75 research outputs found
Private equity challenge - a leveraged buyout of teradata
This Investment Committee paper focuses on a potential Leveraged Buyout of Teradata, a software and hardware company based out of San Diego California. It operates internationally and is currently restructuring its product offering to become a cloud first company. The group performed a company and market overview to understand the potential areas for an investment thesis. Value creation is possible through strategic acquisitions in the IoT and cybersecurity space, increasing operational efficiency and through a strong revenue growth from a change in product placement towards high growth geographical areas, where demand is stronger. An LBO simulation is performed and exit returns are calculated
A revised bird checklist for the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea (Príncipe, São Tomé and Annobón)
We present an updated bird checklist for the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea. Their avifauna comprises 146 confirmed species, an increase of 19% in 15 years. Of these, 66 are resident landbird species (32 on Príncipe, 50 on São Tomé and 11 on Annobón), including 29 endemic species, 17 endemic subspecies and 17 possibly non-native species. The remaining avifauna consists of six breeding seabird species, four non-breeding migrants, 62 vagrants and eight species of uncertain status. An additional 51 species have been reported but lack confirmation. Most recent changes reflect increases in observer activity and involve vagrant and unconfirmed species, but a few result from previously overlooked historical records and taxonomic changes. Of the three islands, most changes affected the avifauna of Príncipe, whereas little new information has come from Annobón. Future changes are predicted to arise from new reports and confirmation of vagrants, but also from further taxonomic revision of residents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The collection of birds from São Tomé and Príncipe at the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical of the University of Lisbon (Portugal)
Data PaperThe former Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical-IICT (Lisbon, Portugal), recently integrated into
the University of Lisbon, gathers important natural history collections from Portuguese-speaking African
countries. In this study, we describe the bird collection from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, which was fully taxonomically checked and georeferenced. The IICT bird collection contains
5598 specimens, of which 559 are from São Tomé and Príncipe, representing 85 taxa, including 19
endemic species and 13 endemic subspecies of birds. The specimens were collected between 1946 and
1973, although 43% of the records are from 1954 and 45% are from 1970. The geographic distribution
of samples covers the whole territory, with a higher number of records from São Tomé than from Príncipe.
The districts with highest number of records are Pagué (equivalent to Príncipe Island), and Água Grande
and Mé-Zochi on São Tomé. Despite the relatively low number of specimens per taxon, the importance
of the collection is considerable due to the high number of endemic and threatened species represented.
Furthermore, it adds valuable information to the GBIF network, especially for a country whose two islands
are each an Endemic Bird Area and for which substantial gaps in ornithological knowledge remaininfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Drivers of bird diversity in an understudied African centre of endemism:The Angolan Central Escarpment Forest
Natural habitats are being rapidly lost due to human activities. It is therefore vital to understand how these activities influence biodiversity so that suitable guidelines can be established for conservation. This is particularly important in understudied, high biodiversity, areas such as the Angolan Escarpment. Here we examine which habitat characteristics drive bird diversity and endemic species presence at Kumbira Forest, a key site in the Central Escarpment Forest. Bird diversity was sampled by 10 min bird point counts, whereas habitat characteristics were measured by a combination of ground-based vegetation surveys and remotely sensed data modelling of Landsat images. GLM, multi-model inference and model averaging were used to determine the most important variables driving species richness and the presence of endemics. The remote sensing variables performed poorly in predicting presence of Red-crested Turaco Tauraco erythrolophus and Gabela Bushshrike Laniarius amboimensis but they contributed significantly to explain species richness and Gabela Akalat Sheppardia gabela presence, both of which were associated with greater canopy cover. Liana density and elevation were also important explanatory variables in certain cases. Conservation actions at Kumbira should focus on increasing canopy cover and maintaining forest integrity (as measured by liana density), as these actions are likely to have the most positive outcomes for the avifauna
