Dairy farming across Germany displays diverse production systems. Factor endowment, management, technology adoption as well as competitive dynamics in the local or regional land, agribusiness and dairy processing sectors contribute to this differentiation on farm level. These differences impact on the ability of dairy farms and regional dairy production systems to successfully respond to pressures arising from future market and policy changes. The overall objective of the research activities of which this project is a part of, is to develop a thorough understanding of the processes that govern the spatial dynamics of dairy farm development in different regions in Germany. The central hypothesis of this research project is that management system and technological choices differ systematically across local production and market conditions. The empirical approach will focus on the estimation of farm specific nonparametric cost functions for dairy farms located in across Germany differentiated by time and location. A spatially differentiated data base with information on input use, resource availability, as well as local market conditions for land and output markets will be compiled. The nonparametric approach is specifically suited to disclose a more accurate representation of dairy production system heterogeneity across locations and time compared to parametric concepts as it provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate non-linearities relevant for a wide domain of explanatory variables. The methodology employed goes beyond the state of the art of the literature as it combines kernel density estimation with a Bayesian sampling approach to provide theory consistent parameters for each farm in the data sample.The specific methodological hypothesis is that the nonparametric approach is superior to current parametric techniques and this hypothesis is tested using statistical model evaluation. Regarding the farm management and technological choices, we hypothesize that land suitability for feed production determines the farm intensity of dairy production and thus management and technological choices. With respect to the ability of farms to successfully respond to market pressures we hypothesize that farms at the upper and lower tail of the intensity distribution both can generate positive returns from dairy production. These last two hypotheses will be tested using the estimated spatially differentiated farm specific costs and marginal costs.The expected outcomes are of relevance for the agricultural sector and the food supply chain economy as a whole as fundamental market structure changes in the dairy sector are ongoing due to the abolition of the quota regulation in the years 2014/2015. Thus, exact knowledge about differences and development of dairy cost heterogeneity of farms within and between regions are an important factor for the actors involved in the market as well as the political support of this process.
Deviant behaviour on various levels of the food supply chain may cause food risks. It entails irregular technological procedures which cause (increased probabilities of) adverse outcomes for buyers and consumers. Besides technological hazards and hitherto unknown health threats, moral hazard and malpractice in food businesses represent an additional source of risk which can be termed 'behavioural food risk'. From a regulatory perspective, adverse outcomes associated with deviance represent negative externalities that are caused by the breaking of rules designed to prevent them. From a rational choice perspective, the probability of malpractice increases with the benefits for its authors. It decreases with the probability of detection and resulting losses. It also decreases with bonds to social norms that protect producers from yielding to economic temptations. The design of mechanisms that reduce behavioural risks and prevent malpractice requires an understanding of why food businesses obey or do not obey the rules. This project aims to contribute to a better understanding of malpractice on the restaurant/retail level through comparative case studies and statistical analyses of food inspection and survey data. Accounting for the complexity of economic behaviour, we will not only look at economic incentives but consider all relevant behavioural determinants, including social context factors.
Farm structures are often characterized by regional heterogeneity, agglomeration effects, sub-optimal farm sizes and income disparities. The main objective of this study is to analyze whether this is a result of path dependent structural change, what the determinants of path dependence are, and how it may be overcome. The focus is on the German dairy sector which has been highly regulated and subsidized in the past and faces severe structural deficits. The future of this sector in the process of an ongoing liberalization will be analyzed by applying theoretical concepts of path dependence and path breaking. In these regards, key issues are the actual situation, technological and market trends as well as agricultural policies. The methodology will be based on a participative use of the agent-based model AgriPoliS and participatory laboratory experiments. On the one hand, AgriPoliS will be tested as a tool for stakeholder oriented analysis of mechanisms, trends and policy effects. This part aims to analyze whether and how path dependence of structural change can be overcome on a sector level. In a second part, AgriPoliS will be extended such that human players (farmers, students) can take over the role of agents in the model. This part aims to compare human agents with computer agents in order to overcome single farm path dependence.
To overcome the limitation in spatial and temporal resolution of methane oceanic measurements, sensors are needed that can autonomously detect CH4-concentrations over longer periods of time. The proposed project is aimed at:- Designing molecular receptors for methane recognition (cryptophane-A and -111) and synthesizing new compounds allowing their introduction in polymeric structure (Task 1; LC, France); - Adapting, calibrating and validating the 2 available optical technologies, one of which serves as the reference sensor, for the in-situ detection and measurements of CH4 in the marine environments (Task 2 and 3; GET, LAAS-OSE, IOW) Boulart et al. (2008) showed that a polymeric filmchanges its bulk refractive index when methane docks on to cryptophane-A supra-molecules that are mixed in to the polymeric film. It is the occurrence of methane in solution, which changes either the refractive index measured with high resolution Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR; Chinowsky et al., 2003; Boulart et al, 2012b) or the transmitted power measured with differential fiber-optic refractometer (Boulart et al., 2012a; Aouba et al., 2012).- Using the developed sensors for the study of the CH4 cycle in relevant oceanic environment (the GODESS station in the Baltic Sea, Task 4 and 5; IOW, GET); GODESS registers a number of parameters with high temporal and vertical resolution by conducting up to 200 vertical profiles over 3 months deployment with a profiling platform hosting the sensor suite. - Quantifying methane fluxes to the atmosphere (Task 6); clearly, the current project, which aims at developing in-situ aqueous gas sensors, provides the technological tool to achieve the implementation of ocean observatories for CH4. The aim is to bring the fiber-optic methane sensor on the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) from their current Level 3 (Analytical and laboratory studies to validate analytical predictions) - to the Levels 5 and 6 (Component and/or basic sub-system technology validation in relevant sensing environments) and compare it to the SPR methane sensor, taken as the reference sensor (current TRL 5). This would lead to potential patent applications before further tests and commercialization. This will be achieved by the ensemble competences and contributions from the proposed consortium in this project.
