Seeding for Monarchs, Pollinators, and Living Snow Fence

The establishment of the correct mix of native plant species on roadsides can benefit water quality, provide a habitat for pollinators including the monarch butterfly, and at the same time offer protection from snow drifting. Reduced mowing and beatification is another benefit. This presentation covers the where, what, and how to make this happen. What have we learned in the past 20 years that can make wildflower establishment less expensive and more successful

How to promote knowledge sharing in cross-functional NPD teams

This paper investigates the common issues that may arise in cross-functional new product development (NPD) teams from a Knowledge Management perspective. The study has been built around a contextualized trigger, where several factors were preventing a new-born NPD team from performing effectively. The purpose of this paper is to give insights of the main dynamics involved in the knowledge sharing process throughout the application of a systematic problem-solving approach to the case investigated by the authors. Due to the impossibility of building a universal recipe suitable for every team in every situation, this work represents a compromise trying to exemplify how to prioritise interventions in a given context, in order to provide a benchmark for similar circumstances. This paper, using an action research method within a single case context, takes shape around the advises and suggestions made by authors to Electronic Connected Ltd (disguised name), a small-medium enterprise (SME) in a situation of NPD paralysis. In particular, the paper emphasizes the importance of effective leadership and supporting environment in facilitating communication, enhancing cohesiveness, fostering joint commitment and giving direction in order to enable knowledge sharing and to leverage capabilities to conclusively deliver new products

Job quality in Europe

Promoting job quality and gender equality are objectives of the European Employment Strategy (EES) in spite of a downgrading of the attention given to both in the revised employment guidelines and the re-launch of the Lisbon Process. However, advances on both of these objectives may be important complements to the employment rate targets of the EES, as access to good quality jobs for both sexes is likely to help sustain higher employment rates. While the European Commission has a broad view of the concept of job quality in practice, it relies on a selection of labour market type indicators that say little about the quality of the actual jobs people do. Using data from the 2005 European Working Conditions survey, we analyse job quality along three dimensions: job content, autonomy and working conditions. We conclude that gender and occupational status, along with other job characteristics such as working time and sector, have more influence on an individual’s job quality than the country or ‘national model’ they are situated in. Our results also demonstrate the value of developing indicators of job quality that are both gender sensitive and derived at the level of the job rather than the labour market in order to advance EU policy and academic debate on this topic

Utilities and residential tenancies - part 2: future directions for rental housing standards

This report considers a range of data and regulatory and policy interventions from international and domestic jurisdictions with the objective of improving the provision of utilities for private rental housing in Victoria. Overview There are a range of issues affecting the provision of utilities to tenants, particularly: low income households are more likely to occupy rental dwellings with a combination of low thermal effi ciency and ineffi cient appliances tenants are unlikely to be able to upgrade appliances or relocate to dwelling of higher thermal quality due to other market pressures energy consumption and costs are higher for many tenants relative to equivalant households in other tenures market processes and programs often preclude participation from residential tenants or have onerous access barriers Future Directions for Rental Housing Standards provides: a discussion of options for energy effi ciency improvements in the conclusion of Part one a discussion of current regulatory processes concerning the energy and water effi ciency of private rental housing options for improving the provision of energy and water services including both regulatory and non-regulatory options a focus on the policy processes arising from Council of Australian Government (COAG) reform

Risk of Resource Failure and Toolkit Variation in Small-Scale Farmers and Herders

Recent work suggests that global variation in toolkit structure among hunter-gatherers is driven by risk of resource failure such that as risk of resource failure increases, toolkits become more diverse and complex. Here we report a study in which we investigated whether the toolkits of small-scale farmers and herders are influenced by risk of resource failure in the same way. In the study, we applied simple linear and multiple regression analysis to data from 45 small-scale food-producing groups to test the risk hypothesis. Our results were not consistent with the hypothesis; none of the risk variables we examined had a significant impact on toolkit diversity or on toolkit complexity. It appears, therefore, that the drivers of toolkit structure differ between hunter-gatherers and small-scale food-producers

Social mobility and ‘openness’ in creative occupations since the 1970s

Social mobility in the cultural sector is currently an important issue in government policy and public discussion, associated with perceptions of a collapse in numbers of working-class origin individuals becoming artists, actors, musicians and authors. The question of who works in creative occupations has also attracted significant sociological attention. To date, however, there have been no empirically grounded studies into the changing social composition of such occupations. This article uses the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study to show that, while those from more privileged social backgrounds have long dominated, there has been no change in the relative class mobility chances of gaining access to creative work. Instead, we must turn to the pattern of absolute mobility into this sector in order to understand claims that it is experiencing a ‘mobility crisis’

