282 results on '"Sommer, David"'
Search Results
252. Corporate Governance and Ownership Structure of Property-Liability Insurers.
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He, Enya, Sommer, David W., and Colquitt, L. Lee
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PROPERTY insurance , *CORPORATE governance , *ECONOMIC structure , *LIABILITY insurance , *LABOR incentives , *INSURANCE companies , *EMPLOYMENT , *SOCIAL conflict - Abstract
A separation exists between the ownership and control of most firms, and this separation creates potential incentive conflicts, with managers acting in their own interests rather than in the interests of the owners (resulting in what is referred to as "agency costs"). There are varying degrees of this separation, depending upon the organizational form and ownership structure of the firm. An effective way in which to monitor management's behavior and to reduce agency costs is with outside board members, those members who are not themselves in management positions with the company. An analysis of approximately 1,130 property- liability insurers over nine years suggests that insurers use varying degrees of participation from outside directors, depending upon the firm's ownership structure, to effectively monitor management behavior. Results show that the greatest use of outside board members is found with ownership structures that have the greatest need for monitoring management. In addition, those structures with the least separation of ownership and control employ the fewest outside board members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
253. Financing uninsured motorist insurance via a pay-at-the-pump plan.
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Sommer, David and Miller, Elbert G.
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UNINSURED motorist insurance - Abstract
Demonstrates how the pay-at-the pump method of collecting insurance premiums can be used to finance only uninsured motorist insurance (UMI) for an equitable distribution of cost of these accidents in the United States. Financing of UMI through gasoline surcharge or tax; Direct relationship between number of motorists and savings in UMI; Disadvantages of the scheme.
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- 1995
254. Entyposis frici (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), a new species from Somaliland.
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Bezděk, Aleš, Sehnal, Richard, Elmi, Hassan S. A., Sommer, David, and Král, David
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SCARABAEIDAE , *SPECIES - Abstract
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]
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- 2023
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255. Factors influencing carrion communities are only partially consistent with those of deadwood necromass.
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von Hoermann, Christian, Benbow, M. Eric, Rottler-Hoermann, Ann-Marie, Lackner, Tomáš, Sommer, David, Receveur, Joseph P., Bässler, Claus, Heurich, Marco, and Müller, Jörg
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RED deer , *SOCIAL influence , *ROE deer , *RED fox , *PITFALL traps , *MOUNTAIN forests , *SPECIES diversity - Abstract
Research on decomposer communities has traditionally focused on plant litter or deadwood. Even though carrion forms highly nutrient-rich necromass that enhance ecosystem heterogeneity, the factors influencing saprophytic communities remain largely unknown. For deadwood, experiments have shown that different drivers determine beetles (i.e., decay stage, microclimate, and space), fungi (i.e., decay stage and tree species) and bacteria (decay stage only) assemblages. To test the hypothesis that similar factors also structure carrion communities, we sampled 29 carcasses exposed for 30 days that included Cervus elaphus (N = 6), Capreolus capreolus (N = 18), and Vulpes vulpes (N = 5) in a mountain forest throughout decomposition. Beetles were collected with pitfall traps, while microbial communities were characterized using amplicon sequencing. Assemblages were determined with a focus from rare to dominant species using Hill numbers. With increasing focus on dominant species, the relative importance of carcass identity on beetles and space on bacteria increased, while only succession and microclimate remained relevant for fungi. For beetle and bacteria with focus on dominant species, host identity was more important than microclimate, which is in marked contrast to deadwood. We conclude that factors influencing carrion saprophytic assemblages show some consistency, but also differences from those of deadwood assemblages, suggesting that short-lived carrion and long-lasting deadwood both provide a resource pulse with different adaptions in insects and microbes. As with deadwood, a high diversity of carcass species under multiple decay stages and different microclimates support a diverse decomposer community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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256. Skills shortage hampers RFID.
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Sommer, David
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LABOR supply , *HIGH technology industries personnel , *RADIO frequency identification systems , *INNOVATION adoption - Abstract
The author reflects on the impact of the shortage of technology workers skilled in radio-frequency identification (RFID) on the deployment of the technology in the U.S. Companies that believe there is a shortage of RFID talent admit that it will impact the adoption of the technology. He explains that while the skills shortage is not the most significant factor in the slow adoption of RFID, it is a contributor.
