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A large number of diversity measures have been proposed in the literature, almost all of which are designed for sets with elements that differ in multiple aspects. However, these types of measures are not appropriate for sets with elements that differ in a single aspect only, such as duration, value or probability. In this essay I present a new measure of diversity, designed specifically for single aspect diversity. The measure captures the intuitive idea that single aspect diversity is affected by the maximal dissimilarity between the elements, the number of different elements, and the even spacing of the elements’ aspect values, when represented as points in one dimension. I show that the measure satisfies six plausible conditions for a single aspect diversity measure, which concern scale independence, minimal diversity, maximal dissimilarity, restricted function growth, strict monotonicity, and even spacing. The measure is also characterised.

The upload includes the following components: (i) a table of basic definition of presence-absence indices commonly used in ecology, including equations to convert pairs of mutually i-depenent indices to each other; (ii) 20 theses discussing their mutual relationships and meanings; (iii) a calculator to convert any two informationally independent indices into Jaccard similarity and Simpson beta; and (iv) the data utilized in Šizling et al.'s 202x study. Šizling, A.L., P. Keil, E. Tjørve, K.M.C. Tjørve, J.D. Žárský, and D. Storch,.202X. Mathematically and biologically consistent framework for presence-absence indices of diversity. Content: RI1 Repository Information_v0.1.1 (pdf) TABLE R1: Definitions and Scaling Properties pp. 2- 6 THESES T1-T20: Theses and Evidences pp. 7-13 FIGURE R2: Average Values p. 14 FIGURE R3: Interrelated Assemblages p. 15 FIGURE R4: Multisite Version of Equation 2 p. 16 R5: i-Independence of and s-Dependence on Species Richness p. 17 R6: Data Description p. 18 RI2 Data (txt) 1. Incidence Matrix Cryoconites 2. Incidence Matrix Plants 3. Site Details Cryoconites 4. Site Details Plants 5. Indices Cryoconites 6. Indices Plants RI3 Manual_v0.1.1 (pdf) RI4 Calculator v0.1.1 (pdf) RI5 Code_v0.1.1 (pdf), Special thanks to F. He and W. E. Kunin for their comments on the first versions, Z. Sokolíčková, E. Šizlingová for her help in the field, J. Klimešová and A. Bernard for lessons in Arctic plants, and R.K. Colwell and anonymous reviewers for insightful comments. The project was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (EXPRO 20-29554X and GA ČR 19-21341S). We used the Czech Scientific Infrastructure of the University of South Bohemia, J. Svoboda house on Svalbard – CzechPolar2 LM2015078 supported by MŠMT. PK was funded by the European Union (ERC, BEAST, 101044740). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

In recent years, researchers have grappled with the phenomenon that public demand for redistribution has not systematically increased in response to rising inequality. Meritocratic beliefs have been suggested as an explanation for this observation, because they can help legitimize inequalities. Past research has identified local-level inequality, segregation, or diversity as important factors for how these beliefs might be formed and maintained. Different theoretical approaches have been advanced and tested to determine the direction and extent of these effects, producing mixed results. We put these theories to the test by focusing on a country in which changes in the level of inequality have indeed been met with equal changes in justice perceptions: Germany. Furthermore, we broaden the scope by focusing on local segregation between different socioeconomic status groups, rather than income inequality. To do so, we utilize geocoded individual-level data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), microm data, and relevant geospatial indicators from the INKAR database. We find some indication that residential segregation of status groups and isolation of high status groups is associated with less support of meritocratic beliefs, contradicting previous work. Additionally, we find evidence of urban–rural differences in the effects of segregation.

The upload includes the following components: (i) a basic definition of presence-absence indices commonly used in ecology, (ii) 20 theses discussing their mutual relationships and meanings, (iii) a calculator to convert any two informationally independent indices into Jaccard similarity and Simpson beta, and (iv) the data utilized in Šizling et al.'s 2023 study. Šizling, A.L., P. Keil, E. Tjørve, K.M.C. Tjørve, J.D. Žárský, and D. Storch,.202X. Mathematically and biologically consistent framework for presence-absence indices of diversity. &nbsp

Identifying structural differences among observed point patterns from several populations is of interest in several applications. We use deep convolutional neural networks and employ a Siamese framework to build a discriminant model for distinguishing structural differences between spatial point patterns. In a simulation study, and using a one-shot learning classification, we show that the Siamese network discriminant model outperforms the common dissimilarities based on intensity and K functions. The model is then used to analyze similarities between spatial point patterns of 130 species in a tropical rainforest study plot observed at different time instances. The simulation study and data analysis show the adequacy and generality of a Siamese network discriminant model in the classification of spatial point patterns.

This paper introduces a novel descriptor non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST) local bit-plane neighbour dissimilarity pattern (NSST-LBNDP) for biomedical image retrieval based on NSST, bit-plane slicing and local pattern based features. In NSST-LBNDP, the input image is first decomposed by NSST, followed by introduction of non-linearity on the NSST coefficients by computing local energy features. The local energy features are next normalized into 8-bit values. The multiscale NSST is used to provide translational invariance and has flexible directional sensitivity to catch more anisotropic information of an image. The normalised NSST subband features are next decomposed into bit-plane slices in order to capture very fine to coarse subband details. Then each bit-plane slices of all the subbands are encoded by exploiting the dissimilarity relationship between each neighbouring pixel and its adjacent neighbours. Experiments on two computed tomography (CT) and one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image datasets confirms the superior results of NSST-LBNDP when compared to many recent well known relevant descriptors both in terms of average retrieval precision (ARP) and average retrieval recall (ARR).

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) The current advances of technology provides, among other things, several ways of collecting data, which enlarges the possibility of studying new phenomena. Researches focused on studying the functional relation between a variable and some quantity (usually time) produce the called functional data. The main feature of this kind of data is that they are registered using devices that can record values almost continuously over time. Suppose two groups of functional data and the interest is to evaluate the similarity of the groups over some range of time. This work proposes a method to compare the groups using predictive samples. The method submit data to a smoothing step using orthonormal functions series and the coefficients of the series are then used to model functional data, due to the bijective relation between the target functions and their respective coefficients. The goal is to estimate the multivariate density associated to the coefficients of each group. Under nonparametric Bayesian context, the densities were estimated using Dirichlet Process Mixture model. Comparison of the functional data groups were performed using a dissimilarity index based on some L2-distance and estimated using the predcitive samples of the fitted DPM model. The index has a great interpretative appeal and constitute an useful tool for data analysis. Furthermore, it is proposed a bayesian scheme to test the homogeneity of groups of functional data based on the distance between the distributions of the processes for each instant of time. A quick simulation study is presented, as well as preliminary analysis in real functional data set. Os recentes avanços na tecnologia fornecem, entre outras aspectos, diversas formas de coletar dados, o que aumenta possibilidade de estudar novos fenômenos. Pesquisas cujo foco seja estudar a relação funcional entre uma variável e uma grandeza física (geralmente o tempo) produzem os chamados dados funcionais. A principal característica desse tipo de dado é que eles são coletados utilizando dispositivos apropriados para registrar a informação quase que continuamente ao longo do tempo. Suponha dois grupos de dados funcionais e que o interesse é avaliar se os grupos são similares ou não em algum intervalo específico de tempo. Este trabalho apresenta um método para comparação de dois grupos de dados funcionais utilizando amostras preditivas. O método proposto submete os dados originais a uma etapa de suavização utilizando aproximação por séries de funções ortonormais e os coeficientes da série são utilizados para modelagem dos dados funcionais, devido ao fato de existir uma relação bijetora entre as funções alvo e seus respectivos coeficientes. O objetivo é estimar a densidade multivariada associada aos coeficientes de cada grupos. No contexto de inferência Bayesiana não paramétrica, as densidades foram estimadas através do uso de Misturas de Processos de Dirichlet (DPM). A comparação dos grupos de dados funcionais é então performada através de um índice de dissimilaridade baseado em uma medida de distância definida no espaço das funções e estimada através das curvas preditivas amostradas usando o modelo DPM ajustado. O índice possui grande apelo interpretativo e fornece uma ferramenta útil para análise dos dados. É proposto também um esquema bayesiano para testar a homogeneidade das distribuições dos grupos baseado na distância entre as distribuições dos processos para cada instante de tempo. Um rápido estudo de simulação é apresentado, bem como análises preliminares em dados funcionais reais. 88882.426987/2019-01

The analysis of many phenomena requires partitioning societies into groups and studying the extent at which these groups are distributed with different intensities across relevant non-ordered categorical outcomes. When the groups are similarly distributed, their members have equal chances to achieve any of the attainable outcomes. Otherwise, a form of dissimilarity between groups distributions prevails. We characterize axiomatically the dissimilarity partial order of multi-group distributions defined over categorical outcomes. The main result provides an equivalent representation of this partial order by the ranking of multi-group distributions originating from the inclusion of their zonotope representations. The zonotope inclusion criterion refines (that is, is implied by) majorization conditions that are largely adopted in mainstream approaches to multi-group segregation or univariate and multivariate inequality analysis.

