Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PCR-RAPD and PCR-RFLP polymorphisms detected in Anopheles cruzii (Diptera, Culicidae)

The aim of the present study was to examine genetic variability in populations of An. cruzii by employing PCR-RAPD and PCR-RFLP markers. All analyses were carried out using individuals of the F1 generation of wild caught females obtained in Santa Catarina State (Florianopolis and Sao Francisco do Sul), Parana State (Morretes, Paranagua and Guaratuba) and Sao Paulo State (Cananeia). In the PCR-RAPD experiments, seven primers were used for comparisons within and among populations. The restriction profile of the ITS2 including a fragment of both 5.8S and 28S regions of the rDNA was obtained with the enzymes BstUI, HaeIII, TaqI, HhaI, Sau96I, HinfI, HincII and NruI. The PCR-RAPD method detected a large number of polymorphic bands. Genetic distance among populations of An. cruzii varied from 0,0214 to 0,0673, suggesting that all individuals used in the analyses belong to a single species. The number of migrants per generation (Nm) was 4.3, showing the existence of gene flow among populations. The restriction profile of the ITS2, 5.8S and 28S gene regions was similar in all An. cruzii samples, whereas the results obtained by using HhaI and NruI are indicative that the individuals analyzed have nucleotide sequences distinct from those of An. cruzii samples from Peruibe and Juquiazinho deposited in GenBank.
Un Análisis Econométrico De La Demanda De Turismo En México (An Econometric Analysis of the Demand for Tourism in Mexico)

<b>Spanish Abstract:</b> Este trabajo tiene como finalidad determinar los factores que afectan la demanda turística de México en el mercado de Estados Unidos. Los resultados del ejercicio econométrico demuestran que el principal factor que afecta la demanda de turismo en México son los precios de los países destinos. De igual manera, se pudo comprobar que la variable demanda de turismo de residentes de Estados Unidos a México tiene ciclo común significativo con la variable de riqueza relativa, lo que explica que en el corto plazo la riqueza de los americanos es un factor determinante en la demanda de turismo a México. <b>English Abstract:</b> This paper aims to determine the factors affecting tourism demand of Mexico in the US market. The econometric results show the main factor affecting the demand for tourism in Mexico is the prices of the destinations countries. Similarly, it was found that the variable tourism demand of residents of the United States to Mexico have significant common cycle with variable relative wealth. This explains that in the short term wealth of Americans is a determining factor in the demand for tourism to Mexico.
Taxing Cash

The cash economy enables, or at least significantly simplifies, many tax evasion schemes. This is not surprising; after all, cash transactions can go unreported and therefore remain concealed from both regulators and creditors. The tax collector operates as both a creditor and a regulator, which means that cash transactions impose negative externalities on tax collection and administration. These externalities could be corrected through a relatively simple Pigovian tax that would be imposed, prior to cash-mediated transactions, every time cash was withdrawn from the financial system. Tax authorities would not collect any tax when cash would be deposited. This article argues that such a cash tax would make tax collection both easier and more accurate. If a cash tax were imposed, most of the legitimate economy would shift to non-cash exchange methods. In such a setting, cash transactions would be effectively limited to two categories: low-value transactions and transactions that benefit from the anonymity associated with cash. Transactions associated with tax evasion and other types of criminal activities likely comprise most of the latter category. Hence, because cash would comprise a relatively small portion of the formal economy's turnover, there are good reasons to believe that cash owners operating in the underground economy would be unable to roll over most of the cash-tax burden. This means that most of the cash-tax incidence would fall on those who use cash to engage in tax evasion or other forms of unreported behaviors. Such a cash tax would therefore reduce the lack-of-tax benefit associated with cash-based tax evasion along with the inequities and inefficiencies associated with it. Furthermore, it would allow policymakers to comprehensively address the externalities associated with unreported transactions in the cash economy.
IFN‐γ Production and Degranulation are Differentially Regulated in Response to Stimulation in Murine Natural Killer Cells

Activation of natural killer (NK) cells is induced via receptors like NKG2D, NKR‐P1C and NKp46. This activation is balanced by interactions with inhibitory receptors. NK cell activation can lead to cytotoxicity mediated via polarized exocytosis of secretory lysosomes (degranulation) and interferon (IFN)‐γ production. We studied cell surface mobilization of a molecule present in secretory lysosomes, CD107a (LAMP‐1), to monitor the relationship between degranulation of NK cells and their production of IFN‐γ at the single cell level. A comparison of responses in naive mouse NK cells and NK cells pre‐activated with the type I interferon‐inducer tilorone demonstrated a dramatic influence of pre‐activation, allowing potent degranulation and IFN‐γ responses to NKG2D mediated stimulation that were not observed with naive NK cells. Degranulation and IFN‐γ production were performed by overlapping NK cell populations with generally higher frequencies of degranulating than IFN‐γ producing NK cells. An NK cell subset analysis based on expression of Mac‐1 and CD27 revealed that immature NK cells (Mac‐1loCD27hi) are preferentially degranulating, Mac‐1hiCD27hi cells perform both effector functions efficiently, while the most mature (Mac‐1hiCD27lo) NK cells display reduced degranulation but with maintained IFN‐γ production.
β-Site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 Levels Become Elevated in Neurons around Amyloid Plaques: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis

β-Site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) (β-secretase) initiates generation of β-amyloid (Aβ), which plays an early role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). BACE1 levels are increased in postmortem AD brain, suggesting BACE1 elevation promotes Aβ production and AD. Alternatively, the BACE1 increase may be an epiphenomenon of late-stage AD. To distinguish between these possibilities, we analyzed BACE1 elevation using a highly specific BACE1 antibody, BACE-Cat1, made in BACE1−/− mice, which mount a robust anti-BACE1 immune response. Previous BACE1 immunohistochemical studies lack consistent results because typical BACE1 antibodies produce nonspecific background, but BACE-Cat1 immunolabels BACE1 only. BACE1 elevation was recapitulated in two amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mouse lines. 5XFAD mice form amyloid plaques at young ages and exhibit neuron loss. In contrast, Tg2576 form plaques at a more advanced age and do not show cell death. These two mouse lines allow differentiation between early Aβ-induced events and late phenomena related to neuron death. BACE1 levels became elevated in parallel with amyloid burden in each APP transgenic, starting early in 5XFAD and late in Tg2576. The increase in BACE1 protein occurred without any change in BACE1 mRNA level, indicating a posttranscriptional mechanism. In APP transgenic and AD brains, high BACE1 levels were observed in an annulus around Aβ42-positive plaque cores and colocalized with neuronal proteins. These results demonstrate that amyloid plaques induce BACE1 in surrounding neurons at early stages of pathology before neuron death occurs. We conclude that BACE1 elevation is most likely triggered by the amyloid pathway and may drive a positive-feedback loop in AD.
Isolation of endophytic Frankia from root nodules of Casuarina equisetifolia and infectivity of the isolate to host plants