Objective: Based on the successful implementation of multi-user solar hybrid grids (MSG) in Europe, this project deals with the design of rural village electrification technology and schemes for rural communities, schools, or dispensaries in Mediterranean partner cou ntries. For this purpose, this project further develops and adapts an integrated approach, covering all aspects required (social, economical, financial and technical) for long term sustainable energy service achieved with hybrid systems. This approach is e laborated in a common effort between partners in the EU and Mediterranean partner countries). There is an initial preparation phase addressing research on technological, socio-economic and institutional issues in each target country covered by this project (Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon), which are all crucial for successful implementation. The systems to be developed are adapted to the context in Mediterranean partner countries, such as high robustness, and additional communications for remote monitori ng. They are based on a locally appropriate energy mix based on PV plus wind or micro-hydraulic, and fuel, feeding local micro grids. Intelligent energy distribution devices assure reliable energy service for each user so that a high level of energy effici ency and demand side management is achieved during the operation of the systems. The project previews dissemination of results using a rural electrification manual, local dissemination actions in each target country, one training seminar and one internatio nal conference targeting at specialists from all Mediterranean partner countries.
The development of new technologies for the synthesis of innovative one dimensional (1D) materials is a key issue for fabricating advanced nanodevices with unique surface-related effects and quantum phenomena. The nitride nanomaterials, particularly group III nitrides, have attracted great interest due to their blue light and UV emission properties, piezoelectricity, high stability etc. In contrast to oxides, the synthesis of stoichiometric nitrides is a considerably more complicated task due to the lower reactivity of nitrogen. Therefore, the development of new nitridation technologies operating at low synthesis temperatures is a key challenge for modern materials science. The purpose of this project is to develop a hydrazine-based simple and efficient new technology for fabricating new 1D nanomaterials (nitrides, oxynitrides, oxides of Ge and Ge-In, Ge-Sn, Ge-Zn, Ge-Ga systems) and to furthermore investigate the properties of the emerging novel nanomaterials in order to evaluate their application potential in different nanodevices. Our new technological approach is based on the application of hydrazine for producing nitride and oxide nanomaterials. The advantage of hydrazine over ammonia as the conventionally used agent is its low pyrolysis temperature. Semiconductor surfaces then serve as catalysts for the low temperature decomposition of hydrazine via a chain reaction. Due to the low pyrolysis temperature and the formation of active radicals, a decrease of nitridation temperatures with hydrazine as a nitrogen source is expected. Oxynitride 1D nanomaterials will be synthesized following a similar route based on water-hydrazine mixtures. Preliminary syntheses of germanium nitride nanowires by annealing a Ge source in hydrazine vapor containing 3 molProzent of water molecules demonstrate the efficiency of our strategy as a simple, low-cost technology aiming for the mass production of functional nitride nanomaterials. Special emphasis will furthermore be placed on the application of the newly synthesized 1D nanomaterials in sensors for environmental control and on the fabrication of nano-sized photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production by water splitting. Germanium nitride was the first non-oxide photocatalyst which was used for water splitting. We suggest that the application of this material in the form of flat nanobelts can increase its catalytic efficiency, because a considerable fraction of the atoms are located at the surface of the nanobelts. The insights obtained from the project will lead to a deeper understanding of 1D nanomaterial growth mechanisms and they will facilitate the transition to the zero dimensional (0D) quantum-dot devices.
There is enormous economic potential for the application of embedded optimization technologies in embedded systems design. Recent advances in the performance of embedded hardware platforms, in combination with fundamental improvements in optimization theory and algorithms, have opened the door to widespread applications over the next decade. Embedded optimization will enable huge energy and resource savings, increased safety, and improved fault detection across a wide a range of industrial applications in the mechatronic, automotive, process control and aerospace sectors. In order to realize the full potential of optimization in embedded systems, their design must also be supported by a focussed set of tools enabling the rapid transfer of novel high-performance algorithms to practical applications. The EMBOCON consortium will enable widespread application of real-time optimization in embedded systems through: - Tailoring of customized numerical algorithms to increase their robustness and efficiency on embedded systems - Enabling real-time optimization on cheap industry-standard hardware platforms - Defining a common user interface for optimization technologies to facilitate technology transfer to industry - Performing challenging case studies in cooperation with industrial partners to demonstrate technological maturity. The EMBOCON consortium will strengthen a network of world-leading academic and industrial partners with complementary expertise in control, optimization and embedded systems in a range of industrial applications. Particular emphasis is placed on close collaboration between mathematical algorithm developers, control theorists, hardware specialists and industrial application engineers. The network will consolidate and extend Europe's position as the world research leader in these areas and foster strong collaborative links between European academia and industry. Prime Contractor: University London, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Faculty of Engineering, Level 2 Faculty; London; United Kingdom.
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