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• 1. [Article] Air-quality and Climatic Consequences of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation

  Bioenergy is expected to play an increasingly significant role in the global energy budget. In addition to the use of liquid energy forms such as ethanol and biodiesel, electricity generation using processed ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Air-quality and Climatic Consequences of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation Author: Porter, William Christian Year: 2013 Bioenergy is expected to play an increasingly significant role in the global energy budget. In addition to the use of liquid energy forms such as ethanol and biodiesel, electricity generation using processed energy crops as a partial or full coal alternative is expected to increase, requiring large-scale conversions of land for the cultivation of bioenergy feedstocks such as cane, grasses, or short rotation coppice. With land-use change identified as a major contributor to changes in the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), many of which are known contributors to the pollutants ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), careful review of crop emission profiles and local atmospheric chemistry will be necessary to mitigate any unintended air-quality consequences. In this work, the atmospheric consequences of bioenergy crop replacement are examined using both the high-resolution regional chemical transport model WRF/Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) and the global climate model CESM (Community Earth System Model). Regional sensitivities to several representative crop types are analyzed, and the impacts of each crop on air quality and climate are compared. Overall, the high emitting crops (eucalyptus and giant reed) were found to produce climate and human health costs totaling up to 40% of the value of CO2 emissions prevented, while the related costs of the lowest-emitting crop (switchgrass) were negligible. Title: Air-quality and Climatic Consequences of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation Author: Porter, William Christian Year: 2013 Bioenergy is expected to play an increasingly significant role in the global energy budget. In addition to the use of liquid energy forms such as ethanol and biodiesel, electricity generation using processed energy crops as a partial or full coal alternative is expected to increase, requiring large-scale conversions of land for the cultivation of bioenergy feedstocks such as cane, grasses, or short rotation coppice. With land-use change identified as a major contributor to changes in the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), many of which are known contributors to the pollutants ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), careful review of crop emission profiles and local atmospheric chemistry will be necessary to mitigate any unintended air-quality consequences. In this work, the atmospheric consequences of bioenergy crop replacement are examined using both the high-resolution regional chemical transport model WRF/Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) and the global climate model CESM (Community Earth System Model). Regional sensitivities to several representative crop types are analyzed, and the impacts of each crop on air quality and climate are compared. Overall, the high emitting crops (eucalyptus and giant reed) were found to produce climate and human health costs totaling up to 40% of the value of CO2 emissions prevented, while the related costs of the lowest-emitting crop (switchgrass) were negligible. Close

• 2. [Article] Reducing the Negative Human-Health Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Emissions through Region-Specific Crop Selection

  An expected global increase in bioenergy-crop cultivation as an alternative to fossil fuels will have consequences on both global climate and local air quality through changes in biogenic emissions of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Reducing the Negative Human-Health Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Emissions through Region-Specific Crop Selection Author: Porter, William Christian, Rosenstiel, Todd N., Guenther, Alex, Lamarque, Jean-Francois, Barsanti, Kelley Year: 2015 An expected global increase in bioenergy-crop cultivation as an alternative to fossil fuels will have consequences on both global climate and local air quality through changes in biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced through the substitution of next-generation bioenergy crops such as eucalyptus, giant reed, and switchgrass for fossil fuels, the choice of species has important ramifications for human health, potentially reducing the benefits of conversion due to increases in ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels as a result of large changes in biogenic emissions. Using the Community Earth System Model we simulate the conversion of marginal and underutilized croplands worldwide to bioenergy crops under varying future anthropogenic emissions scenarios. A conservative global replacement using high VOCemitting crop profiles leads to modeled population-weighted O3 increases of 5–27 ppb in India, 1–9 ppb in China, and 1–6 ppb in the United States, with peak PM2.5 increases of up to 2 μg m−3 . We present a metric for the regional evaluation of candidate bioenergy crops, as well as results for the application of this metric to four representative emissions profiles using four replacement scales (10–100% maximum estimated available land). Finally, we assess the total health and climate impacts of biogenic emissions, finding that the negative consequences of using high-emitting crops could exceed 50% of the positive benefits of reduced fossil fuel emissions in value. Title: Reducing the Negative Human-Health Impacts of Bioenergy Crop Emissions through Region-Specific Crop Selection Author: Porter, William Christian, Rosenstiel, Todd N., Guenther, Alex, Lamarque, Jean-Francois, Barsanti, Kelley Year: 2015 An expected global increase in bioenergy-crop cultivation as an alternative to fossil fuels will have consequences on both global climate and local air quality through changes in biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced through the substitution of next-generation bioenergy crops such as eucalyptus, giant reed, and switchgrass for fossil fuels, the choice of species has important ramifications for human health, potentially reducing the benefits of conversion due to increases in ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels as a result of large changes in biogenic emissions. Using the Community Earth System Model we simulate the conversion of marginal and underutilized croplands worldwide to bioenergy crops under varying future anthropogenic emissions scenarios. A conservative global replacement using high VOCemitting crop profiles leads to modeled population-weighted O3 increases of 5–27 ppb in India, 1–9 ppb in China, and 1–6 ppb in the United States, with peak PM2.5 increases of up to 2 μg m−3 . We present a metric for the regional evaluation of candidate bioenergy crops, as well as results for the application of this metric to four representative emissions profiles using four replacement scales (10–100% maximum estimated available land). Finally, we assess the total health and climate impacts of biogenic emissions, finding that the negative consequences of using high-emitting crops could exceed 50% of the positive benefits of reduced fossil fuel emissions in value. Close

• 3. [Article] Agricultural Classification of Multi-Temporal MODIS Imagery in Northwest Argentina Using Kansas Crop Phenologies

  Subtropical deforestation in Latin America is thought to be driven by demand for agricultural land, particularly to grow soybeans. However, existing remote sensing methods that can differentiate crop types ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Agricultural Classification of Multi-Temporal MODIS Imagery in Northwest Argentina Using Kansas Crop Phenologies Author: Keifer, Jarrett Alexander Year: 2014 Subtropical deforestation in Latin America is thought to be driven by demand for agricultural land, particularly to grow soybeans. However, existing remote sensing methods that can differentiate crop types to verify this hypothesis require high spatial or spectral resolution data, or extensive ground truth information to develop training sites, none of which are freely available for much of the world. I developed a new method of crop classification based on the phenological signatures of crops extracted from multi-temporal MODIS vegetation indices. I tested and refined this method using the USDA Cropland Data Layer from Kansas, USA as a reference. I then applied the method to classify crop types for a study site in Pellegrini, Santiago Del Estero, Argentina. The results show that this method is unable to effectively separate summer crops in Pellegrini, but can differentiate summer crops and non-summer crops. Unmet assumptions about agricultural practices are primarily responsible for the ineffective summer crop classification, underlining the need for researchers to have a complete understanding of ground conditions when designing a remote sensing analysis. Title: Agricultural Classification of Multi-Temporal MODIS Imagery in Northwest Argentina Using Kansas Crop Phenologies Author: Keifer, Jarrett Alexander Year: 2014 Subtropical deforestation in Latin America is thought to be driven by demand for agricultural land, particularly to grow soybeans. However, existing remote sensing methods that can differentiate crop types to verify this hypothesis require high spatial or spectral resolution data, or extensive ground truth information to develop training sites, none of which are freely available for much of the world. I developed a new method of crop classification based on the phenological signatures of crops extracted from multi-temporal MODIS vegetation indices. I tested and refined this method using the USDA Cropland Data Layer from Kansas, USA as a reference. I then applied the method to classify crop types for a study site in Pellegrini, Santiago Del Estero, Argentina. The results show that this method is unable to effectively separate summer crops in Pellegrini, but can differentiate summer crops and non-summer crops. Unmet assumptions about agricultural practices are primarily responsible for the ineffective summer crop classification, underlining the need for researchers to have a complete understanding of ground conditions when designing a remote sensing analysis. Close

