Gaps in Basic Workers’ Rights: Measuring International Adherence to and Implementation of the Organization’s Values With Public ILO Data

Conceptualizes and measures numerically the gap between the real and the ideal world of basic workers’ rights with the help of the ratification, reporting, supervisory and complaints data at the disposal of the ILO

Nonparametric estimation of effect heterogeneity in rare events meta-analysis: Bivariate, discrete mixture model

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this recordAbstract: Meta-analysis provides an integrated analysis and summary of the effects observed in k independent studies. The conventional analysis proceeds by first calculating a study-specific effect estimate, and then provides further analysis on the basis of the available k independent effect estimates associated with their uncertainty measures. Here we consider a setting where counts of events are available from k independent studies for a treatment and a control group. We suggest to model this situation with a study-specific Poisson regression model, and allow the study-specific parameters of the Poisson model to arise from a nonparametric mixture model. This approach then allows the estimation of the heterogeneity variance of the effect measure of interest in a nonparametric manner. A case study is used to illustrate the methodology throughout the paper

Rationality of quotients by linear actions of affine groups

Let G be the (special) affine group, semidirect product of SL_n and C^n. In this paper we study the representation theory of G and in particular the question of rationality for V/G where V is a generically free G-representation. We show that the answer to this question is positive if the dimension of V is sufficiently large and V is indecomposable. We have a more precise theorem if V is a two-step extension 0 -> S -> V -> Q -> 0 with S, Q completely reducible.Comment: 18 pages; dedicated to Fabrizio Catanese on the occasion of his 60th birthda

Predicting replacement of smartphones with mobile app usage

© Springer International Publishing AG 2016. To identify right customers who intend to replace the smart phone can help to perform precision marketing and thus bring significant financial gains to cell phone retailers. In this paper,we provide a study of exploiting mobile app usage for predicting users who will change the phone in the future. We first analyze the characteristics of mobile log data and develop the temporal bag-of-apps model,which can transform the raw data to the app usage vectors. We then formularize the prediction problem,present the hazard based prediction model,and derive the inference procedure. Finally,we evaluate both data model and prediction model on real-world data. The experimental results show that the temporal usage data model can effectively capture the unique characteristics of mobile log data,and the hazard based prediction model is thus much more effective than traditional classification methods. Furthermore,the hazard model is explainable,that is,it can easily show how the replacement of smart phones relate to mobile app usage over time

Avian seed dispersal may be insufficient for plants to track future temperature change on tropical mountains

AIM: Climate change causes shifts in species ranges globally. Terrestrial plant species often lag behind temperature shifts, and it is unclear to what extent animal-dispersed plants can track climate change. Here, we estimate the ability of bird-dispersed plant species to track future temperature change on a tropical mountain. LOCATION: Tropical elevational gradient (500–3500 m.a.s.l.) in the Manú biosphere reserve, Peru. TIME PERIOD: From 1960–1990 to 2061–2080. TAXA: Fleshy-fruited plants and avian frugivores. METHODS: Using simulations based on the functional traits of avian frugivores and fruiting plants, we quantified the number of long-distance dispersal (LDD) events that woody plant species would require to track projected temperature shifts on a tropical mountain by the year 2070 under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios [representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5]. We applied this approach to 343 bird-dispersed woody plant species. RESULTS: Our simulations revealed that bird-dispersed plants differed in their climate-tracking ability, with large-fruited and canopy plants exhibiting a higher climate-tracking ability. Our simulations also suggested that even under scenarios of strong and intermediate mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions (RCP 2.6 and 4.5), sufficient upslope dispersal would require several LDD events by 2070, which is unlikely for the majority of woody plant species. Furthermore, the ability of plant species to track future changes in temperature increased in simulations with a low degree of trait matching between plants and birds, suggesting that plants in generalized seed-dispersal systems might be more resilient to climate change. MAIN CONCLUSION: Our study illustrates how the functional traits of plants and animals can inform predictive models of species dispersal and range shifts under climate change and suggests that the biodiversity of tropical mountain ecosystems is highly vulnerable to future warming. The increasing availability of functional trait data for plants and animals globally will allow parameterization of similar models for many other seed-dispersal systems

Avian seed dispersal may be insufficient for plants to track future temperature change on tropical mountains

