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Yield and pungency of eight onion varieties and their response to sulfur fertilizer on fine-textured soil
No full textOnions are notable for their pungency, caused by sulfur-containing compounds. Fine-textured soils high in organic matter, or soils fertilized with organic amendments, are unlikely to require additional sulfur for maximum onion yield. We were interested in the impacts of additional sulfur (in such a situation, unlikely to be sulfur-limited) on pungency, soluble solids, and yield in eight onion varieties. We carried out a study in 2024 in southern Minnesota, designed as a split-plot (onion variety as the whole-plot) with four replicates. Heavy rainfall caused substantial unmarketability in our trial, with ‘Ringmaster’ suffering the most loss (11% of planted ‘Ringmaster’ were marketable). ‘Blush’ and ‘Red River’ yields were greatest. ‘Blush’ and ‘Redwing’ had the highest pungency, and ‘Patterson’ and ‘Sterling’ had low pungency. Soluble solids were highest in ‘Blush’, ‘Redwing’, and ‘Patterson’. Additional sulfur (gypsum) did not increase yield or change pungency or soluble solid content in the varieties studied, and yield was slightly lower when additional sulfur was applied. We found no benefit of sulfur fertilizer applied to onions in high-sulfur soils
Midwest Business Librarian Summit
No full textThis presentation will compare Pitchbook to Crunchbase as data sources. Entrepreneurs typically use this type of venture capital data for the following: Identifying potential investors and understanding investment trends Competitor analysis and industry insights Identifying acquisition targets and partnership opportunities. Due diligence on competitors and the industry Benchmarking and market entry strategies
This presentation will provide information results of the searches for data for each of the scenarios for both databases. Ease of searching and quality of data will be reviewed as well as cost
Effects of shocks on the New Zealand building construction sector: evidence from time series datasets
Get PDFThe construction industry serves as a vital driver of economic growth and societal development, responding to both demographic pressures and evolving infrastructure needs. However, it is also highly sensitive to external shocks, including financial crises, natural disasters, and regulatory changes, all of which influence construction trends over time. By analyzing historical data, this study identifies key patterns of growth, contraction, and recovery across the past three decades. This paper examines the trends and dynamics of building construction activity in New Zealand from 1990 to the present, with a focus on the total construction value and a detailed breakdown of residential and nonresidential segments. The findings reveal a long-term upward trajectory in total construction value, reflecting New Zealand’s sustained economic and population growth. Despite this overall trend, the industry has experienced periodic disruptions linked to external events, such as the Canterbury earthquakes, the Global Financial Crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Residential construction, consistently accounting for a larger share of activity, exhibits greater volatility with sharper declines and stronger recoveries compared to the more stable nonresidential sector. The latter demonstrates incremental growth punctuated by periods of plateau, reflecting steady demand for commercial and institutional infrastructure. These results underscore the resilience and adaptability of New Zealand’s construction sector in the face of economic, regulatory, and environmental challenges. By highlighting historical trends and sectoral differences, the study offers insights into the factors driving construction activity and provides a foundation for future planning and policy development to support sustainable industry growth
Strategic Development for the Introduction of a Holistic Sustainable Building Design Course in Construction Engineering Curricula
No full textTraining the future construction engineering workforce would benefit from an increased familiarity with sustainable building design. Given limits on total credits and accreditation requirements, engineering curricula often emphasize specialized content at the cost of essential context and connection between the range of systems and professional roles involved in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Here, we explore how development of a building technology and design course addresses the unmet need. The subject class leverages the benefits of guiding students through an iterative design process to confront the challenges of, and synergies between, the multiple building systems present in contemporary buildings. Following a model closer to studio instruction, students address the totality of a project in the context of design where the outcome is not predetermined. Students are guided by the application of analytical software and quantified performance feedback on metrics such as daylighting, energy, and carbon which they integrate directly into their ongoing design process. The combination of these features in a single class facilitates the productive addition of critical content and experience into the existing degree program structure. In turn, this promotes trainees being better prepared to collaborate towards achieving sustainable development goals. This paper focuses on the developments and observations from delivering this course 5 times and provides a perspective on its contributions to a construction engineering degree
