Non-Extensive Approach to Quark Matter

We review the idea of generating non-extensive stationary distributions based on abstract composition rules for the subsystem energies, in particular the relativistic generalized Boltzmann equation method. The thermodynamical behavior of such systems is investigated and hadron spectra stemming from relativistic heavy ion collisions are calculated by assuming quark coalescence.Comment: Review prepared for The European Physical Journal A - Hadrons and Nuclei, as part of a review block about applications of non-extensive thermodynamics in high-energy phenomen

International financial crises - chance for Romania

The international financial crisis can be a real chance for Romania. The international financial crisis has served to reveal the true and deep domestic economic crisis. Face to face with the real situation, using the European funds at full, the alternative financial support such as PPP, the particular natural and human potential, Romania could became the best in its historically traditional successful fields (such as agriculture) and position on innovative fields (such as high technologies of transport, new energy sources, research and development) by burning steps of development. This paper presents the present economic situation, what the unused tools are, what is the opportunity and what monetary and fiscal policies can do

Resolving environmental drivers of microbial community structure in Antarctic soils

Antarctic soils are extremely cold, dry, and oligotrophic, yet harbour surprisingly high bacterial diversity. The severity of environmental conditions has constrained the development of multi-trophic communities, and species richness and distribution is thought to be driven primarily by abiotic factors. Sites in northern and southern Victoria Land were sampled for bacterial community structure and soil physicochemical properties in conjunction with the US and New Zealand Latitudinal Gradient Project. Bacterial community structure was determined using a high-resolution molecular fingerprinting method for 80 soil samples from Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett sites which are separated by five degrees of latitude and have distinct soil chemistry. Taylor Valley is part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, while Cape Hallett is the site of a penguin rookery and contains ornithogenic soils. The influence of soil moisture, pH, conductivity, ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen and organic carbon on community structure was revealed using Spearman rank correlation, Mantel test, and principal components analysis. High spatial variability was detected in bacterial communities and community structure was correlated with soil moisture and pH. Both unique and shared bacterial community members were detected at Taylor Valley and Cape Hallett despite the considerable distance between the sites

"My Home is an Asset Class": The Financialization of Housing in Europe

Over the past decades, institutional landlords – from real estate companies like the German giant Vonovia to private equity companies like Blackstone, or pension funds like ABP, the Dutch pension fund for government and education employees – have minted EUR 40bn of Berlin’s houses into assets that they rent out. This is roughly double the combined value of London’s and Amsterdam's institutionally owned houses and it is a trend that has accelerated since the COVID19 pandemic. Europe’s residential real estate has become an attractive asset class for investors worldwide, supported by a range of government policies that are ostensibly aimed at homeowners: support for housing markets pushes up house prices and reduces affordability for citizens, whereas income support for rent-paying households ensures stable returns for investors. In response, citizens across Europe – from Berlin to Dublin and Madrid – have mobilized to pressure governments into taking action. From rent controls to better regulation or even expropriation of institutional landlords, the political tide seems to be turning against a decades-old phenomenon known as the financialization of housing. A mega-trend across housing markets everywhere, it can be understood as (1) the disproportionate growth of housing finance relative to the underlying housing economy or (2) the turn to Housing as an Asset Class (HAC), captured by the increasing for-profit and financial orientation of actors in housing markets, and encouraged in Europe by a broad range of European-level financial legislation. In this report, we explore the growing importance of institutional landlords such as Blackstone, focusing in particular on the mechanisms through which European legislation has accommodated their strategies to transform housing into asset classes. We use data to map the complex financial ecosystem behind private equity landlords. We then propose a set of reforms that would de-financialize housing for the public good.1. Housing as an asset class - The age of the institutional landlord 2. Housing and mortgage markets in Europe 3. The financialization of housing 3.1 Housing as an Asset Class (HAC) in Institutional Portfolios 3.2 Securitization of housing loans 3.3 Private equity real estate (PERE) funds 3.4 Public equity: REITs in Spain and Ireland 3.4 Public equity: Listed Real Estate Companies 3.5 Institutional investors Insurance Companies 3.6 Pension funds 4. The contribution of EU policies to the financialization of housing 4.1 Insurance companies 4.2 Pension Funds 4.3 Credit institutions 4.4 Residential/RE funds 5. Recommendations for EU legislative action to slow down and tackle finacialization: A European housing framework 5.1 A Housing Upgrade in the Social Taxonomy to underpin mandatory disclosure and regulation of institutional landlords 5.2 The European Housing Fund 5.3 A Housing Red Flag Rule on new European-level regulatory initiatives Reference

Visualizing the Structure of Large Trees

This study introduces a new method of visualizing complex tree structured objects. The usefulness of this method is illustrated in the context of detecting unexpected features in a data set of very large trees. The major contribution is a novel two-dimensional graphical representation of each tree, with a covariate coded by color. The motivating data set contains three dimensional representations of brain artery systems of 105 subjects. Due to inaccuracies inherent in the medical imaging techniques, issues with the reconstruction algo- rithms and inconsistencies introduced by manual adjustment, various discrepancies are present in the data. The proposed representation enables quick visual detection of the most common discrepancies. For our driving example, this tool led to the modification of 10% of the artery trees and deletion of 6.7%. The benefits of our cleaning method are demonstrated through a statistical hypothesis test on the effects of aging on vessel structure. The data cleaning resulted in improved significance levels.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Single Maximal versus Combination Punch Kinematics

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of punch type (Jab, Cross, Lead Hook and Reverse Hook) and punch modality (Single maximal, ‘In-synch’ and ‘Out of synch’ combination) on punch speed and delivery time. Ten competition-standard volunteers performed punches with markers placed on their anatomical landmarks for 3D motion capture with an eight-camera optoelectronic system. Speed and duration between key moments were computed. There were significant differences in contact speed between punch types (F 2,18,84.87 = 105.76, p = 0.001) with Lead and Reverse Hooks developing greater speed than Jab and Cross. There were significant differences in contact speed between punch modalities (F 2,64,102.87 = 23.52, p = 0.001) with the Single maximal (M ± SD: 9.26 ± 2.09 m/s) higher than ‘Out of synch’ (7.49 ± 2.32 m/s), ‘In-synch’ left (8.01 ± 2.35 m/s) or right lead (7.97 ± 2.53 m/s). Delivery times were significantly lower for Jab and Cross than Hook. Times were significantly lower ‘In-synch’ than a Single maximal or ‘Out of synch’ combination mode. It is concluded that a defender may have more evasion-time than previously reported. This research could be of use to performers and coaches when considering training preparations