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Gaining young customer trust in online food service during the COVID-19 pandemic incorporating valence theory and the quality-based behavior model
No full textThis study evaluates young customer trust toward online food service (OFS) during the COVID-19 pandemic through the combined lenses of valence theory and the quality-based behavioral model. Data from 404 respondents were gathered from young customers in Indonesia using an online survey. The results from the data analysis process, employing partial least squares structural equation modeling, note that the incorporation of valence theory and the quality-based behavioral model improves the prediction of customer trust. Next, the results note that perceived benefits, food quality, and application quality are the notable determinants of trust. Finally, this research did not find differences in the construct relationships between gender sub-groups, suggesting that the model and results apply to both young men and women
Research in disruptive times: Reflections on the new ‘new normal’
No full textIn 2011, knowledge production and consumption was declared the ‘new normal’ in landscape architecture (Deming & Swaffield 2011). Yet even while the research terrain was being mapped, the discipline’s emerging methodologies were themselves being disrupted by environmental, economic and social upheavals. The magnitude and speed of change in the 21st century challenges the ways in which research can respond, with the need to negotiate the accelerating effects of climate change, financial crises and emerging trade wars, and the covid-19 pandemic. Extreme events disrupt local communities and landscapes, and social media and increasingly polarised political and social movements challenge existing knowledge institutions and public policy formation.
What are the implications of such multi-scalar disruptions for Landscape Architecture research and scholarship? How can useful and valid knowledge be created in rapidly changing circumstances? What is the emerging new ‘new norm’? This presentation reflects critically on the methodological implications for landscape architecture research when contexts, values and priorities change faster than conventional research cycles. It draws upon 25 years of academic editing and peer review, analyses of the disciplines research methodologies, and our direct experience of multiple disruptive events over the past decade in Canterbury, NZ, including earthquakes, wildfires, a major terrorist attack, and covid-19.
Such disruption has multiple dimensions. Research settings become more dynamic and follow unpredicted trajectories; new research questions emerge quickly and demand rapid responses; research institutions become unstable, and traditional roles (such as publication gatekeepers) are questioned; previously unheard voices demand greater equity and justice. These dynamics challenge current landscape research protocols, many of which are still provisional, and require the discipline to ask how can we quickly create, evaluate and share knowledge during disruption in ways that are ethical, valid, and trustworthy?
Several potential pathways to a ‘nimble’ new normal are identified:-
• Fitness for purpose - designing methodologies and validating new knowledge based upon context and need rather than normative protocols.
• Inclusive and grounded - drawing values from indigenous and local ecologies and cultures and foregrounding a wide range of different voices to scope and prioritise action. ‘Citizen science’ and action research are examples of more inclusive methodologies.
• Adaptative - learning from design practitioners’ flexibility and diagnostic techniques, using action-based strategies, and framing inquiry through cases that reveal distinctive qualities while enabling comparison.
• Collaborative - parallel processes rather than sequential directed stages, cross disciplinary and international networks, and collaborators who include non-traditional researchers. For example, in Aotearoa New Zealand Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) is now a required component of all government funded research.