Abstract Attempts were made to isolate endophytic Frankia from the root nodules formed on Casuarina equisetifolia grown in a mixture of vermiculite and field soil obtained from the Okayama University Campus. The isolation of Frankia was performed by macerating a nodule lobe directly in a test tube containing modified Qmod medium with casamino acids and sodium pyruvate as nitrogen and carbon sources. One colony, which showed hyphal and sporangial characteristics similar to those of Frankia, appeared in a test tube after 1-month incubation. The root nodules were successfully formed on the roots of the host plants by inoculation of the isolate which was multiplied using the original Qmod medium containing yeast extract, peptone and propionate. The acetylene reduction activity (ARA) obtained was 6.29 ± 1.57 µmol C2H4 h−1 (g F.W. nod.)−1. Accordingly, we identified the isolate as an effective Frankia strain for C. equisetifolia and designated it as Ceq1. Since this strain also formed root nodules on Alnus sieboldiana and Myrica rubra, it was considered to have a wider host range than that of Frankia strains which had been previously isolated from Casuarina nodules. However, the values of the nodule fresh weight and ARA in A. sieboldiana and M. rubra were much lower than those in C. equisetifolia and only half of the plants tested were nodulated in M. rubra. This strain did not form root nodules on Elaeagnus macrophylla. Frankia vesicles, which are the specialized structures where nitrogenase is located, were not observed in the free-living culture grown in Qmod medium containing abundant nitrogen and in the nodules newly formed by inoculation of the Ceq1 strain.
Ectopic expression of oat phytochrome A in hybrid aspen changes critical daylength for growth and prevents cold acclimatization

Survival of temperate-zone tree species under the normal summer-winter cycle is dependent on proper timing of apical growth cessation and cold acclimatization. This timing is primarily based on the perception of daylength, and through evolution many tree species have developed photoperiodic ecotypes which are closely adapted to the local light conditions. The longest photoperiod inducing growth cessation, the critical photoperiod, is inherited as a quantitative character. The phytochrome pigment family is the probable receptor of daylength, but the exact role of phytochrome and the physiological basis for the different responses between photoperiodic ecotypes are not known. This report shows for the first time that over-expression of the oat phytochrome A gene (PHYA) in a tree significantly changes the critical daylength and effectively prevents cold acclimatization. While the critical daylength for elongation growth in the wild-type of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × tremuloides) was approximately 15 h, transgenic lines with a strong expression of the oat PHYA gene did not stop growing even under a photoperiod of 6 h. Quantitative analysis of gibberellins (GA) as well as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) revealed that levels of these were not down-regulated under short days in the transgenic plants expressing high levels of oat PHYA, as in the wild-type. These results indicate that photoperiodic responses in trees might be regulated by the amount of PHYA gene expressed in the plants, and that the amount of phytochrome A (phyA) affects the metabolism of GAs and IAA.
The Value of Analysts' Recommendations and the Organization of Financial Research

Brokerage houses usually organize their research activities by country or economic sector. We evaluate which research structure provides most value to investors. To do so, we study the relative information content of recommendations issued by country-specialized analysts and sector-specialized analysts. Our findings show that the former issue more valuable recommendations. The strength of country-specific commonalities and institutional factors explain at least part of the better performance of country-specialized financial analysts. Although analysts’ geographic location has been shown in the literature to be a significant determinant of earnings forecast accuracy, its relevance is more subtle when it comes to stock recommendations.
Is Ignorance Bliss? Information Avoidance and Private Provision of Public Goods

Policymakers interested in increasing private provision of public goods have been attempting to improve information availability, so as to enhance individuals’ ability to make socially responsible choices. Nevertheless, individuals are often observed to contribute to public goods without knowing much about the public-good generating process. This observation raises important questions about how to best use information as a policy tool. Using eco-labeling as a motivating example, this paper builds a theoretical model suggesting that (1) individuals may prefer to avoid information about how much their eﬀorts contribute to a public good even if the information can be acquired costlessly; (2) policymakers unaware of such behavior may achieve a suboptimal outcome—in particular, forcing information on individuals may result in suboptimal public-good provision and decreased welfare; and (3) policymakers may need new mechanisms to elicit individuals’ information preferences.
Immigration and Housing Prices in Spain