• 4. [Article] Determinants of the Spatial Distribution of Peri-Urban to Rural Agriculture in the United States

  Two issues are focal to the subject of the spatial distribution of crops in peri-urban zones. The first deals with developments in the fields of transportation, other technology, urbanization, and other ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Determinants of the Spatial Distribution of Peri-Urban to Rural Agriculture in the United States Author: Abdel-Karim, Ibrahim Amin Year: 1987 Two issues are focal to the subject of the spatial distribution of crops in peri-urban zones. The first deals with developments in the fields of transportation, other technology, urbanization, and other factors which are not only prevalent in developed world economies, but which also are thought to force the cultivation of freshly consumed agricultural commodities away from the immediate vicinity of the market center. The second issue pertains to indirectly consumed crops, which are thought to shun proximity to the market center, where land rents per unit area are characteristically high, even when conditions for productions are ideal. Traditional models have shown a zonal pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban areas. The present study sets forth two hypotheses, one pertaining to the spatial distribution of freshly consumed crops, and the other pertaining to the spatial distribution of indirectly consumed crops. It was hypothesized in the present study that freshly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center due to characteristics of the crops and the urban market. It was further hypothesized that indirectly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center by virtue of greater intensity of production that may be obtained through the use of the environment of designated places. In the case of both crops, the cited factors, as well as others, offset the disadvantages of higher land rent per unit area common to areas close to the market center. These offsetting factors permit agriculture to compete successfully for land in the peri-urban zone. To test these hypotheses, variables were selected to measure the influence that urbanization, transportation, other technologies, the market, the environment, and land use regulations have on agricultural siting patterns in the peri-urban zones of the "Wheat Region" of the central United States. These variables were expressed as equations and were subjected to multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The present findings tended to support the research hypotheses. On the basis of these findings, the present research offers a revised model of agricultural cropping patterns, one that reflects the sectoral, rather than the zonal, pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban zones. In the revised model, the mixing of different crops at various locations around the market is feasible, and low-priced grains may compete successfully for high-rent locations in the near vicinity of the urban market. The findings also show that the production of perishable crops in the iIl'.mediate vicinity of the urban market is here to stay, largely due to access to varied means of transportation as well as characteristics of the crops themselves. Furthermore, the findings show that environmental conditions influence the locating of grain production, although economic considerations were seen to supersede them, particularly at high-rent sites. Title: Determinants of the Spatial Distribution of Peri-Urban to Rural Agriculture in the United States Author: Abdel-Karim, Ibrahim Amin Year: 1987 Two issues are focal to the subject of the spatial distribution of crops in peri-urban zones. The first deals with developments in the fields of transportation, other technology, urbanization, and other factors which are not only prevalent in developed world economies, but which also are thought to force the cultivation of freshly consumed agricultural commodities away from the immediate vicinity of the market center. The second issue pertains to indirectly consumed crops, which are thought to shun proximity to the market center, where land rents per unit area are characteristically high, even when conditions for productions are ideal. Traditional models have shown a zonal pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban areas. The present study sets forth two hypotheses, one pertaining to the spatial distribution of freshly consumed crops, and the other pertaining to the spatial distribution of indirectly consumed crops. It was hypothesized in the present study that freshly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center due to characteristics of the crops and the urban market. It was further hypothesized that indirectly consumed crops will continue to be cultivated in the near vicinity of the market center by virtue of greater intensity of production that may be obtained through the use of the environment of designated places. In the case of both crops, the cited factors, as well as others, offset the disadvantages of higher land rent per unit area common to areas close to the market center. These offsetting factors permit agriculture to compete successfully for land in the peri-urban zone. To test these hypotheses, variables were selected to measure the influence that urbanization, transportation, other technologies, the market, the environment, and land use regulations have on agricultural siting patterns in the peri-urban zones of the "Wheat Region" of the central United States. These variables were expressed as equations and were subjected to multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The present findings tended to support the research hypotheses. On the basis of these findings, the present research offers a revised model of agricultural cropping patterns, one that reflects the sectoral, rather than the zonal, pattern of crop distribution in peri-urban zones. In the revised model, the mixing of different crops at various locations around the market is feasible, and low-priced grains may compete successfully for high-rent locations in the near vicinity of the urban market. The findings also show that the production of perishable crops in the iIl'.mediate vicinity of the urban market is here to stay, largely due to access to varied means of transportation as well as characteristics of the crops themselves. Furthermore, the findings show that environmental conditions influence the locating of grain production, although economic considerations were seen to supersede them, particularly at high-rent sites. Close

• 5. [Article] The work values of secondary teachers : a comparative study by teaching assignment

  The focus of this study was on the work values of secondary school teachers. Values have been defined in many ways. The common agreement is that values are standards, beliefs, or principles that do guide ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The work values of secondary teachers : a comparative study by teaching assignment Author: Klampe, Charlotte Marie Year: 1983 The focus of this study was on the work values of secondary school teachers. Values have been defined in many ways. The common agreement is that values are standards, beliefs, or principles that do guide and direct a person's behavior. The values a teacher holds will influence a student due to the natural role-modeling effect in the classroom. With the advent of career education and exploration of the world of work, the values held toward work become a timely topic. The discussion of values and value clarification in all aspects of a person's life is one that is becoming very popular in education. Title: The work values of secondary teachers : a comparative study by teaching assignment Author: Klampe, Charlotte Marie Year: 1983 The focus of this study was on the work values of secondary school teachers. Values have been defined in many ways. The common agreement is that values are standards, beliefs, or principles that do guide and direct a person's behavior. The values a teacher holds will influence a student due to the natural role-modeling effect in the classroom. With the advent of career education and exploration of the world of work, the values held toward work become a timely topic. The discussion of values and value clarification in all aspects of a person's life is one that is becoming very popular in education. Close

• 6. [Article] Agricultural Management Decisions Impact Isoprene Emission and Physiology of Arundo donax, an Emerging Bioenergy Crop

  Arundo donax (Giant Reed) is quickly being developed as a rapidly-growing, robust, and highly productive bioenergy crop, with large scale cultivation of this species planned for the Columbia River basin ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Agricultural Management Decisions Impact Isoprene Emission and Physiology of Arundo donax, an Emerging Bioenergy Crop Author: Maxfield, Jason Charles Year: 2014 Arundo donax (Giant Reed) is quickly being developed as a rapidly-growing, robust, and highly productive bioenergy crop, with large scale cultivation of this species planned for the Columbia River basin of the Pacific Northwest (USA). Despite its potential as a next generation biomass crop, relatively few studies have examined the physiological performance of A. donax under agricultural conditions. Unlike traditional crops, A. donax is known to be a high-emitter of the volatile compound isoprene, which may significantly impact regional air quality, but it has not been widely cultivated in North America and little is known about how this species will perform in the Pacific Northwest. Over two field seasons, we measured isoprene fluxes from A. donax plants in both greenhouse conditions and in an agricultural field setting under a variety of conditions and fertilizer treatments. We also measured several other attributes of A. donax productivity and leaf physiology including chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, specific leaf mass, water use efficiency and gas exchange. We found that A. donax physiologically performs well under cultivation in the Columbia River basin, but that it also emits isoprene at significantly higher rates than previous reports indicate. We also found that both isoprene emission and leaf physiology were highly affected by agricultural management decisions, including nitrogen and irrigation management. Our findings indicate that crop management strategies can be developed that simultaneously seek to minimize isoprene emission while maximizing biomass production in this newly emerging bioenergy crop. Title: Agricultural Management Decisions Impact Isoprene Emission and Physiology of Arundo donax, an Emerging Bioenergy Crop Author: Maxfield, Jason Charles Year: 2014 Arundo donax (Giant Reed) is quickly being developed as a rapidly-growing, robust, and highly productive bioenergy crop, with large scale cultivation of this species planned for the Columbia River basin of the Pacific Northwest (USA). Despite its potential as a next generation biomass crop, relatively few studies have examined the physiological performance of A. donax under agricultural conditions. Unlike traditional crops, A. donax is known to be a high-emitter of the volatile compound isoprene, which may significantly impact regional air quality, but it has not been widely cultivated in North America and little is known about how this species will perform in the Pacific Northwest. Over two field seasons, we measured isoprene fluxes from A. donax plants in both greenhouse conditions and in an agricultural field setting under a variety of conditions and fertilizer treatments. We also measured several other attributes of A. donax productivity and leaf physiology including chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, specific leaf mass, water use efficiency and gas exchange. We found that A. donax physiologically performs well under cultivation in the Columbia River basin, but that it also emits isoprene at significantly higher rates than previous reports indicate. We also found that both isoprene emission and leaf physiology were highly affected by agricultural management decisions, including nitrogen and irrigation management. Our findings indicate that crop management strategies can be developed that simultaneously seek to minimize isoprene emission while maximizing biomass production in this newly emerging bioenergy crop. Close