These four potential pathways offer perspectives on ‘rapid response’ research approaches, and this paper includes examples of an emerging set of strategies in this dynamic setting
A crisis volunteer ‘sleeper cell’: An emergent, extending and expanding disaster response organisation
No full textUnderstanding the diverse organisational forms of crisis volunteerism is crucial for enabling volunteers to play a more prominent role in disaster response. One of the most widely used analytical tools is the Disaster Research Center typology that identifies ‘established’, ‘expanding’, ‘extending’ and ‘emergent’ groups. However, not all disaster response volunteer groups necessarily fit within this typology. We examine the case of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) in Aotearoa New Zealand, which has been considered a potential blueprint for youth‐led post‐disaster civic action. Examining a decade of successive disaster responses, we argue the SVA has come to simultaneously exhibit characteristics associated with ‘expanding’, ‘extending’ and ‘repeat emergent’ disaster response organisations. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with people involved with the SVA over its 10 years, we identify dualities in the SVA's tasks and structure that enable it to incorporate both new and existing or routine aspects into its disaster response efforts. In spanning these categories, we propose the SVA has become an ‘expectant’ crisis volunteer organisation—what one interviewee described as a crisis volunteer ‘sleeper cell’. Our discussion considers the possibilities and tensions within this distinct form of organisation
Nonfarm employment and consumption diversification in rural China
No full textWith rapid growth and development, nonfarm employment has become an important source of livelihood for millions of rural households in China. Rural nonfarm employment is leading to an increase in income and consumption diversification, which has a direct implication on household well-being. Using Chinese General Social Survey 2017 data, this study explores the effects of nonfarm employment on Chinese rural households’ consumption diversification, measured by the Simpson index. We employ the endogenous treatment regression model and a synthesized instrumental variable to address the endogeneity of the nonfarm employment variable. Findings show that nonfarm employment increases consumption diversification significantly. We find heterogeneous effects of nonfarm employment between males and females and across geographical locations. In particular, our estimates show a higher level of consumption diversification is associated with nonfarm employment of female (relative to male) respondents and those residing in China’s eastern and western (relative to central) regions. Consumption diversification seems to monotonically increase with the increase in the household size and consumption expenditure quintiles. Further analysis reveals that nonfarm employment significantly increases household expenditures on food, culture and leisure activities, and online shopping
Changes in precipitation patterns can destabilize plant species coexistence via changes in plant–soil feedback
No full textClimate change can alter species coexistence through changes in biotic interactions. By describing reciprocal interactions between plants and soil microbes, plant–soil feedback (PSF) has emerged as a powerful framework for predicting plant species coexistence and community dynamics, but little is known about how PSF will respond to changing climate conditions. Hence, the context dependency of PSF has recently gained attention. Water availability is a major driver of all biotic interactions, and it is expected that precipitation patterns will change with ongoing climate change. We tested how soil water content affects PSF by conducting a full factorial pairwise PSF experiment using eight plant species common to southeastern United States coastal prairies under three watering treatments. We found coexistence-stabilizing negative PSF at drier-than-average conditions shifted to coexistence-destabilizing positive PSF under wetter-than-average conditions. A simulation model parameterized with the experimental results supports the prediction that more positive PSF accelerates the erosion of diversity within communities while decreasing the predictability in plant community composition. Our results underline the importance of considering environmental context dependency of PSF in light of a rapidly changing climate
Impact of farmer group participation on the adoption of sustainable farming practices – Spatial analysis of New Zealand dairy farmers
No full textThis paper analyses the impact of participation in farmer groups on dairy farmers’ adoption of sustainable farming practices in New Zealand. A spatial propensity score matching method is used to consider the spatial dependence and social connections between farmers in the decision-making of farmer group participation and adoption of sustainable farming practices. The results show that farmers’ decisions of farmer group participation are affected by their neighbours’ choices, and participation in farmer groups has a positive effect on farmers’ adoption of sustainable farming practices. The findings indicate the important role of social interactions in farmers’ voluntary uptake of sustainable agricultural practices. Overall, the positive effect of farmer group participation on the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices highlights learning and knowledge spillover among farmers, which emerges as important to the formulation of sustainable farming policy
Experimental and numerical study of intermittent drying of rough rice in a combined FIR-dryer