Are Construction Pipeline Information Reliable: The Primacy of Internally Generated Data in Strategic Decision Making
Get PDFThe construction industry in New Zealand is a vital contributor to the nation\u27s economic growth, employment, and business expansion. However, to align with the government\u27s objectives of affordable, secure, and sustainable housing and infrastructure, the industry must adeptly navigate the uncertainties in infrastructure pipelines. Infrastructure pipeline information is crucial in guiding construction stakeholders and government in making strategic decisions about when, where, and how to invest in projects across New Zealand. This study investigates the reliability of construction pipeline information and its impact on strategic decision-making within construction organisations, with a particular focus on the primacy of internally generated data. Through a systematic literature review of 53 publications from 2005-2025, the research identified the factors influencing information quality and evaluates the challenges associated with utilizing both internal and external data sources for strategic decision-making. The findings reveal that while internally generated data offers more context-specific insights, organizations must balance this with external sources to avoid data silos and maintain market awareness. The study identifies key factors affecting information quality, including system integration, data access, organizational readiness, and management commitment. Results indicate that construction organisations with robust internal data management practices demonstrate superior strategic outcomes, though the effectiveness of those internal information systems is heavily dependent on organizational preparedness and proper implementation frameworks
Unraveling Urban-Rural Sustainable Contradictions
Get PDFWhile Norway has a vast amount of land in relation to its population, the ongoing development of land in rural mountainous and coastal areas is having an impact on nature. Strategies for implementing densification in cities must also consider the impact on rural areas. Within this research we address the contradictory imbalance of the consumption of nature for leisure/urban escapism with that of the conservation of nature in rural areas. Rural areas are often viewed as an escape from the urban chaos and within Norway fall under a right to have access to nature. This right to nature is primarily viewed from a social-cultural perspective – and associated with the umbrella term of ‘cabin culture’. The cabin culture concept unintentionally creates a tension between an environmental sensitivity to natural landscape and the consumption of nature resources to support urban values of comfort and connectivity. There is a potential for a negative environmental rebound effect when urban dwellers compensate themselves for reduced urban space by extending the size of their dwellings through second homes in rural areas. This work highlight ways in which land is being consumed by visitors who are not just residents but also by urban escapists. The paper’s main contribution is to illuminate often overlooked aspects of sustainable solutions in cities on rural areas and the disconnect on how urban planning is impacting the rural
Idenitfying Barriers & Enablers to Improve WHS Outcomes in Australian Small Construction Businesses
Get PDFDespite its important socio-economic contributions, the Australian construction industry has a poor WHS record. Efforts to improve WHS tend to focus on and be led by, large organisations due to the resources that they have and their ability to capitalise on the economies of scale in their operation. However, it is important to realise that 97% of construction organisations are small businesses, employing fewer than 20 people and their WHS outcomes are worse than the WHS outcomes in large organisations. They are also hard to reach through conventional communication strategies. This indicates that current WHS best practice initiatives are not being well translated and followed by small construction businesses, and subsequently that they need further pathways to develop their capability to improve WHS. This research reveals the barriers to improving the WHS in small construction businesses and presents a critical literature analysis emphasising the development of a WHS maturity framework specifically for Australian small construction businesses. This paper is part of a broader research project that, following this integrative review, will create a maturity model via primary data collected from practitioners, WHS representatives, workers, and owners of small businesses. This model will then be trialled with five micro and small businesses, and an industry toolkit will be developed to promote a step-by-step process to improve safety practices
Towards the achievement of sustainable built environment: The role of community-based facilities management of urban public spaces in Cape Town