Spin-dynamics of the low-dimensional magnet (CH3)2NH2CuCl3

Dimethylammonium copper (II) chloride (also known as DMACuCl3 or MCCL) is a low dimensional S=1/2 quantum spin system proposed to be an alternating ferro-antiferromagnetic chain with similar magnitude ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) exchange interactions. Subsequently, it was shown that the existing bulk measurements could be adequately modeled by considering DMACuCl3 as independent AFM and FM dimer spin pairs. We present here new inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the spin-excitations in single crystals of DMACuCl3. These results show significant quasi-one-dimensional coupling, however the magnetic excitations do not propagate along the expected direction. We observe a band of excitations with a gap of 0.95 meV and a bandwidth of 0.82 meV.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures included in text, submitted to proceedings of International Conference on Neutron Scattering, December 200

Development of S-121 for Maritime Limits and Boundaries

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) establishes guidelines for management of coastal States’ maritime limits and boundaries information. For consistent deposit of maritime limits and boundaries under the UNCLOS, a standards-based approach is required. This article describes development of this approach through the IHO S-121 standard. Requirements for IHO S-121 are outlined, followed by the data model development methodology. Results outline the data model structure and show how IHO S-121 meets UNCLOS requirements. IHO S-121 represents a significant advancement for consistent management of coastal States’ limits and boundaries data and will help States meet their UNCLOS obligations.El Convenio de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar (UNCLOS) establece directrices para la gestión de la información sobre límites y fronteras marítimos de los estados costeros. Para un registro consistente de los límites y fronteras marítimos bajo UNCLOS, se necesita un enfoque basado en normas. Este artículo describe el desarrollo de este enfoque a través de la norma S-121 de la OHI. Se describen los requisitos de la S-121 de la OHI, seguidos por la metodología para el desarrollo del modelo de datos. Los resultados describen la estructura del modelo de datos y cómo la S-121 de la OHI cumple los requisitos de UNCLOS. La S-121 de la OHI representa un avance significativo para la gestión consistente de los datos de los límites y fronteras marítimos de los estados costeros, y ayudará a que los estados cumplan con sus obligaciones bajo UNCLOS.La Convention des Nations Unies sur le droit de la mer (CNUDM) établit des direc-tives pour la gestion des informations sur les limites et les frontières maritimes des Etats côtiers. Pour un dépôt cohérent des limites et des frontières maritimes en ver-tu de la CNUDM, une approche fondée sur des normes est nécessaire. Cet article décrit le développement de cette approche par le biais de la norme S-121 de l’OHI. Les exigences de la S-121 de l’OHI sont décrites, suivies de la méthodologie d’éla-boration du modèle de données. Les résultats décrivent la structure du modèle de données et montrent comment la S-121 de l’OHI répond aux exigences de la CNUDM. La S-121 de l’OHI représente une avancée importante pour la gestion co-hérente des données sur les limites et les frontières des Etats côtiers et aidera les Etats à s’acquitter de leurs obligations au titre de la CNUDM

Facilitating and Improving Environmental Research Data Repository Interoperability

Environmental research data repositories provide much needed services for data preservation and data dissemination to diverse communities with domain specific or programmatic data needs and standards. Due to independent development these repositories serve their communities well, but were developed with different technologies, data models and using different ontologies. Hence, the effectiveness and efficiency of these services can be vastly improved if repositories work together adhering to a shared community platform that focuses on the implementation of agreed upon standards and best practices for curation and dissemination of data. Such a community platform drives forward the convergence of technologies and practices that will advance cross-domain interoperability. It will also facilitate contributions from investigators through standardized and streamlined workflows and provide increased visibility for the role of data managers and the curation services provided by data repositories, beyond preservation infrastructure. Ten specific suggestions for such standardizations are outlined without any suggestions for priority or technical implementation. Although the recommendations are for repositories to implement, they have been chosen specifically with the data provider/data curator and synthesis scientist in mind

PenQuest Volume 5, Number 1

Table of Contents for this Volume: Success by Shatney Maria by Jane O’Neal Intrusions by Mark McBride The Mystery of the Back Porch Light by Nature Johnston Truth and the Violin by Shatney Corporate America by Julie Crowell Pete’s Cafe by Nature Johnston Geranium by Anne Benjamin The Man Who Buried His Books by William Slaughter Erasures by William Slaughter Mind You and other poems by Kate Mathews Coffee in the Tea Room by Kathleen O’Brien The Children by Katharine Rodier Sisters, Reclamation, Not Wanting to Say, “I Told You So,” But… by Kathleen O’Brien Genetics by Kathleen O’Brien The Anguish of Flames by Kathleen O’Brien turning plows by Mark McBride A Valediction for My Father by Jonathan Williams Untitled by Mark Sablow Artificial Portrait by Kevin Christenson Untitled by Latrell Mickler Untitled by Kevin Christenson Galvanistic Ascension by Mark Grisham Power Surge by Mark Grisham Untitled by Lori Kirsbau