Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Present status of a rare bat species, Nyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780) in Hungary.

By reviewing all published and unpublished data, the present status of Nyctalus lasiopterus in Hungary was assessed. The species is known from 12 localities in the country, mostly situated in the North Hungarian Mountains. Only one stable population is known, which is located in the Matra Mountains and has been present each summer since its discovery in 1995. Except for this population, the species is rarely found in other locations. Radio-tracking resulted in the finding of 13 roosting trees, which were exclusively beeches ( Fagus sylvatica ) in a montane beech forest. The largest roosting group consisted of more than 50 individuals. Sex ratio was highly female biased; adult males have rarely been found in the country. Lactating females and juveniles were captured regularly, which indicates the presence of a stable nursing population in the country. In Hungary, the main threat to N. lasiopterus is likely to be the logging of old beech forests. Further research is needed to draw a better picture of the Hungarian population of the species and strengthen the conservation of this magnificent bat.
Interplay of Project Complexity and Lean Production Methods

Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of lean production methods for improving the effectiveness of construction processes. This study investigates the effect of lean production principles on construction projects that manifest different degrees of structural complexity. The importance of specific lean principles (specify value, rethink your operating methods, focus on actual objects, release resources for delivery just when needed and strive for perfection) is evaluated using discrete event simulation for three different structural steel projects. The projects' configurations range from simple to complex and include a small commercial building, a mid-rise office building and a hospital expansion. Results of simulation analysis indicate that the more complex projects exhibit increased "lean" process improvement when compared to the simpler projects. Our results also indicate that traditional production planning methods are more effective on simpler projects. In addition, domain uncertainty and project complexity are highly coupled as regards the improvements that are realized by applying lean principles. In short, project characteristics play a significant role on the impact of lean production theory when it is applied to construction processes. It is possible that hybrid construction process design approaches, such as a push-pull system, will behave better than a pure pull system. There is a need for a better understanding of how to apply lean principles to maximize improvement to construction systems.
Towards improved decision-making through the integration of financial information in BPMN models

Disclaimer This document contains a student thesis (bachelor's or master's), as authored by a student at Eindhoven University of Technology. Student theses are made available in the TU/e repository upon obtaining the required degree. The grade received is not published on the document as presented in the repository. The required complexity or quality of research of student theses may vary by program, and the required minimum study period may vary in duration.
Microseismic Monitoring: Insights from Moment Tensor Inversion

This paper reviews the mathematical tools used for describing microseismic source mechanisms. In addition, based on analysis of synthetic seismograms we develop and evaluate a workflow for inverting source mechanisms (moment tensors). We consider several types of focal mechanisms including double-couple (representative of a slip on a fault) and more complex mechanisms that include tensile forces. Our inversion strategy uses a least-square approach that attempts to fit P- and S-wave amplitudes measured using multicomponent borehole geophone array. An important final step in the inversion process is decomposition of the recovered moment tensor into isotropic, compensated linear vector dipole (CLVD) and double-couple components. These three end member focal mechanisms provide the basis for describing most common classes of microseismic events. Our preliminary inversion tests for noise-free synthetic data suggest that the isotropic component is likely to be the least well-resolved parameter.
Shape Control of Composite Structures with Optimally Placed Piezoelectric Patches

The problem of shape control of composite laminated smart structures with piezoelectric patches placed at optimal location is considered in this thesis. Laminated plate structures with piezoelectric patches for shape control applications are modeled using a shear deformable plate formulation by including the piezoelectric layers into the plate substrate. A composite plate finite element model is also developed for composite plates with self-sensing actuators. Non-linear hysteresis models for piezoelectric materials are presented and discussed. Numerical simulation of composite plate structures with piezoelectric actuators is conducted and presented. The optimization problem of finding the optimal location of actuators using a linear quadratic control algorithm is done and the results are discussed. Static shape control strategies are also discussed.
Modeling the impacts of future climate change on water resources for the Gállego river basin (Spain)

