Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen deposition and herbivory affect biomass production and allocation in an annual plant

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is leading to large-scale changes in N availability in terrestrial ecosystems. Nitrogen availability is known to affect herbivore consumption rates, insect population dynamics and plant response to herbivory, but few studies have investigated these factors in combination. I tested the hypotheses that a) simulated N deposition alone would positively affect plant performance, b) herbivory alone would detrimentally affect plant performance and c) when combined, the positive impacts of N deposition would be mitigated by N-induced increases in herbivore consumption rates and population sizes. 1 assessed the response of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae, common ragweed) to simulated N deposition and herbivory by aphids and beetles. In greenhouse and field studies, I caged multivoltine herbivores on plants and allowed damage rates to differ among N treatments due to N-driven changes in herbivore populations and consumption rates. Simulated N deposition led to increased vegetative and seed biomass and decreased root:shoot ratios. Both types of herbivory caused decreases in seed biomass, reproductive allocation, and root biomass. The combined influences of N deposition and herbivory varied with plant tissue type. The positive influences of N deposition on root and seed biomass were generally suppressed by herbivory, while positive impacts of N on shoot biomass were typically not significantly suppressed by herbivory. These data suggest that in addition to substantial direct influences on plant production and allocation, N deposition may indirectly affect biomass production and allocation through affecting the rates and consequences of insect herbivory. However, these strength of these indirect effects will differ among herbivore species. The particularly strong influence of both herbivory and N deposition on A. artemisiifolia reproduction suggest potential population and community-level consequences.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Role of cucurbits in apical leaf curl disease of potato in Northern India

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Role of cucurbits in apical leaf curl disease of potato in Northern India Sayed Sartaj Sohrab, Sajjad Karim, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Anupam Varma & Bikash Mandal a King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. b Advanced Centre for Plant Virology, Division of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, India. c Centre of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Published online: 29 Jan 2013.
Anaerobic l‐lactate degradation by Lactobacillus plantarum

Lactobacillus plantarum strains used as silage inoculants were investigated for their ability to metabolize lactic acid anaerobically after prolonged incubation (7–30 days) when glucose was absent from the medium. When citrate was present in the medium together with glucose during the initial fermentation, the lactic acid produced was degraded. Citrate was concomitantly degraded, resulting in accumulation of formic, acetic and succinic acids along with CO2. The anaerobic degradation was confirmed by the use of l14C(U) labelled lactate. The existence of pyruvate formate lyase in L. plantarum was indicated by using 14C-labelled pyruvate and HPLC identification of end-products. The 1-14C-carboxylic acid group of pyruvate was converted to formic acid, and the 3-14C was found in acetic acid. The key enzyme(s) in this metabolic pathway appears to require anaerobic conditions and induction by citrate.
Experimental Privacy Studies - An Initial Review of the Literature

While information technology has been advancing rapidly during the past years, the dawn of the information age has not only elevated the importance of privacy in theory and practice but also raised concerns about how to protect a users’ private information. Within the information systems literature, there exist multiple approaches for studying online privacy, but many of them do not focus on actual user behavior. The following literature review aims for synthesizing the findings of recent behavioral experiments in the field of information privacy. Relevant topics and milestones from previous studies are likewise identified and included. In particular, the review contributes to the analysis of determinants to self-disclosure and summarizes the findings on the attempts to comprehend the privacy paradox and privacy calculus.
Convergences of Prices and Rates of Inflation

We consider how unit root and stationarity tests can be used to study the convergence properties of prices and rates of inflation. Special attention is paid to the issue of whether a mean should be extracted in carrying out unit root and stationarity tests and whether there is an advantage to adopting a new (Dickey-Fuller) unit root test based on deviations from the last observation. The asymptotic distribution of the new test statistic is given and Monte Carlo simulation experiments show that the test yields considerable power gains for highly persistent autoregressive processes with relatively large initial conditions, the case of primary interest for analysing convergence. We argue that the joint use of unit root and stationarity tests in levels and first differences allows the researcher to distinguish between series that are converging and series that have already converged, and we set out a strategy to establish whether convergence occurs in relative prices or just in rates of inflation. The tests are applied to the monthly series of the Consumer Price Index in the Italian regional capitals over the period 1970-2003. It is found that all pairwise contrasts of inflation rates have converged or are in the process of converging. Only 24% of price level contrasts appear to be converging, but a multivariate test provides strong evidence of overall convergence.
Ultrastructure of the spore in four Japanese species of Ptychomitrium Fürnr. (Musci)

