Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating the Value of Safety with Labor Market Data: Are the Results Trustworthy?

We use a panel dataset of UK workers to look for evidence of compensating wage differentials for workplace risk. Risk data are available at the four-digit industry level or at the three-digit occupation level. We discuss various econometric problems associated with the hedonic wage approach, namely measurement error, instability of the estimates to specification changes, and endogeneity. We find that if we assume a classical measurement error, the true risk signal would be completely drowned out in our data, which would imply a severe downward bias of the OLS coefficient on risk. But this prediction is at odds with our OLS estimates of the VSL, which are large, especially for blue collar workers. Further, the coefficient on risk changes varies dramatically with the inclusion or exclusion of industry and/or occupation dummies, as well as with the addition of nonfatal risk. When we instrument for risk, which we treat as endogenous with wage, and apply 2SLS or a procedure suggested by Garen (1988), we find negative associations between risk and wages for all workers, which is against the notion of compensating wage differentials, or, for blue-collar workers, extremely large VSL figures. Finally, we exploit the panel nature of our data to apply various estimation procedures (the "within" estimator, GLS and the Hausman-Taylor procedure) that correct for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity. The coefficient on risk is usually negative and insignificant for the sample of all workers, which once again questions the notion of compensating wage differentials. For blue-collar workers we obtain reasonable VSLs, but the association between risk and wages is not statistically significant. We conclude that if compensating differentials for risk exist, measurement error, other econometric problems, and the changing nature of labor markets prevent us from observing them. We also conclude that models and techniques for panel data that account for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity seem more reliable than the techniques typically employed with cross-sectional data.
Biological Models for Monitoring Species Decline: The Construction and Use of Data Bases

We describe procedures for designing ecological surveys and analysing survey data which more accurately estimate the spatial distribution patterns of species than the opportunistic or ad hoc biological field collections generally available. Surveys should be based on an environmental stratification, and the data collected should be sufficient to enable statistical estimates of wider spatial distribution patterns to be made from the point sample sites of the survey itself. Without such ecological data bases of high quality, accurate estimates of extinction rates will remain problematical, that is, confined to single populations and geographically restricted.
A Study on Factors Affecting the Behavioral Intention to Use Mobile Apps in Malaysia

Purpose – Considering the lack of understanding of the mobile applications (mobile apps) market and low usage rates among students in Malaysia, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) was adapted to investigate the determinants of consumer behavioral intention (BI) to use mobile apps. Design/methodology/approach – The results are based on regression analysis and equation modelling by using SPSS software a total of 100 sample data was collected among student in university. Findings – All of UTAUT2 constructs (i.e. performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, habit, price value and social influence, significantly relate with BI to use mobile applications. This study also finds that knowledge hedonic motivation was reported to have the strongest influence of behavioral intention to use mobile apps. Practical implications – Mobile application developers could have better understanding on users’ needs and intention, based on the findings. Originality/value – In order to shed light on current problems, and there is a dearth in relevant studies which could resolve the issue, this paper contributes the necessary knowledge on mobile apps acceptance to developers.
EFFECTS OF 2-CHLOROETHYLPHOSPHONIC ACID ON RUNNER PLANT YIELDS AND FRUIT MATURITY OF THE STRAWBERRY

2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid (ethephon) applied at 480, 960, or 1,920 ppm to strawberry (Fragaria sp.) cult Redcoat plants increased runner plant yields from fruited plants compared with control fruited plants in two greenhouse experiments and one field trial. In one greenhouse experiment, ethephon applications of 960 and 1,920 ppm significantly increased runner plant yields from fruited plants compared with control deflowered plants and these treatments increased the percent of the total crop harvested in the first four picks an average of 44% above the control. In the field trial, runner plant yields from fruited plants receiving ethephon applied at 960 ppm were similar to those from control deflowered plants.
Competition between larvae of Ips typographus

A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to provide parameters for a simulation model for Ips typographus L. (Coleoptera, Scolytidae). This model illustrates larval competition and predicts brood survival in bolts. Brood survival depended upon larvae attaining a weight of at least 1.6 mg dry weight. The pattern of larval foraging in a bolt is hypothesized to be regulated by mutual avoidance among larvae. An analytical solution is presented for the construction of the pattern of larval paths originating from a single maternal gallery.
Jet-propelled swimming in scallops: swimming mechanics and ontogenic scaling

