Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food and Feeding Habits of the Mudskipper, Boleophthalmus boddarti (Pallas, 1770) from Pichavaram Mangroves, Southeast Coast of India

The mudskipper, Boleophthalmus boddarti (Pallas) (Order Perciformes: Family Gobiidae) are found distributed along the mudflats of estuary and mangroves where they construct burrows. Being amphibious and locomotive in nature, mudskippers feed very actively in the mudflats during low tide. A total of 156 fishes (juveniles, males and females) were randomly caught using cast net and hand nets and they were immediately preserved in formalin. In the present study, the food and feeding habits and feeding intensities of the mudskipper, B. boddarti from the Pichavaram mangroves were determined following points and volumetric methods. The results revealed that diatoms formed the major food item in the gut of B. boddarti and found around 55% of its diet throughout the year. Nematodes, polychaetes, algae and fish eggs were also found constituting lower percentage during the study period. Detritus and mud/sand particles were present in moderate percentages in all the seasons. Active feeding was noticed during January (post monsoon to May (summer) but it was below 50% during June (summer) to September (premonsoon), whereas during October and monsoon the feeding intensities were found very low. The poor feeding may be due to flood in the mudflats during monsoon season.
SEED DISPERSAL BY MOTOR VEHICLES

developed up to the road edge. In what follows the results are described of testing samples of mud from the undersurfaces of seventy-five vehicles at University College, Ibadan, for the presence of viable seed. Two experiments were undertaken, one with forty-three samples collected in the middle of the rainy season in June 1957, the other with thirty-two samples taken 6 months later at the beginning of the dry season in early December. Shortly after collection the mud to be tested was placed on river sand in eightinch pots kept in a glasshouse. With the first experiment from each sample enough dry mud to fill a 100 cc beaker was placed on washed river sand, whilst in the second experiment 50 g of dried mud were placed on steam-sterilized sand. The standardization of the weight of mud tested and the use of sterilized instead of washed sand in the second experiment were measures designed to increase the precision of the experiment. Control pots containing sand only were included in each experiment to determine whether germinable seeds were present in the sand and to detect whether seeds were blowing into the pots during the course of the experiments.
Phenolic compounds in seedlings of Betula pubescens and B. pendula are affected by enhanced UVB radiation and different nitrogen regimens during early ontogeny

We studied the ability of tree seedlings to respond to two environmental factors, elevated ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and availability of nitrogen (N), at the beginning of their development. Seeds of two birch species, Betula pubescens Ehrh. (common white birch) and B. pendula Roth (silver birch), were germinated and the seedlings grown in an experimental field in eastern Finland. The experimental design consisted of a constant 50% increase in UVB radiation (including a slight increase in UVA), a UVA control (a slight increase in UVA) and a control. The seedlings were fertilized with three levels of N. The experiment lasted for 2 months; aboveground biomass was measured and the most mature leaf of each seedling was taken for the analyses of phenolics. Growth of the seedlings was not significantly affected by enhanced UVB, but was increased by increasing N. Elevated UVB induced significant changes in phenolic compounds. Quercetin glycosides were accumulated in the leaves of both species in response to UVB; this is considered to be a protective response. However, the direction of the responses of individual phenolics to different N regimens differed. In addition, concentration of soluble condensed tannins was lower at moderate N than that at lower levels of N in both species; on the contrary, in B. pubescens the concentration of insoluble condensed tannins was highest at moderate N. No significant interaction between UV and N was detected, and the responses of the two species were highly similar to UVB, while the responses to N regimens varied slightly more between species.
S-phase, apoptosis and peroxisome proliferation in avian hepatocyte cultures following exposure to the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D

Phenoxyherbicides induce peroxisome proliferation, as do other structurally related or unrelated chemicals which were found to be nongenotoxic carcinogens in rodents. The widespread use of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) raised concerns over the potential to produce cancer, yet results from epidemiological and experimental studies do not provide definitive evidence that 2,4-D is carcinogenic. The objective of the present study was to verify whether 2,4-D might interfere with cell growth similar to other peroxisome proliferators using cultured avian hepatocytes. Primary hepatocyte cultures from 18-day-old chick embryos were exposed to 2,4-D for up to 72 h followed by an assessment of replicative DNA synthesis and apoptosis. Further, peroxisome proliferation was evaluated. Results showed that 2,4-D stimulated DNA synthesis and suppressed spontaneous apoptosis, while the effects on peroxisome proliferation were less evident.
Accuracy of Verdicts under Different Jury Sizes and Voting Rules

