The effect of abiotic and landscape features on abundance of Anopheles larvae

Mosquitoes are medically the most important group of insects, transmitting a number of deadly diseases, including malaria. Female mosquitoes transmit them while feeding on human blood, which is required to mature eggs. It is important to understand vector population dynamics in order to effectively control them. Sampling larval populations is one of the methods to estimate mosquito requirements for site selection for oviposition and survival. Our survey took place from 10th of June to 1st July in the area of village Chano, located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region in Southern Ethiopia. Mosquito larvae were collected using standard dipping method once a week in three different land cover categories. Water physical parameters were recorded on site and the chemical analysis was performed at the laboratory of The Institute of Health and Nutrition in Addis Ababa. We found Anopheles arabiensis to be the only anopheline species present at the end of the rainy season in the surveyed area. There was no significant association detected between presence of Anopheles mosquito larvae and abiotic and landscape characteristics. However, we found that the density of early instar stages was increasing with increasing conductivity (p=0.01) and dissolved oxygen (p=0.02) and when habitats contained aquatic vegetation. Such habitats were associated with pastures. Late larval instars were positively associated with turbidity (p=0.003) and such habitats were more numerous in the settlement. We conclude that Anopheles arabiensis females were ovipositing more intensively in habitats that were more stable, but the survival in such habitats was lower. We suggest that water quality may be not the main factor influencing site selection for oviposition when the climatic conditions are not favorable for the survival of the adult and immature stages. This knowledge could be applied in the development of vector control strategies, aiming at the mosquito populations when they are mostly vulnerable

Aphids-induced plant volatiles affect diel foraging behavior of a ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata

The ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata (L.) is an important biocontrol agent of pests such as various aphid species. Despite being one of the most studied coccinellid species, many aspects of its foraging behavior are still not completely understood. This study focuses on the diel foraging behavior of C. septempunctata, investigating their olfactory orientation toward aphid-infested plants, walking activity on plants and on the soil, and feeding rates. In the scotophase the ladybird beetles were significantly more attracted to the odor of aphid-infested plants, on which they also showed considerably higher walking activity then on uninfested controls. Females were more prone to utilize olfactory cues when searching for prey and fed at higher rates than males; this shows that they are better adapted to nocturnal activity, as they require higher food intake. Coccinella septempunctata have the same feeding rate during the scotophase as in the photophase. Our study shows that C. septempunctata has the potential to forage in the scotophase if prey is abundant. The results support the hypothesis that volatiles of aphid-infested plants can attract or arrest foraging adult ladybird beetles, even in the darkness, which makes a considerable contribution to efficient prey search and enhances feeding capacity

Can the sectoral New Keynesian Phillips curve explain inflation dynamics in the Euro Area?

There is no a priori reason to suppose that price-setting behaviour is homogeneous across sectors and countries. Aggregate data are, however, commonly used to estimate the New Keynesian Phillips curve (NKPC), which may very well yield erroneous results if price-setting behaviour is heterogeneous. In this paper, we therefore estimate the hybrid NKPC for the Euro Area using a novel sectoral data set containing quarterly observations from 1999Q1 to 2012Q1. We show that a positive relationship between inflation and real marginal cost cannot be established empirically for a majority of countries and sectors. We also perform a meta-analysis by combining the results of individual significance tests in order to assess the validity of the NKPC in each country across all sectors and in each sector across all countries. We find no empirical evidence for the NKPC in the Euro Area when this meta-analysis is used. Our results therefore raise doubts about the appropriateness of the NKPC for the analysis of inflation dynamics and monetary policy in the Euro Area

Assessing the New Keynesian Phillips Curve in the Euro Area Using Disaggregate Data

There is no a priori reason to suppose that price-setting behaviour is homogeneous across sectors and countries. Aggregate data is, however, commonly used to estimate the New Keynesian Phillips curve (NKPC), which may very well yield erroneous results if price-setting behaviour is heterogeneous. In this paper we therefore estimate the hybrid NKPC for the Euro Area using a novel sectoral data set containing quarterly observations from 1999Q1 to 2012Q1. We show that a positive relationship between inflation and real marginal cost cannot be established empirically for a majority of countries and sectors. We also perform a meta-analysis by combining the results of individual significance tests in order to assess the validity of the NKPC in each country across all sectors and in each sector across all countries. We find no empirical evidence for the NKPC in the Euro Area when this meta-analysis is used. Our results therefore raise doubts about the appropriateness of the NKPC for the analysis of inflation dynamics and monetary policy in the Euro Area

Omdesign av en webbplats för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg enligt en människocentrerad designprocess avsedd att spegla arbetsflödet hos olika användare

