We propose a generic model of eco-systems, with a hierarchical food web structure. In our computer simulations we let the eco-system evolve continuously for so long that that we can monitor extinctions as well as speciations over geological time scales. Speciation leads not only to horizontal diversification of species at any given trophic level but also to vertical bio-diversity that accounts ...

A novel Customized Agro-industrial Produce Design (CAPD) scheme is highlighted to monitor the plant factory production systems. The expected outcome is to provide every consumer with a produce that matches his or her unique mentality. The new challenges of CAPD are consisting of non-linear and complex interaction between the bio-response parameters and human mentality process involved. As the s...

Eco-HAB is an open source, RFID-based system for automated measurement and analysis of social preference and in-cohort sociability in mice. The system closely follows murine ethology. It requires no contact between a human experimenter and tested animals, overcoming the confounding factors that lead to irreproducible assessment of murine social behavior between laboratories. In Eco-HAB, group-h...

Due to the increasing digitalization of all societal systems, informed design of services and systems becomes pertinent for various stakeholders. This paper discusses the design of digital systems in a user-centered way with the help of subject-oriented design. The approach follows a communication-driven and network-centric perspective on a System-of-Systems, whereby system specifications encap...

This study focuses on electronic collaboration based on inter-organizational information systems (IOIS), particularly between dominant buyers and their suppliers. From the suppliers’ perspective, we examine ways to achieve higher performance by increasing the extent to which they proactively participate in business activities using IOIS. We propose that electronic collaboration consists of two ...

The paper reviews various eco-feedback systems including carbon calculators and discusses how different disciplinary approaches conceptualise and explain anticipated impacts of these systems. The European collaborative research project e2democracy investigates how citizen participation combined with long-term CO2 monitoring and feedback can contribute to achieve local climate targets. Empirical...

In this paper, we discuss issues concerning the welfare of non-human primates used in laboratory research from an eco-ethological standpoint and suggest means of improving welfare. Following a brief review of the use of non-human primates in European countries and of the legislation that governs this use, we illustrate how a thorough eco-ethological knowledge of the species being studied can pl...

The Team of Bielefeld (ToBI) has been founded in 2009. The RoboCup teams’ activities are embedded in a long-term research agenda towards human-robot interaction with laypersons in regular and smart home environments. The RoboCup@Home competition is an important benchmark and milestone for this goal in terms of robot capabilities as well as the system integration effort. In order to achieve a ro...