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- 2007
257. Do Spiders Ride on the Fear of Scorpions? A Cross-Cultural Eye Tracking Study.
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Rudolfová, Veronika, Štolhoferová, Iveta, Elmi, Hassan S. A., Rádlová, Silvie, Rexová, Kateřina, Berti, Daniel A., Král, David, Sommer, David, Landová, Eva, Frýdlová, Petra, and Frynta, Daniel
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ARACHNOPHOBIA , *SCORPIONS , *EYE tracking , *AFRICAN animals , *PERCEPTION in animals , *ATTENTIONAL bias , *CZECHS , *FEAR in animals - Abstract
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]
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- 2022
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258. Dung‐visiting beetle diversity is mainly affected by land use, while community specialization is driven by climate.
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Englmeier, Jana, von Hoermann, Christian, Rieker, Daniel, Benbow, Marc Eric, Benjamin, Caryl, Fricke, Ute, Ganuza, Cristina, Haensel, Maria, Lackner, Tomáš, Mitesser, Oliver, Redlich, Sarah, Riebl, Rebekka, Rojas‐Botero, Sandra, Rummler, Thomas, Salamon, Jörg‐Alfred, Sommer, David, Steffan‐Dewenter, Ingolf, Tobisch, Cynthia, Uhler, Johannes, and Uphus, Lars
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COMMUNITIES , *URBAN land use , *LAND use , *BEETLES , *DUNG beetles , *AGRICULTURAL landscape management - Abstract
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]
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- 2022
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259. Applying multiple classifiers and non-linear dynamics features for detecting sleepiness from speech
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Krajewski, Jarek, Schnieder, Sebastian, Sommer, David, Batliner, Anton, and Schuller, Björn
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DROWSINESS , *FEATURE extraction , *SPEECH processing systems , *ACOUSTIC phonetics , *SPEECH perception , *NONLINEAR statistical models , *COMPUTER software - Abstract
Abstract: Comparing different novel feature sets and classifiers for speech processing based fatigue detection is the primary aim of this study. Thus, we conducted a within-subject partial sleep deprivation design (20.00–04.00h, N=77 participants) and recorded 372 speech samples of sustained vowel phonation. The self-report on the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and an observer report on the KSS, the KSS Observer Scale were applied to determine sleepiness reference values. Feature extraction methods of non-linear dynamics (NLD) provide additional information regarding the dynamics and structure of sleepiness speech. In all, 395 NLD features and the 170 phonetic features, which have been computed partially, represent so far unknown auditive-perceptual concepts. Several NLD and phonetic features show significant correlations to KSS ratings, e.g., from the NLD features for male speakers the skewness of vector length within reconstructed phase space (r=.56), and for female speaker the mean of Cao''s minimum embedding dimensions (r=−.39). After a correlation-filter feature subset selection different classification models and ensemble classifiers (by AdaBoost, Bagging) were trained. Bagging procedures turned out to achieve best performance for male and female speakers on the phonetic and the NLD feature set. The best models for the phonetic feature set achieved 78.3% (NaïveBayes) for male and 68.5% (Bagging Bayes Net) for female speaker classification accuracy in detecting sleepiness. The best model for the NLD feature set achieved 77.2% (Bagging Bayes Net) for male and 76.8% (Bagging Bayes Net) for female speakers. Nevertheless, employing the combined phonetic and NLD feature sets provided additional information and thus resulted in an improved highest UA of 79.6% for male (Bayes Net) and 77.1% for female (AdaBoost Nearest Neighbor) speakers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
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- 2012
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260. Carcasses at Fixed Locations Host a Higher Diversity of Necrophilous Beetles.
- Author
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von Hoermann, Christian, Lackner, Tomáš, Sommer, David, Heurich, Marco, Benbow, M. Eric, Müller, Jörg, and Athanassiou, Christos G.