Web-based services designed using human centered design methods containing instructions how to self-complete various tasks and providing interfaces to do them helped various organizations become more efficient. However, often software engineering teams have a lack of understanding of when and how users should bei nvolved when designing such systems. They are often unsure how to measure the impact of human centered design methods. This thesis presents a human centered design solution to designing a website for technical information and service tools for Windows services at CERN. This involved using a carefully chosen combination of design research methods to study user, stakeholder groups and their workflows as well as organizational requirements. I then used this data to inform the design decisions and outputs such as sitemaps, wireframes and a high fidelity prototype. The study focused on the role of these methods in the design process and how they could help to accomplish the goals of the project. Also, on evaluating the impact of these methods on the design outcome. It was found that interviews, card sorting and usability testing each had a role to play in the process with the new design performing significantly better than the old one. Further to this, usability testing was found to be a useful evaluation and development technique.Webbaserade tjänster utvecklade efter människocentrerade utvecklingsmetoder innehållande instruktioner för att utföra vissa uppgifter och förse gränssnitt på egenhand har hjälpt ett flertal organisationer att bli effektivare. Dock har ofta mjukvaruutvecklingsteamen brist på förståelse utav när och hur användare skall vara inblandade i utvecklingen av dessa system. De är ofta osäkra på hur påverkan av en människocentrerad utvecklingsprocess skall mätas. Denna avhandling presenteraren människocentrerad utvecklingslösning för utveckling av en hemsida avsedd för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg till windows services åt CERN. Detta involverade användning utav en noggrant utvald kombination utav forskningsresultat angående utvecklingsmetoder för att studera användare, intressenter och deras arbetsflöde samt organisations relaterade krav. Denna data användes sedan för att ta utvecklings relaterade beslut och framta resultat så som webbplatskartor, wireframes and en realistisk prototyp. Denna studie fokuserar på rollen utav dessa metoder i utvecklingsprocessen och hur de kan bidra till att åstadkomma målen för projektet. Samt, för att evaluera påverkan av dessa metoder på utvecklings processen. Det konstaterades att intervjuer, sortering utav kort och testning utav användbarhet alla hade en roll i varför den nya produkten presterade signifikant bättre än den äldre produkten. Samt test utav användbarhet visar sig vara ett bra verktyg och utvecklingsmetod

Omdesign av en webbplats för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg enligt en människocentrerad designprocess avsedd att spegla arbetsflödet hos olika användare

Web-based services designed using human centered design methods containing instructions how to self-complete various tasks and providing interfaces to do them helped various organizations become more efficient. However, often software engineering teams have a lack of understanding of when and how users should bei nvolved when designing such systems. They are often unsure how to measure the impact of human centered design methods. This thesis presents a human centered design solution to designing a website for technical information and service tools for Windows services at CERN. This involved using a carefully chosen combination of design research methods to study user, stakeholder groups and their workflows as well as organizational requirements. I then used this data to inform the design decisions and outputs such as sitemaps, wireframes and a high fidelity prototype. The study focused on the role of these methods in the design process and how they could help to accomplish the goals of the project. Also, on evaluating the impact of these methods on the design outcome. It was found that interviews, card sorting and usability testing each had a role to play in the process with the new design performing significantly better than the old one. Further to this, usability testing was found to be a useful evaluation and development technique.Webbaserade tjänster utvecklade efter människocentrerade utvecklingsmetoder innehållande instruktioner för att utföra vissa uppgifter och förse gränssnitt på egenhand har hjälpt ett flertal organisationer att bli effektivare. Dock har ofta mjukvaruutvecklingsteamen brist på förståelse utav när och hur användare skall vara inblandade i utvecklingen av dessa system. De är ofta osäkra på hur påverkan av en människocentrerad utvecklingsprocess skall mätas. Denna avhandling presenteraren människocentrerad utvecklingslösning för utveckling av en hemsida avsedd för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg till windows services åt CERN. Detta involverade användning utav en noggrant utvald kombination utav forskningsresultat angående utvecklingsmetoder för att studera användare, intressenter och deras arbetsflöde samt organisations relaterade krav. Denna data användes sedan för att ta utvecklings relaterade beslut och framta resultat så som webbplatskartor, wireframes and en realistisk prototyp. Denna studie fokuserar på rollen utav dessa metoder i utvecklingsprocessen och hur de kan bidra till att åstadkomma målen för projektet. Samt, för att evaluera påverkan av dessa metoder på utvecklings processen. Det konstaterades att intervjuer, sortering utav kort och testning utav användbarhet alla hade en roll i varför den nya produkten presterade signifikant bättre än den äldre produkten. Samt test utav användbarhet visar sig vara ett bra verktyg och utvecklingsmetod

Redesign of a website for technical information and service tools following a human centered design process to reflect the workflow of different users

Web-based services designed using human centered design methods containing instructions how to self-complete various tasks and providing interfaces to do them helped various organizations become more efficient. However, often software engineering teams have a lack of understanding of when and how users should be involved when designing such systems. They are often unsure how to measure the impact of human centered design methods. This thesis presents a human centered design solution to designing a website for technical information and service tools for Windows services at CERN. This involved using a carefully chosen combination of design research methods to study user, stakeholder groups and their workflows as well as organizational requirements. I then used this data to inform the design decisions and outputs such as sitemaps, wireframes and a high fidelity prototype. The study focused on the role of these methods in the design process and how they could help to accomplish the goals of the project. Also, on evaluating the impact of these methods on the design outcome. It was found that interviews, card sorting and usability testing each had a role to play in the process with the new design performing significantly better than the old one. Further to this, usability testing was found to be a useful evaluation and development technique

