Search

Routinearbeiten in der Landwirtschaft sollen zur Effizienzsteigerung automatisiert werden. Ziel der Untersuchung ist, die konzeptionellen und technologischen Grundlagen für ein selbstfahrendes und automatisiertes Fütterungssystem (AFS) für Rinder zu legen. Eine Marktrecherche verfügbarer AFS und AFS-Konzeptstudien, Experteninterviews und eine Meinungsumfrage analysieren die Praxisanforderungen. Eine rechtliche Einordnung mit Risikobeurteilung von AFS beschreibt den Funktionsrahmen. Abschließend wird in einer Untersuchungsreihe die sich aus den Analysen ergebenden Navigationstechnologien Radar und LiDAR in Testreihen erprobt. Routine work in agriculture should be automated to increase efficiency. The aim of the study is to lay the conceptual and technological foundations for a self-propelled and automated feeding system (AFS) for cattle. A market research of available AFS and AFS concept studies, expert interviews and an opinion poll analyze the practical requirements. A legal classification with risk assessment of AFS describes the functional framework. Finally, the radar and LiDAR navigation technologies resulting from the analyzes will be tested in a series of tests.

HighlightsDevelopments in automatized feeding lead to farms being locked industrial production sites.LiDAR and Radar facilitate driverless feed mixers by covering navigation and safety aspects.External safety of driverless vehicles can be compensated with optical, acoustical and organizational measures.Abstract. Present automatic feeding systems (AFS) for dairy cattle are predominantly machines with additional external structures, e.g., bus bars and guide rails. In order to achieve complete automation of the feeding process, future AFS must be adaptable to different types of farm structures. Technologies such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) enable free navigation of self-propelled feed mixer wagons and make important contributions to personal protection and collision avoidance. This enables the feed mixer to reach silo systems independently, remove feed and present it at the feed table. Using a self-propelled mixer feeder, both LiDAR and Radar are comparatively analyzed in a practical series of tests under farm conditions. Research into the legal framework and an exemplary risk assessment lay the conceptual basis for future automatic feeding systems. The aim of this consideration is to derive a coordinated concept for the areas of navigation and collision protection in an automatic feeding system for next-generation dairy cattle. Keywords: AFS, AGV, Automation, Dairy, Feeding, Laser, LiDAR, Radar.

Control of large-scale tower cranes is still an open research field. Due to their lightweight structure and their large geometry structural deformations occur and need to be considered for anti-sway feedback control. especially, for self-erecting tower cranes no proper model has been published yet. In this paper, a flexible multi-body model for this type of crane is derived and a modal analysis is performed. The results are compared to measurement data of an industrial tower crane.

OBJECTIVES To determine what type (e.g., television, photographs, music, etc), content (e.g., nature scenes, family members, etc), and duration of visual and auditory stimuli should be provided to intensive care unit patients during their hospitalisation. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN This mixed-methods study followed an exploratory-descriptive design. In total, 31 participants were interviewed: 19 were former critically ill patients in the intensive care unit and 12 were nursing experts, all from a university hospital in Switzerland. Based on current practice, patients and nurses were familiar with receiving and providing television, photographs, radio, and musical stimuli, with no specific exposure to virtual reality, aside from that in their personal lives. Data were collected from the former patients using structured interviews, whereas semi-structured interviews were used for the nursing experts. FINDINGS Overall, patient and expert opinions aligned well; both groups agreed that receiving visual and/or auditory stimuli would benefit patients. Photographs, television, and virtual reality were the visual stimuli most chosen by the patients, with an emphasis on nature-focused content. When appropriate, audio matching the content should be provided alongside the visual stimuli to act as a distraction from the hospital environment. Visual stimuli should not exceed 10-15 min, while auditory stimuli should not exceed one hour. CONCLUSION Sensory overload and deprivation are common problems in the intensive care unit with negative effects on patient outcomes. Based on patient and expert opinions, visual and auditory stimuli are desired by patients and could help address these issues.

