bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advanced Analytics for Agricultural Product Development
Authors: Byrum Joseph , Davis Craig , Doonan Gregory , Doubler Tracy , Foster David , Luzzi Bruce , Mowers Ronald , Zinselmeier Chris , Kloeber Jack , Culhane Dave , Mack Stephen
Published: February 2016

Syngenta, a leading developer of crop varieties (seeds) that provide food for human and livestock consumption, is committed to bringing greater food security to an increasingly populous world by creating a transformational shift in farm productivity. Syngenta Soybean Research and Development (R&D) is leading Syngenta’s corporate plant-breeding strategy by developing and implementing a new product development model that is enabling the creation of an efficient and effective soybean breeding strategy. Key to the new strategy is the combination of advanced analytics and plant-breeding knowledge to find opportunities to increase crop productivity and optimize plant-breeding processes. Syngenta uses discrete-event and Monte Carlo simulation models to codify Syngenta Soybean R&D best practices, and uses stochastic optimization to create the best soybean breeding plans and strategically align its research efforts. As a result of using these new analytical tools, Syngenta estimates that it will save more than $287 million between 2012 and 2016.
Improving Pilgrim Safety During the Hajj: An Analytical and Operational Research Approach
Authors: Haase Knut , Al Abideen Habib Zain , Al-Bosta Salim , Kasper Mathias , Koch Matthes , Müller Sven , Helbing Dirk
Published: February 2016

The Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia, is one of the largest pedestrian events in the world. Each year, up to four million pilgrims approach the holy sites in the region of Makkah to perform their religious duty. The key ritual, the stoning-of-the-devil, is particularly crowded. Until 2006, several crowd-related disasters led to thousands of casualties. In the aftermath of such a disaster in early 2006, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (MOMRA) launched many projects to prevent future crowd-related accidents. In particular, MOMRA began the development of an operations research (OR)-based decision support system (ORDSS) for crowd management. ORDSS employs a range of tools from OR, analytics, and crowd dynamics. At its core, it implements a scheduling tool and a real-time video tracking system. The video tracking system measures infrastructure utilization, and an integrated series of mixed-integer programs and quadratic programs balance capacity utilization by considering preferred stoning times and infrastructure capacities. The ORDSS provides MOMRA with solutions that enable uncongested and smooth pilgrim flows and extensive real-time reporting. From 2007 to 2014, OR helped stop the tragic loss of human life that resulted from these crowd-related accidents. Unfortunately, a crowd-related disaster, which resulted in hundreds of casualties, occurred during Hajj season 2015; however, for this Hajj season, the authors and MOMRA were no longer in charge of the scheduling and routing recommendations for the stoning-of-the-devil ritual during the Hajj.
Choosing to Choose: The Effects of Decoys and Prior Choice on Deferral
Authors: Hedgcock William M. , Rao Raghunath Singh , Chen Haipeng (Allan)
Published: February 2016

Sellers are often more interested in inducing buyers to make a choice—any choice—than in influencing which option they choose. For example, many retailers are more concerned about maximizing customer purchases within categories than influencing which brand is purchased in any particular category. Although this issue is important to researchers and practitioners, research on how contextual factors, such as decoys and prior decisions, affect whether consumers will “choose to choose” is scarce. We propose a reference-dependent model to fill this gap. This model unites several streams of research and leads to novel predictions that are tested and supported in four experiments. The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2289 .

This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta, marketing.
One-Way Mirrors in Online Dating: A Randomized Field Experiment
Authors: Bapna Ravi , Ramaprasad Jui , Shmueli Galit , Umyarov Akhmed
Published: February 2016

The growing popularity of online dating websites is altering one of the most fundamental human activities: finding a date or a marriage partner. Online dating platforms offer new capabilities, such as extensive search, big data–based mate recommendations, and varying levels of anonymity, whose parallels do not exist in the physical world. Yet little is known about the causal effects of these new features. In this study we examine the impact of a particular anonymity feature, which is unique to online environments, on matching outcomes. This feature allows users to browse profiles of other users anonymously, by being able to check out a potential mate’s profile while not leaving any visible online record of the visit. Although this feature may decrease search costs and allow users to search without inhibition, it also eliminates “weak signals” of interest for their potential mates that may play an important role in establishing successful communication. We run a randomized field experiment on a major North American online dating website, where 50,000 of 100,000 randomly selected new users are gifted the ability to anonymously view profiles of other users. Compared with the control group, the users treated with anonymity become disinhibited, in that they view more profiles and are more likely to view same-sex and interracial mates. However, based on our analysis, we demonstrate causally that weak signaling is a key mechanism in achieving higher levels of matching outcomes. Anonymous users, who lose the ability to leave a weak signal, end up having fewer matches compared with their nonanonymous counterparts. This effect of anonymity is particularly strong for women, who tend not to make the first move and instead rely on the counterparty to initiate the communication. Further, the reduction in quantity of matches by anonymous users is not compensated by a corresponding increase in quality of matches.

