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Effects of Enclosure Size on the Preferences of Juvenile Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

Zsolt Gerencsér Zsolt Matics Stanisław Łapiński Zsolt Szendrő

Publication Name: Animals

Publication Date: 2025-09-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 17

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

This study investigated the cage size preferences of juvenile chinchillas using enclosures that allowed free choice between different dimensions. Three comparisons were tested: (1) small floor area (0.15 m2) vs. double floor area (0.30 m2) at constant height; (2) low height (0.4 m) vs. high height (1.0 m) at constant floor area (0.15 m2); and (3) small–low cage (0.15 m2 × 0.4 m) vs. large–high cage (0.30 m2 × 1.0 m). The juveniles consistently preferred the smaller or lower enclosures across all trials. In the floor area tests, chinchillas spent about 66–75% of their time in the small cage compartments (p < 0.001). In the height comparison, the low cage was preferred by 70% (p < 0.001). When both floor area and height were increased, the small–low cage was preferred by 79% (p < 0.001). Differences in preference were most evident during the daytime period. At night, however, cage utilization was more even. These results indicate that young chinchillas strongly prefer smaller, lower spaces. Based on these preference tests alone, simply providing larger cages (without other modifications) did not result in greater use by juvenile chinchillas. These unexpected results suggest that factors such as safety or familiarity drive juveniles to choose smaller enclosures. Further research is needed to clarify the motivation behind these preferences and to determine how best to incorporate them into improved welfare-oriented housing designs.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ani15172483

The Ecological Footprint and Fire Resistance of Concrete Mixtures

Éva Lublóy Zoltán Major János Szép Cecília Szigeti

Publication Name: Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems

Publication Date: 2025-09-01

Volume: 13

Issue: 3

Page Range: 1-13

Description:

Different types of binders can significantly affect the strength properties of concrete. The use of cement-containing admixtures is becoming more widespread in the building industry when considering durability and environmental impact. This paper examines how different types of cement containing different admixtures behave. How the compressive strength of concrete changes under elevated temperature, and which concrete mixture has the lowest CO2 emission. To determine the strength parameters, test specimens of 150x150x150 mm and 70x70x250 mm were prepared from the concrete mixtures. After heating and cooling, they were broken, thereby determining the compressive and flexural-tensile strength values. The ecological footprint was calculated for each mixture, which is substantially influenced by specific parameters for example the type and amount of substitute materials. These materials typically have lower CO2 emissions than Portland cement. The novelty of this research lies in the combined investigation of the changing compressive strength of concrete at elevated temperatures and its sustainability. The change in the formulation resulted in a saving of the emission of ~10% (43.22 kgCO2e emissions) compared to the reference value. The importance of reducing the ecological footprint is demonstrated by the authors using a case study of the Gotthard tunnel.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.13044/j.sdewes.d13.0597

Pedigree-Based Description of Danubia Alba Rabbit Breed Lines

János Posta Zsolt Gerencsér Zsolt Matics Zoltán Német Csongor Demeter Máté Sándor

Publication Name: Animals

Publication Date: 2024-09-01

Volume: 14

Issue: 18

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

The diversity of livestock animal breeds is an integral part of global biodiversity and requires careful management for sustainability and future availability. Avoiding inbreeding is a crucial aspect of mating of breeding animals. Our aims were to describe the quality of the pedigree, generation interval, gene origin, inbreeding, and effective population size of Danubia Alba rabbit lines. Line “D” is the maternal, whereas lines “C” and “X” are used as the paternal lines. The pedigree information was followed back from the actual breeding rabbits up to the founder animals. The rabbits having offspring in 2023 were chosen as reference populations for each line. The complete generation equivalent (GenCom) was 17.68 for line “C”, 18.32 for line “D”, and 17.49 for line “X”, respectively. The maximum number of generations (GenMax) was above 30 for each line. The estimated bottleneck effect is mostly the result of selection and not a real genetic loss. The Wright inbreeding coefficient (F_Wright) was the highest for the “X” line rabbits, whereas it was the lowest for the line “D”. Kalinowski’s decomposition of inbreeding showed that it originated mostly from the past; the current fixation of alleles was quite similar for the line “C” and “D”. Based on the predicted effective population sizes, it seems that there is no problem in maintaining of Danubia Alba lines.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ani14182740

Organizational Change and Workplace Incivility: Mediated by Stress, Moderated by Emotional Exhaustion

Laszlo Vasa Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka Noor Ul Hadi Muhammad Imran Muhammad Ali Raza Muhammad Imran

Publication Name: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Publication Date: 2023-02-01

Volume: 20

Issue: 3

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Modern organizations continuously undergo change processes. The focus of the organizations remains on the macro level, but the micro level (i.e., employee’s perspective) is neglected. Using the conservation of resource theory (COR), this study examines the association between organizational change and workplace incivility. This study also proposes mediating and moderating mechanisms of stress and emotional exhaustion. The data were collected from 262 respondents working in public sector organizations in Pakistan using a time-lagged technique. The results proved that change significantly impacts workplace incivility. Moreover, stress mediates their relationship and emotional exhaustion moderates it. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion also moderates the stress–incivility relationship. Public sector organizations must focus on well-planned, inclusive, and adequately managed change processes to achieve the desired outcome; otherwise, adverse behaviors, including incivility, manifest. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the organizational change and incivility relationship has not been explored in the past. Additionally, their relationship with stress and emotional exhaustion also requires empirical investigation. This study also adds to the literature on the conservation of resource theory.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032008

RESURRECTION OF THE GENUS MICHERDZINSKIIOBOVELLA HIRSCHMANN, 1989, WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF M. PETOFII SP. N. FROM SINGAPORE (ACARI: MESOSTIGMATA: URODINYCHIDAE)

Sergey G. Ermilov Jenő Kontschán

Publication Name: Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae

Publication Date: 2023-01-01

Volume: 69

Issue: 2

Page Range: 127-138

Description:

The genus Micherdzinskiiobovella Hirschmann, 1989 (Mesostigmata: Uropodina: Uropodinychidae) is resurrected for species of the Uroobovella micherdzinskii-group. This genus differs from the other taxa of the Uroobovella sensu lato based on the shape of body, the first gnathosomal setae, the peritreme and the number of the ventral setae. All species from the Uroobovella micherdzinskii-group are moved to the genus Micherdzinskiiobovella, as M. japonica (Hiramatsu et Hirschmann, 1977) comb. n., M. levigata (Hirschmann et Hiramatsu, 1990) comb. n., M. makilingensis (Hirschmann et Hiramatsu, 1990) comb. n., M. mitakensis (Hiramatsu et Hirschmann, 1977) comb. n., M. pauxilla (Hiramatsu, 1981) comb. n., M. pauxillaoides (Hirschmann, 1981) comb. n., M. similimitakensis (Hirschmann, 1981) comb. n., M. topali (Hirschmann, 1981) comb. n., and M. multisetosa (Kontschán et Starý, 2011) comb. n. A new species (M. petofii sp. n.) is described, based on one female and four males collected from Singapore. The new species differs from the congeners in the length and shape of the ventral setae.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.17109/AZH.69.2.127.2023

Robustness of a flux-intensifying permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machine focusing on shifted surface-inset ferrite magnets

Mihaly Katona Tamas Orosz

Publication Name: Computers and Structures

Publication Date: 2025-09-01

Volume: 316

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Flux-intensifying permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machines use relatively small amounts of non-rare earth permanent magnets, making them viable alternatives for remanufacturing older machines, aligning with EU directives and circular economy principles. The asymmetric rotor topology is particularly suited for micromobility applications, which benefit from shifting inset magnets, as reverse motoring is rarely required. However, this design could be more sensitive to manufacturing and positioning errors of the magnets. To investigate the effects of the uncertainties of the shifted surface inset magnets, first, an optimal topology is selected based on average torque, torque ripple, and cogging torque using the NSGA-II optimisation method. The effects of the magnet shifting and its robustness are analysed using the Taguchi and ANOVA methods, validated by Full Factorial calculations. Results indicate a 31.25 % reduction in permanent magnet volume without compromising torque output with magnet shifting. The machine's average and cogging torque remain within a 5 % robustness threshold for a ±0.06 mm discrete manufacturing tolerance. Torque ripple may exceed this limit up to 14.77 %. However, the likelihood of exceeding the threshold is only 12.10 %. The reduced magnet volume and maintained performance make this topology a promising option for remanufactured machines in micromobility applications, supporting circular economy goals.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruc.2025.107845

Statistical and fuzzy signature-based analysis of the aggressive attitudes of a forensic population

Dalia Susniene Daiva Žostautienė Ojaras Purvinis László T. Kóczy

Publication Name: Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 8

Issue: 8

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Clustering technics, like k-means and its extended version, fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM) are useful tools for identifying typical behaviours based on various attitudes and responses to well-formulated questionnaires, such as among forensic populations. As more or less standard questionnaires for analyzing aggressive attitudes do exist in the literature, the application of these clustering methods seems to be rather straightforward. Especially, fuzzy clustering may lead to new recognitions, as human behaviour and communication are full of uncertainties, which often do not have a probabilistic nature. In this paper, the cluster analysis of a closed forensic (inmate) population will be presented. The goal of this study was by applying fuzzy c-means clustering to facilitate the wider possibilities of analysis of aggressive behaviour which is treated as a heterogeneous construct resulting in two main phenotypes, premeditated and impulsive aggression. Understanding motives of aggression helps reconstruct possible events, sequences of events and scenarios related to a certain crime, and ultimately, to prevent further crimes from happening.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.24294/jipd.v8i8.5727

DETERMINANTS OF GLOBAL MIGRATION: THE IMPACT OF ESG INVESTMENTS AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Laszlo Vasa Wojciech Cieśliński Dmytro Zatonatskiy Serhiy Lyeonov

Publication Name: Economics and Sociology

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 17

Issue: 1

Page Range: 215-235

Description:

In response to global economic, social, and environmental problems, ESG investment principles have changed the approach to directing and structuring foreign direct investment. Additionally, they are becoming an essential factor in attracting migrants. This article aims to determine the impact of foreign direct investment on global migration trends and their peculiarities with the introduction of ESG investment principles. For this purpose, global foreign direct investment flows, global ESG investment flows, and global migration trends have been analyzed from 1995 to 2022. Pairwise correlation calculation was used as the primary analysis method through R-Studio software with integrated R programming language. The results indicated a 35% correlation between the volume of global ESG investment flows and the number of international migrants (as a percentage of the total population, which varies between 3.2% and 3.6%) for 2010-2022. Subsequently, regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between critical variables: investment flows and the level of migration in four European countries (France, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany). It was determined that investment inflows led to new jobs, accelerated economic growth, and improved business climate, thus encouraging reduced outflow and increased inflow of migrants. Investments based on ESG principles also reduce emigration as they enhance the quality of life in the host country, provide better environmental protection, and promote more transparent corporate management. However, it should be noted that investments have no apparent impact on migration caused by external factors such as wars or political conflicts, so such analysis should not include periods of global economic and political unrest.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2024/17-1/14

Scheduling Manufacturing with Flexible Recipes to Maximize the Utilization of Renewable Energy

Botond Bertok Karoly Kalauz Marton Frits

Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 114

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 955-960

Description:

The production schedule has a direct impact on the periodic utilization and energy consumption of equipment units. Meanwhile, for companies operating small power plants, the available renewable solar or wind energy changes continuously during the day, as does the hourly market price of the energy that can be purchased. Fortunately, the flexibility of production, possible schedules, or alternative recipes allow not only the minimization of costs but also the maximum use of renewable resources. The novelty of the P-graph-based method proposed here is the integration of three component problems into a single optimization model, namely the production scheduling by discrete event formulation, the management of flexible recipes by process synthesis, and the maximal renewable energy utilization according to discrete-time energy production and market price forecasts by representing them with temporarily available resources. The challenge of formalizing the optimization problem lies in synchronizing the time model of production scheduling with the resolution of market price and renewable energy production forecasts. The results show that the flexibility to alter both the sequence and schedule of operations by the integrated optimization model plays a critical role in optimizing energy usage.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3303/CET24114160