Urbanization is not associated with increased abundance or decreased richness of terrestrial animals - dissecting the literature through meta-analysis

The widely accepted consensus is that urbanization increases abundance but reduces species richness of animals. This assumption is the premise for empirical tests and theoretical explanations. We studied the association of urbanization with abundance and species richness of different animal taxa in 20 and 26 published articles reporting abundances and richness, respectively via meta-analysis. Because some articles had multiple estimates, we analyzed 40 and 58 estimates of abundance and richness, respectively. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the overall abundance of terrestrial animals was not higher in urban areas, but instead actually lower, while we failed to confirm the conventional thinking of lower species richness with urbanization. These findings cannot, however, be generalized across all cities and animal species, as conflicting differences were reported among geographical regions, animal taxa. Our results question the conventional wisdom that urbanization generally increases abundances while reducing species richness, and highlights the variability of urbanization effects on diversity among taxa and geographic regions.     

Ethische Kompetenz

From the author??s point of view, the term ??Ethical Competence?? is often used rather vaguely in the field. In a qualitative study of bank managers, preliminary definitions of ??Ethical Competence?? are related to the ??Theory of Planned Behavior?? (Fishbein and Ajzen). This enables the authors to analyze ??Ethical Competence?? more precisely??taking the concept of ??Moral Obligation?? (Kurland) into consideration as well. Factors such as behavioral beliefs (attitude towards the behavior), normative beliefs (subjective norms) and control beliefs (perceived behavioral control) are seen as significant in behavior in morally relevant situations. In addition, the authors formulate a hypothesis concerning the correlation of Ethical Competence and job satisfaction.     

A vendor–purchaser economic lot size problem with remanufacturing

In this paper, we study a closed-loop supply chain in which a single purchaser orders a particular product from a single vendor and sells it on the market. A certain fraction of used items return from the market back to the purchaser, who is responsible for collecting and returning them to the vendor. In addition to manufacturing new items, the vendor is able to remanufacture the returns into as-good-as-new items which are subsequently used to serve market demand. Our framework features the conventional joint economic lot size (JELS) model extended to include the return flow of the used items. In line with the assumptions of the JELS model, we assume a deterministic constant demand for the product. The fraction of used items returning from the market is assumed to depend on the purchaser’s collection effort. To stimulate the returns, the vendor may offer the purchaser a transfer payment per item returned. The questions addressed by this study pertain to the optimal centralised control of this closed-loop supply chain, to the individually optimal policies of its members, and to the coordination within this supply chain under a decentralised control. In particular, we show that the transfer payment alone cannot coordinate the supply chain under consideration and may even fail to do so when combined with a two-part tariff—which is otherwise known to coordinate the corresponding forward supply chain. Our numerical study, though, has revealed that the combined contract is capable of substantially reducing the coordination deficit. We also introduce a novel three-part tariff which is shown to enable supply chain coordination in combination with the transfer payment.     

Take-up for genetic tests and ambiguity

Under the expected utility hypothesis a costless genetic test has, at worst, zero private value. This happens if it does not affect optimal decisions. If the genetic test facilitates better decision-making for at least one possible test outcome, then it has positive private value. This theoretical result seems to contradict the fact that empirically observed take-up rates for genetic tests are surprisingly low. We demonstrate that if individuals display ambiguity aversion, a costless genetic test that does not affect optimal decisions is never taken. Furthermore, there is a trade-off between aversion against uncertainty of test results and utility gains from better decision-making if optimal decisions depend on the level of information. The reason is that, from an ex-ante view, a genetic test introduces uncertainty of probabilities which diminishes the value of information to an ambiguity-averse decision-maker. Ambiguity aversion regarding test results thus provides an explanation for low take-up rates for genetic tests.     

An investigation of mental health and personality in Swedish social work students upon entry to university training

The aims were to describe Swedish social work students' personality characteristics upon entry to their training and to analyze relationships between personality traits, mental health, and some sociodemographic variables. One hundred and twenty-one female social work students completed a sociodemographic form, the Temperament and Character Inventory, and the Symptom Checklist. They scored significantly higher on harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-transcendence and reported more somatization, obsessive compulsive, and phobic-anxious symptoms, and less hostility, than Swedish individuals from the general population of the same age. Personality traits significantly predicted the various mental symptom scores. It is recommended to implement modules or training courses within social work training in Sweden that bring an improvement of self-directedness and cooperativeness character trait into focus.     

Berechnung der verteilungsfunktion quadratischer formen von normalverteilen zufallsgröben and deren anwendung in der statistik

Zusammenfassung: Für die Bestimmung der Verteilungsfunktion F(x) von quadrastischen Formen normalverteilter Zufallsgröen werden Verfahren angegeben.Diese Verfahren werden mit den aus der Literatur bekannten Ergebnissen verglichen.Im Staz 2 wird eine quadratische Faltungsgleichung hergeleitet, aus der F(x) berechenbar ist. Weiterhin werden Abschätzungen nach oben und unten für F(x) hergeleitet.Die für endliche quadratischer Formen übertragen.Anwendungsbeispiele aus der Statistik zufälliger Prozesse (Identifikation und Konfidenzintervalle für die Mittelwerfunktion eines GAUSSPROZESSES) und aus der parameterfreien Statistik werden angegeben.Da zur Berechnung von F(x) eine quadratische Faltungsgleichung zu lösen ist, werden im letzten Teil der Arbeit Lösungs möglichkeiten fü diese Gleichung diskutiert und numerische Ergebnisse angegeben.     

Moments of Special Normally Distributed Matrices

In solving systems of simultaneous random linear algebraic equations some approximating methods lead to the problem of determinating moments of special random matrices and vectors. In this article corresponding formulas are provided for moments of some normally distributed matrices. The deduced relations can be considered as a generalization of the known formulas for the central moments of normally distributed random variables.     

Union patterns and children’s living arrangements in Latin America

This article analyzes how union patterns in Mexico and Colombia affect the lives of children. The proportion of children affected by a disruption by the age of 15 is estimated by using life table methods. The factors that contribute to a child's risk of experiencing a disruption are investigated by using proportional hazard models. Finally, the living arrangements of children by the mother's marital status, the urban status, and the mother's educational attainment are explored. The findings indicate that about one-fifth of Mexican children and one-third of Colombian children spend some time with an unmarried mother by the age of 15. In addition, those who experience a disruption or are born outside of a union spend a considerable length of time in the single-parent state. Most children of an unmarried mother live in an extended-family household, often with a grandparent.