[Aim] Climate change causes shifts in species ranges globally. Terrestrial plant species often lag behind temperature shifts, and it is unclear to what extent animal-dispersed plants can track climate change. Here, we estimate the ability of bird-dispersed plant species to track future temperature change on a tropical mountain.[Location] Tropical elevational gradient (500–3500 m.a.s.l.) in the Manú biosphere reserve, Peru. [Time period] From 1960–1990 to 2061–2080. [Taxa] Fleshy-fruited plants and avian frugivores. [Methods] Using simulations based on the functional traits of avian frugivores and fruiting plants, we quantified the number of long-distance dispersal (LDD) events that woody plant species would require to track projected temperature shifts on a tropical mountain by the year 2070 under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios [representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5]. We applied this approach to 343 bird-dispersed woody plant species. [Results] Our simulations revealed that bird-dispersed plants differed in their climate-tracking ability, with large-fruited and canopy plants exhibiting a higher climate-tracking ability. Our simulations also suggested that even under scenarios of strong and intermediate mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions (RCP 2.6 and 4.5), sufficient upslope dispersal would require several LDD events by 2070, which is unlikely for the majority of woody plant species. Furthermore, the ability of plant species to track future changes in temperature increased in simulations with a low degree of trait matching between plants and birds, suggesting that plants in generalized seed-dispersal systems might be more resilient to climate change. [Main conclusion] Our study illustrates how the functional traits of plants and animals can inform predictive models of species dispersal and range shifts under climate change and suggests that the biodiversity of tropical mountain ecosystems is highly vulnerable to future warming. The increasing availability of functional trait data for plants and animals globally will allow parameterization of similar models for many other seed-dispersal systems.Fieldwork at Manú was conducted under the permits 041-2010-AG-DGFFSDGEFFS, 008-2011-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS, 01-C/C-2010SERNANP-JPNM and 01-2011-SERNANP-PNM-JEF and supported by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service to D.M.D. D.M.D. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant number 787638) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number 173342), both awarded to C. H. Graham. W.D.K. acknowledges a Global Ecology grant from the University of Amsterdam Faculty Research Cluster. I.D. was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is now supported by the Balearic Government. S.A.F. was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG; FR 3246/2-2) and the Leibniz Competition of the Leibniz Association (P52/2017)

Nuclear Inelastic X-Ray Scattering of FeO to 48 GPa

The partial density of vibrational states has been measured for Fe in compressed FeO (w\"ustite) using nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. Substantial changes have been observed in the overall shape of the density of states close to the magnetic transiton around 20 GPa from the paramagnetic (low pressure) to the antiferromagnetic (high pressure) state. Our data indicate a substantial softening of the aggregate sound velocities far below the transition, starting between 5 and 10 GPa. This is consistent with recent radial x-ray diffraction measurements of the elastic constants in FeO. The results indicate that strong magnetoelastic coupling in FeO is the driving force behind the changes in the phonon spectrum of FeO.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Combinatorial nuclear level density by a Monte Carlo method

We present a new combinatorial method for the calculation of the nuclear level density. It is based on a Monte Carlo technique, in order to avoid a direct counting procedure which is generally impracticable for high-A nuclei. The Monte Carlo simulation, making use of the Metropolis sampling scheme, allows a computationally fast estimate of the level density for many fermion systems in large shell model spaces. We emphasize the advantages of this Monte Carlo approach, particularly concerning the prediction of the spin and parity distributions of the excited states, and compare our results with those derived from a traditional combinatorial or a statistical method. Such a Monte Carlo technique seems very promising to determine accurate level densities in a large energy range for nuclear reaction calculations.Comment: 30 pages, LaTex, 7 figures (6 Postscript figures included). Fig. 6 upon request to the autho

Phonons and related properties of extended systems from density-functional perturbation theory

This article reviews the current status of lattice-dynamical calculations in crystals, using density-functional perturbation theory, with emphasis on the plane-wave pseudo-potential method. Several specialized topics are treated, including the implementation for metals, the calculation of the response to macroscopic electric fields and their relevance to long wave-length vibrations in polar materials, the response to strain deformations, and higher-order responses. The success of this methodology is demonstrated with a number of applications existing in the literature.Comment: 52 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Review of Modern Physic

Forest Fragmentation and Selective Logging Have Inconsistent Effects on Multiple Animal-Mediated Ecosystem Processes in a Tropical Forest

Forest fragmentation and selective logging are two main drivers of global environmental change and modify biodiversity and environmental conditions in many tropical forests. The consequences of these changes for the functioning of tropical forest ecosystems have rarely been explored in a comprehensive approach. In a Kenyan rainforest, we studied six animal-mediated ecosystem processes and recorded species richness and community composition of all animal taxa involved in these processes. We used linear models and a formal meta-analysis to test whether forest fragmentation and selective logging affected ecosystem processes and biodiversity and used structural equation models to disentangle direct from biodiversity-related indirect effects of human disturbance on multiple ecosystem processes. Fragmentation increased decomposition and reduced antbird predation, while selective logging consistently increased pollination, seed dispersal and army-ant raiding. Fragmentation modified species richness or community composition of five taxa, whereas selective logging did not affect any component of biodiversity. Changes in the abundance of functionally important species were related to lower predation by antbirds and higher decomposition rates in small forest fragments. The positive effects of selective logging on bee pollination, bird seed dispersal and army-ant raiding were direct, i.e. not related to changes in biodiversity, and were probably due to behavioural changes of these highly mobile animal taxa. We conclude that animal-mediated ecosystem processes respond in distinct ways to different types of human disturbance in Kakamega Forest. Our findings suggest that forest fragmentation affects ecosystem processes indirectly by changes in biodiversity, whereas selective logging influences processes directly by modifying local environmental conditions and resource distributions. The positive to neutral effects of selective logging on ecosystem processes show that the functionality of tropical forests can be maintained in moderately disturbed forest fragments. Conservation concepts for tropical forests should thus include not only remaining pristine forests but also functionally viable forest remnants