Scallop locomotion was investigated on the basis of an analysis of fluid forces acting on the body and the balance of the forces during swimming. A hydrodynamic model for unsteady jet propulsion was developed in which propulsion performance is characterized by three nondimensional parameters: the storage/discharge volume ratio, reduced clapping frequency, and reduced discharge frequency. Pulsed jet propulsion is designed to achieve high thrust, although not necessarily with low hydrodynamic propulsive efficiency, as was previously widely considered. Swimming in scallops is realized by orientating the body at a certain angle of attack and maintaining a minimum swimming speed to prevent sinking. The working frequency of the locomotor system is determined and adjusted by the swimming strategy (angle of attack, swimming speed, and trajectory angle). For Placopecten magellanicus, the optimum angle of attack is about 6° – 12°, at which swimming requires the lowest energy input (lowest frequency) and hydrodynami.
Estimating Import Demand Function in Developing Countries: A Structural Econometric Approach with Applications to India and Sri Lanka

Due to the unavailability of time series data on domestic market clearing price of imports, the estimation of notional price and income elasticities of aggregate import demand remains a daunting task for a large number of developing countries. This paper develops a structural econometric model of a two goods representative agent economy that incorporates a binding foreign exchange constraint at the administered prices of imports. A theoretically consistent parameterization of the virtual relative price of imports circumvents the data problem, and thus enables the estimation of income and price responses by cointegration approach. The price and income elasticity estimates for India and Sri Lanka, in contrast to the extant literature, have correct signs, high statistical significance, and plausible magnitudes.
The ecodiver index in the evaluation of habitats: a complementary methodology for forest inventory in the elaboration of technical plans and ordinance of land, environmental planning and administration of natural resources

Abstract The evaluation of habitats can be carried out from a number of different points of view (biological diversity, ecological value, economic evaluation, etc.) and with the use of different techniques. Here we propose and discuss a theoretical methodology for a global index of vegetation, that weighs the value of biological aspects, of conservation and of the benefits for human use. The «ecodiver» index is thought off as a global index that incorporates the most valued approaches contained in previous studies. This index is an arithmetic mean of other more specific or more intuitive indexes. The aspects considered by this proposal include endemicity (E), the degree of conservation (CO), primary ecological diversity (DIVE) and natural resources of vegetation (R).
Does Good Luck Make People Overconfident? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in the Stock Market

This paper examines the changes in households’ trading behavior after winning an IPO allotment in China—a purely luck-driven event. We find that these households subsequently become overconfident: they trade more frequently and lose more money relative to other households. This effect is stronger when households are inexperienced and when households’ pre-existing level of overconfidence is low. Our findings are not explained by wealth effects or house money effects. Overall, our evidence indicates that the experience of good luck makes people overconfident about their prospects.
Higher Order Comoments and Dependence Structure of Equity Portfolio

We study a relation between higher order comoments and dependence structure of equity portfolio in the US and UK by relying on a simple portfolio approach where equity portfolios are sorted on the higher order comoments. We find that beta and coskewness are positively related with a copula correlation, whereas cokurtosis is negatively related with it. We also find that beta positively associates with an asymmetric tail dependence whilst coskewness negatively associates with it. Furthermore, two extreme equity portfolios sorted on the higher order comments are closely correlated and their dependence structure is strongly time-varying and nonlinear. Backtesting results of value-at-risk and expected shortfall demonstrate the importance of modeling a dynamic and asymmetric dependence in the risk management.
Recent evolution of population structure in Australian barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch): An example of isolation by distance in one dimension

New and previously published genetic data from 6000 barramundi comprising 50 collections across tropical Australia were analysed for evidence of population subdivision. Sixteen discrete populations were identified, including four populations that were identified from new collections. Duplicate collections from two localities were statistically homogeneous after seven years between collections. Environmental and genetic factors that yielded the observed genetic pattern were investigated. Geological evidence of sea-level changes, when compared with bathymetry data for the region, reveals that barramundi must have recently recolonized many of the coastal estuaries of tropical Australia. This recolonization resulted from the inundation of the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait by a rapid rise in sea level of at least 130 m between 18 000 and 6000 years ago. The genetic data clearly indicate that, as the population spread into new habitats, there was a corresponding decrease in genetic diversity. This observed decrease has been maintained despite continued migration between populations. The 'onedimensional stepping stone' migration model, which most closely fits the observed population structure, predicts that the observed level of population subdivision (FST = 0.064) is maintained against substantial gene flow between adjacent populations. This contrasts with the predictions of the often-used 'island model' which gives estimates of Nem at least two orders of magnitude lower than those from the onedimensional stepping-stone model.
Platform Choice in Online Peer-to-Peer Lending Markets: A Joint Structural Model

Online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a two-sided market that enables direct interactions between borrowers and investors. The network effects that arise in P2P lending markets can make the decision-making process of both participant groups interdependent. However, extant research on P2P lending primarily focuses on decisions of one specific participant group without considering the interactive behaviors from the other side of the market. We attempt to fill this gap by developing a utility-based structural model that simultaneously governs both borrowers’ and investors’ platform choice decisions. Our results show that a platform’s short-term liquidity, cross-network effect (CNE), and direct-network effect (DNE) are the top three factors that positively drive investors’ platform choice. In contrast, a platform’s background, tenure, membership fee, long-term debt risk, and the average loan duration have a negative effect on their participation decision. On the borrower side, we find that a platform’s short-term liquidity, tenure, CNE, and DNE are the top four factors that attract their platform selection, while a platform’s background and membership fee will reduce their utility of choosing the platform. Overall, borrowers play a more important role than investors in the growth of a P2P lending platform. The counterfactual analyses suggest that a handful of interventions can be implemented to influence both investors’ and borrowers’ platform choice. The new information-transparency regulations issued in China are estimated to save investors more than $1.36 million. Our findings offer important managerial implications for platform managers and policy makers in the P2P lending market.
A cladistic analysis of Trombidiidae (Acari: Parasitengona): congruence of larval and adult character sets

Two morphological data sets for eight trombidioid genera (Acari: Parasitengona) were analyzed separately and in combination using cladistic methods. One data set comprised 15 adult morphological characters, whereas the other comprised 29 larval morphological characters. Analyzed separately, the data on adults produced five equally parsimonious trees and the data on larvae produced three equally parsimonious trees. Analyses of both data sets revealed two distinct clades in Trombidiidae: clade A (Podothrombium, Pollicotrombium, Paratrombium, and Trombidium) and clade B (Dinothrombium, Clinotrombium, and Allothrombium). However, the within-clade generic relationships were resolved by data from larvae only in clade A and by data from adults only in clade B. Analysis of the combined data produced a single most parsimonious tree, with both clade A (Podothrombium (Pollicotrombium (Paratrombium, Trombidium))) and clade B (Dinothrombium (Clinotrombium, Allothrombium)) completely resolved. Thus, data on larvae and .
Healthcare in Italy: Expenditure Determinants and Regional Differentials

The aim of this work is to identify the determinants of health spending differentials among Italian regions, which could highlight the existence of potential margins for savings. The analysis exploits a dataset for the panel of the 21 Italian regions starting in the early 1990s and ending in 2006. After having controlled for standard healthcare demand indicators, spending differentials appear to be associated with differences in the degree of appropriateness of the treatments, supply structure and social capital indicators. These results suggest that savings could be achieved without reducing the amount of services supplied to citizens. This is particularly important in view of the expected rise in health spending associated with the forecast demographic developments.
Option Pricing with Economic Regime Shifts

Assuming that one-period logarithmic returns of the underlying asset follow a hidden Markov process, we develop a valuation model for European call options. Unlike existing option pricing models, our pricing mechanism relies on the optimal non exponential-affine stochastic discount factor characterized with economic strength. Monthly S\&amp;P 500 index options for the period, January 2014 to October 2018, are used for model validation. It is found that risk/return profiles under the optimal risk neutral probability measure associated with a non exponential-affine stochastic discount factor are drastically different across the regimes of economic strength. We use both the absolute pricing error and the model-implied volatility criteria to examine model performance. In comparison with alternative models, empirically evidenced unbalanced pricing errors for deeply in-the-money and deeply out-of-the-money options are substantially reduced.
Molecular Characterization of the Rice Pathogenesis-related Protein, OsPR-4b, and Its Antifungal Activity Against Rhizoctonia solani

We cloned and identified a new rice pathogenesis-related (PR)-4 gene, OsPR-4b. OsPR-4b encodes a 151 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 16.47 kDa and pI of 4.42. The putative OsPR-4b shows high similarity to PR-4 type proteins from various plant species and belongs to the Barwin family. Like other PR-4s from monocot plants, OsPR-4b contains a conserved Barwin domain and has a signal peptide at its N-terminus. Recombinant OsPR-4b protein expressed in Escherichia coli showed antifungal activity in vitro against the sheath blight fungus, Rhizoctonia solani. The results suggest that the OsPR-4b may play a role in the disease resistance responses of rice against pathogen attacks through its antifungal activity.
Mean Field BSDEs and Global Dynamic Risk Measures

We study Mean-field BSDEs with jumps and a generalized mean-field operator that can capture higher order interactions such as those occurring on an inhomogeneous random graph. We provide comparison and strict comparison results. Based on these, we interpret the BSDE solution as a global dynamic risk measure that can account for the intensity of system interactions and therefore incorporate systemic risk. Using Fenchel-Legendre transforms, we establish a dual representation for the risk measure, and in particular we exhibit its dependence on the mean-field operator.
Ordered Search

Almost all of the literature on search markets is based on the assumption that search is random. However, in real life, consumer search is hardly ever random. This paper presents an ordered search model that, in contrast to random search models, yields intuitively appealing equilibria in which there is price dispersion; prices decline in the order of search; the equilibrium price distribution depends on the distribution of search costs; and consumers with lower search costs search longer and obtain better deals. The welfare implications and feasibility of different search technologies are discussed, and it is shown how a search order can arise endogenously in a positioning game played by firms.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson, Araceae

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is an herbaceous perennial tuber crop distributed widely in many Asian countries. We isolated 19 polymorphic loci from A. paeoniifolius using a dual-suppression-PCR technique. These loci provide microsatellite markers with high polymorphism ranging from three to 24 alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.521 to 0.854 and from 0.766 to 0.930, respectively. This high allelic diversity indicates that our markers are suitable for a population study in A. paeoniifolius.
Slippage in the Conservation Reserve Program or Spurious Correlation? A Comment

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) pays farmers about $2 billion per year to retire cropland under ten&#8208; to fifteen&#8208;year contracts. Recent research by Wu found that slippage&#8212;an unintended stimulus of new plantings&#8212;offsets some of CRP's environmental benefits. Wu does not account for the endogeneity of CRP enrollments. Furthermore, the data used by Wu cannot be used to estimate slippage arising from a price feedback effect. We replicate Wu's findings, demonstrate the possible presence of spurious correlation, and construct new estimates with corrections for endogeneity and other econometric problems. We find no convincing evidence of slippage.
The influence of rainfall on zebra population dynamics: implications for management

Summary 1. Where wildlife is not formally protected in Africa, abundant species are often consumptively managed, for benefit, control, or both. Such management should preferably be based on some understanding of the ecological processes regulating populations, the extent to which wildlife conflicts with livestock, and the rates at which wildlife can be harvested on a sustainable basis. 2. We report the results of a simulation modelling analysis of the dynamics of a plains zebra population in Laikipia District, Kenya. This largely unfenced, non-protected area of 9666 km 2 is comprised of privately, publicly, and communally owned properties supporting livestock and wildlife. We examined the influence of rainfall on zebra abundance, and evaluated the sustainability of alternative harvesting regimes. 3. The model was stage- and sex-structured, corresponding with age/sex classes recognizable in the field. Vital rates and age at first reproduction were adjusted annually using two alternative approaches, both involving annual re-calculation of carrying capacity as a function of rainfall. The first adjustment factor was simply a function of carrying capacity ‐ a solely ‘Rainfall-Dependent’ (RD) mechanism. The second adjustment factor was proportional to the ratio of carrying capacity to population size ‐ a RainfallMediated Density-Dependent (RMDD) mechanism. 4. Both versions of the model reconstructed known zebra dynamics over the last 16 years within the precision afforded by sample counting. However, RMDD gave a better fit, yielded parameter settings that were meaningful ecologically, and better predicted the impact of a severe drought than did RD. We infer that rainfall strongly influences the abundance of Laikipia’s zebras by a mechanism involving adjustments in the strength of density dependence. 5. Simulations using RMDD suggested that previously allocated annual harvest quotas in Laikipia (up to 15%) might not have been sustainable, but a 6% annual harvest would be a sustainable harvest. 6. Synthesis and applications : The model captures a fundamental feature of the mechanism by which rainfall limits large-bodied savanna ungulates: populations typically decline faster during dry phases than they can increase during wet phases. As a result, the greater the variation in annual rainfall, the greater the proportion of time the population spends below carrying capacity. The model has been adopted as the basis for zebra management in Laikipia. To our knowledge, this is the first population-specific model to be used to guide the consumptive management of a wild ungulate in Kenya.