Biologically informed ecological niche models for an example pelagic, highly mobile species

Background: Although pelagic seabirds are broadly recognised as indicators of the health of marine systems, numerous gaps exist in knowledge of their at-sea distributions at the species level. These gaps have profound negative impacts on the robustness of marine conservation policies. Correlative modelling techniques have provided some information, but few studies have explored model development for non-breeding pelagic seabirds. Here, I present a first phase in developing robust niche models for highly mobile species as a baseline for further development.Methodology: Using observational data from a 12-year time period, 217 unique model parameterisations across three correlative modelling algorithms (boosted regression trees, Maxent and minimum volume ellipsoids) were tested in a time-averaged approach for their ability to recreate the at-sea distribution of non-breeding Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) to provide a baseline for further development.Principle Findings/Results: Overall, minimum volume ellipsoids outperformed both boosted regression trees and Maxent. However, whilst the latter two algorithms generally overfit the data, minimum volume ellipsoids tended to underfit the data. Conclusions: The results of this exercise suggest a necessary evolution in how correlative modelling for highly mobile species such as pelagic seabirds should be approached. These insights are crucial for understanding seabird–environment interactions at macroscales, which can facilitate the ability to address population declines and inform effective marine conservation policy in the wake of rapid global change

Creating Communities of Change in Higher Education

This document offers an overview of the lessons learned and knowledge gleaned during the eight years of the Food Systems Professions Education Initiative. It is based on "Volume I of the Final Summary Cluster Evaluation Report of Phase II of the Food Systems Professions Education (FSPE) Initiative," written by Jan Sweeney, Adrain Van Mondfrans, and Blaine Worthen of the Western Institute for Research and Evaluation (WIRE). The data for WIRE'S evaluation came from many sources including: Surveys and annual reporting information; Information from site visits; Positive claims and testimonials by project personnel and others involved in the projects; Anecdotal data, case studies, and stories showing how the initiative has changed the way universities do business, enhanced the trust between them and other institutions, led to new structural relationships, and added FSPE-endorsed values and activities into the role descriptions and behaviors of many professors. The phase 2 evaluation report focused on the original 12 university partners and their work. Another university partner, California Food and Fiber Futures at the University of California, Davis was added in 2001. Its data are not included in this evaluation because it began after the initial programs were already underway

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering vol. 365

This book includes the original, peer-reviewed research papers from the 2nd International Conference on Electrical Systems, Technology and Information (ICESTI 2015), held during 9–12 September 2015, at Patra Jasa Resort & Villas Bali, Indonesia. The primary objective of this book is to provide references for dissemination and discussion of the topics that have been presented in the conference. This volume is unique in that it includes work related to Electrical Engineering, Technology and Information towards their sustainable development. Engineers, researchers as well as lecturers from universities and professionals in industry and government will gain valuable insights into interdisciplinary solutions in the field of Electrical Systems, Technology and Information, and its applications. The topics of ICESTI 2015 provide a forum for accessing the most up-to-date and authoritative knowledge and the best practices in the field of Electrical Engineering, Technology and Information towards their sustainable development. The editors selected high quality papers from the conference that passed through a minimum of three reviewers, with an acceptance rate of 50.6 %. In the conference there were three invited papers from keynote speakers, whose papers are also included in this book, entitled: “Computational Intelligence based Regulation of the DC bus in the On-Grid Photovoltaic System”, “Virtual Prototyping of a Compliant Spindle for Robotic Deburring” and “A Concept of Multi Rough Sets Defined on Multi-Contextual Information Systems”. The conference also classified the technology innovation topics into five parts: “Technology Innovation in Robotics, Image Recognition and Computational Intelligence Applications”, “Technology Innovation in Electrical Engineering, Electric Vehicle and Energy Management”, “Technology Innovation in Electronic, Manufacturing, Instrumentation and Material Engineering”, “Technology Innovation in Internet of Things and Its Applications” and “Technology Innovation in Information, Modeling and Mobile Applications”