• 7. [Article] Collecting Image Cropping Dataset: A Hybrid System of Machine and Human Intelligence

  Image cropping is a common tool that exists in almost any image editor, yet automatic cropping is still a difficult problem in Computer Vision. Since images nowadays can be easily collected through the ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Collecting Image Cropping Dataset: A Hybrid System of Machine and Human Intelligence Author: Mai, Uyen T., Liu, Feng Year: 2016 Image cropping is a common tool that exists in almost any image editor, yet automatic cropping is still a difficult problem in Computer Vision. Since images nowadays can be easily collected through the web, machine learning is a promising approach to solve this problem. However, an image cropping dataset is not yet available and gathering such a large-scale dataset is a non-trivial task. Although a crowdsourcing website such as Mechanical Turk seems to be a solution to this task, image cropping is a sophisticated task that is vulnerable to unreliable annotation; furthermore, collecting a large-scale high-quality dataset through crowdsourcing is expensive. Alternatively, we introduce a system that uses automatic methods and human inputs to generate and evaluate image crops. Our system is a hybrid of machine and human intelligence. Given an image, the hybrid system generates image crops in three steps: identify main objects in the image; automatically generate a set of potential good crops around the identified main objects following principle photographic composition; and assess the generated crops. The second step is automatic while the first and third steps require inputs from the human. We obtain these user inputs by designing an online game. In the user’s perspective, our system is a website where users can access to play games. In our perspective, by letting people play games, we have them annotate the images for us with no cost. The games are carefully designed so that users’ feedbacks are helpful to our main goal. The system is embedded with a quality control model that assesses the user’s accuracy and the quality of the annotation. Title: Collecting Image Cropping Dataset: A Hybrid System of Machine and Human Intelligence Author: Mai, Uyen T., Liu, Feng Year: 2016 Image cropping is a common tool that exists in almost any image editor, yet automatic cropping is still a difficult problem in Computer Vision. Since images nowadays can be easily collected through the web, machine learning is a promising approach to solve this problem. However, an image cropping dataset is not yet available and gathering such a large-scale dataset is a non-trivial task. Although a crowdsourcing website such as Mechanical Turk seems to be a solution to this task, image cropping is a sophisticated task that is vulnerable to unreliable annotation; furthermore, collecting a large-scale high-quality dataset through crowdsourcing is expensive. Alternatively, we introduce a system that uses automatic methods and human inputs to generate and evaluate image crops. Our system is a hybrid of machine and human intelligence. Given an image, the hybrid system generates image crops in three steps: identify main objects in the image; automatically generate a set of potential good crops around the identified main objects following principle photographic composition; and assess the generated crops. The second step is automatic while the first and third steps require inputs from the human. We obtain these user inputs by designing an online game. In the user’s perspective, our system is a website where users can access to play games. In our perspective, by letting people play games, we have them annotate the images for us with no cost. The games are carefully designed so that users’ feedbacks are helpful to our main goal. The system is embedded with a quality control model that assesses the user’s accuracy and the quality of the annotation. Close

• 8. [Article] Mapping Meaningful Places on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Landscape Values

  Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Mapping Meaningful Places on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Landscape Values Author: Cerveny, Lee, Biedenweg, Kelly, McLain, Rebecca J. Year: 2017 Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions between people and landscapes. A landscape values typology has been commonly employed in the mapping of social and environmental values in a variety of management settings and scales. We explore how people attribute meanings and assign values to special places on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington, USA) using both a landscape values typology and qualitative responses about residents’ placerelationships. Using geographically referenced social values data collected in community meetings (n = 169), we identify high-frequency landscape values and examine how well the landscape values are reflected in open-ended descriptions of place-relations. We also explore the various interpretations of 14 landscape values used in the study. In particular, we investigate any overlapping meanings or blurriness among landscape values and reveal potentially emergent landscape values from the qualitative data. The results provide insights on the use of landscape values mapping typologies for practitioners and researchers engaged in the mapping of social values for PPGIS. Title: Mapping Meaningful Places on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Landscape Values Author: Cerveny, Lee, Biedenweg, Kelly, McLain, Rebecca J. Year: 2017 Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions between people and landscapes. A landscape values typology has been commonly employed in the mapping of social and environmental values in a variety of management settings and scales. We explore how people attribute meanings and assign values to special places on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington, USA) using both a landscape values typology and qualitative responses about residents’ placerelationships. Using geographically referenced social values data collected in community meetings (n = 169), we identify high-frequency landscape values and examine how well the landscape values are reflected in open-ended descriptions of place-relations. We also explore the various interpretations of 14 landscape values used in the study. In particular, we investigate any overlapping meanings or blurriness among landscape values and reveal potentially emergent landscape values from the qualitative data. The results provide insights on the use of landscape values mapping typologies for practitioners and researchers engaged in the mapping of social values for PPGIS. Close

• 9. [Article] Real Options Methodology in Sportswear Retail Investment Valuation

  The net present value (NPV) approach has been widely accepted by corporate practitioners and academics as the principle tool for evaluating the feasibility of corporate financial investment opportunities. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Real Options Methodology in Sportswear Retail Investment Valuation Author: Gui, Hairong Karen Year: 2011 The net present value (NPV) approach has been widely accepted by corporate practitioners and academics as the principle tool for evaluating the feasibility of corporate financial investment opportunities. It conceptually provides an estimate in present value terms of a proposed investment's incremental contribution to the firm, enabling the company to pursue its goal of value maximization with more assurance. NPV uses a discount rate that in theory captures market risks. In the stable growth or mature industries, NPV works well. However, in high investment/high risk-return (HI/HRR) industries, where the investment environment is often profiled as highly uncertain with high returns, NPV is insufficient to reflect the multidimensional risks, hence unable to capture the extensive investment returns that may consist of non-financial values. This dissertation applies the real option (RO) valuation methodology, supplementing the NPV method to evaluate the return of the sports retail industry (SRI) flagship stores investments. This study further demonstrates that there are strategic values captured by the RO valuation method, complementing the financial values attained by the NPV. To test this assertion, we use case methodology to analyze four flagship investment activities (proprietary business data are concealed). These investments represent various investment options, including growth, expansion, staging, and delay. The cases include projections made prior to the investment, the retrospective application of RO to estimate strategic value, and the actual returns from these investments. Findings demonstrate convincingly RO methodology can and should be usefully applied to supplement the NPV method in HI/HRR industries, and SRI in particular. Title: Real Options Methodology in Sportswear Retail Investment Valuation Author: Gui, Hairong Karen Year: 2011 The net present value (NPV) approach has been widely accepted by corporate practitioners and academics as the principle tool for evaluating the feasibility of corporate financial investment opportunities. It conceptually provides an estimate in present value terms of a proposed investment's incremental contribution to the firm, enabling the company to pursue its goal of value maximization with more assurance. NPV uses a discount rate that in theory captures market risks. In the stable growth or mature industries, NPV works well. However, in high investment/high risk-return (HI/HRR) industries, where the investment environment is often profiled as highly uncertain with high returns, NPV is insufficient to reflect the multidimensional risks, hence unable to capture the extensive investment returns that may consist of non-financial values. This dissertation applies the real option (RO) valuation methodology, supplementing the NPV method to evaluate the return of the sports retail industry (SRI) flagship stores investments. This study further demonstrates that there are strategic values captured by the RO valuation method, complementing the financial values attained by the NPV. To test this assertion, we use case methodology to analyze four flagship investment activities (proprietary business data are concealed). These investments represent various investment options, including growth, expansion, staging, and delay. The cases include projections made prior to the investment, the retrospective application of RO to estimate strategic value, and the actual returns from these investments. Findings demonstrate convincingly RO methodology can and should be usefully applied to supplement the NPV method in HI/HRR industries, and SRI in particular. Close

• 10. [Article] What Drives Academic Bioscientists: Money or Values?

  The article determines the factors that drive academic bioscience to better understand the role of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. Some challenges brought about ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: What Drives Academic Bioscientists: Money or Values? Author: Ervin, David E., Nag, Sharmistha, Yang, Hui, Buccola, Steven T. Year: 2010 The article determines the factors that drive academic bioscience to better understand the role of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. Some challenges brought about by GE crops in the U.S. farm sustainability include tracking and controlling water pollution, protecting against herbicide resistance and nitrogen fixation. Professional norms are also considered as a great factor driving the academic bioscience. Title: What Drives Academic Bioscientists: Money or Values? Author: Ervin, David E., Nag, Sharmistha, Yang, Hui, Buccola, Steven T. Year: 2010 The article determines the factors that drive academic bioscience to better understand the role of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. Some challenges brought about by GE crops in the U.S. farm sustainability include tracking and controlling water pollution, protecting against herbicide resistance and nitrogen fixation. Professional norms are also considered as a great factor driving the academic bioscience. Close

• 11. [Article] Assessing Unique Core Values with the Competing Values Framework: The CCVI Technique for Guiding Organizational Culture Change

  Extensive research suggests organizations have unique guiding principles, called core values, which play a central role in strategic decision making, sustaining high-performance cultures, and guiding organizational ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Assessing Unique Core Values with the Competing Values Framework: The CCVI Technique for Guiding Organizational Culture Change Author: Santoriello, Anthony John Year: 2015 Extensive research suggests organizations have unique guiding principles, called core values, which play a central role in strategic decision making, sustaining high-performance cultures, and guiding organizational culture change. Although the Competing Values Framework (CVF) has been widely used to identify a standardized set of core values, it has not been used to identify unique core values at a given organizations. Unique core values help to distinguish organizations and drive market success. The present research focused on development of a technique to extend the application of the CVF to identify the core values unique to a given organization. The CVF-based Core Values Identification Technique (CCVI) was developed and empirically tested at three companies. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, review of documents, participant observation and the standard CVF-based Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). The data analysis employed grounded theory methods in conjunction with the standard OCAI analysis. The primary research result is the iteratively developed and empirically tested tool, the CCVI Technique. Secondary research results include the identification of unique core values at each of the three participating companies. Lessons learned and the rationale for making modifications to the technique based on the case studies, along with best practices for utilization and opportunities for informing organizational change efforts are discussed. Title: Assessing Unique Core Values with the Competing Values Framework: The CCVI Technique for Guiding Organizational Culture Change Author: Santoriello, Anthony John Year: 2015 Extensive research suggests organizations have unique guiding principles, called core values, which play a central role in strategic decision making, sustaining high-performance cultures, and guiding organizational culture change. Although the Competing Values Framework (CVF) has been widely used to identify a standardized set of core values, it has not been used to identify unique core values at a given organizations. Unique core values help to distinguish organizations and drive market success. The present research focused on development of a technique to extend the application of the CVF to identify the core values unique to a given organization. The CVF-based Core Values Identification Technique (CCVI) was developed and empirically tested at three companies. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, review of documents, participant observation and the standard CVF-based Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). The data analysis employed grounded theory methods in conjunction with the standard OCAI analysis. The primary research result is the iteratively developed and empirically tested tool, the CCVI Technique. Secondary research results include the identification of unique core values at each of the three participating companies. Lessons learned and the rationale for making modifications to the technique based on the case studies, along with best practices for utilization and opportunities for informing organizational change efforts are discussed. Close

• 12. [Article] Building a Values-Informed Mental Model for New Orleans Climate Risk Management

  Individuals use values to frame their beliefs and simplify their understanding when confronted with complex and uncertain situations. The high complexity and deep uncertainty involved in climate risk management ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Building a Values-Informed Mental Model for New Orleans Climate Risk Management Author: Bessette, Douglas L., Mayer, Lauren A., Cwik, Bryan, Vezer, Martin, Keller, Klaus, Lempert, Robert J., Tuana, Nancy Year: 2017 Individuals use values to frame their beliefs and simplify their understanding when confronted with complex and uncertain situations. The high complexity and deep uncertainty involved in climate risk management (CRM) lead to individuals’ values likely being coupled to and contributing to their understanding of specific climate risk factors and management strategies. Most mental model approaches, however, which are commonly used to inform our understanding of people's beliefs, ignore values. In response, we developed a “Values-informed Mental Model” research approach, or ViMM, to elicit individuals’ values alongside their beliefs and determine which values people use to understand and assess specific climate risk factors and CRM strategies. Our results show that participants consistently used one of three values to frame their understanding of risk factors and CRM strategies in New Orleans: (1) fostering a healthy economy, wealth, and job creation, (2) protecting and promoting healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, and (3) preserving New Orleans’ unique culture, traditions, and historically significant neighborhoods. While the first value frame is common in analyses of CRM strategies, the latter two are often ignored, despite their mirroring commonly accepted pillars of sustainability. Other values like distributive justice and fairness were prioritized differently depending on the risk factor or strategy being discussed. These results suggest that the ViMM method could be a critical first step in CRM decision-support processes and may encourage adoption of CRM strategies more in line with stakeholders’ values. Title: Building a Values-Informed Mental Model for New Orleans Climate Risk Management Author: Bessette, Douglas L., Mayer, Lauren A., Cwik, Bryan, Vezer, Martin, Keller, Klaus, Lempert, Robert J., Tuana, Nancy Year: 2017 Individuals use values to frame their beliefs and simplify their understanding when confronted with complex and uncertain situations. The high complexity and deep uncertainty involved in climate risk management (CRM) lead to individuals’ values likely being coupled to and contributing to their understanding of specific climate risk factors and management strategies. Most mental model approaches, however, which are commonly used to inform our understanding of people's beliefs, ignore values. In response, we developed a “Values-informed Mental Model” research approach, or ViMM, to elicit individuals’ values alongside their beliefs and determine which values people use to understand and assess specific climate risk factors and CRM strategies. Our results show that participants consistently used one of three values to frame their understanding of risk factors and CRM strategies in New Orleans: (1) fostering a healthy economy, wealth, and job creation, (2) protecting and promoting healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, and (3) preserving New Orleans’ unique culture, traditions, and historically significant neighborhoods. While the first value frame is common in analyses of CRM strategies, the latter two are often ignored, despite their mirroring commonly accepted pillars of sustainability. Other values like distributive justice and fairness were prioritized differently depending on the risk factor or strategy being discussed. These results suggest that the ViMM method could be a critical first step in CRM decision-support processes and may encourage adoption of CRM strategies more in line with stakeholders’ values. Close