The ultrastructure of the mature spore in four Japanese species of the acrocarpous moss genus Ptychomitrium is presented. In all species the spores have a similar pattern: there is no recognisable aperture nor sporoderm polarity, exine and perine are poorly developed, cytoplasm only occasionally shows polarity, and plastids have a well developed inner membrane system. The presence of frequent intine protrusions is a remarkable feature of this genus. A multilaminar structure of the exine, already observed in Grimmia, occurs also in these species although here it is less pronounced. The significance of these features is discussed within these species, as well as in comparison to other taxa, especially the genus Grimmia.
Financial Returns to Firms’ Communication Actions on Firm-Initiated Social Media: Evidence from Facebook Business Pages

Despite the increasing attention paid to the business value of social media, it is still not clear how they affect firm performance. This study theorizes and empirically examines how firms’ social media efforts — in terms of intensity, richness, and responsiveness — influence consumer behavior (engagement and attention) and firm performance. Using detailed data collected from the Facebook pages of 63 firms over the 2010-2012 period, we find that the richness and responsiveness of a firm’s social media efforts are significantly associated with the firm’s market performance, captured by abnormal returns and Tobin’s q. Interestingly, the intensity of a firm’s social media efforts is not significantly associated with firm performance. We also find that not only do consumer engagement and attention directly impact firm performance, but they also mediate the relationship between a firm’s social media efforts and firm performance. Unlike prior studies that examine the impact of third-party or consumer-initiated social media, such as blogs and consumer ratings, our study focuses on estimating financial returns to firms’ own efforts on firm-initiated social media, thereby assessing the business value of social media directly.
Pharmacological and Electrophysiological Properties of Recombinant GABAA Receptors Comprising the α3, β1 and γ2 Subunits

To assess the role of subunits for channel function and drug modulation in recombinant GABAA receptors, the α3β1γ2 subunits and the dual combinations α3β1, β1γ2 and α3γ2 were expressed by transfection of human embryonic kidney cells and by RNA injection in Xenopus oocytes (α3β1γ2 combination). GABA‐induced chloride currents were recorded using the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique (transfected cells) or the voltage‐clamp technique (oocytes). The currents recorded from the α3β1Γ2 subunit combination in transfected cells were reduced by bicuculline and picrotoxin, enhanced by flunitrazepam in a flumazenil‐sensitive manner and reduced by β‐carboline‐3‐carboxylic acid methyl ester (β‐CCM). The GABA‐induced current was reduced by β‐CCM in all combinations containing the γ2 subunit, but potentiation by flunitrazepam was only obtained when the 72 subunit was coexpressed in the presence of the α3 subunit (α3β1γ2 or α3γ2). The GABA sensitivities of the receptors were similar when the α3β1γ2 combination was expressed in oocytes (half‐maximum effective concentration = 240 μM) or in the kidney cell line (270 μM). However, the currents were less potentiated by flunitrazepam in oocytes (129% of controls) than in transfected cells (189%). These results suggest that the α3β1γ2 subunit combination, which is coexpressed in various brain regions as shown by in situ hybridization histochemistry, may represent a building block of functional GABAA receptors in situ.
Influence of tannic acid and Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis on larval survival, growth, and development of Helicoverpa armigera

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) causes huge economic losses in cotton production around the world. Tannin, one of the important secondary substances in cotton plants, can increase the δ‐endotoxin activity of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki. The mechanism of interaction between tannin and Bt toxin on H. armigera is unclear. We investigated the interaction between tannic acid and Cry1Ac toxin in H. armigera, and monitored survival, growth, and development during the larval period after treating the larvae with four concentrations of Cry1Ac toxin (0, 2, 8, and 14 μg−1) alone or in combination with four concentrations of tannic acid (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg g−1). Mortality of larvae treated with both tannic acid and Cry1Ac was higher than the mortality of larvae treated with tannic acid or Cry1Ac alone. Mortality was 47.5 and 51.5% in larvae treated with 14 μg g−1 Cry1Ac alone or 2 mg g−1 tannic acid alone, respectively. In contrast, larval mortality was 75% when treated with the mixture of 14 μg g−1 Cry1Ac and 2 mg g−1 tannic acid, suggesting that a mixture of the two enhanced the effectiveness of each one alone. The developmental time of larvae treated with the combination of tannic acid and Cry1Ac was significantly longer than when they were treated with Cry1Ac or tannic acid alone. Larval weight, pupal weight, and pupation rate were also significantly reduced in larvae treated with both toxins, compared with the larvae treated with either toxin alone. These results showed that the interactive effect of tannic acid and Cry1Ac on larval growth inhibition is additive, and that tannic acid improves Cry1Ac toxicity to insects. Tannic acid used in combination with B. thuringiensis might potentially reduce overall insecticide use, thus delaying development of insecticide resistance.
How Sustainability Contributes to Shared Value Creation and Firms’ Value

