Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordinating Investment, Production and Subcontracting

We value the option of subcontracting to improve financial performance and system coordination by analyzing a competitive stochastic investment game with recourse. The manufacturer and subcontractor decide separately on their capacity investment levels. Then demand uncertainty is resolved and both parties have the option to subcontract when deciding on their production and sales. We analyze and present outsourcing conditions for three contract types: (1) price-only contracts where an ex-ante transfer price is set for each unit supplied by the subcontractor; (2) incomplete contracts, where both parties negotiate over the subcontracting transfer; and (3) state-dependent price-only and incomplete contracts for which we show an equivalence result. While subcontracting with these three contract types can coordinate production decisions in the supply system, only state-dependent contracts can eliminate all decentralization costs and coordinate capacity investment decisions. The minimally sufficient price-only contract that coordinates our supply chain specifies transfer prices for a small number (6 in our model) of contingent scenarios. Our game-theoretic model allows the analysis of the role of transfer prices and of the bargaining power of buyer and supplier. We find that sometimes firms may be better off leaving some contract parameters unspecified ex-ante and agreeing to negotiate ex-post. Also, a price-focused strategy for managing subcontractors can backfire because a lower transfer price may decrease the manufacturer’s profit. Finally, as with financial options, the option value of subcontracting increases as markets are more volatile or more negatively correlated.
Direction for Future Research in eWOM: Issues of Credibility, Format and Impact

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is an important tool for getting necessary useful information about a product or service. Although the concept of eWOM has attained substantial attention from the researchers, there are certain avenues of eWOM which have not been investigated thoroughly. The goal of this study is to highlight some of such avenues of eWOM where future researchers can focus on. For this purpose, three issues of eWOM were selected which are credibility of eWOM, format of eWOM and impact of eWOM. In recent years, credibility has become one of the most important issues regarding eWOM considering the widespread practice of counterfeit or fake online opinions. Format of eWOM is another important area because studies related to eWOM mostly focused on text-based eWOM. However, eWOM can be shared in different forms like text-based, video-based, mixture of text and visual etc. Very few studies have been undertaken to look into these diverse formats of eWOM. Impact of eWOM on different outcomes is the most extensively researched topic in eWOM literature. Despite this fact, impact of eWOM on some of the marketing related outcomes have received minimum attention from researchers as well as produced contradictory findings. Discussions about all three selected aspects of eWOM in this study shows the current state of literature as well as highlight the relevant literature gaps. Finally, some prospective research areas related to eWOM are presented which can be utilized by future researchers.
MAINTENANCE ENERGY REQUIREMENT OF THE ROOSTER AND INFLUENCE OF PLANE OF NUTRITION ON METABOLIZABLE ENERGY

Arnould’s method can be applied to the adult rooster to estimate the energy maintenance requirement, although estimation of the weight gain requirement is inaccurate with this method. The average value obtained of 117 kcal metabolizable energy per kg body weight per day for maintenance requirement agrees well with previously reported estimates but is higher than values reported for the laying hen. Maintenance requirement for energy appears to be very variable, the coefficient of variation being 13% which equals that found for basal metabolism. Maintenance requirement is correlated neither with body weight nor with endogenous N excretion. It is concluded that metabolic and endogenous energy should be taken into account for correcting metabolizable energy values when food intake is close to maintenance requirement, especially with adult birds.
Fine-scale spatial variability of different stages of pelagic fish eggs over the western Agulhas Bank, South Africa

Stage-dependent spatial distributions of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, sardine Sardinops sagax and round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi eggs over the western Agulhas Bank South Africa were examined from samples collected at a fine-scale (1.8 km) resolution using a continuous underway fish egg sampler (CUFES). Spatial structure in egg distributions was assessed using variograms for three developmental stage groups (early-, middle- and late-stage eggs), and indices of aggregation were also computed for those stage groups. No early- or middle-stage anchovy eggs were collected, but indices of aggregation showed that early-stage sardine eggs were more aggregated than those of round herring, suggesting that adult sardine have a more contiguous distribution during spawning than have round herring. Middle-stage eggs were equally aggregated, whereas late-stage eggs were aggregated differently in all three species. Fitted empirical variograms showed that early-stage sardine eggs have low small-scale variability (nugget effect) (≤10% of total variance) compared with round herring eggs (≥50% of total variance). The autocorrelation range of both those species extends to 3.7 km. Middle-stage sardine eggs have a low nugget effect (≤10%) compared with round herring eggs (≤50%), with autocorrelation ranges of 7.4 km and 5.6 km respectively. Late-stage anchovy eggs have a lower nugget effect (≤20%) than that of sardine (≤50%) and round herring (≥100%) eggs, with autocorrelation ranges of 3.7 km for all three species. The spatial structures of the eggs of the three species were heterogeneous at the sampling scale used, indicating differences in spatial organisation of the adults during spawning. The spatial variability of the eggs of the three species is not well captured using the sampling strategy during current ichthyoplankton surveys in the southern Benguela, in which stations are spaced 18.5 km apart.
Resistance as Sacrifice: Towards an Ascetic Antiracism

Often described as an outcome, inequality is better understood as a social process -- a function of how institutions are structured and reproduced, and the ways people act and interact within them across time. Racialized inequality persists because it is enacted moment to moment, context to context -- and it can be ended should those who currently perpetuate it commit themselves to playing a different role instead. This essay makes three core contributions: first, it highlights a disturbing parity between the people who are most rhetorically committed to ending racialized inequality and those who are most responsible for its persistence. Next, it explores the origin of this paradox – how it is that ostensibly antiracist intentions are transmuted into ‘benevolently racist’ actions. Finally, it presents an alternative approach to mitigating racialized inequality, one which more effectively challenges the self-oriented and extractive logics undergirding systemic racism: rather than expropriating blame to others, or else adopting introspective and psychologized approaches to fundamentally social problems, those sincerely committed to antiracism can take concrete steps in the real world – actions which require no legislation or coercion of naysayers, just a willingness to personally make sacrifices for the sake of racial justice.
Single- and Cross-Generation Natural Hedging of Longevity and Financial Risk

The paper provides natural hedging strategies among death benefits and annuities written on a single and on different generations. It obtains closed-form Delta and Gamma hedges, in the presence of both longevity and interest rate risk. We present an application to UK data on survivorship and bond dynamics. We first compare longevity and financial risk exposures: Deltas and Gammas for longevity risk are greater in absolute value than the corresponding sensitivities for interest rate risk. We then calculate the optimal hedges, both within and across generations. Our results apply to both asset and asset-liability management.
Morphological diversity in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) germplasm accessions

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) is an important solanaceous vegetable in many countries of Asia and Africa. It is a good source of minerals and vitamins in the tropical diets. Assessment of genetic resources is the starting point of any crop improvement programme. In India, the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources is the nodal institute for management of germplasm resources of crop plants and holds more than 2500 accessions of brinjal in its genebank. In the present study, morphological diversity in a set of 622 accessions, comprising 543 accessions from indigenous sources and 79 accessions of exotic origin, was assessed. Wide range of variations for 31 descriptors, 13 quantitative and 18 qualitative, were recorded. The wide regional variations for plant, flower and fruit descriptors revealed enough scope for improvement of yield characters by selection. The genetic differences among the landraces are potentially relevant to breeding programmes in that the variability created through hybridization of the contrasting forms could be exploited.
Economic Transition in European Countries: Trade Reorientation and Global Reintegration

The main aims of this contribution are threefold: (1) To identify the main problems and challenges of adjustment in transition economies in post-communist Europe; (2) To assess the success with which the transition economies have been able to address those challenges through domestic restructuring and better integration into the world economy; (3) To evaluate the factors explaining their success in general.
Workers' Heterogeneity and Risk Aversion: A Segmentation Model of the Russian Labour Market

This paper proposes an explanation of the puzzling coexistence of elements of both inertia and dynamism in the Russian labor market. In an environment of high uncertainty, risk averse and heterogeneous workers face a trade-off between wages and insurance against risk. The firm proposes a contract that includes a low monetary wage and the access to social services. Workers choose to accept the contract or to leave the firm. Their choice gives rise to ex post segmentation: the most productive workers leave the firm and concentrate in the most productive firms; the less adaptive workers remain in their initial firm where they accept lower wages as a price for security. In this framework, wage arrears can be viewed as an element of the implicit contract between firms and less productive workers. We test the relevance of this model using a panel data set containing 9,233 Russian firms for 1993 to 1998 as well as a sub-sample for which we have information on firms' wage arrears. Key words: labour market, segmentation, uncertainty, implicit contracts, social assets, wage arrears, transition, Russia.
Mediator responses of alveolar macrophages and kinetics of mononuclear phagocyte subset recruitment during acute primary and secondary mycobacterial infections in the lungs of mice