In this paper quantitatively explores the role of immigration in the evolution of housing prices in Spain and its autonomous regions for the period 1995-2007. We use estimations of an inverted model for housing demand with and without immigrant flows. The results we have obtained suggest that housing prices in Spain are overvaluated in relation to the value determined by its fundamental variables in a 14.75 percent if we exclude immigrant flows, and in a 7.37 percent if we take them into account. We can consequently conclude that the eventual correction in housing prices to which the Spanish economy is exposed would not be as intense as it has been suggested by some international organisations. For the different autonomous regions, the greater differences in the estimations of overvaluated housing prices are found in Murcia, Canary Islands, Valencian Community, Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and Balearic Islands, all of them regions particularly attractive for foreign immigrants as they offer the best employment opportunities. These regions also have a relatively high level of tourist activity and represent a favoured location by many European citizens for the acquisition of a second residence.
Woody cover in African savannas: the role of resources, fire and herbivory

Aim To determine the functional relationships between, and the relative importance of, different driver variables (mean annual precipitation, soil properties, fire and herbivory) in regulating woody plant cover across broad environmental gradients in African savannas. Location Savanna grasslands of East, West and Southern Africa. Methods The dependence of woody cover on mean annual precipitation (MAP), soil properties (texture, nitrogen mineralization potential and total phosphorus), fire regimes, and herbivory (grazer, browser + mixed feeder, and elephant biomass) was determined for 161 savanna sites across Africa using stochastic gradient boosting, a refinement of the regression tree analysis technique. Results All variables were significant predictors of woody cover, collectively explaining 71% of the variance in our data set. However, their relative importance as regulators of woody cover varied. MAP was the most important predictor, followed by fire return periods, soil characteristics and herbivory regimes. Woody cover showed a strong positive dependence on MAP between 200 and 700 mm, but no dependence on MAP above this threshold when the effects of other predictors were accounted for. Fires served to reduce woody cover below rainfall-determined levels. Woody cover showed a complex, non-linear relationship with total soil phosphorus, and was negatively correlated with clay content. There was a strong negative dependence of woody cover on soil nitrogen (N) availability, suggesting that increased N-deposition may cause shifts in savannas towards more grassy states. Elephants, mixed feeders and browsers had negative effects on woody cover. Grazers, on the other hand, depressed woody cover at low biomass, but favoured woody vegetation when their biomass exceeded a certain threshold. Main conclusions Our results indicate complex and contrasting relationships between woody cover, rainfall, soil properties and disturbance regimes in savannas, and suggest that future environmental changes such as altered precipitation regimes, N-enrichment and elevated levels of CO2 are likely to have opposing, and potentially interacting, influences on the tree–grass balance in savannas.
Recoverability

When can structural shocks be recovered from observable data? We present a necessary and sufficient condition that gives the answer for any linear model. Invertibility, which requires that shocks be recoverable from current and past data only, is sufficient but not necessary. This means that semi-structural empirical methods like structural vector autoregression analysis can be applied even to models with non-invertible shocks. We illustrate these results in the context of a simple model of consumption determination with productivity shocks and non-productivity noise shocks. In an application to postwar U.S. data, we find that non-productivity shocks account for a large majority of fluctuations in aggregate consumption over business cycle frequencies.
Modelling the carbon cycle of Miscanthus plantations: existing models and the potential for their improvement

The lignocellulosic perennial grass Miscanthus has received considerable attention as a potential bioenergy crop over the last 25 years, but few commercial plantations exist globally. This is partly due to the uncertainty associated with claims that land‐use change (LUC) to Miscanthus will result in both commercially viable yields and net increases in carbon (C) storage. To simulate what the effects may be after LUC to Miscanthus, six process‐based models have been parameterized for Miscanthus and here we review how these models operate. This review provides an overview of the key Miscanthus soil organic matter models and then highlights what measurers can do to accelerate model development. Each model (WIMOVAC, BioCro, Agro‐IBIS, DAYCENT, DNDC and ECOSSE) is capable of simulating biomass production and soil C dynamics based on specific site characteristics. Understanding the design of these models is important in model selection as well as being important for field researchers to collect the most relevant data to improve model performance. The rapid increase in models parameterized for Miscanthus is promising, but refinements and improvements are still required to ensure that model predictions are reliable and can be applied to spatial scales relevant for policy. Specific improvements, needed to ensure the models are applicable for a range of environmental conditions, come under two categories: (i) increased data generation and (ii) development of frameworks and databases to allow simulations of ranging scales. Research into nonfood bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus is relatively recent and this review highlights that there are still a number of knowledge gaps regarding Miscanthus specifically. For example, the low input requirements of Miscanthus make it particularly attractive as a bioenergy crop, but it is essential that we increase our understanding of the crop's nutrient remobilization and ability to host N‐fixing organisms to derive the most accurate simulations.
How Some Bankers Made a Million by Trading Just Two Securities?

