16 research outputs found
Idaho Conservation Reserve Program contract holder's preferences for the 1995 Food Security Act
No full textBulletin no. 773 Moscow, Idaho :University of Idaho, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension System, 1995-02-01. Author(s): Fox, Linette; Meyer, Neil; Greear, Jea
Using Social Media as a Marketing Tool Based on Linette Retail OÜ
No full textSotsiaalmeedia turundus on uus turunduskeskkond, mis on tekkinud Interneti suhtlusvõrgustike populariseerumisel. See on muutnud turunduses seni kasutusel olnud strateegiaid ning eesmärke. Töö on ajendatud probleemidest sotsiaalmeediaturunduse kasutamisest. Antud turundusvaldkond on kasutusel laialdaselt, kuid erinevate uuringute andmetel puuduvad paljudel ettevõtetel teadmised ja oskused kuidas seda tegema peaks ning kas see ka kasumlik on. Uurimus on läbi viidud Linette Retail OÜ näitel, kus kasutatakse sotsiaalmeediat kui turundusvahendit, kuid ei teata, kas see on ennast ära tasunud. Käesoleva töö eesmärgiks oli teha parendusettepanekuid Linette Retail OÜ’le sotsiaalmeedia kasutamises turundusvahendina. Et seda teha koostati üldine tarbijauuring selgitamaks tarbija seisukohta ettevõtete sotsiaalmeedia turundustegevuse kohta ning analüüsiti Linette Retail OÜ senist turundustegevust sotsiaalmeedias. Linette Retail OÜ on rahvusvaheline ettevõte, mis hõlmab endas kaht tootmisettevõtet (Linette Tallinnas ning Valessa Viljandis) ning 11 “Linette” esinduskauplust, milledest 1 asub Riias. Linette toodab naiste korsetitooteid nii omatoodanguna kui ka allhankena. Tootmisse kuuluvad rinnahoidjad, püksid, stringid, bodyd, sukahoidjad, ujumisriided, päevitusriided ning ööpesu. Lisategevuseks on kandilõikamine ning materjali müük. Tootmine toimub Tallinnas ettevõtte peamajas ning Vilandi tütarettevõttes OÜ Valessa. Tarbijauuringu järeldusena selgus, et sotsiaalmeedial on väga suur roll tarbija seisukohalt. Interneti kasutatakse informatsiooni leidmiseks pesu soetamisel ning samuti tuleb uurmisest välja, et pesu puhul loetakse sotsiaalmeediat parimaks reklaamkanaliks. Sotsiaalmeedia kanalite puhul on välja toodud Facebook, kui parim keskkond ning sotsiaalmeediat usaldab enamik küsitlusele vastanutest. Analüüsi tulemusena selgus ka, et Linette brändi hinnatakse kõrgelt, kuid nende tegevus sotsiaalmeedias ei ole olnud silmapaistev. Linette sotsiaalturunduse hetkeolukorra analüüs näitas, et kasutusel on vaid keskkond Facebook ning sealses turundustegevuses on liialt on keskendutud Linette viimastele uudistele, sooduspakkumistele ning kampaaniatele. Kõrvale on jäetud kliendisuhete juhtimine- inimestega suhtlemine, nendelt küsimuste küsimine. Antud töö näol on valminud abimaterjal, mida saab Linette soovi korral kasutada oma sotsiaalmeedia turundustegevuse parenduseks Töös toodud ülevaated ning soovitused annavad informatsiooni nii eesmärkide seadmiseks, kui ka selleks, et millele tuleb tähelepanu pöörata antud turundusvaldkonnas.Social media marketing is a new marketing environment that has emerged with online social networking popularization. It has changed marketing strategies and objectives been used so far. This thesis is motivated by problems in the use of social media marketing. This area of marketing is widely used, but various studies show that many companies lack the knowledge and skills of how to do that, and even if it is profitable. The study has been carried out on the example of Linette Retail LLC, which has been using social media as a marketing tool, but it is not known whether it has paid off. The aim of this thesis was do give suggestions for improvement to Linette Retail LLC on social media usage as a marketing tool. To do so was composed a comprehensive consumer survey in order to clarify the position of consumer about businessis using social media as a marketing tool and Linette Retail LLC current marketing efforts in social media was analyzed by the author. Linette Retail LLC is an international company, which includes two production companies (Linette Tallinn and Valessa Viljandi), and 11 "Linette" stores, one of which is located in Riga, Latvia. Linette produces women corset products as its own production as well as outsourced. Production contains bras, panties, thong, bodies, suspenders, swimwear, bikini, and sleepwear. Production takes place in Tallinn in the main house and the company's subsidiary LLC Valessa Viljandi. The consumer study's conclusions revealed that social media has a very big role in the consumer's mind. Internet is beeing used to find information about underwear and social media is considered to be the best advertising channel(in particular Facebook) for underwear. majority of the respondents trust social media. The analysis also showed that Linette brand is highly valued, but their activity in the social media has not been prominent. Linette Social Marketing analysis revealed that Facebook is the only social media channel they use and on Facebook , the focus is on the latest news, discount offers and campaigns. Customer relationship magament – communcation with followers is beeing sidelined. The result can be used by Linette Retail LLC to develop their social media strategy. Rewiews and recommendations made in this thesis give information for setting goals and informs about important acpects
Polyanhydride blends as drug delivery matrices to control biofilms, bone and nerve regeneration
No full textBiodegradable polyanhydrides were fabricated into disks, coatings, microspheres, and tubes for controlled drug delivery as well as enhanced thermal and mechanical properties. The polymer systems were evaluated as potential treatments for periodontal disease, orthopedic injuries, nerve regeneration, and biofilm formation. The polymers contained the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), salicylic acid and the antibiotic, ampicillin, in the polymer backbone, which are subsequently released as the polymers degrade. Significantly, the polymers can be fabricated into these different geometries that would not be possible with the drug molecules alone.