The ecology of benthic diatoms is scarce in diatom reviews, and it seems that the loss of interest in their local ecology (populations–communities) coincides with an increase in metacommunity studies. We include a review of the latter to highlight some unresolved issues. We aim to demonstrate the relevance of local population–community ecology for a better understanding of the metacommunity by addressing gaps such as the relevance of biotic relationships. We analyzed 132 assemblages of benthic diatoms from two neighboring catchments, with varying altitudes, lentic and lotic waters and substrates. Population–community features (e.g., populations’ relative abundance and alpha diversity) and metacommunity descriptors (e.g., beta diversity indices) were related to likely control factors such as space, catchment features, local physico-chemistry and biotic environment. Our results confirm the relevant role of local interactions between diatoms and with the biotic environment as the mechanism in assembly communities. Moreover, abiotic habitat stability enhances alternative assemblages, which are the base of the metacommunity structure, mostly by taxa sorting and mass effects. Our results suggest that in order to better disclose factors controlling metacommunities, we must study their communities at local scales where mechanisms that explain their assemblage occur, as this is the bridge to a better understanding of benthic diatom ecology.

The “similarity” (gongtong 共通) and “dissimilarity” (chayi 差異) between the Buddhist precepts and Confucian rites in the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties reflected a “dialogue of civilizations” (wenming duihua 文明對話) at the levels of concept, system, and life. During these periods, the Chinese system of rites were compared and interpreted with the Buddhist monastic codes by Buddhist monks and Confucian scholars, so a history of the ideas interpretation process of “interpreting precepts with rites” (yi li shi jie 以禮釋戒) was achieved. The result of such a process was two-fold: from the perspective of lay Buddhist ethics, they were in common with each other; from the perspective of monastic precepts, they were irreconcilable contradictions. Thus, on the one hand, the eminent Chinese monks “were emulating the Confucian rites to justify Buddhist precepts” (ni li yi zheng jie 擬禮義證戒) to stress their commonalities. On the other hand, the differences between the precepts and rites continued to be discovered, and the Buddhist subjective consciousness (zhuti yishi 主體意識) of “the distinction between precepts and rites” (jie li you bie 戒禮有別) was gradually established.

Research material, documentation, and replication files

Research material, documentation, and replication files

Review of the empirical literature on family antecedents and consequences of work-family conflict

The paper introduces a new class of functions from [0,1]n to [0,n] called d-Choquet integrals. These functions are a generalization of the 'standard' Choquet integral obtained by replacing the difference in the definition of the usual Choquet integral by a dissimilarity function. In particular, the class of all d-Choquet integrals encompasses the class of all 'standard' Choquet integrals but the use of dissimilarities provides higher flexibility and generality. We show that some d-Choquet integrals are aggregation/pre-aggregation/averaging/functions and some of them are not. The conditions under which this happens are stated and other properties of the d-Choquet integrals are studied. This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under project TIN2016-77356-P (AEI/FEDER, UE), by the Public University of Navarra under project PJUPNA13 and by grant VEGA 1/0614/18 . Z. Takáč was supported by the project VEGA 1/0545/20. R. Mesiar was supported by the project of Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GACR) no. 18-06915S and by the Slovak grant APVV-17-0066 . G.P. Dimuro was supported by Brazilian agency CNPq under the grant 301618/2019-4 and FAPERGS (Proc. 19/2551-0001660 ). B. Bedregal was supported by Brazilian agency CNPq under the grant 307781/2016-0 and Caixa y Fundación Caja Navarra.

Previous research finds that individuals tend to form ties with similar others much more often than with dissimilar others. However, we know relatively little about tie loss and to what extent this is driven by (dis)similarity. In this paper, we argue that ties to persons who are dissimilar with regard to gender, age, ethnicity, and education are lost faster than ties to similar persons – and we test three explanations for this faster decay of ties with dissimilar others: lack of meeting opportunities, preferences for similarity, and lower network embeddedness. To test these explanations, we analysed two waves of the Survey on the Social Networks of the Dutch (SSND, 2007, 2014). These SSND-waves contain comprehensive longitudinal panel data on ego networks of 441 respondents, who were interviewed about a wide range of relationships, their alters’ sociodemographic characteristics, where and when they met their alters, as well as how and whether they maintain these relationships. We modelled tie loss by event history analyses. Results show that ties to persons who were dissimilar are more likely to be lost faster, and that tie loss occurs mostly in the early years of a relationship. However, meeting opportunities, preferences for similarity, and network embeddedness are unable to explain why ties to dissimilar others are lost faster. We conclude that dissimilarity is a powerful driver of tie loss, and that more arguments and research are needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms.

The subject of this article is the still relevant issue of the adequate choice of comparables in evaluation procedures within the sales comparison approach. The text features the results of an experiment that makes it possible to validate the dependence of the accuracy of the final estimation of the price of valued objects in relation to the criteria of significance of similarity as a determinant of accepting individual objects as sufficiently similar, and the dissimilarity coefficients describing the created reference sets. Based on the example of simulated data, it has been shown that there is a clear relationship between the accuracy of the estimates made and the selection of comparables. In a set of all possible calculation variations, estimations based on selected data are characterized by more accurate calculations relative to parallel calculations carried out on the widest possible sets of comparables.

1. Riparian forests are commonly advocated as a key management option to mitigate the effects of agriculture on headwater stream biodiversity and ecosystem func tions. However, the benefits of riparian forests might be reduced by uninterrupted catchment-scale pollution. 2. We studied the effects of riparian land use on multiple ecological endpoints in head water streams in an agricultural landscape. We studied stream habitat characteristics, water temperature and algal accrual, and macrophyte, benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities in 11 paired forested and open agricultural headwater stream reaches that differed in their extent of riparian forest cover but had similar water quality. 3. Hydromorphological habitat quality was higher in forested reaches than in open reaches. Riparian forest had a strong effect on the summer water temperature regime, with maximum and mean water temperatures and temperature variation in forested reaches substantially lower than in open reaches. 4. Macrophyte communities differed between forested and open reaches. The mean abundance of bryophytes was higher in forested reaches but the difference to open reaches was only marginally significant, whereas graminoids were significantly more abundant in open reaches. Within-stream dissimilarity of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure was significantly related to the difference in riparian land use between reach pairs. The relative DNA sequence abundance of pollution-sensitive Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera species tended to be higher in forested reaches than in open reaches. Finally, fish densities were not significantly different be tween forested and open reaches, although densities were higher in forested reaches. 5. This unequivocal evidence for the ecological benefits of forested riparian reaches in agricultural headwater streams suggests that riparian forest can partly mitigate the adverse impacts of agricultural diffuse pollution on biota. The strong effect of forests on stream water temperature suggest that riparian forest could also miti gate harmful effects on headwater stream biodiversity and ecosystem functions of the predicted more frequent high summer temperatures.

