analysis demonstrate an overinvestment in R&D with the result that vertical differentiation is too high and horizontal differentiation is too low. The only effective policy instrument in order to contain welfare losses is a price control of R&D services. Originality/value - Considering the extent of product R&D as well as the political efforts to promote public and private research, this paper scrutinizes its benefit incorporating income and employment effects. Thus, it goes beyond partial-analytical models of the existing industrial organization literature and provides a larger base of political analysis.
Characterization of Aphid-Transmitted Virus Associated with Black Raspberry Decline in Oregon

A serious disease of black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) was observed in Oregon in the last decade. Plants showing mosaic symptoms declined rapidly and in many cases died over a period of several years. Double-stranded RNA extraction from symptomatic black raspberry revealed the presence of two high molecular weight bands, which were cloned and partially sequenced. Sequence analysis disclosed the presence of Black raspberry virus (BRV). A newly planted field of black raspberries in Oregon was studied to assess the rate of spread of BRV. The timing of BRV infection as it relates to aphid populations and flights was also determined. Testing of nearby vegetation identified several symptomless Rubus hosts of BRV. It was determined that BRV spreads rapidly with a low aphid threshold and was associated with symptoms of decline in black raspberries in Oregon.
The relationships between servant leadership, strategic alignment, and financial performance

Literature is moving away from transactional leadership toward more moral types of leadership, in which servant leadership plays a significant role the last few years. Using this leadership theory, this study examined the relationships among servant leadership, strategic alignment, and financial performance at the team level. In addition, this study also explored the effects of interaction of both servant leadership and organizational identification on strategic alignment and whether strategic alignment mediates the relationship between servant leadership and financial performance. Data were collected from 294 employees, working in 25 teams in 17 organizations from a variety of industries in the Netherlands. The results were analyzed at team level. The results showed that (1) servant leadership is positively related to strategic alignment and that organizational identification partly weakens the relationship between servant leadership and strategic alignment. Practical implications of the findings were discussed, together with limitations and further recommendations.
An enhanced simple PIN input technique resisting shoulder surfing and smudge attacks

PIN (personal identification number) is widely used as the method of user authentication. PINs composed of four digit passwords are usually used to authenticate users such as in automatic teller machines (ATMs) or mobile phones. The authentication method using PIN is also widely used to unlock the digital doorlocks. However, the authentication method using PIN is vulnerable to shouldersurfing and smudge attacks. To overcome those attacks, some authentication methods are proposed by using non-visual channels such as sound or vibration. Recently, Jeon and Yoon [1] proposed a very simple PIN input technique (SPIT) by using sound cue. The user interface of SPIT is simple enough to be used for children, the weak and elderly, and even the visually impaired person. However, the success rate of PIN input is relatively low especially for visually impaired persons. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved authentication method of SPIT to reduce the PIN input errors. The proposed method uses four different object groups, and each object group contains ten distinct items.
The 20 m 2 VAMEVAL Test: A Reduced Space Approach to Determine the Maximum Oxygen Consumption of Young Cameroonians

This study aimed at comparing physiological variables measured during a modified 20 m2 VAMEVAL test with that of its predecessor, the classical VAMEVAL test. Thirty volunteers moderately-trained sport students (14 males, 25.7 ± 3.4 years, and 16 females, 25.0 ± 2.5 years) specialized in running sport disciplines, randomly underwent three maximal oxygen uptake assessment using the classical VAMEVAL test in a 400m track (VAM400), the modified VAMEVAL test in a reduced space of 20 m2 (VAM20) and, the ergometer test (ERG) as standard test. Results revealed significant differences between the two sexes in the VAM400 and VAM20 over VO2max (P< 0.01), maximal heart rate (P< 0.05) and rating of perceived exertion (P< 0.001). No significant difference was noted in lactatemia (La) during VAM400 and VAM20. VO2max variations of 6.8% in females and 8% in males were recorded when moving from VAM400 to VAM20. The VAM20 test is valid to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness of young Cameroonians in absence of appropriated infrastructures.
A Mediating Role of Relational Psychological Contract on the Relationship Between Work Place Spirituality and Employee Turnover Intention in Nigeria Banks

The study examined the effect of workplace spirituality (meaningful work, inner life and community) on employee turnover intention in Nigeria banks mediated by relational psychological contract. Data were collected from a sample of 357 employees in 21 Deposit Money Banks located in Kaduna State. Structural Equation Model was used to explore the effect. Findings revealed that meaningful work has positive, significant effect on employee turnover intention while inner life and community were found to have insignificant effect on employee turnover intention. Relational psychological contract was found to have fully mediating effect between workplace spirituality (inner life, meaningful work and community) and employee turnover intention. The most explanatory variable of the study is the relationship that exists between meaningful work and relational psychological contract. The study recommends that management of Banks should attach more importance to meaningful work and relational psychological contract of employees to reduce employee turnover intention.
Effect of Personality of Leaders on Employee Productivity in the Local Government System in Nigeria: A Case Study of Benue State Local Government System

The study investigated the effect of personality of leaders on employee productivity in the local government system in Nigeria which focus on the Benue State local government system using descriptive and inferential test of chi-square. The study found that personality of leaders have a positive relationship with employees’ productivity in the Benue State local government system. The study therefore recommended that leaders in the local government system should be people of high personality, proven integrity and well respected. Keywords: Personality of Leaders, Employees’ Productivity and Chi-square
Dialect Identification Across a Nation-State Border: Perception of Dialectal Variants in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC

The Atlas of North America English distinguishes "the West" from "Western Canada" on the basis of /æ/ retraction and Canadian Raising (Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006). Since the Atlas, scholars have provided a more detailed understanding of /æɡ/ raising, /æ/retraction, and Canadian Raising throughout the Western United States and Western Canada (Boberg 2008, Fridland et al. 2016, Presnyakova, Umbal, and Pappas 2017, Roeder, Onosson, and D'Arcy 2018). In a production study, Swan (2016) found that Seattle and Vancouver, BC are differentiated primarily by Canadian Raising and pre-nasal raising of /æ/ and show minimal difference with respect to /æɡ/ raising and /æ/ retraction. Seattle and Vancouver speakers also shared different ideologies about their speech: Seattle respondents felt more confident that they could identify a Vancouver talker based on speech than vice versa. The current study builds from these observations to ask how natives of Seattle and Vancouver perceive the similarities and distinctions documented in the production literature. Can listeners differentiate a talker as being from Seattle or Vancouver? What cues are listeners relying on to judge a talker as being from Seattle or Vancouver? Do these perceptual cues align with the production differences between the cities? What does this imply for a dialectology of the West? These questions are addressed using a forced-choice dialect identification task using the variables represented by FAN, PATH, TAG, and DEVOUT. Our analysis considers signal detection theoretic measures to elucidate sensitivity and bias (Macmillan and Creelman 2005). The results suggest that differentiating Seattle and Vancouver talkers is a challenging task for listeners native to these cities. Neither Seattle nor Vancouver listeners show very accurate performance for any of the single-word stimuli or short phrase blocks of the task and are generally not able classify a talker's city of origin based on their speech. The most accurate performance emerges for Seattle listeners classifying talkers saying DEVOUT, which aligns with the production differences between the cities and is likely driven by stereotypes about Canadian English. Listeners from both cities show more own city bias for the phonetic features that are shown to be more similar across the cities (PATH and TAG) than for those shown to be more different in production (FAN and DEVOUT). A closer look at bias reveals that while Seattle listeners perform with slightly more accuracy, they also show more own-city bias. We discussion possible reasons for this pattern and implications for dialectology of the West and Western Canada. This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: https://repository.upenn. edu/pwpl/vol24/iss2/17
Gender and Technology Use in Developing Countries: Evidence from Firms in Kenya

Kenyan firms rely on technology to overcome obstacles associated with excessive regulations, poor infrastructure, and widespread corruption. This study shows that reliance on technologies such as email, website and the internet for communication purposes has significant positive impacts on productivity for firms with female owners. Using a representative sample of industries, the exogenous component of technology use is isolated by using information on the presence of schools from colonial Kenya as well as a geographical indicator measuring rainfall shocks. Results indicate that for firms with female owners, a 10 percent increase in technology use results in a 1.69 percentage point increase in value-added per worker. For male-owned firms, a positive effect is evident but significantly more muted.
THE EMPRICIAL IMPORTANCE OF HABIT FORMATION IN DSGE MODELS: A BAYESIAN INVESTIGATION FOR POLISH ECONOMY

In this paper I present the small scale DSGE model of staggered wage and price contracts with internal habit formation, where the utility from a current consumption is affected by the level of the consumer’s own past consumption. Internal habit formation seems to be a reasonable compromise between catching up with the Joneses, where the reference level of consumption is given by the consumption of representative agent and deep habits. In order to assess the empirical importance of habit formation I estimate and compare using Bayesian techniques two variants of DSGE model: one with habit formation and the other without habit formation. The estimation and comparison is based on quarterly data for Polish economy. The results suggest that model with habit formation is clearly favored by the data. However, obtained Bayes factor seems to be very low in comparison to results for other economies. Comparison of impulse response functions shows that introduction of habit formation has rather limited impact on propagation mechanisms. Moreover, obtained posteriors seem to be stable between these models.
İLKÖĞRETİM DÖRDÜNCÜ VE BEŞİNCİ SINIF ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN TÜRKÇE DERSİ İÇİN ÖĞRETMENLERİNDEN BEKLENTİLERİ

Ilkogretim ogrencileri, yas ve gelisim duzeylerine uygun beceri ve aliskanliklari kazanabilmek icin cesitli egitim ve ogretim faaliyetlerine katilirlar.Okulda, ogrencilere bilgi ve becerileri kazandiracak cesitli dersler verilmektedir. Bu derslerin en onemlilerinden biri, Turkce’dir. Sinif ogretmenlerinin kullandiklari ogretim yontemleri, sinif ici ve sinif disi becerileri basta olmak uzeredaha bircok etken, ogrencilerin Turkce dersine yonelik tutumlarini ve beklentilerini etkilemektedir. Bu nedenle arastirmanin amaci, ilkogretim 4. -5. sinifogrencilerinin Turkce dersine giren sinif ogretmenlerinden beklentilerini tespitetmektir. Calisma, 2007–2008 ogretim yilinin bahar doneminde 216 ogrenci uzerinde gerceklestirilmistir. Genel tarama modelinde yurutulen arastirmada veritoplama araci olarak, “ogrencilerin Turkce dersine giren sinif ogretmenlerindenbeklentileri olcegi” kullanilmistir. Olcek 6 boyut ve 33 maddeden olusan likerttipi bir olcektir. Olcme aracinin genel guvenirlik degeri. 81’dir. Yapilan calismasonucunda ogrencilerin, Turkce dersine giren sinif ogretmenlerinden ders icietkinliklere aktif ve sozel yonden katilimlarinin desteklenmesi, Turkce dersindeokuma ile ilgili calismalar yaptirilmasina daha fazla zaman harcanmasi gerektigine yonelik beklentilerinin yuksek seviyede oldugu tespit edilmistir