Pheomelanin-based colouration is correlated with indices of flying strategies in the barn owl

Resource polymorphism refers to individuals from the same population foraging in alternative habitats or on alternative food. Food specialization can be associated with adaptations such as colour polymorphism, with pale and dark colours conferring differential camouflage in different habitats. Pale and dark-reddish pheomelanic Barn Owls (Tyto alba) forage on different prey species in closed and open habitats, respectively. We show here that darker-reddish owls have heavier stomach content when found dead, and their 5th secondary wing feather is more deeply anchored inside the integument. These correlations suggest that their feathers bend less when flying, and that darker-reddish Barn Owls are able sustain more intense flying than their paler conspecifics.

Desempenho de Indices Socialmente Responsaveis

Nos últimos anos os investimentos socialmente responsáveis têm tido um crescimento significativo a nível mundial. Neste âmbito, este estudo pretende analisar se o investimento em índices socialmente responsáveis tem um desempenho superior, inferior ou igual aos índices convencionais. Neste estudo é analisado o desempenho de 13 índices de acções sustentáveis, a nível internacional, durante o período de 01 de Janeiro de 2002 a 31 de Dezembro de 2008, com base nas medidas tradicionais de desempenho de Treynor (1965), Sharpe (1966) e Jensen (1968) e nos modelos multi-factores de Fama e French de três factores (1993) e Carhart de quatro factores (1997). Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os investimentos em índices socialmente responsáveis não tiveram um desempenho inferior nem superior aos seus pares convencionais. Foi ainda verificado que muitos índices sustentáveis apresentaram um nível de risco superior aos dos seus benchmarks.

Biblia [Vetus et Novum Testamentum].

La Bible s’ouvre par deux compositions poétiques d’Alcuin qui encadrent l’Épître de saint Jérôme à Paulinus, « Frater Ambrosius... » (ff. 1-2r : Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Poetae latinae, I, 1, p. 287, LXVIII-LXX, v. 1-200 ; ff. 4r-v : Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Poetae latinae, I, 1, p. 283-284, LXV, I-III). La fin manque: la Bible s'interrompt à la fin de l'Epître de saint Paul aux Colossiens.

On certain greedoid polyhedra, partially indexable scheduling problems and extended restless bandit allocation indices

We present a polyhedral framework for establishing general structural properties on optimal solutions of stochastic scheduling problems, where multiple job classes vie for service resources: the existence of an optimal priority policy in a given family, characterized by a greedoid(whose feasible class subsets may receive higher priority), where optimal priorities are determined by class-ranking indices, under restricted linear performance objectives (partial indexability). This framework extends that of Bertsimas and Niño-Mora (1996), which explained the optimality of priority-index policies under all linear objectives (general indexability). We show that, if performance measures satisfy partial conservation laws (with respect to the greedoid), which extend previous generalized conservation laws, then theproblem admits a strong LP relaxation over a so-called extended greedoid polytope, which has strong structural and algorithmic properties. We present an adaptive-greedy algorithm (which extends Klimov's) taking as input the linear objective coefficients, which (1) determines whether the optimal LP solution is achievable by a policy in the given family; and (2) if so, computes a set of class-ranking indices that characterize optimal priority policies in the family. In the special case of project scheduling, we show that, under additional conditions, the optimal indices can be computed separately for each project (index decomposition). We further apply the framework to the important restless bandit model (two-action Markov decision chains), obtaining new index policies, that extend Whittle's (1988), and simple sufficient conditions for their validity. These results highlight the power of polyhedral methods (the so-called achievable region approach) in dynamic and stochastic optimization.

Perceptual mapping of practical ethics along the value chain: A multiple correspondence analysis with industry and cultural indices as supplementary variables

This paper presents findings from a study investigating a firm s ethical practices along the value chain. In so doing we attempt to better understand potential relationships between a firm s ethical stance with its customers and those of its suppliers within a supply chain and identify particular sectoral and cultural influences that might impinge on this. Drawing upon a database comprising of 667 industrial firms from 27 different countries, we found that ethical practices begin with the firm s relationship with its customers, the characteristics of which then influence the ethical stance with the firm s suppliers within the supply chain. Importantly, market structure along with some key cultural characteristics were also found to exert significant influence on the implementation of ethical policies in these firms.