This dissertation characterizes the in vitro degradation of the polyanhydrides specifically for the multiple applications. Polymer degradation was monitored by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) for final degradation products. The effect of physically admixing additional drugs into the polymer matrix was studied as well, where the admixed drugs were delineated from the chemically incorporated drugs by HPLC. Accelerated in vitro degradation rates were developed using highly basic media.
Mechanical and thermal properties were examined for potential orthopedic and nerve applications. The compliance and modulus of polymer blends and composites were measured to characterize the flexibility and strength of each system. Additionally, properties, such as glass transition temperature (Tg) and decomposition temperature (Td) were measured to monitor polymer changes as a result of processing and degradation.
Overall, the fundamental chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of each polyanhydride system were monitored. This dissertation describes the optimization of controlled drug release rates for specific applications through composites and blends of ceramics (hydroxyapatite), drugs (antimicrobials and NSAIDs), and polymers (polyanhydrides).Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references
Skin-Mucus Prokaryote Community of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Response to Bath Challenge With Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi
No full textFish skin mucus is continuously replaced by epidermal cells, making it a highly dynamic microenvironment and an effective barrier against waterborne pathogens. The objective of this study was to understand the effects of tenacibaculosis, caused by the bacterium Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi, on the skin-associated microbiome of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We used a vector-free and waterborne infection model of T. dicentrarchi strain TdCh05 in Atlantic salmon smolts for 21 days. Skin swab samples were collected at 2 h and 21 days post-infection (hpi and dpi, respectively) for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using DNA or complementary DNA (cDNA) as templates. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis grouped the samples into distinct clusters depending on the treatment and template. Similarity-Percentage (SIMPER) analysis indicated that between ~42% and 43% of the total amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) across all samples accounted for 90% of the compositional differences among all treatments and the two templates, highlighting the contribution of Tenacibaculum ASVs. Comparisons (by SIMPER) between non-infected and TdCh05-challenged fish at 2 hpi indicated that Tenacibaculum ASVs contributed to between ~52% and 58% of the differences in compositional clustering between samples. A significant drop in skin-mucus alpha diversity in TdCh05-challenged fish was also detected, followed by alpha diversity recovery at 21 dpi. In turn, at 21 dpi, microbiome changes were related to higher interaction complexity among taxa and community instability. Furthermore, 16S cDNA-based sequencing indicated that the potential activity of the Atlantic salmon skin-associated microbiome during disease progression was primarily driven by Tenacibaculum spp. Further research is needed to elucidate the role of other potentially active components (e.g., Pseudomonadales) of the skin-associated microbiome for the onset and/or progression of tenacibaculosis
The Predicted Effects of the Development of Estonian Public Railway Infrastructure on the Field of Transport and Logistics
No full textRaudtee valdkonnaga seotud arutelud on viimasel ajal sattunud huviorbiit, kuna järjest rohkem on suudetud tõestada, et see transpordiliik suudab pakkuda jätkusuutlikku ja keskkonnasõbralikku alternatiivi teistele transpordiviisidele. Ka Eestis on oluline süvitsi analüüsida raudteeinfrastruktuuri olukorda ja selle potentsiaalseid tulevikuperspektiive, et panna paika tegevusplaan.