This paper was accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems.
Frenemies: How Do Financial Firms Vote on Their Own Kind?
Authors: Keswani Aneel , Stolin David , Tran Anh L.
Published: February 2016

The financial sector is unique in being largely self-governed: the majority of financial firms’ shares are held by other financial institutions. This raises the possibility that the monitoring of financial firms is especially undermined by conflicts of interest as a result of personal and professional links between these firms and their shareholders. To investigate this possibility, we scrutinize the aspect of the financial sector’s self-governance that is directly observable: mutual fund companies’ voting on their peers’ stocks. We find that considerations specific to investee firms’ membership in the same industry as their investors do indeed impact voting. This impact is in the direction of supporting the investee’s management. We show that the own-industry effect reduces director efficacy and lowers firm value as a result. We extend our analysis to other financial companies and show that they also tend to vote more favorably when it comes to their peers. Our results suggest that peer support is a corrupting factor in the financial sector’s governance.

This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Testing the Transparency Implications of Mandatory IFRS Adoption: The Spread/Maturity Relation of Credit Default Swaps
Authors: Bhat Gauri , Callen Jeffrey L. , Segal Dan
Published: February 2016

This study tests whether international financial reporting standards (IFRS) adoption increased accounting transparency based on model-driven hypotheses. Duffie and Lando [Duffie D, Lando D (2001) Term structures of credit spreads with incomplete accounting information. Econometrica 69(3):633–644] show that changes to accounting transparency affect the spread/maturity relation of credit default swap (CDS) instruments in very specific ways. Consistent with their model, we find that CDS spreads are lower across maturities following the adoption of IFRS, and the slope and concavity of the CDS spread/maturity relation are higher. These changes did not occur to the spread/maturity relation of a control sample of CDS instruments. Predicted changes apply more intensely to firms with low pre-IFRS transparency. Overall, this study provides strong evidence that IFRS adoption increased accounting transparency.

This paper was accepted by Mary Barth, accounting.
Role of the nurse and Revalidation 2016
Authors: Cowan Helen
Published: February 2016

Last month, the Editor shared the story of her daughter who was being treated for Kawasaki Disease while the journal was being sent to the printer. In response, we received several supportive emails from readers, for which the Editor is very grateful. One of these was from a nurse who was not only touched by the editorial but who was also, rather encouragingly, inspired by the clinical content in the issue…
Same-day discharge post radial approach PCI
Authors: Alyasin Najmeh
Published: February 2016

Building upon previous published articles in the cardiovascular discipline, this review delves into the area of same-day discharge post radial-approach percutaneous coronary intervention, addressing the safety and feasibility of its practice. Therefore, a comprehensive approach of data research was developed to retrieve review articles, as well as systematic and meta-analysis studies conducted and published in this field. In addition, less commonly understood concepts, such as discharge planning and the importance of an allocated radial lounge are identified and discussed, and their relationship to same-day discharge post radial-approach percutaneous coronary intervention are defined. On a broader level, this review demonstrates the low rate of complications such as bleeding, readmission and mortality in patients who go home on the day of the procedure.
Neuroimaging in the assessment and treatment of dementias
Authors: Surendranathan Ajenthan , O'Brien John T
Published: February 2016

The role of imaging in dementia has extended from the exclusion of non-degenerative conditions, causing cognitive impairment, to being able to assist a clinical diagnosis of dementia subtypes. Newer functional imaging techniques, such as amyloid position emission tomography (PET) and (123I)-FP-CIT SPECT, are increasingly available to clinicians. This article summarises a neuroimaging meeting, including the presentations and discussion from the subsequent interactive forums, which aimed to encourage debate surrounding the use of these techniques. A number of participants from different clinical specialties, imaging departments and healthcare management teams, took part. Overall, it was agreed imaging played an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and management of dementia. To optimise the use of the newer techniques, a multidisciplinary approach to the selection of appropriate patients would be useful, as would integration of these scans into a structured care pathway. Education in imaging to promote better reporting, as well as more detailed clinical information on requests, would also increase the value of imaging.
Surgical treatment of medial knee ligament injuries: current indications and techniques
Authors: Tandogan N. Reha , Kayaalp Asim
Published: February 2016

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the posterior oblique ligament (POL) are the main static valgus restraints of the knee. Most isolated medial injuries can be treated with bracing and early knee motion. Combined MCL and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries can be managed with bracing of the knee followed by a delayed reconstruction of the ACL. Residual medial laxity may be addressed at the time of ACL surgery. Bony avulsions, incarceration of the distal MCL under the meniscus or over the pes anserinus tendons, open injuries, MCL tears combined with PCL or bi-cruciate injuries should be treated surgically. Chronic symptomatic medial instability can be managed with the recently described reconstruction techniques using free tendon grafts located at anatomical insertion sites.

