scholarly journals Flexibility and Use of a Novel Tool in Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinerea)

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Frick ◽  
Leor Friedman ◽  
Jessica Peranteau ◽  
Kaitlyn Beacham ◽  
Stan A. Kuczaj II
Keyword(s):  
Hand Dexterity ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Side Preference ◽  
Initial Inability ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
The One ◽  
Being Moved ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Side Bias

Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea) demonstrate remarkable hand dexterity when gathering and consuming prey, but little is known about their ability to use objects as tools. The present study used a tool choice paradigm in which six Asian small-clawed otters were tested individually and presented with two identical hook-shaped tools. For each trial, only one tool was positioned such that pulling it allowed an otter to obtain food. Pulling the other hook resulted in the correct hook being moved out of reach, necessitating selection of the correct tool as its first choice The two males performed above chance levels, but the four females did not. The females’ poor overall performance may have reflected their initial inability to understand the tool choice task. Two of the females’ performances improved by 20% over the course of the trials, and another female showed 5% improvement over time. In addition, some incorrect responses appeared to be due to the development of a side preference, rather than to the configuration of the apparatus. Four of the otters exhibited a significant side bias toward the left, but there were individual differences in how these preferences presented in each otter. For all otters, latency to approach and make a choice on the tool-use task decreased over time, regardless of success. Although otters do appear capable of learning which tool should be used in a forced choice comparison such as the one used here, other factors appear to influence the choices individual otters make.

scholarly journals The Risk-Adjusted Performance of Alternative Investment Funds and UCITS: A Comparative Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvio John Camilleri ◽  
Ritienne Farrugia
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Sample Period ◽  
Investment Funds ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Out Of Sample ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Focus Strategy ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Alternative Investment

This study evaluates the performance of a selection of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), and Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Funds (UCITS) which followed a global geographic focus strategy during the period 2010-2016. These two fund structures are governed by different regulatory frameworks, which have evolved and re-shaped over the years. Various yardsticks are employed to evaluate the risk-adjusted performance of the sampled funds, and Monte-Carlo simulations are used to gauge the possible out-of-sample returns. Most of the sampled funds underperformed the benchmark index in terms of their Sharpe and Treynor ratios. Whilst UCITS registered a better overall performance, AIFs outperformed UCITS towards the end of the sample period. This suggests that investors should not assume that one fund structure is inherently superior to the other, since the relative performance may vary over time.

scholarly journals Measuring Productivity Dispersion

2018 ◽  
pp. 592-624
Author(s):  
Eric J. Bartelsman ◽  
Zoltan Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Resource Reallocation ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Or Efficiency ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
Input Markets ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Selection Of

Measuring the dispersion of productivity or efficiency across firms in a market or industry is rife with methodological issues. Nevertheless, the existence of considerable dispersion now is well documented and widely accepted. Less well understood are the economic features and mechanisms underlying the magnitude of dispersion and how dispersion varies over time or across markets. On the one hand, selection mechanisms in both output and input markets should favor the most productive units through resource reallocation, thereby reducing dispersion. On the other hand, innovation and technological uncertainty tend to increase dispersion. This chapter presents a guide to the measurement of dispersion and provides empirical evidence from a selection of countries and industries using a variety of methodologies.

scholarly journals A FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF HOTEL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrijela Popovic ◽  
Dragisa Stanujkic ◽  
Darjan Karabasevic
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Performance Ratings ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Of

The main goal of the manuscript is to propose the framework that would facilitate the selection of hotel construction projects for an investment based on the application of the WS PLP method. The key reason why the WS PLP method is used is reflected in its ability to more accurately express decision-makers’ stand regarding the desired preference ratings of criteria by incorporating ppr values into the decision-making process. Also, the WS PLP method implies the introduction of the compensation coefficient, which provides a possibility of the decision-maker’s selection between an alternative that has the best matching with the preferred performance ratings expressed through ppr values and the one that has the best overall performance ratings. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a real case study on the five types of the hotels that should be constructed on Kopaonik Mountain in Serbia.