Fluctuations of fragment observables

This contribution presents a review of our present theoretical as well as experimental knowledge of different fluctuation observables relevant to nuclear multifragmentation. The possible connection between the presence of a fluctuation peak and the occurrence of a phase transition or a critical phenomenon is critically analyzed. Many different phenomena can lead both to the creation and to the suppression of a fluctuation peak. In particular, the role of constraints due to conservation laws and to data sorting is shown to be essential. From the experimental point of view, a comparison of the available fragmentation data reveals that there is a good agreement between different data sets of basic fluctuation observables, if the fragmenting source is of comparable size. This compatibility suggests that the fragmentation process is largely independent of the reaction mechanism (central versus peripheral collisions, symmetric versus asymmetric systems, light ions versus heavy ion induced reactions). Configurational energy fluctuations, that may give important information on the heat capacity of the fragmenting system at the freeze out stage, are not fully compatible among different data sets and require further analysis to properly account for Coulomb effects and secondary decays. Some basic theoretical questions, concerning the interplay between the dynamics of the collision and the fragmentation process, and the cluster definition in dense and hot media, are still open and are addressed at the end of the paper. A comparison with realistic models and/or a quantitative analysis of the fluctuation properties will be needed to clarify in the next future the nature of the transition observed from compound nucleus evaporation to multi-fragment production.Comment: Contribution to WCI (World Consensus Initiative) Book " "Dynamics and Thermodynamics with Nuclear Degrees of Freedom", to appear on Euorpean Physics Journal A as part of the Topical Volume. 9 pages, 12 figure

Comparative Study Of Implementing The On-Premises and Cloud Business Intelligence On Business Problems In a Multi-National Software Development Company

Internship Report presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Knowledge Management and Business IntelligenceNowadays every enterprise wants to be competitive. In the last decade, the data volumes are increased dramatically. As each year data in the market increases, the ability to extract, analyze and manage the data become the backbone condition for the organization to be competitive. In this condition, organizations need to adapt their technologies to the new business reality in order to be competitive and provide new solutions that meet new requests. Business Intelligence by the main definition is the ability to extract analyze and manage the data through which an organization gain a competitive advantage. Before using this approach, it’s important to decide on which computing system it will base on, considering the volume of data, business context of the organization and technologies requirements of the market. In the last 10 years, the popularity of cloud computing increased and divided the computing Systems into On-Premises and cloud. The cloud benefits are based on providing scalability, availability and fewer costs. On another hand, traditional On-Premises provides independence of software configuration, control over data and high security. The final decision as to which computing paradigm to follow in the organization it’s not an easy task as well as depends on the business context of the organization, and the characteristics of the performance of the current On-Premises systems in business processes. In this case, Business Intelligence functions and requires in-depth analysis in order to understand if cloud computing technologies could better perform in those processes than traditional systems. The objective of this internship is to conduct a comparative study between 2 computing systems in Business Intelligence routine functions. The study will compare the On-Premises Business Intelligence Based on Oracle Architecture with Cloud Business Intelligence based on Google Cloud Services. A comparative study will be conducted through participation in activities and projects in the Business Intelligence department, of a company that develops software digital solutions to serve the telecommunications market for 12 months, as an internship student in the 2nd year of a master’s degree in Information Management, with a specialization in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Nova Information Management School (NOVA IMS)

