The Miocene Bükkábrány Fossil Forest in Hungary – field observations and project outline

The oldest, standing forest preserved as wood has been found at Bükkábrány, Hungary. An open-pit mine working Upper Miocene (Pannonian) lignite revealed sixteen stumps, 1.8 to 3.6 m diameter at base, preserved up to 6 m height, standing on top of the coal bed. Suddenly rising water level of Lake Pannon drowned the forest 7 Ma ago. Sand of a prograding delta covered the landscape, preserving the trunks in waterlogged condition. A brief review of the environment allowing preservation is provided here, and investigations in progress are outlined

SZÍNEK HARMÓNIÁJA: A BOGLÁRKALEPKÉK SZERKEZETI KÉK SZÍNÉNEK FAJFELISMERÉSI SZEREPE – I. RÉSZ

Az MTA TTK MFA Nanoszerkezetek Osztályán pásztázó és transzmissziós elektronmikroszkópos módszerekkel, valamint optikai reflexiós spektrometriával tanulmányoztuk kilenc boglárkalepkefaj szárnyainak kék színét adó pikkelyek nanoszerkezetét és optikai tulajdonságait, valamint ezek kapcsolatát a lepkék rajzási idejével. A lepkepikkelyek fotonikus nanoszerkezeti jellemzôit egy saját fejlesztésû számítógépes program segítségével jellemeztük a pásztázó és transzmissziós elektronmikroszkóppal készült felvételeken, míg a színt a szárnyakon mért fényvisszaverési spektrumok alapján határoztuk meg. Az így nyert szerkezeti és spektrális információk alapján mesterséges neurális hálózat segítségével kimutattuk a lepkék színének és pikkelyeik fotonikus nanoszerkezetének fajspecifikusságát. Ezek alapján megállapítottuk,hogy mind a spektrális, mind pedig a szerkezeti adatok alapján 90%-ot meghaladó pontossággal végezhetô el a lepkefajok azonosítása. A reflexiós spektrumokat további elemzésnek is alávetettük: közös színinger- diagramban ábrázoltuk a megvizsgált egyedek színinger-koordinátáit úgy, hogy számításba vettük a tanulmányozott boglárkalepkék szemének négyféle színérzékelô receptorát. Az így adódó háromdimenziós színingertérben fajonként sokkal jobban elkülönülnek az egyedek színinger-koordinátái, mint a három emberi színérzékelô receptor érzékenységi görbéit felhasználó, korábban alkalmazott kétdimenziós színingertérben. Megvizsgáltuk továbbá a lepkefajokra jellemzô színek és a lepkék rajzási idejének korrelációját, amihez több mint 100 példány fényvisszaverését mértük roncsolásmentesen. Kimutattuk, hogy a hasonló színû fajok életterükben idôben elkülönülnek, így eredményesen kiküszöbölik a szín helytelen azonosításából eredô tévesztéseket, egyben lehetôvé téve a sikeresebb párválasztást

Detecting invasive woody increment in agricultural areas with Earth Observation technology

In the continental climate regions of the EU, one of the largest environmental and conversational problems is caused by the spread of invasive plant species, especially in agriculturally abandoned regions. Several species of the rapidly spreading and to the native vegetation supplanter plant can be a cause of ecologic and health risk. Some species change the physical structure and chemical composition of the soil, affect the microclimate, thereby contributing to climate change processes. Summing up, invasive species affect agricultural landscapes significantly. The common feature of the belonging species is that they spread rapidly and develop a significant amount of biomass in a short time. In the course of our research we worked out a remote sensing and GIS method, which localize efficiently the infected areas, and we utilized this method in the Northern Transdanubia, to extract the information of woody increment in agricultural regions</jats:p

Hydrogeochemical Features of Some Mineral Waters at the Contact between Harghita Mts. (Eastern Carpathians) and the Transylvanian Basin