• 13. [Article] Biofuels: Innovation Growth and Adoption in the United States

  Biofuels production has had several effects on the agriculture, land use, rural economics and also in environmental aspects. This is because in one way or another, some agricultural products have had their ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Biofuels: Innovation Growth and Adoption in the United States Author: Upadhyay, Jubin, Ju, Jiali, Alzamil, Ziyad, Alyamani, Badr Year: 2011 Biofuels production has had several effects on the agriculture, land use, rural economics and also in environmental aspects. This is because in one way or another, some agricultural products have had their prize increased due to their high demand in the industrial sector, domestic sector, and the energy industry. For instance, the prize of corn has gone high because there has been a high demand for corn to be used in ethanol production. On the other hand, this situation has provided economic incentives for some producers to devote additional land to corn production (Gaffigan 2009). This means that there are potential effects of biofuels production in the future. The potential future effects of expanded biofuels production in the U.S also include production of new energy crops for advanced biofuels. It must be understood that these new crops may affect the production of other crops and livestock on agricultural land. The increasing corn ethanol production has had mixed effects on land use, crop selection and livestock production. For instance, in 2007, increased corn prizes led farmers to devote more land for corn and less for soybeans. It is therefore necessary to formulate policies that will harmonize the production of energy and food in the same land. Production of biofuels must be encouraged in a controlled manner in order to reduce overdependence on fossil fuel and at the same time make sure that the acreage of land devoted for agricultural produce is not reduced to the advantage of biofuels production. Title: Biofuels: Innovation Growth and Adoption in the United States Author: Upadhyay, Jubin, Ju, Jiali, Alzamil, Ziyad, Alyamani, Badr Year: 2011 Biofuels production has had several effects on the agriculture, land use, rural economics and also in environmental aspects. This is because in one way or another, some agricultural products have had their prize increased due to their high demand in the industrial sector, domestic sector, and the energy industry. For instance, the prize of corn has gone high because there has been a high demand for corn to be used in ethanol production. On the other hand, this situation has provided economic incentives for some producers to devote additional land to corn production (Gaffigan 2009). This means that there are potential effects of biofuels production in the future. The potential future effects of expanded biofuels production in the U.S also include production of new energy crops for advanced biofuels. It must be understood that these new crops may affect the production of other crops and livestock on agricultural land. The increasing corn ethanol production has had mixed effects on land use, crop selection and livestock production. For instance, in 2007, increased corn prizes led farmers to devote more land for corn and less for soybeans. It is therefore necessary to formulate policies that will harmonize the production of energy and food in the same land. Production of biofuels must be encouraged in a controlled manner in order to reduce overdependence on fossil fuel and at the same time make sure that the acreage of land devoted for agricultural produce is not reduced to the advantage of biofuels production. Close

• 14. [Article] Worldview-Based Scenarios Highlight Stakeholder Values and Assumptions

  In lake management, we have the privilege and responsibility to work with the public on highly visible resources. Everybody has an opinion based on his or her personal values and observations. While we ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Worldview-Based Scenarios Highlight Stakeholder Values and Assumptions Author: Rueter, John Year: 2016 In lake management, we have the privilege and responsibility to work with the public on highly visible resources. Everybody has an opinion based on his or her personal values and observations. While we might sometimes consider this plethora of value statements as the bane of our existence, we all realize that public engagement is crucial for the health and future of lakes. Poor lake health is often caused by many little insults that stem from a wide range of legitimate views for how the lake should be treated as a resource. We need a framework to be able to deal with these differing values and assumptions for how lakes should be managed. Title: Worldview-Based Scenarios Highlight Stakeholder Values and Assumptions Author: Rueter, John Year: 2016 In lake management, we have the privilege and responsibility to work with the public on highly visible resources. Everybody has an opinion based on his or her personal values and observations. While we might sometimes consider this plethora of value statements as the bane of our existence, we all realize that public engagement is crucial for the health and future of lakes. Poor lake health is often caused by many little insults that stem from a wide range of legitimate views for how the lake should be treated as a resource. We need a framework to be able to deal with these differing values and assumptions for how lakes should be managed. Close

• 15. [Article] Strengthening the Resiliency of Dryland Forest-Based Livelihoods in Ethiopia and South Sudan: A Review of Literature on the Interaction Between Dryland Forests, Livelihoods and Forest Governance

  Dry forests account for nearly half of the world’s tropical and subtropical forests and provide a multitude of ecological services. They contribute to hydrological cycles and livestock and wildlife provisioning; ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Strengthening the Resiliency of Dryland Forest-Based Livelihoods in Ethiopia and South Sudan: A Review of Literature on the Interaction Between Dryland Forests, Livelihoods and Forest Governance Author: Lawry, Steven, McLain, Rebecca J., Kassa, Habtemariam Year: 2015 Dry forests account for nearly half of the world’s tropical and subtropical forests and provide a multitude of ecological services. They contribute to hydrological cycles and livestock and wildlife provisioning; and host pollinators and wild plants. They are also important ecological zones for dryland agriculture and pastoral livelihood strategies that support hundreds of millions of people around the world. Dry forests cover large areas and their biomass stores carbon and helps mitigate climate change. Dry forests are particularly important to people in Africa. They provide wood for construction and energy, contribute to local diets with wild fruits, vegetables, nuts, edible insects and bushmeat. Wild, edible plants provide essential nutrients, particularly during times of food scarcity. Yet dry forests are subject to high rates of deforestation and degradation driven mainly by agricultural expansion and growing energy demands. Other challenges include limited information on dry forests (their inventories, changes over time, major drivers of deforestation and recovery, etc.), their biophysical aspects and ecosystem services and the potential roles they could play in increasing the sustainability of crop and livestock farming. Governments, development partners and communities are looking for options to better manage these resources at the landscape level. Dry forests are complex ecosystems that are not fully understood. Scientific knowledge to better manage dry forests and sustain the livelihoods of people that depend on these ecosystems remains scanty as research to inform policy and practice is still very limited. The knowledge gap is even more pronounced in northeastern Africa, notably Ethiopia and South Sudan where these forest types are important in terms of areas coverage and in supporting rural livelihoods. Ethiopia and South Sudan share histories of political unrest and conflict that have contributed to famines; large-scale land acquisition for investment and agricultural expansion by smallholders are resulting in major and rapid land-use changes in their dry forested areas. Ethiopia’s two decades of peace and stability and its experience in managing its natural resources could inform post-conflict intervention measures in South Sudan. This study was conducted as an effort to help fill the knowledge gap in dry forest-based livelihoods through a critical review of the available literature. It used publications from CIFOR’s work on dry forests and product marketing in Ethiopia and from other sources, including gray literature. The study assessed the socio-ecological context, including relevant laws and strategies, with an emphasis on the biophysical characteristics of the dryland forests of Ethiopia and South Sudan and the major causes of deforestation and forest degradation. Using livelihood systems as an analytical framework, it examined (i) major livelihood strategies; (ii) the contribution of dry forests to livelihoods; (iii) forest product markets and value chains; and (iv) forest and land governance with an emphasis on the relationship between political, economic and resource management policies and the level of degradation of dry forests and their contributions to the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities in Ethiopia and South Sudan. It also identified major threats to dry, forest-based livelihoods and key issues for policy, research and practice that need to be addressed to maintain the multifunctionality of dryland forests while also ensuring the well-being of communities dependent on these landscapes. Title: Strengthening the Resiliency of Dryland Forest-Based Livelihoods in Ethiopia and South Sudan: A Review of Literature on the Interaction Between Dryland Forests, Livelihoods and Forest Governance Author: Lawry, Steven, McLain, Rebecca J., Kassa, Habtemariam Year: 2015 Dry forests account for nearly half of the world’s tropical and subtropical forests and provide a multitude of ecological services. They contribute to hydrological cycles and livestock and wildlife provisioning; and host pollinators and wild plants. They are also important ecological zones for dryland agriculture and pastoral livelihood strategies that support hundreds of millions of people around the world. Dry forests cover large areas and their biomass stores carbon and helps mitigate climate change. Dry forests are particularly important to people in Africa. They provide wood for construction and energy, contribute to local diets with wild fruits, vegetables, nuts, edible insects and bushmeat. Wild, edible plants provide essential nutrients, particularly during times of food scarcity. Yet dry forests are subject to high rates of deforestation and degradation driven mainly by agricultural expansion and growing energy demands. Other challenges include limited information on dry forests (their inventories, changes over time, major drivers of deforestation and recovery, etc.), their biophysical aspects and ecosystem services and the potential roles they could play in increasing the sustainability of crop and livestock farming. Governments, development partners and communities are looking for options to better manage these resources at the landscape level. Dry forests are complex ecosystems that are not fully understood. Scientific knowledge to better manage dry forests and sustain the livelihoods of people that depend on these ecosystems remains scanty as research to inform policy and practice is still very limited. The knowledge gap is even more pronounced in northeastern Africa, notably Ethiopia and South Sudan where these forest types are important in terms of areas coverage and in supporting rural livelihoods. Ethiopia and South Sudan share histories of political unrest and conflict that have contributed to famines; large-scale land acquisition for investment and agricultural expansion by smallholders are resulting in major and rapid land-use changes in their dry forested areas. Ethiopia’s two decades of peace and stability and its experience in managing its natural resources could inform post-conflict intervention measures in South Sudan. This study was conducted as an effort to help fill the knowledge gap in dry forest-based livelihoods through a critical review of the available literature. It used publications from CIFOR’s work on dry forests and product marketing in Ethiopia and from other sources, including gray literature. The study assessed the socio-ecological context, including relevant laws and strategies, with an emphasis on the biophysical characteristics of the dryland forests of Ethiopia and South Sudan and the major causes of deforestation and forest degradation. Using livelihood systems as an analytical framework, it examined (i) major livelihood strategies; (ii) the contribution of dry forests to livelihoods; (iii) forest product markets and value chains; and (iv) forest and land governance with an emphasis on the relationship between political, economic and resource management policies and the level of degradation of dry forests and their contributions to the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities in Ethiopia and South Sudan. It also identified major threats to dry, forest-based livelihoods and key issues for policy, research and practice that need to be addressed to maintain the multifunctionality of dryland forests while also ensuring the well-being of communities dependent on these landscapes. Close