Partial Correctness of a Power Algorithm

This work continues a formal verification of algorithms written in terms of simple-named complex-valued nominative data [6],[8],[15],[11],[12],[13]. In this paper we present a formalization in the Mizar system [3],[1] of the partial correctness of the algorithm: i := val.1 j := val.2 b := val.3 n := val.4 s := val.5 while (i n) i := i + j s := s * b return s computing the natural n power of given complex number b, where variables i, b, n, s are located as values of a V-valued Function, loc, as: loc/.1 = i, loc/.3 = b, loc/.4 = n and loc/.5 = s, and the constant 1 is located in the location loc/.2 = j (set V represents simple names of considered nominative data [17]).The validity of the algorithm is presented in terms of semantic Floyd-Hoare triples over such data [9]. Proofs of the correctness are based on an inference system for an extended Floyd-Hoare logic [2],[4] with partial pre- and post-conditions [14],[16],[7],[5].Institute of Informatics, University of Białystok, PolandGrzegorz Bancerek, Czesław Byliński, Adam Grabowski, Artur Korniłowicz, Roman Matuszewski, Adam Naumowicz, and Karol Pąk. The role of the Mizar Mathematical Library for interactive proof development in Mizar. Journal of Automated Reasoning, 61(1):9–32, 2018. doi:10.1007/s10817-017-9440-6.R.W. Floyd. Assigning meanings to programs. Mathematical aspects of computer science, 19(19–32), 1967.Adam Grabowski, Artur Korniłowicz, and Adam Naumowicz. Four decades of Mizar. Journal of Automated Reasoning, 55(3):191–198, 2015. doi:10.1007/s10817-015-9345-1.C.A.R. Hoare. An axiomatic basis for computer programming. Commun. ACM, 12(10): 576–580, 1969.Ievgen Ivanov and Mykola Nikitchenko. On the sequence rule for the Floyd-Hoare logic with partial pre- and post-conditions. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on ICT in Education, Research and Industrial Applications. Integration, Harmonization and Knowledge Transfer. Volume II: Workshops, Kyiv, Ukraine, May 14–17, 2018, volume 2104 of CEUR Workshop Proceedings, pages 716–724, 2018.Ievgen Ivanov, Mykola Nikitchenko, Andrii Kryvolap, and Artur Korniłowicz. Simple-named complex-valued nominative data – definition and basic operations. Formalized Mathematics, 25(3):205–216, 2017. doi:10.1515/forma-2017-0020.Ievgen Ivanov, Artur Korniłowicz, and Mykola Nikitchenko. Implementation of the composition-nominative approach to program formalization in Mizar. The Computer Science Journal of Moldova, 26(1):59–76, 2018.Ievgen Ivanov, Artur Korniłowicz, and Mykola Nikitchenko. On an algorithmic algebra over simple-named complex-valued nominative data. Formalized Mathematics, 26(2):149–158, 2018. doi:10.2478/forma-2018-0012.Ievgen Ivanov, Artur Korniłowicz, and Mykola Nikitchenko. An inference system of an extension of Floyd-Hoare logic for partial predicates. Formalized Mathematics, 26(2): 159–164, 2018. doi:10.2478/forma-2018-0013.Ievgen Ivanov, Artur Korniłowicz, and Mykola Nikitchenko. Partial correctness of GCD algorithm. Formalized Mathematics, 26(2):165–173, 2018. doi:10.2478/forma-2018-0014.Ievgen Ivanov, Artur Korniłowicz, and Mykola Nikitchenko. On algebras of algorithms and specifications over uninterpreted data. Formalized Mathematics, 26(2):141–147, 2018. doi:10.2478/forma-2018-0011.Artur Kornilowicz, Andrii Kryvolap, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Ievgen Ivanov. Formalization of the algebra of nominative data in Mizar. In Maria Ganzha, Leszek A. Maciaszek, and Marcin Paprzycki, editors, Proceedings of the 2017 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems, FedCSIS 2017, Prague, Czech Republic, September 3–6, 2017., pages 237–244, 2017. ISBN 978-83-946253-7-5. doi:10.15439/2017F301.Artur Kornilowicz, Andrii Kryvolap, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Ievgen Ivanov. Formalization of the nominative algorithmic algebra in Mizar. In Leszek Borzemski, Jerzy Świątek, and Zofia Wilimowska, editors, Information Systems Architecture and Technology: Proceedings of 38th International Conference on Information Systems Architecture and Technology – ISAT 2017 – Part II, Szklarska Poręba, Poland, September 17–19, 2017, volume 656 of Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, pages 176–186. Springer, 2017. ISBN 978-3-319-67228-1. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67229-8_16.Artur Korniłowicz, Andrii Kryvolap, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Ievgen Ivanov. An approach to formalization of an extension of Floyd-Hoare logic. In Vadim Ermolayev, Nick Bassiliades, Hans-Georg Fill, Vitaliy Yakovyna, Heinrich C. Mayr, Vyacheslav Kharchenko, Vladimir Peschanenko, Mariya Shyshkina, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Aleksander Spivakovsky, editors, Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on ICT in Education, Research and Industrial Applications. Integration, Harmonization and Knowledge Transfer, Kyiv, Ukraine, May 15–18, 2017, volume 1844 of CEUR Workshop Proceedings, pages 504–523. CEUR-WS.org, 2017.Artur Korniłowicz, Ievgen Ivanov, and Mykola Nikitchenko. Kleene algebra of partial predicates. Formalized Mathematics, 26(1):11–20, 2018. doi:10.2478/forma-2018-0002.Andrii Kryvolap, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Wolfgang Schreiner. Extending Floyd-Hoare logic for partial pre- and postconditions. In Vadim Ermolayev, Heinrich C. Mayr, Mykola Nikitchenko, Aleksander Spivakovsky, and Grygoriy Zholtkevych, editors, Information and Communication Technologies in Education, Research, and Industrial Applications: 9th International Conference, ICTERI 2013, Kherson, Ukraine, June 19–22, 2013, Revised Selected Papers, pages 355–378. Springer International Publishing, 2013. ISBN 978-3-319-03998-5. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03998-5_18.Volodymyr G. Skobelev, Mykola Nikitchenko, and Ievgen Ivanov. On algebraic properties of nominative data and functions. In Vadim Ermolayev, Heinrich C. Mayr, Mykola Nikitchenko, Aleksander Spivakovsky, and Grygoriy Zholtkevych, editors, Information and Communication Technologies in Education, Research, and Industrial Applications – 10th International Conference, ICTERI 2014, Kherson, Ukraine, June 9–12, 2014, Revised Selected Papers, volume 469 of Communications in Computer and Information Science, pages 117–138. Springer, 2014. ISBN 978-3-319-13205-1. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-13206-8_6.27218919

