Meetnet functievervulling bos: eerste resultaten beschikbaar

De statistieken van vroeger zijn de meetnetten van nu. Meetnetten meten en moeten liefst de gegevens aanleveren om beleidsprestaties en ¿effecten te monitoren. Met de resultaten kan nieuw beleid worden ontwikkeld en bestaand beleid geëvalueerd. Vorig jaar is een nieuw meetnet gestart, het Meetnet Functievervulling Bos (MFV-bos). De eerste resultaten zijn onlangs beschikbaar gekomen. Deze bijdrage bevat een korte uitleg over de achtergrond van het MFV-bos en enkele in het oog springende resultate

Mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints: automatic reformulation and solution via constrained optimization

Constrained optimization has been extensively used to solve many large scale deterministic problems arising in economics, including, for example, square systems of equations and nonlinear programs. A separate set of models have been generated more recently, using complementarity to model various phenomenon, particularly in general equilibria. The unifying framework of mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) has been postulated for problems that combine facets of optimization and complementarity. This paper briefly reviews some methods available to solve these problems and described a new suite of tools for working with MPEC models. Computational results demonstrating the potential of this tool are given that automatically construct and solve a variety of different nonlinear programming reformulations of MPEC problems.\ud \ud This material is based on research partially supported by the National Science Foundation Grant CCR-9972372, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-01-1-0040, Microsoft Corporation and the Guggenheim Foundation

Het Nederlandse bos in 2001

De opnamen van de Vierde Bosstatistiek dateren alweer van de periode 1980-1983. Dat betekent dat de resultaten inmiddels aardig zijn verouderd. In de afgelopen 20 jaar is er door allerlei processen veel veranderd in het Nederlandse bos. Ook het bosbeleid en de daaraan gekoppelde informatiebehoefte is sindsdien ingrijpend gewijzigd. Dit heeft ertoe geleid dat is gestart met de ontwikkeling van een nieuwe bosstatistiek. Dit rapport vat de resultaten samen die het Meetnet Functionaliteit (MFV) bos in 2001 behaald

Design and positioning of controls : the old and the new industrial approaches

While copious amounts of research exist with regard to positioning of controls, very little research covers the design shape of the controls. This paper demonstrates the importance of control positioning and design within industrial settings. Furthermore it aims to highlight the changes in industries with regard to control design and positioning. This paper is a review paper and thus much is based on findings by other authors. However, the changes in the industrial practices referred to by the author are from knowledge gained while visiting numerous industries in South Africa

Micro-milling work-holding devices employing adhesive forces

IngenieursweseBedryfsingenieursweseMicro-parts are often very fragile rendering conventional, mechanical work-holding fixtures unsuitable for them since they exert large straining forces. Furthermore, macroworkholding devices occupy a large space which impedes high precision required in micromilling. Although some micro-clamping fixtures exist, they are limited to specific part shapes and in most cases expensive to manufacture. Hence this paper focuses on the application of adhesive forces namely electrostatic, surface tension and van-der-Waals forces; in work-holding strategies for micro-milling operations. An analysis is given as to their applicability with reference to micro-milling cutting forces

Master\u27s Project: A Case Study of the Benet Land Problem in Eastern Uganda

Boundaries are inherently political creations. Boundaries of national parks and other protected conservation areas are one such instance. Social boundary lines are also drawn within communities to determine who is legitimate and who is allowed to access resources as a community member. Boundary lines are also present in the stories people tell about themselves and their environment; the portrayal of their roles as land stewards may leave out certain details. The effects of environmental issues such as deforestation and soil erosion transcend such constructed boundaries. Historically, the Benet, as indigenous peoples of eastern Uganda, had derived their livelihood and cultural identity from land-based activities within the forest of Mount Elgon before being resettled by the Ugandan government in 1983. When Mount Elgon National Park was created in 1993, the government discovered that more land had been distributed than the intended 6,000 hectares. Officially, that surplus land is within the bounds of Mount Elgon National Park, but people continue to reside and make their living there and the High Court of Uganda has put forth a consent judgment that the Benet have a right to this land. Most members of the community currently derive their livelihood from subsistence farming and grazing in this area. Small, fragmented land holdings and population pressures, as well as the movement of others from outside the Benet community into this land area, contribute to members of the community continuing to access resources within the national park boundaries illegally. This illegal access use (notably, firewood gathering and grazing of livestock) creates conflict between the community and the authorities controlling the national park and leads to perceptions by government officials that the Benet community is responsible for environmental degradation. I consider, through the analysis of documents, and of interviews and observations undertaken in May and June of 2014, how the resettlement process (and subsequent lack of resettlement for the Yatui, a sub-group of the Benet) is connected to resource use within the national park. What I deem “the land problem” is the combination of a lack of resettlement (or adequate resettlement) and a lack of access to resources necessary for a subsistence livelihood. Using examples from my interviews and analysis, I identify the connections and relationships that resettlement and resource use have to one another and assess possible responses to the land problem

Systematic cycle life assessment of a secondary zinc–air battery as a function of the alkaline electrolyte composition

Development of secondary zinc-air batteries goes through a proper specification of the electrolyte formulation adapted to extend the cycle life of the battery. However, defining an optimal formulation is not a trivial work due to the specific requirements for each electrode. At half-cell level it has been determined that ZnO-saturated 4 M KOH with 2 M KF and 2 M K2CO3 (4s-2) is the most suitable formulation to increase the cycle life of secondary zinc electrode whereas additive-free 8 M KOH (8-0) formulation is more beneficial for the bifunctional air electrode (BAE). Through this systematic cycle life assessment, it has been found that the most suitable electrolyte formulation for the full cell system is a compendium for both electrodes requirements. It has determined an optimal electrolyte formulation for the full system consisting of ZnO-saturated 7 M KOH with 1.4 M KF and 1.4 M K2CO3 (7s-1.4). This electrolyte composition increases at least 2.5 times the reversibility of the secondary zinc-air battery in comparison to that employing the traditional formulation for primary zinc-air batteries (additive free 8 M KOH). In addition, the development of a proper cell design or separator is also necessary to further enhance the secondary zinc-air cycle life.Basque Country Government (ELKARTEK 2016 program); Basque Country University (UPV/EHU) under the program ZABALDUZ2012; European Commission H2020 (project ZAS) (grant/award number: 646186)