Cite this article: Tandogan NR, Kayaalp A. Surgical treatment of medial knee ligament injuries: Current indications and techniques. EFORT Open Rev 2016;2:27-33. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.000007.
Proof of Acacia nilotica stand expansion in Bekol Savanna, Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia through remote sensing and field observations
Authors: SUTOMO SUTOMO , ETTEN EDDIE VAN , WAHAB LUTHFI
Published: February 2016

utomo, van Etten E, Wahab L. 2016. Proof of Acacia nilotica stand expansion in Bekol Savanna, Baluran National Park,East Java, Indonesia through remote sensing and field observations. Biodiversitas 17: 96-101. One of woody species that is known toinhabit certain savanna ecosystems is Acacia nilotica. The Acacia nilotica tree is widespread in the northern savannah regions, and itsrange extends from Mali to Sudan and Egypt. Acacia nilotica was first introduced to Java Island in 1850. It then spread to Bali, EastNusa Tenggara, Timor and Papua. Found in grasslands, savanna is reported as important colonizer at Baluran National Park in East Javaand Wasur National Park Papua. We conducted Vegetation analysis in three areas of the Baluran Savanna namely: Grazed, burned andunburnt. Our observation result analysis showed that in terms of the three most important tree species in all of the sites that we sampled (grazed, burnt and unburnt savannas) Acacia nilotica appeared in each of these sites. The values however, vary between sites. Acacia nilotica Importance Value Index is highest in the unburnt savanna, with IVI reaching almost 250. The unburnt site is actually a burnt site but with moderate age or time since fire (approximately 6-7 years), whereas the burnt site is savanna with relatively young age/time since fire (few months to 1 year).Â We also conducted GIS analysis using Satellite Images (October 2013 and October 2014) to pick up changes in Bekol savanna. Result showed that expansion of A. nilotica stand occurred towards the savanna. Over dominance of the woody species A. nilotica could shift the savanna into another ecosystem state, i.e. secondary forest.
Innovation as an essential part of journalism education in contemporary societies
Authors: Machado Elias , Teixeira Tattiana
Published: February 2016

Throughout the twentieth century and during the first decade of the new millennium, journalism schools have maintained a teaching model founded on the continuation of standard practices in the discipline. This model disregards the importance of applied research in supporting innovation in pedagogy and in journalism. In this article, we argue that the integration of teaching and applied research is necessary in part to overcome the current crisis media organizations are facing in relation to the outdated business models established in the previous century. One of the study’s main conclusions is that the current lack of interaction between universities and the media industry should give way to hybrid teaching models that include multidisciplinary applied research projects focused on the development of new formats, graphic languages, techniques, processes and prototypes of content production platforms.
Doing and thinking journalism in the twenty-first century, a dialogue with Barbie Zelizer
Authors: Becker Beatriz
Published: February 2016

I was gratified to receive an invitation from the editor of the Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies (AJMS) to edit this special issue of the journal. What spurred me to accept the offer is AJMS’ thrust, with one of its major targets being greater integration between the academic and professional worlds. The construction of the special issue under the rubric of ‘Doing and thinking journalism in the twenty-first century’ was initially inspired in the dialogue Barbie Zelizer and I had in Hyderabad, India, the venue of the 2014 annual congress, which the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) organizes every year. Barbie Zelizer is a Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania and is one of the most recognized researchers in journalism today with a productivity marked by the quality of her critical reflections. Zelizer’s research focuses on the cultural dimensions of journalism, with a specific interest in journalistic authority, collective memory and journalistic images in times of crisis and war. She also works on the impact of disciplinary knowledge on academic enquiry. Here are excerpts from our conversation.
Journalism and democracy facing common risks and challenges
Authors: Gandour Ricardo
Published: February 2016

Journalism is an essential activity for democracy and for the full exercise of freedom. However, it is threatened by several factors. The major one is the increasing fragmentation of the information environment. The phenomenon started in the 1990s with the introduction of the Internet on a large scale. From that period onwards: the main publications opened their contents, promoting the perception that information is free; instantaneity and interactivity changed the consumption patterns of information, dispersing public attention; diluted attention changed the media planning of advertisers; and proliferation of mobile devices deepened the dispersion. This article will not consider the undeniable social benefits offered by networks – or it will do it in a superficial way, as a necessary context. The focus will be on journalism dilemmas as an organized activity– as such, a private business with high public interest.
Real vs ideal self: A study of identity creation and desired images on Facebook
Authors: Dahiya Dr Surbhi
Published: February 2016

Goffman in his book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), treated face-to-face interaction as a subject of sociological study in which he framed out the theatrical performance that applies to face-to-face interactions. He believed that when an individual comes in contact with other people, that individual will attempt to control or guide the impression that others might make of him by changing or fixing his or her setting, appearance and manner. At the same time, the person the individual is interacting with is trying to form and obtain information about the individual. The desired image or the desired self is the image one would like others to have of oneself. As stated by Leary and Kowalski, ‘The presentation of self among people tends to lean towards their desired selves and away from their undesired selves’ (Leary and Kowalski 1990). Since people’s desired selves and undesired selves presumably reflect their own values, they value particular characteristics and so they would desire to be a certain kind of person. Therefore, people usually convey corresponding image, which consists of those characteristics. Most of the impressions people want to form are to be liked by others. With this background, the present study attempts to examine the use of Facebook and its different tools used by participants to create and manage an online identity. The researcher also wants to explore relationship between self- presentation image conveyed on Facebook among individuals that they would tend to project certain behaviours in order to convey their desired image online. In the first phase, a quantitative approach was followed. A survey was conducted with 300 college-going students in Delhi to explore their engagements to manage their impressions by using different Facebook tools like posting photographs, status updates, joining groups and pages and displaying their likes on Facebook. The goal of this research is to ascertain the ways in which the college goers use Facebook tools to present themselves online, and to identify the consequences of these actions. Using qualitative approach, in the second phase, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 30 active Facebook users to provide insights into the decisions and analyse their use of Facebook sites to convey the desired image. Also, the relationship between the frequently used patterns on Facebook and types of self-presentation shaped were analysed. The findings establish which tools of Facebook are used to create and manage one’s identity and the consequences of online identity creation in relation to the management of diverse social networks.
Suq Al-Saray, Al-Mutanabbi Street and the book trade in Baghdad in the 1940s: A personal narrative
Authors: Karim Ghazi A.
Published: February 2016

