Bots vs. Wikipedians, Anons vs. Logged-Ins

Wikipedia is a global crowdsourced encyclopedia that at time of writing is available in 287 languages. Wikidata is a likewise global crowdsourced knowledge base that provides shared facts to be used by Wikipedias. In the context of this research, we have developed an application and an underlying Application Programming Interface (API) capable of monitoring realtime edit activity of all language versions of Wikipedia and Wikidata. This application allows us to easily analyze edits in order to answer questions such as "Bots vs. Wikipedians, who edits more?", "Which is the most anonymously edited Wikipedia?", or "Who are the bots and what do they edit?". To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such an analysis could be done in realtime for Wikidata and for really all Wikipedias--large and small. Our application is available publicly online at the URL http://wikipedia-edits.herokuapp.com/, its code has been open-sourced under the Apache 2.0 license.Comment: Poster at the Web Science Track of the 23rd International World Wide Web Conference (WWW2014), Seoul, Kore

Disaster Monitoring with Wikipedia and Online Social Networking Sites: Structured Data and Linked Data Fragments to the Rescue?

In this paper, we present the first results of our ongoing early-stage research on a realtime disaster detection and monitoring tool. Based on Wikipedia, it is language-agnostic and leverages user-generated multimedia content shared on online social networking sites to help disaster responders prioritize their efforts. We make the tool and its source code publicly available as we make progress on it. Furthermore, we strive to publish detected disasters and accompanying multimedia content following the Linked Data principles to facilitate its wide consumption, redistribution, and evaluation of its usefulness.Comment: Accepted for publication at the AAAI Spring Symposium 2015: Structured Data for Humanitarian Technologies: Perfect fit or Overkill? #SD4HumTech1

Sectoral Transformations in Neo-Patrimonial Rentier States: Tourism Development and State Policy in Egypt

This article challenges claims that liberalising state regulated markets in developing countries may induce lasting economic development. The analysis of the rise of tourism in Egypt during the last three decades suggests that the effects of liberalisation and structural adjustment are constrained by the neo-patrimonial character of the Egyptian political system. Since the decline of oil rent revenues during the 1980s tourism development was the optimal strategy to compensate for the resulting fiscal losses. Increasing tourism revenues have helped in coping with macroeconomic imbalances and in avoiding more costly adjustment of traditional economic sectors. Additionally, they provided the private elite with opportunities to generate large profits. Therefore, sectoral transformations due to economic liberalisation in neo-patrimonial Rentier states should be described as a process, which has led to the diversification of external rent revenues, rather than to a general downsizing of the Rentier character of the economy.Egypt, rentier state, economic liberalisation, economic development, tourism

Semiparametric Multinomial Logit Models for Analysing Consumer Choice Behaviour

The multinomial logit model (MNL) is one of the most frequently used statistical models in marketing applications. It allows to relate an unordered categorical response variable, for example representing the choice of a brand, to a vector of covariates such as the price of the brand or variables characterising the consumer. In its classical form, all covariates enter in strictly parametric, linear form into the utility function of the MNL model. In this paper, we introduce semiparametric extensions, where smooth effects of continuous covariates are modelled by penalised splines. A mixed model representation of these penalised splines is employed to obtain estimates of the corresponding smoothing parameters, leading to a fully automated estimation procedure. To validate semiparametric models against parametric models, we utilise proper scoring rules and compare parametric and semiparametric approaches for a number of brand choice data sets

Is hemoglobin mass at age 16 a predictor for national team membership at age 25 in cross-country skiers and triathletes?

We recently measured the development of hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) in 10 Swiss national team endurance athletes between ages 16-19. Level of Hbmass at age 16 was an important predictor for Hbmass and endurance performance at age 19. The aim was to determine how many of these young athletes were still members of Swiss national teams (NT) at age 25, how many already terminated their career (TC), and whether Hbmass at ages 16 and 19 was different between the NT and TC group. We measured Hbmass using the optimized carbon monoxide re-breathing technique in 10 high-performing endurance athletes every 0.5 years beginning at age 16 and ending at age 19. At age 25, two athletes were in the NT group and eight athletes in the TC group. Mean absolute, body weight-, and lean body mass (LBM) related Hbmass at age 16 was 833 +/- 61 g, 13.7 +/- 0.2 g/kg and 14.2 +/- 0.2 g/kg LBM in the NT group and 742 +/- 83 g, 12.2 +/- 0.7 g/kg and 12.8 +/- 0.8 g/kg LBM in the TC group. At age 19, Hbmass was 1,042 +/- 89 g, 14.6 +/- 0.2 g/kg and 15.4 +/- 0.2 g/kg LBM in the NT group and 863 +/- 109 g, 12.7 +/- 1.1 g/kg and 13.5 +/- 1.1 g/kg LBM in the TC group. Body weight- and LBM related Hbmass were higher in the NT group than in the TC group at ages 16 and 19 (p < 0.05). These results indicate, that Hbmass at ages 16 and 19 possibly could be an important predictor for later national team membership in endurance disciplines

