Presentations from the HoReCa Forum International Sessions at the BioFach Congress 2013

The HoReCa Forum (Hotels, Restaurants & Catering Forum) is one of the Forums of the German BioFach Congress. Within this Forum there are a number of English presentations on various aspects of the organic out-of-home sector in Europe and abroad. At this Forum colleagues presented current information on Green Public Procurement, certification of organic horeca and some international case studies about organic school meals. With contributions from: * Niels Heine Kristensen, Aalborg University, Denmark * Mark Stein, Salford University Business School, United Kingdom * Emanuele Busacca, IFOAM EU Group, Belgium * Valerie Monnin, Bio Suisse, Switzerland * Michael Baker, BFA - Biological Farmers of Australia, Australia * Cristina Vicente-Almazán Castro, DYNAMIS, Spain * Merit Mikk, Centre for Ecological Engineering, Estonia * Nadja Tahon & Dorien Pelckmans, Velt vzw, Belgium * Lisbeth Oliveira, Federal University of Goiás, Brazi

A Corrected Pseudo-score Approach for Additive Hazards Model With Longitudinal Covariates Measured With Error

In medical studies, it is often of interest to characterize the relationship between a time-to-event and covariates, not only time-independent but also time-dependent. Time-dependent covariates are generally measured intermittently and with error. Recent interests focus on the proportional hazards framework, with longitudinal data jointly modeled through a mixed effects model. However, approaches under this framework depend on the normality assumption of the error, and might encounter intractable numerical difficulties in practice. This motivates us to consider an alternative framework, that is, the additive hazards model, under which little has been done when time-dependent covariates are measured with error. We propose a simple corrected pseudo-score approach for the regression parameters with no assumptions on the distribution of the random effects and the error beyond those for the variance structure of the latter. The estimator has an explicit form and is shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. We illustrate the method via simulations and by application to data from an HIV clinical trial

Representation of Gender in the Dialogues of the Textbooks English Step by Step 5 and I Love English 5

Juhendaja: Raili MarlingThe aim of this thesis is to analyse the representation of gender in the dialogues of two English language textbooks written by Estonian authors for Estonian learners: English Step by Step 5 (2008) and I Love English 5 (2008). In comparison to the general representation of men and women in textbooks, dialogues have not been analysed as extensively. However, they are of great importance in the language classroom as they help in developing and practising a variety of conversational skills related to the language being learnt. If one gender is given a smaller number of words or the characters of that gender are represented in a limited number of social roles, the students reading the part of those characters may get less practice opportunities or develop false assumptions of how native speakers of the target language speak. The introduction of the thesis discusses the role of schools and educational media in the process of socialisation and how doing gender is involved in that process. It also explains how the dialogues create a social context for language use and how inequalities in gendered models of those dialogues can affect learning. The first chapter gives an overview of the previous research on the topic of gender in textbooks, focusing generally on foreign language textbooks, but also including other textbooks studied in Estonia in order to give a broader overview of the local situation. Language use and its relation to gender are discussed in the second part. The third chapter describes the choice and structure of the materials, and lists the criteria for the quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis focuses on the number of female, male and gender-neutral characters, the number of words and utterances they have and how many mixed-gender dialogues they initiate or conclude. The qualitative analysis focuses on the social roles and settings the characters are presented in, the language used to present them and the language the characters use to address each other or talk about other people, which language functions – informative, phatic, directive or expressive – do the characters use, and which examples of polite language use can be found in their speech. The fourth chapter presents and discusses the findings of this study. The findings in the two books are compared to each other and also to the findings of the previous studies described earlier. Additionally, the possible practice opportunities in gendered roles ascribed by the books are discussed as well

The European Market for Organic Food

Most of the information and statistics presented in this chapter were compiled as part of a survey among national experts of national or international organic markets. Many of these figures are based on estimates, and the methods of data collection vary from country to country as no uniform data collection system for organic market data is yet in place. In addition, national organic sales figures may vary between years depending on the information sources. Descriptions of market trends in this chapter are the result of market observations by Toralf Richter (Bio Plus AG, Switzerland) and Susanne Padel (University of Wales). The authors would welcome any comments that may help to improve the quality of data and information about the organic market in Europe in future. Some content of this chapter was already published in the Soil Association ‘Organic Market Report 2006’3

An evaluation of the effects of rural development policies in the North-East Region of Romania

peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, popularizationThe European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) holds as principal objectives, as they were outlined in the Treaty of Rome, the following: increase productivity, by promoting technical innovation and ensuring optimum use of factors of production, ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, stabilize agricultural markets, secure availability of agricultural supplies and provide consumers with food at reasonable prices. Over time, and depending on certain factors, new secondary objectives have been added such as: environmental protection, biodiversity, animal welfare, enhancement of rural areas. In the North-East Region of Romania, the impact of rural development policies implemented through the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) has been assessed at regional and local level utilizing a combined analysis of statistical databases.Strategies regarding the promotion of agro-tourism and rural tourism in the hidrographic basins of the Slanic, Oituz and Casin rivers – Bacau County in order to ensure sustainable rural developmen

Suicide Attempts from Height and Injury Patterns: An Analysis of 64 Cases

Falls from height are a common cause of death and disability. A majority of free falls occur accidentally and only a minority result from suicidal behaviour. Adolescents in many countries show high rates of suicide attempts and their repetition is a common feature. We describe the demographic characteristics of these patients, their psychiatric diagnosis at the time of the attempt and the injury patterns. We present 64 patients who sustained injuries as a result of a fall from height. They were divided into those without mental disorders (n = 32, group I) and those with mental disorders (n = 32, group II). The mean height from which the fall occurred was 5.4 m (range, 3–25 m). The mean injury severity score was 19 (range, 6–58) for all fall victims. Upper extremity fractures were found in 37 patients, while pelvic and lower extremity fractures were found in 198 cases. Spinal fractures were noted in 32 patients. Head injuries were revealed by CT scan in 16 patients. Patients following a suicidal high fall mostly had lower limb fractures, pelvis fractures, spinal fractures and head injuries

Ajakirja Eesti Arst retsensendid 2012. aastal

Eesti Arst 2013; 92(1):

Hauptstadt und Hauptstadtregion im System der lokalen Gebeitskörperschaften

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the position of capital city and capital city region in Estonia. An analysis of the position of the capital city in the local self-government organisation of a country must consider the following four aspects: 1. The capital city in the system of human settlements. 2. The capital city and the national legal environment, including the capital city’s relationship with the central government and regional co-operation. 3. Management models of the capital city, including decentralisation. 4. The economic environment in the capital city; the capital city and the economic environment of the region and the country. The author is of the opinion that there are practically no interdisciplinary analyses addressing legal, economic, and demographic and management problems of capital city in Estonia