Factores asociados con la reducción de la fuerza de agarre manual en ancianos longevos
Objetivo Investigar la prevalencia de la reducción de la fuerza de agarre manual y los factores asociados en ancianos longevos, usuarios de la atención básica a la salud. Método Estudio cuantitativo transversal, cuyos datos fueron recogidos en el período de enero a diciembre de 2013, por medio de pruebas y aplicación de cuestionarios. La muestra por conveniencia comprendió a 157 ancianos. Resultados Señalan que la reducción de la fuerza de agarre manual tiene prevalencia moderada (25,5%), con predominio del sexo femenino (19,1%), del rango de edad de 80 a 89 años (18,5%) y baja escolaridad (15,9%). La asociación entre la disminución de la fuerza de agarre manual y las variables de edad e índice de masa corpórea mostró significación estadística. Conclusión Las investigaciones acerca del componente de la fuerza de agarre manual son fundamentales para la identificación de las condiciones clínicas de los ancianos longevos brasileños y contribuyen para la construcción de planes dirigidos a la gestión de la fragilidad.Objetivo Investigar a prevalência da redução da força de preensão manual e fatores associados em idosos longevos, usuários da atenção básica de saúde. Método Estudo quantitativo transversal, cujos dados foram coletados no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2013, por meio de testes e aplicação de questionários. A amostra por conveniência compreendeu 157 idosos. Resultados Apontam que a redução da força de preensão manual possui prevalência moderada (25,5%), com predomínio do sexo feminino (19,1%), da faixa etária de 80 a 89 anos (18,5%) e baixa escolaridade (15,9%). A associação entre diminuição da força de preensão manual e as variáveis idade e índice de massa corpórea mostrou significância estatística. Conclusão As investigações sobre o componente da força de preensão manual são fundamentais para a identificação das condições clínicas dos idosos longevos brasileiros e contribuem para a construção de planos voltados para a gestão da fragilidade.Objective To investigate the prevalence of reduced grip strength and associated factors in long-lived elderly, who are users of primary health care. Method Cross-sectional quantitative study, data were collected during the period of January to December of 2013, by applying tests and questionnaires. The convenience sampling was comprised of 157 seniors. Results The findings indicate that the reduction in grip strength presents a moderate prevalence (25.5%), predominantly among females (19.1%), in the age group of 80-89 years (18.5%) and in those with lower educational levels (15.9%). The association between reduced grip strength and the variables of age and body mass index showed a statistical significance. Conclusion Investigations about the handgrip strength are essential for identifying clinical conditions of Brazilian long-lived elderly, and contribute to the development of plans towards the management of frailty
The collection of birds from Mozambique at the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical of the University of Lisbon (Portugal)
The Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical of the University of Lisbon, which resulted from the
recent merger (in 2015) of the former state laboratory Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical in the
University of Lisbon, holds an important collection of bird skins from the Portuguese-speaking African
Countries (Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde), gathered as a
result of several scientific expeditions made during the colonial period. In this paper, the subset from Mozambique
is described, which was taxonomically revised and georeferenced. It contains 1585 specimens
belonging to 412 taxa, collected between 1932 and 1971, but mainly in 1948 (43% of specimens) and
1955 (30% of specimens). The collection covers all eleven provinces of the country, although areas south
of the Zambezi River are better represented than those north of the river. The provinces with the highest
number of specimens were Maputo, Sofala, and Gaza. Although it is a relatively small collection with a
patchy coverage, it adds significantly to Global Biodiversity Information Facility, with 15% of all records
available before and during the collecting period (1830–1971) being the second largest dataset for that
period for Mozambiqueinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Physical Geography of the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands
The Gulf of Guinea, in the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, has three oceanic islands that arose as part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line. From northeast to southwest these are Príncipe (139 km2), São Tomé (857 km2), and Annobón (17 km2). Although relatively close to the adjacent mainland, the islands have distinct climactic and geomorphologic characteristics, and have remained isolated throughout their geological history. Consequently, they have developed a unique biodiversity, rich in endemic species. We provide an integrated overview of the physical setting of the islands, including their geographic location, geological origin, topography, geology and soils, climate zones, and prevailing wind and ocean currents—key features that underlie the evolution of their biodiversity
Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The island of Madagascar and surrounding volcanic and coralline islands are considered to form a biodiversity hotspot with large numbers of unique taxa. The origin of this endemic fauna can be explained by two different factors: vicariance or over-water-dispersal. Deciphering which factor explains the current distributional pattern of a given taxonomic group requires robust phylogenies as well as estimates of divergence times. The lineage of Indian Ocean scops-owls (<it>Otus</it>: Strigidae) includes six or seven species that are endemic to Madagascar and portions of the Comoros and Seychelles archipelagos; little is known about the species limits, biogeographic affinities and relationships to each other. In the present study, using DNA sequence data gathered from six loci, we examine the biogeographic history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls. We also compare the pattern and timing of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls with divergence times already proposed for other bird taxa.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our analyses revealed that Indian Ocean islands scops-owls do not form a monophyletic assemblage: the Seychelles <it>Otus insularis </it>is genetically closer to the South-East Asian endemic <it>O. sunia </it>than to species from the Comoros and Madagascar. The Pemba Scops-owls <it>O. pembaensis</it>, often considered closely related to, if not conspecific with <it>O. rutilus </it>of Madagascar, is instead closely related to the African mainland <it>O. senegalensis</it>. Relationships among the Indian Ocean taxa from the Comoros and Madagascar are unresolved, despite the analysis of over 4000 bp, suggesting a diversification burst after the initial colonization event. We also highlight one case of putative back-colonization to the Asian mainland from an island ancestor (<it>O. sunia</it>). Our divergence date estimates, using a Bayesian relaxed clock method, suggest that all these events occurred during the last 3.6 myr; albeit colonization of the Indian Ocean islands were not synchronous, <it>O. pembaensis </it>diverged from <it>O. senegalensis </it>about 1.7 mya while species from Madagascar and the Comoro diverged from their continental sister-group about 3.6 mya. We highlight that our estimates coincide with estimates of diversification from other bird lineages.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analyses revealed the occurrence of multiple synchronous colonization events of the Indian Ocean islands by scops-owls, at a time when faunistic exchanges involving Madagascar was common as a result of lowered sea-level that would have allowed the formation of stepping-stone islands. Patterns of diversification that emerged from the scops-owls data are: 1) a star-like pattern concerning the order of colonization of the Indian Ocean islands and 2) the high genetic distinctiveness among all Indian Ocean taxa, reinforcing their recognition as distinct species.</p
OTIMIZAÇÃO GEOMÉTRICA DE ESCOAMENTOS COM CONVECÇÃO FORÇADA SOBRE UM ARRANJO TRIANGULAR DE CORPOS ROMBUDOS QUADRADOS
O presente estudo consiste na avaliação numérica de um arranjo triangular de corpos rombudos submetidos a um escoamento transiente, bidimensional, incompressível, laminar e com convecção forçada. A avaliação geométrica é realizada através do método Design Construtal. O problema possui uma restrição dada pela soma da área dos corpos rombudos e dois graus de liberdade: ST/D (razão da distância entre o centro dos corposrombudos posteriores e a dimensão de suas arestas), SL/D (razão da distância longitudinal entre os centros dos corpos rombudos, frontal e posteriores, e a dimensão de suas arestas). Para todas as simulações são considerados números de Reynolds e Prandtl constantes, ReD=100 e Pr = 0.71. As equações de conservação de massa, quantidade de movimento e energia são resolvidas através do Método dos Volumes Finitos (FVM). O principal objetivo é avaliaro efeito dos graus de liberdade sobre o coeficiente de arrasto (CD) e o número de Nusselt (NuD) entre os corpos rombudos e o escoamento circundante, assim como, os valores ótimos de ST/D para seis razões de ST/D = 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 e 4.0 e seis passos longitudinais SL/D= 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 e 4.0. Os resultados mostraram que a alteração da razão ST/D possuem influência sobre os coeficientes de arrasto e número de Nusselt do arranjo triangular de corpos rombudos, bem como, sobre as geometrias que conduzem aos melhoresdesempenhos fluido dinâmico e térmico do escoamento.Palavras-chave: Design Construtal, convecção forçada, arranjo triangular, escoamento externo, corpos rombudos
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