Opportunities of industry 4.0 for SMEs in the area of rebar steel distribution within the construction industry –a PPC potential analysis

Industry 4.0coins a global trend towards applying digital technologies to manufacturing. However, the openness towards related innovations varies among different industries. Whilst for instance many manufacturers within automotive or logistics industries have optimized their factories already, the German construction sector falls back regarding adaptation. Reinforcement steel distributors reflect a fundamental part of this sector and are broadly hesitant to initiate their factory transformation. This research provides an overview of the opportunities of Industry 4.0 in the area of reinforcement steel trade and processing. It analyzes how to derive an innovative factory design leveraging on state-of-the-art production planning methods, by aggregating market information and technology

Multi-scale analysis of the surface layer urban heat island effect in five higher density precincts of central Sydney

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is invariably present in cities, mainly due to increased urbanisation. It can result in higher urban densities being significantly hotter (frequently more than 4°C, even up to 10°C) than their peri-urban surroundings. Urban structure and land cover are key contributors to the surface layer urban heat island (sUHI) effect at city and district scale. This research aims to explore which urban configurations can make urban precincts and their microclimates more resilient to the dangerous sUHI effect. In the context of the city of Sydney, Australia, the research aims to explore the most heat resilient urban features for neighbourhoods, at precinct scale. The investigation examines five high density precincts in central Sydney. The analysis of these precincts is based on remote sensing thermal data of two independent sources: a nocturnal remote-sensing thermal image of central Sydney on 6 February 2009 and a diurnal Landsat 7– ETM+ data from 2008-2009. Comparing the surface temperature of streetscape and buildings’ rooftop feature layers indicates that open spaces are the urban elements most sensitive to the sUHI effect. Therefore, the correlations between street network intensity, open public space ratio, and urban greenery plot ratio and sUHI effect are being analysed in the five high density precincts selected. Results indicate that a higher open space ratio and street network intensity have a significant correlation to a higher sUHI effect at precinct scale. However, higher urban greenery plot ratios could mitigate the sUHI effect in these precincts. In addition, annual variation of land use features of streetscape, building (rooftop), open space and urban greenery are being analysed based on diurnal Landsat 7– ETM+ data for 2008-2009. Results indicate that an increase in urban greenery is the most effective strategy for land surface that is more resilient to the sUHI, while open public space is up to 15 per cent less heat resilient. The research outcomes support the importance of increasing urban greenery, particularly in open public spaces, to achieve cooler cities.Ehsan Sharifi, Conrad Philipp and Steffen Lehman

Political rights, taxation, and firm valuation : evidence from Saxony around 1900

The extension of the franchise to social groups with less property and income is associated with greater income redistribution from the rich to the poor and extension in the provision of public goods, which leads to the growth of government expenditure. All of these expected changes are costly and therefore a higher taxation of citizens and industrial firms can be expected, which might have negative effects on investors behavior. The present paper studies the effects of changes in the suffrage in the Kingdom of Saxony at the end of the 19th Century on stock market prices of Saxon firms listed on the Berlin stock exchange: Here the electoral law was changed twice: In 1896 a very restrictive franchise was introduced, which was abolished in 1909 and replaced by a more democratic electoral law. By applying standard event study methodology, we can provide evidence that the restriction of the electoral law had positive effects on Saxon firms on the stock market, where by the extension in 1909 had negative effects on the stock market

A Literature Review on Indicators for the Measurement of Technology Mediated Learning Productivity: 2000 to 2011

Measuring Technology Mediated Learning (TML) success has been and is of great interest to both researchers and practitioners. This article examines multidimensional approaches to measuring learning success, considering IT- and non-IT-supported learning scenarios, examined by researchers from various research disciplines. We explore the current state of research on TML success through a literature review by classifying empirically-oriented articles that were published between 2000 and 2011. Based on a total of 91 articles published in academic journal publications, this paper identifies the relevant research carried out, categorizes and consolidates the research results, and discusses them. The results show that those approaches are most dominant which empirically analyze the impact of a certain type of educational service on a student / participant by means of surveys and structural equation modeling to capture users’ responses. No main theoretical basis of the reviewed studies could be identified. Furthermore, opportunities for additional development are identified and future research directions suggested

MANAGING THE MASSES - DEVELOPING AN EDUCATIONAL DASHBOARD FOR LECTURERS IN LARGE-SCALE LECTURES

The article presents a method to the development of a dashboard for large-scale lectures (more than 100 students) based on information derived from educational IT-applications, which play an increasingly important role in the field of university education. Via mobile devices, IT-applications enable students to interact with lecturers as well as their fellow students in large-scale settings, e.g. forum or chat. From a service perspective, lectures can be enhanced by the real-time provision of relevant and useful data. However, data created by the use of IT applications is not yet systematically used to support lecturers\u27 tasks, i.e,. by providing contents in a well-defined course setting. Feedback comes in the guise of information gathered through the adoption of said devices, e.g,. on what students have understood and which students are intellectually engaged. We are thus in the process of developing a dashboard, which collects information during the lectures to support lecturers\u27 increasing interaction. We are collecting design requirements based on experts and the literature. These have led to a mock-up which we designed according to literature and expert requirements. We introduce our planned steps to validate the proposed design guidelines through the implementation and evaluation of a proof-of-concept prototype dashboard