A personal narrative describing the selling and publishing of books in Baghdad in the 1940s in the old Suq Al Saray where virtually all bookshops were located at that time. The essay also includes consideration of Al Mutanabbi Street which became associated with the public marketing of books and other publications. It is shown that the period considered reflects on a society, city and a country that had many positive features such as cohesion, aspirations and strengths that have virtually little resemblance to the Iraq and Baghdad of recent decades.
The consistency of the Iraqi claims on Kuwait during the monarchy and the republic: 1921–1963
Authors: Al-Hamdi Mohaned
Published: February 2016

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait; this action was a shock to the rest of the world. However, this action was not unprecedented. Historically, Iraq has laid claim to Kuwait since before World War I. In this research, I discuss the main occurrences of and reasoning behind Iraq’s claims on Kuwait. The main objective of this research is to highlight the importance of incorporating the historical relationship between the two countries in research relating to Arab countries. Historically, economically and socially Iraq’s claim to Kuwait is not resolved. Therefore, the UN demarcation of the borders between the two neighbours should not lead us to believe that this dispute is buried forever.
Protexte
Authors: Clare Jennifer
Published: February 2016

Um 1968 waren literarische Schreibprozesse bekanntermaßen eng mit Aktionen politischer Opposition verbunden. Was aber passierte genau in ihrem Aufeinandertreffen, wie und wo interagierten sie? Jennifer Clare zeichnet ein Panorama von gegenseitigen Einflüssen und Synergien, aber auch von Störungen, Verunsicherungen und Inkompatibilitäten. Ein besonderer Fokus der Studie liegt dabei auf zeitgenössischen Schreibprozessen und Poetiken: Inwiefern ist ihnen das Spannungsfeld zwischen Schreiben und politischer Opposition eingeschrieben? Wie machen sie es produktiv? Und welchen Anteil haben sie selbst an ihm? Eine kulturpoetologische Spurensuche in einer politisierten und schreibfreudigen Zeit.
Mission Museion
Authors: Knacker Katharina
Published: February 2016

Wieso betreibt die katholische Kirche Museen? Mit diesem Buch betritt Katharina Knacker ein bisher kaum berücksichtigtes Forschungsfeld: das Museum in katholischer Trägerschaft. Sie liefert einen kunsthistorischen Überblick der Entwicklung dieser Institution im deutschsprachigen Raum - von Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts bis ins neue Jahrtausend - und hinterfragt die Intentionen der Betreiber. In empirischen Studien analysiert sie die aktuelle Arbeit von vier Einrichtungen: »Kolumba« (Köln), »Museum am Dom« (Würzburg), »Museum des Stifts Admont« (Admont) und »Dombergmuseum« (Freising).
Körper, Uniformen und Offiziere
Authors: Voß Torsten
Published: February 2016

Die Uniform zieht sich als kulturhistorisches Zitat durch einen Großteil europäischer Narrative, auch wenn sie heute ihre status- und distinktionsbildende Funktion längst verloren hat. Grund genug, sich unter dem komplexen Beziehungsverhältnis von Körper und Uniform mit soldatischen Männlichkeitsimaginationen (Offizier) und ihren medialen, ästhetischen und semantischen Codierungen im (sozial-)historischen Wandel auseinanderzusetzen. Torsten Voß rekonstruiert hierzu exemplarisch deutsche, österreichische und französische Erzähltexte vom 17. Jahrhundert über die Romantik bis nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg - etwa von Grimmelshausen, Ernst Jünger und Hermann Broch - und erörtert die sich daraus ergebenden Inklusions- und Exklusionsprozesse auch unter Hinzunahme gendertheoretischer Erkenntnisinteressen.
Zwischen Dokumentation und Imagination
Authors: Marlog Vanessa
Published: February 2016

Dokumentarfilme erfreuen sich immer größerer Beliebtheit. Es scheint, als ermögliche das digitale Zeitalter diesen Filmen eine neue Freiheit: Neue Erzählstrategien des ethnologischen Films überschreiten zunehmend die Grenzen zwischen fiktionalen und dokumentarischen Formen. Anhand von sechs Einzelanalysen ausgewählter Dokumentarfilme zeigt Vanessa Marlog zukunftsweisende Entwicklungen und Tendenzen des zeitgenössischen ethnologischen Films auf. Ihr medienanalytischer Ansatz, der zudem Verbindungen zu populäreren Werken aus Kino und Fernsehen zieht, macht die Studie über die Grenzen des Fachs hinaus anschlussfähig.
American Mobilities
Authors: Leyda Julia
Published: February 2016