Raudteeinfrastruktuur hõlmab mitmeid olulisi elemente, alates raudteemaastikust ja rööbastest kuni ooteplatvormide, sildade ja signalisatsiooniseadmeteni. Raudteetransporti kasutades on palju eeliseid: regulaarsus, ilmastikusõltumatus ja suur mahutavus jms... Konkurentsivõimet mõjutavad mitmed tegurid, sealhulgas infrastruktuuri haldamise kulukus ja rööbastevõrgu arendamisele kuluvad suured investeeringud.
Antud uurimus pakkus ülevaadet Eesti avaliku raudteeinfrastruktuuri olukorrast, väljakutsetest ning transpordi- ja logistikavaldkonna arengusuundadest. Eesti avaliku raudteetaristu elektrifitseerimine tasub end ära juhul, kui analüüsitakse üksikasjalikult läbi, millistel raudteelõikudel on otsene vajadust trassi elektrifitseerimiseks. See on ressursimahukas, kuid uurimise käigus selgus, et elektrifitseerimine vähendab pikaajalises perspektiivis käitamiskulusid ja annab tohutu panuse süsinikujalajälje vähendamisesse. Tulemused näitavad, et elektrifitseerimisel on potentsiaali keskkonnamõju vähendamiseks, kuid selle mõju tonnkilomeetrile on üsnagi minimaalne. Tehnoloogilised investeeringud ja äriliste otsuste läbimõtlemine on olulised, et tagada raudtee tõhus ja jätkusuutlik toimimine. Operail, ettevõttena, on näidanud, kuidas ettevõte saab edukalt opereerida Eesti raudteedel, pakkudes mitmekülgseid ja kliendisõbralikke transpordilahendusi. Paraku on ettevõttel tekkinud olukord, kus kaubamahud on vähenenud tohutult ja ettevõtte elus hoidmiseks on vaja mõelda välja järjekordne projekt, mis võiks tuua neile edu ettevõttena.
Raudteetranspordi atraktiivsuse suurendamise tähtsus on Eestis oluline. Selleks, et raudteetransport oleks atraktiivsem ja pälviks rohkem tähelepanu, tuleks kaaluda kasutajakeskseid muudatusi. Arendada välja tõhusamaid logistikalahendusi, võtta kasutusele uusi tehnoloogiaid ja kliendisõbralikumaid teenuseid. Analüüsides maanteetranspordi ja raudteetranspordi numbrilisi erinevusi, toodi välja mõlema transpordiliigi tugevused ja nõrkused. Et raudteetransport saaks üldse konkureerida maanteetranspordiga, on vaja hakata pakkuma uksest ukseni vedusid.
Autori soovitused ja ettepanekud raudteeinfrastruktuuri arendamiseks ning uue siseriikliku kaubavedamise projekti käivitamiseks annavad olulise panuse Eesti transpordi- ja logistikasektori tulevikuperspektiividele. See lähenemine tagab elektrifitseerimise ressursside tõhusa kasutamise ja aitab kaasa Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeeriumi poolt seatud, arengukavas sätestatud, eesmärkidele. Uus siseriiklik kaubavedamise projekt, milles kaasatakse kohalikud maanteevedusid teostavad ettevõtted, näitab autorilt praktilist ja innovaatilist lähenemist. Projekt pakub uksest ukseni vedu, kombineerides nii maanteetransporti kui ka raudteetransporti. See lähenemine toob kaasa mitmeid eeliseid, muutes raudteetranspordi atraktiivsemaks ja suurendades selle konkurentsivõimet. Ettepanek teha koostööd kohalike maanteevedude ettevõtetega näitab ka autorilt soovi kaasata erinevaid transpordiliike ja luua sünergiaid erinevate transpordiviiside vahel. Intensiivne koostöö erinevate osapoolte vahel, paindlikud transpordilahendused ja elektrifitseerimise strateegiad moodustavad tervikliku lähenemise, mis võib oluliselt mõjutada Eesti transpordisüsteemi jätkusuutlikkust ja efektiivsust. Käesolevas uurimuses analüüsiti raudteetranspordi prognoositavaid mõjusid transpordi- ja logistikavaldkonnale. Hetkel on toimumas palju muudatusi raudteevaldkonnas, mis kujundavad tulevikku, kus raudteetransport mängib olulist rolli Eesti transpordi- ja logistikavaldkonnas.The following thesis title is The Predicted Effects of the Development of Estonian Public Railway Infrastructure on the Field of Transport and Logistics.
The research aims to identify the projected effects of reconstructing Estonia's public railway infrastructure on domestic freight transport in the transport and logistics sector. Analyzing recent developments in the railway landscape helps to understand how Estonia's railway system could find a more beneficial and profitable position in the transportation system. This study establishes the foundation for a comprehensive understanding of railway infrastructure and its utilization.