A Management Indicator Program For Water Operating Agencies

The management indicator program for operating agencies (PIGOO, for its initials in Spanish) specifies a set of 28 management indicators that help to measure the operational aspects, financial aspects and efficiencies of potable water supply systems. Ideally, the performance indicators of an operating agency should be linked to an objective or strategy established by that same agency. The performance indicators are calculated based on annual data, variables such as the volume of water produced, the number of employees, total income and expenditures, rate of leaks and claims. The Mexican Institute of Water Technology has conducted PIGOO since 2005. From 2005 to 2013, the number of operating agencies has increased from 50 to 130. Correspondingly, the number of management indicators has increased from 12 to 28. Information is available for the 185 participating agencies at http://www.pigoo.gob.mx/. The quality of service offered by an operating agency can be measured according to the following criteria: the efficiency and effectiveness with which it provides water and collects and treats wastewater; the satisfaction of its customers; whether the water supply is continuous in terms of quantity and quality; knowledge of all elements that make up its infrastructure; whether there is a reliable record of its users; knowledge of how much water is produced and how much is delivered to consumers; whether it uses the full capacity of its treatment units; whether all complaints from users are addressed in a reasonable time and in turn if payment is received for the service; and the ability to recoup all operating, maintenance and administrative costs of the system. The webpage provides, among other options, the possibility of comparing indicators. Information can also be found in the geographical search section, where it is possible to use search filters related to demographical and geographical aspects, as well as to examine the value ranges of the management indicators. The present article will address the diverse topics covered by PIGOO and provide an analysis of the results