American Mobilities investigates representations of mobility - social, economic, geographic - in American film and literature during the Depression, WWII, and the early Cold War. With an emphasis on the dual meaning of "domestic," referring to both the family home and the nation, this study traces the important trope of mobility that runs through the "American" century. Juxtaposing canonical fiction with popular, and low-budget independent films with Classical Hollywood, Leyda brings the analytic tools of American cultural and literary studies to bear on an eclectic array of primary texts as she builds a case for the significance of mobility in the study of the United States.
Money or diversity? An implementation analysis of the Voluntary Transfer Program in St. Louis, 1999-2009
Authors: Grooms Ain A.
Published: February 2016

A dual transfer program was created in 1983 in the St. Louis metropolitan area following a 1972 lawsuit brought upon the city, charging it with withholding an equal educational opportunity for Black students. Through this program, Black students from St. Louis City are provided with free transportation to one of 15 suburban school districts, and White students from the surrounding suburbs are eligible to attend city magnet schools. At its peak in 1999, enrollment reached approximately 15,000 students, of which over 13,500 were from St. Louis City. Following the lifting of the court order in 1999, suburban participation became voluntary and tuition reimbursements to the participating suburban districts were reduced. By 2009, program enrollment had fallen to approximately 7,000 students, of which 6,800 were from St. Louis City. Using critical policy analysis and a media framing analysis on almost 100 newspaper articles collected from four media outlets, this study found that, between 1999 and 2009, suburban implementation of the voluntary transfer program was largely affected by economic factors.  Though the program is still in operation, and will continue through at least the 2018-2019 school year, this research raises important questions about the various factors that contribute to or hinder implementation of this long-running voluntary desegregation program.
Methodologies Used for Scaling-up From a Single Energy Production Unit to State Energy Sector
Authors: Cimdina Ginta , Timma Lelde , Veidenbergs Ivars , Blumberga Dagnija
Published: February 2016

In a well-functioning and sustainable national energy sector, each of its elements should function with maximum efficiency. To ensure maximum efficiency and study possible improvement of the sector, a scaling-up framework is presented in this work. The scaling-up framework means that the starting point is a CHP unit and its operation, the next step of aggregation is in a district heating network, followed by a municipal energy plan and finally leading to a low carbon strategy. In this framework the authors argue, that the successful, innovative practices developed and tested at the lower level of aggregation can be then transferred to the upper levels of aggregation, thus leading to a scaling-up effect of innovative practices. The work summarizes 12 methodologies used in the energy sector, by dividing these methodologies among the levels of aggregation in a scaling-up framework.
Life Cycle Cost of Solar Biomass Hybrid Dryer Systems for Cashew Drying of Nuts in India
Authors: Dhanushkodi Saravanan , H. Wilson Vincent , Sudhakar Kumarasamy
Published: February 2016

Cashew nut farming in India is mostly carried out in small and marginal holdings. Energy consumption in the small scale cashew nut processing industry is very high and is mainly due to the high energy consumption of the drying process. The drying operation provides a lot of scope for energy saving and substitutions of other renewable energy sources. Renewable energy-based drying systems with loading capacity of 40 kg were proposed for application in small scale cashew nut processing industries. The main objective of this work is to perform economic feasibility of substituting solar, biomass and hybrid dryer in place of conventional steam drying for cashew drying. Four economic indicators were used to assess the feasibility of three renewable based drying technologies. The payback time was 1.58 yr. for solar, 1.32 for biomass and 1.99 for the hybrid drying system, whereas as the cost-benefit estimates were 5.23 for solar, 4.15 for biomass and 3.32 for the hybrid system. It was found that it is of paramount importance to develop solar biomass hybrid dryer for small scale processing industries.
Feasibility of Applying Clean Development Mechanism and GHGs Emission Reductions in the Gold Mining Industry: A Case of Thailand
Authors: Kittipongvises Suthirat
Published: February 2016

There is presently overwhelming scientific consensus that global climate change is indeed occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver. An increasingly resource and carbon constrained world will continue to pose formidable challenges to major industries, including mining. Understanding the implications of climate change mitigation for the mining industry, however, remains limited. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study on the implementation of a clean development mechanism and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reductions in the gold mining industry. It draws upon and extends the analysis of a case study conducted on gold mining operations in Thailand. The results from the case study indicated that total GHGs emissions by company A were approximately 36,886 tons carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e) per annual gold production capacity that meet the eligibility criteria for small-scaled clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. The electrostatic separation process was found to release the lowest amount of GHGs, whereas comminution (i.e. crushing and grinding) generated the highest GHGs emissions. By scope, the emission from purchased electricity (scope 2) is the most significant source. Opportunities for CDM projects implementation in the gold mining sector can be found in employing energy efficiency measures. Through innovation, some technical efficiency and technological development in gold processing (i.e. high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), vertical roller mills (VRM), gravity pre-concentration and microwave heating technologies) that have the potential to reduce energy use and also lower carbon footprint of the gold mining were further discussed. The evidence reviews found that HPGR and VRM abatement technologies have shown energy and climate benefits as electricity savings and CO2 reduction of about 8-25.93 kWh/ton ore processed and 1.8-26.66 kgCO2/ton ore processed, respectively. Implications for further research and practice were finally raised.
Waste-to-biomethane Concept Application: A Case Study of Valmiera City in Latvia
Authors: Barisa Aiga , Dzene Ilze , Rosa Marika , Dobraja Kristine
Published: February 2016