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BEETLES , *RARE insects , *ENDANGERED species , *INSECT diversity , *INSECT traps , *MOUNTAIN forests , *MOUNTAIN soils - Abstract
Simple Summary: Whereas vertebrate scavengers have a higher diversity reported at randomly placed carcasses, the drivers of insect diversity on carrion, such as the exposure type (fixed versus random) or the carrion species, are still incompletely understood. We analyzed beetle diversity at differently exposed carcasses in the low-range mountain forest of the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany. We tested if scavenging beetles, similarly to vertebrate scavengers, show a higher diversity at randomly placed carcasses compared to easily manageable fixed places. Ninety-two beetle species at 29 exposed wildlife carcasses (roe, red deer, and red foxes) were detected. Beetle diversity was higher at fixed locations possessing extended highly nutrient-rich cadaver decomposition islands as important refuges for threatened red-listed species, such as Necrobia violacea (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Particularly noticeable in our insect traps were the following two rare species, the "primitive" carrion beetle Necrophilus subterraneus (Coleoptera: Agyrtidae) and the false clown beetle Sphaerites glabratus (Coleoptera: Sphaeritidae). In Europe, only the species S. glabratus out of the genus Sphaerites is present. This emphasizes the importance of carrion for biodiversity conservation. We clearly show the relevance of leaving and additional providing wildlife carcasses in a dedicated place in protected forests for preserving very rare and threatened beetle species as essential members of the decomposing community. In contrast to other necromass, such as leaves, deadwood, or dung, the drivers of insect biodiversity on carcasses are still incompletely understood. For vertebrate scavengers, a richer community was shown for randomly placed carcasses, due to lower competition. Here we tested if scavenging beetles similarly show a higher diversity at randomly placed carcasses compared to easily manageable fixed places. We sampled 12,879 individuals and 92 species of scavenging beetles attracted to 17 randomly and 12 at fixed places exposed and decomposing carcasses of red deer, roe deer, and red foxes compared to control sites in a low range mountain forest. We used rarefaction-extrapolation curves along the Hill-series to weight diversity from rare to dominant species and indicator species analysis to identify differences between placement types, the decay stage, and carrion species. Beetle diversity decreased from fixed to random locations, becoming increasingly pronounced with weighting of dominant species. In addition, we found only two indicator species for exposure location type, both representative of fixed placement locations and both red listed species, namely Omosita depressa and Necrobia violacea. Furthermore, we identified three indicator species of Staphylinidae (Philonthus marginatus and Oxytelus laqueatus) and Scarabaeidae (Melinopterus prodromus) for larger carrion and one geotrupid species Anoplotrupes stercorosus for advanced decomposition stages. Our study shows that necrophilous insect diversity patterns on carcasses over decomposition follow different mechanisms than those of vertebrate scavengers with permanently established carrion islands as important habitats for a diverse and threatened insect fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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261. CHAPTER 17 - Neurology
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Sommer, David B.
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262. A review of lumped-element models of voiced speech
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Erath, Byron D., Zañartu, Matías, Stewart, Kelley C., Plesniak, Michael W., Sommer, David E., and Peterson, Sean D.
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LITERATURE reviews , *LUMPED elements , *SPEECH perception , *HUMAN voice , *VOCAL cords , *AERODYNAMICS , *ACOUSTIC models , *VISCOELASTICITY - Abstract
Abstract: Voiced speech is a highly complex process involving coupled interactions between the vocal fold structure, aerodynamics, and acoustic field. Reduced-order lumped-element models of the vocal fold structure, coupled with various aerodynamic and acoustic models, have proven useful in a wide array of speech investigations. These simplified models of speech, in which the vocal folds are approximated as arrays of lumped masses connected to one another via springs and dampers to simulate the viscoelastic tissue properties, have been used to study phenomena ranging from sustained vowels and pitch glides to polyps and vocal fold paralysis. Over the past several decades a variety of structural, aerodynamic, and acoustic models have been developed and deployed into the lumped-element modeling framework. This paper aims to provide an overview of advances in lumped-element models and their constituents, with particular emphasis on their physical foundations and limitations. Examples of the application of lumped-element models to speech studies will also be addressed, as well as an outlook on the direction and future of these models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2013
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263. Contributors
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Allen, William L., Birdsall, Holly H., Caperna, Joseph, Cole, Rhonda A., Dao, Kathryn H., Habib, Gabriel, Sr., Harman, Eloise M., Harward, Mary P., Harward, Timothy R.S., Hayes, Teresa G., Kallas, Henrique Elias, Kornu, Roger, Madhosingh, Harrinarine, Metjian, Ara D., Meuleman, John, Nguyen, Dang M., Orozco, Catalina, Patel, Rahul K., Pennypacker, Leslye C., Prabhakar, Sharma S., Rosenberg, Eric I., Rossen, Roger D., Silbermins, Damian, Sitapati, Amy M., Sommer, David B., Southwick, Frederick S., Spratt, Susan E., Tiu, Alfredo, Tonelli, Adriano R., and Woodmansee, Whitney W.