AbstractThe study area, located at the contact zone between the Harghita Mountains and the Transylvanian Basin is well known for the abundance and diversity of mineral water springs. These mineral waters are used by the local people for drinking and also as Spas. This paper focuses on the mineral waters of some traditional Spas from this area, Odorheiu Secuiesc (Seiche Spa, Kápolnás Spa or Solymossy Spa), Upper Vârghiş Valley (Selters Spa and Nádasszék Spa) and Chirui Spa. The aim of the present work is to characterize the mineral waters based on the quantification of chemical content and also to establish correlations between the geological structure and the water's chemical composition. The geological setting and tectonics have a large influence on the chemical composition of mineral waters. Two main water types can be described, mineral waters of Na+ – Cl- type, present at Odorheiu Secuiesc, Kápolnás Spa and of HCO3- type with no dominant cation at Chirui Spa. The mineral waters located on a fault at Odorhei Seiche Spa have high CO2 values. Possible mixing zones might be identified between the two types which are present in the Upper Vârghiş Valley where mineral waters of Na+ – HCO3-– Cl- type are present except one source, which is of Na+ – Cl- type. The mixing is reflected not only by the chemical composition, but also by the quantity of dissolved CO2. The present paper deals with all the existing mineral water springs in the area providing information in a high resolution about the local hydromineral system

An outline of an asymmetric two-component theory of aspect

The paper presents the bases of an asymmetric two-component model of aspect. The main theoretical conclusion of the study is that (grammatical) viewpoint aspect and situation aspect are not independent aspectual levels, since the former often modifies the input situation aspect of the phrase/sentence. As it is shown, besides the arguments and adjuncts of the predicate, viewpoint aspect is also an important factor in compositionally marking situation aspect. The aspectual framework put forward in the paper is verified and illustrated on the basis of the aspectual system of Hungarian and some examples taken from English linguistic data

The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation: An Innovative Advancement of Regional Cross-Border Governance but Still Far From Being a Panacea. European Diversity and Autonomy Papers EDAP 01/2020

To overcome the detrimental impact of the so-called “border effect”, the European Union and its member states established the INTERREG programs in 1990. The issue of a persisting “institutional void” hampered, however, substantially the actual policy impact of these cooperation over the years. In order to tackle this issue, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) regulation was finally adopted in 2006 and amended in 2013 and provides since then a comprehensive institutional framework for cross-border cooperation. Through an analysis of the regulation and a comprehensive assessment of the various monitoring reports, two particular added values can be identified. First, while national governments maintain their role as gatekeepers of Regional Cross-Border Governance, the EGTC enables its members to exploit the newly provided supranational legal and institutional framework for cooperation. At the same time, institutional flexibility and various diversification opportunities concerning the policy, polity, and politics dimensions are implemented, which allows the creation of innovative and place-based territorial cooperation structures. A central conclusion of this article is that despite the EGTC regulation’s added value, this instrument constitutes no panacea concerning Regional Cross-Border Governance. Cooperation is still primarily dependent on the individual commitment by the members to create sustainable results, which is still the most decisive factor whether a cooperation succeeds or not