Head motion is a major confounding factor impairing the quality of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. In particular, head motion can reduce analytical efficiency, and its effects are still present even after preprocessing. To examine the validity of motion removal and to evaluate the remaining effects of motion on the quality of the preprocessed fMRI data, a new metric of group quality control (QC), dissimilarity of functional connectivity, is introduced. Here, we investigate the association between head motion, represented by mean framewise displacement, and dissimilarity of functional connectivity by applying four preprocessing methods in two independent resting‐state fMRI datasets: one consisting of healthy participants (N = 167) scanned in a 3T GE‐Discovery 750 with longer TR (2.5 s), and the other of chronic back pain patients (N = 143) in a 3T Siemens Magnetom Prisma scanner with shorter TR (0.555 s). We found that dissimilarity of functional connectivity uncovers the influence of participant's motion, and this relationship is independent of population, scanner, and preprocessing method. The association between motion and dissimilarity of functional connectivity, and how the removal of high‐motion participants affects this association, is a new strategy for group‐level QC following preprocessing., Dissimilarity of functional connectivity uncovers the influence of participant's motion, and this relationship is independent of population, scanner, and preprocessing method. Participants with the greatest motion determined the strength of the association between motion and dissimilarity of functional connectivity. A new group‐based quality control strategy is proposed: if a group data set is large enough, participants with large motion in the data set be removed to make the regression slope of the association as flat as possible.

Biyolojik çeşitlilik ekosistemlerin sağlığı ve dinamizmi için büyük öneme sahiptir. Bu sebepten biyolojik çeşitlilik doğa bilimleri ile ilgili disiplinlerin başlıca konularından birisidir. Biyolojik çeşitliliğin ölçümü için farklı indisler geliştirilmiştir. Bu indisler ile canlı toplumlarının çeşitliliği alfa (birim içi), beta (birimler arası) ve gama (toplam veya üst birim) düzeyinde hesaplanabilmektedir. Biyolojik çeşitlilik alanında her bir çeşitlilik bileşeninin hesabı için farklı kabuller ile geliştirilmiş olan bu indisler sayesinde, konu ile ilgili çalışan araştırmacılar bu hesaplama tekniklerini alternatifleri ile birlikte kullanabilmekte, araştırma sonuçlarını daha etkin ve verimli bir biçimde değerlendirebilmektedir. Bu şekilde elde edilen değerlendirme sonuçları biyolojik çeşitliliğin korunması ve sürekliliğinin sağlanması yönündeki politikalara ve uygulamalara yön vermektedir. Buradan hareketle gerçekleştirilen bu çalışma ile Türkiye’de biyolojik çeşitlilik konusunda çalışan araştırmacılar için önemli bir ihtiyaç olduğu düşünülerek “Biyolojik Çeşitlilik Bileşenleri (BİÇEB) Hesaplama Yazılımı” isimli bir yazılım oluşturulmuştur. Yazılım alfa düzeyinde tür zenginlik ölçümleri, heterojenlik indisleri ve tür bolluk modellerini, beta ve gama düzeyinde ise ikili ve sürekli verilerin; iki toplum arasında ve evrensel ölçekte çeşitlilik hesaplamalarını kapsamaktadır. Yazılım, biyolojik çeşitlilik konusunda doğrudan veya dolaylı çalışma yapan tüm araştırmacıların kendi konuları ile ilgili hesaplamaları yapması için web tabanlı ve masaüstü uygulaması şeklinde tasarlanmıştır. Bu sayede kolay ulaşılabilir ve kullanıcı dostu olarak hayata geçirilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Bu çalışmada BİÇEB yazılımının tanıtımı yapılarak, kullanımı hakkında bilgi verilmesi amaçlanmıştır., Biodiversity is of crucial importance for ecosystem health and functioning. It is thus one of the most important topics in the various disiplines of the Naturel Science. Various indices have been improved to measure biodiversity. By using those indices, biodiversity can be estimated at alpha (within a given site), beta (between the sites) and gamma (total) levels. Thanks to presence of many indices for calculating of biodiversity components, the researchers can use these calculation techniques with their alternatives and evaluate the research results more effectively and efficiently. This situation provides an important adventage to arrive more productive and accurate results about biodiversity studies. The information obtained from such studies are particulary important for the identification of the policies and implementations for conservation and sustainability of the biodiversity in the natural ecosystems. In this sense, by thinking as an important demand for the reseachers in Turkey, it was thought that making a sofware called by our study team as “A Software for Measuring Bodiversity Components (BİÇEB)” can be useful. This software includes species richness measures, heterogeneousness measurments and species abundance models at alpha level, and computations between two communities, and among the communities by using binary and abundance data at beta and gamma level. The software is designed in two forms as web and desktop application. In this way, it is aimed to be an easily accessible and user friendly software. In this study, it is aimed to give information about BİÇEB software.

Characterizing the degree of similarity or difference between two sets is a very important topic, since it has many applications in different areas, including image processing or decision making. Several studies have been done about the comparison of fuzzy sets and its extensions, in particular for interval-valued fuzzy sets. However, in most of the cases, the results of the comparison is just a number. In order to avoid this reduction of the information, we have introduced a measure for comparing two interval-valued fuzzy sets such that it is an interval itself, which can be reduced to a number if it is necessary. Thus, a richer class of measures is now considered.

In this paper, in order to generalize the Choquet integral, we replace the difference between inputs in its definition by a restricted dissimilarity function and refer to the obtained function as d-Choquet integral. For some particular restricted dissimilarity function the corresponding d-Choquet integral with respect to a fuzzy measure is just the ‘standard’ Choquet integral with respect to the same fuzzy measure. Hence, the class of all d-Choquet integrals encompasses the class of all ‘standard’ Choquet integrals. This approach allows us to construct a wide class of new functions, d-Choquet integrals, that are possibly, unlike the ’standard’ Choquet integral, outside of the scope of aggregation functions since the monotonicity is, for some restricted dissimilarity function, violated and also the range of such functions can be wider than [0, 1], in particular it can be [0, n].

Biodiversity monitoring studies in Brazil are scarce, especially those related to ant communities in the Northeast region. In view of this lack, two distinct areas of a fragment of urban vegetation, close to the Parque Estadual Botânico do Ceará, were evaluated to verify the hypothesis that the communities have distinctions of richness, diversity, dissimilarity and equitability of species. The first collection area was formed by a Mata de Tabuleiro and the second by herbaceous vegetation. A total of 50 collection points, per environment, were distributed along five transects. At each point, three collection methods were used (pitfall trapping, honey baits and sardine baits). A total of 37 species from 24 genera and seven subfamilies were identified. The richness of the environments was similar, despite a clear difference in the composition and heterogeneity of the communities. The heterogeneity of the herbaceous vegetation area was influenced by temperature. The indices of diversity and equitability of the communities revealed low biodiversity and uniformity in the distribution of the relative abundance of the species. Three species showed high relative abundance: Paratrechina longicornis (85.39%), Solenopsis saevissima (63.05%) and Pheidole biconstricta (18.95%). A low proportion of generalist (8.1%), rare (35.1%) and specialist species (Mata de Tabuleiro: 27% and Herbaceous: 29.7%) was observed, indicating the occurrence of a strong environmental imbalance in the regions. Los estudios de monitoreo de la biodiversidad en Brasil son escasos, especialmente los relacionados con las comunidades de hormigas en la región Nordeste. Ante esta carencia, dos áreas distintas de un fragmento de vegetación urbana, cerca del Parque Estadual Botânico do Ceará, fueron evaluadas para verificar la hipótesis de que las comunidades tienen distinciones de riqueza, diversidad, disimilitud y equidad de especies. La primera zona de recolección estuvo formada por una Mata de Tabuleiro y la segunda por una vegetación herbácea. Se distribuyeron un total de 50 puntos de recolección, por ambiente, a lo largo de cinco transectos. En cada punto se utilizaron tres métodos de recolección (trampas pitfall, cebos de miel y cebos de sardina). Se identificaron un total de 37 especies de 24 géneros y siete subfamilias. La riqueza de los ambientes fue similar, a pesar de una clara diferencia en la composición y heterogeneidad de las comunidades. La heterogeneidad del área de vegetación herbácea estuvo influenciada por la temperatura. Los índices de diversidad y equidad de las comunidades revelaron baja biodiversidad y uniformidad en la distribución de la abundancia relativa de las especies. Tres especies mostraron abundancia relativa alta: Paratrechina longicornis (85,39%), Solenopsis saevissima (63,05%) y Pheidole biconstricta (18,95%). Se observó una baja proporción de especies generalistas (8,1%), raras (35,1%) y especialistas (Mata de Tabuleiro: 27% y Herbácea: 29,7%), lo que indica la ocurrencia de un fuerte desequilibrio ambiental en las regiones. Estudos de monitoramento da biodiversidade no Brasil são escassos, em especial aqueles relacionados às comunidades de formigas da região Nordeste. Tendo em vista essa carência, duas áreas distintas de um fragmento de vegetação urbana, próximas ao Parque Estadual Botânico do Ceará, foram avaliadas para verificar a hipótese de que as comunidades possuem distinções de riqueza, diversidade, dissimilaridade e equitabilidade de espécies. A primeira área de coleta era formada por uma Mata de Tabuleiro e a segunda por uma vegetação herbácea. Um total de 50 pontos de coleta, por ambiente, foram distribuídos ao longo de cinco transectos. Em cada ponto foram utilizados três métodos de coleta (pitfall trapping, iscas de mel e iscas de sardinha). Um total de 37 espécies de 24 gêneros e sete subfamílias foram identificados. A riqueza dos ambientes se mostrou similar, apesar de uma nítida diferença na composição e na heterogeneidade das comunidades. A heterogeneidade da área de vegetação herbácea foi influenciada pela temperatura. Os índices de diversidade e equitabilidade das comunidades revelaram baixa biodiversidade e uniformidade na distribuição da abundância relativa das espécies. Três espécies apresentaram alta abundância relativa: Paratrechina longicornis (85,39%), Solenopsis saevissima (63,05%) e Pheidole biconstricta (18,95%). Foi observada uma baixa proporção de espécies generalistas (8,1%), raras (35,1%) e especialistas (Mata de Tabuleiro: 27% e Herbácea: 29,7%), indicando a ocorrência de um forte desequilíbrio ambiental nas regiões.