• 16. [Article] Street Trees in the Urban Forest Canopy: Portland, Oregon

  Attempts to identify the contribution of street trees to the overall urban forest of a city have been rare and lack consensus on how to measure that contribution – percentage of trees, percentage of canopy ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Street Trees in the Urban Forest Canopy: Portland, Oregon Author: Poracsky, Joseph, Banis, David Year: 2005 Attempts to identify the contribution of street trees to the overall urban forest of a city have been rare and lack consensus on how to measure that contribution – percentage of trees, percentage of canopy cover, or percentage of leaf area. The actual numeric values presented in the literature also vary over a broad range and often are based on estimates, extrapolations from aggregated data, or simply stated with no empirical data referenced. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of street trees to canopy in Portland, Oregon. The study involved both visual and digital analysis of multi-band aerial images, field observation, and GIS analysis involving several ancillary data themes. The strategy was to calculate the street tree component (STC) of the urban forest canopy within a sample of areas in the city and generalize that pattern to the whole city. The analysis indicates that street trees constitute 3.4% of the whole study area. In commercial / industrial areas the value drops to only 1.1% and in residential areas rises to 4.8%. For the overall study area the STC of the canopy is 17.2%, a value in the middle of the range of values found in the published literature. In commercial / industrial areas we found a value of 23.7% and a value of 16.6% for residential areas. Residential areas are overall better treed than commercial / industrial areas, but do not rely on street trees to contribute as large a percentage to overall canopy as do commercial / industrial areas. Available planting space in the right-of-way (ROW) is much more nearly constant (or independent of land cover) than the amount of planting space available inside a block. Therefore, the STC tends to vary inversely with the total amount of vegetated area. As the vegetated (read, plantable) area decreases, the ROW becomes a more significant space for planting and the STC increases. Conversely, as the vegetated area increases, the ROW becomes a less significant space for planting and the STC decreases. For both residential and commercial / industrial areas, the percentage of street tree area within the total canopy varies from locale to locale. The relatively small sampling used in this study suggests that neighborhood age and physical characteristics influence the STC in a given neighborhood, particularly for residential areas. Analysis allowed division of the study area into five residential neighborhood groups that attempt to reflect local differences. A larger / more detailed sampling would allow for improved delineation, perhaps below the level of neighborhood. Three generalized spatial patterns emerge for Portland. Street tree canopy as a percent of area seems to follow an east-west gradient, with lower values to the east and higher values to the west. Street trees as a component of the total canopy takes on an inverted-U shape, with higher values in the Inner Eastside and lower values to the east and to the west. The overall tree canopy category takes on just the opposite pattern – a standard-U – with lower values in the Inner Eastside and higher values to the east and west. This study represents a useful starting point for understanding the dynamics of an important and highly visible component of the urban forest. Title: Street Trees in the Urban Forest Canopy: Portland, Oregon Author: Poracsky, Joseph, Banis, David Year: 2005 Attempts to identify the contribution of street trees to the overall urban forest of a city have been rare and lack consensus on how to measure that contribution – percentage of trees, percentage of canopy cover, or percentage of leaf area. The actual numeric values presented in the literature also vary over a broad range and often are based on estimates, extrapolations from aggregated data, or simply stated with no empirical data referenced. This study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of street trees to canopy in Portland, Oregon. The study involved both visual and digital analysis of multi-band aerial images, field observation, and GIS analysis involving several ancillary data themes. The strategy was to calculate the street tree component (STC) of the urban forest canopy within a sample of areas in the city and generalize that pattern to the whole city. The analysis indicates that street trees constitute 3.4% of the whole study area. In commercial / industrial areas the value drops to only 1.1% and in residential areas rises to 4.8%. For the overall study area the STC of the canopy is 17.2%, a value in the middle of the range of values found in the published literature. In commercial / industrial areas we found a value of 23.7% and a value of 16.6% for residential areas. Residential areas are overall better treed than commercial / industrial areas, but do not rely on street trees to contribute as large a percentage to overall canopy as do commercial / industrial areas. Available planting space in the right-of-way (ROW) is much more nearly constant (or independent of land cover) than the amount of planting space available inside a block. Therefore, the STC tends to vary inversely with the total amount of vegetated area. As the vegetated (read, plantable) area decreases, the ROW becomes a more significant space for planting and the STC increases. Conversely, as the vegetated area increases, the ROW becomes a less significant space for planting and the STC decreases. For both residential and commercial / industrial areas, the percentage of street tree area within the total canopy varies from locale to locale. The relatively small sampling used in this study suggests that neighborhood age and physical characteristics influence the STC in a given neighborhood, particularly for residential areas. Analysis allowed division of the study area into five residential neighborhood groups that attempt to reflect local differences. A larger / more detailed sampling would allow for improved delineation, perhaps below the level of neighborhood. Three generalized spatial patterns emerge for Portland. Street tree canopy as a percent of area seems to follow an east-west gradient, with lower values to the east and higher values to the west. Street trees as a component of the total canopy takes on an inverted-U shape, with higher values in the Inner Eastside and lower values to the east and to the west. The overall tree canopy category takes on just the opposite pattern – a standard-U – with lower values in the Inner Eastside and higher values to the east and west. This study represents a useful starting point for understanding the dynamics of an important and highly visible component of the urban forest. Close