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264. Characterization of particulate matter emitted by a marine engine operated with liquefied natural gas and diesel fuels.
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Corbin, Joel C., Peng, Weihan, Yang, Jiacheng, Sommer, David E., Trivanovic, Una, Kirchen, Patrick, Miller, J. Wayne, Rogak, Steven, Cocker, David R., Smallwood, Gregory J., Lobo, Prem, and Gagné, Stéphanie
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LIQUEFIED natural gas , *GAS as fuel , *MARINE engines , *PARTICULATE matter , *DIESEL fuels , *DUAL-fuel engines - Abstract
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is becoming increasingly popular as a marine fuel as emission regulations become more stringent. However, very little data are available on the particulate matter (PM) emissions of modern marine natural gas engines. In this study, we present a first detailed characterization of the composition of the PM emitted by a modern, in-use, natural-gas-powered vessel. The vessel engines use compression-ignition and only a small amount of diesel fuel as pilot. These engines drive electrical generators, providing propulsion as well as auxiliary power for the vessel. Our emissions characterization includes six different techniques to measure black carbon (BC), including all methods determined as appropriate for measuring BC emissions from ships by the International Maritime Organization, as well as particle size distributions, metal concentrations, and organic particulate emissions. PM emissions differed significantly between idle and at-sea operating conditions. At idle, PM emission factors were primarily organic (approximately 1500 mg / kWh) , with BC emission factors over two orders of magnitude lower (5.6 ± 0.4 mg / kWh). At engine loads above 25%, all emissions were independent of load and substantially lower than at idle, at 4.4 ± 1.7 mg / kWh for organics and 0.8 ± 0.2 mg / kWh for black carbon. When operated only on diesel fuel, this engine emitted 8-fold more organic PM (38 ± 15 mg / kWh) and 37-fold more BC (30 ± 11 mg / kWh) at loads above 25%. At idle loads, the diesel-fuel emissions were comparable to the natural-gas emissions. In addition to organics and BC, a third category of non-volatile sub-10-nm particles was identified. A detailed consideration of our measurements indicated that the sources of the organic, BC, and sub-10-nm particles were lubrication oil, diesel pilot fuel, and lubrication-oil metals, respectively. Future studies should seek to quantify the emissions of other dual-fuel engines that will be entering the market. Image 1 • Detailed characterization of PM emissions from natural-gas-powered marine vessel. • PM was primarily volatile organics, which may originate from lubrication oil. • BC emissions were 37x higher when switching from liquid natural gas to diesel fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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265. Hooding cobras can get ahead of other snakes in the ability to evoke human fear.
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Frynta D, Štolhoferová I, Elmi HSA, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Rexová K, Sommer D, Král D, Berti DA, Landová E, and Frýdlová P
- Subjects
- Animals, Humans, Elapidae physiology, Male, Fear physiology, Snakes physiology
- Abstract
Fear of snakes is common not only in humans but also in other primates. Consequently, snakes are salient stimuli associated with prioritized attention, early detection and emotional significance. This has been interpreted as an adaptive evolutionary response of the primate brain to a risk of envenoming by a hidden snake. However, the struggle between mammals and snakes is not one-sided. Humans and carnivores regularly kill snakes, and thus snakes develop deterring defensive behaviour that may directly evoke enhanced fear. Here, we show that snakes depicted in threatening posture evoked on average more fear than those in resting posture. Significantly, African (Somali) and European (Czech) respondents considerably agreed on the relative fear elicited by various snakes. Nonetheless, not all defensive postures are equally efficient. Threatening cobras were perceived as top fear-evoking stimuli, even though most of them are not considered very frightening in resting posture. This effect can be attributed to their conspicuous hooding posture which evolved into an efficient warning signal for mammalian predators. Our result demonstrates that cobras are more effective than other snakes in the ability to evoke human fear by a simple behavioural display-hooding. This can be primarily explained by the behavioural evolution of cobras which successfully exploited pre-existing cognitive mechanisms of mammals. Whether human ancestors cohabiting with deadly venomous cobras further improved their fear response to hooding is uncertain, but likely., Competing Interests: Declarations. Institutional review board: All the procedures performed in this study were carried out following the ethical standards of the appropriate institutional research committee (The Institutional Review Board of Charles University, Faculty of Science, approval no. 2019/2011, granted on 27 March 2019 and Amoud University, Faculty of Education, approval no. AU/AA/0012/2021, granted on 7 January 2021). Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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266. Optimization of Mechanical Properties and Evaluation of Fatigue Behavior of Selective Laser Sintered Polyamide-12 Components.
