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Found 6407 publications

Investigations of the tick burden on passeriform, water-associated and predatory birds reveal new tick–host associations and habitat-related factors of tick infestation

Jenő Kontschán Vojtěch Brlík Boglárka Bukor Gergő Keve Andor Pitó Előd Győrig Nóra Takács Sándor Hornok

Publication Name: Parasites and Vectors

Publication Date: 2024-12-01

Volume: 17

Issue: 1

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Background: Previous studies on the tick infestation of birds in the Carpathian Basin focused on songbirds (Passeriformes). Thus, the primary aim of the present work was to extend the scope of previous studies, i.e. to include aquatic (water-associated) bird species in a similar context, especially considering that these birds are usually long-distance migrants. Methods: Between March 2021 and August 2023, 11,919 birds representing 126 species were checked for the presence of ticks. From 352 birds belonging to 40 species, 905 ixodid ticks were collected. Tick species were identified morphologically and/or molecularly. Results: Ticks from avian hosts belonged to seven species: Ixodes ricinus (n = 448), I. frontalis (n = 31), I. festai (n = 2), I. arboricola (n = 36), I. lividus (n = 4), Haemaphysalis concinna (n = 382) and Dermacentor reticulatus (n = 2). Nymphs of I. ricinus occurred with a single activity peak around March–May, whereas its larvae typically infested birds in May, June or July. By contrast, H. concinna usually had its activity maximum during the summer (nymphs in June–July, larvae later in July–August). Interestingly, two ornithophilic species, I. frontalis and I. arboricola, were most active around winter months (between October and April). A significantly lower ratio of aquatic birds was found tick-infested than songbirds. Several new tick–host associations were revealed, including I. ricinus from Greylag Goose (Anser anser) and D. reticulatus from Great Egret (Ardea alba) and Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). Ticks were collected for the first time in Europe from two species of predatory birds as well as from Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus). Bird species typically inhabiting reedbeds were most frequently infested with H. concinna, and most ticks localized at their throat, as opposed to forest-dwelling avian hosts, on which I. ricinus predominated and ticks were more evenly distributed. Conclusions: In the evaluated region, aquatic birds appear to be less important in tick dispersal than songbirds. However, newly revealed tick-host associations in this category attest to their hitherto neglected contribution. The results suggest that the habitat type will have significant impact not only on the species composition but also on the feeding location of ticks on birds. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06229-1

Measurement and simulation of vector hysteresis

Miklós Kuczmann

Publication Name: Przeglad Elektrotechniczny

Publication Date: 2011-04-26

Volume: 87

Issue: 3

Page Range: 103-106

Description:

The paper presents a rotational single sheet tester (RSST) which can be used to measure vector hysteresis characteristics inside a specimen with round shape. The measured hysteresis characteristics in the orthogonal directions presents uniaxial anisotropy. It has been handled by the Fourier expansion of the measured Everett functions. The Fourier coefficients of the unknown Everett function have been identified by the modification of a previously implemented algorithm. In the identification task linearly and circularly polarized measured data have been taken into account.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: DOI not available

A study on solving single stage batch process scheduling problems with an evolutionary algorithm featuring bacterial mutations

Miklós F. Hatwágner Máté Hegyháti Olivér Osz

Publication Name: Lecture Notes in Computer Science Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics

Publication Date: 2018-01-01

Volume: 10841 LNAI

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 386-394

Description:

The short term scheduling of batch processes is an active research field of chemical engineering, that has been addressed by many different techniques over the last decades. These approaches, however, are unable to solve long-term scheduling problems due their size, and the vast number of discrete decisions they entail. Evolutionary algorithms already proved to be efficient for some classes of large scheduling problems, and recently, the utilization of bacterial mutations has shown promising results on other fields. In this paper, an evolutionary algorithm featuring bacterial mutation is introduced to solve a case study of a single stage product scheduling problem. The solution performance of the algorithm was compared to a method from the literature. The results indicate that the proposed approach can find the optimal solution under relatively short execution times.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-91253-0_36