Background The modifications to the standard intensive care unit (ICU) organization that had to be urgently implemented worldwide to overcome the surge of ICU admissions due to patients with a severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have resulted in increased workload and patients-to-nurse ratio. The aim of this study was to investigate whether level of critical care staffing could be associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality (primary endpoint), length of stay, mechanical ventilation and the evolution of disease (secondary study endpoints) in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods Retrospective multicenter analysis of the international Risk Stratification in COVID-19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (RISC-19-ICU) registry that prospectively enrolls patients developing critical illness due to COVID-19 in several countries worldwide. The analysis was limited to the period between March 1st, 2020 and May 31st, 2020, to ICUs in Switzerland that have collected additional data on nurse and physician staffing. Hierarchical regression models were used to investigate crude and adjusted effects of critical care staffing ratio on study endpoints. We adjusted for diseases severity and weekly caseload. Results Among the 38 Swiss participating ICUs, 17 recorded critical care staffing information. The study population included 437 patients and 2342 daily assessments of patient-to-nurse/physician ratio. Median of daily patient-to-nurse ratio started at 1.0 ([IQR] 0.5–1.5; calendar week 9) and peaked at 2.4 (IQR 0.4-2.0; calendar week 16), while the median of daily patient-to-physician ratio started at 4.0 (IQR 2.1-5.0; calendar week 9) and peaked at 6.8 (IQR 6.3–7.3; calendar week 19). Neither the patient-to-nurse ratio [adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85–1.94; doubling of ratio] nor the patient-to-physician ratio [adjusted OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.87–1.32; doubling of ratio] was associated with ICU mortality. We found no association of critical care staffing on the investigated secondary study endpoints in adjusted models. COnclusion The Swiss health care system successfully overcame the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with regards to the unprecedented demand for ICU treatments. The reduced availability of critical care staffing resources per critically ill patient in Swiss ICUs did not translate in an overall increased risk of mortality.

The purpose of this paper is to establish whether the estimation accuracy of the sample-based valuation of a fairly homogenous real estate portfolio with stratification based on principal component and cluster analysis is robust over multiple valuation dates. We use a model portfolio of 2400 rental apartment buildings in Germany to extrapolate the portfolio value from fairly small samples and calculate bootstrap confidence intervals to estimate the precision. The samples are based on cluster allocation using a theoretical statistical process. The continuity of the sample-based valuation model is analysed by comparing cluster allocation and confidence interval accuracy and precision over multiple valuation dates. The results confirm that the value of a fairly homogenous real estate portfolio can be estimated sufficiently well using small samples and that the performance of the approach is reasonably robust regarding its temporal aspect. Our model is an efficient alternative to valuing real estate portfolio...

This study applies a complex systems approach to test for the presence of rational bubbles in the Equity REITs market. The applied model is based on theoretical implications of the evolution of prices under rational bubble regimes. The advantage of the approach is twofold. The model is able to detect rational bubbles while they rise and to predict the most likely time of their collapse. We apply the model to daily price data on U.S. Equity REITs from 1989 to 2011. Our findings suggest the existence of a bubble for the period of 2003 to 2007. Tests for sub-markets reveal that the bubble developed in the Residential REITs market, but not in the Office REITs market.

Small towns, especially in peripheral locations, are a specific type of town in Germany with significant problems. Population and employment decline and economic underdevelopment often combined with rising unemployment and low incomes and purchasing power as well as a loss of centrality functions (frequently leading to financial difficulties and the downsizing of underused social, transport and technical infrastructure) severely reduce local authorities’ flexibility. As a result, town centres become less and less attractive as the quality of urban amenities such as the retail sector declines. Although widespread in eastern Germany, the problem of the shrinkage of small towns also exists in parts of western Germany. Tackling these sometimes very complicated issues presents an enormous challenge for small towns’ local authorities. One of the main aims is to avoid a downwards spiral that could prevent the consequences of shrinkage from being dealt with in an active, creative manner. How should a town afflicted with such problems respond? First of all, the situation needs to be accurately assessed by the council and the local authority. Furthermore, the involvement of key actors from the business community and the general public is crucial for the assumption of direct responsibility and civic participation as well as the adoption of a flexible, open-minded response to difficult local circumstances.The project ‘Zukunftsstadt Mittweida’ (‘Mittweida – Future Town’) addresses this need for civic involvement. Mittweida is a unique small town in the administrative district of Central Saxony since about 5,000 of its 15,000 inhabitants are students. Accordingly, the population can be divided into long-established residents on the one hand and the constant influx and departure of students and other new citizens on the other. Encouraging the participation of this heterogeneous community requires new approaches because traditional methods such as public meetings have frequently been observed to reach just a fraction of the population. Therefore, different target groups will be addressed, informed, motivated and included in the project using a variety of media, such as local papers, local radio stations and social media as well as personal interviews. This cross-media strategy will enable the collection, collation and discussion of the most urgent needs, ideas and visions from as many people as possible. For the first time, the inhabitants of Mittweida will be given an opportunity to contribute to their town’s development and to shape its future.

Print version:: Kempf, Simon.: Development of hedonic office rent indices : examples for German metropolitan areas.. ; Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed January 8, 2015).

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the sources of direct real estate portfolio returns and their relative performance against Investment Property Databank (IPD) benchmark returns. Active property management consists of the concepts of property transaction execution and operational management, which can be classified as the main drivers of excess return sources.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of three different portfolios managed by two institutional investors, the paper is able to estimate the relevant factors of active property management on annual excess returns for commercial and residential property sectors via a panel regression technique.FindingsEmpirical evidence shows that property‐specific effects exhibit significant sources of excess returns, but property management cannot be identified as their main driver. Furthermore, the sources of excess returns do not differ significantly across sectors; when controlled for property age and size, it is found that their influence is rather limited.Practical implicationsInformation about the drivers of excess returns and their variations among property types may lead to superior investment decisions during portfolio rebalancing, and thus promote more efficient capital allocation. Information about return factors, i.e. about property and operational management, can substantially improve property selection and market timing in the asset allocation process. Hence, investors basing their property investment strategies on the impact of selected return factors could enhance the risk‐adjusted performance of their property portfolios.Originality/valueThis paper aims to contribute to the existing literature by identifying and quantifying the excess return sources of a given property portfolio over a predefined benchmark. Due to the lack of property‐related data, there is only limited research on the sources of direct property returns, such as property characteristics or active property management. The authors explore three main questions in this paper. First, they examine sources of excess returns over a benchmark index for several property sectors. Second, they analyze whether the drivers of excess returns vary significantly across these sectors. Third, they determine to what extent excess property returns are influenced by the “economic age” and “rentable area” of a building.

We examine the possibilities and boundaries of the sample-based valuation of residential real estate portfolios using upstream principal component and cluster analysis. We seek to increase estimation accuracy without increasing the total sample size. We use a model portfolio of about 2,400 properties in Germany and discuss different stratification methods prior to drawing fairly small samples, extrapolating the portfolio value, and calculating bootstrap confidence intervals to estimate the associated precision. The models described in practice-oriented literature are thus refined using a theoretical statistical process.

As automotive, aerospace and the power industries increasingly look to carbide and boride based aluminum composites for their high specific strengths and increased thermal stability, it is important to characterize the equilibrium phase relations at temperatures common for processing these composites. Herein, two composite systems were investigated. Composites in the Al-Ti-B-C system were fabricated starting with Al, Ti2AlC, and B4C. Composites in the Al-V-C system were fabricated starting with elemental powders. The Ti2AlC/B4C powders were mixed in both 50/50 and 75/25 vol. % ratios and cold pressed into 53 % dense preforms. The preforms were pressureless melt infiltrated in the 900 to 1050 °C temperature range with Al. X-ray diffraction, XRD, and scanning electron microscopy, SEM, confirmed that neither Ti2AlC nor B4C was an equilibrium phase. The equilibrium phases were found to be Al, TiB2, Al3BC, and Al4C3 for the more B-rich composite and Al, TiB2, TiC, and Al4C3 for the Ti-rich composite. From these results, the 1000 °C quaternary phase diagram adjacent to the Al-TiB2- Al4C3 triangle and in the Al-rich corner was developed for the first time. In the Al-V-C system, Al-V2AlC composites were synthesized in situ by quenching from 1000 °C, however fully dense composites have yet to be realized. XRD and SEM investigations indicated a predominately two phase composite (Al and V2AlC), and that some Al particles did not break their oxide shell. Furnace cooled samples did not form two phase composites. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the instability of V2AlC with Al below ≈ 950 °C. Additionally, the Al-V-C phase diagram was characterized in the Al-rich corner at 800 °C. Al and V2AlC were found to be in equilibrium with both Al3V and Al4C3, but not with each other.

Most economic development over the next fifty years is likely to be centred on regional towns. Many of regional conurbations are ill prepared to cope with growth pressures. Others are more geared up for 'smart growth'. Some regional settlements have aspirations to become 'knowledge hubs' to attract investment and generate prestigious local jobs. University status or expansion is one promising regional development catalyst. Urban beautification projects can also help to attract foreign talent or retain local skills and avoid the stigma associated with 'dormitory suburbs' or cultural deserts. However, the metamorphosis of conservative regional market towns into vibrant knowledge Arcadias confronts philosophical, forecasting, institutional, housing and funding constraints. The research outlines the contested urban renewal backdrop and applies an environmental scanning and systems framework to it. In its empirical phase, the research investigates how catalysts, drivers and development constraints manifest at the local level in the case of two expanding regional English conurbations - Hereford and Cirencester.

Executive Summary.This paper examines whether the asset holdings and weights of an international real estate portfolio using exchange rate adjusted returns are essentially the same or radically dif...

This paper – the second half of a two‐part paper – constructs a notional property index for the German office market. The returns from this index are subject to numerous adjustments in order to produce a cash flow which reflects annual indexation changes in rent and possible reviews to open market levels at appropriate intervals, depending on the terms of the lease contracts and the rise and fall of office rents over time. The lease contracts modulate the relationship between changes in market rents and yields in the German office market (as recorded by the relevant published notional index) leading to capital value movements of the hypothetical portfolio. Attempts have also been made to take account of the effects of non‐recoverable operating costs, although depreciation and letting voids were not accounted for.

A 22-stage axial flow compressor with a pressure ratio 35:1 has been designed, built and successfully tested for a heavy-duty gas turbine application. Advanced technology and aero engine design tools have been used. The compressor has been designed using an “arbitrary” airfoil blading including 3D design features, like leading edge re-camber, lean, sweep and flowpath contouring. The compressor performance and part load behavior have been improved by accurate stage matching based on whole compressor 3D analyses. The new compressor has been tested in a scaled down rig and validated in the Alstom Test Power Plant (ATPP).The compressor met all design objectives and demonstrated excellent performance. This paper describes the aerodynamic design and test results.

While there are numerous indices for the German stock and bond markets, no performance index exists for the German property market, yet foreign institutional investors in particular are interested in the creation of a performance index, in order to achieve an acceptable framework for international real‐estate investment. Presents a construction method for a real‐estate performance index based on published accounting reports of open‐end real‐estate investment funds. This total return index can be disaggregated into a net cash‐flow return as well as capital growth, and could serve investors as an information tool about the German property market. This index could not only be used within the scope of performance analysis, but also for the benchmarking of real estate portfolios or decision making in portfolio management asset allocation. At the same time, this would enhance the transparency, liquidity and professionalism of the German real‐estate market.

This paper uses a sample of German commercial and residential property returns to estimate parameters for stable distribution functions. A quantile-based estimation methodology is used to examine distributions of income, capital growth, and total returns. There are controls for the effects of property characteristics and for possible differences between appraisal-based and transaction-based return distribution parameters. The findings reveal that the assumption of normality in return distributions can be rejected for virtually all subsamples of all property types, and for all years from 2000 to 2009. However, income return distributions are found to be less leptokurtic than those of capital growth. Building characteristics do not have a strong influence on distribution parameters, while transaction-based returns do differ from appraisal-based returns for retail and residential properties.