The present study seeks to find out how gender, age, area of living, parent background in terms of educational level and occupation determine the probability of youth to be out of the labour market in six Sub-Saharan Africa countries. We utilize data from the school-to-work transition surveys from 2014 and 2015 from the ILO. For each country, we first calculate a revised version of the Human Opportunity Index developed by the World Bank. Second, we compute the contribution of each factor to that index. The results show that dissimilarity has a marked influence in Madagascar and to some extent Malawi and Uganda, while the major challenges with getting the youth onto the labour market are still in Liberia even after taking dissimilarity of unchangeable background into account.

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in adolescents. To manage diabetes and prevent complications, a set of self-care behaviors needs to be implemented into family daily routines. This study analyzed diabetes representations in adolescents and their parents, the dissimilarities between them, and the relationship between illness dissimilarities and adherence/quality of life (QoL) in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. The sample included 200 participants: 100 adolescents with type 1 diabetes and 100 parents who accompanied the adolescents. Adolescents were assessed on adherence (Self-Care Inventory-Revised), quality of life (Diabetes QoL) and family support (Diabetes Family Behavior Scale). Both adolescents and parents were assessed on illness representations (Brief-Illness Perception Questionnaire). Dissimilarities in illness representations between parents and adolescents were performed using Olsen et al's proposal. Parents showed a more negative representation of diabetes than adolescents. Adolescents' illness representations, the dissimilarities between adolescents' and parents' illness representations, and family support were associated with adolescents' adherence and QoL. Higher family support moderated the relationship between the dissimilarity in timeline representations and QoL, explaining 17.8% of the variance on QoL. Adolescent's gender (male) was a moderator in the relationship between adolescent's coherence and QoL, explaining 18.6% of the variance on QoL. Adolescent's gender (female) was a moderator in the relationship between timeline and QoL, explaining 11.9% of the variance on QoL. Being a male parent was a moderator in the relationship between adolescent's concerns and QoL, explaining 13.5% of the variance on QoL. Intervention programs should focus on illness representations, particularly on the dissimilarities between adolescents and parents, as well as on family support in order to promote adolescents' adherence and QoL., Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Grant/Award Number: UIDB/01662/2020

Guatemala has a great diversity of butterflies, although there have been few intensive surveys on Lepidoptera in the country so far. We present an updated list of 218 species in 149 genera, 19 subfamilies, and six families of butterflies sampled at two seasonally dry forests in the Salamá and Motagua valleys in central and eastern Guatemala, by integrating new data from field surveys conducted in 2014–2021 into our previously published data (Yoshimoto et al. 2018, 2019), with Amblyscirtes elissa elissa Godman, 1900, Repens florus (Godman, 1900), and Niconiades nikko Hayward, 1948 (Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae) as new country records. We collected a hairstreak species, Chalybs hassan (Stoll, 1790) (Lycaenidae: Theclinae), at the Motagua Valley site, representing the second record for Guatemala since the early 20th century, after we rediscovered it at the Salamá Valley site in 2011 and 2012 (Yoshimoto and Salinas-Gutiérrez 2015). Nymphalidae and Hesperiidae had larger numbers of species than the other four families at both sites. In Pieridae and Nymphalidae, species composition was similar between the sites, whereas in Lycaenidae, Riodinidae, and Papilionidae it differed more greatly between the sites. These results confirm the relatively high lepidopteran diversity of Guatemalan dry forests, noteworthy for the small areas that comprise the study sites, and represent marked similarities and differences in butterfly fauna and phenology within these forests.

The purpose of the K dissimilar paths problem is to find a set of K paths, between the same pair of nodes, which share few arcs. The problem has been addressed from an application point of view, and integer programming formulations have also been introduced recently. In the present work, it is assumed that each arc is assigned with a cost, and the goal is then to find K dissimilar paths while simultaneously minimizing the total cost. Some of the previous formulations: one minimizing the number of repeated arcs, another one minimizing the number of arc repetitions, as well as modifications that bound the number of paths in which the arcs appear, are extended with a cost function. Properties of the resulting biobjective problems are studied and the ϵ-constraint method is adapted to solve them using a decreasing and an increasing strategy for updating ϵ. These methods are tested for finding sets of 10 paths in random and grid instances to assess the efficiency of the ϵ-constraint methods and the performance of the formulations to calculate shortest and dissimilar paths. Results show that minimizing the number of arc repetitions produces efficient solutions with higher dissimilarities faster than minimizing the number of repeated arcs. The cost range of the solutions is similar in both approaches. Additionally, bounding the number of paths in which each arc appears improves the quality of the solutions as to the dissimilarity while worsening its cost.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: "Circumpolar patterns of Arctic freshwater fish biodiversity: A baseline for monitoring", which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13405. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions Climate change, biological invasions, and anthropogenic disturbance pose a threat to the biodiversity and function of Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Understanding potential changes in fish species distribution and richness is necessary, given the great importance of fish to the function of freshwater ecosystems and as a resource to humans. However, information gaps limit large‐scale studies and our ability to determine patterns and trends in space and time. This study takes the first step in determining circumpolar patterns of fish species richness and composition, which provides a baseline to improve both monitoring and conservation of Arctic freshwater biodiversity. Information on species presence/absence was gathered from the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program's Freshwater Database and used to examine patterns of freshwater fish γ‐, α‐, and β‐diversity across 234° of longitude in the Arctic. The metrics of diversity provided information on species richness and composition across hydrobasins, ecoregions, and Arctic zones. Circumpolar patterns of fish species biodiversity varied with latitude, isolation, and coarse ecoregion characteristics; patterns were consistent with historic and contemporary barriers to colonisation and environmental characteristics. Gamma‐diversity was lower in the high Arctic compared to lower latitude zones, but α‐diversity did not decrease with increasing latitude below 71°N, reflecting glacial history. Alpha‐diversity was reduced to a single species, Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus, in ecoregions above 71°N, where γ‐diversity was the lowest. Beta‐diversity indicated little variation in the composition and richness of species across the High Arctic; at lower latitudes, ecoregions contained more species, although species composition turned over across large spatial extents. In an analysis of five ecoregions in the circumpolar Arctic, physical isolation, and ecoregion area and topography were identified as strong drivers of γ‐, α‐, and β‐diversity. Physical isolation reduced the γ‐ and α‐diversity, and changes in β‐diversity between adjacent locations were due mainly to losses in species richness, rather than due to differences in species composition. Heterogeneity of habitats, environmental gradients, and geographic distance probably contributed to patterns of fish dissimilarity within and across ecoregions. This study presents the first analysis of large‐scale patterns of freshwater fish biodiversity in the circumpolar Arctic. However, information gaps in space, time, and among taxonomic groups remain. Future inclusion of extensive archive and new data will allow future studies to test for changes and drivers of the observed patterns of biodiversity. This is important given the potential impacts of ongoing and accelerating climate change, land use, and biotic exchange on Arctic fish biodiversity.

Studies evaluating the effectiveness of herbicides on weed control, coupled with the sustainability of the weed management system, are of great importance. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of post-emergence herbicides applied to maize while inferring the sustainability of the treatments employing an ecological approach. The experiment was installed in a randomized block design with four replications. The treatments consisted of the application of atrazine at the dose of 1500 g ha-1; atrazine + mesotrione at 1500 + 72 g ha-1; atrazine + tembotrione at 1500 + 100.8 g ha-1; atrazine + nicosulfuron at 1500 + 22.5 g ha-1; atrazine + glyphosate at 1500 g ha-1 + 792.5 g ha-1, in addition to weeded and infested control treatments. The herbicides were applied at the 4 leaf stage of maize. The phytotoxicity and control efficacy was assessed 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after applying treatments (DAT). In addition, a phytosociological survey of all plots was carried out in the last assessment. Herbicides did not cause phytotoxicity symptoms to the crop. However, associations of atrazine with glyphosate and atrazine with tembotrione promoted the greater effectiveness of weed control. Despite being classified as one of the treatments with better effectiveness, the association between glyphosate and atrazine, caused a more significant reduction in the diversity of the plant community, and alternative weed management practices should be applied to maize cropping fields to avoid weed selection. RESUMO - Estudos avaliando a eficácia de herbicidas no controle de plantas daninhas, aliados à sustentabilidade do sistema de manejo de plantas daninhas, são de grande importância. O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a eficácia de herbicidas pós-emergência aplicados ao milho e inferir a sustentabilidade dos tratamentos utilizando uma abordagem ecológica. O experimento foi instalado em delineamento de blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram na aplicação de atrazina na dose de 1500 g ha-1; atrazina + mesotriona a 1500 + 72 g ha-1; atrazina + tembotriona a 1500 + 100,8 g ha-1; atrazina + nicossulfurão a 1500 + 22,5 g ha-1; atrazina + glifosato a 1500 g ha-1 + 792,5 g ha-1, além dos tratamentos de controle capinado e infestado. Os herbicidas foram aplicados no estádio de 4 folhas do milho. A fitotoxicidade e a eficácia do controle foram avaliadas 7, 14, 21 e 28 dias após a aplicação dos tratamentos (DAT). Além disso, na última avaliação foi realizado um levantamento fitossociológico de todas as parcelas. Os herbicidas não causaram sintomas de fitotoxicidade à cultura. No entanto, associações de atrazina com glyphosate e atrazina com tembotrione promoveram maior eficácia no controle de plantas daninhas. Apesar de ser classificado como um dos tratamentos com melhor eficácia, a associação entre glyphosate e atrazina, causou uma redução mais significativa na diversidade da comunidade vegetal, e práticas alternativas de manejo de plantas daninhas devem ser aplicadas aos campos de cultivo de milho para evitar a seleção de plantas daninhas. Made available in DSpace on 2022-07-11T12:20:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Control-efficacy-and-phytosociological-characterization-of-weeds.pdf: 805654 bytes, checksum: 7004ec3b386e2074911e1d327a2e04b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022

We investigate whether two methods for obtaining similarity data yield multidimensional scaling (MDS) solutions of comparable dimensionality. In the Pairwise Rating Method (PRaM), participants rate the (dis)similarity of all pairs of stimuli on a Likert scale. In the Spatial Arrangement Method (SpAM), participants organize stimuli on a computer screen so that the distance between stimuli represents their perceived dissimilarity. Across two studies that included eight semantic categories with varying numbers of both pictorial and verbal exemplars, we did not find consistent dimensionality differences between the two similarity measurement methods. The results alleviate the concern that because of its two-dimensional nature, SpAM might underestimate the dimensionality of high-dimensional stimuli compared to PRaM. Aggregating the SpAM similarity data from a sufficient number of participants can yield spatial representations with more than two dimensions. However, the resulting number of dimensions was found to be highly dependent on the dimensionality choice procedure. Even for specific combinations of a single category and similarity measurement method, different dimensionalities were obtained depending on whether the reliability of the similarity data, Monte Carlo simulations, or predictive correlations were used to establish the number of dimensions, indicating the need for a more systematic investigation into dimensionality selection for MDS.

Trait and functional trait approaches have revolutionized ecology improving our understanding of community assembly, species coexistence, and biodiversity loss. Focusing on traits promotes comparability across spatial and organizational scales, but terms must be used consistently. While several papers have offered definitions, it remains unclear how ecologists operationalize "trait" and "functional trait" terms. Here, we evaluate how researchers and the published literatures use these terms and explore differences among subdisciplines and study systems (taxa and biome). By conducting both a survey and a literature review, we test the hypothesis that ecologists' working definition of "trait" is adapted or altered when confronting the realities of collecting, analyzing and presenting data. From 486 survey responses and 712 reviewed papers, we identified inconsistencies in the understanding and use of terminology among researchers, but also limited inclusion of definitions within the published literature. Discrepancies were not explained by subdiscipline, system of study, or respondent characteristics, suggesting there could be an inconsistent understanding even among those working in related topics. Consistencies among survey responses included the use of morphological, phonological, and physiological traits. Previous studies have called for unification of terminology; yet, our study shows that proposed definitions are not consistently used or accepted. Sources of disagreement include trait heritability, defining and interpreting function, and dealing with organisms in which individuals are not clearly recognizable. We discuss and offer guidelines for overcoming these disagreements. The diversity of life on Earth means traits can represent different features that can be measured and reported in different ways, and thus, narrow definitions that work for one system will fail in others. We recommend ecologists embrace the breadth of biodiversity using a simplified definition of "trait" more consistent with its common use. Trait-based approaches will be most powerful if we accept that traits are at least as diverse as trait ecologists.

The diversity of a native community is not the sole driving factor determining the success of an invader; abiotic factors can also play a role, making it important to understand their contributions in modifying the expected outcome of biotic and abiotic resistance to invasion. In order to test the contributions of native diversity, relatedness between native and alien plants, and abiotic factors in resisting alien invasion, we used a trait–environment data set of 33 alien‐ and 130 native plants in 166 invaded plots, covering a gradient of soil resources in Saint‐Katherine‐Protectorate, an arid‐protected area in Egypt. We measured the native diversity components as predictors of native biotic resistance. We quantified the success of alien plants based on their abundance and their performance traits. Additionally, we calculated the mean functional and phylogenetic distance between aliens and natives in each plot. We tested all plausible influences of native diversity components, relatedness, and soil resources on alien abundance and performance first using mixed‐effects models and second with a structural equation model (SEM). Mixed‐effect models revealed that, in the resource‐rich environments, alien abundance increased even though native plants were more productive, but alien performance decreased. SEM direct pathways revealed that native communities with high functional dispersion and richness and high mean‐weighted performance traits repelled alien plants by lowering their success. Simultaneously, in line with mixed‐effect models results, the effect of soil resources on alien success was found to be indirect, being mediated by the mean functional and phylogenetic distance between aliens and natives: The success of alien plants increased in resource‐rich environments when they were dissimilar to the natives, while it decreased for aliens similar to natives in resource‐limited environments. Our findings provide new insights on native community resistance to invasion, with resistance being higher in resource‐limited environments and when aliens are functionally and phylogenetically similar to resident natives.

Acerola fruit is one of the richest natural sources of ascorbic acid. As a consequence, acerola fruit and its products are in demand worldwide for the production of health supplements and for the development of functional products. Acerola phenotypes (103) were screened in Western Paraná State, in the Southern region of Brazil, and evaluated to obtain information on fruit quality characteristics with the aim of using them in future breeding programs. Principal Component and Hierarchical Cluster analysis were performed on all datasets to explore the variability among samples and to identify the main clusters. A great variability among phenotypes was observed, with potential for use in breeding programs. Seven phenotypes were selected as candidates in the next breeding program, characterized by high vitamin C content and yield, or higher values of fruit size and color parameters. Four belong to cluster 1 and three to cluster 2. Specifically, two phenotypes, belonging to cluster 2, showed the best performance in terms of vitamin C (2150 mg 100 g−1 pulp and 2625 mg 100 g−1 pulp respectively) and pulp yield (74.8% and 82.3% respectively), and one phenotype, belonging to cluster 1, for high pulp yield, fruit size and vitamin C content (80.3% 6.43 g and 2490 mg 100 g−1 pulp).