The current needs of sustainable urban development are rising. As the transport sector expands, emissions continue to rise. Due to their negative impact on human health and the environment, air quality requirements are becoming more and more stringent. At the same time, the amount of waste is increasing. Europe Union policies attempt to relieve the pressure that these two stressors place on urban systems as they themselves expand. Today different solutions are available to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase air quality and improve waste management systems. Among them, waste-to-biomethane for use in urban systems deserves more attention. The paper focuses on application of the concept of waste-to-biomethane and the case study of Valmiera is evaluated. The results show that the application of the waste-to-biomethane strategy can contribute to a complete substitution of diesel fuel in urban buses and gives savings of around 1,000 tCO2/year. The price of the biomethane was found to be the most sensitive input factor. It is suggested that it should not exceed 0.40 EUR/Nm3 for a fuel conversion project of a fleet of 10 vehicles. Such a price can be ensured, if dry fermentation technology is chosen for biogas production. However, from the sustainability perspective, wet fermentation is more preferable due to the introduction of a source-separated organic waste management system in the region and higher gas yields. Introduction of this alternative requires additional funds which is a question of policy-level decisions.
Approaches to the Organization of the Energy Efficient Activity at the Regional Level in the Context of Limited Budget Resources during the Transformation of Energy Market Paradigm
Authors: Vakulenko Ihor , Myroshnychenko Iuliia
Published: February 2016

The research is devoted to the problem of the assessment of the integrated projects investment efficiency, energy saving and energy efficiency measures for social and municipal buildings within the course aimed at the reduction of the natural gas consumption and its replacement by alternative fuel types, that is important for a number of European countries, and Ukraine in particular. The objectives of the research are as follows: comparative assessment of the quality of integrated and element-by-element approaches to energy saving encompassing investment, environmental, social and organizational aspects; the formulation of practical recommendations to improve the efficiency of development and implementation of integrated programs in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency. It is proposed to use the methodology of system analysis with the elements of deduction that is practical and that allows to set key factors that influence the processes of energy replacement and energy efficiency increase, as well as factors that constrain them.
Thermogravimetric and Kinetic Analysis of Melon (Citrullus colocynthis L.) Seed Husk Using the Distributed Activation Energy Model
Authors: Nyakuma Bemgba Bevan
Published: February 2016

This study seeks to characterize the thermochemical fuel properties of melon seed husk (MSH) as a potential biomass feedstock for clean energy and power generation. It examined the ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and thermal decomposition of MSH. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis was examined at 5, 10, 20 °C/min from 30-800 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. Subsequently, the Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM) was applied to determine the activation energy, E, and frequency factor, A. The results revealed that thermal decomposition of MSH occurs in three (3) stages; drying (30-150 °C), devolatization (150-400 °C) and char degradation (400-800 °C). Kinetic analysis revealed that the E values fluctuated from 145.44-300 kJ/mol (Average E = 193 kJ/mol) while A ranged from 2.64 × 1010 to 9.18 × 1020 min-1 (Average E = 9.18 × 1019 min-1) highlighting the complexity of MSH pyrolysis. The fuel characterization and kinetics of MSH showed it is an environmentally friendly solid biofuel for future thermal biomass conversion.
The consequences and effects of language transformations in legal discourse
Authors: Nuessel Frank
Published: February 2016

The discursive use of language in legal contexts is multifaceted and complex. First, it begins with the chain of oral narrative structures (victim, witness, suspect accounts) and written texts (confessions, notes, depositions, letters, Internet documents, email, tweets, telephone records) used in a court of law. The transcription of oral communiqués is a potentially transformative phase of evidence production that may be flawed (ambiguity, error, mistakes, gaps, misrepresentation). Second, it includes or/excludes the textual and narrative representation of nonverbal communication (kinesics, paralanguage, proxemics) and how it is recorded (transcripts, graphics, video, enactments). At each stage of the legal process, interpretation of narrative structures and texts plays a key role in the ultimate meaning of verbal and nonverbal communication. Third, it concerns interrogation strategies and tactics in preliminary evidence gathering as well as in the courtroom. Fourth, it involves translation of documents written in another language or interpretation of oral statements in another language to the language of the courtroom.
Finite Systems Handling Language (YAFOLL message 1)
Authors: Shkotin Alex
Published: February 2016

The concept a finite multi-carrier algebraic system (FMAS) as well as a language for handling systems such as YAFOLL (Yet Another First Order Logic Language) are introduced. The applicability of such systems to building a mathematical model of a part of reality, i.e. a mathematical structure that can be asked questions about the properties of subject domain objects and processes, is demonstrated.
Poland: A Dark Side of Church Cultural Policy
Authors: Szocik Konrad , Szyja Aneta
Published: February 2016