Optimizing Experimental Design to Determine Friction and Wear Characteristics of Used Oil Contaminated with E20 Fuel †

András Lajos Nagy Dominika Pintér

Publication Name: Engineering Proceedings

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 79

Issue: 1

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

The aim of this paper is to develop an experiment design to determine the wear and friction parameters of an SAE 0W20-grade reference oil and an SAE 0W20-grade used oil contaminated with E20 fuel. Wear tests in a ball–disc arrangement were conducted at temperatures and loads established using Design of Experiments. A surface analysis of the wear scars was performed using a digital microscope, while the oils were investigated using a viscometer and a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. Design of Experiments was further employed to develop two models using R software. For the reference oil, the developed model was only suitable for screening, while the model for the E20 fuel contaminated used oil showed a 9.8% difference between the measured and estimated coefficients of friction.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/engproc2024079057

Numerical Investigation of Glue Laminated Timber Beams considering Reliability-based Design

Majid Movahedi Rad Dániel Harrach Muayad Habashneh

Publication Name: Acta Polytechnica Hungarica

Publication Date: 2023-01-01

Volume: 20

Issue: 1

Page Range: 109-122

Description:

Structural models and their related parameters, are most often considered as deterministic, in numerical analysis. However, according to test results, one can see the existence of uncertainties, in most cases, due to various reasons, such as, natural variabilities and ignorance. Thus, dealing with uncertainty has gained massive attention, due to its importance in structural analysis and anticipating the performance of models. In fact, in some cases of special structure components, like glue laminated timber beams, it appears to be, that there is an absence of information concerning uncertainties. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to inspect uncertainties that facing designers and their role in glue laminated timber beams behavior, by considering different material parameters as random variables. In addition, four-point bending tests are conducted and finite element analysis is conducted, using ABAQUS software, to model the nonlinear behavior of GLT beams. For purposes of numerical model calibration, Hill yield criterion constitutive model is considered based on the obtained data from the experimental test. The results of this study provide a better outline for understanding the effect of uncertainties on glue laminated timber beams.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.12700/APH.20.1.2023.20.8

Beyond training: determinants of nutrition knowledge among athletes in Hungary

Gusztáv J. Tornóczky Réka Erika Kovács Szilvia Boros István Karsai

Publication Name: Frontiers in Nutrition

Publication Date: 2026-01-01

Volume: 13

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 1-10

Description:

Introduction – Nutrition knowledge is crucial for athletes' performance and health, yet data on Hungarian athletes are limited. Methods – This study assessed sport nutrition knowledge and its influencing factors among 1, 335 athletes (132 elite, 1, 203 recreational; 54.3% male; mean age = 22.74 ± 8.11 years) using the Hungarian Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (ANSKQ-HU) alongside sociodemographic, sport-related, and perception-based variables. Analyses included Kruskal–Wallis H-tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests, MANCOVA and Kendall's tau correlations. Results – Overall, 63.37% of athletes scored in the poor nutrition knowledge category (< 50%). No significant differences were observed by gender, sport level or prior nutrition education. Education level significantly affected sports nutrition knowledge, with higher-educated participants showing better fundamental and overall understanding than those with primary education. These findings were independent of training frequency and age, with medium post hoc effect sizes (d = 0.31 – 0.35). Weekly training hours and age were weakly correlated with FEP (fundamentals of nutrition, energy requirements of physical activity, and prohibited substances) subscale (p < 0.01) and total scores (p < 0.01). Participants valuing healthy eating scored higher on FEP (χ2 = 30.840, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.022) and total ANSKQ-HU (χ2 = 22.612, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.015). Access to both nutrition information and dietitian support improved MPE (micronutrients and performance-enhancing sports nutrition) (U = 71, 395, Z = 3.28, p = 0.001) and UM (utilization of macronutrients) scores (U = 68, 231, Z = 3.75, p < 0.001). Discussion – Our findings highlight the need for structured nutrition education and dietitian access in sports organizations. Importantly, as the data were collected exclusively from Hungarian athletes, these results reflect country-specific characteristics and should be interpreted within the Hungarian sport and educational context.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1816064