Using game-based learning to enhance adaptive number knowledge

The aim of this dissertation was to explore how game-based learning can be used to develop primary school students’ adaptive number knowledge. The dissertation comprises five studies that explore the Number Navigation Game’s (NNG) development, testing and effects in enhancing primary school students’ adaptive number knowledge and related mathematical skills and knowledge. The studies use different methodologies and ask varying questions through the process of development and testing of the NNG. However, as a common thread, each study explores the relationship between game mechanics and mathematical content, and the relationship between game-based training and learning-outcome measures. Study I tested the NNG’s first working prototype from a user experience point of view and investigated instances of adaptive number knowledge in the game’s context. The game was tested in two sessions, with one student (age 11) playing individually and two students (ages 9 and 11) using the game collaboratively. Data were collected using video-recorded observations, gameplay screen capture and open-ended interview questions regarding the game experience. Results showed that already, the NNG prototype triggered players’ active engagement with different number combinations and numerical relations as well as reflection and discussion about these numerical relations. This suggested that gameplay with the NNG could trigger the type of mathematical thinking and problem solving which was expected to help enhance students’ development of adaptive number knowledge. Study II comprised three sub-studies (fifth-graders, n = 55; university students, n = 55; and sixth-graders, n = 22) and aimed to develop and test the Arithmetic Production Task, a paper-and-pencil measure of adaptive number knowledge. Individual differences in the Arithmetic Production Task and the relation between adaptive number knowledge and other mathematical skills and knowledge were explored. Results showed similar patterns of individual differences across the different samples and age groups. Adaptive number knowledge was found to be related to arithmetic fluency and conceptual knowledge of arithmetic. Results suggest that the Arithmetic Production Task was able to capture how participants recognise opportunities to use numerical features in their arithmetic problem solving, which can be used as an indicator of their adaptive number knowledge. Study III was the first attempt to test the NNG’s effects and examine the relationship between game performance and adaptive number knowledge. The study used a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. Participants were 11 pairs of sixth-grade students (11 females, age range: 11-13) from one classroom who played the NNG over a seven-week period. Results showed improvement in participants’ performance in adaptive number knowledge and math fluency. Game performance was found to be a predictor of students’ post-test performance on the multi-operational aspect of adaptive number knowledge. Study IV provides a detailed overview of game design decisions in the NNG, which are based on theory and the results from previous pilot studies using the NNG (Studies I and III). Another game-development phase followed Study IV, resulting in the final NNG prototype used in Study V. After the initial pilot and development stages, Study V aimed to test the NNG’s effects in the classroom and on a larger scale across different grade levels. Study V explored how training with the NNG affects the development of primary school students’ adaptive number knowledge, arithmetic fluency and pre-algebra knowledge at different grade levels; and how students’ performance on the NNG affects the development of the mathematical learning outcomes. A pre-test/post-test randomised control design was used, in which the experimental group played the NNG for 10 weeks during math class, and the control group received regular math instruction. Results showed significant overall improvement in the experimental group compared with the control group on all measured mathematical learning outcomes. Game performance was related to the experimental group’s post-test scores even after controlling for pre-test scores and grade. Additionally, results showed that the NNG develops different aspects of adaptive number knowledge, math fluency and pre-algebra knowledge across grade levels. Overall, the present dissertation’s findings show that the NNG can provide efficient and novel training opportunities for developing primary school students’ adaptive number knowledge and related mathematical skills and knowledge. The game-based format allowed for a large amount of open-ended practice with various number-operation combinations, which usually is difficult to achieve in regular mathematics classrooms. The dissertation’s results provide empirical evidence for the theoretical model of adaptive number knowledge as a component of adaptivity with arithmetic. Additionally, a new and scalable measurement and novel training of adaptive number knowledge were developed. The results also highlight the importance of an iterative design process in educational game development, with the following guiding principles: integration of educational content and game features, measurement questions and application of trainin

Overview of European patents in Germany, France and Spain, with a potential application to the development of electric vehicles

Within the Green Deal’s ‘Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility’, vehicles with alternative propulsion systems will play a significant role, as the transport sector is responsible for one-fifth of the European Union’s CO2 emissions. Therefore, more and more governments are supporting the purchase and production of electric vehicles, as it can be one of the main tools for locally reducing fossil fuel consumption as well as reducing CO2 emissions. The analysis highlights that the three most important vehicle-producing countries (based on 2019 OICA data) from the European Union are Germany, France, and Spain. The development trajectory of these countries in the field of electromobility is presented using descriptive statistics. Sustainable development goals can be achieved by creating an innovative environment and overcoming barriers to innovation, which can be indicated, for example, by the number of patents in a given country. Therefore, a long-term time series based on patents related to electric vehicles will be explored using the database of the European Patent Office. The study describes the vehicle manufacturers with the most patents, and the main patent areas in the three countries analysed