Global changes in climate may have large impacts on regional water resources and the frequency of drought or flood events. Changes in precipitation or temperature may also severely modify the available water resources for users in several sectors. Here, we examine climate change scenarios for the Gállego river (a tributary of the larger Ebro river in Spain) in the context of quantitative water resources management for the basin. Projected changes to precipitation and temperature are derived from an ensemble of 6 Regional Climate Models (RCMs) run for the period 2071–2100 under the SRES A2 emissions scenario and are subsequently bias corrected before input into a hydrological model. The use of RCM ensembles is important for the incorporation of uncertainties derived from different model structures, parameterizations and boundary conditions into the hydrological modeling process and subsequent climate change impact assessment. All 6 RCMs project decreases in annual precipitation with some RCMs projecting a slight increase between December and February. Additionally, all models project a >3°C increase in annual mean temperature over the basin, with some models projecting a 9°C temperature increase during summer months. Hydrological simulations using the GEOTRANSF model, with the climate change scenarios as input, show that projected water availability for the Gállego is lower for the 2071–2100 period than for 1961–1990, with an increasing number of dry years. During the water‐storage period (October to March), medium to low flows are reduced, while during the irrigation period (April to September), streamflow is reduced across the entire range of flows. The projected changes vary across the basin and are also not uniform throughout the year. Stronger drying occurs during the summer with potentially important implications for water resource management across many sectors including agriculture, with a reduction in the amount of water available for irrigation and hydropower generation, due to projected seasonal reductions in reservoir levels.
R&D Uncertainty in Future Benefits

This paper contributes to the current debate on accounting treatment of R&D expenditures. We considered two different measures of future benefits to a firm, sales revenue and operating cash flows. We provide evidence that R&D expenditures do not generate more uncertain future sales revenue or operating cash flows compared to capital expenditures. In terms of sales revenue, R&D expenditures generate significantly less uncertain future benefits compared to capital expenditures. And in terms of operating cash flows, our results do not provide conclusive evidence that whether R&D expenditures generate more uncertain future benefits than capital expenditures or not.
The Extent of Effectiveness of Accounting Knowledge in Increasing Accounting Performance of the Jordanian Industrial Public Shareholding Companies

This study aims to find out the effectiveness of accounting knowledge in strengthening the Accounting performance in Jordanian industrial public shareholding companies. To achieve the objectives of this study, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to the study sample consisting of (47) Finance Managers working for the Jordanian industrial public shareholding corporations. and The study concluded that there is a positive relationship between the accounting knowledge and Accounting performance in the Jordanian industrial public shareholding corporations. It also was concluded that the accounting knowledge has a positive impact on the performance of such corporations. The study recommended the need to create accounting culture that promotes the effective application of accounting knowledge and improves the Accounting performance of the Jordanian industrial public shareholding companies.
Mamdani or Sugeno fuzzy systems : a comparative study

In Sugeno’s rules, conclusions are usually considered as being crisp numerical values. On the other hand, in Mamdani’s rules, conclusions are viewed as fuzzy numbers or more rarely as words. This paper makes an attempt at smoothing out this distinction by proposing to handle fuzzy rules with conclusions of the three different types using Mamdani’s reasoning as well as Sugeno’s interpolation mechanism. The extension of Sugeno’s fuzzy systems is carried out using fuzzy arithmetic operators for implementing the weighted mean of fuzzy numbers or words. Concerning Mamdani’s systems, the compositional rule of inference is applied indifferently at the numerical and linguistic levels. After the presentation of the different possible implementations of a rulebased system, the developed ideas are illustrated using a fuzzy rulebase that approximates the arithmetic mean of two quantities.
An Optimization of the Autoregressive Model Using the Grid Search Method

The purpose of this study is to find the parameters that can produce the best value on the model Autoregressive (AR). The parameter evaluation method used is the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) and using Grid Search optimization methods. The experimental data used in this study was a sunspot dataset. Based on our analysis, the best Autoregressive model was a 3rd order AR model.
Competitive Strategies Adopted by Mobile Phone Service Providers in Kenya

With changing business environment firms are finding it increasingly difficult to find industry environment in which there are good enough conditions that allow a rate of return above the competitive level. Competitive strategies provide a framework for the firms to respond to various changes within the firms operating environment. Firms also develop competitive strategies that enable them to develop strategic initiatives and maintain competitive edge in the market (Grant, 1998). The objective of this study was to determine the competitive strategies adopted by mobile phone service providers in Kenya. A census survey of the descriptive design was used. The Target population comprised all four mobile phone service providers in Kenya. Research was mainly carried out using primary data which was collected by way of a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize and organize data in an effective and meaningful way. Narrative summary of the open ended questions was made. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the responses as secured from the five point likert scale. The study found out that the Cost leadership strategies adopted by mobile phone service provider companies were ; research and development, technology, cost cutting, restructuring and automation of processes: the Differentiation strategies adopted were; new product and service development, customer service, branding, provision of product and service information, value addition services, continuous upgrading of services with a view of attracting and retaining customers and engaging highly competent staff, wide range of products and services, intensive staff training, positioning, community involvement and increased advertising : on the focus strategies adopted the respondents reported that their target market focus was several segments of the mobile phone users. The study recommended that in order to deal with competition, the mobile phone service providers in Kenya should ensure that they use the most latest technology, change with consumer needs, maintain quality services, they should also maintain reasonable tariffs, hire qualified staff in companies and ensure that they train them regularly for them to be able to know what customers want from time to time . Key Words: Cost Leadership, Mobile Phone Service Providers, Technology
Aalborg Universitet How Simulation and Game Simultaneously Frames Game Based Learning