Note on Selection of Coordinate Systems for Geodynamics

1975 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 395-407
Author(s):  
S. Henriksen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
The Other ◽  
Coordinate Systems ◽  
Mean Sea Level ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The One ◽  
Static Systems ◽  
Selection Of

The first question to be answered, in seeking coordinate systems for geodynamics, is: what is geodynamics? The answer is, of course, that geodynamics is that part of geophysics which is concerned with movements of the Earth, as opposed to geostatics which is the physics of the stationary Earth. But as far as we know, there is no stationary Earth – epur sic monere. So geodynamics is actually coextensive with geophysics, and coordinate systems suitable for the one should be suitable for the other. At the present time, there are not many coordinate systems, if any, that can be identified with a static Earth. Certainly the only coordinate of aeronomic (atmospheric) interest is the height, and this is usually either as geodynamic height or as pressure. In oceanology, the most important coordinate is depth, and this, like heights in the atmosphere, is expressed as metric depth from mean sea level, as geodynamic depth, or as pressure. Only for the earth do we find “static” systems in use, ana even here there is real question as to whether the systems are dynamic or static. So it would seem that our answer to the question, of what kind, of coordinate systems are we seeking, must be that we are looking for the same systems as are used in geophysics, and these systems are dynamic in nature already – that is, their definition involvestime.

A Comparison of Four Adolescent Language Tests

1987 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jane Lieberman ◽  
Ann Marie C. Heffron ◽  
Stephanie J. West ◽  
Edward C. Hutchinson ◽  
Thomas W. Swem
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Significant Discrepancy ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sixth Grade Students ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Selection Of

Four recently developed adolescent language tests, the Fullerton Test for Adolescents (FLTA), the Test of Adolescent Language (TOAL), the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions (CELF), and the Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL), were compared to determine: (a) whether they measured the same language skills (content) in the same way (procedures); and (b) whether students performed similarly on each of the tests. First, respective manuals were reviewed to compare selection of subtest content areas and subtest procedures. Then, each of the tests was administered according to standardized procedures to 30 unselected sixth-grade students. Despite apparent differences in test content and procedures, there was no significant difference in students' performance on three of the four tests, and correlations among test performance were moderate to high. A comparison of the pass/fail rates for overall performance on the tests, however, revealed a significant discrepancy between the proportions of students identified in need of further evaluation on the STAL (20%) and the proportion diagnosed as language impaired on the three diagnostic tests (60-73%). Clinical implications are discussed.

Costumes and Choreography from Bodenwieser's Trunk: The Coat as Affective Memory

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-110
Author(s):  
Rachel Fensham
Keyword(s):  
Modern Dance ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Creative Thought ◽  
Cain And Abel ◽  
Embodied Research ◽  
The Many ◽  
The One ◽  
Material Evidence ◽  
Selection Of

The Viennese modern choreographer Gertrud Bodenwieser's black coat leads to an analysis of her choreography in four main phases – the early European career; the rise of Nazism; war's brutality; and postwar attempts at reconciliation. Utilising archival and embodied research, the article focuses on a selection of Bodenwieser costumes that survived her journey from Vienna, or were remade in Australia, and their role in the dramaturgy of works such as Swinging Bells (1926), The Masks of Lucifer (1936, 1944), Cain and Abel (1940) and The One and the Many (1946). In addition to dance history, costume studies provides a distinctive way to engage with the question of what remains of performance, and what survives of the historical conditions and experience of modern dance-drama. Throughout, Hannah Arendt's book The Human Condition (1958) provides a critical guide to the acts of reconstruction undertaken by Bodenwieser as an émigré choreographer in the practice of her craft, and its ‘materializing reification’ of creative thought. As a study in affective memory, information regarding Bodenwieser's personal life becomes interwoven with the author's response to the material evidence of costumes, oral histories and documents located in various Australian archives. By resurrecting the ‘dead letters’ of this choreography, the article therefore considers how dance costumes offer the trace of an artistic resistance to totalitarianism.