No full textRapid and often unsustainable urban growth is a challenge that cities of the world face. Challenges faced include rapid population growth, urbanisation, which leaves municipalities playing catchup with the provision of infrastructure and services, as well as accessible public spaces. These challenges tend to foster the development of slums, selective access to economic opportunities, social exclusion, and urban poverty. Arguably, the development of informal socio-economic systems occurs at various levels in response to the lack of access to formal socio-economic activities and jobs and ultimately threaten the sustainability of the built environment (BE). The City of Cape Town, South Africa, provides public spaces that facilitate socio-economic opportunities for the urban vulnerable in the form of informal trading. The management of these public spaces is pertinent to avoid spontaneous development that these challenges and threaten the sustainability of the built environment. It is argued that community-based facilities management (CbFM) has the potential to provide municipalities and local governments with solutions to these challenges to urban spatial management. Based on three case studies of public spaces that host informal socio-economic opportunities in Cape Town, this paper explores the concept of sustainable BE and assesses how CbFM could be used in managing public spaces towards achieving a socially sustainable built environment. The findings indicate that although CbFM has the potential to provide appropriate solutions to public spaces, towards achieving sustainable BE, CbFM does not play a role in the current spatial management praxis in the study areas, which do not reflect CbFM principles
Identifying Financial Incentives for Green Housing Loans in Low Interest Margin Environments
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to identify financial incentives for consumers in low interest margin housing loan markets, such as Finland, for green housing loans, including both green mortgages and renovation loans. Although green financing is well-researched, the financial viability of green housing loans under the EU Taxonomy as a sustainable financing framework remains underexplored. EU’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive sets Minimum Energy Performance Standards for expediting the decarbonisation of European building stock, with households playing a key role through energy-efficient renovations. The research design comprises two parts: developing a literature-based framework of financial incentives for green housing loans, followed by empirical validation through a stakeholder workshop. The study proposes six financial incentives for consumers regarding green housing loans: 1) margin discounts 2) fixed discounts 3) increased collateral value 4) inexpensive renovation loans 5) guarantees and 6) other incentives like interest subsidy or retailer partner financing. The study suggests that renovations towards EU\u27s climate targets can substantially be enhanced by aligning government subsidies, tax-related incentives, and grants to green financing. The study concludes that key industry stakeholders regard consumers to prioritize financial incentives, which are challenging to identify in low interest margin environments like Finland, and that both green housing loans and public schemes are needed to drive renovations effectively to align with EU’s climate targets. Future research should examine financial incentives across EU countries to assess the impact of national policies on green financing to help creating a harmonized EU definition for green mortgages and loans
Analysis of Labor Productivity for Steel Assembly in Construction Projects in Hot and Humid Climate Zones Based on the RUP Methodology
Get PDFThe construction industry only increased its labor productivity by 1% over the past two decades, significantly lagging other industries\u27 development. Several factors influence productivity on construction sites, including ineffective workforce management, outdated technologies, and environmental factors, such as heat and humidity. Construction projects in countries experiencing high temperatures and humidity presented even lower productivity rates when compared with countries with mild temperatures. Thus, there is a need to analyze productivity in these regions, identify the factors impacting it, and establish baseline values to optimize construction processes in these challenging environments. Moreover, the steel assembly process comprises almost 30% of the total cost of the conventional reinforced concrete structure, underscoring the significance of enhancing productivity performance. Therefore, this work aims to analyze labor productivity in construction projects within hot and humid climate zones, specifically focusing on the steel assembly process during the foundation and superstructure stages. Data was collected in two empirical studies conducted in northeast Brazil and east Saudi Arabia. The productivity rates of the studied projects were calculated using a standardized methodology developed in Brazil named RUP. The findings highlight the main factors influencing productivity in hot and humid climate zones, including workforce, heat, production planning and control, construction site logistics, and typology. This paper\u27s primary contributions include analyzing key factors that influence productivity in these climate regions and proposing baseline values for steel assembly productivity in hot and humid zones. Future research may expand data collection across different countries using the same methodology to establish more precise baselines