This paper describes how students use a project management simulation game based on an attack defense mechanism where two teams of players compete by challenging each other’s projects. The project management simulation game is intended to be played by pre service construction workers and engineers. The gameplay has two parts: a planning part, where the player make managerial decisions about his construction site, and a challenge part where the player chooses between typical problems to occur on the opponent’s construction site. Playing the game involves analyzing both your own and you opponent’s building project for weak spots. The intention of the project management simulation game, is to provide students with an increased sensitivity towards the relation between planning and reality in complex construction projects. The project management simulation game can be interpreted both as a competitive game and as a simulation. Both of these views are meaningful and can be seen as supporting learning. Emphasizing the simulation aspect let us explain how students learn by being immersed into a simulated world, where the players identify with specific roles, live out specific situations, and experiment with relevant parameters. Emphasizing the competition game aspect we can see how play and competition allow players to experience intrinsic motivation and engagement, as well as thinking strategically about their choices, and hence put attention towards all the things that can go wrong in construction work. The goal of the paper is to investigate empirically how these two understandings influence game experience and learning outcome. This question is approached by qualitative post game interviews about the experienced fun, competition and realism. Specific attention is given to how the understandings of the experience (for instance as a game and as a simulation) is entangled when the students describe their experience. Using the concepts frame and domain it is analyzed how the students conceptualize and make meaning of the particular educational scenario manifested by the project management simulation game. We take as an outset that students interpret the situations in the project management simulation game as relating to one or several domains, especially the domains competition and simulation. Results suggest that the views of the scenario as a competition and as a simulation do coexist, and that these views merge in a subtle way. The players consider the game to be both a realistic simulation of construction site work and a fun competition in which they try to beat their opponents and these two views do not seem to create cognitive conflicts. In the discussion it is explored how aspects of the design affords this double conceptualization (e.g. the “manage mode” and “challenge mode”), and finally it is discussed how we can explain why the players experience the challenges that they pose on each other as a natural part of the gameplay, but not as a realistic aspect of the game as a simulation.
Detection and removal of clutter and anaprop in radar data using a statistical scheme based on echo fluctuation

In radar data, the presence of untreated non- meteorological echoes has repeatedly caused severe overes- timates in rainfall measurements. Improvements in the de- tection rate and suppression of ground clutter echoes par- ticularly resulting from anomalous propagation of the sig- nal (anaprop), are key issues for operational applications as concluded by COST-717 action on "Using Radar Informa- tion for Assimilation into Atmospheric Models". Many tech- niques have been developed to mitigate the problem, but to date very few schemes have been reported to successfully isolate anomalous propagation returns embedded in preci- pation echoes. An approach based on the difference of the signal decorrelation time between precipitation and clutter echoes has been the focus of studies conducted for several years by M´´ and more recently by UK Met Of- fice. Although this technique appears ineffective against sea clutter and clear air echoes, results substantiate 96-99% de- tection of ground fixed echoes, a level of false alarm better than 2%, and identification of anaprop echoes in situations where other techniques have failed. The amount of data pro- cessing required is minimal, ideal for operational applica- tions. Moreover, the decorrelation time was observed to vary with the precipitation type, and in the future could serve as an additional tool for identification of snow showers.
Past and Present Overview of “Orf”