The author collected information from various reliable documents, primarily national development plans and company-based action plans. Based on qualitative data, the author concludes the projected future situation of Estonia's public railway infrastructure after partial or complete reconstruction. The author attempts to understand and interpret different experiences and perspectives from the collected documents to generate theories, aiming to discover new aspects and understand the development direction. Numeric data is gathered from various sources, including Statistics Estonia, the official websites of Estonian Railways and AS Edelaraudtee. Data is collected multiple years before reconstruction and compared with derived potential future data. The data is visualized using graphs, employing suitable chart types according to the analyzed indicator. The thesis also includes examples from other countries to indicate potential development directions in Estonia.
Electrifying Estonia's public railway infrastructure is cost-effective for specific sections, reducing long- term operating costs and contributing to carbon footprint reduction. While resource-intensive, the impact of electrification per ton-kilometer is minimal. Successful operation by Operail on Estonian railways is noted despite facing a significant decrease in freight volumes. Enhancing railway transport attractiveness in Estonia requires user-centric changes, efficient logistics solutions, and the adoption of new technologies. Door-to-door deliveries are crucial for railway transport to compete with road transport. The author's proposals, including collaboration with local road transport companies, contribute to the efficiency and sustainability of Estonia's transport system. Intensive collaboration, flexible solutions, and electrification strategies form a comprehensive approach with a significant impact on Estonia's transport and logistics sector's future
Reclamation of forest landings in the sub-boreal spruce biogeoclimactic zone using biosolids and fallow legumes and grasses.
No full textNo abstract available.The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b123719
Molecular simulation of CO2 capture using hydrotalcite
No full textThe excessive CO2 emissions generated by human activities are the main factor resulting in climate change. A likely increase of 2ºC in the global average temperature is predicted to induce sea level rise and extreme weather events. Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage technologies will play a pivotal role in reducing these emissions and lessening the negative impacts. Currently, the most mature technology for carbon capture is chemical absorption using solvents such as mono-ethanolamine (MEA). However, this technology has the disadvantages of high energy requirements, the use of corrosive substances and elevated cost. The search for alternative cheaper and reliable capture methods is ongoing. Adsorption-based post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) has shown promising results, requiring less energy and using innocuous materials. Nevertheless, the development of adequate adsorbent materials and efficient process design for large scale implementation is still in the early stages.
In this work, we focus on adsorption-based PCC. After carrying out an extensive literature review in the advancements on adsorption carbon capture from the experimental and molecular simulation perspectives, and a survey of the bench and pilot-scale projects around the world using this technology, we selected hydrotalcites (HTs) as a potential adsorbent for capturing CO2 from gas-fired power plant flue gases. HTs are better suited to work at the desired temperature (200ºC) in contrast with other adsorbent materials such as zeolites and activated carbon. In addition, they exhibit high CO2 selectivity and are widely available. The main challenge for their large-scale implementation is their relatively low adsorption capacity in contrast with chemical solvents. Since their performance is influenced by their composition, synthesis, and operational conditions, an experimental approach is impractical, thus molecular simulations were employed. Molecular simulations enable systematic studies without the need for columns settings and with the appropriate tools, in less time.
To the best knowledge of the author, this is the first work employing the ReaxFF method for studying CO2 capture using HT as adsorbents. This molecular simulation method allows the simulation of the formation of chemical bonds, even for large and complex systems as the HT. This study is the first step towards gaining a better understanding of CO2 capture on HT at molecular level considering HT calcination, chemisorption and physisorption.
First, we developed a Mg-Al-CO_3 HT structure geometry with Density Functional Theory calculations. The results showed that the developed structure lattice parameters agreed with experimental measurements.
Next, we developed a specialised reactive force field (FF) and employed it for simulating the calcination process HT undergo for activation with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first FF capable of working with this HT structure. The FF generated with the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolutionary Strategy (CMA-ES) which had the lowest error function value was employed to carry out the calcination MD simulations. Finally, we carried out CO_2 adsorption studies with Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations at 200ºC and 1 bar to reflect PCC settings.
The MD simulations for analysing HT during calcination showed a similar decomposition trend as the one reported in the literature, starting with dehydration, a subsequent dihydroxylation, and finally a decarbonation, resulting in a mixed metallic oxides structure. For validation, we compared the surface area of the calcined simulated HT against experimental data. The simulated calcined HT exhibited a surface area of 247.63 m2/g, which is in the expected range for calcined Mg-Al-CO3 HT surface area reported by experiments.