Correspondances étymologiques, lexicales et sémantiques dans le processus de féminisation de noms de profession, métiers et activités dans les sociétés française et roumaine

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-422
Author(s):  
Estelle Variot
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Over Time

"Etymological, Lexical and Semantic Correspondences in the Process of Feminization of Professional Names, Trades and Activities in French and Romanian Societies. The feminization of thought represented by language and of its varieties in the Roman World has allowed to highlight some convergences that come from a common linguistic heritage, often from Greek and Latin and some hesitation about adapting society to its realities. The feminization of some words which comes from an ancient process illustrates on the one hand the potential of the language and on the other hand some constraints sometimes linked to the society itself, which creates transitional periods, between matching grammatical correction and the evolution of linguistic uses over time. The possibilities of lexical enrichment (internal creation or loan) show the means available in French and Romanian and some convergences in the area of derivation, of lexical units and their etymologies. The grammatical perspective and word constructing methods make it possible to give keys for the feminization of names of trades or professions. Likewise, recording entries in the lexicon, their evolution, their assimilation or sometimes their forgetfulness, for the benefit of new constructions highlight the existence of objective and subjective criteria which teach us a lot about society as a whole. Keywords: feminization of professions, internal and external enrichment, suffixal match, use of words, grammar, lexicon, French and Romanian."

Land Warfare

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Tuck
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Modern System ◽  
The One ◽  
Over Time

This chapter charts the key developments in European land warfare since 1900. On the one hand, it is possible to identify overarching explanatory ideas, metanarratives, that can be used to identify continuities in development over time across Europe’s armies. These include the concept of ‘modern system’ land warfare and the ‘transformation paradigm’. However, as this chapter also shows, these two points of continuity do not mean either that European armies are homogenous, or that their conceptual assumptions are uncontested. European land warfare remains a heterogeneous phenomenon, shaped by the variety in national contexts and by contending debates on how appropriate Europe’s armies are to the actual challenges of contemporary and future armed conflict.

PROMETHEE-based ranking of project managers based on the five personality traits

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1083-1102
Author(s):  
Georgios N. Aretoulis ◽  
Jason Papathanasiou ◽  
Fani Antoniou
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Making ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose This paper aims to rank and identify the most efficient project managers (PMs) based on personality traits, using Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) methodology. Design/methodology/approach The proposed methodology relies on the five personality traits. These were used as the selection criteria. A questionnaire survey among 82 experienced engineers was used to estimate the required weights per personality trait. A second two-part questionnaire survey aimed at recording the PMs profile and assess the performance of personality traits per PM. PMs with the most years of experience are selected to be ranked through Visual PROMETHEE. Findings The findings suggest that a competent PM is the one that scores low on the “Neuroticism” trait and high especially on the “Conscientiousness” trait. Research limitations/implications The research applied a psychometric test specifically designed for Greek people. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is based on the personality characteristics to rank the PMs and does not consider the technical skills. Furthermore, the type of project is not considered in the process of ranking PMs. Practical implications The findings could contribute in the selection of the best PM that maximizes the project team’s performance. Social implications Improved project team communication and collaboration leading to improved project performance through better communication and collaboration. This is an additional benefit for the society, especially in the delivery of public infrastructure projects. A lot of public infrastructure projects deviate largely as far as cost and schedule is concerned and this is an additional burden for public and society. Proper project management through efficient PMs would save people’s money and time. Originality/value Identification of the best PMbased on a combination of multicriteria decision-making and psychometric tests, which focus on personality traits.

Typological shift in lexicalizing motion events: The case of Wenzhou

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingxia Lin
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Chinese Dialect ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
Motion Verb ◽  
The One ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Modern Standard

AbstractTypological shift in lexicalizing motion events has hitherto been observed cross-linguistically. While over time, Chinese has shown a shift from a dominantly verb-framed language in Old Chinese to a strongly satellite-framed language in Modern Standard Mandarin, this study presents the Chinese dialect Wenzhou, which has taken a step further than Standard Mandarin and other Chinese dialects in becoming a thoroughly satellite-framed language. On the one hand, Wenzhou strongly disfavors the verb-framed pattern. Wenzhou not only has no prototypical path verbs, but also its path satellites are highly deverbalized. On the other hand, Wenzhou strongly prefers the satellite-framed pattern, to the extent that it very frequently adopts a neutral motion verb to head motion expressions so that path can be expressed via satellites and the satellite-framed pattern can be syntactically maintained. The findings of this study are of interest to intra-linguistic, diachronic and cross-linguistic studies of the variation in encoding motion events.

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