The cultural policy of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland is incorporated into state-run cultural policies. The organs of public authority enforce the objectives of Church regardless of Church’s actual ability to influence the society. It should be pointed out that the secularization of religion in Poland is frequently misinterpreted and usually equated with its deprivatization. It is worth mentioning that Catholicism is the dominant religion of the country and the Roman Catholic Church has hold a special position in Poland and play a major role in the country’s social and political life. In practice, however, Polish society appears to be religiously indifferent. This paper proves that the official, state-run cultural policy in Poland is based on favoritism of the Roman Catholic Church, regardless of Church’s actual ability to wield influence on society. Thus, there is a variety of implicit and explicit cultural policies implemented by the authorities to support Church. This work also aims at addressing the question of social attitudes to women, especially the one concerning the UN and EU law embracing women’s rights, until recently still not implemented in Poland. This paper further explores some peculiarities of this topic as an example of a specific outcome of Church cultural policy and its impact on both the past and present-day society.
Die Differenzierung der Religion
Authors: Vanderstraeten Raf
Published: February 2016

Dieser Text bietet eine kritische Rekonstruktion der Spätarbeiten Talcott Parsons’ zum Thema der Religion. Der Schwerpunkt des Textes liegt auf Parsons’ differenzierungstheoretischer Analyse des Christentums. Nach Parsons geht die zunehmende Differenzierung spezialisierter gesellschaftlicher Teilsysteme nicht mit dem Verlust religiöser Deutungsmuster zugunsten weltlicher oder säkularer Handlungsorientierungen einher. Im Gegenteil kann gerade die Differenzierung der Religion die gesellschaftliche Relevanz dieses Teilsystems verstärken. Parsons betonte insbesondere die stark interventionistische oder aktivistische Orientierung des Christentums sowie die Bedeutsamkeit seiner ›historischen Mission‹, die Welt zu transformieren und das Königreich Gottes auf Erden zu errichten. Er wies auch auf Differenzierungsprozesse im Christentum selbst hin, insbesondere auf die Differenzierung zwischen geistlicher Kommunikation (z.B. im Gottesdienst) und einer generalisierten christlichen Ethik der Nächstenliebe (Zivilreligion). Aus Parsons’ Sicht könnte die Institutionalisierung einer verbindenden Zivilreligion die zentrifugalen Konsequenzen der Differenzierung korrigieren. Vor diesem Hintergrund können auch Niklas Luhmanns Analysen der Ausdifferenzierung der Religion in der modernen Gesellschaft besser verstanden werden.
On some characterizations of strong power
graphs of finite groups
Authors: Bhuniya A. K. , Bera Sudip
Published: February 2016

Let G be a finite group of order n. The strong power graph Ps(G) of G is the undirected graph whose
vertices are the elements of G such that two distinct vertices a and b are adjacent if am1=bm2 for some positive
integers m1, m2 < n. In this article we classify all groups G for which Ps(G) is a line graph. Spectrum and
permanent of the Laplacian matrix of the strong power graph Ps(G) are found for any finite group G.
Chancen eines zentralen Marketings für Genossenschaftsbanken
Authors: Götzl Stephan
Published: February 2016

Die bayerischen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken sind einem zunehmend verschärften Wettbewerb ausgesetzt. Insbesondere neue Marktteilnehmer aus dem Ausland, Direktbanken und Nischenanbieter dringen in die Geschäftsfelder der Verbundsysteme ein. Der Genossenschaftsverband Bayern stärkt seine Mitglieder mit den Instrumenten des strategischen Marketings und der Vertriebsunterstützung. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt das Agieren des Genossenschaftsverbandes Bayern.
Erfolgreiches Marketing im Retail-Banking
Authors: Kohlleppel Laurenz
Published: February 2016

Das Geschäftsmodell der Sparda-Banken - die Fokussierung auf das standardisierte Privatkundengeschäft – ist mit der Wiederentdeckung des Retail-Bankings Gegen­stand breiter Aufmerksamkeit geworden. Die Sparda-Banken verfügen über Erfahrung und Tradition mit diesem Geschäftsmodell, die im heutigen Wettbewerbsumfeld ihresgleichen suchen.

Welche Implikationen die aktuelle Wettbewerbssituation insbesondere für das Marketing der Sparda-Banken aufweist, wie sich die gruppenübergreifende Marketingarbeit gestaltet und sich in die regionale Geschäftspolitik der Sparda-Banken einfügt – dies sind Punkte, die im Verlauf dieses Beitrags thematisiert werden.
Die Bedeutung des Marketings in Handelskooperationen
Authors: Schäfer Peter
Published: February 2016

Mit zunehmendem Markenbewusstsein bei den Endverbrauchern hat auch das Marketing in Verbundgruppen an Gewicht gewonnen. Die Erarbeitung von Markt- und Sortimentskonzepten hat sich daher zu einer der Kernfunktionen moderner Systemzentralen entwickelt. Die Erhaltung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des mittelständischen Einzelhandels gegenüber den filialisierten Großbetriebsformen des Einzelhandels ist in vielen Branchen nur noch durch die Mitgliedschaft in Kooperationen möglich, die für ihre Verbundgruppenmitglieder Dachmarken, Betriebstypen, Eigen- und Exklusivmarken sowie Sortimentskonzepte entwickeln und zur Verfügung stellen. Der Artikel beleuchtet die Elemente eines zeitgemäßen Verbundgruppenmarketings und die Erfolgsfaktoren vor dem Hintergrund jüngster Handelsentwicklungen.
Strukturen genossenschaftlicher Prüfungsverbände - Optimaler Mitgliedernutzen und Grenzen der Größe
Authors: Horst Frank , Walter Karl-Friedrich
Published: February 2016

Die Diskussion um die optimale Mindestbetriebsgröße von Unternehmen betrifft nicht nur eingetragene Genossenschaften (eG), sondern wird auch auf genossenschaftliche Prüfungsverbände ausgeweitet. Dabei setzt sich in vielen Fällen die Erkenntnis durch, dass allein mit einer Fusion und der damit verbundenen Unternehmensvergrößerung nicht zwingend eine Erhöhung des optimalen Mitgliedernutzens erzielt wird.
Zum konfuzianischen Verständnis des Genossenschaftsgedankens
Authors: Jeon Hyeong-Soo , Kang Il-Sun , Münkner Hans-H.
Published: February 2016

Gibt es globale genossenschaftliche Grundwerte? Lässt sich zwischen westlichen und asiatischen Werten unterscheiden? Sind asiatische Werte ein Erfolgsfaktor für die schnell wachsende Genossenschaftsbewegung in Asien? Sind Werte von einem Land auf ein anderes übertragbar? Antworten auf diese Fragen gibt der folgende Beitrag. Es folgt eine Betrachtung über kulturspezifische Ausprägungen von Kooperation, Individualismus und kooperativem Individualismus. Abschließend wird diskutiert, was deutsche Genossenschaftler aus diesen Überlegungen lernen können.
Raiffeisen 21: „Neue Solidarität" im gesellschaftlichen Umfeld - Herausforderung und Chance für Unternehmen und Mitglieder
Authors: Brixner Jörg
Published: February 2016

Das schon immer hohe Engagement von Raiffeisengenossenschaften für gesellschaftliche Belange gilt es durch „neue Solidarität“ zeitgemäß fortzuentwickeln. Leitlinien für die Genossenschaftspraxis machen beispielhaft deutlich, wie durch positive Rückwirkungen aus dem gesellschaftlichen Umfeld die Förderfähigkeit gestärkt wird und die Mitglieder dadurch wirksamer gefördert werden.
Seniorengenossenschaften - Selbsthilfegruppen mit Entwicklungspotenzial
Authors: Köstler Ursula
Published: February 2016

Seniorengenossenschaften praktizieren eine ursprüngliche soziale Hilfeform der gegenseitigen Unterstützung, welche die Forderung nach einer aktiven Bürgergesellschaft mit mehr Selbstbestimmung und Selbstorganisation umsetzt. Die Basis bilden langfristige generalisierte Reziprozität, soziales Vertrauen und zwischenmenschliche, gabeorientierte Kooperation innerhalb eines Beziehungsnetzes. Eine explorative Feldstudie des Kölner Seminars für Genossenschaftswesen unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Frank Schulz-Nieswandt befragte Seniorengenossenschaften als innovatives Konzept der Selbsthilfe.
Regionalgeld-Initiativen als Genossenschaften?
Authors: Blisse Holger , Herrmann Muriel , Volkmann Krister
Published: February 2016

Regionalgeld-Initiativen tragen dazu bei, die regionalen Wirtschaftskreisläufe zu stabilisieren, Kaufkraft in den Regionen zu binden oder sogar zu erzeugen, wenn ein Tauschring eingebunden ist. Bisher sind die Träger der Regionalgelder als Vereine tätig. Mit den Änderungen des deutschen GenG vom August 2006 ist die eingetragene Genossenschaft als Rechtsform attraktiv(er) geworden und wurde Anfang 2007 bereits von einer Regionalgeld-Initiative gewählt. Was sich hinter „Regionalgeld“ verbirgt und welche Rolle dabei die Trägergesellschaft spielt, wird im Folgenden vorgestellt.
Geplante Auswirkungen des BilMoG auf die genossenschaftliche Pflichtprüfung
Authors: Ott Eckhard , Weller Heino
Published: February 2016

Die im Referentenentwurf des Bilanzrechtsmodernisierungsgesetzes (BilMoG) vorgesehenen Reformen umfassen auch Neuerungen im Bereich der handelsrechtlichen Jahresabschlussprüfung. Damit gehen korrespondierende Änderungen im Bereich der genossenschaftlichen Pflichtprüfung einher, die Gegenstand dieses Beitrags sind.
ZfgG - Interview: Ulrich Fehl im Gespräch mit Walter Weinkauf: Strukturentscheidungen im Verbandswesen
Authors: Fehl Ulrich , Weinkauf Walter
Published: February 2016

Professor Dr. Ulrich Fehl führte am 17. Januar 2008 in Neu-Isenburg ein Interview mit Verbandspräsident Dipl.-Betriebsw. (FH) Walter Weinkauf, Vorsitzender des Vorstandes des Genossenschaftsverbands Frankfurt e. V. In dem Gespräch wird die nunmehr dreijährige Amtszeit von Herrn Weinkauf zum Anlass genommen, über künftige Handlungsfelder und -strategien des Frankfurter Verbands speziell und über den Strukturwandel in der Verbandslandschaft allgemein zu sprechen.