SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN PERISHABLES: A PRODUCE APPLICATION

The objective of supply chain management (SCM) is to remove time and cost from supply chains, improving profitability and/or competitiveness. It is possible through conceptual advances, utilization of computer hardware and software, and other advances in electronic technology. Business literature is used to define the concept. Most applications and benefits have resulted from alliances between large retailers and large packaged goods vendors. Specific applications of SCM in the produce industry, with emphasis on factors such as perishability and production variability, are discussed. Firm-size implications are important. While small and mid-sized growers may find the cost to be high, the innovation of logistics provided by outside suppliers is an alternative. A third-party provider was interviewed; its approach and services are documented; and industry implications are discussed.Agribusiness,

Investigation of the small-scale structure and dynamics of Uranus' atmosphere

This document constitutes the final technical report of the Uranus Analysis Program. Papers and/or abstracts resulting from this research are presented. The following topics are covered: (1) past and future of radio occultation studies of planetary atmospheres; (2) equatorial waves in the stratosphere of Uranus; (3) the atmosphere of Uranus- results of radio occultation measurements with Voyager 2; (4) Uranus' atmospheric dynamics and circulation; (5) small-scale structure and dynamics in the atmosphere of Uranus; (6) evidence for inertia-gravity waves in the stratosphere of Uranus derived from Voyager 2 radio occultation data; and (7) planetary waves in the equatorial stratosphere of Uranus

The depth of the convective boundary layer and implications for a Walker-like circulation on Mars

Radio science observations indicate that the depth of the martian convective boundary layer varies strongly with surface height, although the surface temperature does not. We show that this effect is reproduced in martian limited area models and in global climate models. The implications for the global circulation when convective boundary layer depth varies with location are considered

Aerodynamic characteristics in pitch of a 1/7-scale model of a two- and three-stage rocket configuration at Mach numbers of 0.4 to 4.63

Aerodynamic characteristics in pitch of scale model of two and three stage rocket configuration at Mach numbers of 0.4 to 4.6

IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ON ATTITUDES TOWARD FOOD IRRADIATION

Irradiation of food products is one of several techniques that reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Despite its advantages, the technique has been used sparingly because consumers are wary about this technology. A logit model is used to evaluate the impacts of demographic factors on attitudes toward purchasing foods that have been irradiated and toward paying more for irradiated foods. An important finding of this study is that consumers who are familiar with irradiation are significantly more likely to buy and pay more for irradiated products than those who have never heard of irradiation. This implies that educational programs aimed at informing consumers about the benefits of irradiation can work.Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Characteristics and Functions of Non-Mound Mississippian Sites: A Case Study of Fitzner North End (9SN256)

The Mississippian time period (A.D. 900-1600) in the Southeast of North America began with the development of ranked societies where the elite governed from and resided in administrative centers with earthen mounds and no formal bureaucracy. Much of the remaining population lived at smaller, non-mound sites. Given that the majority of people in these polities lived at non-mound sites, it is important to understand these places and their contexts. Current literature does not provide a clear architectural grammar of how these sites are defined socially or archaeologically. Due to variations in socio-political organization, and amount of excavation and research, site descriptions vary. I have summarized current literature into four different types of non-mound sites: town/village, hamlet, farmstead/homestead, and limited activity/special-use. The Fitzner North End (9SN256) site, a non-mound Middle Mississippian site near the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River in Georgia, provides a case study to investigate one non-mound site. Methods include block excavations guided by artifact and feature diversity and distribution and analysis of the resulting data. In addition, a small-scale energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry analysis provides insights into the potential for expanding this type of study for determining variations in Middle Woodland and Middle Mississippian pottery from the site. I conclude that Fitzner North End is most similar to a farmstead or homestead because of its relatively small size (0.3 ha) located near farmable rich soils. The site displays a range of domestic artifacts assumed with seasonal to year-round habitation and lacks the ceremonial/communal nature of a town/village or hamlet site and the limited range of domestic artifacts associated with a special-use or limited activity site. This case study adds to the growing literature and invites future research studies on non-mound Mississippian sites in the Savannah River valley

Operation instructions for the cold electron source Final report, part II

Operation and maintenance procedures for cold electron accelerato

Investigating market orientation and positioning in star-rated hotels in Ghana

Purpose: Market orientation and positioning have been widely recognized as organizational metrics linked to hotel performance. This study offered empirical evidence on the relationship among market orientation, positioning, and hotel performance in Ghana’s (luxury) hotel sector. It also reports on the joint effect of market orientation and positioning on hotel performance in the same sector. Design/methodology/approach: Three hypotheses were investigated on the relationship between market orientation and hotel performance; positioning and hotel performance; and the joint effect of market orientation and positioning on hotel performance. A survey of star rated (luxury) hotels in the capital city of Ghana was used. One hundred and five (105) responses were used in the analysis. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression were used to test the three (3) hypotheses. Findings: All hypotheses were accepted. Market orientation and positioning jointly affect hotel performance, and the study provides hotel managers with suggestions on to enhance their performance via market orientation and positioning. Research limitations/implications: Management perspectives on market orientation, positioning and hotel performance were sought to the exclusion of customers. Future studies may consider using customer perspectives as well. Practical implications: Hotels should consider adopting market oriented positioning strategies to improve on their performance. Originality/value: This study is one of the few attempts to systematically investigating the intertwined concepts of market orientation, positioning and performance in a developing economy hospitality context

Taxonomic notes on the Ototretinae, Photurinae, and Psilocladinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

We propose several nomenclatural changes for taxa in the lampyrid subfamilies Ototretinae, Pho­turinae, and Psilocladinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Evidence for the correct year of description of Drilaster albicornis lateobscura (Pic, 1921) is presented. Spellings are corrected for Drilaster debilis holzi (Pic, 1914), Drilaster impustulata fukienensis (Pic, 1955), Drilaster moutoni (Pic, 1911), Drilaster pendleburyi (Pic, 1943) and Pyrogaster lunifera (Eschscholtz, 1822). We also explain the validity of the name Photuris flavicollis Fall, 1927. Fifty-eight taxa described as variations or aberrations in the subfamilies Ototretinae, Photurinae, and Psilocladinae by Delkeskamp (1977), McDermott (1966), Wittmer (1944), and Pic (1924c), are evaluated, with their availability determined based on ICZN (1999: Article 45.6). We address taxonomic problems with species and genera in the currently valid lampyrid subfamilies Ototreti­nae, Photurinae, and Psilocladinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) in an effort to update McDermott’s (1966) World Lampyridae Catalog. Ballantyne and Keller (2021), Keller (2021, 2022), Keller and Ballantyne (2021, 2023), and Keller and Branham (2018a, b, c) have corrected several problems mostly in other subfamilies, but not in detail for the three subfamilies listed above. We are correcting Ototretinae, Photurinae, and Psilocladinae nomencla­tural details not only for the updated checklist (Keller in prep.), but also to address any mistakes present in online databases, regional checklists, and catalogs which mostly relied on Wittmer (1944) and McDermott (1966). We address the following groups of issues: three incorrect publication dates (two of which resulted in the species being nomina nuda), five misspelled names, one instance of validity of a taxon name, and 57 determinations of subspecific status within Ototretinae, Photurinae, and Psilocladinae. Additionally, we address the correct spell­ings of the genera Ceylanidrilus Pic, 1911 and Flabellototreta Pic, 1911. For each of these, we explain the issues and propose corrections