bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How coccidian parasites affect health and appearance of greenfinches
Authors: HÕRAK PEETER , SAKS LAURI , KARU ULVI , OTS INDREK , SURAI PETER F. , McGRAW KEVIN J. 
Published: August 2004

Summary
The aim of this study was to examine the mechanisms by which parasites can affect the expression of ornamental traits.
Levels of an intestinal coccidian parasite, Isospora lacazei, were manipulated in captive male greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) by suppressing the natural infections with a coccidiostatic sulphonamide drug. Subsequently, half the birds were experimentally infected, while another half continued receiving medication.
Over the course of the experiment the effect of our treatments upon 14 mainly haemato‐serological condition indices was recorded. Additionally, changes in colour and carotenoid content of yellow tail and breast feathers, which serve as sexually dimorphic ornamental traits, were measured.
Eighty‐nine per cent of birds hosted chronic isosporan infection before the experiment, yet experimental inoculation with mixed parasite strains resulted in drastic but transient decreases in serum carotenoid, vitamin E, triglyceride and albumin concentrations, and reduced body mass, indicating serious pathology and probable nutrient malabsorption due to damaged intestinal epithelium.
Laboratory‐grown tail feathers of infected birds contained 52% less carotenoids and also had smaller values of chroma and hue than those of medicated birds.
These results suggest that coccidian infection reduced the expression of plumage coloration by creating a deficiency of carotenoids available for deposition in ornamental feathers.
The importance of ice cover for energy turnover in juvenile Atlantic salmon
Authors: FINSTAD ANDERS G. , FORSETH TORBJØRN , NÆSJE TOR F. , UGEDAL OLA 
Published: August 2004

Summary
Under benign laboratory tank conditions we compared food consumption and metabolism of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles exposed to simulated ice cover (darkness) with fish in natural short, 6 h light, day length (without ice). Three different populations along an ice‐cover gradient were tested (59°N−70°N).
Resting metabolism was on average 30% lower under simulated ice cover (6·6 J g−1 day−1) than under natural day length (9·4 J g−1 day−1), and the response was similar for all populations. Northern salmon grew equally well in dark and light conditions, whereas the southern grew significantly poorer in the dark. Fish from all populations fed more under natural day length than in the dark and the northern population had higher consumption than the southern. The relative high growth of fish from the northern population in the dark compared to the southern populations was due partly to higher consumption and partly to higher growth efficiency. Fish from the southern populations had negative growth efficiency in the dark.
We also studied the importance of ice cover under more hostile conditions in stream channels using the northern population only. Juveniles held in channels with simulated ice cover lost less energy (20 J g−1 day−1) than those held in channels with transparent cover (26 J g−1 day−1). This difference in energy loss was due partly (50%) to higher food consumption under simulated ice (4·5 and 1·6 J g−1, respectively) and partly (30%) to light‐induced differences in resting metabolic rate.
In conclusion, both experiments showed lower metabolic costs in darkness under simulated ice cover than without ice. Under benign laboratory conditions the response to light (ice cover) varied among populations and only the northern population were able to attain positive growth in the dark. Under semi‐natural conditions the lack of ice cover induced strong negative effects on the energy budget. Because energetic deficiencies are assumed to be an important cause of winter mortality, our study indicates that ice break‐ups or removal following climatic change may affect winter survival significantly, particularly in northern populations.
Stage‐structured harvesting and its effects: an empirical investigation using soil mites
Authors: CAMERON T. C. , BENTON T. G. 
Published: August 2004

Summary
Population dynamics results from an interplay between the environmental state and population density. With many organisms there is structure to the life history, and this structure has important consequences for the population's density dependence and its interaction with environmental noise, and therefore its population dynamics. Perturbing population structure, such as through harvesting, may therefore affect the way that the populations respond to stochastic environmental variation.
We conducted three experiments on populations of soil mites kept under controlled conditions and harvested a constant proportion of eggs, juveniles or adults. The experiments (a) minimized environmental variability, (b) created environmental variability by randomizing food supplies, and (c) provided excess food and repeatedly subdivided the populations to maintain them below carrying capacity.
We find that harvesting different stages has marked effects on stage structure, which differ between constant and variable environments. For example, harvesting adults decreases the number of adults, harvesting eggs increases the number of adults and harvesting juveniles has no effect under near constant conditions, whereas in a variable environment harvesting adults and juveniles reduces adult numbers, but harvesting eggs has no effect.
As well as changing the mean age structure, harvesting can change the variance of the different stages. For example, in a constant environment harvesting juveniles does not change the variability in juvenile numbers or population size, but in a variable environment harvesting juveniles increases the variability in the size of the juvenile class and hence the total population variability.
For populations that are kept at one‐third to one‐half carrying capacity (approximately where the maximum sustainable yield should result) harvesting of the different age classes has marked positive effects on the population growth rates. Harvesting different age classes causes changes in the density dependence, which explains the way in which the population parameters respond.
In conclusion, the population response to harvesting depends on the stage/age structure and the way it changes with harvesting and environmental conditions. Managing economically important populations, subject to harvesting, should consider structured life histories.
Federal tax arrears in Russia Liquidity problems, federal redistribution or regional resistance?*
Authors: Ponomareva Maria , Zhuravskaya Ekaterina 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThree hypotheses about the nature of federal tax arrears in Russia in the second half of the 1990s are tested empirically. Tax arrears can be a result of: 1) liquidity problems in firms, 2) redistributive subsidies of the federal government, or 3) regional political resistance to federal tax collectors. Liquidity problems in firms explain a large part of the variation in tax arrears. Regional political resistance to federal tax collectors was also an important factor: For a given level of liquidity, federal arrears accumulated faster in regions where governors had a larger popular base, in regions with a better bargaining position vis‐à‐vis the centre, and in regions with governors in political opposition to the centre. We find that patterns of federal arrears are inconsistent with the redistributive politics premise that redistribution favours jurisdictions with ‘closer races’ for the incumbent in the national elections. Variation in authorized tax deferrals can be explained in part by federal redistributive politics.
The curse of natural resources in the transition economies*
Authors: Kronenberg Tobias 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe curse of natural resources is a well‐documented phenomenon for developing countries. Economies that are richly endowed with natural resources tend to grow slowly. Among the transition economies of the former ‘Eastern Bloc’, a similar pattern can be observed. This paper shows that a large part of the variation in growth rates among the transition economies can be attributed to the curse of natural resources. After controlling for numerous other factors, there is still a strong negative correlation between natural resource abundance and economic growth. Among the transition economies the prime reasons for the curse of natural resources were corruption and a neglect of basic education. In order to overcome the curse of natural resources and move to a sustainable path of development, the resource abundant transition countries should fight corruption and ensure that their resource revenues are invested in human capital or the preservation of natural capital.
The sequencing of reform policies in China's agricultural transition*
Authors: De Brauw Alan , Huang Jikun , Rozelle Scott 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThis paper provides evidence regarding gains due to agricultural market liberalization in China. We empirically identify the different effects that incentive and farm restructuring reforms and gradual market liberalization have on China's agricultural economy during its transition period. We find that average gains within the agricultural sector due to reforms that improved incentives and increased decision‐making authority of producers exceed gains due to market liberalization by a large margin. Our method of analyzing the effects of transition policies on economic performance can be generalized to other reform paths in other transition economies.
Relative price shifts, economies of scale and poverty during economic transition1
Authors: Lanjouw Jean O. , Lanjouw Peter , Milanovic Branko , Paternostro Stefano 
Published: August 2004

AbstractEconomic transition is associated with significant shifts in relative prices between private and public goods. If, as a result, public goods claim a larger share of total expenditures, economies of scale in consumption increase. We show how relative price changes might alter the welfare of different‐sized households in the short run and over time. We illustrate, for a selection of transition economies, that conventional poverty profiles are quite sensitive to assumptions made about economies of scale in consumption. In particular, the common view that large households with many children are poor relative to small households (such as those comprising the elderly) is shown to be highly non‐robust.
Capital flows and speculative attacks in prospective EU member states1
Authors: Gibson Heather D. , Tsakalotos Euclid 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThis paper examines the capital flow experience of transition economies which are also prospective EU members with a view to shedding light on the likely problems they might encounter with exchange rate policy in the run up to euro area membership. We show that they have been experiencing fairly sizeable capital flows since the early 1990s. We explain these flows using two separate models. The first explains the level of capital flows using panel data from the prospective EU members. The second concentrates specifically on estimating the probability of a country experiencing downward speculative pressure. In both cases, the contribution of domestic factors and contagion is explored. The results suggest that, while domestic factors have some role to play, it is rather limited. Moreover, there is clear evidence of contagion effects, suggesting that macroeconomic policy in the prospective EU members will be complicated by capital flows in the run up to euro area membership.
Divergence of US and Local Returns in the After‐market for Equity Issuing ADRs
Authors: Kadiyala Padma , Subrahmanyam Avanidhar 
Published: August 2004

Abstract We study one‐year post‐listing prices and returns to equity issuing ADRs that listed in the US between January 1991 and October 2000. ADRs from countries that impose restrictions on capital flows are priced at a premium to their home market ordinaries. While the mean premium for the full sample is statistically indistinguishable from zero, after an adjustment for asynchronous trading, the magnitude of the premium to ADRs from restricted markets is 11.33% at the 300‐day post listing interval, which is statistically significant. In the short run (30 days) following listing, the magnitude of the premium is larger for ADRs with larger excess demand from US investors. At the longer 300‐day horizon, Nasdaq listed ADRs earn a larger premium than their NYSE/AMEX listed counterparts. Time‐series regressions and two‐stage cross‐sectional regressions establish that the premium to foreign equity issuers is greater if the US listing attracts liquidity and if US returns have a lower correlation with the local country index.
Effects of Market Segmentation and Bank Concentration on Mutual Fund Expenses and Returns: Evidence from Finland
Authors: Korkeamaki Timo P. , Smythe Thomas I. 
Published: August 2004

Abstract A tremendous amount of research examines US mutual funds, but fund markets also thrive in other countries. However, research about these fast growing markets is lacking. This study addresses Finnish funds. Fast growth of the Finnish fund industry, strong bank dominance in the industry and recent EU membership make it an interesting market to examine. The Finnish fund market is also of particular interest since it had the fastest growth among the EU countries during 1996–2000. We find evidence that bank‐managed and older funds charge higher expenses but investors are not compensated for paying higher expenses with higher risk‐adjusted returns, suggesting a potential agency problem. Overall, Finnish fund expenses have decreased over time, consistent with EU membership reducing market segmentation and generating competition.
The Cost of Capital of Cross‐listed Firms
Authors: Koedijk Kees G. , Van Dijk Mathijs A. 
Published: August 2004

Abstract This paper analyses the cost of capital of firms with foreign equity listings. Our purpose is to shed light on the question whether international and domestic asset pricing models yield a different estimate of the cost of capital for cross‐listed stocks. We distinguish between (i) the multifactor ICAPM of Solnik (1979) and Sercu (1980) including both the global market portfolio and exchange rate risk premia and (ii) the single factor domestic CAPM. We test for the significance of the cost of capital differential in a sample of 336 cross‐listed stocks from nine countries in the period 1980–99. Our hypothesis is that the cost of capital differential is substantial for firms with international listings, as these are often large multinationals with a strong international orientation. We find that the asset pricing models yield a significantly different estimate of the cost of capital for only 12% of the cross‐listed companies. The size of the cost of capital differential is around 50 basis points for the US, 80 basis points for the UK and 100 basis points for France.
The Effect of Monetary Unification on German Bond Markets
Authors: Dewachter Hans , Lyrio Marco , Maes Konstantijn 
Published: August 2004

Abstract We develop a benchmark against which the effects of ECB monetary policy on the German bond market can be evaluated. We first estimate an affine term structure model for the pre‐EMU period linking the German yield curve with the Bundesbank monetary policy. The German monetary policy and its implied yield curve are then reprojected onto the EMU period. The reprojected yield curve differs significantly from the observed one. Short‐term interest rates during the EMU period are significantly lower than they would have been in case the Bundesbank were still in charge of monetary policy. Furthermore, yield spreads increased substantially during the EMU period.
Exchange Rates and Capital Flows
Authors: Brooks Robin , Edison Hali , Kumar Manmohan S. , Sløk Torsten 
Published: August 2004

Abstract This paper explores the ability of portfolio and foreign direct investment flows to track movements in the euro and the yen against the dollar. Net portfolio flows from the euro area into US stocks – possibly reflecting differences in expected productivity growth – track movements in the euro against the dollar closely. Net FDI flows, which capture the recent burst in cross‐border M&A activity, appear less important in tracking movements in the euro‐dollar rate, possibly because many M&A transactions consist of share swaps. Movements in the yen versus the dollar remain more closely tied to conventional variables such as the current account and interest differential.
Sterile syringe access conditions and variations in HIV risk among drug injectors in three cities
Authors: Bluthenthal Ricky N. , Malik Mohammed Rehan , Grau Lauretta E. , Singer Merrill , Marshall Patricia , Heimer Robert ,   the Diffusion of Benefit through Syringe Exchange Study Team
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACTAim  Better sterile syringe access should be associated with a lower likelihood of syringe re‐use and receptive syringe sharing, although few empirical studies have examined gradients in syringe access using both individual and ecological data. In this study, we compare syringe re‐use and receptive syringe sharing among injection drug users (IDUs) with syringe exchange program (SEP) and legal over‐the‐counter pharmacy access with limits on syringes that can be purchased, exchanged or possessed to IDUs with no pharmacy sales but unlimited syringe access through SEPs. We address three questions: (1) Does residing in an area with no legal syringe possession increase the likelihood of police contact related to possessing drug paraphernalia? (2) Among direct SEP users, is use of more permissive SEPs associated with less likelihood of syringe re‐use and receptive syringe sharing? (3) Among non‐SEP users, is residing in an area with pharmacy access associated with lower likelihood of syringe re‐use and receptive syringe sharing?Design  Quantitative survey of IDUs recruited from SEPs, subject nomination and outreach methods. Multivariate analyses compared police contact, syringe re‐use and receptive syringe sharing among IDUs recruited in three cities.Findings  In multivariate analyses, we found that police contact was associated independently with residing in the area with no legal possession of syringes; among SEP users, those with access to SEPs without limits had lower syringe re‐use but not lower syringe sharing; and that among non‐SEP users, no significant differences in injection risk were observed among IDUs with and without pharmacy access to syringes.Conclusion  We found that greater legal access to syringes, if accompanied by limits on the number of syringes that can be exchanged, purchased and possessed, may not have the intended impacts on injection‐related infectious disease risk among IDUs.
Anabolic steroid users’ attitudes towards physicians
Authors: Pope Harrison G. , Kanayama Gen , Ionescu‐Pioggia Martin , Hudson James I. 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACTAims  To assess anabolic‐androgenic steroid (AAS) users’ trust in the knowledge and advice of physicians.Design  Interviews of AAS users and non‐users.Setting  Research offices.Participants  Eighty weight‐lifters (43 AAS users, 37 non‐users) recruited by advertisement in Massachusetts and Florida, USA.Measurements  Personal interviews and questionnaire responses, including subjects’ ratings of physicians’ knowledge regarding various health‐ and drug‐related topics. AAS users also rated their level of trust in various sources of information about AAS.Findings  Both groups of subjects gave physicians high ratings on knowledge about general health, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and conventional illicit drugs, but gave physicians markedly and significantly lower ratings on knowledge about AAS. When rating sources of information on AAS, users scored physicians as no more reliable than their friends, Internet sites, or the person(s) who sold them the steroids. Forty percent of users trusted information on AAS from their drug dealers at least as much as information from any physician that they had seen, and 56% had never revealed their AAS use to any physician.Conclusion  AAS users show little trust in physicians’ knowledge about AAS, and often do not disclose their AAS use to physicians. These attitudes compromise physicians’ ability to educate or treat AAS users. Physicians can respond to these problems by learning more about AAS and by maintaining a high index of suspicion when evaluating athletic male patients.
Who pays for the drinking? Characteristics of the extent and distribution of social harms from others’ drinking
Authors: Rossow Ingeborg , Hauge Ragnar 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACTAims To explore the extent and distribution of experienced negative consequences from other people's drinking and to explore what characterizes the victims of these harms.Design, participants and measurements Cross‐sectional survey in a national sample of adults. Net sample comprised 2170 respondents. Negative consequences from others’ drinking during the past 12 months were assessed by seven items.Results The more severe types of consequences (being physically hurt or property damage) were reported less often (by 3.1% and 4.8%, respectively) than the least severe type of consequence (being kept awake at night by drunk people, reported by 21.2%), thus leaving the four other types of consequences (being harassed in public places, being harassed in private parties, being scolded at and being afraid of drunk people in public areas) somewhere in between. The extent to which the respondents had been subject to social harm from others’ drinking displayed a very skewed distribution. The majority reported not to have experienced any such harms, whereas a small proportion had been harmed repeatedly and in various ways. Multivariate analyses showed that social harms from others’ drinking were most often reported by younger persons, women, those with high education level, those who reported a higher annual alcohol intake, more frequent episodes of intoxication and more frequent visits to public drinking places. The impact of intoxication frequency on victimization from alcohol‐related social harms was stronger for women than for men. Similar individual characteristics were also associated with victimization from physical harm and victimization in the public sphere.Conclusions Relatively minor harms from others’ drinking are experienced quite frequently. The social victims of others’ drinking tend to drink heavily themselves, yet in contrast to what characterizes social consequences of own drinking, we find that the burden of social harms from others’ drinking is to a larger extent carried by women than by men.