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Sommer D, Stockfleet H, and Hellmann R
- Abstract
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.
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- 2024
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267. Are vipers prototypic fear-evoking snakes? A cross-cultural comparison of Somalis and Czechs.
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Frynta D, Elmi HSA, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Štolhoferová I, Rexová K, Král D, Sommer D, Berti DA, Landová E, and Frýdlová P
- Abstract
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., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Frynta, Elmi, Janovcová, Rudolfová, Štolhoferová, Rexová, Král, Sommer, Berti, Landová and Frýdlová.)
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- 2023
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268. The bigger the threat, the longer the gaze? A cross-cultural study of Somalis and Czechs.
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Štolhoferová I, Frynta D, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Elmi HSA, Rexová K, Berti DA, Král D, Sommer D, Landová E, and Frýdlová P
- Abstract
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 (non-threatening) 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., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Štolhoferová, Frynta, Janovcová, Rudolfová, Elmi, Rexová, Berti, Král, Sommer, Landová and Frýdlová.)
- Published
- 2023
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269. Animals evoking fear in the Cradle of Humankind: snakes, scorpions, and large carnivores.
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Frynta D, Elmi HSA, Rexová K, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Štolhoferová I, Král D, Sommer D, Berti DA, and Frýdlová P
- Subjects
- Animals, Humans, Scorpions, Fear, Snakes, Phobic Disorders, Spiders
- Abstract
Theories explain the presence of fears and specific phobias elicited by animals in contemporary WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) populations by their evolutionary past in Africa. Nevertheless, empirical data about fears of animals in the Cradle of Humankind are still fragmentary. To fill this gap, we examined which local animals are perceived as the most frightening by Somali people, who inhabit a markedly similar environment and the region where humans have evolved. We asked 236 raters to rank 42 stimuli according to their elicited fear. The stimuli were standardized pictures of species representing the local fauna. The results showed that the most frightening animals were snakes, scorpions, the centipede, and large carnivores (cheetahs and hyenas). These were followed up by lizards and spiders. Unlike in Europe, spiders represent less salient stimuli than scorpions for Somali respondents in this study. This conforms to the hypothesis suggesting that fear of spiders was extended or redirected from other chelicerates., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
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- 2023
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270. Resurrection of Oxythyrea abigailoides Mikšić, 1978 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) based on new morphological, morphometrical and molecular data.
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Král D, Šípek P, Sommer D, and Vondráček D
- Abstract
Oxythyrea abigailoides Mikšić, 1978, resurrected species, is removed from synonymy with Oxythyrea dulcis Reitter, 1899 and regarded as a separate species. The differential diagnosis of both species is presented on the basis of clearly different morphological, morphometric and molecular characters. Complete chresonomy to both species is given and known geographical distribution to date is summarized and mapped.
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- 2023
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271. Static and Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of Hybrid-PBF-LB/M-Built and Hot Isostatic Pressed Lattice Structures.
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Sommer D, Esen C, and Hellmann R
- Abstract
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.
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- 2023
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272. A Case-Control Study of Distinguishing Between Stroke Mimics and True Strokes.
