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Adequate Framework (adequate + framework)
Selected AbstractsORIGINAL ARTICLE: Extinction of the autochthonous small mammals of Mallorca (Gymnesic Islands, Western Mediterranean) and its ecological consequencesJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2008Pere Bover Abstract Aim, To investigate the chronology, causes and consequences of the extinction of the autochthonous Pleistocene small mammals of Mallorca. Location, Mallorca (Gymnesic Islands, Balearics, Western Mediterranean). Methods, We have obtained the first direct 14C ages from the bone collagen of selected samples of two extinct endemic small mammals from Mallorca: the Balearic dormouse, Eliomys morpheus (Rodentia: Myoxidae) and the Balearic shrew, Asoriculus hidalgoi (Soricomorpha: Soricidae). We also present evidence for the absence of both endemics from the earliest Mallorcan archaeological sites and for the introduction of the garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus, and the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus. Combined information from direct dating of bone collagen of E. quercinus and A. sylvaticus and from cultural associations provides an adequate framework to establish the chronology of the faunal change and to compare it with the chronological information available on climatic change and the first arrival of humans on the islands. Results, The chronological record includes the latest evidence available for the survival of endemic species and the earliest introduction of small mammals into Mallorca. We present ,uncertainty periods for extinction' (UPEs) of both endemic mammals based on the chronology of their last occurrence and on the inferred timing of their extinction (restricted UPEs). Main conclusions, Possible causes for the extinction of autochthonous small mammals on Mallorca are discussed. Once we have discarded climatic causes, predation by invasive species, competition with newcomers and habitat deterioration, the introduction of diseases emerges as the most reasonable explanation for these extinctions. Based on the identification of changes in keystone species in Mallorcan ecosystems, we propose a tentative schedule of key ecological changes that have taken place over the past 5 millennia. [source] Modelling and forecasting time series sampled at different frequenciesJOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 4 2009José Casals Abstract This paper discusses how to specify an observable high-frequency model for a vector of time series sampled at high and low frequencies. To this end we first study how aggregation over time affects both the dynamic components of a time series and their observability, in a multivariate linear framework. We find that the basic dynamic components remain unchanged but some of them, mainly those related to the seasonal structure, become unobservable. Building on these results, we propose a structured specification method built on the idea that the models relating the variables in high and low sampling frequencies should be mutually consistent. After specifying a consistent and observable high-frequency model, standard state-space techniques provide an adequate framework for estimation, diagnostic checking, data interpolation and forecasting. An example using national accounting data illustrates the practical application of this method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Taking the Future Seriously: On the Inadequacies of the Framework of Liberalism for Environmental EducationJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 1 2002Dirk Willem Postma International reports on environmental policy promote ,education for sustainable development' as an instrument for realising environmental awareness, values and attitudes consistent with the liberal concept of ,sustainable development'. In this paper the ethical and political-philosophical assumptions of (education for) sustainable development will be criticised. First, it will be argued that (Rawlsian) liberal ethics cannot include obligations towards future generations. Second, the commentary focuses on the economic perspective underlying this liberal framework, its anthropocentric bias and the hierarchical distinction between public and private spheres. Third, to offer a more adequate framework for environmental education, some fruitful ideas within neo-republicanism will be examined. [source] Collective Consultation and Industrial Relations in ChinaBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2004Simon Clarke Economic reform in China has seen the replacement of the administrative regulation of labour relations by their contractual regulation, with an increasing emphasis on the role of the collective contract system. Studies of the introduction of the system emphasized the determining role of the state. In this paper we examine the more recent development of the collective contract system and conclude that it is primarily the continued integration of the trade union into management at the workplace that prevents collective consultation from providing an adequate framework for the regulation of labour relations. [source] | ||||||||||