Use of indicators as tools of decision-making

There appears to be several ways to use the indicators. In a complex policy context such as natural resource management indicators are foremost communicative tools for demonstrating issues that are already known ones. Successfully used, indicators may be tools for crystallizing the key of information flows. Contrary to technical use of indicators the circumstances of information utilization need to be emphasized in a complex policy context. Critical point of indicator's approach lies also in making of the interpretations. Finally, there are also power aspects, which should be noted for

Effects of Relationship Quality Between Estate Agents and Sellers in the Real Estate Market

Objectives The main objectives of this study were to study the construct of relationship quality in the field of real estate, and to provide information on what factors influence relationship quality between real estate agents and property sellers. The study was done in collaboration with a Finnish real estate agency Kiinteistömaailma Mikkeli and aimed to provide them with ways on how to manage their agent-client relationships and create customer loyalty. Summary This study researches the relationship quality construct between real estate agents and property sellers. A survey is conducted to study the proposed antecedents of relationship quality, trust and satisfaction, as well as the proposed antecedents of trust and commitment. The effect of relationship quality to customer loyalty is also studied. Conclusions The results indicate that the outcome of relationship quality is customer loyalty, while trust and satisfaction are dimensions of relationship quality. Salesperson expertise and service quality had a positive influence on trust. Service quality had a positive influence on also satisfaction, along with relational selling behavior. Therefore, to manage relationship quality and create customer loyalty, real estate agencies should seek to increase customer trust and satisfaction through especially service quality in addition to salesperson expertise and relational selling behavior

Outdoor education - elämäntaitoja oppimaan

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Uncertainty analysis of intermodulation-based antenna measurements

Intermodulation measurement principle has been proposed for characterizing transponder antennas. Although the method seems to offer certain advantages compared to traditional antenna characterization methods, the measurement uncertainty has not yet been well characterized. We aim at identifying the main sources of measurement uncertainty and estimating the achievable accuracy in a certain case at 1 GHz.Peer reviewe

Characterization of Transponder Antennas Using Intermodulation Response

The intermodulation measurement technique enables measuring transponder antennas without any cable connections. This contactless technique exploits the inherent nonlinearity of the transponder to generate intermodulation products that can be measured. In this paper, we relate the transponder antenna properties to the intermodulation response, and use this relation to calculate the gain andimpedance matching of the transponder antenna. Additionally, we consider the limitations of the measurement method and present three different measurement geometries for measuring the radiation pattern. The presented equations and methods are experimentally verified by measuring an example harmonic transponder.Peer reviewe

Implementation of Sensor RFID: Carrying Sensor Information in the Modulation Frequency

An approach that can be used for exploiting the sensing capabilities of radio-frequency identification (RFID) is presented and formulated. In this approach, sensor information is carried through the modulation frequency of RFID . The aim of this work is to investigate the sensor concept and to characterize the sensor performance both theoretically and experimentally. Furthermore, the operation of the sensor radio-frequency (RF) parts and oscillator are described analytically, and the equationsare verified by simulations and measurements. The concept is experimentally demonstrated at a single carrier frequency to test its suitability for ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID applications, and shown to be feasible for implementing sensors that can be read across distances up to 14 meters.Peer reviewe

Modeling spectral sensitivity at low light levels based on mesopic visual performance

The spectral sensitivity of the eye at low light levels, ie, mesopic conditions, is determined by the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina operating together in varying degree as adaptation luminance shifts between the scotopic and photopic. Thus mesopic spectral sensitivity is different from photopic, where only cones contribute to vision. There are definite needs for a practical system of mesopic photometry to be used in assessing light at low light levels, especially in road and other outdoor lighting applications. However, neither of the recently proposed systems of mesopic photometry, the MOVE-model or the X-model, is found satisfactory by common consent of the lighting community. The most active debate has considered the upper luminance limit of the mesopic region, which is regarded to be too high for the MOVE-model and too low for the X-model. The present paper proposes a new modified MOVE-model whose upper luminance limit is adjusted to meet the actual road and street lighting luminance values measured in different weather conditions. The paper compares the MOVE-model, X-model, and the proposed modified MOVE-model with three independent visual performance data sets provided by different European universities. Based on the comparison, recommendations are given for future actions towards internationally accepted practice for mesopic photometry

The role of acetyl xylan esterase in the solubilization of xylan and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw and giant reed

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Due to the complexity of lignocellulosic materials, a complete enzymatic hydrolysis into fermentable sugars requires a variety of cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes. Addition of xylanases has been shown to significantly improve the performance of cellulases and to increase cellulose hydrolysis by solubilizing xylans in lignocellulosic materials. The goal of this work was to investigate the effect of acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) originating from <it>Trichoderma reesei </it>on xylan solubilization and enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The solubilization of xylan in pretreated wheat straw and giant reed (<it>Arundo donax</it>) by xylanolytic enzymes and the impact of the sequential or simultaneous solubilization of xylan on the hydrolysis of cellulose by purified enzymes were investigated. The results showed that the removal of acetyl groups in xylan by AXE increased the accessibility of xylan to xylanase and improved the hydrolysis of xylan in pretreated wheat straw and giant reed. Solubilization of xylan led to an increased accessibility of cellulose to cellulases and thereby increased the hydrolysis extent of cellulose. A clear synergistic effect between cellulases and xylanolytic enzymes was observed. The highest hydrolysis yield of cellulose was obtained with a simultaneous use of cellulases, xylanase and AXE, indicating the presence of acetylated xylan within the cellulose matrix. Acetylated xylobiose and acetylated xylotriose were produced from xylan without AXE, as confirmed by atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization ion trap mass spectrometry.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results in this paper demonstrate that supplementation of xylanase with AXE enhances the solubilization of xylan to some extent and, consequently, increases the subsequent hydrolysis of cellulose. The highest hydrolysis yield was, however, obtained by simultaneous hydrolysis of xylan and cellulose, indicating a layered structure of cellulose and xylan chains in the cell wall substrate. AXE has an important role in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials containing acetylated xylan.</p