The corporate sustainable reporting practices are recognized as a method of disclosure of information about social, performance, environmental and economic of the governance by the corporate sector. This study finding is indicating that corporate sustainability reporting is accepted as the most appropriate subject in present financial and economic systems. This report's findings are also indicating that sustainability practices in the firm improve the financial growth and decision making in respect of the cost of capital, capital budgeting, investment returns and working capital management. However, there are some risks associated with sustainability reporting that can be decreased through the implementation of risk mitigation and management practices. Both Western and Islamic financing systems are working towards sustainable projects in form of short term green loans, community micro-financing projects, renewable energy programs, and others. Also, the bankruptcy element can be decreased through proper implementation of low-risk sustainability financing models in the company which will cause more investor interest and financial returns.
Genetic structure of Apis mellifera macedonica in the Balkan Peninsula based on microsatellite DNA polymorphism

Summary The genetic variability of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from south eastern Europe was investigated using microsatellite analyses of 107 samples from Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria together with 42 reference samples (Apis mellifera carnica) from Slovenia. Genetic structure and spatial analyses of the microsatellite data showed a clear distinction between the Slovenian bees and all other populations, and confirmed the existence of Apis mellifera macedonica as an indigenous honey bee population in the regions that were sampled. In most areas however, varying degrees of introgression with A. m. carnica alleles could be observed, probably as a consequence of propagating imported queens. Within A. m. macedonica, a certain degree of subdivision between the honey bee populations from Bulgaria and the other regions was detected, confirming earlier reports of variation within this subspecies.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction data of the rat histone H10 globular domain

The linker histones H1 are a family of lysine-rich proteins that associate with the stretch of DNA that enters and exits the nucleosome. The linker histones facilitate the compaction and condensation of chromatin. The globular domain of histone H1(0), a specific subtype of histone H1, was crystallized at 288 K using the microbatch under silicone oil method with potassium phosphate as a precipitating agent. Diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 1.98 A. The crystal belongs to the trigonal space group P3(1)21, with unit-cell parameters a = 54.13, b = 54.13, c = 71.99 A, and contains one molecule per asymmetric unit. The V(M) value and solvent content were calculated to be 3.04 A3 Da(-1) and 59.6%, respectively.
Pakistan-China Regional Trade Potentials in the Light of CPEC

The CPEC, designed to link Pakistan and China through rail and road network including the tunnel, will provide a new era of prosperity in the region. The CPEC will supplement the benefits of both of the nations and side by side provides a new way for regional development benefitting all neighbouring countries coming into the web. Most probably, it will ensure a new dimension to local trade that predicts transportation infrastructure, industrial production units, decreased transportation costs, reduction in inventory cost and improved delivery time. The CPEC will also strengthen the market potential for Pakistan’s exports to China in the field of agricultural products, textile, and minerals. It will further enhance the tourism flow to the Northern regions of the country. Moving ahead, the empirical findings of the study also suggest that various development strategies are emerging in the CPEC context for policymakers to optimize the logistics, transportation, trade decisions.
Market Response to Syndicated Loan Announcements During the Global Financial Crisis: Failed vs. Acquiring Banks

We evaluate and compare market reaction to syndicated loan announcements for two sets of high-profile banks, consisting of five banks that failed in 2008 during the financial crisis and the five banks that ultimately acquired them. Results show that loan announcements are viewed differently for the two sets of banks when partitioned on loan type, loan purpose and information asymmetry. In addition to event study analysis we analyze differences in loan attributes and borrower risk characteristics for the two groups. Additional evidence on the impact of the financial crisis is shown by comparing loan announcements for the acquiring banks during pre- versus post-crisis periods. Our findings highlight the importance of the role of the syndicate in supporting the borrowers of failed banks and the timeliness with which the government encouraged the mergers or sale.
Can Board Members with Foreign Experience Help to Deliver Financial Reports?

We test whether diversity on corporate boards helps to increase the quality of financial reporting. In particular, we focus on members with foreign experience (EFE) sitting on boards and audit committees (ACs), and study how their presence as directors or members of AC enhances the timeliness of financial reporting. The results show that EFEs can effectively improve board's efficiency and result in increased timeliness of reporting. Our findings, therefore, support the theoretical assumptions of selective adaptation theory by showing that companies translate an alien concept to local conditions and welcome the benefit of having an EFE on board. This study makes its core contribution by empirically showing that an EFE on boards and AC have implications for financial reporting quality. The results may be potentially helpful for supervisory bodies as well as regulators as they provide an insight on how the presence of EFEs influences financial reporting timeliness.
New Technologies and Purchase Behaviour. An Analysis of the Determinant Variables in M-Shopping.