Role of Science Centres in the Field of Sustainability

Attila Pongracz Szabolcs Rákosi

Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions

Publication Date: 2023-01-01

Volume: 107

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 109-114

Description:

Sustainable Development is hard to imagine without a responsible, smart society. Accordingly, Education and Awareness-raising are essential prerequisites for social knowledge and acceptance of Sustainability. This research examines the role of today's innovative educational and awareness-raising institutions and science centres in presenting Sustainable Development issues playfully and experientially, and thus in shaping the attitudes of upgrowing generations and adults. The research aims to investigate how and to what extent science centres in Hungary reflect in their content and operations the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) declared by the UN and Sustainability in a broader sense. A questionnaire survey was carried out by contacting 14 science centres, supplemented by an analysis of the external communication of the institutions and a telephone inquiry. The results indicate that instead of representing the diversity of SDGs, on average, only 30 % of them are presented, and science centres are highly specialised, which threatens equal access and fairness. This study is outstanding in several respects: it contributes to the development of institutions by presenting promising practices, and its academic relevance is given by the fact that research on the operation of science centres is still lacking in Hungary.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3303/CET23107019

Reassembling Naija Marxisms: Leftist thought and the socialist movement after 1989 in Nigeria

Adam Mayer

Publication Name: Canadian Journal of African Studies

Publication Date: 2021-01-01

Volume: 55

Issue: 2

Page Range: 331-349

Description:

Throughout the Cold War the USSR was the most important external source of funds, ideological transfers, and organizational help for Marxists in Nigeria. The events of 1989 and the USSR’s subsequent withdrawal from this role created a major hiatus for the Nigerian Left. In this article, I prove that Nigerian socialist movements and thinkers, after a short adjustment period, successfully recovered from the shock of 1989. I present a plethora of coping mechanisms that Leftist intellectuals employed as private survival strategies. I also show that the Nigerian Left as a movement retained their Marxist and radical inspirations, and it also grew and became suffused with a new spirit of human rights, gender sensitivity, and attention to ethnicity from the 1990s onward. The Nigerian Left turned the disappearance of its external backer from a calamity into an engine of growth and ethical conscientization after 1989.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1080/00083968.2020.1842218

A maturity model to assess startups toward industry 4.0: Combined compromise solution approach

Mohsen Shafiei Nikabadi Dragan Pamucar Fatemeh Ghasemzadeh

Publication Name: Sustainable Futures

Publication Date: 2026-06-01

Volume: 11

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

The fourth industrial revolution is the integration of new digital industrial technologies aimed at connecting and enabling interaction between humans, machines, and components, transforming production systems into fully automated and integrated equipment that communicate with each other. In this paper, we propose a new maturity model for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) startups using the combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) decision-making algorithm. This model assists companies seeking to transition their business towards I4.0 and can serve as a guiding procedure for systems on their path to full I4.0 implementation. First, we compile a list of key I4.0 dimensions from the literature and previous studies. Then, we gather opinions from industrial and academic experts to select the most relevant and important indicators for analyzing the maturity level of startups. We use the CoCoSo decision-making algorithm to prioritize the I4.0 dimensions and design the model elements. Three main sustainability dimensions are used as decision criteria with equal weight when prioritizing the I4.0 sub-dimensions. To evaluate the applicability of the model, we assess three Iranian startups operating at the Science and Technology Park using the proposed model and present the radar graph of their maturity level in each dimension. The proposed model can be readily used by startups to assess themselves, identify their strengths and weaknesses, better define improvement projects, and allocate their resources. To our knowledge, there is no similar assessment model in the literature that can be used by startups due to their innovative nature.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.sftr.2026.101728