• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.287-293
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• 2011

Analysing companion species from unrelated taxa concentrated so far mainly on identifying biosurrogacy in terms of conservation biology. No study has investigated companion bird and plant species to predict breeding and migrant habitats of a bird genus. In this study we recorded and analysed companion bird and plant species of the breeding bird Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca and four migranting Oenanthe species on Cyprus. We found characteristic companion species in Cyprus Wheatear's, Wheatear migrant's and in control habitats where no Wheatears were present. We show that plant and bird companion species can be used as discriminating factors to predict breeding and migrant habitats of the genus Oenanthe on Cyprus. Furthermore, habitat preferences of Cyprus Wheatear's companion species indicate bushy and vegetation rich habitats avoiding woodland on the one hand and managed farmland on the other hand. In comparison, migrant Wheatear and control habitats were characterised by companion species pointing to a high openness. These results support former habitat descriptions of Cyprus Wheatear and migrant Wheatears. In more general, this study shows that companion species from unrelated taxa can be used to predict breeding and migrant habitats of a bird genus.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.126-133
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• 1998

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.55-70
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• 2014

The paper presents a multi-objective optimization strategy for a multi-type sensor placement for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of long span bridges. The problem is formulated for simultaneous placement of strain sensors and accelerometers (heterogeneous network) based on application demands for SHM system. Modal Identification (MI) and Accurate Mode Shape Expansion (AMSE) were chosen as the application demands for SHM. The optimization problem is solved through the use of integer Genetic Algorithm (GA) to maximize a common metric to ensure adequate MI and AMSE. The performance of the joint optimization problem solved by GA is compared with other established methods for homogenous sensor placement. The results indicate that the use of a multi-type sensor system can improve the quality of SHM. It has also been demonstrated that use of GA improves the overall quality of the sensor placement compared to other methods for optimization of sensor placement.

• Journal of KIBIM
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.31-38
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• 2017

Big Cyprus watershed, which is located in the Southwestern Florida and covers Everglades National Park that has high proportions of endangered species' habitats, plays an important role for the entire Florida ecosystem. Due to the rapid urbanization and high population growth, however, the watershed has been continuously polluted and the current regional watershed plan is not created to accommodate the speed of growth. The purpose of this study is to suggest proper protection policies and strategies for the Big Cyprus watershed by employing the Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation tool in Geographic Information System. The findings show that conservation priorities should be given in the North and South portion of the watershed area, which are proven to be the most important aisle for the habitats in the Big Cyprus. The study concludes with policy suggestions that local environmental planners should concentrate for adopting their new watershed plan in the near future.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.735-752
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• 2015

The effectiveness of seismic retrofitting of RC-frame buildings by converting selected bays into new walls through infilling with RC walls was studied experimentally using a full-scale four-storey model tested with the pseudo-dynamic (PsD) method. The frames were designed and detailed for gravity loads only using different connection details between the walls and the bounding frame. In order to simulate the experimental response, two numerical models were formulated differing at the level of modelling. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the capabilities of these models to simulate the experimental nonlinear behaviour of the tested RC building strengthened with RC infill walls and comment on their effectiveness. The comparison between the capacity, in terms of peak ground acceleration, of the strengthened frame and the one of the bare frame, which was obtained numerically, has shown a five-fold increase.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.1127-1146
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• 2015

The excitation angle or angle of incidence is the angle in which the horizontal seismic components are applied with respect to the principal structural axes during a time history analysis. In this study, numerical simulations and parametric studies are performed for the investigation of the effect of the angle of seismic incidence on the response of adjacent buildings, which may experience structural pounding during strong earthquakes due to insufficient or no separation distance between them. A specially developed software application has been used that implements a simple and efficient methodology, according to which buildings are modelled in three dimensions and potential impacts are simulated using a novel impact model that takes into account the arbitrary location of impacts and the geometry at the point of impact. Two typical multi-storey buildings and a set of earthquake records have been used in the performed analyses. The results of the conducted parametric studies reveal that it is very important to consider the arbitrary direction of the ground motion with respect to the structural axes of the simulated buildings, especially during pounding, since, in many cases, the detrimental effects of pounding become more pronounced for an excitation angle different from the commonly examined 0 or 90 degrees.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 2008

An important historical monument of Cyprus is an aqueduct that was built in 1747 to provide water to the city of Larnaca and to its port. Because of its importance to the cultural heritage of Cyprus, the aqueduct has been selected as one of the case-study monuments in the project Wide-Range Non-Intrusive devices toward Conservation of Historical Monuments in the Mediterranean Area (WIND-CHIME). Detailed drawings of the aqueduct obtained from the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus have been used for the development of a computational model. The model was fine-tuned through the measurement of the dynamic characteristics of the aqueduct using forced and ambient vibrations. It should be noted that measurement of the dynamic characteristics of the structure were performed twice in a period of three years (June of 2004 and May of 2007). Significant differences were noted and they are attributed to soil structure interaction effects due to seasonal variations of the water-level in a nearby salt-lake. The system identification results for both cases are presented here. This monument was used to test the effectiveness of shape memory alloy (SMA) pre-stressed devices, which were developed during the course of the project, in protecting it without spoiling its monumental value.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.40
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• pp.67-80
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• 1998

Being located in the east of the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus used to play a bridge role of cultural exchanges between the East and the West during period of being occupied. As a consequence the fact that the style of costume might be changed at certain levels during the time is broadly accepted. Basic structure of Cypriot men's clothes during the late of the 19th century to the middle of 20th century is composed of\circled1 baggy trousers(vraka) \circled2 shirt(chemise) \circled3 jacket(ziboune/zibouna) \circled4 waistcoat(yilekko) \circled5 headdress(fez, kourouklin) \circled6 accessories. General composition of women's wear is \circled1 pantaloons(vrandzin) \circled2 shift(poukamiso) \circled3 outer garment(sayia, foustani, Amalia, costume) \circled4 waist kerchief(mandili tis koxas)\circled5 boots(podines)/pumps(goves) \circled6 scarves and accessories. As reviewed above, although men's clothes are still worn on a day to day basis, women's wear continues to exist only for festivals or as a tourist attraction. It was understood that this was an accepted consequence of 20th century modernization and reformation.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.69-83
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• 2014

This paper aims to reach the perceptions, ideas and intentions of the higher education adolescences on the effects of technological innovations over interrelation/communication between individuals. While advances in technology commonly works for the welfare and benefit of humankind, paradoxically in some instances could have negative outcomes on interrelations among individuals, minimizing face-to-face communication. The perceptions, so ideas of the individuals on the matter could differ depending on their age, gender, race and the culture beyond their relative intimacy and closeness to ICT tools. In order to penetrate the basic initiatives leading the perceptions of adolescents on the effects of technological improvements on human interrelations/ communication, a survey is conducted with 157 students in high education consisting of Asian, African, Cypriot, Turkish nationals. Results indicate that participants use technological tools for communication which lessens their face-to-face interaction. However they prefer social media more than face-to-face communication during conflict or undesirable situations.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.986-991
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• 2005

Intense competition existing in construction market creates an industry that is dominated by the client groups. Numerous studies dealing with private clients' needs and expectations from contractor firms exist in the literature. However in the unique construction industry, in addition to clients, consultants as representatives of clients will almost always have very important roles to play as well. By presenting survey findings of 50 consultant firms, this study provides insights into consultants' general needs and expectations from contracting organizations on behalf of their clients by using the data from Northern Cyprus private building construction market.