Juries are a fundamental element of the criminal justice system. In this article, we model jury decision making as a function of two institutional variables: jury size and voting requirement. We expose the critical interdependence of these two elements in minimizing the probabilities of wrongful convictions, of wrongful acquittals, and of hung juries. We find that the use of either large nonunanimous juries or small unanimous juries offers alternative ways to maximize the accuracy of verdicts while preserving the functionality of juries. Our framework, which lends support to the elimination of the unanimity requirement in the presence of large juries, helps appraise US Supreme Court decisions and state legal reforms that have transformed the structure of American juries.
Discourse Elements in English Academic Discourse

This paper presents a study of discourse elements in spoken academic discourse – a lecture – and identifies their specificities. The study seeks to identify discourse elements in a wide body of research material; to study structural, functional and pragmatic features of discourse elements in terms of the implementation of the intentions of the speaker; to identify from the auditory analysis any prosodic features of discourse elements. Discourse elements are specifically defined from the point of view of their pragmatics: the intention of the speaker influences the language of the lecture and the way in which ideas are connected with words. The study on discourse elements included several stages. Research material consisted of audio recordings of Philology lectures to students studying English as a foreign language by three native speakers of English (General American standard of pronunciation), all of whom are professors at American colleges and universities. In total, 6 lectures were recorded; they formed a wide body of research material lasting 7 hours 33 minutes. This wide body of research material consisted of 2 306 linguistic facts, i.e. discourse elements in context. From these, 150 fragments containing various discourse elements were then chosen to form a narrow body of research material lasting 40 minutes. The phonetic research consisted of auditory analysis: dividing the fragments of discourses into syntagms; defining the boundaries of syntagms; specifying pitch movement, tone level and type of scale; using perceptual gradations of each prosodic feature, etc. Prosodic marking was carried out in accordance with the method of notation adopted at the Department of English Phonetics at Moscow State Teacher Training University (1997). Scaling enabled the classification and sorting of all the studied elements (discourse elements). The authors used the following types of scales: nominative, ordinal and interval. Structural analysis proved that discourse elements have different structure and may be one-word elements and predicative phrases S P incorporated into the structure of the academic discourse. All discourse elements can be divided into two large groups – connecting elements (connectors) and pragmatic elements. The results of the research show that the studied elements differ structurally and can perform various functions. The functions of the discourse elements, their structure, intentions of the speaker and also their position in the phrase determine their prosodic features.
Dynamic Linkages Between Economic Policy Uncertainty and Stock Market Interdependence: Empirical Evidence From SAARC Region

This study investigates how does economic policy uncertainty (EPU) in developed economies (US, UK, and EU) impact their stock market correlations with SAARC (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) countries. This would help to ascertain the impact of EPU on portfolio diversification benefits, which has declined in the recent financial crisis owing to high stock markets linkages. We study the time-varying pattern of stock market interdependence of SAARC with developed economies by AGDCC-GARCH model over the period of 1997 to 2015. These correlations appear time-varying and are being influenced by financial crises. The findings suggest that EPU of the developed economies have a negative impact on their stock market interdependence with Pakistan – diversification benefits available, but positive effect for stock market correlations of India-US, India-UK, Bangladesh-EU, Sri Lanka-US, and Sri Lanka-EU and have no impact in case of India-EU, Bangladesh-US, Bangladesh-UK, and Sri Lanka-UK – no diversification benefits. Further robustness tests show that the global financial crisis significantly impacts all stock market correlation pairs, except any pair with India, whereas the Asian financial crisis is significant only in case of Sri Lanka-EU. Finally, the study implies that EPU in US, UK and EU significantly impacts the stock market interdependence between SAARC and developed countries.
A Household’s Power Load Response to a Change in the Electricity Pricing Scheme: A Microeconomic-Physical Approach

Energy economists are interested in how a change in electricity prices prompt a response by way of end-user power demand. If historical prices are low and infrequently-changing, it becomes difficult to estimate price elasticities statistically, especially in the short-run. This paper extends on a previous analysis by incorporating more demand-reducing measures within a utility maximization framework for households. The framework is informed the physical equations that govern how electricity is consumed. The measures considered are:<br><br>1. independently adjusting the thermostat set-point across seasons,<br><br>2. turning off lights, and<br><br>3. switching off consumer electronics. <br><br>We have calibrated the physical component for a dwelling in Saudi Arabia. Domestic electricity tariffs in the progressive pricing structure were partially raised in 2018. In addition to those raises, the response to other electricity pricing schemes is analyzed: time-of-use and real-time prices. <br><br>We show that for a household with a low preference for electricity, the 2018 price increases do warrant adjustment in indoor temperature in the hot summer months and lower electricity use for consumer electronics. Since we adopt a dwelling in Saudi Arabia, the response measure that is most exercised is thermostat set-point adjustments. A subdued response is found for households that have adopted higher energy efficiency, or have high preference for electricity.
Workers' Incessant Nonchalant Attitudes: Implications of Dummy Authorities in Nigerian Public Parastatals

The Nigerian Civil Service is one arguably fraught with high occasions of insubordination, disregard for professionalism and nonchalance towards role expectations. Scores of previous research have investigated this phenomenon; however, it prevails with consequences most often embarrassing. This research examined the relationship between workers’incessant nonchalant attitude and the powerlessness of most first-line delegate authorities or unit heads in selected public parastatals in Rivers State, Nigeria. The concept of authority and power as regards punishment, sanctions and rewards are broadly discussed. The results from a sample of 12 departmental heads and 14 supervisors reveal a strong link between workers’ incessant nonchalant attitude and the inability of relevant first-line delegate authorities to take decisive measures or actions as espoused from the data. The implications of this finding are discussed and recommendations proffered accordingly.
Phylogeny of the Nemertodermatida (Acoelomorpha, Platyhelminthes). A cladistic analysis

The Nemertodermatida is a small group of worms, regarded as an order of the Platyhelminthes. The group is of special systematic interest because of its putative basal phylogenetic position in the Platyhelminthes. The phylogeny of the Nemertodermatida was estimated using paup 4.0 software for parsimony analysis. The analysis was based on 72 structural parsimony‐informative characters totalling 184 different character states. All eight well described species of nemertodermatids were included in the ingroup. As outgroup were chosen species of the Acoela, Catenulida, Macrostomida and Xenoturbellida. A single most parsimonious tree was obtained with 140 steps and a consistency index (CI) of 0.80. The Nemertodermatida, Ascoparidae and Nemertodermatidae are shown as monophyletic taxa in the tree. The species Nemertoderma psammicola does not group with the other members of the genus Nemertoderma, hence criteria of phylogenetic taxonomy imply that N. psammicola should be renamed. A suggested new name is Sterreria psammicola gen. n.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE AGE OF FIRST BREEDING OF THE KITTIWAKE RISSA TRIDACTYLA

SUMMARY At a Kittiwake colony in Northumberland, 80% of those birds which returned to their natal colony to breed were males and these supplied 52% of all male recruits. More females breed away from their natal colony than males. There was no differences in the proportions of young fledged from sites in the centre or at the edge of the colony, or by parents of different experience, which returned to breed. Kittiwakes breed for the first time at ages from 3 to 8 years, but most at 4 or S years old. Males arrive back at the colony at an earlier age than females and breed for the first time one year earlier. Males obtaining sites at the centre of the colony first breed at an earlier age than those at the edges. Neither the age nor the area of first breeding appear to be transmitted from parent to offspring. Males breeding first aged 4 years or younger produced more young than those which first bred aged 5 years or older, despite their partners laying smaller clutches. This difference was most marked among those males recruited to sites in the centre of the colony. The advantage of this earlier breeding is counteracted by a lower survival rate among those males which start to breed at the younger ages. In all breeding Kittiwakes, annual reproductive output increases with experience while annual survival rates decrease. Once they had started to breed, many birds failed to breed in one subsequent season. Nearly 60% of these cases of intermittent breeding occurred in the year following first breeding. Intermittent breeding was most frequent among young birds and among females. It is suggested that each breeding involves a cost to the individual in terms of reduced survival, and that deferred and intermittent breeding are means of guarding survival. A model is proposed whereby the age at which a bird starts to breed, the nesting site which it obtains, and its subsequent breeding strategy result in each individual producing an optimal number of reproducing offspring in its lifetime, relative to its quality.
Using Online Experiments for Behaviourally Informed Consumer Policy

In this paper, I discuss the merits of online experiments for behaviourally informed policy making. The online experiments we have in mind combine elements of laboratory and natural field experiments (RCTs), with a focus on external validity. These experiments are increasingly used to investigate consumer behaviour in different settings, including the testing of prospective consumer policies. After establishing that online experiments are well-suited to certain types of consumer policy research, I discuss how to design such experiments. I pay special attention to the key challenges that the policy researcher encounters when designing an experiment: recruiting and rewarding participants, structuring the experimental task and deciding whether to incorporate elements that diverge from the target field context (‘abstractions’) into the design. I also review the academic literature on experimental validity and reflect on its implications for online experiments by policy researchers. Online experiments have good prospects to become an important part of the policy research toolkit and it is likely that their use will grow in years to come. I hope this paper serves as a useful guide to the policy researcher looking to design an online experiment.
Inheritance of Major Chemical Components in Hops

Heritability for hop quality include both resins and essential oils was estimated using the intrasire regression of off spring on dam, and relatively high values were obtained, except for alpha-acids/beta-acids, β-caryophyllene and humulene/β-caryophyllene. A gap was found in the histogram for the cohumulone ratio and the result of x2-test suggested that a complete dominant gene was involved which produced high ratio. The segregation pattern of farnescene was shown to be skewed and a logarithmic transformation was necessary to calculate heritability as an additive trait. In addition to providing a genetic correlation, these results provide information to the hop breeder which can be used to design more efficient breeding programs.
Revision of the Sylvestris Group of Ectobius Stephens in Europe (Blattaria: Blattellidae)

A revision of the species of Ectobius Stephens closely related to E. sylvestris (Poda) (= Sylvestris Group) is presented. The characters defining the Sylvestris Group are discussed, and it is pointed out that the group extensively conforms with a major part of the species belonging to the genus Phyllodromica Fieber. Evidence is provided that Ectobius and Phyllodromica are paraphyletic groups. Five species are recognized, viz. E. sylvestris, E. lucidus (Hagenbach) (= fernandesi Harz), E. brunneri Seoane, E. eckerleini Harz, and E. pyrenaicus, a species described as new from the Pyrenees. The species chopardi Fernandes, currently recognized in Phyllodromica, is also treated as it shows great similarity with E. pyrenaicus sp. n.
Social Relations and R&D Networks in Oligopoly

In this paper, we study, how social relations among the firm owners, employees influence their decision to form R&amp;D collaborations with each other. We consider an oligopoly market set-up with n homogeneous firms. Each firm has a representative individual (owner/manager). We examine, how exogenously given social relations (such as friendship, trust, kinship) among the representative individuals influence the evolution of the R&amp;D collaborations network among the firms. Since firms (owners) are involved in multiple layers of interactions, we adopt a multiplex network approach to study R&amp;D network formation. Firms first decide about their levels of investment in R&amp;D collaborations which reduces the marginal costs of production and then engages in Cournot quantity competition. Firms’ decisions about R&amp;D collaboration are swayed by their given social relations which we capture by a social network (we call it trust network). We look at the structure of the Nash networks of the game, generated by the equilibrium investment strategies of the firms (we call it Nash R&amp;D network) and examine how the structures of Nash R&amp;D networks change as the structure of underlying trust network changes. We show, in the equilibrium firms do not always collaborate with trusted partners. The structure of the Nash network is such that firms collaborate either with a firm that is a trusted partner (friend) or with all the existing firms. We introduce a notion of pairwise stability in line with the definition provided by Jackson and Wolinsky (1996) and show that only a completely connected Nash R&amp;D network structure turns out to be pairwise stable. No efficient Nash R&amp;D network emerges in our framework. <br>
DAF yields a cloned marker linked to the soybean (Glycine max) supernodulation nts-1 locus

We report a further characterization of the genomic region containing the soybean supernodulation gene NTS-1. We performed a search for new markers linked to NTS-1 by combining DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF) and bulked segregant analysis (BSA). The search resulted in one cloned polymorphism (B44-456) linked in trans, 8.5cM from the locus. Southern hybridization showed duplication of the B44-456 sequence in the soybean genome. Additionally, a DNA database search revealed one Arabidopsis thaliana genomic clone from chromosome I possessing 62% homology to the B44-456 marker. A relatively low number of polymorphisms were identified by several PCR marker technologies for this soybean genomic region, providing an additional support for its highly conserved and/or duplicated organization.
Breeding and growth of Psammechinus miliaris (Gmelin)

Abstract Gonad growth, test growth, larval settling, and deposition of dark pigment zones in the test of P. miliaris from Raunefjorden, Norway, and from Oresund, Denmark, are described. Seventy-five percent of the one year old urchins from Raunefjorden have immature gonads in their first summer. Maximum numbers of young urchins occur in December–January in Raunefjorden. Growth rates of young urchins from the northern Oresund and from Raunefjorden are identical. Test growth is seasonal with decrease in growth during summer. Individuals kept in aquaria and fed on Laminaria saccharina with epizoic animals show a higher growth rate than those fed on cleaned L. saccharina, and their average test growth equalled that of the fastest growing individuals in the sea. Dark pigment is deposited in the calcareous skeleton from January to May–June.