The Twofold Value of IT-Based Peer Assessment in Management Information Systems Education

Feedback is one of the most influential factor when it comes to learning success of students. Especially large-scale classes at universities often lack feedback caused by the scarcity of resources. Even though a lack of feedback is problematic across all domains, especially when educating future IS executives, who are supposed to lead team members by providing effective feedback. In this study, we use IT-based peer assessment (ITPA) in a large-scale class to support learners with feedback during the teaching-learning process. The first results show that students increase their learning success and at the same time, train their ability to provide feedback. Specifically, our results suggest that participating in ITPA could lead to an increase in knowledge on the content of the class of about 28% on average. Furthermore, the students’ ability to provide feedback – measured twice, self-reported and as quality of the feedback received – increased significantly during the class

Soil fungal mycelia have unexpectedly flexible stoichiometric C:N and C:P ratios

Soil ecological stoichiometry provides powerful theories to integrate the complex interplay of element cycling and microbial communities into biogeochemical models. One essential assumption is that microbes maintain stable C:N:P (carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus) ratios independent of resource supply, although such homeostatic regulations have rarely been assessed in individual microorganisms. Here, we report an unexpected high flexibility in C:N and C:P values of saprobic fungi along nutrient supply gradients, overall ranging between 7-126 and 20-1488, respectively, questioning microbial homeostasis. Fungal N:P varied comparatively less due to simultaneous reductions in mycelial N and P contents. As a mechanism, internal recycling processes during mycelial growth and an overall reduced N and P uptake appear more relevant than element storage. The relationships among fungal stoichiometry and growth disappeared in more complex media. These findings affect our interpretation of stoichiometric imbalances among microbes and soils and are highly relevant for developing microbial soil organic carbon and nitrogen models

The Diapause Lipidomes of Three Closely Related Beetle Species Reveal Mechanisms for Tolerating Energetic and Cold Stress in High-Latitude Seasonal Environments

During winter insects face energetic stress driven by lack of food, and thermal stress due to sub-optimal and even lethal temperatures. To survive, most insects living in seasonal environments such as high latitudes, enter diapause, a deep resting stage characterized by a cessation of development, metabolic suppression and increased stress tolerance. The current study explores physiological adaptations related to diapause in three beetle species at high latitudes in Europe. From an ecological perspective, the comparison is interesting since one species (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is an invasive pest that has recently expanded its range into northern Europe, where a retardation in range expansion is seen. By comparing its physiological toolkit to that of two closely related native beetles (Agelastica alniandChrysolina polita) with similar overwintering ecology and collected from similar latitude, we can study if harsh winters might be constraining further expansion. Our results suggest all species suppress metabolism during diapause and build large lipid stores before diapause, which then are used sparingly. In all species diapause is associated with temporal shifts in storage and membrane lipid profiles, mostly in accordance with the homeoviscous adaptation hypothesis, stating that low temperatures necessitate acclimation responses that increase fluidity of storage lipids, allowing their enzymatic hydrolysis, and ensure integral protein functions. Overall, the two native species had similar lipidomic profiles when compared to the invasive species, but all species showed specific shifts in their lipid profiles after entering diapause. Taken together, all three species show adaptations that improve energy saving and storage and membrane lipid fluidity during overwintering diapause. While the three species differed in the specific strategies used to increase lipid viscosity, the two native beetle species showed a more canalized lipidomic response, than the recent invader. Since close relatives with similar winter ecology can have different winter ecophysiology, extrapolations among species should be done with care. Still, range expansion of the recent invader into high latitude habitats might indeed be retarded by lack of physiological tools to manage especially thermal stress during winter, but conversely species adapted to long cold winters may face these stressors as a consequence of ongoing climate warming.Peer reviewe

New records of the Paleotropical migrant Hemianax ephippiger in the Caribbean and a review of its status in the Neotropics

Tropical America is currently experiencing the establishment of a new apex insect predator, the Paleotropical dragonfly Hemianax ephippiger (Odonata: Aeshnidae). H. ephippiger is migratory and is suggested to have colonised the eastern Neotropics by chance Trans-Atlantic displacement. We report the discovery of H. ephippiger at three new locations in the Caribbean, the islands of Bonaire, Isla de Coche (Venezuela), and Martinique, and we review its reported distribution across the Neotropics. We discuss the establishment of H. ephippiger as a new apex insect predator in the Americas, both in terms of ecological implications and the possible provision of ecosystem services. We also provide an additional new species record for Bonaire, Pantala hymenaea (Odonata: Libellulidae).Peer reviewe

Highly Entangled Ground States in Tripartite Qubit Systems

We investigate the creation of highly entangled ground states in a system of three exchange-coupled qubits arranged in a ring geometry. Suitable magnetic field configurations yielding approximate GHZ and exact W ground states are identified. The entanglement in the system is studied at finite temperature in terms of the mixed-state tangle tau. By adapting a steepest-descent optimization algorithm we demonstrate that tau can be evaluated efficiently and with high precision. We identify the parameter regime for which the equilibrium entanglement of the tripartite system reaches its maximum.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure