cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Price Setting in Online Grocery Markets: The Case of Chocolate
Creators: name: Herrmann, Roland
name: Grein, Theresa
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Online markets are developing rapidly in many industrialized countries and have already reached a rather mature status for some product categories. This, however, is not the case in the food sector. In Germany, the online food market captured still less than 1 % of total food sales in 2014. Despite this small share of the online market, the segment is clearly increasing and major players on the offline grocery market engage themselves on the online market, too, or they plan to do so. It is intended in this paper to contribute to our knowledge on competitive strategies of multichannel suppliers and pure online traders which are active on this growing market segment. A major element of competitive strategies on the online market for foods is pricing. We concentrate on pricing strategies of multichannel firms and pure online traders on the German online market and present evidence for the product group chocolate.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Hazardous proximity zone design for heavy construction equipment
Creators: name: Awolusi, Ibukun G.
name: Marks, Eric D.
name: Pradhananga, Nipesh
name: Cheng, Tao
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: The construction industry continues to be among the leading industries for workplace fatalities in the U.S. After experiencing 824 fatal injuries in 2013, the construction industry continues to rank as one of the most dangerous work environments when compared to other private industrial sectors in the U.S. Conditions of construction sites often produce hazardous proximity situations by requiring ground workers and heavy equipment to operator at close proximity. The gathered injury and fatality statistics indicate that current safety practices of construction workers have proven inadequate. The objective is to design hazard zone around pieces of heavy construction equipment in which ground personnel should not enter during construction operations. The scope is limited to construction sites and equipment at a horizontal grade and hazards between heavy construction equipment and workers-on-foot. A framework for creating the hazard zone around any piece of construction equipment is presented including detailed methodology discussions for each step. The hazard zone for a dump truck, excavator, and backhoe are shown using the created framework. Construction resource tracking data was used to validate the created hazard zone around a dump truck. Results indicate that hazard zones for ground workers can be created around construction equipment to increase hazard awareness for workers. Furthermore, additional safety standards can be formulated based on the ability to design and eventually implement hazard zones on construction equipment.
Reference Price Formation for Product Innovations – the Role of Consistent Price-Value-Relationships
Creators: name: Peschel, Anne Odile
name: Zielke, Stephan
name: Scholderer, Joachim
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: When deciding between product alternatives, consumers have to compare the observed prices to their internal reference price to determine whether the offer is a good deal or not. For product innovations, for which no reference price has been established, it is unclear against which standard the observed price is compared. Despite extensive research on the use of reference prices, little attention has been devoted to the formation of an internal reference price for an unfamiliar product category. We suggest two mechanisms of how reference prices are constructed and find support for these in two experiments. Reference prices for an unfamiliar product category can either be formed through repeated exposure to incidental price information or through transfer of price information from a familiar, similar product category to an unfamiliar product category. Crucial is however that the product price-value relationship is consistent; a condition often not accounted for in product innovation testing.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
A Topos Subverted: Dislocating “Italy” in 20th and early 21st Century German Literature
Creators: name: TAYLOR, FRANCESCA BEATA TELTSCHER
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Literature
subject: 200307 German Language
subject: FOS: Languages and literature

description: Italy has played an important role in the German imagination for centuries. While the 19th century tradition is well researched, its continuation in the 20th and 21st centuries has barely been considered. By analysing six texts, this thesis finds that the topos continues to have relevance. It has, however, been revised, subverted and radicalised, to speak to new contemporary contexts and give voice to a fractious, post-war German sense of self. The analysed texts breathe a new lease of life into the literary “Italy” and add—as I have discovered—a new critical dimension to the complex of literary “self-formation” (or "Bildung").
Financial Markets and Agricultural Commodities: Volatility Impulse Response Analysis
Creators: name: Baldi, Lucia
name: Peri, Massimo
name: Vandone, Daniela
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: The recent global food crisis has caused an increase in agricultural market volatility, raising important questions on the determinants of this instability. Many studies have analyzed this issue focusing on main factors affecting price volatility, as past volatility and trends, transmission across prices, oil price volatility, export concentration, stock levels and yields (Balcombe, 2010).
Existing empirical literature identifies different drivers of volatility; among them, financialization and speculation are by far one of the most important. Indeed, with the introduction of agricultural commodity as an alternative asset class in investment portfolios, and the consequent increasing integration between commodity markets and major financial markets, there has been a growing convergence of risk-adjusted returns on assets class across markets, and an increase in the risk of volatility spillovers from outside to commodity markets due to portfolio rebalancing of institutional investors (Adams and Gluck, 2015).
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Supplementary document for Polarization-dependent four-port fiber optical circulator based on Sagnac effect - 6107216.pdf
Creators: name: Regelskis, Kestutis
name: Kodz, Jaroslav
name: Gavrilinas, Nikolajus
name: Zeludevivcius, Julijanas
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Thermal control of fiber birefringence
Distinguishing between ‘Normal’ and ‘Extreme’ Price Volatility in Food Security Assessment
Creators: name: Huffaker, Ray
name: Canavari, Maurizio
name: Muñoz-Carpena, R.
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Volatile food prices are held to threaten food security worldwide, but controversy over how to distinguish between ‘normal’ and ‘extreme’ volatility compromises threat assessment and identification of countermeasures. Whether food-market dynamics normally stabilize or destabilize prices is the source of controversy. The conventional view is that market dynamics are inherently stable so that price volatility—arising from exogenous shocks normally stabilizes due to forces of supply and demand. Extended food panics are improbable, reducing need for interventionist public policy. An emergent alternative view is that market dynamics are inherently unstable so that volatility persists endogenously. Interventionist public policy is needed to deal with chronic food panics.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Dairy Price commodity in Italy: volatility and forecast after milk quotas
Creators: name: Rosa, F.
name: Weaver, R.
name: Vasciaveo, M.
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: The EU dairy industry is facing an unprecedented change since the removal of milk quotas has exposes the sector to the world competition with strongly organized multinational traders. The basic question of this paper is if the milk quota expiration will have any impact on market equilibria and decisions of agents operating at various market levels. This paper has been preceded by two other papers discussing various issues about dairy market in Italy: market asymmetries and consequences for price transmission and presence of oligopoly competition and consequences for price setting. The present analysis uses the time series analysis of weekly dairy prices to test the market behavior before and after quota regime. Volatility was tested with simple CV, SD indexes and more complexes Arch-Garch models including the breaks and changes in market regime correlated to policy adjustments. Results suggest a moderate change in volatility; our explanation is the Italian dairy sector was for long time protected from world market competition and a consistent amount of raw milk processed for cheese production was managed by the coop organization that transferred to the dairy farms the margins realized at other market levels. The future scenario is more pessimistic in absence of any protection: some structural changes needed to face the world competition could have been postponed in this protected market with the OCM. The expected growth of milk supply after quota will determine a decline in the raw milk price becoming closer to the marginal costs of the most efficient dairy farms in the world. This will cause the exit of a great number of dairy farms, the restructuring of the dairy industry and more concentration at retail level.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Price Margins in the Finnish Food Chain
Creators: name: Peltoniemi, Ari
name: Niemi, Jyrki
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: There is a growing interest – among consumers, the media, political decision-makers and the food system at large – in more detailed information on the formation of consumer prices for foodstuffs. This paper, based on Finnish case evidence, is an opportunity to increase the transparency of the food chain as well as consumers’ knowledge of its functioning. The aim of this study is to present an analysis of the price margin data for selected food products falling into three sectors: meat products, dairy products and cereal products. More specifically, the objective is to determine the share of consumer food prices taken by each actor along the food supply chain: primary production, processing, and retailing, as well as government taxes.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Best value procurements for highway design-bid-build projects
Creators: name: Kolli, Bharath R.
name: Tran, Daniel
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: Best value procurement is the process in which factors additional to price are considered in the selection of a contractor. Time, operation and maintenance, technical and managerial merit, and past performance are the other key factors considered along with price in best value projects. Compared to the low-bid procurement, best value procurement offers several advantages, including opportunities to improve project quality, promote innovation, and enhance project performance. Best value procurement, while commonplace in highway design-build (D-B) projects, is limited in use for design-bid-build (D-B-B) projects. This paper explores the procedure and existing practices of D-B-B best value contracts for highway projects. Data was collected from a survey questionnaire, structured interviews, and case studies. The survey questionnaire was nationwide distributed to 52 state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to identify the practices of using best value procurement in transportation projects. The seven structured interviews and four case studies were conducted in detail to investigate the opportunities and challenges of evaluation criteria, selection methodologies, and evaluation committee structure in D-B-B best value projects. The results indicate that evaluation criteria and selection methods are established on a project-by-project basis. The owner agency should develop selection criteria and establish evaluation committees that are most beneficial to a given project. This paper provides some guidance for state DOTs to use best value procurement for their D-B-B projects.
Ergonomics and physical demand analysis in a construction manufacturing facility
Creators: name: Xinming, Li
name: Fan, Gordon
name: Abudan, Abdullah
name: Sukkarieh, Majd
name: Gül, Mustafa
name: El-Rich, Marwan
name: Al-Hussein, Mohamed
name: Inyang, Ndukeabasi
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: Poor workstation design in a manufacturing facility negatively impacts the health and safety of workers, which hampers productivity. A systematic tool, Physical Demand Analysis (PDA), is utilized in a case-study project to quantify and evaluate physical labour and body posture for various production line tasks in a window and door manufacturing company. This paper presents the implementation PDA focusing on the design of the PDA form template, plant observation, and ergonomic risk identification. The data collection methodology and the implementation of time studies for plant observation are described. Four main ergonomic risks are identified: static whole body posture, manual material handling, sensory problem, and awkward body postures. Detailed observation findings, risk assessment method, analysis results and suggested corresponding corrective measures with regard to these four risks are described in this paper.
Adapting Supply Chain Management for Local Foods Logistics
Creators: name: Engelseth, Per
name: Hogset, Heidi
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Supply chain management is adapted to the particularities of local foods production characterised by short chains and intensive horizontal and vertical networking in an integrated context. A case study of chain of local foods logistics to a common retailer in Norway empirically grounds what constitutes "supply chain management of local foods". Findings based on analysis applying contingency theory indicate that local foods chains not only are short in structure. They are differentiated grounded in a developed local reputation. They also resemble in structure as well as operations more service supply chains than modernistic supply chains due of heightened reciprocal interdependencies demanding quality networking. The exchange economy is therefore vital in managing local foods logistics.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
ADSORPTION METHODS OF CLEANING, DRYING AND DEBENZINIZING NATURAL GASES
Creators: name: Makhmudov, M.J.
name: Yomgurov, S.A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025

description: The reliability of operation of gas transportation systems (GTS), of which gas preparation units for transportation (UPGT) are an integral part, puts forward certain requirements for the quality of the transported gas. The main ones are the dew point for moisture and hydrocarbons.
Preliminary investigation of the impact of project delivery method on dispute resolution method choice in public highway projects
Creators: name: Gad, Ghada M.
name: Momoh, Ayodeji K.
name: Esmaeili, Behzad
name: Gransberg, Douglas G.
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: The use of alternative project delivery methods (PDMs) is perceived to create collaborative environments that result in less adversarial relationships between construction parties, which consequently leads to less disputes. While many research studies investigated the alternative PDMs’ impact on cost, schedule, quality, and sustainability, there is limited research to empirically investigate the impact of the PDM on the dispute resolution process choice. This aim of this paper is to conduct a preliminary investigation on how PDMs’ choice has affected Department of Transportation (DOTs) selection of the dispute resolution method (DRM). To achieve this objective, the researchers conducted content analysis of three State DOTs’ specification documents, both for Design-Bid-Build (DBB) and Design-Build (DB) PDMs. Results show that a stepped process is used in all three states with some form alternative DRM being used before resorting to litigation to provide opportunity for prevention and early resolution of disputes. In terms of PDM effect on the DRM, one state used an amicable dispute resolution process that fosters partnerships in DB and not in DBB projects, while another used partnering efforts regardless of the PDM employed. Also, the use of non-binding DRBs in another DOTs’ DB specifications before resorting to binding DRM provide opportunity for amicable ADR methods to be used before being escalated to litigation. This study serves as a preliminary investigation of how PDM choice could affect the way disputes are handled and results show that there is no consistent manner on which the dispute resolution process is selected based on PDM.
The Role of Agri-food Processor in the Food Economics
Creators: name: Bezat-Jarzębowska, Agnieszka
name: Rembisz, Włodzimierz
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Theoretical description of the agri-food market allows for identification of three entities whose interactions determine the market balance. In this perspective, we can distinguish consumers, agri-food processors and agricultural producers. They form a kind of circular flow of interdependent entities. The behavior of each of them conditions the behavior of others.
The goal of the paper is to evaluate the role of processor in the food supply chain. We also raise the question of food processors in the context of their impact on the producers through prices of agricultural raw materials. The considerations are made basing on formal analytical models referring to the standards on the reasoning in microeconomics which are expand by the empirical evidence of analyzed problems.
The processor is crucial to the sustainability of growth in the agri-food sector, because by seeking to maximize his objective function he determines the price level of agricultural products produced by the producers, under the assumption that the price of agricultural raw materials is determined by their marginal utility for the processor. It is also the basis for isolating the intermediate demand, which is reported by the agri-food processor for agricultural raw materials and direct (final) demand reported by the consumer.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Process trainer
Creators: name: Slinker, Dylan
name: Rankin, Dylan
name: Troutman, Chris
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2017

description: Professor Brad Kicklighter, our customer and US I faculty member, tasked our group with
designing and implementing a fully functional process trainer from the ground up. This process
trainer would control water level in a tank through a user set-point, and would also be capable of
running four modes of control: On/Off, Proportional, Proportional Integral, and Proportional
Integral Derivative. Upon completion, this process trainer will be used in future Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition classes in order for students to control and investigate
programmable logic control functions and programs.
From the beginning of this project, Mr. Kicklighter strongly suggested that we divide and
conquer our objectives. With that being said, we split the work into four main categories:
Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, and Modes of Control. We also developed a schedule to use as
a guideline and to keep us on track to finish by week 12. Basically, we needed to find a
foundation for the system, develop a means of moving the water, and also implement a ladder
logic program for all four modes of control.
Role of formwork systems in high-rise construction
Creators: name: Abou Ibrahim, Hisham A.
name: Hamzeh, Farook R.
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: The selection of formwork systems in high-rise buildings is often governed by their competence in optimizing concrete activities in an isolated manner, without relating this choice to the entire construction workflow. This paper studies the role of advanced formwork systems in high-rise construction and analyzes this role in shaping not only the progress of concrete activities, but the entire construction sequence. In this context, known research efforts do not address this important aspect in analyzing high-rise formwork technologies, and formwork selection is usually left to constructors’ experience, and corresponding organizational knowledge. Employing process models, the paper investigates advanced high-rise formwork technologies versus regular ones to better advice scholars and practitioners. Results highlight the importance of advanced high-rise formwork systems in streamlining the workflow of concrete and other downstream activities, allowing for better resource allocation, more waste reduction, smaller work batches, less inventory, and safer working environment.
Consumers’ Acceptance and Attitude towards Bioactive Enriched Foods
Creators: name: Hegyi, Adrienn
name: Kertész, Zsófia
name: Kuti, Tünde
name: Sebők, András
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: The aim of our research was to explore the consumers’ attitude towards healthy diet and food consumption and measure the acceptance of these types of products on the product portfolio developed in PATHWAY-27 projects. The benefit of the experiment was to have a better understanding on HTAS based questionnaire with using real prototypes of bioactive enriched foods with potential health claims. The results showed clearly, that unusual appearance and flavour have negative effect on the opinion of the product and the positive health effect also increases the acceptance of the products.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Food Choices: The Case of Sustainable pre-packed Salad
Creators: name: Stranieri, S.
name: Ricci, E.
name: Banterle, A.
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: The demand for sustainable food products is in continuous growth. There are many different instruments that can be used in order to signal to consumers environmentally-friendly characteristics of food products, among which product labelling. Organic certification is probably the most well-known. Many studies have investigated consumer preferences towards organic products (Andersen, 2011; Bravo et al., 2013; Breustedt et al., 2011; Falguera et al., 2012; Gil et al., 2000; Gracia and De Magistris, 2008; Meike and Ulrich, 2014; Krystallis et al., 2006; Lee Wan-Chen et al., 2013). Despite the relevance of this aspect, other crucial labelled product attributes related to the sustainability have not yet been widely investigated (Bazoche et al., 2014; Govindasamy and Italia, 1998; Magnusson and Cranfiled, 2005; Yigezu et al., 2013).
The paper aims at understanding the main factors affecting consumer purchase of products that report environmentally-friendly labelled features. The analysis refers to minimally processed pre-packed salad with environmental-friendly labelled characteristics related to integrated pest management. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1985) represents the conceptual framework of this analysis.
Purchases of such products show a steady upward trend in Italy (Freshfel, 2015). Most of the research about the food category of minimally processed vegetables focuses on microbiological quality, safety, processing and packaging issues (Fusi et al., 2016) . The analysis on the determinants affecting consumers preferences towards environmental characteristics of such products are still underdeveloped (Sillani and Nassivera, 2015).
The paper is organized as follow. The next section will introduce the conceptual framework. Afterword, the methodology is presented. Results and some preliminary final remarks are placed at the end.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Supplementary document for Realization of all-optical higher-order spatial differentiators based on cascaded operations - 6107218.pdf
Creators: name: Luo, Hailu
name: Shou, yichang
name: Wang, Yan
name: Miao, Lili
name: Chen, Shizhen
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: The PB phase metasurface differential operation theory and design details
Quality Management in Broiler and Pork Supply Chains Aimed at Reducing Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance: an Elicitation Workshop
Creators: name: Saatkamp, H.W.
name: Roskam, J.L.
name: Gocsik, E.
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered to be one of the main human health problems. Livestock production, particularly hog and broiler production, are regarded as sources of human exposure to resistant pathogens. It is envisaged that the issue of AMR will be on the agenda of both policy makers at various levels (e.g. supra-national (EU), national and production organisations) and researchers. In the last decade a large range of (potential) exposure and/or risk reducing measures have become available or are envisaged. Examples are:
− On-farm: reduction of usage of antimicrobial agents, more robust animals, therapeutic alternatives to antimicrobials and increased bio-security;
− Beyond-farm: various cleansing and disinfection measures, cross-contamination reducing logistics within the entire chain, various types of meat processing ways which reduce the prevalence of pathogens and further contamination.
Chain-wide implementation of (sets of these) measures is complex and involves simultaneous consideration of various issues, such as: the potential to reduce microbial exposure to humans, the (economic) impact on livestock production, (cost-)effectivity technology and acceptance by the general public, asymmetry of effects and costs between chain participants, the risk of counteracting risk-reduction downstream the chain, legal and institutional thresholds, compliance and governance. Quantitative risk-based economic analysis of (sets of) measures throughout the supply chain can support decision making in this regard. Such analysis should be comprehensive and focused on optimal (i.e. low risks and low additional costs) and coherent sets of measures.
Given the complexity of the matters, a conceptual framework was developed to facilitate subsequent quantitative analysis. This framework describes qualitatively all possible factors and aspects that influence both human exposure to pathogens and economic performance. Two levels are considered: (1) the on-farm level and (2) the beyond-farm level up to consumer. Moreover, the issue of (economics of) (non-) compliance is included. Furthermore, the framework includes a rather complete list of risk reducing measures and their direct and indirect relations with human exposure and production costs.
Because (1) the range of potential measures, and (2) the range of various criteria each (set of) measures can be characterized by and on which they can have positive or negative impacts on, analysing all options together is quite laborious. Therefore, it makes sense to elicit a set of promising measures for subsequent quantitative analysis.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
One relation to rule them all : the point-to-point precedence relation that substitutes the existing ones
Creators: name: Hajdu, Miklos
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) has gained the widest acceptance in the scheduling practice in the last decades due to its modeling flexibility over other existing techniques, and to the relative simplicity of its mathematical background. The four basic precedence relationships have been serving planners for more than half a century. However, even this model is not flexible enough; proper modeling of overlapped activities seems to be a never-ending debate. Different practical and theoretical solutions have been proposed during the years for better modeling overlapped activities. The most promising among them is the development of a new type of relation that can connect any two arbitrary points of the related activities. These relations can be called point-to-point relations. Different authors in various ways have proposed similar solutions. To the best of our knowledge, the literature on the mathematical model of PDM using this new relation is lacking. Main results of the paper are: 1) standardized discussion of the different approaches to point-to-point relations; 2) proper mathematical model of PDM with point-to-point relations; 3) introduction of the algorithm that can handle point-to-point relations with both minimal and maximal lag to define the earliest and latest feasible time policy.
Developing New Value Chains for Small‐Scale and Emerging Cattle Farmers in South Africa
Creators: name: Mmbengwa, Victor
name: Nengovhela, Nkhanedzeni
name: Ngqangweni, Simphiwe
name: Spies, David
name: Baker, Derek
name: Burrow, Heather
name: Griffith, Garry
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: In this paper we look back on the first year of a three‐year project which aims to undertake the research
necessary to develop a wider range of market outlets, products and value chains for beef produced by the
small‐scale and emerging sector in South Africa. We discuss the difficulties encountered in designing and
implementing the project, and we review progress towards achieving the economic, social and environmental
outcomes that we are seeking.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
title: Foundations Health: Facilitator Book Milestones 1-10
Creators: name: (:Unkn) Unknown
Publisher: name: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Curriculum and Instruction
subject: International and Comparative Education

description: REACH is a USAID-funded program implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) under contract EEE-C-00-03-00015-00. Partners include The Academy for Educational Development (AED); Health and Development Services (HANDS); JHPIEGO; Technical Assistance, Inc. (TAI); and the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Learning for Life is managed by the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and in conjunction with the International Rescue Committee implemented in 12 USAID priority provinces in Afghanistan. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development of the United States Government. Produced for the Afghanistan Learning for Life Project, funded under the USAID financed REACH Project, by the Center for International Education, School of Education, University of Massachusetts. For further information see: www.umass.edu/cie, or contact cie@educ.umass.edu
description: This document is for use by the Facilitators, those who will be guiding learners. It contains Milestones and Activities for one subject area.
Advanced work packaging as emerging planning approach to improve project performance : case studies from the industrial construction sector
Creators: name: Ponticelli, Simone
name: O’Brien, William J.
name: Leite, Fernanda
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: Despite the progress made in the development of scheduling techniques and tools, the industrial construction sector is frequently characterized by informal and unstructured procedures during initial planning stages. This results in planning deliverables that are scarcely aligned across the different business divisions and poorly structured to support field operations. Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) methodology consists in an enhanced project breakdown structure that prescribes an organized planning approach, aiming at the alignment between construction, engineering, and procurement disciplines since the preliminary planning phase. AWP is an emerging planning approach in the industrial construction sector and the present article is aimed at exploring AWP impact on project performance. Research methodology is based on multiple case studies concerning two industrial construction projects. The case studies involved the construction of projects with identical scope, one with and one without AWP implementation. These case studies were performed at the same time, in neighboring sites, and by the same project participants, thus representing reliable units of analysis to investigate AWP impact. Findings show that AWP implementation is related to improved performance in terms of project cost, schedule, quality, and safety. The present article contributes to the validation of an emerging project planning methodology and highlights the criticality of the early planning phase, which systematic characterization represents a valuable and still under-explored research avenue.
Sturz Chruschtschows
Creators: name: Kampen, Thomas
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2022

description: This is the translation of an extract from the memoirs of the Chinese diplomat Wu Xiuquan covering the events after Chrustchev's downfall in 1964. The detailed description of the gradual deterioration of Chinese Soviet relations is of particular interest. Wu criticizes the Soviet leader ship fact that might have been the reason for restricting this part of the memoirs only to limited readership. (Red.)
description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 31 (1989): ASIEN (April)
"Macau, China" - Kritische Anmerkungen zur politisch-wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung in Macau im Hinblick auf 1999
Creators: name: Cremer, Rolf
name: Redaktion, Die
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2022

description: This article mainly deals with the most important problems or tasks which Macau faces until the year of 1999, when it is due to devolve to the People Republic of China. There is, first of all, the economy which is characterized by heavy dependence on textile and garment exports. Here the newly industrializing countries of Southeast Asia are potential competitors, the more so as the times of low costs of production in Macau will be over sooner or later. A division of labour with the fast growing light industries of China demands restructuring of Macau industry. An active economic policy is needed, and there are some promising fields for action. Secondly, the insufficient transport and communications infrastructure impedes the development. A reason for this could be the concentration on ambitious large-scale projects such as the deep-sea harbour in Ka Ho and new international airport. It is questionable whether these projects will, in the long run, contribute to improving the overall situation in Macau. A closer cooperation in this field with the neighbouring Hong Kong as well as the special economic zone of Zhuhai might lead to better infrastructural set-up. There are, thirdly, weak points with regard to the structure and functioning of the administration. In order to guarantee smooth transition into the new era, localization should be the leading policy. But it appears that the Portuguese still follow rather colonial type of rule both in administration proper and in the field of culture. (Red.)
description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 31 (1989): ASIEN (April)
Improving Value Chains for Dairy Farmers in Matiguás, Nicaragua: a System Dynamics Approach
Creators: name: Lie, Helene
name: Rich, Karl
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: In Nicaragua, the production of dairy and beef is the most important source of household income for many smallholder producers. However, erratic volumes and quality of milk limit the participation of small- and medium-scale cattle farmers into higher-value dairy value chains. This research uses a system dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the Matiguás dairy value chain in Nicaragua. The paper presents the conceptual framework of the model and highlights the dynamic processes in the value chain, with a focus on improving feeding systems to achieve higher milk productivity and increased income for producers. The model was developed using a participatory group model building (GMB) technique to jointly conceptualize and validate the model with stakeholders.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Food Scares: Reflections and Reactions
Creators: name: Olsen, Nina Veflen
name: Storstad, Oddveig
name: Samuelsen, Bendik
name: Langsrud, Solveig
name: Hagtvedt, Therese
name: Gregersen, Fredrik
name: Ueland, Øydis
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: 2014, a researcher from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health stated in a newspaper interview that she never touched chicken with her bare hands. This interview was the beginning of a media storm, which resulted in a 25% sales drop for chicken within three months. To be able to understand why this interview had such a strong effect, we conducted an explorative case study. Findings from previous studies of food safety behavior indicate that consumers are irrational and that information is not enough to change behavior. Gigerenzer (2015), however, argue in a recent article that the claim that people are hardly educable lacks evidence. He cites Simon (1985) quote that “people are generally quite rational; that is, they usually have reasons for what they do” and claims that teaching people to become risk savvy is a true alternative to nudging.
The aim of our study is to shed light on the rationality debate by exploring consumers’ reflections and reactions to the previously mentioned food scare article. Data from five focus-group interviews with Norwegian consumers of chicken were transcribed, content analyzed, and in-vitro coded, before we conducted a multiple correspondence analysis in PAST. We developed a graphical plot of our results, which we visually inspected and interpreted. The findings indicate that consumers do reflect when confronted with food scares. Some question the research behind the news, others wonder how dangerous this food scare is compared to other risks. Consumers are not irrational, even though their emotions co-occur more often with their behavior than their reflections.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Indicators of Beef Quality for Consumers: a Systematic Review
Creators: name: Henchion, Maeve
name: McCarthy, Mary
name: Resconi, Virginia
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Quality is a subjective term and means different things to different people. However there is general agreement that beef quality needs to be consistent, and needs to be improved. Furthermore, there is agreement that it will become an increasingly important factor in consumer decision making (Henchion et al., 2014). Informed by quality theory, this paper seeks to determine the relative importance of quality attributes from a consumer perspective through undertaking a systematic review of the literature on consumer attitudes to different beef quality attributes.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Acceptance of Animal Husbandry Practices: The Consumer Perspective
Creators: name: Roosen, Jutta
name: Dahlhausen, Johanna Lena
name: Petershammer, Silke
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Everything consumers do involves making a choice. Looking at these choices, an increasing consumer interest in food products bearing labels identifying non-tangible attributes has been observed over the last years. Consumer concern relates not only to the issue as to what is produced and which product attributes are present in final products, but the growing sentiment relates also to the question of how food is produced in general. Consumers question fairness and justness of production processes with regard to producers (e.g., fair trade labelling) or animals (e.g., animal welfare labelling) and demand support for local supply chains. As a result, certain food production technologies are stigmatized in certain parts of the society. Thereby stigma is defined as “[…] a mark placed on a person, place, technology, or product, associated with a particular attribute that identifies it as different and deviant, flawed, or undesirable.” (Kasperson, Jhaveri & Kasperson, 2001:19).
Human values are thought to be at the root of the stigmatization of certain food production technologies. A systematic analysis of human values was introduced in the seminal book by Milton Rokeach in 1973. He defines values “an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally and socially preferable to alternative modes of conduct or end-states of existence.” Values hence transgress situations and time. Later work by Schwartz (1994) has refined the definition of values and developed a value survey instrument that links values to ten different value domains. He arranges these along a two-folded dichotomy of self-enhancement versus self-transgression and openness to change versus conservation. In consequence, some of these values relate to egoistic versus altruistic versus biospheric values. Thereby egoistic values refer to an egocentric orientation, altruistic values refer to a homocentric orientation and biospheric values refer to an ecocentric orientation (De Groot & Steg, 2008).
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Consumers’ Preference for Sweet Peppers with Different Process Attributes: A Discrete Choice Experiment in Taiwan
Creators: name: Yeh, Ching-Hua
name: Hartmann, Monika
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Based on an online discrete choice experiment (DCE) this study investigates the relative importance of food label information (country of origin, production methods, chemical residue testing (CRT)) and price for Taiwanese consumers’ in their purchase of sweet peppers. Results show that respondents focus mostly on the COO labeling during their sweet-pepper shopping, followed by price. Information concerning CRT results and production methods are of less importance. Our findings also indicate that interaction between attributes matter and that preference for attribute levels differs depending on socioeconomic characteristics.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
Preferences for School Milk - How Juveniles Differ
Creators: name: Christoph-Schulz, Inken
name: Weible, Daniela
name: Salamon, Petra
Publisher: name: CentMa, Intern Center for Management, Communication, and Research
Year: 2016

description: Snacks and lunches offered at school can decisively influence children’s dietary habits. In the light of discussions to establish prevention and intervention programs to abate current trends of rising childhood obesity, children’s preferences for food items with lower calorie content gain on importance. But youths preferences concerning different school milk products are not well-known. Therefore, the objective is to investigate if the milk products offered at school still meet older children’s preferences or if modifications could prove to be useful. Based on outcomes of an online survey covering a choice experiment and conducted among juveniles in Germany the probability that youths benefit from different products as well as varying prices, sugar and fat contents is estimated. Socio-demographics, psycho-metrics and perceived weight status are employed to explain youths choices preferring novel school milk products yet unavailable in German schools. Results of the choice experiment show that youths aged 15-18 are a heterogeneous group. They prefer a wider range of different products including drinking yoghurt as an option as well. Results indicate that nutritional aspects (low sugar/fat content, artificial sweetener) and body image are important for some of them.
description: Proceedings in Food System Dynamics, 2016: Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2016
A novel framework for BIM enabled facility energy management : a concept paper
Creators: name: Al-Shalabi, Firas A.
name: Turkan, Yelda
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2015

description: Building Information Modeling (BIM) enabled facility management has gained increased interest both in academia and industry. Previous research has shown the importance of having dynamic BIMs that can react and interact with real-time data obtained from building sensors. The other sought benefits of BIM such as improving workforce efficiency, proactive maintenance planning and improving maintenance records, which would lead to reduced energy and water consumption, are also acknowledged both by the academic community and the industry practitioners. However, BIM implementation for facility energy management activities, specifically for energy use monitoring, has not yet been explored, and one of the main reasons pertain to not having standards for BIM to be effectively used for facility energy management tasks. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review on BIM implementation and BIM requirements for facility management and facility energy management related tasks. Also, it proposes a conceptual framework that enables to achieve dynamic BIM for building energy use monitoring activities. The proposed framework connects BIM database with building energy management systems, while enabling BIM to act as a central data repository and a visualization tool to achieve energy use monitoring related tasks. Finally, it summarises the challenges to achieve dynamic BIM, and concludes with the expected benefits of implementing dynamic BIM for building energy management as well as recommendations for future research.
Supplementary document for Accurate MTF determination in X-ray image restoration - 6107229.pdf
Creators: name: Liu, Xin
name: Chen, Rongze
name: Lei, Yaohu
name: Jianheng, Huang
name: Liu, Xiaoli
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: FigS1:TV reference,FigS2:TV Curve,FigS3:TV Value