Obtaining gains in efficiency when water is free

Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was "Water district management and governance."Includes bibliographical references.Improvements in on-farm water use efficiencies in the Jordan Valley have been demonstrated by a USAID project. A GTZ project is establishing water users' organizations in the Jordan Valley that demonstrate increased water distribution equity. With improved distribution equity, the demonstrated gains in efficiency should increase. Water delivery service fees or a "water price" played no role in the average 20% reduction in water use and average 5% increase in production or yield. Also, in Jordan at the time of the project neither the responsible water distribution agency nor the Ministry of Agriculture Extension Service offered assistance to farmers in on-farm water management. The key for unlocking the potential for water conservation was knowledge transfer to the farmer. On a few selected farms the benefits to be gained from improved management were demonstrated, extension information on irrigation system management was provided to farmers, and a resource of trained irrigation specialists from the Jordan Valley Authority was available to farmers.Sponsored by USCID; co-sponsored by Association of California Water Agencies and International Network for Participatory Irrigation Management

Deepening inside the homonyms of 'Wildbacher' by means of SSR markers

Sixteen accessions of the grapevine cultivar 'Wildbacher' coming from different European repositories and from Styrian and Italian private vineyards were analysed by genetic fingerprinting with SSR markers. Five different molecular profiles were found, confirming that the name 'Wildbacher' is commonly used as a homonym. Several new genotypes could be linked to the previous list of the 'Wildbacher' family. In particular, in Italian commercial vineyards two main 'Wildbacher' varieties defined by A and B genetic profiles were found. They correspond to the two reference genotypes from Styria, 'Wildbacher Blau' ('Blauer Wildbacher)' and 'Wildbacher Spätblau'. In both countries 'Wildbacher Blau' represents the most spread and better performing type and it is earlier ripening compared to 'Wildbacher Spätblau'. They were morphologically and genetically very similar to each other and they shared at least one allele at each of the 11 SSR loci analyzed for cultivar identification. Three different other 'Wildbacher' genotypes from a German collection were identified as individual cultivars. While 'Rotblättriger' (genotype C) and 'Frühblau' from Germany (genotype D) showed some genetic similarity with A and B genotypes, E 'Wildbacher', coming from Hungary, proved to have a distinct genetic profile. Close relationship to the key variety (for the development of European diversity) 'Heunisch' is indicated by sharing one allele at all loci investigated so far. There exist some indications that the second parent is an extinct wild vine. Evaluation of morphological parameters resulted in some differences among all five genotypes.

Pay What You Want as a Marketing Strategy in Monopolistic and Competitive Markets

Pay What You Want (PWYW) can be an attractive marketing strategy to price discriminate between fair-minded and selfish customers, to fully penetrate a market without giving away the product for free, and to undercut competitors that use posted prices. We report on laboratory experiments that identify causal factors determining the willingness of buyers to pay voluntarily under PWYW. Furthermore, to see how competition affects the viability of PWYW, we implement markets in which a PWYW seller competes with a traditional seller. Finally, we endogenize the market structure and let sellers choose their pricing strategy. The experimental results show that outcome-based social preferences and strategic considerations to keep the seller in the market can explain why and how much buyers pay voluntarily to a PWYW seller. We find that PWYW can be viable in isolation, but it is less successful as a competitive strategy because it does not drive traditional posted-price sellers out of the market. Instead, the existence of a posted-price competitor reduces buyers’ payments and prevents the PWYW seller from fully penetrating the market. If given the choice, the majority of sellers opt for setting a posted price rather than a PWYW pricing. We discuss the implications of these results for the use of PWYW as a marketing strategy

EVE: On-Board Process Planning and Execution

Abstract The Information Technology and Systems Center (ITSC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville is developing an innovative processing framework aimed at assisting science users in the use of the unique constraints and characteristics of the on-board satellite data and information environment. The Environment for On-Board Processing (EVE) system serves as a proof-of-concept of advanced information systems technology for remote sensing platforms. With EVE, data is processed as it is collected, enabling the production of custom data products on-board and in real-time. The web-based drag-and-drop EVE editor allows science users to build processing plans, which are compatible with the constraints of on-board computing environments. The EVE onboard, real-time processing infrastructure, will upload, schedule, and control the execution of these plans. Operations within the plans provide capabilities focused on the areas of autonomous data mining, classification and feature extraction using both streaming and buffered data sources. These will contribute to science research applications, including natural hazard detection and prediction, fusion of multi-sensor measurements, intelligent sensor control, and the generation of customized data products for direct distribution to users. A ground-based testbed has been created to provide testing of EVE and associated science applications in a heterogeneous, embedded hardware and software environment. Testbed components include platforms that represent both space based and ground based sensor platforms, including wireless sensor mesh architectures

EVE: On-Board Process Planning and Execution

The Information Technology and Systems Center (ITSC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville(UAH) has designed and is now developing an innovative processing framework aimed at helping science users exploit the unique constraints and characteristics of the on-board satellite data and information environment. The Environment for On-Board Processing (EVE) system will serve as a proof-of-concept of advanced information systems technology for remote sensing platforms. Because data will be processed as it’s collected, such a system will produce custom data products on-board and in real-time. First, the EVE editor allows science users to build processing plans, which are compatible with the constraints of on-orbit computing environments. The EVE on-board, real-time processing infrastructure in turn, will upload, schedule, and control the execution of these plans. Operations within the plans provide capabilities focused on the areas of autonomous data mining, classification and feature extraction. These will contribute to Earth Science research applications, including natural hazard detection and prediction, fusion of multi-sensor measurements, intelligent sensor control, and the generation of customized data products for direct distribution to users. A ground-based testbed is being created to provide testing of EVE and associated Earth Science applications in a heterogeneous embedded hardware and software environment

On-Board Mining in the Sensor Web

The Information Technology and Systems Center (ITSC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has designed and is now developing an innovative processing framework aimed at assisting science users exploit the unique constraints and characteristics of the on-board satellite data and information environment. The Environment for On-Board Processing (EVE) system will serve as a proof-of-concept of advanced information systems technology for remote sensing platforms. Because data will be processed as it is collected, such a system will produce custom data products on-board and in real-time. First, the EVE editor allows science users to build processing plans, which are compatible with the constraints of on-board computing environments. The EVE on-board, real-time processing infrastructure in turn, will upload, schedule, and control the execution of these plans. Operations within the plans provide capabilities focused on the areas of autonomous data mining, classification and feature extraction using both streaming and buffered data sources. These will contribute to science research applications, including natural hazard detection and prediction, fusion of multi-sensor measurements, intelligent sensor control, and the generation of customized data products for direct distribution to users. A ground-based testbed is being created to provide testing of EVE and associated Earth Science applications in a heterogeneous embedded hardware and software environment

Trouble at the top: The construction of a tenant identity in the governance of social housing organizations

The project of citizen governance has transformed the social housing sector in England where 20,000 tenants now sit as directors on the boards of housing associations, but the entrance of social housing tenants to the boardroom has aroused opposition from the chief executives of housing companies and triggered regulatory intervention from government inspectors. This paper investigates the cause of these tensions through a theoretical framework drawn from the work of feminist philosopher Judith Butler. It interprets housing governance as an identificatory project with the power to constitute tenant directors as regulated subjects, and presents evidence to suggest that this project of identity fails to completely enclose its subject, allowing tenant directors to engage in ‘identity work’ that threatens the supposed unity of the board. The paper charts the development of antagonism and political tension in the board rooms of housing companies to present an innovative account of the construction and contestation of identities in housing governance

Red Interinstitucional de Investigación y Desarrollo en Enseñanza de Matemática ECAMI : Universidad Tecnológica Nacional

El nuevo contexto planteado por la evolución de la tecnología conlleva a que los docentes desempeñen una función diferente. Por un lado, se requiere de ellos acciones pedagógicas que de manera sistemática y crítica procuren la transformación de la forma de enseñar y favorezcan nuevos modos de aprender atendiendo a los intereses y necesidades de los alumnos. Por el otro, necesitan adquirir nuevas habilidades que les permitan aprovechar las facilidades de mediación que aportan esas nuevas tecnologías. El propósito de este Proyecto es poner a consideración de la comunidad educativa un desarrollo didáctico, apropiado tanto para su implementación en clases de Cálculo como para la formación de profesores. La intención del diseño, tanto en su aspecto didáctico como tecnológico, es que el alumno plantee preguntas, proponga argumentos y explicaciones, trabaje en diferentes registros de representación semiótica, emplee su saber anterior, tome conciencia de éste, y construya sobre él uno nuevo. El Consorcio ECAMI es una red interinstitucional integrada por dos Facultades Regionales de la Universidad Tecnológica de la República Argentina, donde se forman ingenieros y el Instituto Nacional Superior del Profesorado Técnico donde se preparan técnicos en tres años y profesores en distintas especialidades en cuatro años.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Red Interinstitucional de Investigación y Desarrollo en Enseñanza de Matemática ECAMI : Universidad Tecnológica Nacional

El nuevo contexto planteado por la evolución de la tecnología conlleva a que los docentes desempeñen una función diferente. Por un lado, se requiere de ellos acciones pedagógicas que de manera sistemática y crítica procuren la transformación de la forma de enseñar y favorezcan nuevos modos de aprender atendiendo a los intereses y necesidades de los alumnos. Por el otro, necesitan adquirir nuevas habilidades que les permitan aprovechar las facilidades de mediación que aportan esas nuevas tecnologías. El propósito de este Proyecto es poner a consideración de la comunidad educativa un desarrollo didáctico, apropiado tanto para su implementación en clases de Cálculo como para la formación de profesores. La intención del diseño, tanto en su aspecto didáctico como tecnológico, es que el alumno plantee preguntas, proponga argumentos y explicaciones, trabaje en diferentes registros de representación semiótica, emplee su saber anterior, tome conciencia de éste, y construya sobre él uno nuevo. El Consorcio ECAMI es una red interinstitucional integrada por dos Facultades Regionales de la Universidad Tecnológica de la República Argentina, donde se forman ingenieros y el Instituto Nacional Superior del Profesorado Técnico donde se preparan técnicos en tres años y profesores en distintas especialidades en cuatro años.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A new perspective on global renewable energy systems: why trade in energy carriers matters

Recent global modelling studies suggest a decline of long-distance trade in energy carriers in future global renewable energy systems, compared to today's fossil fuel based system. In contrast, we identify four drivers that facilitate trade of renewable energy carriers. These drivers may lead to trade volumes remaining at current levels or even to an increase during the transition to an energy system with very high shares of renewables. First, new land-efficient technologies for renewable fuel production become increasingly available and technically allow for long-distance trade in renewables. Second, regional differences in social acceptance and land availability for energy infrastructure support the development of renewable fuel import and export streams. Third, the economics of renewable energy systems, i.e. the different production conditions globally and the high costs of fully renewable regional electricity systems, will create opportunities for spatial arbitrage. Fourth, a reduction of stranded investments in the fossil fuel sector is possible by switching from fossil fuels to renewable fuel trade. The impact of these drivers on trade in renewable energy carriers is currently under-investigated by the global energy systems research community. The importance of the topic, in particular as trade can redistribute profits and losses of decarbonization and may hence support finding new partners in climate change mitigation negotiations, warrants further research efforts in this area therefore