An annotated checklist of the Coleoptera (Insecta) of the Cayman Islands, West Indies

A faunal list of 605 species of Coleoptera in 396 genera in 63 families is presented for the Cayman Islands. For most species, island and locality within island collecting information is provided

Qualitätssicherung für Eiweißfuttermittel in der ökologischen Tierernährung: Sojabohnen und -kuchen

Die EG-Öko-Verordnung schreibt eine 100 %-Bio-Fütterung für Monogastrier ab 2012 vor. Somit wird es zwingend, ökokonforme Eiweißfuttermittel zielgerichtet einzusetzen, damit eine bedarfsgerechte Versorgung der Monogastrier mit essentiellen Aminosäuren erfolgen kann. Vor der Verfütterung von Sojabohnen und deren Verarbeitungsprodukte an Monogastrier ist eine thermische Inaktivierung der enthaltenen Proteaseinhibitoren und Hämagglutine notwendig. In einem Forschungsprojekt wurde eine Partie ökologisch erzeugter Sojabohnen (Sorte „PR91M10“, Fa. Pioneer) zu Sojakuchen verarbeitet und Teilpartien vier verschiedenen Wärmebehandlungsverfahren (A: trockene Hitze, B: hydrothermische Behandlung in Dämpf-und Flockieranlage, C: hydrothermische Behandlung im Hydrothermischen Reaktor, D: hydrothermische mit Expanderbehandlung) unterzogen. Der Behandlungserfolg (A, B, C, D) wurde in den nachfolgend dargestellten Fütterungsversuchen - unter den Bedingungen einer 100 %-Bio-Fütterung - überprüft. In einem Fütterungsversuch mit Broilern (720 männliche Tiere, Genotyp ISA J 957) wurden Sojakuchen-Mischungsanteile von 20 % (Aufzucht) bzw. 15 % (Mast) eingesetzt. Beim Mastendgewicht (56 Tage) wurden signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den vier Fütterungsgruppen festgestellt. Gruppe A erreichte das höchste Endgewicht (2435 g), gefolgt von D (2347 g), C (2253 g) und B (2124 g). Diese Reihenfolge spiegelte sich auch im Merkmal Futteraufnahme wider. Bei den Merkmalen der Schlachtleistung zeigten sich keine gravierenden Unterschiede. In einem Legehennenversuch (508 Junghennen, Lohmann Braun) wurden ebenfalls vier Fütterungsgruppen (jeweils 15 % Sojakuchen der Varianten A, B, C, D) verglichen. Die Legeleistung der Gruppe A war mit 92,4 % signifikant niedriger als bei den anderen drei Gruppen (B: 95,4 %, C: 95,2 %, D: 94,9 %). Die Eigewichte der Gruppen A (64,2 g) und D (64,3 g) waren signifikant geringer als die der Gruppen B (64,7 g) und C (64,8 g). In einem Versuch mit abgesetzten Ferkeln (96 männliche Kastraten, Mehrrassenkreuzung) wurde - zusätzlich zu den vier Sojakuchenvarianten (Mischungsanteil jeweils 20 %) - für die Behandlungen A und D ein Steigerungsversuch (15 %, 20 % und 25 % Sojakuchenanteil in der Aufzuchtmischung) durchgeführt. Im betrachteten Gewichtsbereich von 13,7 kg bis 30,1 kg nahmen die Ferkel im Durchschnitt 1,029 kg Futter pro Tag auf und erreichten Tageszunahmen von 507 g. Zwischen den Sojakuchenbehandlungen konnten keine signifikanten Unterschiede erfasst werden. Jedoch erreichten die Gruppen mit einem Mischungsanteil von 25 % Sojakuchen deutlich geringere Tageszunahmen als die Gruppen mit 15 % bzw. 20 % Sojakuchenanteil