Cilj ovog završnog rada je prikazati religiju Islam, usporediti je s kršćanstvom i usporediti islam i kršćanstvo u molitvi. Islam je velika svjetska religija koja kao i kršćanstvo vjeruje u jednoga Boga. Najveći prorok u Islamu je Muhamed, on je taj koji je osnovao religiju Islam. Islam znači mir, čistoća, poslušnost i pokornost. Danas je to druga najveća religija na svijetu. Cilj Islama je slijediti upute svete knjige, Kurana, i prema njoj ispunjati dar života. U Kuranu se spominje Isus koji je za muslimane vrlo cijenjen poslanik te se također spominje i Marija koja je za njih jedna od najvećih žena svijeta. U radu se može saznati više o nauku Boga i čovjeka u Islamu, također pažnju posvećujemo društvenim i etičkim načelima Islama u kojima saznajemo o obiteljskom životu muslimana, njihovoj državi koja je povezana sa religijom te o kulturi i običajima religije. Islam i kršćanstvo su dvije velike, ali različite religije. Obje religije vjeruju u jednoga Boga, ali kršćanstvo vjeruje u sveto Trojstvo što Islam negira. U kršćanstvu vjerujemo da je Isus Bog, a u islamu je Isus samo jedan od proroka. Tumačenje objave im je različito, za muslimane objava je najveći čin koji se dogodio po Muhamedu, a za kršćane vrhunac objave je u Kristu. Također dosta razlike možemo pronaći u pitanju ljudskih prava. Molitva je razgovor s Bogom i ona u svakoj religiji ima unutarnju strukturu. Za kršćane je najslavnija molitva ona u kojoj tražimo da se vrši Božja volja. Kršćanska molitva dnevno ne traje dugo, dok su se muslimani dužni moliti pet puta dnevno kako bi održali duhovni odnos sa Bogom. This final paper aims to present the religion of Islam to compare it with Christianity and to compare Islam and Christianity in prayer. Islam is a great world religion that, like Christianity, believes in one God. The greatest prophet in Islam is Muhammad who is the one who founded the religion of Islam. Islam means peace, purity, obedience, and submission. Today it is the second-largest religion in the world. The goal of Islam is to follow the instructions of the holy book and to fulfill the gift of life according to it. The Qur'an mentions Jesus, who is a highly esteemed prophet for them, and mentions Mary, who for them is one of the greatest women in the world. In this paper we can learn more about the teachings of God and man in Islam, also, we can pay attention to the social and ethical principles of Islam in which we learn about the family life of Muslims, their state associated with religion, and the culture and customs of religion. Islam and Christianity are two large but different religions. Both religions believe in one God, but Christianity believes in the Holy Trinity which Islam denies. In Christianity, we believe that Jesus is God, and in Islam Jesus is only one of the prophets. Their interpretation of the revelation is different, for Muslim’s revelation is the greatest act that happened according to Muhammad, and for Christians, the culmination of the revelation is in Christ. We can also find a lot of differences in the issue of human rights. Prayer is a conversation with God, and it has an internal structure in every religion. For Christians, the most glorious prayer is one in which we ask that God's will be done. Christian prayer a day does not last long, while Muslims are required to pray five times a day to maintain a spiritual relationship with God.

The $$\delta $$ δ -machine is a statistical learning tool for classification based on dissimilarities or distances between profiles of the observations to profiles of a representation set, which was proposed by Yuan et al. (J Claasif 36(3): 442–470, 2019). So far, the $$\delta $$ δ -machine was restricted to continuous predictor variables only. In this article, we extend the $$\delta $$ δ -machine to handle continuous, ordinal, nominal, and binary predictor variables. We utilized a tailored dissimilarity function for mixed type variables which was defined by Gower. This measure has properties of a Manhattan distance. We develop, in a similar vein, a Euclidean dissimilarity function for mixed type variables. In simulation studies we compare the performance of the two dissimilarity functions and we compare the predictive performance of the $$\delta $$ δ -machine to logistic regression models. We generated data according to two population distributions where the type of predictor variables, the distribution of categorical variables, and the number of predictor variables was varied. The performance of the $$\delta $$ δ -machine using the two dissimilarity functions and different types of representation set was investigated. The simulation studies showed that the adjusted Euclidean dissimilarity function performed better than the adjusted Gower dissimilarity function; that the $$\delta $$ δ -machine outperformed logistic regression; and that for constructing the representation set, K-medoids clustering achieved fewer active exemplars than the one using K-means clustering while maintaining the accuracy. We also applied the $$\delta $$ δ -machine to an empirical example, discussed its interpretation in detail, and compared the classification performance with five other classification methods. The results showed that the $$\delta $$ δ -machine has a good balance between accuracy and interpretability.

The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around the volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary and Cabo Verde islands (eastern-central Atlantic). The biogeographic patterns of these species were analysed and compared. We then hypothesized that this fish family is an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia and its direct biogeographic units: i.e. the Azores, Webbnesia and Cabo Verde, as proposed in recent scientific literature. Additionally, this paper provides for the first time separate fishery statistics for this group in the region that were analysed to contrast the biogeographic results., Este trabajo fue ideado para estudiar las especies de Muraenidae (morenas) presentes en aguas de los archipiélagos volcánicos de Azores, Madeira, Salvajes, Canarias y Cabo Verde (Atlántico centro-oriental), cuyos patrones biogeográficos fueron analizados y comparados. La hipótesis de partida fue que esta familia ictiológica es un grupo ideal para verificar, a pequeña escala, la coherencia de la Macaronesia y sus unidades biogeográficas directamente relacionadas -i.e. Azores, Webbnesia y Cabo Verde- propuestas en la literatura reciente. Además, este estudio proporciona, por primera vez, estadísticas pesqueras separadas de este grupo en la región que fueron analizadas para contrastar los resultados biogeográficos.

We studied the species composition of frogs in two phytophysiognomies within Pampa biome (grassland and forest) of a Ramsar site in southern Brazil to assess the distribution of species and dissimilarities in community composition on a small spatial scale. We tested the hypothesis that the vegetation structure and the types of land cover present in each physiognomy influence species distribution and the compositional dissimilarity patterns between locations. We sampled individuals using pitfall traps and active search in the areas around the traps. We evaluated the existence of these differences by using permutational multivariate analysis of variance and multivariate dispersion. We found that the compositional dissimilarity was higher between the sampling sites from different phytophysiognomies than within the same phytophysiognomy. Also, the difference in anuran species composition between the sampling sites within the forest was considerably high. These differences were mainly due to the type of land cover present in each sampled site. Based on our results, we could assume that the phytophysiognomies evaluated here offer quite different colonization opportunities for anurans, especially those related to microhabitat characteristics, such as microclimate variables. Still, the presence of different types of land cover seems to be a decisive factor for the maintenance of some anuran species, since these can serve as an important source for obtaining food resources, in addition to facilitating the dispersion of individuals within and between locals, serve as sites for the regulation of physiological functions and also refuges against predators.

The article is devoted to the theology of F.M. Dostoevsky and specifically to the understanding of the dogma of the Holy Trinity. Dostoevsky understands the undivided unity of the Divine hypostases as a model of perfect interaction among individuals, a norm for social unions, a model for all-united humanity, where the truth of the individual is reconciled with the truth of the whole. The diary fragments of 1864 “Masha lies on the table…” and “Socialism and Christianity” are analyzed from the point of view of Trinitarian problems. The triple unions presented in the writer’s early works are considered in the context of their proximity/distance from the Divine prototype. According to Dostoevsky, when a person goes towards another, addressing him or her as a person, not as a function, it carries the secret of the Trinity within its own life, confessing it not just in words, but in deeds. For the author, the distortion of the Trinity principle is atomicity and dualism; its embodiment is the image of “an expanding family”.