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Gogtay M, Singh Y, Varma N, Soni A, Subedi P, Sommer D, Abraham GM, and George SV
- Abstract
This study was conducted with the primary aim to distinguish patients with a true stroke versus a stroke mimic based on clinical features and imaging. We conducted a retrospective case-control study on 116 adult patients who received alteplase (tPA) to treat acute stroke at our hospital. We further analyzed 79 patients with a normal computed tomography angiography (CTA). Based on their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, they were divided into cases (stroke mimics) and controls (true strokes). Data were collected retrospectively by reviewing individual medical charts on the electronic medical record (EMR), including age, gender, history of stroke, seizure, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, presenting NIH Stroke Scale/Score, hemorrhagic conversion, history of migraine, history of depression, sidedness of symptoms and aphasia. Data were categorized to separate those who were later diagnosed to be stroke mimics by being-postictal, encephalopathic, in acute migraine, suffered post-stroke recrudescence (PSR) due to metabolic insult, or had conversion disorder when symptoms could not be attributed to any medical condition or mental illness. Of the 79 study subjects, 48 (60%) were stroke mimics. The mean age of the cohort was 68.67 years, and 46.8% of the study subjects were females. Based on the multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with being a stroke mimic were older age, history of migraine, and a history of prior stroke. In conclusion, increased attention to history and clinical examination as the first step can aid in the proper diagnosis of strokes versus stroke mimics. Identifying stroke mimics early could help expedite hospital workup and prevent inadvertent investigations, reducing hospital occupancy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We could potentially avoid the administration of tPA to such patients, reducing both the cost and adverse effects of it. Every stroke can cause neurological deficits, but every deficit need not be a stroke., Competing Interests: Funding There are no financial conflicts of interest to disclose. Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Greater Baltimore Medical Center.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
273. Bolbaffroides dhofarensis (Coleoptera: Bolboceratidae), a new species from Oman.
- Author
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Krl D, Hillert O, Mencl L, and Sommer D
- Subjects
- Animals, Oman, Coleoptera anatomy & histology
- Abstract
Bolbaffroides dhofarensis Krl, Hillert, Mencl Sommer, new species, from Dhofar Governorate in south-western Oman is described. Relevant diagnostic characters (e.g., head and pronotum shape) of the new species and type material of two morphologically similar species, B. rollii (J. Mller, 1941) and B. validus (Klug, 1843) are photographically documented.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
274. Tool Wear and Milling Characteristics for Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Combining Laser Powder Bed Fusion and In Situ High-Speed Milling.
- Author
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Sommer D, Pape D, Esen C, and Hellmann R
- Abstract
We report on milling and tool wear characteristics of hybrid additive manufacturing comprising laser powder bed fusion and in situ high-speed milling, a particular process in which the cutter mills inside the powder bed without any cooling lubricant being applicable. Flank wear is found to be the dominant wear characteristic with its temporal evolution over utilization period revealing the typical s-shaped dependence. The flank wear land width is measured by microscopy and correlated to the achievable surface roughness of milled 3D-printed parts, showing that for flank wear levels up to 100 μm a superior surface roughness below 3 μm is accessible for hybrid additive manufacturing. Further, based on this correlation recommended tool, life scenarios can be deduced. In addition, by optimizing the finishing tool start position and the number of afore-built layers, the milling process is improved with respect to the maximum millable angle for undercut surfaces of 3D-printed parts to 30° for the roughing process and to 40° for the entire machining process including finishing.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
275. Authorship and date of publication of the name Scarabaeus stercorosus (currently Anoplotrupes stercorosus) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Geotrupidae).
- Author
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Ziani S, Bezdk A, Krell FT, and Sommer D
- Subjects
- Animals, Authorship, Coleoptera, Names
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
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276. Design Rules for Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Combining Selective Laser Melting and Micromilling.
- Author
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Sommer D, Götzendorfer B, Esen C, and Hellmann R
- Abstract
We report on a comprehensive study to evaluate fundamental properties of a hybrid manufacturing approach, combining selective laser melting and high speed milling, and to characterize typical geometrical features and conclude on a catalogue of design rules. As for any additive manufacturing approach, the understanding of the machine properties and the process behaviour as well as such a selection guide is of upmost importance to foster the implementation of new machining concepts and support design engineers. Geometrical accuracy between digitally designed and physically realized parts made of maraging steel and dimensional limits are analyzed by stripe line projection. In particular, we identify design rules for numerous basic geometric elements like walls, cylinders, angles, inclinations, overhangs, notches, inner and outer radii of spheres, chamfers in build direction, and holes of different shape, respectively, as being manufactured by the hybrid approach and compare them to sole selective laser melting. While the cutting tool defines the manufacturability of, e.g., edges and corners, the milling itself improves the surface roughness to Ra < 2μm. Thus, the given advantages of this hybrid process, e.g., space-resolved and custom-designed roughness and the superior geometrical accuracy are evaluated. Finally, we exemplify the potential of this particular promising hybrid approach by demonstrating an injection mold with a conformal cooling for a charge socket for an electro mobile.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
277. Cation-translocation based isomerism offers a tool for the expansion of compressed helicates.
- Author
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Mevissen C, Sommer D, Vasanthakumar S, Truong KN, Rissanen K, and Albrecht M
- Abstract
A series of compressed M[Li313Ti2] (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) and expanded helicates M4[13Ti2] has been obtained. The helicates Li3[M13Ti2] or M4[13Ti2] with M = Na+, K+, Rb+, or Cs+ adopt the expanded structure in solution. By crystallization the compressed structures M[Li313Ti2] (M = Na, Rb) are obtained. This represents an example of cation-translocation based isomerism.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
278. emOiceoptoma/em emtangi/em (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae), a new species of carrion beetle from eastern China.
