Unregelmäßig erscheinende Berichte über wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse aus den einzelnen Forschungsbereichen der zum FZD gehörenden Institute.

Unregelmäßig erscheinende Berichte über wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse aus den einzelnen Forschungsbereichen der zum FZR gehörenden Institute.

Water availability in the ecosystem is one of the most crucial environmental factors that determines global terrestrial biome distribution. However, aridity/humidity conditions in the geologic past are difficult to quantify, mainly owing to the lack of a proper parameter. By using modern global climatic data, we here examine five selected previously proposed aridity indices (AIs), in which the climatic variables involved, including both precipitation and temperature, are simple and likely available in studies of paleoclimatology and paleoecology, although with different degrees of uncertainty. They were first evaluated along the modern climatic zones of eastern China, with the main metric of Thornthwaite humidity index (HI) and with the supplementary reference of soil moisture index (SMI) and near-ground atmospheric relative humidity (RH). Then AIs and the mean annual precipitation (MAP) were further statistically compared with HI, SMI, and RH, respectively, based on 1189 monitored data sets from meteorological stations over the world. The results show that the Köppen aridity index (AIKöppen), expressed as mean annual precipitation divided by mean annual temperature plus a constant of 33, is the most accurate and precise index among all selected indices, supported by the highest correlation coefficient respectively to HI, SMI, and RH, three widely-employed major indicators sensitive to hydrological dynamics in climatology and meteorology. Specifically, AIKöppen does well mirror corresponding HI along four representative transects from North America, South America, Africa, and Australia, which cover the typical arid and humid climates and span the main terrestrial biome types. Moreover, our results also distinctly reveal that, as also shown by many studies on modern climate, precipitation alone is inadequate to measure the hydrological condition, because both temperature and evapotranspiration are two other critical factors that strongly influence water balance in the ecosystem, meanwhile evapotranspiration is mainly affected by temperature. Based on the validated AIKöppen, we briefly discuss the aridity/humidity condition in China during the middle Miocene. The results demonstrate that moisture did decrease westward, but it is also clear that western China in the middle Miocene appears not to have been as dry as previously thought, indicated by the AIKöppen values representing a sub-humid to humid climate.

Water availability in the ecosystem is one of the most crucial environmental factors that determines global terrestrial biome distribution. However, aridity/humidity conditions in the geologic past are difficult to quantify, mainly owing to the lack of a proper parameter. By using modern global climatic data, we here examine five selected previously proposed aridity indices (AIs), in which the climatic variables involved, including both precipitation and temperature, are simple and likely available in studies of paleoclimatology and paleoecology, although with different degrees of uncertainty. They were first evaluated along the modern climatic zones of eastern China, with the main metric of Thornthwaite humidity index (HI) and with the supplementary reference of soil moisture index (SMI) and near-ground atmospheric relative humidity (RH). Then AIs and the mean annual precipitation (MAP) were further statistically compared with HI, SMI, and RH, respectively, based on 1189 monitored data sets from meteorological stations over the world. The results show that the Köppen aridity index (AIKöppen), expressed as mean annual precipitation divided by mean annual temperature plus a constant of 33, is the most accurate and precise index among all selected indices, supported by the highest correlation coefficient respectively to HI, SMI, and RH, three widely-employed major indicators sensitive to hydrological dynamics in climatology and meteorology. Specifically, AIKöppen does well mirror corresponding HI along four representative transects from North America, South America, Africa, and Australia, which cover the typical arid and humid climates and span the main terrestrial biome types. Moreover, our results also distinctly reveal that, as also shown by many studies on modern climate, precipitation alone is inadequate to measure the hydrological condition, because both temperature and evapotranspiration are two other critical factors that strongly influence water balance in the ecosystem, meanwhile evapotranspiration is mainly affected by temperature. Based on the validated AIKöppen, we briefly discuss the aridity/humidity condition in China during the middle Miocene. The results demonstrate that moisture did decrease westward, but it is also clear that western China in the middle Miocene appears not to have been as dry as previously thought, indicated by the AIKöppen values representing a sub-humid to humid climate.