In the course of discussion on an econometric model of property value and its place in property appraisal, the argument of the main goal of the process (property market value prediction itself) was raised in this article. The need for the consideration of an ontologically perceived, particular element of the real estate market with its distinctive characteristics indicates the specific nature of the interpretation of the data which may be used in the appraisal process. Therefore, a new shape of the property value model, based on LSM, was presented. It takes into account a specific description of the appraised property. Thus, the factor of dissimilarity between sold properties used in creating the value model and the appraised property was used in its coefficient matrix. The new model clearly shows the advantages and disadvantages of the dissimilarities between sold properties used in creating the coefficient matrix of the value model.

Peppers of the genus Capsicum are of great socioeconomic importance, being pungency trait their main attraction. Pungency characterization, genetic distance estimates and population structure analysis of the accessions belonging to germplasm banks are important for parent selection which allows to obtain superior progenies. Therefore, the aims of this study were: i) evaluate 81 accessions of the Capsicum spp. Germplasm Bank of Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BGC-UFSCar) with molecular markers linked to pungency; ii) estimate the genetic diversity among accessions of the BGC-UFSCar using microsatellite markers (SSR); and iii) evaluate the efficiency of these markers in the distinction among species of Capsicum spp. We noticed that pun11 and SNP molecular markers were efficient in predicting the pungent phenotype of BGC-UFSCar accessions in 84.85% and 95.59%, respectively. From a total of 13 amplified microsatellite markers, seven were polymorphic and efficient to discriminate species of Capsicum genus, both through genetic diversity analysis and population structure analysis, which showed three subpopulations. The molecular markers used in this study are useful tools for breeding programs since they were able to characterize and discriminate Capsicum spp. species at DNA level. Information obtained with molecular markers can assist in the selection of contrasting parents for future breeding programs.

Contains fulltext : 201325.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Source characteristics are a key determinant of preferences and choice in the interpersonal influence process. Extant literature documents the positive impact of similarity between oneself and an opinion provider on advice taking, but much less is known about how dissimilarity affects choice. While earlier research assumed that people ignore or discount the opinions of dissimilar others, we argue that dissimilarity can lead to preference and choice contrast. We posit that perceptions of dissimilarity trigger a more general hypothesis of dissimilarity. As a result, a preference contrast is observed, driven by people's tendency to interpret the provided opinion in a way that confirms their dissimilarity hypothesis. Five studies confirm the emergence of preference and choice contrast due to dissimilarity, and support the proposed mechanism. We discuss the relevance of proper baseline conditions for (dis)similarity research, as well as implications for research within the domain of interpersonal influence. 12 p.

Knowledge about variation and relative importance of agronomic traits for genetic divergence studies can reveal useful information to guide the breeding programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic variation, and select of pineapple half-sib seedlings based on genetic divergence of fruit and plant traits. 'Pérola' cultivar (female genitor) received a pollen mix as from cultivars 'MD-2', 'BRS Imperial' and 'BRS Vitória' (male genitors). Four hundred twenty-nine F1individuals propagated from seeds were evaluated under field conditions. Descriptive statistics, Singh's (1981) relative contribution, and Tocher's cluster optimization methods based on the distances matrix were estimated. Coefficients of variation ranged from 9.89 % to 63.79 %. Regarding total variance, fruit traits grouped 52.69%, while plant traits accumulated 47.30%. These results demonstrated that evaluated traits contribute for half-sib progeny relative discrimination and that none of them should be discarded for studies of diversity. Among the 12 heterotic clusters formed, group VII, IX and VIII are recommended to compose hybridization blocks and evaluation cycles of phenotypic stability for useper se. These groups have a broad heterotic potential, and desirable agronomic traits, mainly regarding to high means for fruit mass without crown (FMWC) upper than 4,000g and soluble solids content (SSC) around 20-21°Brix, which can be used by the IPA’s pineapple breeding program.

The increase in energy consumption in Brazil and in the world generates an increasing need to seek renewable and non-polluting energy, such as biofuels. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a plant with a great oil production capacity and potential for biodiesel production that presents high productivity and easy edaphoclimatic adaptation. It can be an economic culture option in crop rotation practiced by farmers, however it is still necessary to obtain more technical information about its cultivation and about the adapted and improved cultivars. Thus, the estimate of genetic divergence from morphological characters using multivariate techniques has become a common alternative among breeders. In this sense, the objective of this research was to carry out an analysis of the genetic divergence among the 49 safflower genotypes from the germplasm bank of the Instituto Mato Grossense do Algodão (IMA-MT), based on 13 morphological descriptors recommended by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources - IBPGR (1983) and Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento - MAPA (2013). The divergence analysis was performed by means of the dissimilarity matrix based on multi-categorical variables and to identify the most similar genotypes, Tocher's optimization grouping methods and the hierarchical average grouping method between groups were used. The estimates of the dissimilarity coefficients ranged from 0.00 to 0.46, indicating the presence of genetic diversity among the evaluated genotypes. The highest dissimilarity value was between genotypes 29 and 9, 42 and 1, 42 and 32, 47 and 9, which are the most genetically divergent and thus promising materials for future genetic crosses. The UPGMA dendrogram and tocher grouping were partially consistent and effective in grouping safflower genotypes. El aumento en el consumo de energía en Brasil y en el mundo genera una creciente necesidad de buscar energía renovable y no contaminante, como los biocombustibles. El cártamo (Carthamus tinctorius L.) es una planta con una alta capacidad de producción de petróleo y potencial para la producción de biodiesel que tiene alta productividad y fácil adaptación edafoclimática. Puede ser una opción de cultura económica en la rotación de cultivos practicada por los agricultores, sin embargo, aún es necesario obtener más información técnica sobre su cultivo y sobre los cultivares adaptados y mejorados. Por lo tanto, la estimación de la divergencia genética de los caracteres morfológicos utilizando técnicas multivariadas se ha convertido en una alternativa común entre los criadores. En este sentido, el objetivo de esta investigación fue llevar a cabo un análisis de la divergencia genética entre los 49 genotipos de cártamo del banco de germoplasma del Instituto de Algodón Mato Grosso (IMA-MT), basado en 13 descriptores morfológicos recomendados por la Junta Internacional de Genética Vegetal Recursos - IBPGR (1983) y Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Abastecimiento-MAPA (2013). El análisis de divergencia se realizó utilizando la matriz de disimilitud basada en variables multicategoría y para identificar los genotipos más similares, se utilizaron los métodos de agrupación de optimización de Tocher y la agrupación jerárquica de medias entre grupos (UPGMA). Las estimaciones de los coeficientes de disparidad variaron de 0.00 a 0.46, lo que indica la presencia de diversidad genética entre los genotipos evaluados. El mayor valor de disimilitud fue entre los genotipos 29 y 9, 42 y 1, 42 y 32, 47 y 9, que son los materiales más genéticamente divergentes y, por lo tanto, prometedores para futuros cruces genéticos. El dendrograma UPGMA y la agrupación de tocher fueron parcialmente consistentes y efectivos en la agrupación de genotipos de cártamo. O aumento do consumo de energia no Brasil e no mundo gera uma crescente necessidade de se buscar energias renováveis e não poluidoras, como os biocombustíveis. O cártamo (Carthamus tinctorius L.) é uma planta com grande capacidade de produção de óleo e potencial para produção de biodiesel que apresenta alta produtividade e fácil adaptação edafoclimática. Pode ser uma opção de cultura econômica na rotação de culturas praticada pelos agricultores, no entanto ainda é necessário obter maiores informações técnicas sobre o seu cultivo e sobre as cultivares adaptadas e melhoradas. Dessa forma, a estimativa da divergência genética a partir de caracteres morfológicos utilizando técnicas multivariadas tornou-se uma alternativa comum entre os melhoristas. Neste sentido, o objetivo dessa pesquisa foi realizar análise da divergência genética entre os 49 genótipos de cártamo oriundos do banco de germoplasma do Instituto Mato-grossense de Algodão (IMA-MT), a partir de 13 descritores morfológicos preconizados pelo International Board for Plant Genetic Resources – IBPGR (1983) e Ministério Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento-MAPA (2013). A análise da divergência foi realizada por meio da matriz de dissimilaridade com base em variáveis multicategóricas e para a identificação dos genótipos mais similares foi utilizado os métodos de agrupamento de otimização de Tocher e o método hierárquico de agrupamento médio entre grupos (UPGMA). As estimativas dos coeficientes de dissimilaridade variaram de 0,00 a 0,46, indicando presença de diversidade genética entre os genótipos avaliados. O maior valor de dissimilaridade foi entre os genótipos 29 e 9, 42 e 1, 42 e 32, 47 e 9, sendo estes os mais divergentes geneticamente e assim materiais promissores para futuros cruzamentos genético. O dendrograma UPGMA e agrupamento de tocher foram parcialmente concordantes e eficazes no agrupamento dos genótipos de cártamo.