A Monte Carlo Study of a Factor Analytical Method for Fixed-Effects Dynamic Panel Models

In a recent article Bai (2013a) proposes a new factor analytical method (FAM) for the estimation of fixed-effects dynamic panel data models, which has the unique and very useful property that it is asymptotically bias free. In this paper we provide Monte Carlo evidence of the good small-sample performance of FAM, that complement Bai's theoretical study

Omdesign av en webbplats för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg enligt en människocentrerad designprocess avsedd att spegla arbetsflödet hos olika användare

Web-based services designed using human centered design methods containing instructions how to self-complete various tasks and providing interfaces to do them helped various organizations become more efficient. However, often software engineering teams have a lack of understanding of when and how users should bei nvolved when designing such systems. They are often unsure how to measure the impact of human centered design methods. This thesis presents a human centered design solution to designing a website for technical information and service tools for Windows services at CERN. This involved using a carefully chosen combination of design research methods to study user, stakeholder groups and their workflows as well as organizational requirements. I then used this data to inform the design decisions and outputs such as sitemaps, wireframes and a high fidelity prototype. The study focused on the role of these methods in the design process and how they could help to accomplish the goals of the project. Also, on evaluating the impact of these methods on the design outcome. It was found that interviews, card sorting and usability testing each had a role to play in the process with the new design performing significantly better than the old one. Further to this, usability testing was found to be a useful evaluation and development technique.Webbaserade tjänster utvecklade efter människocentrerade utvecklingsmetoder innehållande instruktioner för att utföra vissa uppgifter och förse gränssnitt på egenhand har hjälpt ett flertal organisationer att bli effektivare. Dock har ofta mjukvaruutvecklingsteamen brist på förståelse utav när och hur användare skall vara inblandade i utvecklingen av dessa system. De är ofta osäkra på hur påverkan av en människocentrerad utvecklingsprocess skall mätas. Denna avhandling presenteraren människocentrerad utvecklingslösning för utveckling av en hemsida avsedd för teknisk information och tjänsteverktyg till windows services åt CERN. Detta involverade användning utav en noggrant utvald kombination utav forskningsresultat angående utvecklingsmetoder för att studera användare, intressenter och deras arbetsflöde samt organisations relaterade krav. Denna data användes sedan för att ta utvecklings relaterade beslut och framta resultat så som webbplatskartor, wireframes and en realistisk prototyp. Denna studie fokuserar på rollen utav dessa metoder i utvecklingsprocessen och hur de kan bidra till att åstadkomma målen för projektet. Samt, för att evaluera påverkan av dessa metoder på utvecklings processen. Det konstaterades att intervjuer, sortering utav kort och testning utav användbarhet alla hade en roll i varför den nya produkten presterade signifikant bättre än den äldre produkten. Samt test utav användbarhet visar sig vara ett bra verktyg och utvecklingsmetod

A Factor Analytical Approach to Dynamic Panel Data Models

This thesis deals with the development and application of new estimation approaches based on factor analysis for estimation and inference in dynamic panel data models with fixed-effects. A new factor analytical method (FA) for the estimation of fixed-effects dynamic panel data models is proposed in Bai ("Fixed-Effects Dynamic Panel Models, A Factor Analytical Method". Econometrica 81, 285-314, 2013), which has the unique and very useful property that it is not subject to the incidental parameter problem and is therefore asymptotically bias-free. In Chapter I we complement Bai's theoretical study by providing Monte Carlo evidence of the good small-sample performance of the FA method.One of the attractive features of the FA method is that it does not require explicit detrending, a practice that is known to cause problems of bias and low power in (near) unit root panels, especially in models that include a linear trend. While certainly appealing, the FA approach, as originally proposed, is restricted to fixed-effects models without a unit root. In Chapter II we investigate the properties of this estimator when it is used to estimate (near) unit root panels with a possible trend. In Chapter III we propose an extension of the FA method to cover dynamic panel data models with interactive fixed-effects and a moving average error structure. The limiting distribution of the modified FA method is derived and it is shown that this estimator is asymptotically normal and unbiased. The performance of the FA method is evaluated by conducting a small-scale Monte Carlo simulation exercise.Most empirical evidence suggests that the efficient futures market hypothesis, stating that spot and futures prices cointegrate with a unit slope on futures prices, does not hold. In Chapter IV we test this hypothesis using the FA method and a large panel data set including 17 commodities from March 1991 to August 2012. The empirical results suggest that this hypothesis cannot be rejected. In Chapter V we investigate if the New Keynesian Phillips curve (NKPC) is supported empirically in the Euro Area using a data set that is disaggregated by both country and sector. The NKPC are estimated using the Factor-GMM estimator, which is superior to GMM in terms of efficiency. We test the NKPC by combining the individual results. Our results provide no empirical evidence in favour of the NKPC