Little is known about the activation programme induced in alveolar macrophages upon phagocytosis of mycobacteria and the concomitant mononuclear phagocyte migratory responses that shape the acute phase of mycobacterial infection. Using high‐speed cell sorting in conjunction with real‐time RT‐PCR analysis, we show that sorted alveolar macrophages of transgenic CX3CR1+/GFP mice infected with red fluorescent‐labelled Mycobacterium bovis BCG exhibited weak transcriptional changes of lysosomal cathepsins B, L, D, K and S, whereas antimicrobial cathepsin G was strongly induced upon infection. Moreover, mRNA levels of pattern recognition receptors TLR2, TLR4 and NOD2 were downregulated as were neutrophil chemoattractants KC, MIP‐2 and IP‐10, whereas highly upregulated mRNA levels of the monocyte chemoattractant CCL2 were observed. M. bovis BCG infection of the mice elicited the alveolar accumulation of highly CX3CR1‐positive alveolar dendritic cells but not neutrophils within the alveolar compartment, whereas no increased accumulation of CX3CR1high lung parenchymal dendritic cells (lung DC) or CX3CR1neg lung macrophages compared with controls was noted. In contrast, CX3CR1+/GFP mice previously immunized with M. bovis BCG rapidly responded with increased accumulations of both CX3CR1high alveolar and lung parenchymal DC and CX3CR1neg lung macrophages upon intratracheal M. bovis BCG challenge. Moreover, alveolar and lung macrophages and lung DC were found to contribute to early uptake of M. bovis BCG. Together, acute mycobacterial infection triggers both rapid changes in gene expression profiles in infected alveolar macrophages and a compartment‐specific accumulation of mononuclear phagocyte subsets contributing to M. bovis BCG uptake in vivo.
Adrenal Androgens and Reproductive Aging in Females

The adrenocortical secretion of androgens plays a significant role in hyperandrogenic disorders in women, although less is known of their contribution to normal reproduction in euandrogenic states. Ad­ renal secretion of androgens decreases with aging and it is possible that this drop in steroid secretion somehow affects the reproductive ability of older women. Before adrenarche the circulating levels of adrenal androgens is quite low and begin to increase at 5 to 7 years of age, reaching adult levels in early puberty. After age 25 to 30 years the circulating levels of these steroids begins to decrease in what appears to be a linear fashion. Alternatively, Cortisol circulat­ ing levels do not change significantly during this time. It is possible that the drop in adrenal an­ drogens with age reflects or contributes to the de­ crease in reproductive ability and ovulatory function noted in older women. In this article, we review the physiology of adrenal androgen secretion, and the effect of reproductive aging on plasma circulating levels, metabolism, and response to adrenocortico- tropin-(ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). We also review the available data in animal models and conclude with a discussion of the poten­ tial causes for this decrease in adrenal androgen production and its possible effects on female repro­ ductive capacity in later years.
Temperature effects on Pima cotton growth and development

(.) The objective of this experiment was to determine the growth and developmental rates of Pima cotton plants grown at different temperatures. Pima cotton was grown in 20/12, 25/17, 30/22, 35/27, and 40/32°C day/night temperature cycles in sunlit controlled-environment chambers soon after emergence to 64 d under optimum water and nutrient conditions. Plant heights and mainstem nodes were determined at weekly intervals. Mainstem elongation rates were very sensitive to temperature after about 3 wk following emergence (.)
Effects of Mowing on Anthraquinone for Deterrence of Canada Geese

Abstract Anthraquinone (AQ)-based repellents have been shown to reduce Canada goose (Branta canadensis) use of turfgrass; however, impacts of frequent mowing on efficacy of AQ have not been studied. Our objective was to determine efficacy and longevity of a rain-fast AQ-based avian repellent, FlightControl® PLUS (FCP), as a deterrent of free-ranging resident Canada geese under 2 mowing frequencies. We conducted the study at 8 sites in the Triangle region (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) of North Carolina, USA. We arranged our experiment in a randomized complete block design, with each of 8 sites containing 4 0.1-ha treatment combinations: 1) treated with FCP and mowed every 4 days (T4), 2) treated with FCP and mowed every 8 days (T8), 3) untreated and mowed every 4 days, and 4) untreated and mowed every 8 days. We conducted 4 37-day field sessions (Jun–Jul 2007, Sep–Oct 2007, Jun–Jul 2008, and Sep–Oct 2008), representing the summer molting phase and the full-plumage phase. Resident goose use (measured by daily no. of droppings) was 41–70% lower on treated plots than on untreated plots, but use was similar between T4 and T8. Average FCP coverage on grass blades decreased in coverage from approximately 95% to 10% over the 30-day posttreatment phase. Results indicate that resident Canada goose use of FCP-treated turfgrass areas was lower than untreated areas even when chemical coverage on grass was 10%. Further, mowing frequency did not have a clear impact on the efficacy of FCP as a Canada goose repellent.
In vitro and in vivo studies on the radical-scavenging activity of tea

The effects of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) of three types on excessive free radicals were examined utilizing spin trapping, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, lipid peroxidation, and lactate dehydrogenase leakage from cultured cells. Green tea extract presented significant antiradical effects in these four assay systems, whereas oolong tea and black tea extracts showed a rather weak protective effect against free radicals. A more potent scavenger effect using cultured cells was found with a green tea tannin mixture. Similarly to the effects of the green tea tannin mixture, (−)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate, its main ingredient, had an inhibitory effect on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. The activities of the antioxidation enzymes in rats after subtotal nephrectomy were increased, suggesting a protective action against oxidative stress. The increased levels of uremic toxins in the blood were also reduced in rats given (−)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate. These findings indicate that (−)-epigallocatechin.
A silent clash of paradigms : some inconsistencies in community ecology

Lack of communication between the supporters of different paradigms in community ecology has led to inconsistencies and lack of progress in certain topics. Three case studies are presented, (I) the theory of the realized and fundamental niche, (2) the methodology used to describe the realized niche and (3) the use of the Shannon-Weaver measure of diversity.
A fast and simple method for wild yeast flora detection in winemaking

An easy technique for a fast determination of wild yeast population-colonizing grape must before fermentation is described. The mathematical relationship between viable cell number and oxygen consumption rate was determined using a simple pO 2 electrode chamber. This relation was determined in pure cultures belonging to six yeast species related to wine environment and in natural samples of grape must collected at the time of the grape delivery in the wineries. Results indicated a signifi cant relationship between oxygen consumption rate and viable cell count of the wine yeast species tested. The evaluation of natural grape must samples indicated that the presence at pre-fermentative of wide contaminant yeast fl ora at a level commonly believed responsible for uncontrolled microbiological process in winemaking (10 6 CFU ml −1 ), was easily detected. Since the results are available in a short time, this method could be profi table used to detect the presence of contaminant level of wild yeasts reducing the risk of uncontrolled start fermentation that could compromise the quality of fi nal product.
Food Web Complexity and Community Dynamics

Food webs in nature have multiple, reticulate connections between a diversity of consumers and resources. Such complexity affects web dynamics: it first spreads the direct effects of consumption and productivity throughout the web rather than focusing them at particular "trophic levels. " Second, consumer densities are often donor controlled with food from across the trophic spectrum, the herbivore and detrital channels, other habitats, life-history omnivory, and even trophic mutualism. Although consumers usually do not affect these resources, increased numbers often allow consumers to depress other resources to levels lower than if donor-controlled resources were absent. We propose that such donor-controlled and "multichannel" omnivory is a general feature of consumer control and central to food web dynamics. This observation is contrary to the normal practice of inferring dynamics by simplifying webs into a few linear "trophic levels," as per "green world" theories. Such theories do not accommodate common and dynamically important features of real webs such as the ubiquity of donor control and the importance and dynamics of detritus, omnivory, resources crossing habitats, life history, nutrients (as opposed to energy), pathogens, resource defenses, and trophic symbioses. We conclude that trophic cascades and top-down community regulation as envisioned by trophic-level theories are relatively uncommon in nature.
Bitcoin Is Not the New Gold: A Comparison of Volatility, Correlation, and Portfolio Performance

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are establishing themselves as an investment asset and are often named the New Gold. This study, however, shows that the two assets could barely be more different. Firstly, we analyze and compare conditional variance properties of Bitcoin and Gold as well as other assets and nd differences in their structure. Secondly, we implement a BEKK-GARCH model to estimate time-varying conditional correlations. Gold plays an important role in financial markets with flight-to-quality in times of market distress. Our results show that Bitcoin behaves as the exact opposite and it positively correlates with downward markets. Lastly, we analyze the properties of Bitcoin as portfolio component and nd no evidence for hedging capabilities. We conclude that Bitcoin and Gold feature fundamentally different properties as assets and linkages to equity markets. Our results hold for the broad cryptocurrency index CRIX. As of now, Bitcoin does not reflect any distinctive properties of Gold other than asymmetric response in variance.
Wind-borne transmission of infectious laryngotracheitis between commercial poultry operations

Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an acute respiratory disease of poultry and causes significant economic losses due to increased mortality and decreased productivity. First described in 1925, ILT has been extensively studied, but little is known about the epidemiology of the disease. In the past 15 years, there have been severe ILT outbreaks in several poultry-producing states. The spread of ILT in outbreak situations is typically quite rapid, and then in an ever-widening arc around the initial case. The mechanism of this spread is not well understood, and many hypotheses are currently in existence. Several risk factors that have been identified are indicative of wind-borne transmission. A case-control study of 18 case and 122 control flocks was conducted. A GIS database of poultry operations and meteorological data from local weather stations were employed to analyze the risk of clinical ILT associated with prevailing wind patterns. Case farms were 9.9 times more likely located within the wind vector of a clinical ILT flock during the 14 day incubation period for ILT than control flocks (p< 0.001). House orientation and proximity to a backyard flock or a commercial flock were not significantly associated with case status. The control-to-case flock distance was significantly greater than the case-to-case flock distance (p=0.03). House ventilation system, wind vector, and distance from another case flock were presented to a backward eliminating logistic regression model. Only wind vector variable was retained in the model. The point estimate for the odds ratio was 0.110 (95% confidence interval 0.038 0.322).