This study analyzes 66 Swedish actively managed mutual funds investing in the Swedish stock market during the period 2005-2014. The purpose is through pooled data regressions analyze the relationship between both the mutual fund’s annual fee and risk-adjusted return to the fund’s characteristics. The characteristics of the study are the size of the fund's assets, age, if the fund is bank managed or not, Tracking Error, and standard deviation of return.By using the performance measures of CAPM, Fama and French 3-factor model, and Carhart’s 4-factor model monthly risk-adjusted returns are created for all funds over the period. Two pooled data regressions are performed with the Fixed Effect Model in which the annual fee and risk-adjusted return is set up as explanatory variables against the various characteristics.The results of the study show a clear correlation between annual fee and tracking error against the risk-adjusted return. A higher fee adds value to the investor through a higher risk-adjusted return, but will not fully compensate for the increased fee. The relationship between Tracking Error and risk-adjusted return is negative, which means that mutual funds that are distant from its benchmark perform worse than the mutual funds close to its benchmark. To explain annual fee this study finds low economic significance for the characteristics included. Although several variables show statistical significance, it is difficult to say anything about the characteristics that affect a mutual fund's annual fee due to the weak economic significance.

Social organization of a species may impact behavior, reproductive ecology, mating system, population genetic structure and overall fitness. A spectrum of sociality exists from solitary individuals to aggregations to integrated, highly related groups. A large body of knowledge exists for sociality and life-history characteristics of ground-dwelling sciurids, including several overarching models to explain the evolution of sociality. These models predict round-tailed ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus) to be solitary based on small body size (~125g), relatively long period of activity (January-June) and a short period of adult-juvenile overlap. However, previous behavioral observations suggest round-tailed ground squirrels have a clustered matrilineal structure with a suite of social behaviors, suggesting that they may represent a unique outlier in ground squirrel sociality models. Within the population of round-tailed ground squirrels at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, Arizona, USA, rates of amicable and agonistic interactions between adults were low, with no relationship between relatedness of individuals and rates of social interactions. No population substructure was evident with Bayesian analyses, global or pairwise F(ST) values, and average relatedness among females did not differ from males. Contrary to previous behavioral studies, round-tailed ground squirrels did not have high levels of social behavior, nor did they form significant genetic subpopulation structuring. The active season of round-tailed ground squirrels closely followed patterns of precipitation and peak resource availability. Body mass differed between males and females, across years, and within seasons. Males were heavier than females at emergence, prior to mating and pre-hibernation, but not when females began gestation. Emergence of litters and litter size are related to amount and timing of winter rainfall. Foraging and vigilance behaviors compose 64-66% of the activity budget, but differ in that males spend a greater proportion of time foraging, whereas females spend a greater proportion of time vigilant. Round-tailed ground-squirrels have a polygynandrous mating system. Polygyny was evident in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and multiple paternity occurred in the majority of litters with 2.5 sires/litter; litter size was positively correlated with the number of sires. These findings support predictions generated by sociality models for ground-dwelling squirrels.

Bericht über Strukturveränderungen, Personal, Projekte, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Ausstellungen, Vorträge u.a. der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig und Ihre MitarbeiterInnen im Jahr 2016

After the Great Recession of 2007 there was a spotlight on executive compensation. The magnitude and structure of executive pay became an area of concern to the public. As a result, company management across all sectors had to find a way to offer competitive compensation plans that aligned the interest of shareholders with that of executives. The outcome was an increased focus on tying executive pay to company performance. The level of fixed-pay incorporated into target compensation began to decreases rapidly and was replaced by “at-risk” compensation. For some, this was a major achievement in the world of executive compensation, however, others view this change as potentially dangerous. I chose to analyze the pay-mix structure and annual incentive plans of a group of bellwether companies to see if this transition is increasing company’s exposure to fraud. In this essay I attempt to tie increases in at-risk pay to increases in fraud risk, while identifying incentive goals affected by common fraud practices.

In December 2007 I began an internship with the Tennessee Williams Scholars' Conference/Tennessee Williams Annual Review. The Conference and Review are co-produced by Williams expert and professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University Dr. Robert Bray and the publications department of The Historic New Orleans Collection. The majority of my internship took place from my home and at The Collection, where I also currently serve full-time as an editor on book projects and the institution's quarterly magazine. The following report provides an overview of my internship, my analysis of the operation of the Conference/Review, and my recommendations for the organization developed over the course of my tenure, which will conclude in December 2008.

Large sums of money are spent annually for herbicides to control weeds in fall sown wheat. Many of these weeds are killed by such treatments while others survive and mature seed. Viability of seeds produced by weeds injured by systemic or growth regulator type herbicides has long been a matter of great interest, much speculation, and very little research. Data on this subject are needed in order to intelligently use chemicals for weed control.