Comparing data objects is at the heart of machine learning. For continuous data, object dissimilarity is usually taken to be object distance, however, for categorical data, there is no universal agreement, for categories can be ordered in several different ways. Most existing category dissimilarity measures characterize the distance among the values an attribute may take using precisely the number of different values the attribute takes (the attribute space) and the frequency at which they occur. These kinds of measures overlook attribute interdependence, which may provide valuable information when capturing per-attribute object dissimilarity. In this paper, we introduce a novel object dissimilarity measure that we call Learning-Based Dissimilarity, for comparing categorical data. Our measure characterizes the distance between two categorical values of a given attribute in terms of how likely it is that such values are confused or not when all the dataset objects with the remaining attributes are used to predict them. To that end, we provide an algorithm that, given a target attribute, first learns a classification model in order to compute a confusion matrix for the attribute. Then, our method transforms the confusion matrix into a per-attribute dissimilarity measure. We have successfully tested our measure against 55 datasets gathered from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Machine Learning Repository. Our results show that it surpasses, in terms of various performance indicators for data clustering, the most prominent distance relations put forward in the literature.

The development of analysis methods for categorical data begun in 90's decade, and it has been booming in the last years. On the other hand, the performance of many of these methods depends on the used metric. Therefore, determining a dissimilarity measure for categorical data is one of the most attractive and recent challenges in data mining problems. However, several similarity/dissimilarity measures proposed in the literature have drawbacks due to high computational cost, or poor performance. For this reason, we propose a new distance metric for categorical data. We call it: Weighted pairing (W-P) based on feature space-structure, where the weights are understood like a degree of contribution of an attribute to the compact cluster structure. The performance of W-P metric was evaluated in the unsupervised learning framework in terms of cluster quality index. We test the W-P in six real categorical datasets downloaded from the public UCI repository, and we make a comparison with the distance metric (DM3) method and hamming metric (H-SBI). Results show that our proposal outperforms DM3 and H-SBI in different experimental configurations. Also, the W-P achieves highest rand index values and a better clustering discriminant than the other methods.

Acerola fruit is one of the richest natural sources of ascorbic acid. As a consequence, acerola fruit and its products are in demand worldwide for the production of health supplements and for the development of functional products. Acerola phenotypes (103) were screened in Western Paraná State, in the Southern region of Brazil, and evaluated to obtain information on fruit quality characteristics with the aim of using them in future breeding programs. Principal Component and Hierarchical Cluster analysis were performed on all datasets to explore the variability among samples and to identify the main clusters. A great variability among phenotypes was observed, with potential for use in breeding programs. Seven phenotypes were selected as candidates in the next breeding program, characterized by high vitamin C content and yield, or higher values of fruit size and color parameters. Four belong to cluster 1 and three to cluster 2. Specifically, two phenotypes, belonging to cluster 2, showed the best performance in terms of vitamin C (2150 mg 100 g?1 pulp and 2625 mg 100 g?1 pulp respectively) and pulp yield (74.8% and 82.3% respectively), and one phenotype, belonging to cluster 1, for high pulp yield, fruit size and vitamin C content (80.3% 6.43 g and 2490 mg 100 g?1 pulp).

A theoretical framework is presented for a (copula-based) notion of dissimilarity between continuous random vectors and its main properties are studied. The proposed dissimilarity assigns the smallest value to a pair of random vectors that are comonotonic. Various properties of this dissimilarity are studied, with special attention to those that are prone to the hierarchical agglomerative methods, such as reducibility. Some insights are provided for the use of such a measure in clustering algorithms and a simulation study is presented. Real case studies illustrate the main features of the whole methodology.

Considred a more accessible protein source for the population, common beans are consumed daily, mainly in developing countries, in the tropical and subtropical regions of the planet. Studies that use both morphological descriptors and molecular markers have been used in plant breeding programs for common beans. This article aims to report the study of the diversity of recombinant inbred lines and their parents using morphologial descriptors and SSR markers. 22 recombinant inbreeding lines were evaluated derived from the BRS Agreste parents and the black-01 line.For the characterization, 18 microsatellite markers and the following morphological descriptors were used: presence of anthocyanin, number of days after germination, days for flowering, wing color, standard color, seed color, tegument color, seed brightness, commercial group. For molecular characterization, seven markers were used that presented polymorphism The dissimilarity values, using morphological data, ranged from 0 to 8.5; organizing the lineages into three distinct groups. In the molecular analyzes, of the 18 primers tested, 11 were monomorphic and 7 presented polymorphism. The dissimilarity values for molecular analysis ranged from 0 to 0.8; with an average of 0.57. In addition to being informative, these markers are associated with important characteristics for common beans. Joint analysis of the data presented dissimilarity values ranging from 0.0 to 12.5, with an average of 6.89, forming three groups. The joint analysis of morphological and molecular data was efficient to characterize and distinguish inbred lines. The molecular markers used were suitable to the present study. The lines 18 and 19 can be considered duplicate because in all analyzes they remained together. RESUMO Considerado fonte de proteína mais acessível à população, o feijão-comum é consumido diariamente, principalmente nos países em desenvolvimento, das regiões tropicais e subtropicais do planeta. Estudos que utilizam tanto descritores morfológicos quanto marcadores moleculares, vêm sendo utilizados em programas de melhoramento vegetal do feijoeiro. O presente artigo tem por objetivo reportar o estudo da diversidade de linhagens endogâmicas recombinantes e seus genitores utilizando descritores morfológicos e marcadores SSR. Foram avaliadas 22 linhagens recombinantes derivadas dos genitores BRS Agreste e a linhagem preto-01. Para a caracterização foram utilizados 18 marcadores microssatélites e os seguintes descritores morfológicos: presença de antocianina, número de dias após a germinação, dias para floração, cor da asa, cor do estandarte, cor da semente, cor do tegumento, brilho da semente, grupo comercial. Para caracterização molecular foram usados sete marcadores que apresentaram polimorfismo. Os valores de dissimilaridade, utilizando-se os dados morfológicos, variaram de 0 a 8.5; organizando as linhagens em três grupos distintos. Nas análises moleculares, dos 18 primers testados, 11 foram monomórficos e 7 apresentaram-se polimorfismo. Os valores de dissimilaridade para análise molecular variarando de 0 a 0.8; com média de 0.57. Além de informativos, esses marcadores estão associados a características importantes para o feijoeiro. A análise conjunta dos dados apresentou valores de dissimilaridade variando de 0.0 a 12.5, com média de 6.89, formando três grupos. A análise conjunta dos dados morfológicos e moleculares foi eficiente em caracterizar e distinguir as linhagens endogâmicas. Os marcadores moleculares utilizados mostraram-se adequados para o estudo realizado neste trabalho. As linhagens 18 e 19 podem ser consideradas duplicadas, pois na análise de diversidade obteve dissimilaridade zero.

Multiple definitions have been put forward in the literature to measure the differences between two interval-valued fuzzy sets. However, in most cases, the outcome is just a real value, although an interval could be more appropriate in this environment. This is the starting point of this contribution. Thus, we revisit the axioms that a measure of the difference between two interval-valued fuzzy sets should satisfy, paying special attention to the condition of monotonicity in the sense that the closer the intervals are, the smaller the measure of difference between them is. Its formalisation leads to very different concepts: distances, divergences and dissimilarities. We have proven that distances and divergences lead to contradictory properties for this kind of sets. Therefore, we conclude that dissimilarities are the only appropriate measures to measure the difference between two interval-valued fuzzy sets when the outcome is an interval.