Sustainable Higher Education Development through Technology Enhanced Learning

[EN] Higher education is incorporating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at a fast rate for different purposes. Scientific papers include within the concept of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) the myriad applications of information and communication technology, e-resources, and pedagogical approaches to the development of education. TEL¿s specific application to higher education is especially relevant for countries under rapid development for providing quick and sustainable access to quality education (UN sustainable development goal 4). This paper presents the research results of an online pedagogical experience in collaborative academic research for analyzing good practice in TEL-supported higher education development. The results are obtained through a pilot implementation providing curated data on TEL competency¿s development of faculty skills and analysis of developing sustainable higher education degrees through TEL cooperation, for capacity building. Given the increased volume and complexity of the knowledge to be delivered, and the exponential growth of the need for skilled workers in emerging economies, online training is the most effective way of delivering a sustainable higher education. The results of the PETRA Erasmus+ capacity-building project provides evidence of a successful implementation of a TEL-supported methodology for collaborative faculty development focused on future online degrees built collaboratively and applied locally.This research was co-funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ KA2 project "Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Azerbaijani Universities (PETRA)" project number 573630-EPP-1-2016-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP.Orozco-Messana, J.; Martínez-Rubio, J.; Gonzálvez-Pons, AM. (2020). Sustainable Higher Education Development through Technology Enhanced Learning. Sustainability. 12(9):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093600S113129Abdullah, F., & Ward, R. (2016). Developing a General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) by analysing commonly used external factors. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 238-256. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.036Becker, H. J., & Ravitz, J. (1999). The Influence of Computer and Internet Use on Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices and Perceptions. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31(4), 356-384. doi:10.1080/08886504.1999.10782260Mumford, S., & Dikilitaş, K. (2020). Pre-service language teachers reflection development through online interaction in a hybrid learning course. Computers & Education, 144, 103706. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103706Lee, D., Watson, S. L., & Watson, W. R. (2020). The Relationships Between Self-Efficacy, Task Value, and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Massive Open Online Courses. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 23-39. doi:10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4389Passey, D. (2019). Technology‐enhanced learning: Rethinking the term, the concept and its theoretical background. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(3), 972-986. doi:10.1111/bjet.12783Lai, Y.-C., & Peng, L.-H. (2019). Effective Teaching and Activities of Excellent Teachers for the Sustainable Development of Higher Design Education. Sustainability, 12(1), 28. doi:10.3390/su12010028Lee, S., Lee, H., & Kim, T. (2018). A Study on the Instructor Role in Dealing with Mixed Contents: How It Affects Learner Satisfaction and Retention in e-Learning. Sustainability, 10(3), 850. doi:10.3390/su10030850“Continuous Improvement in Teaching Strategies through Lean Principles”. Teaching & Learning Symposium, University of Southern Indiana http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12419/455The DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success: A Ten-Year Update. (2003). Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 9-30. doi:10.1080/07421222.2003.11045748Goodman, J., Melkers, J., & Pallais, A. (2019). Can Online Delivery Increase Access to Education? Journal of Labor Economics, 37(1), 1-34. doi:10.1086/698895Alexander, J., Barcellona, M., McLachlan, S., & Sackley, C. (2019). Technology-enhanced learning in physiotherapy education: Student satisfaction and knowledge acquisition of entry-level students in the United Kingdom. Research in Learning Technology, 27(0). doi:10.25304/rlt.v27.2073How Can Adaptive Platforms Improve Student Learning Outcomes? A Case Study of Open Educational Resources and Adaptive Learning Platforms https://ssrn.com/abstract=3478134Sun, A., & Chen, X. (2016). Online Education and Its Effective Practice: A Research Review. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 15, 157-190. doi:10.28945/3502EU Commission https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_enEssence Project https://husite.nl/essence/Orozco-Messana, J., de la Poza-Plaza, E., & Calabuig-Moreno, R. (2020). Experiences in Transdisciplinary Education for the Sustainable Development of the Built Environment, the ISAlab Workshop. Sustainability, 12(3), 1143. doi:10.3390/su12031143Kurilovas, E., & Kubilinskiene, S. (2020). Lithuanian case study on evaluating suitability, acceptance and use of IT tools by students – An example of applying Technology Enhanced Learning Research methods in Higher Education. Computers in Human Behavior, 107, 106274. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.10627