Technology assessment of future intercity passenger transporation systems. Volume 2: Identification of issues affecting intercity transportation

Papers on major issues and trends that affect the future of intercity transportation are presented. Specific areas covered include: political, social, technological, institutional, and economic mechanisms, the workings of which determine how future intercity transporation technologies will evolve and be put into service; the major issues of intercity transportation from the point of view of reform, including candidate transporation technologies; and technical analysis of trends affecting the evolution of intercity transportation technologies

Conference of Remote Sensing Educators (CORSE-78)

Ways of improving the teaching of remote sensing students at colleges and universities are discussed. Formal papers and workshops on various Earth resources disciplines, image interpretation, and data processing concepts are presented. An inventory of existing remote sensing and related subject courses being given in western regional universities is included

Discovery processes & the organization of innovation

The thesis comprises four key papers, which provide fresh perspectives pertaining to the key factors in the management of innovation: new ideas, people, transactions and institutions. First, a model of discovery is proposed, highlighting the importance of problem reshaping and shifting in addition to usual problem solving approach. To illustrate how they can be incorporated within existing models, the conventional NK model is adapted in a novel way that not necessarily constrains agents to local optima nearby. The extended model is then used to study effects of curiosity and conditions under which analogy, recombination or local search would be effective. Building on this model, we show how satisficing behaviour of agents can be described by using cognitive constructs such as attention and stimulus, which moderate the gap between local (agent) and non-local (real-world) information. Second, Innovation entails the interfacing of communities with different traditions and aspirations, in particular, the science and business domains. Through a quasi-experimental design, we explore the micro-foundations of the contact and conflict which define the science-business divide, strategies for mitigating discordance and exploit synergies are discussed. Third, the attempt to understand innovation as intra-firm or inter-firm process from a consistent perspective within the existing theories of the firm has provoked a reconceptualization of the 'firm'. A reductionist approach at the level of actions and assets of the firm is found to achieve this reconciliation and also helps introduce the concepts of quasi-boundary to appreciate interaction of firms with the market and the institutions. Third, the innovation process occasionally faces institutional impediments. One of the preeminent changes has been the involvement of the universities in innovation system, where its full commercial potential was realized over a century. The historical observation of how multiple institutions were reformed provides new insights into the mechanism of institutional entrepreneurship. Finally, consolidation of each of the factors requires acknowledgment that the innovation process exists in the context of each other, and are subject to evolution and extraneous influences. The conclusion is an attempt at synthesizing the four factors towards understanding the overarching dynamics in the innovation ecosystem. To leverage on the independent developments at each level, a proposal to build a consistent multi-level coherent framework for innovation is suggested

Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook

The purpose of the Sourcebook is to act as a guide for practitioners and technical staff in addressing gender issues and integrating gender-responsive actions in the design and implementation of agricultural projects and programs. It speaks not with gender specialists on how to improve their skills but rather reaches out to technical experts to guide them in thinking through how to integrate gender dimensions into their operations. The Sourcebook aims to deliver practical advice, guidelines, principles, and descriptions and illustrations of approaches that have worked so far to achieve the goal of effective gender mainstreaming in the agricultural operations of development agencies. It captures and expands the main messages of the World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development and is considered an important tool to facilitate the operationalization and implementation of the report's key principles on gender equality and women's empowerment

University catalog, 2016-2017

The catalog is a comprehensive reference for your academic studies. It includes a list of all degree programs offered at MU, including bachelors, masters, specialists, doctorates, minors, certificates, and emphasis areas. It details the university wide requirements, the curricular requirements for each program, and in some cases provides a sample plan of study. The catalog includes a complete listing and description of approved courses. It also provides information on academic policies, contact information for supporting offices, and a complete listing of faculty members. -- Page 3

Swiss Energy Governance

This open access book gathers the results of an interdisciplinary research project led by the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCER CREST) and jointly implemented by several universities. It identifies political, economic and legal challenges and opportunities in the energy transition from a governance perspective by exploring a variety of tools that allow state, non-state and transnational actors to manage the transition of the energy industry toward less fossil-fuel reliance. When analyzing the roles of these actors, the authors examine not only formal procedures such as political and democratic processes, but also market behavior and societal practices. In other words, the handbook focuses on both the behavior and the positive and normative frameworks of political actors, bureaucracies, courts, international organizations, lobby groups, civil society, economic actors and individuals. The authors subsequently use their findings to formulate specific guidelines for lawmakers and other rule-makers, as well as private and public actors. To do so, they draw on approaches stemming from the legal, political and management sciences

Evaluating the sustainability of urban agriculture projects

Evaluating the sustainability of urban agriculture projects. 5. International Symposium for Farming Systems Design (AGRO2015