Decision Support for Biomass Value Chains for the Production of Biochemicals Considering Uncertainties

Value chains of bio-based chemicals are very complex. Hence, a strategic decision support tool for bioeconomic site and logistics planning is developed. It includes an integrated model and three sub-models: optimization for the locations and capacities of pretreatment plants, technical for technical and economic evaluations, risk for the evaluation of uncertainties. As a result, the model suggests a nearly optimal location and the associated logistic network for the production of biochemicals

Asymmetric heterogeneities and the role of transfers in a public goods experiment

Previous experimental research has shown that cooperation is especially challenging in situations involving heterogeneous actors. Here, we investigate the effect of allowing unconditional transfers in a public goods game when actors differ asymmetrically in their endowments and productivity levels. Under this setup, full efficiency, in terms of highest maximum group payoff, can only be achieved with the full transfer of resources from the players with high endowment and low productivity to the players with high productivity but low endowment. We show that, in this setting, the availability of transfers enhances public good provision and cooperation. The voluntary transfer serves as a powerful cooperative signal, leading to high contribution rates among the recipients. However, if the transfer possibility is given but not used, cooperation erodes

A New Episode of Podcasting: The Strategic Implementation of Corporate Podcasts in External Communications as an Innovative On Demand Medium

Podcasts are enjoying a growing number of listeners and increasingly represent an additional channel through which companies can address target groups. Due to its on demand, time-shifting, and mobile characteristics, the medium is predestined for today‘s demanding media users. Despite their growing importance, corporate podcasts as well as their implementation remain an empirically understudied phenomenon. In order to close this research gap, 13 interviews with German podcast managers were conducted. Overall, the results reveal that the medium’s implementation along the lines of strategic communication management still needs to be developed further. Due to the novelty of the usage for organizational purposes, experience is still being gathered. Nevertheless, planning and implementation phases are already well thought through and established. Deficits, however, do exist in the analysis of the situation and in result control. Based on the weaknesses revealed, the study provides hypotheses for further quantitative testing as well as implications for practice, which should be considered to help unfold the potential of the innovative audio format, making podcasts become a tool to strengthen stakeholder relationships more widely

Netzwerk Ökologische Pflanzenzüchtung: Möglichkeiten und Methoden, Grenzen zwischen klassischen und „gentechnischen“ Züchtungsmethoden, partizipative Pflanzenzüchtung

Das Netzwerk Ökologische Pflanzenzüchtung hatte zum Ziel, die verschiedenen Akteure aus dem Sektor der ökologischen Pflanzenzüchtung besser zu vernetzen und zu koordinieren sowie den Austausch von Ideen und Informationen zu ermöglichen. Das Projekt wurde vor dem Hintergrund der starken Abhängigkeit des ökologischen Anbaus von konventionell gezüchteten Sorten sowie dem stetig zunehmenden Einsatz molekularbiologischer Techniken in der Pflanzenzucht konzipiert. Auf Grund dieser Entwicklungen bestand ein großer Bedarf sowohl an Informationen über Züchtungstechniken und gemeinsamem Austausch hierzu als auch konkret an besser auf die Bedingungen des Ökolandbaus abgestimmtem Vermehrungsmaterial. In den über das Netzwerk ausgerichteten Workshops traten Züchter, Anbauer, Berater, Vertreter der verschiedenen Anbauverbände und Wissenschaftler in einen gemeinsamen Dialog. Durch die Einbeziehung aller Akteure konnte das Projekt in vielen Bereichen einen Anschub oder Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung der ökologischen Pflanzenzüchtung leisten. In der Projektlaufzeit erfolgte unter anderem eine deutlichere Positionierung der Anbauverbände hinsichtlich bestimmter Züchtungstechniken sowie eine diesbezügliche Sensibilisierung. Daneben wurden Diskussionen und Entwicklungen zur besseren Bündelung und Finanzierung ökologischer Züchtungsaktivitäten sowie die Gründung neuer ökologischer Züchtungsinitiativen und verbandsinterner Züchtungsforen angeregt. Das Projekt verstand sich in erster Linie als Networking Projekt, um in den Bereichen Austausch von Ideen und Informationen sowie Bereitstellung von geeignetem Vermehrungsmaterial Fortschritte zu erzielen. Neben den Workshops wurde es durch Praxisversuche flankiert um Sorten aus den Bereichen Ackerkulturen, Gemüsekulturen, Obstkulturen und Reben unter den Bedingungen des ökologischen Landbaus zu prüfen und für die Praxis bei Feldtagen zu demonstrieren. Die Versuche und Demonstrationen konnten unter anderem dazu beitragen, dass Praktiker zum Wintererbsenanbau animiert wurden, eine ökologisch gezüchtete Speisegerstensorte sowie zwei Wintererbsensorten zur Anmeldung gebracht wurden. Durch den Versuchsbau konnten außerdem mehrere Gemüsesorten angemeldet, eine schorfresistente Apfelsorte etabliert und die Bekanntheit und Anbaufläche von pilzwiderstandsfähigen Rebsorten (Piwi) gesteigert werden. Schließlich wurden Fragestellungen in weitere Forschungsprojekte eingespeist und wichtige Impulse für die ökologisch-partizipative Pflanzenzüchtung in Deutschland gesetzt

The historical development of zoo elephant survivorship

In the discussion about zoo elephant husbandry, the report of Clubb et al. (2008, Science 322: 1649) that zoo elephants had a “compromised survivorship” compared to certain non-zoo populations is a grave argument, and was possibly one of the triggers of a large variety of investigations into zoo elephant welfare, and changes in zoo elephant management. A side observation of that report was that whereas survivorship in African elephants (Loxodonta africana) improved since 1960, this was not the case in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). We used historical data (based on the Species360 database) to revisit this aspect, including recent developments since 2008. Assessing the North American and European populations from 1910 until today, there were significant improvements of adult (≥10 years) survivorship in both species. For the period from 1960 until today, survivorship improvement was significant for African elephants and close to a significant improvement in Asian elephants; Asian elephants generally had a higher survivorship than Africans. Juvenile (<10 years) survivorship did not change significantly since 1960 and was higher in African elephants, most likely due to the effect of elephant herpes virus on Asian elephants. Current zoo elephant survivorship is higher than some, and lower than some other non-zoo populations. We discuss that in our view, the shape of the survivorship curve, and its change over time, are more relevant than comparisons with specific populations. Zoo elephant survivorship should be monitored continuously, and the expectation of a continuous trend towards improvement should be met

Predatory arthropods in apple orchards across Europe: Responses to agricultural management, adjacent habitat, landscape composition and country

Local agri-environmental schemes, including hedgerows, flowering strips, organic management, and a landscape rich in semi-natural habitat patches, are assumed to enhance the presence of beneficial arthropods and their contribution to biological control in fruit crops. We studied the influence of local factors (orchard management and adjacent habitats) and of landscape composition on the abundance and community composition of predatory arthropods in apple orchards in three European countries. To elucidate how local and landscape factors influence natural enemy effectiveness in apple production systems, we calculated community energy use as a proxy for the communities’ predation potential based on biomass and metabolic rates of predatory arthropods. Predator communities were assessed by standardised beating samples taken from apple trees in 86 orchards in Germany, Spain and Sweden. Orchard management included integrated production (IP; i.e. the reduced and targeted application of synthetic agrochemicals), and organic management practices in all three countries. Predator communities differed between management types and countries. Several groups, including beetles (Coleoptera), predatory bugs (Heteroptera), flies (Diptera) and spiders (Araneae) benefited from organic management depending on country. Woody habitat and IP supported harvestmen (Opiliones). In both IP and organic orchards we detected aversive influences of a high-quality surrounding landscape on some predator groups: for example, high covers of woody habitat reduced earwig abundances in German orchards but enhanced their abundance in Sweden, and high natural plant species richness tended to reduce predatory bug abundance in Sweden and IP orchards in Spain. We conclude that predatory arthropod communities and influences of local and landscape factors are strongly shaped by orchard management, and that the influence of management differs between countries. Our results indicate that organic management improves the living conditions for effective predator communities.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio