Forecasting and risk analysis applied to management planning and control

The aim of this research was to improve the quantitative support to project planning and control principally through the use of more accurate forecasting for which new techniques were developed. This study arose from the observation that in most cases construction project forecasts were based on a methodology (c.1980) which relied on the DHSS cumulative cubic cost model and network based risk analysis (PERT). The former of these, in particular, imposes severe limitations which this study overcomes. Three areas of study were identified, namely growth curve forecasting, risk analysis and the interface of these quantitative techniques with project management. These fields have been used as a basis for the research programme. In order to give a sound basis for the research, industrial support was sought. This resulted in both the acquisition of cost profiles for a large number of projects and the opportunity to validate practical implementation. The outcome of this research project was deemed successful both in theory and practice. The new forecasting theory was shown to give major reductions in projection errors. The integration of the new predictive and risk analysis technologies with management principles, allowed the development of a viable software management aid which fills an acknowledged gap in current technology

Wynagrodzenia w procesie motywowania pracowników

Motivation is a function of management, aimed at achieving the intended purpose/s in the development of human resources. This function confers meaning and value to an employee in your organization. For motivation to be effective it must be included in the overall management system. Quality creates conditions to motivate different people to work. The development as a whole deals with the problem of motivation in relation to remunerationMotywowanie to funkcja zarządzania, ukierunkowana na osiągnięcie zamierzonego celu/-ów w rozwoju zasobów ludzkich. To funkcja nadająca sens i wartość pracy pracownika w danej organizacji. Motywowanie, aby było skuteczne, musi być włączone w ogólny system zarządzania organizacją. Jakość motywowania stwarza warunki do pracy różnym osobom. Opracowanie w sposób całościowy omawia problem motywacji w powiązaniu z wynagrodzenie

Motywowanie płacowe i pozapłacowe w przedsiębiorstwie - ujęcie teoretyczne

Motivation is one of the functions of management. It is an integral part of human resource development. Each organization should have their own system of motivation. Appropriate system of incentives can be created, provided that the organization recognizes the needs of their employees. The article presents the wage and non-wage incentives in the theoretical aspectsMotywacja jest jedną z funkcji zarządzania. Stanowi ona nieodłączny element rozwoju zasobów ludzkich. Każda organizacja powinna posiadać własny system motywacji. Właściwy system motywacji może być stworzony pod warunkiem, że organizacja rozpozna potrzeby swoich pracowników. Artykuł prezentuje motywację płacową i pozapłacową w aspekcie teoretyczny

Motywacja w systemie zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi. Analiza teoretyczna problemu

Motivation is an important function of human resource management. Represents the so-called. soft part of management. HRM system is the basis for motivating employees. The article attempts a holistic approach to the problem of motivation in human resource management system. The authors focused attention on selected theories of motivation, the motivation and motivating employees work in the context of perception. Article may be a contribution to further discussion on motivationMotywacja jest ważną funkcją zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi. Stanowi tzw. miękki element zarządzania. Podstawą ZZL jest system motywowania pracowników. W artykule podjęto próbę holistycznego spojrzenia na problem motywowania w systemie zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi. Autorzy skoncentrowali uwagę na wybranych teoriach motywacji, procesie motywacji oraz motywowania pracowników w kontekście postrzegania pracy. Artykuł niech będzie przyczynkiem do dalszej dyskusji dotyczącej motywowani

Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees

Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban versus rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g. between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak Quercus robur by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant–herbivore interactions.This research was financially supported by a Spanish National Research Grant (AGL2015-70748-R), a Regional Government of Galicia Grant (IN607D 2016/001) and the Ramón y Cajal Research Programme (RYC-2013-13230).Peer reviewe

Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees

Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban versus rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g. between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak Quercus robur by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO 2 emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO 2 emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO 2 levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant–herbivore interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Data from: Impacts of urbanization on insect herbivory and plant defences in oak trees

Systematic comparisons of species interactions in urban vs. rural environments can improve our understanding of shifts in ecological processes due to urbanization. However, such studies are relatively uncommon and the mechanisms driving urbanization effects on species interactions (e.g., between plants and insect herbivores) remain elusive. Here we investigated the effects of urbanization on leaf herbivory by insect chewers and miners associated with the English oak (Quercus robur) by sampling trees in rural and urban areas throughout most of the latitudinal distribution of this species. In performing these comparisons, we also controlled for the size of the urban areas (18 cities) and gathered data on CO2 emissions. In addition, we assessed whether urbanization affected leaf chemical defences (phenolic compounds) and nutritional traits (phosphorus and nitrogen), and whether such changes correlated with herbivory levels. Urbanization significantly reduced leaf chewer damage but did not affect leaf miners. In addition, we found that leaves from urban locations had lower levels of chemical defences (condensed and hydrolysable tannins) and higher levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) compared to leaves in rural locations. The magnitude of urbanization effects on herbivory and leaf defences was not contingent upon city size. Importantly, while the effects of urbanization on chemical defences were associated with CO2 emissions, changes in leaf chewer damage were not associated with either leaf traits or CO2 levels. These results suggest that effects of urbanization on herbivory occur through mechanisms other than changes in the plant traits measured here. Overall, our simultaneous assessment of insect herbivory, plant traits, and abiotic correlates advances our understanding of the main drivers of urbanization effects on plant-herbivore interactions

data_Moreira et al_2018

data_Moreira et al_201

Dynamic imaging of cytosolic zinc in Arabidopsis roots combining FRET sensors and RootChip technology

Zinc plays a central role in all living cells as a cofactor for enzymes and as a structural element enabling the adequate folding of proteins. In eukaryotic cells, metals are highly compartmentalized and chelated. Although essential to characterize the mechanisms of Zn(2+) homeostasis, the measurement of free metal concentrations in living cells has proved challenging and the dynamics are difficult to determine. Our work combines the use of genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensors and a novel microfluidic technology, the RootChip, to monitor the dynamics of cytosolic Zn(2+) concentrations in Arabidopsis root cells. Our experiments provide estimates of cytosolic free Zn(2+) concentrations in Arabidopsis root cells grown under sufficient (0.4 nM) and excess (2 nM) Zn(2+) supply. In addition, monitoring the dynamics of cytosolic [Zn(2+) ] in response to external supply suggests the involvement of high- and low-affinity uptake systems as well as release from internal stores. In this study, we demonstrate that the combination of genetically encoded FRET sensors and microfluidics provides an attractive tool to monitor the dynamics of cellular metal ion concentrations over a wide concentration range in root cells