Exploitation of Renewable Energy in the Hospitality Sector: Case Studies of Gaborone Sun and the Cumberland Hotel in Botswana

This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of renewable energy technologies at two hotels in Botswana. Interviews with key informants from Gaborone Sun and the Cumberland Hotel were used to collect the data for this study. The study was designed along the general conceptual model of the drivers and barriers of corporate “greening.” Narrative analysis was used to present the findings. Results point to the fact that the availability of the biogas and solar technology in Botswana, political leadership, financial benefits, the availability of a comprehensive environmental sustainability program, and strong environmental management values were the driving forces behind renewable energy adoption by the two hotels. The major barriers against biogas adoption by the Cumberland Hotel included lack of financial resources and limited waste. For solar energy adoption at Gaborone Sun, the main problem was lack of space for further expansion, which has also constrained the hotel’s efforts for wastewater recycling. These results have implications at both local and national levels. Environmental management strategies and values should drive the exploitation of renewable energy by local hotels. At the national level, results imply that the government should take a more responsive approach in facilitating the adoption of renewable energy plans by the corporate world.     

The potential of participatory hybrid breeding

This article explores the potential of involving smallholder farmers in hybrid development for their low-external input farming systems. We have developed a conceptual model of the procedures, based on five assumptions: (a) the hybrids are bred for adaptation to local needs and preferences; (b) the dependence on and need for genetic diversity is taken into account; (c) breeders collaborate closely with farmers also in the initial stages of the breeding programme, that is, in establishing the breeding goals by identifying the desired traits and preferred local populations as (one of the) crossing parents; (d) hybrid seed production can be integrated into the farmers’ local seed system; and (e) farmers and breeders can agree on intellectual property rights, access and benefit sharing in a fair and transparent way. We illustrate the procedural consequences of these assumptions with reference to the case of a participatory maize breeding programme in southwest China, from 2000 to 2012, that included both open-pollinated and hybrid maize improvement. We show how farmers’ early involvement in hybrid development during the pre-breeding stage, including broadening the base populations with farmer-maintained local landraces, can support co-evolution of the genetic resources in farmers’ fields.     

基于STM32的太阳模拟器控制系统设计

聚焦型太阳模拟器应用于光热发电相关试验,主要由风冷系统、光学系统、机械系统、控制系统组成。为了消除系统的人工安装误差、减小光斑调整误差,设计了基于STM32处理单元,结合PID算法,采用RS485通信标准,以液晶触摸屏为输入输出单元的太阳模拟器控制系统。该系统主要包括氙灯光强度控制、氙灯阴极温度控制、氙灯单元俯仰、平移控制等模块。通过对控制系统的搭建,实现了光斑面积与焦平面的位置调整,以及氙灯阴极温度的检测与控制,有效解决了多光源系统焦点光斑汇聚重合的问题。     

供应链计划国内外研究现状及发展趋势

通过对国内外大量相关文献的分析对比和分类,总结了供应链计划研究的各个方面,提出混杂供应链系统一体化物流计划的研究是供应链计划领域最新的发展趋势,以期对供应链计划领域的研究者提供参考价值。     

基于LINGO的快递企业物流节点布局规划方法

研究快递企业物流节点布局问题,首先分析快递业务流程,然后在此基础上建立了混合非线性0-1规划模型,即在确定的业务网点备选地点中选出恰当的网点,使系统总费用最低。最后,结合武汉某快递公司实例,使用Lingo软件具体分析了建模、求解过程,结果显示其是一种有效的求解物流节点布局最优化的方法,对快递企业物流节点布局规划过程有一定的帮助。     

视频流应用层组播系统的设计与实现

文章设计了一个用于视频流分发的应用层组播系统,系统由视频采集、视频编解码、组播传输和服务器4个模块构成。视频捕获采用Video for Windows(VFW)技术实现,编解码基于H.263标准。网络结构上提出使用混合P2P树形结构,降低了中心服务器的压力,服务器负责会议成员信息的管理,为组播树的建立与维护提供支持,组播传输使用基于度约束的构造算法,考虑了节点带宽和计算能力。该系统已投入运行,基本达到设计目标。     

杂交水稻科研质量管理体系及组织机构设计研究

杂交水稻科学研究属于农业基础研究工作,质量管理体系建设是推动科技创新的可靠保障。依据杂交水稻科研的特点,在全面质量管理理论指导下,建立了杂交水稻科研质量管理体系框架,设计了杂交水稻科研质量管理的运行机制,探讨和分析了杂交水稻科研质量管理机构的建设。     

东盟国家绿色清洁能源发展及其与我国的合作

东盟国家近年在生物能源等新能源发展方面采取了一系列的推进措施,已渐成规模,并形成了较为完善的政策框架和配套扶持体系,其经验值得我国借鉴,同时,中国-东盟在新能源领域的合作正逐步展开.     

脂肪干细胞在组织工程中的研究进展

随着组织工程技术的不断发展,种子细胞的来源问题已经成为制约其发展的一个重要的因素,,自脂肪间充质干细胞发现以来,人们对其的研究不断深入。近几年,越来越多的实验证实,脂肪间充质干细胞可以向成骨细胞、成软骨细胞、神经细胞、肌细胞和脂肪细胞等不同胚层来源的细胞分化。而且脂肪组织来源广泛、取材容易、便于自体移植：脂肪间充质干细胞在体外长期培养的过程中始终保持其多向分化潜能、遗传背景相当稳定、体内植入后少有免疫排斥的问题,因而是一种非常理想的组织工程种子细胞。     

The effect of algorithmic management and workers’ coping behavior: An exploratory qualitative research of Chinese food-delivery platform

While algorithmic management provides new options for organizing service work, it is underexplored in tourism and hospitality research. From food-delivery platforms in China, this qualitative study sources interviews and online reviews to explore the impact of algorithmic management on workers' service behavior and how they cope in response. Our study uncovers an algorithm-human hybrid approach for managing workers, where algorithms and humans function distinctly but complement each other. Algorithmic management influences deliverers’ work either positively, by improving service efficiency, reliability and customer-orientated behavior; or negatively by causing impersonal service behavior, frequent service recovery and extra-role workload. Deliverers employ both problem-focused (i.e., compliance, flexible response and resistance) and emotion-focused (i.e., relief) coping strategies in algorithmic management. In addition to individual resistance, we firstly revealed that deliverers collude with other parties to resist the algorithms. We proposed a conceptual framework that contributes to understanding the dynamic, mutual relationship between algorithms and workers.