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This paper examines the earnings management behavior of target insurers before mergers and acquisitions by investigating their reserving conservatism compared to control insurers. Contrary to the expectation that acquisition targets would manipulate their earnings to increase acquisition premiums, we find that target insurers are generally more conservative in their loss reserving practices before acquisitions than control firms. This finding provides support for the effectiveness of due diligence and the contractual risk shifting arguments, and the result holds regardless of whether acquirers are insurers or non‐insurers. Furthermore, we discover that target loss reserve conservatism is negatively associated with target CEO turnover post‐acquisition. In line with existing literature, we also find evidence suggesting that targets involved in stock acquisitions tend to adopt a less conservative reserving strategy than in deals that do not include stock payments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film photovoltaic devices, a robust understanding of the dominant diffusion pathways of the alloy species In and Ga is needed. Here, the most probable defect complexes and mechanisms for In and Ga diffusion are identified with the aid of density functional theory. The binding energies and migration barriers for these complexes are calculated in bulk CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2. Analytic models and kinetic lattice Monte Carlo simulations are employed to predict the diffusivity of In and Ga under variations in composition and temperature. We find that a model based on coulombic interactions between group III antisites and vacancies on the Cu-sublattice produces results that match well with experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film photovoltaic devices, a robust understanding of the dominant diffusion pathways of the alloy species In and Ga is needed. Here, the most probable defect complexes and mechanisms for In and Ga diffusion are identified with the aid of density functional theory. The binding energies and migration barriers for these complexes are calculated in bulk CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2. Analytic models and kinetic lattice Monte Carlo simulations are employed to predict the diffusivity of In and Ga under variations in composition and temperature. We find that a model based on coulombic interactions between group III antisites and vacancies on the Cu-sublattice produces results that match well with experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensemble methods have become ubiquitous for the solution of Bayesian inference problems. State-of-the-art Langevin samplers such as the ensemble Kalman sampler (EKS) or the affine invariant Langevin dynamics (ALDI) rely on successive evaluations of the forward model or its gradient. A main drawback of these methods hence is their vast number of required forward calls as well as their possible lack of convergence in the case of more involved posterior measures such as multimodal distributions. The goal of this paper is to address these challenges to some extent. First, several possible adaptive ensemble enrichment strategies that successively enlarge the number of particles in the underlying Langevin dynamics are discussed that in turn lead to a significant reduction of the total number of forward calls. Second, analytical consistency guarantees of the ensemble enrichment method are provided for linear forward models. Third, to address more involved target distributions, the method is extended by applying adapted Langevin dynamics based on a homotopy formalism for which convergence is proved. Finally, numerical investigations of several benchmark problems illustrate the possible gain of the proposed method, comparing it to state-of-the-art Langevin samplers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a comprehensive study of the mechanical properties of selective laser sintered polyamide components is presented, for various different process parameters as well as environmental testing conditions. For the optimization of the static and dynamic mechanical load behavior, different process parameters, e.g., laser power, scan speed, and build temperature, were varied, defining an optimal parameter combination. First, the influence of the different process parameters was tested, leading to a constant energy density for different combinations. Due to similarities in mechanical load behavior, the energy density was identified as a decisive factor, mostly independent of the input parameters. Thus, secondly, the energy density was varied by the different parameters, exhibiting large differences for all levels of fatigue behavior. An optimal parameter combination of 18 W for the laser power and a scan speed of 2666 mm/s was determined, as a higher energy density led to the best results in static and dynamic testing. According to this, the variation in build temperature was investigated, leading to improvements in tensile strength and fatigue strength at higher build temperatures. Furthermore, different ambient temperatures during testing were evaluated, as the temperature-dependent behavior of polymers is of high importance for industrial applications. An increased ambient temperature as well as active cooling during testing was examined, having a significant impact on the high cycle fatigue regime and on the endurance limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the diffusion of copper in CuInSe 2 using thermodynamic and kinetic models based on density functional theory calculations, attempting to reconcile large differences in reported experimental diffusivities. We find that observations of rapid chemical diffusion can be explained by large thermodynamic factors, which we calculate using a compositionally constrained model of intrinsic point defect formation. We further characterize how copper diffusion coefficients depend on material synthesis conditions and exhibit their variation across the CuInSe 2 secondary phase diagram. In doing so, we identify stable off-stoichiometries that are dominated by either vacancy- or interstitial-mediated diffusion mechanisms. These results are employed in the development of a continuum reaction–diffusion model, which we use to simulate experimental depth profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic relevance determination (ARD) was applied to two-channel EOG recordings for microsleep event (MSE) recognition. 10 s immediately before MSE and also before counterexamples of fatigued, but attentive driving were analysed. Two type of signal features were extracted: the maximum cross correlation (MaxCC) and logarithmic power spectral densities (PSD) averaged in spectral bands of 0.5 Hz width ranging between 0 and 8 Hz. Generalised learn-ing vector quantisation (GRLVQ) was used as ARD method to show the potential of feature reduction. This is compared to support-vector machines (SVM), in which the feature reduction plays a much smaller role. Cross validation yielded mean normalised relevancies of PSD features in the range of 1.6 – 4.9 % and 1.9 – 10.4 % for horizontal and vertical EOG, respectively. MaxCC relevancies were 0.002 – 0.006 % and 0.002 – 0.06 %, respectively. This shows that PSD features of vertical EOG are indispensable, whereas MaxCC can be neglected. Mean classification accuracies were estimated at 86.6±b 1.3 % and 92.3±b 0.2 % for GRLVQ and SVM, respectively. GRLVQ permits objective feature reduction by inclusion of all processing stages, but is not as accurate as SVM.