The GCMC simulations of the adsorption studies showed the HT structure has an adsorption capacity of 34.78 molCO2/kgHT, which is much higher than reported in experimental studies. We attribute the disparity between the experimental and literature values to many factors related to the incipient nature of the generated FF and structure
From Fertilization to Birth: Representing Development in High School Biology Textbooks
No full textabstract: Biology textbooks are everybody's business. In accepting the view that texts are created with specific social goals in mind, I examined 127 twentieth-century high school biology textbooks for representations of animal development. Paragraphs and visual representations were coded and placed in one of four scientific literacy categories: descriptive, investigative, nature of science, and human embryos, technology, and society (HETS). I then interpreted how embryos and fetuses have been socially constructed for students. I also examined the use of Haeckel's embryo drawings to support recapitulation and evolutionary theory. Textbooks revealed that publication of Haeckel's drawings was influenced by evolutionists and anti-evolutionists in the 1930s, 1960s, and the 1990s. Haeckel's embryos continue to persist in textbooks because they "safely" illustrate similarities between embryos and are rarely discussed in enough detail to understand comparative embryology's role in the support of evolution. Certain events coincided with changes in how embryos were presented: (a) the growth of the American Medical Association (AMA) and an increase in birth rates (1950s); (b) the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) and public acceptance of birth control methods (1960s); (c) Roe vs. Wade (1973); (d) in vitro fertilization and Lennart Nilsson's photographs (1970s); (e) prenatal technology and fetocentrism (1980s); and (f) genetic engineering and Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum (1980s and 1990s). By the end of the twentieth century, changing conceptions, research practices, and technologies all combined to transform the nature of biological development. Human embryos went from a highly descriptive, static, and private object to that of sometimes contentious public figure. I contend that an ignored source for helping move embryos into the public realm is schoolbooks. Throughout the 1900s, authors and publishers accomplished this by placing biology textbook embryos and fetuses in several different contexts--biological, technological, experimental, moral, social, and legal.Dissertation/ThesisM.S. Biology 201
Danube+20: More Jobs Due to Better Inland Water Transport?
No full textAbstractThe Danube region is an area of Europe that has wide variations in terms of economic development levels and integration. There is a common belief that raising economic performance levels across these countries will deliver welfare gains and promote cooperation across borders. As part of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), a range of actions and projects have been formulated to stimulate the development of inland waterway transport, ranging from waterway infrastructure projects to port & terminal development and from educational programs to promotional initiatives. The set of measures aims to develop a more attractive and more efficient inland transport system, resulting in more effective and extended use of the Danube as a transport corridor. This development should contribute to employment growth in the IWT sector itself, in the sectors associated to IWT (e.g. ports and terminals) and in the sectors using IWT as a transport mode. To assess the possible effects of the actions and projects defined in the EUSDR, the European Commission commissioned a study, with the aim to estimate the employments levels that would be achieved if transport volumes on the Danube would increase by 20% in 2020 compared to 2010
Lessons from Embryos: Haeckel's Embryo Drawings, Evolution, and Secondary Biology Textbooks
No full textabstract: In 1997, developmental biologist Michael Richardson compared his research team's embryo photographs to Ernst Haeckel's 1874 embryo drawings and called Haeckel's work noncredible.Science soon published Haeckel's Embryos: Fraud Rediscovered, and Richardson's comments further reinvigorated criticism of Haeckel by others with articles in The American Biology Teacher, Haeckel's Embryos and Evolution: Setting the Record Straight and the New York Times, Biology Text Illustrations more Fiction than Fact. Meanwhile, others emphatically stated that the goal of comparative embryology was not to resurrect Haeckel's work. At the center of the controversy was Haeckel's no-longer-accepted idea of recapitulation. Haeckel believed that the development of an embryo revealed the adult stages of the organism's ancestors. Haeckel represented this idea with drawings of vertebrate embryos at similar developmental stages. This is Haeckel's embryo grid, the most common of all illustrations in biology textbooks. Yet, Haeckel's embryo grids are much more complex than any textbook explanation. I examined 240 high school biology textbooks, from 1907 to 2010, for embryo grids. I coded and categorized the grids according to accompanying discussion of (a) embryonic similarities (b) recapitulation, (c) common ancestors, and (d) evolution. The textbooks show changing narratives. Embryo grids gained prominence in the 1940s, and the trend continued until criticisms of Haeckel reemerged in the late 1990s, resulting in (a) grids with fewer organisms and developmental stages or (b) no grid at all. Discussion about embryos and evolution dropped significantly.Dissertation/ThesisEd.D. Biology 201