In this paper, we study a pair trading strategy that utilizes short-term return reversals in the stock market. Using U.S. data, we show that returns to our pair trading strategy exceed reasonable estimates for transaction costs. The strategy also generates positive alpha when controlling for the standard risk factors. Second, using transaction level data from Finland, focusing on a popular pair, we provide evidence that these kinds of pair trading returns are compensation from providing liquidity. On the days when the expected returns to our pair trading strategy are the highest, the trading volume is abnormally high and, judging from active brokers’ net trades, nearly 45% of all brokers (or their customers) engage in pair trading in accordance with our trading strategy. These brokers are mainly counterparties to few brokers that trade large quantities of stocks inconsistent with our strategy.
Facts and fiction in floral morphology with special reference to the Polycarpicae. 1. A general survey

SUMMARY The possibility of an interpretation of the floral region based on the anthocorm concept is demonstrated. By assuming that the reproductive region of the primitive Piperales, Eupteleaceae, and Cercidiphyllaceae (and of some of the principal groups of the Polycarpicae) represent surviving stages of ancient anthocormoid structures or parts thereof, the change-over from an anthocorm to a ‘flower’ is shown to be the result of a number of independent and parallel evolutionary tendencies acting upon one of the three primary types of anthocormoid structures viz. unisexual ones, ambisexual ones with separate, coaxial androclads and gynoclads, and ambisexual ones with gonocladial androgyny. The two ambisexual types originated in connection with the partial switch-over from the gymnospermous condition characterised by dicliny and anemophily to forms of monocliny associated with entomophily in pre- and proto-angiospermous groups. A true ‘flower’ is always compounded of a number of coaxial gonoclads, with few exceptions variously associated with other gonoclads of the same kind, with their subtending stego-phylls, and/or with the supporting anthocorm axis (= true floral axis). Evidence from various sources is not at variance with this interpretation which implies, among other things, that in numerous taxa of the Polycarpicae the pistils or the constituents of the gynoecium traditionally called 'carpels' are derivatives of ovuliferous pteridospermous cupules. In the second part of this paper the taxonomic relationships and the floral morphology of the principal ranalean groups and of several other taxa are discussed on the basis of the anthocorm theory. In the third part a brief survey is given of the consequences of the new interpretation for the phyllo- and stachyotaxis in the reproductive region, of its connection with the ontogenetic development of floral parts, and of its meaning for the comparative topology of fertile floral organs.
The Role of Fair Value Accounting in Promoting Government Accountability

A key factor to improve the financial accountability of governments is the existence of a set of generally accepted financial reporting of standards, such as IPSAS issued by the IFAC, which seek to enhance information transparency. This paper examines the capability of fair value accounting to improve, through financial transparency, government accountability, analysing the possible effect of the implementation of this measurement basis on understandability, comparability and timeliness - three qualitative characteristics linked to the relevance of financial reporting. This paper further considers whether the difficulties involved in achieving FV estimations could affect government financial accountability. The findings indicate that FVA implementation could enhance accountability by improving understandability, comparability and timeliness in governmental financial reporting, although the use of objective measures to estimate the FV of assets is fundamental. In addition, the type of assets and the existence of an active market are crucial to improving the comparability of financial statements under FVA, whereas improving timeliness could be limited by the possibility of estimating FV measures in‐house.