Here we report the finding of the immature stages of Phaeochroops rattus Arrow 1909 in a dead fallen tree in Malaysia. A detailed and illustrated description of the last instar larval morphology is provided and their morphology is compared with larval morphology of other genera of the subfamily Hybosorinae. The trilobate labrum of P. rattus larvae is unique among the entire family, as well as the remarkable combination of spindle-form pretarsi and antennae with fused antennomeres III and IV but without the sensorium of antennomere III. The larvae fed on decaying wood, which is the second record of saproxylophagy in the entire family. A complete list of so far described immature stages of the entire family Hybosoridae is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution addresses the question if imminent changes of the cortical state are predictable. The analysis is based on 1484 examples of microsleep (MS) and 1940 counterexamples of sustained attention (SA), both observed during overnight driving in the simulator. EEG segments (8 s in length) immediately before each respective event were included. Features were extracted by (i) modified periodogram and (ii) Choi-Williams distribution. Machine learning algorithms, namely the optimized learning vector quantization (OLVQ) and the support-vector machine with Gaussian kernel function (SVM), were trained in order to map signal features to the event type (MS or SA). Cross validation analysis yielded test set classification accuracies of 87.5 ± 0.1 % and 82.7 ± 0.1 % for feature set (i) and (ii), respectively. In general, SVM outperformed OLVQ. In conclusion, EEG contains enough information to predict immediately upcoming microsleep events.

Microsleep events (MSE) are short intrusions of sleep under the demand of sustained attention. They can impose a major threat to safety while driving a car and are considered one of the most significant causes of traffic accidents. Driver’s fatigue and MSE account for up to 20% of all car crashes in Europe and at least 100,000 accidents in the US every year. Unfortunately, there is not a standardized test developed to quantify the degree of vigilance of a driver. To account for this problem, different approaches based on biosignal analysis have been studied in the past. In this paper, we investigate an electrocardiographic-based detection of MSE using morphological and rhythmical features. 14 records from a car driving simulation study with a high incidence of MSE were analyzed and the behavior of the ECG features before and after an MSE in relation to reference baseline values (without drowsiness) were investigated. The results show that MSE cannot be detected (or predicted) using only the ECG. However, in the presence of MSE, the rhythmical and morphological features were observed to be significantly different than the ones calculated for the reference signal without sleepiness. In particular, when MSE were present, the heart rate diminished while the heart rate variability increased. Time distances between P wave and R peak, and R peak and T wave and their dispersion increased also. This demonstrates a noticeable change of the autonomous regulation of the heart. In future, the ECG parameter could be used as a surrogate measure of fatigue.

Snakes are known as highly fear-evoking animals, eliciting preferential attention and fast detection in humans. We examined the human fear response to snakes in the context of both current and evolutionary experiences, conducting our research in the cradle of humankind, the Horn of Africa. This region is characterized by the frequent occurrence of various snake species, including deadly venomous viperids (adders) and elapids (cobras and mambas). We conducted experiments in Somaliland and compared the results with data from Czech respondents to address the still unresolved questions: To which extent is human fear of snakes affected by evolutionary or current experience and local culture? Can people of both nationalities recognize venomous snakes as a category, or are they only afraid of certain species that are most dangerous in a given area? Are respondents of both nationalities equally afraid of deadly snakes from both families (Viperidae, Elapidae)? We employed a well-established picture-sorting approach, consisting of 48 snake species belonging to four distinct groups. Our results revealed significant agreement among Somali as well as Czech respondents. We found a highly significant effect of the stimulus on perceived fear in both populations. Vipers appeared to be the most salient stimuli in both populations, as they occupied the highest positions according to the reported level of subjectively perceived fear. The position of vipers strongly contrasts with the fear ranking of deadly venomous elapids, which were in lower positions. Fear scores of vipers were significantly higher in both populations, and their best predictor was the body width of the snake. The evolutionary, cultural, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High fear reaction, preferential attention, or fast detection are only a few of the specific responses which snakes evoke in humans. Previous research has shown that these responses are shared amongst several distinct cultures suggesting the evolutionary origin of the response. However, populations from sub-Saharan Africa have been largely missing in experimental research focused on this issue. In this paper, we focus on the effect of snake threat display on human spontaneous attention. We performed an eye-tracking experiment with participants from Somaliland and the Czechia and investigated whether human attention is swayed towards snakes in a threatening posture. Seventy-one Somalis and 71 Czechs were tested; the samples were matched for gender and comparable in age structure and education level. We also investigated the effect of snake morphotype as snakes differ in their threat display. We found that snakes in a threatening posture were indeed gazed upon more than snakes in a relaxed (nonthreatening) posture. Further, we found a large effect of snake morphotype as this was especially prominent in cobras, less in vipers, and mostly non-significant in other morphotypes. Finally, despite highly different cultural and environmental backgrounds, the overall pattern of reaction towards snakes was similar in Somalis and Czechs supporting the evolutionary origin of the phenomenon. We concluded that human attention is preferentially directed towards snakes, especially cobras and vipers, in threatening postures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphinate and phosphane substituted hierarchical helicates have been prepared, and the phosphinate derivatives could be characterized in the crystal. The helicate with phosphane substituents was submitted to an orientating study on catalysis, showing its potential to act as chelating ligand for the generation of active rhodium‐based hydrogenation catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter examines the role of humour in §54 of Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment in relation to reconstructive readings provided by Kantian scholars. While Kant claims that humour is primarily an irrational, corporeal phenomenon, these scholars have argued that his discussion of humour suggests otherwise and they have proposed readings according to which humour constitutes a pure aesthetic judgement akin to those of beauty and the sublime. This issue is investigated over the course of four sections. First, I briefly sketch Kant's two types of pure aesthetic judgement. Second, I summarize Kant's discussion of laughter in §54. Third, I debate some of the reconstructions that have been given in the scholarship that attempt to accord a more important role to humour within Kant's project: John Marmysz' interpretation of the funny as an unthreatening form of the sublime; Annie Hounsokou's interpretation of the funny as a species of both the beautiful and the sublime; Peter T. Giamaro's claim that the funny is the most basic aesthetic judgement; and James Creed Meredith's suggestion that the funny should be seen as a third and distinct type of aesthetic judgement. I conclude by proposing a reconstructive reading that draws on Meredith's and Giamaro's accounts while avoiding the problems highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entyposis frici Bezděk & Sehnal, sp. nov., from Somaliland is described and relevant diagnostic characters are illustrated. The new species is compared with the morphologically closely similar Entyposis Kolbe, 1894 species. An updated checklist and an identification key to northeastern African Entyposis species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a comprehensive study of the mechanical properties of maraging steel body-centred cubic lattice structures fabricated by a hybrid additive manufacturing technology that combines laser powder bed fusion with in situ high-speed milling. As the mechanical properties of additive manufactured components are inferior to, e.g., cast components, surface modifications can improve the mechanical behaviour. Different hybrid additive manufacturing technologies have been designed using additive and subtractive processes, improving process quality. Following this, mechanical testing is performed with respect to static tensile properties and dynamic stress, hardness, and porosity, comparing specimens manufactured by laser powder bed fusion only to those manufactured by the hybrid approach. In addition, the influence of different heat-treatment techniques on the mechanical behaviour of the lattice structures is investigated, namely solution and aging treatment as well as hot isostatic pressing. Thus, the influence of the superior surface quality due to the hybrid approach is evaluated, leading to, e.g., an offset of about 14–16% for the static testing of HIP lattice structures. Furthermore, the dynamic load behaviour can be improved with a finished surface, heading to a shift of the different zones of fatigue behaviour in the testing of hybrid-built specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel method to approximate optimal feedback laws for nonlinear optimal control based on low‐rank tensor train (TT) decompositions. The approach is based