- Author
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Sommer D, Růžička J, Nishikawa M, and Schneider J
- Subjects
- Animal Distribution, Animals, China, Coleoptera classification, Coleoptera physiology
- Abstract
A new species, Oiceoptoma tangi Sommer, Růžička, Nishikawa Schneider, new species, from Zhejiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is closely related to O. subrufum (Lewis, 1888), distributed in Central and North-eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, Far East of Russia and Japan, and to O. nigropunctatum (Lewis, 1888), endemic to Japan. All three species are keyed, and distribution maps of all three species are presented.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
279. Bolbelasmus (Bolbelasmus) zagrosensis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae), a new species from Iran, along with an updated key to the western Palaearctic species of the subgenus.
- Author
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Sommer D, Hillert O, Hrůzová L, and Král D
- Subjects
- Animal Distribution, Animals, Iran, Coleoptera
- Abstract
Bolbelasmus (Bolbelasmus) zagrosensis Sommer, Hillert, Hrůzová Král, new species, from Iran is described, illustrated and compared with its congeners known from the western Palaearctic region. An updated key to the western Palaearctic species of the nominotypical subgenus is provided. New country record of B. (B.) nireus (Reitter, 1895) from Greece (island of Rhodes) is reported. Distribution of B. (B.) makrisi Miessen, 2011, B. (B.) nireus and the new species is summarized and mapped.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
280. Characterization and Reduction of In-Use CH 4 Emissions from a Dual Fuel Marine Engine Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy.
- Author
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Sommer DE, Yeremi M, Son J, Corbin JC, Gagné S, Lobo P, Miller JW, and Kirchen P
- Subjects
- Natural Gas, Spectrum Analysis, Gasoline, Vehicle Emissions
- Abstract
In-use exhaust stream CH
4 emissions from two dual fuel marine engines were characterized and strategies for CH4 reduction were identified and evaluated. For this, a low-cost, portable, wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) system was developed. The performance of the developed WMS sensor was assessed using gas standards and demonstrated on a heavy-duty, diesel pilot ignited, direct-injection natural gas research engine through comparison to a flame ionization detector. The WMS sensor was subsequently used to measure the exhaust-stream CH4 concentration from two diesel pilot-ignited, port-injected natural gas engines on a coastal vessel while under normal operation. Using cylinder deactivation to reduce the excess air ratio, λ, and vessel operation changes to minimize operation at lower loads, the total CH4 emission were reduced by up to 33%. The measured, load specific CH4 emissions were subsequently used to identify an improved vessel operation strategy, with an estimated 56-60% reduction in CH4 emissions. These results demonstrate the importance of considering the real-world engine operation profile for accurate estimates of the global warming potential, as well as the utility of a WMS sensor for characterizing and mitigating in-use CH4 emissions.- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
281. Short-Term EEG Patterns of Driver Drowsiness and their Relation to Crashes.
- Author
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Golz M and Sommer D
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
282. What's in the pipeline for the treatment of Parkinson's disease?
- Author
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Sommer DB and Stacy MA
- Subjects
- Clinical Trials as Topic, Humans, Neuroprotective Agents therapeutic use, Antiparkinson Agents therapeutic use, Parkinson Disease therapy
- Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that creates a significant burden for patients, family members and society at large. Major unmet needs include effective therapies that could favorably modify the underlying pathogenetic processes in PD, and better control of motor and nonmotor symptoms in advanced-stage disease. This review examines the current state of development of potential PD therapies, including dopaminergic therapies, modulators of adenosine and glutamate receptors, cell-based therapies, genetic therapies and device-based therapies. In addition, research into potential neuroprotective agents and pipeline therapies for nonmotor symptoms of PD are summarized.
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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