Sheep and goats are a great investment of poor farmers and so, are called as poor man‘s cow. The health and production of these small animals is markedly affected by various bacterial and viral pathogens, including Contagious Ecthyma (CE) that hovers all over the world (de la Concha-Bermejillo, 1995, Mondal et al., 2006). The CE is an acute, contagious, debilitating and epithelio-trophic viral disease of small ruminants, other domesticated and wild ruminants. The disease is known by multiple synonyms as sore mouth, contagious pustular dermatitis (CPD), scabby mouth or infectious labial dermatitis (Thomas et al., 2003). The etiological agent is Orf virus and the infection is characterized by nonsystemic eruptive skin lesions (de la Concha-Bermejillo, 1995, Mondal et al., 2006). Walley (1890) first described the disease in sheep and referred it as Contagious Dermatitis or Orf.
A new European plant-specific emission inventory of biogenic volatile organic compounds for use in atmospheric transport models

We present a new European plant-specific emis- sion inventory for isoprene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygenated VOC (OVOC), on a spatial resolution of 0.089◊0.089 degrees, for implementation in atmospheric transport models. The inventory incorporates more accu- rate data on foliar biomass densities from several litterfall databases that became available in the last years for the main tree species in Europe. A bioclimatic correction factor was introduced to correct the foliar biomass densities of trees and crops for the different plant growth conditions that can be found in Pan-Europe. Long-term seasonal variability of agriculture and forest emissions was taken into account by implementing a new growing season concept. The 2004- 2005 averaged annual total biogenic volatile organic com- pound (BVOC) emissions for the Pan-European domain are estimated to be about 12 Tg with a large contribution from the OVOC class of about 4.5 Tg and from monoterpenes of about 4 Tg. Annual isoprene emissions are found to be about 3.5 Tg, insensitive to the chosen emission algorithm. Emis- sions of OVOC were found to originate to a large extent from agriculture. Further experiments on crop emissions should be carried out to check the validity of the applied standard emis- sion factors. The new inventory aims at a fully transparent and verifiable aggregation of detailed land use information and at the inclusion of plant-specific emission data. Though plant-specific land use data is available with relatively high accuracy, a lack of experimental biomass densities and emis- sion data on terpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygenated VOC, in particular for agricultural plants, currently limits the setup of a highly accurate plant-specific emission inventory.
La génétique du bar ( Dicentrarchus labrax L . ) Résumé

Genetics of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) The production of sea bass, a major species in Mediterranean fish farming, still relies in many cases on the production of fingerlings issued from wild breeders. Still, genetic improvement is a major key to sustainable development for all optimized forms of animal production. Three types of genetic improvement can be acheived in fish: i) the production of monosex populations. For seabass, monosex female populations would be the objective as females grow 20-30% faster than males. However, sex determination in this species is complex, impacted by both genetic and environmental factors. Hence, production of monosex populations is not yet a routine operation, although in some cases almost 100% female batches have been obtained; ii) chromosome set manipulations, the most important being triploid induction, which produces viable but sterile fish. The aim in seabass would be to increase late growth and protect genetic gain. Although triploid induction is mastered in seabass, it is not used as it induces some growth retardation; iii) selective breeding, which promises important productivity gains on almost all tested traits, probably due to the fact that the species is not yet domesticated. The genetic improvement “toolbox” is therefore available in European sea bass, but truly optimised commercial breeding schemes have only recently started.
AN OPTIMAL SAMPLING RULE FOR NONINTRUSIVE POLYNOMIAL CHAOS EXPANSIONS OF EXPENSIVE MODELS

In this work we present the optimized stochastic collocation method (OSC). OSC is a new sampling rule that can be applied to polynomial chaos expansions (PCE) for uncertainty quantification. Given a model function, the goal of PCE is to find the polynomial from a given polynomial space that is closest to the model function with respect to the L2-norm induced by a given probability measure. Many PCE methods approximate the involved projection integral by discretization with a finite set of integration points. Our key idea is to choose these integration points through numerical optimization based on an operator norm derived from the discretized projection operator. OSC is a generalization of Gaussian quadrature: both methods coincide for one-dimensional integration and under appropriate problem settings in multidimensional problems. As opposed to many established integration rules, OSC does not generally lead to tensor grids in multidimensional problems. With OSC, the user can specify the number of integration points independently of the problem dimension and PCE expansion order. This allows one to reduce the number of model evaluations and still achieve a high accuracy. The input parameters can follow any kind of probability distribution, as long as the statistical moments up to a certain order are available. Even statistically dependent parameters can be handled in a straightforward and natural fashion. Moreover, OSC allows reusing integration points, if results from earlier model evaluations are available. Gauss-Kronrod and Stroud integration rules can be reproduced with OSC for the respective special cases.