on the Dirac–Frenkel variational principle with the modification that the optimization uses an empirical risk. Compared to current state‐of‐the‐art TT methods, our approach exhibits a greatly reduced computational burden while achieving comparable results. A rigorous description of the numerical scheme and demonstrations of its performance are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three pedestrian bridges for China China's most published bridges usually feature breathtaking size, symbolic design concepts or daring tourist attraction purposes. Bridges with glass floors over deep gorges or skybridges spanning in between high‐rise towers are attractions for mass tourist movements unknown to us in Europe. In addition to these prestigious projects, the bridge construction in China, as an important part of a huge infrastructure system, has many less known but nevertheless interesting and innovative bridges. This article presents three pedestrian bridges that were designed and built by schlaich bergermann partner in and for China within recent years and describes the special experiences and observations made during the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In animal phobia research, one of the most attractive topics has been arachnophobia—the specific phobia of spiders. In this study, we explore the apparent paradox of mostly harmless spiders being the object of one of the most common animal fears. Recently, it has been suggested that negative emotions associated with spiders could be triggered by a more generalized fear of chelicerates, where scorpions are the primordial model that one should be afraid of. This hypothesis anticipates that deep fear of scorpions was present in human ancestors and that nowadays it is still generally shared among cultures. To test this assumption, we recruited participants from the Republic of Somaliland and the Czech Republic for an eye-tracking experiment. We found a very strong attentional bias for scorpions as opposed to spiders in Somalis and a similar albeit smaller bias in Czechs. The study deals with possible evolutionary origins of the fear of spiders and arachnophobia, one of the most common specific animal phobias. Moreover, it adds to a very limited number of studies focusing on people's perception of animals in Sub-Saharan Africa. Deep fear of spiders is common in many countries, yet its origin remains unexplained. In this study, we tested a hypothesis based on recent studies suggesting that fear of spiders might stem from a generalized fear of chelicerates or fear of scorpions. To this end, we conducted an eye tracking experiment using a spontaneous gaze preference paradigm, with spiders and scorpions (previously neglected but crucial stimuli) as threatening stimuli and grasshoppers as control stimuli. In total, 67 participants from Somaliland and 67 participants from the Czech Republic were recruited and presented with a sequence of paired images. Both Somali and Czech people looked longer (total duration of the gaze) and more often (number of fixations) on the threatening stimuli (spiders and scorpions) when presented with a control (grasshopper). When both threatening stimuli were presented together, Somali participants focused significantly more on the scorpion, whereas in Czech participants, the effect was less pronounced, and in Czech women it was not significant. This supports the hypothesis that fear of spiders originated as a generalized fear of scorpions. Moreover, the importance of spiders as fear-eliciting stimuli may be enhanced in the absence of scorpions in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of industrial supply technology is a broad field for optimization. Industrial cooling plants are often (a) composed of several components, (b) linked using network technology, (c) physically interconnected, and (d) complex regarding the effect of set-points and operating points in every entity. This leads to the possibility of overall optimization. An example containing a cooling tower, water circulations, and chillers entails a non-linear optimization problem with five dimensions. The decomposition of such a system allows the modeling of separate subsystems which can be structured according to the physical topology. An established method for energy performance indicators (EnPI) helps to formulate an optimization problem in a coherent way. The novel optimization algorithm OptTopo strives for efficient set-points by traversing a graph representation of the overall system. The advantages are (a) the ability to combine models of several types (e.g., neural networks and polynomials) and (b) an constant runtime independent from the number of operation points requested because new optimization needs just to be performed in case of plant model changes. An experimental implementation of the algorithm is validated using a simscape simulation. For a batch of five requests, OptTopo needs 61 min while the solvers Cobyla, SDPEN, and COUENNE need 0.3 min, 1.4 min, and 3.1 min, respectively. OptTopo achieves an efficiency improvement similar to that of established solvers. This paper demonstrates the general feasibility of the concept and fortifies further improvements to reduce computing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dung beetles are important actors in the self‐regulation of ecosystems by driving nutrient cycling, bioturbation, and pest suppression. Urbanization and the sprawl of agricultural areas, however, destroy natural habitats and may threaten dung beetle diversity. In addition, climate change may cause shifts in geographical distribution and community composition. We used a space‐for‐time approach to test the effects of land use and climate on α‐diversity, local community specialization (H2′) on dung resources, and γ‐diversity of dung‐visiting beetles. For this, we used pitfall traps baited with four different dung types at 115 study sites, distributed over a spatial extent of 300 km × 300 km and 1000 m in elevation. Study sites were established in four local land‐use types: forests, grasslands, arable sites, and settlements, embedded in near‐natural, agricultural, or urban landscapes. Our results show that abundance and species density of dung‐visiting beetles were negatively affected by agricultural land use at both spatial scales, whereas γ‐diversity at the local scale was negatively affected by settlements and on a landscape scale equally by agricultural and urban land use. Increasing precipitation diminished dung‐visiting beetle abundance, and higher temperatures reduced community specialization on dung types and γ‐diversity. These results indicate that intensive land use and high temperatures may cause a loss in dung‐visiting beetle diversity and alter community networks. A decrease in dung‐visiting beetle diversity may disturb decomposition processes at both local and landscape scales and alter ecosystem functioning, which may lead to drastic ecological and economic damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]