• 17. [Article] A Comparative Study of Perceptions of High School Department Chairs and High School Teachers on the Role of the High School Academic Department Chair: the Voice of the Teacher-department Chair

  The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine and compare perceptions between high school department chairs and teachers regarding the role of the high school academic department chair in Oregon, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Comparative Study of Perceptions of High School Department Chairs and High School Teachers on the Role of the High School Academic Department Chair: the Voice of the Teacher-department Chair Author: Korach, Rachel Mae Year: 1996 The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine and compare perceptions between high school department chairs and teachers regarding the role of the high school academic department chair in Oregon, a position which has been largely ignored in recent educational reform efforts. Schools selected for the study were limited to those sharing the same qualities of size and structure as those of the high schools in the researcher's own district. A researcher-constructed questionnaire defining 44 activities comprising five categories of department chair responsibility provided data from 118 high school department chairs and 114 teachers from 34 Oregon high schools. Respondents addressed three issues: (a) definition-perceptions of what the role of the high school department chair looks like in practice; (b) clarification-perceptions of which activities are most important to the role; and (c) extension-perceptions of which activities are most important for the department chair to continue to improve in carrying out the role. Results of this study show teachers' expectations for the role of the department chair to be substantially different from those of the chairs themselves. Chi-square testing revealed statistically significant (R < .05) incongruence of perceptions between department chairs and teachers for 21 of the 44 activities across all five of the categories of department chair responsibility. Department chairs consistently perceived themselves to devote more time to their role than teachers perceived chairs to spend. Teachers placed more importance than did chairs on protection of instructional time and support of teachers' professional needs and concerns. Statistically significant differences in perception between males and females in the study population were also found for 24 of the 44 activities. Females consistently valued more highly than did males those department chair activities that reflect a facilitative, collaborative approach to leadership. Greater percentages of males more highly valued management activities than did females. These findings suggest both ambiguity in role definition and incongruence of role expectations to be obstacles to effective role performance for the high school department chair. Open, focused dialogue is suggested as a means for resolving these contradictions. Title: A Comparative Study of Perceptions of High School Department Chairs and High School Teachers on the Role of the High School Academic Department Chair: the Voice of the Teacher-department Chair Author: Korach, Rachel Mae Year: 1996 The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine and compare perceptions between high school department chairs and teachers regarding the role of the high school academic department chair in Oregon, a position which has been largely ignored in recent educational reform efforts. Schools selected for the study were limited to those sharing the same qualities of size and structure as those of the high schools in the researcher's own district. A researcher-constructed questionnaire defining 44 activities comprising five categories of department chair responsibility provided data from 118 high school department chairs and 114 teachers from 34 Oregon high schools. Respondents addressed three issues: (a) definition-perceptions of what the role of the high school department chair looks like in practice; (b) clarification-perceptions of which activities are most important to the role; and (c) extension-perceptions of which activities are most important for the department chair to continue to improve in carrying out the role. Results of this study show teachers' expectations for the role of the department chair to be substantially different from those of the chairs themselves. Chi-square testing revealed statistically significant (R < .05) incongruence of perceptions between department chairs and teachers for 21 of the 44 activities across all five of the categories of department chair responsibility. Department chairs consistently perceived themselves to devote more time to their role than teachers perceived chairs to spend. Teachers placed more importance than did chairs on protection of instructional time and support of teachers' professional needs and concerns. Statistically significant differences in perception between males and females in the study population were also found for 24 of the 44 activities. Females consistently valued more highly than did males those department chair activities that reflect a facilitative, collaborative approach to leadership. Greater percentages of males more highly valued management activities than did females. These findings suggest both ambiguity in role definition and incongruence of role expectations to be obstacles to effective role performance for the high school department chair. Open, focused dialogue is suggested as a means for resolving these contradictions. Close

• 18. [Article] The Formation and Expansion of High Technology Firms in Metropolitan Areas

  The theme of high-technology economic base and regional development, around which this research is based, has been receiving increased attention from policy-makers and researchers in recent years. This ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Formation and Expansion of High Technology Firms in Metropolitan Areas Author: Orjiako, Oliver Ikeotuonye Year: 1989 The theme of high-technology economic base and regional development, around which this research is based, has been receiving increased attention from policy-makers and researchers in recent years. This partly reflects the reappraisal of the emerging structural changes which have been stimulated by the negative effects of the economic recessions of the past decade. It also reflects the rapid growth and expansion of high-technology firms in centers like the well-publicized Silicon Valley in California, Route 128 in Massachusetts, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Promoting a high-technology economic base thus has been widely adopted as a regional development policy for the 1980s. The objective of this research is to examine and analyze those attributes of the regional economy that contribute to the start-up and expansion of high-technology activity. It is hypothesized that the forces determining where new firms will locate are different from those determining whether existing firms expand, contract, or move. This study utilizes the product life cycle model as the conceptual framework, and seeks to identify factors and conditions which are critical in determining the growth and locational patterns of high technology firms. To address the suggested hypotheses, this study involves an analysis of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas covering the period from 1976 to 1984. High-technology firms were selected as those Standard Industrial Classifications (SICs) with a proportion of technology-oriented workers equal to or greater than the average for all manufacturing industries, and whose ratios of R&D expenditures to sales were close to or above average for all industries. Data on birth rates, closure rates, expansion rates, contraction rates, and net change in number of firms were used as dependent variables in the analysis. Independent variables were various measures of high-technology employment, total employment, venture capital, research and development, average housing price, state corporate tax rate, tax effort, average manufacturing wage, industrial incentive, transportation access, climate index, effective property tax rate, unitary tax, and U.S. regions. A descriptive analysis of the geographic variations in dependent variables, and tests of significance to determine if there are differences in values among U.S. census regions, is reported. The result showed that high-technology firms growth rate is not distributed evenly across the regions. The regional differences in high-tech growth rates are largely due to differences in birth rates. The West South Central, Pacific, and South Atlantic regions have the highest birth rates of high-technology firms; while New England States and Northeast regions have the lowest birth rates of high-tech firms. Expansion and closure rates parallel the same pattern as birth rates, while contraction rates are relatively consistent in all regions. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the relationships between dependent and independent variables. Results showed that high levels of high-technology employment were not positively associated with the growth rate of high-technology firms. The high-tech employment variable, however, did not distinguish between the proportion of low and high-tech occupations among high-tech industry grouping and, therefore, may not represent the availability of highly skilled labor. The wage rate variable, which reflects skill levels, indicates a positive relationship with birth and closure rates. This result is an indication that a high level of wage is positively associated with high-tech birth as well as closure, suggesting that the causal relationship may be operating in the opposite direction. That is, high-technology activity drives up wage rates thereby reflecting probable skill levels. Moreover, it appears that high-technology firms are less sensitive to wage rates. Housing price is both positively related and statistically significant to expansion rates. This did not, however imply that the cost of housing may be a cause for expansion, but rather may represent a growth pressure on the housing supply due to job location. Furthermore, from the results presented in this study, factors such as venture capital, industrial incentives, amenities, and transportation accessibility were found to have very low or negligible association with the growth rate of high-technology firms. Other location factors, such as taxes, were negatively related. The research findings of this study tended not to support the product cycle model. On the basis of these findings, the present research suggests caution in using the product cycle model for interpreting and explaining the development of high-technology complexes. This study concludes that there may be a need to incorporate market, time and place oriented concept to future study that will contribute more to the understanding of high technology development so that communities seeking to attract high-technology firms can understand the stages of a company's growth, the products it makes, the type of work force it employs, and the attributes of the area. Title: The Formation and Expansion of High Technology Firms in Metropolitan Areas Author: Orjiako, Oliver Ikeotuonye Year: 1989 The theme of high-technology economic base and regional development, around which this research is based, has been receiving increased attention from policy-makers and researchers in recent years. This partly reflects the reappraisal of the emerging structural changes which have been stimulated by the negative effects of the economic recessions of the past decade. It also reflects the rapid growth and expansion of high-technology firms in centers like the well-publicized Silicon Valley in California, Route 128 in Massachusetts, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Promoting a high-technology economic base thus has been widely adopted as a regional development policy for the 1980s. The objective of this research is to examine and analyze those attributes of the regional economy that contribute to the start-up and expansion of high-technology activity. It is hypothesized that the forces determining where new firms will locate are different from those determining whether existing firms expand, contract, or move. This study utilizes the product life cycle model as the conceptual framework, and seeks to identify factors and conditions which are critical in determining the growth and locational patterns of high technology firms. To address the suggested hypotheses, this study involves an analysis of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas covering the period from 1976 to 1984. High-technology firms were selected as those Standard Industrial Classifications (SICs) with a proportion of technology-oriented workers equal to or greater than the average for all manufacturing industries, and whose ratios of R&D expenditures to sales were close to or above average for all industries. Data on birth rates, closure rates, expansion rates, contraction rates, and net change in number of firms were used as dependent variables in the analysis. Independent variables were various measures of high-technology employment, total employment, venture capital, research and development, average housing price, state corporate tax rate, tax effort, average manufacturing wage, industrial incentive, transportation access, climate index, effective property tax rate, unitary tax, and U.S. regions. A descriptive analysis of the geographic variations in dependent variables, and tests of significance to determine if there are differences in values among U.S. census regions, is reported. The result showed that high-technology firms growth rate is not distributed evenly across the regions. The regional differences in high-tech growth rates are largely due to differences in birth rates. The West South Central, Pacific, and South Atlantic regions have the highest birth rates of high-technology firms; while New England States and Northeast regions have the lowest birth rates of high-tech firms. Expansion and closure rates parallel the same pattern as birth rates, while contraction rates are relatively consistent in all regions. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the relationships between dependent and independent variables. Results showed that high levels of high-technology employment were not positively associated with the growth rate of high-technology firms. The high-tech employment variable, however, did not distinguish between the proportion of low and high-tech occupations among high-tech industry grouping and, therefore, may not represent the availability of highly skilled labor. The wage rate variable, which reflects skill levels, indicates a positive relationship with birth and closure rates. This result is an indication that a high level of wage is positively associated with high-tech birth as well as closure, suggesting that the causal relationship may be operating in the opposite direction. That is, high-technology activity drives up wage rates thereby reflecting probable skill levels. Moreover, it appears that high-technology firms are less sensitive to wage rates. Housing price is both positively related and statistically significant to expansion rates. This did not, however imply that the cost of housing may be a cause for expansion, but rather may represent a growth pressure on the housing supply due to job location. Furthermore, from the results presented in this study, factors such as venture capital, industrial incentives, amenities, and transportation accessibility were found to have very low or negligible association with the growth rate of high-technology firms. Other location factors, such as taxes, were negatively related. The research findings of this study tended not to support the product cycle model. On the basis of these findings, the present research suggests caution in using the product cycle model for interpreting and explaining the development of high-technology complexes. This study concludes that there may be a need to incorporate market, time and place oriented concept to future study that will contribute more to the understanding of high technology development so that communities seeking to attract high-technology firms can understand the stages of a company's growth, the products it makes, the type of work force it employs, and the attributes of the area. Close

• 19. [Article] An Investigation of the Cultural Values and Beliefs in English Textbooks in Korea

  The purpose of his study was to investigate cultural values and beliefs embedded in high school English textbooks currently used in Korea. Specifically, this study addressed the following questions: (1) ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: An Investigation of the Cultural Values and Beliefs in English Textbooks in Korea Author: Choi, Young Mi Year: 2011 The purpose of his study was to investigate cultural values and beliefs embedded in high school English textbooks currently used in Korea. Specifically, this study addressed the following questions: (1) What Korean cultural values and beliefs are conveyed to youth in high school English textbooks? (2) How do the textbooks' discourse and visuals convey these messages? For the study, five reading textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Korea, were analyzed. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) was adopted as a main approach to investigate what cultural values and beliefs were presented in the selected chapters in these textbooks. The texts were analyzed as a whole, then on the sentence levels, and the word level. First, the themes in the chapters were examined and discussed by looking at narratives, images, and the choice of certain vocabulary. For the further analysis of linguistic features in the texts, the Mood systems, modality, and the use of personal pronouns were investigated. Four themes were found to convey what the authors or Korean society value and believe as ideal objectives for Korean youth: pursuing a successful life, getting a good job, having a positive mind and persistence, and mastering English for a career purpose. In addition, certain images and word choices supported and strengthened the authors' view on the topic. The analysis also revealed that certain linguistic features contributed authority and certainty to the authors: the frequent use of imperative and declarative mood, the frequent use of modal verbs expressing a strong degree of certainty, and the use of certain personal pronouns that established the relationship between the authors and the readers. The study shows that the texts situate the reader (Korean youths) in a position where they are expected to conform to social norms, restrain themselves, and remain blindly optimistic while ignoring their own interest, curiosities, and critical thoughts. Title: An Investigation of the Cultural Values and Beliefs in English Textbooks in Korea Author: Choi, Young Mi Year: 2011 The purpose of his study was to investigate cultural values and beliefs embedded in high school English textbooks currently used in Korea. Specifically, this study addressed the following questions: (1) What Korean cultural values and beliefs are conveyed to youth in high school English textbooks? (2) How do the textbooks' discourse and visuals convey these messages? For the study, five reading textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Korea, were analyzed. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) was adopted as a main approach to investigate what cultural values and beliefs were presented in the selected chapters in these textbooks. The texts were analyzed as a whole, then on the sentence levels, and the word level. First, the themes in the chapters were examined and discussed by looking at narratives, images, and the choice of certain vocabulary. For the further analysis of linguistic features in the texts, the Mood systems, modality, and the use of personal pronouns were investigated. Four themes were found to convey what the authors or Korean society value and believe as ideal objectives for Korean youth: pursuing a successful life, getting a good job, having a positive mind and persistence, and mastering English for a career purpose. In addition, certain images and word choices supported and strengthened the authors' view on the topic. The analysis also revealed that certain linguistic features contributed authority and certainty to the authors: the frequent use of imperative and declarative mood, the frequent use of modal verbs expressing a strong degree of certainty, and the use of certain personal pronouns that established the relationship between the authors and the readers. The study shows that the texts situate the reader (Korean youths) in a position where they are expected to conform to social norms, restrain themselves, and remain blindly optimistic while ignoring their own interest, curiosities, and critical thoughts. Close

• 20. [Article] Longitudinal modes in a high-gain laser

  In lasers employing high‐gain narrow‐linewidth transitions the theory predicts major departures of the mode‐splitting frequencies from their low‐gain values as well as a new type of mode splitting. The ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Longitudinal modes in a high-gain laser Author: Casperson, Lee W., Yariv, Amon Year: 1970 In lasers employing high‐gain narrow‐linewidth transitions the theory predicts major departures of the mode‐splitting frequencies from their low‐gain values as well as a new type of mode splitting. The first of these effects consisting of a reduction by a factor of 2.5 of the mode splitting in a xenon 3.51‐μ laser is observed experimentally. Title: Longitudinal modes in a high-gain laser Author: Casperson, Lee W., Yariv, Amon Year: 1970 In lasers employing high‐gain narrow‐linewidth transitions the theory predicts major departures of the mode‐splitting frequencies from their low‐gain values as well as a new type of mode splitting. The first of these effects consisting of a reduction by a factor of 2.5 of the mode splitting in a xenon 3.51‐μ laser is observed experimentally. Close