No full textMoisture variation and fissure formation of rice kernels during multi-stage intermittent drying (MSID) were simulated and analyzed based on the experimental data obtained in a laboratory-scale infrared-assisted vibratory bed dryer. The variations of drying parameters included far-infrared radiation (FIR) intensity (0, 1000 and 2000 W m‾²), inlet drying air temperature (30, 40 and 50 °C), drying duration (15, 30 and 40 min), and tempering ratio (0, 2, 4 and 6). Two-dimensional moisture distribution within individual kernel was predicted. Drying rate, percentage of the cracked kernel (PCK), and specific energy consumption (SEC) were also determined, experimentally. By assessing PCK and SEC and simulation results, it was found that the magnitude of 10% d.b. mm‾¹ was considered as an index for the critical value for moisture content gradient (MCG) to achieve the suitable drying and tempering duration. It was further recommended that the intermittent drying duration at each stage should be selected in such a way that the MCG value does not exceed the critical level and the shortest possible tempering duration should be chosen in a manner that at least 40% of critical level of MCG be eliminated. The suitable treatment for intermittent drying was selected at FIR intensity of 1000 Wm‾², inlet air temperature in 40 °C, drying duration in 30 min, and tempering ratio in 4
Validating texture analysis as a tool for determining bioplastic (bio)degradation
No full textPlastics due to their long lifespan are becoming more of an environmental concern once their useful life has been completed. There are a vast array of different types of plastic and they can be found in almost every ecosystem on earth, and are of particular concern in terrestrial environments where they can become incorporated into the food chain. Hence bioplastics have become more of interest to manufacturers and the public recently as they have the ability to (bio)degrade in commercial and in home composting situations. However, tools in which to quantify how they degrade in response to environmental variables are still being developed – one such approach, texture analysis, using a TA.XT Texture Analyser, Stable Microsystems, was used to determine the force required to break or punch holes in standard ASTM D638 Type IV 3D printed bioplastic “dogbones” depending on the thickness of them. Manufacturers’ recommendations for calibrating the Texture Analyser are one such approach for standardising results however, an independent technique using dummy dogbones and a substitute for the bioplastic was used alongside the samples. This approach was unexpectedly more valuable than realised at the start of the trial as irregular results were later discovered with the substitute material before valuable samples collected from the field were lost due to possible machine malfunction. This work will show the value of having an independent approach to machine calibration for accurate sample analysis with a Texture Analyser when analysing bioplastic samples
Nutritional, physicochemical, and textural properties of gluten‐free extruded snacks containing cowpea and whey protein concentrate
No full textReady-to-eat extruded snacks with high protein and fibre were developed from a composite flour comprising rice flour, cowpea flour and whey protein concentrate (WPC). Nutritional, physicochemical, and textural properties of extrudates were evaluated, at five ratios of cowpea: WPC (10:0, 15:05, 20:10, 25:15, 30:20); rice flour was used as a control. The protein and fibre content in the extrudates significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) with cowpea (10%–30%) and WPC (5%–20%) incorporation compared to the control. The extrudates with higher levels of cowpea and WPC showed a significant increase in bulk density and hardness. A slight decrease of 12% was observed in the expansion of 15% cowpea and 5% WPC fortified extrudates compared to the control. The number of peaks during compression increased with incorporations of cowpea and WPC. All cowpea and WPC containing snacks were darker than the control. Significant correlations were found between the protein, fibre, colour values and textural properties. The essential and non-essential amino acid profiles increased in the extrudates, proportionally to the cowpea and WPC fortification
Post-translocation movements and ranging behaviour of roroa (great spotted kiwi, Apteryx maxima)
No full textTranslocations are increasingly used in kiwi (Apteryx spp.) conservation management, and their outcome is largely influenced by post-release dispersal and survival. A translocation of roroa (great spotted kiwi, A. maxima) to the Nina Valley, near Lake Summer Forest Park, is the first reintroduction of the Arthur’s Pass roroa population. In 2015, eight wild-caught adults were translocated from Arthur’s Pass National Park, following the release of ten captive-hatched subadults during 2011–13. We monitored the translocated kiwi by radio telemetry during 2015–17. Dispersal was highly variable among the released wild birds. The straight-line distance from the release site to the last recorded location ranged 0.5–10.3 km. Seven of the wild birds remained in the Nina Valley and covered an area up to 1,700 ha (95% utilisation distribution). Releasing the wild birds had no measurable impact on the ranging behaviour of previously released subadults. The current population founder group comprises a maximum of 13 unrelated individuals, and therefore further releases are necessary for a genetically viable population. Additionally, expansion of the pest-controlled area is crucial for the long-term persistence of the reintroduced population in the Nina Valley