Despite of the growing importance of mobile shopping in a lot of countries, there is still a lack of research work in this field. This paper aims to make an approximation of the M-shopper profile and identify the variables influencing purchase behaviour. Findings obtained from a representative sample of 2,343 Spanish Internet users show that the M-shopping decision can be predicted according to consumer age and experience as Internet user and shopper.
Young Consumer’s Irrational Motives of Retail Borrowing

The purpose of the research is to investigate young customers’ irrational motives for retail borrowing. In addition, the intention to retail borrowing has also been examined. A convenience sampling method was employed. Self-administered and online survey questionnaires were distributed among 236 university students in Western Australia. The return yielded 171 usable questionnaires, the data from which were analyzed using SPSS 22. The findings support the influence of anomia, thrill-seeking, and status consumption on the attitude toward retail borrowing. In addition, a strong positive relationship between attitude toward retail borrowing and retail borrowing intention has been found. Previous studies have mainly focused on the rational motives of retail borrowing in the UK and USA. This study incorporates the irrational motives into the construct from Australian perspective.
Does one community shape the other? Dragonflies and fish in Swedish lakes

Abstract. 1. Freshwater communities are often structured by predation. In permanent lentic freshwater habitats dragonfly larvae are major predators which, in return, suffer predation by fish. Antipredator traits vary between the dragonfly species, and the dragonfly communities are therefore shaped by the presence of fish. But fish communities vary, and as different fish species affect dragonflies in different ways, the species composition of the fish community may affect the composition of the dragonfly community.
Investment, Tobin’s Q, and Cash Flow Across Time and Frequencies

The investment literature has long acknowledged the time- and frequency-varying dynamics of the relationship between investment, Tobin's Q and cash flow. In this paper, we use continuous wavelet tools to estimate and assess the relationship between these variables simultaneously at different frequencies and over time. We find that i) Q and cash flow are complementary sources of information for investment, the former being more important for firms' investment decisions in the medium-to-long run and the latter at business cycles frequencies; and ii) investment-Q sensitivity declines over time at all frequencies, while investment-cash flow sensitivity declines at business cycles frequencies but remains largely stable over the medium-to-long run.
The biodiversity of microorganisms and invertebrates: its role in sustainable agriculture.

It is only recently that the implications of declining biodiversity for sustainable agricultural production and environmental protection have been recognized. However, while justifiable concern is expressed at the need to conserve and prevent from extinction the larger flora and fauna of the world, the importance of micro-organisms and invertebrates in the stable functioning of ecosystems has attracted less overt attention. Nevertheless, this subject is now recognized as of major significance for a number of issues, such as maintenance of soil fertility and provision of natural enemies for the biological control of pests and pathogens. This book addresses a number of these key issues and is based on a workshop organized by CAB International in association with the Commission on the Application of Science to Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture (CASAFA) of the International Council of Scientific Unions, the Commonwealth Science Council, and the Third World Academy of Sciences. Four main subject areas are covered: the importance of invertebrates and micro-organisms as components of biodiversity; the importance of biodiversity in sustaining soil productivity; the importance of biodiversity to pest occurrence and management; and biotechnology and biodiversity among invertebrates and micro-organisms.
The activities of afferent lateral line nerves induced by swimming motions

供試魚にコイを用い，体幹部側線のダイポール刺激に対する振動数応答特性および，魚体運動にともなう自己刺激に対する側線神経の活動変化を明らかにした。 体幹部側線を支配する後側線神経は 10～300 Hz の振動刺激に対して応答したが，概ね 200 Hz 以下の振動数に対して高感度を示した。 魚体運動は側線刺激となり，左右いずれへの体幹部の屈曲ともに両側の側線を刺激した。 運動時の側線神経活動は運動の速度と加速度に比例して大きくなった。
Economic Policy Uncertainty and Cross-border Lending

Abstract During times of high economic policy uncertainty, domestic banks increase cross-border syndicated lending, after controlling for credit demand at the borrower country or country-industry levels, and also, bilateral relationships between banks and borrower countries. The credit migration effects are strongest for banks with diverse income, and when banks face fiercer competition, either in the domestic banking sector or from the bond market. Additionally, using elections as a source of plausibly exogenous variation, which positively affects political uncertainty, we provide causal evidence on the effect of political uncertainty on cross-border lending. In countries with exogenous election timings, banks increase cross-border lending during the election period, especially when elections are closely fought. Compared to the extant literature, which extensively documents the negative effect of uncertainty on real investment, our findings show that uncertainty affects investments in financial assets differently.