Distribución e indices de avistamientos de mamiferos marinos y su relación con la abundancia del Krill Euphasia Superba. Perú Antar IX

Un total de 41 avistamientos de mamíferos marinos se registraron en el Estrecho de Bransfield y alrededores de la Isla Elefante entre los 60,5° y 63° S y los 53,5 y 60° W, cubriendo 853,02 mn durante el Crucero de Evaluación de la Biomasa del Krill en la IX Expedición Peruana a la Antártida, desarrollada entre el 12 y 24 de enero de 1998. Dentro del orden Cetacea se registraron 33 ballenas jorobadas Megaptera novaeangliae, 2 ballenas minke Balaenoptera bonaerenses, 9 orcas Orcinus orca, 2 balaenoptéridos y un cetáceo mayor no identificado. Entre los registros del orden Pinnipedia figuran 21 lobos finos antárticos Arctocephalus gazella, 2 focas cangrejas Lobodon carcinophagus y una foca leopardo Hidrurga leptonix. La presencia de estos mamíferos marinos en las áreas con valores altos en la biomasa de krill, hace presumir que estarían cumpliendo actividades tróficas, constituyéndose en posibles indicadores de la existencia de concentraciones de este crustáceo en la región antártica.

Effect of multiple oral doses of androgenic anabolic steroids on endurance performance and serum indices of physical stress in healthy male subjects.

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are doping agents that are mostly used for improvement of strength and muscle hypertrophy. In some sports, athletes reported that the intake of AAS is associated with a better recovery, a higher training load capacity and therefore an increase in physical and mental performances. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, the effect of multiple doses of AAS on different physiological parameters that could indirectly relate the physical state of athletes during a hard endurance training program. In a double blind settings, three groups (n = 9, 8 and 8) were orally administered placebo, testosterone undecanoate or 19-norandrostenedione, 12 times during 1 month. Serum biomarkers (creatine kinase, ASAT and urea), serum hormone profiles (testosterone, cortisol and LH) and urinary catecholamines (noradrenalin, adrenalin and dopamine) were evaluated during the treatment. Running performance was assessed before and after the intervention phase by means of a standardized treadmill test. None of the measured biochemical variables showed significant impact of AAS on physical stress level. Data from exercise testing on submaximal and maximal level did not reveal any performance differences between the three groups or their response to the treatment. In the present study, no effect of multiple oral doses of AAS on endurance performance or bioserum recovery markers was found.

Trends in indices of daily precipitation extremes in Catalonia (NE Spain), 1951-2003

The aim of this paper is to quantitatively characterize the climatology of daily precipitation indices in Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula) from 1951 to 2003. This work has been performed analyzing a subset of the ETCCDI (Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices) precipitation indices calculated from a new interpolated dataset of daily precipitation, namely SPAIN02, regular at 0.2° horizontal resolution (around 20 km) and from two high-quality stations: the Ebro and Fabra observatories. Using a jack-knife technique, we have found that the sampling error of the SPAIN02 regional averaged is relatively low. The trend analysis has been implemented using a Circular Block Bootstrap procedure applicable to non-normal distributions and autocorrelated series. A running trend analysis has been applied to analyze the trend persistence. No general trends at a regional scale are observed, considering the annual or the seasonal regional averaged series of all the indices for all the time windows considered. Only the consecutive dry days index (CDD) at annual scale shows a locally coherent spatial trend pattern; around 30% of the Catalonia area has experienced an increase of around 2¿3 days decade¿1. The Ebro and Fabra observatories show a similar CDD trend, mainly due to the summer contribution. Besides this, a significant decrease in total precipitation (around ¿10 mm decade¿1) and in the index "highest precipitation amount in five-day period" (RX5DAY, around ¿5 mm decade¿1), have been found in summer for the Ebro observatory.

Reliure de : La Biblia laquale in se contiene i sacrosanti libri del Vecchio & Nuovo Testamento , i quali ti apporto christianissimo lettore, tradotti da la hebraica & greca verita in lingua toscana, nuovamente corretta & con ogni diligentia stampata. Con le concordantie di tutta essa scrittura santa, et li summari de ciascun capitolo. Et con due tavole...

[Bible (italien). 1547. Brucioli]

Guide de la Bible hébraïque. La critique textuelle dans la Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia

Le lecteur de l'Ancien Testament désireux d'accéder au texte hébreux est confronté à l'édition de la « Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia » et à son système complexe de signes critiques et de notes. Ce petit guide permet d'identifier et de comprendre la signification de toutes ces indications marginales. Par ailleurs, les auteurs précisent les méthodes habituellement utilisées par les chercheurs pour examiner les variantes et juger lesquelles se rapprochent le plus vraisemblablement du texte primitif.

Detection of bias in animal model pedigree indices of heifers

Selostus: Eläinmalliin perustuvien hiehojen odotusarvojen luotettavuus jalostusarvon ennusteena

Possibilities of Competition Indices to Describe Competitive Differences between Scots Pine Families

Summary