Viewpoint

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Kinds of Viewpoint

  • alternative viewpoint
  • different viewpoint
  • personal viewpoint
  • stakeholder viewpoint


  • Selected Abstracts


    MICROECONOMIC FOUNDATION OF LENDER OF LAST RESORT FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF PAYMENTS*

    THE JAPANESE ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 2 2008
    YASUO MAEDA
    We construct a model to clarify the mechanism by which the lender of last resort (LLR) can prevent bank runs. In our model, a bank has both the function of facilitating payments in which inside money is settled using outside money and the function of financial intermediation using a deposit contract. The deposit contract might lead to a bank run, and might even contribute to an efficient allocation. Therefore, to consider the liquidity supply by the LLR, we introduce the deposit contract as a factor of instability in the banking model. We show that the LLR can assist in the recovery of both the efficiency and stability of the financial system. [source]


    INTERRELATIONS AMONG LIKING ATTRIBUTES FOR APPLE PIE: RESEARCH APPROACHES AND PRAGMATIC VIEWPOINTS

    JOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 4 2001
    HOWARD MOSKOWITZ
    ABSTRACT Liking is a key measure for applied product development. All too often, however, the liking attributes are simply reported, but other than analyzing overall liking ratings no other analysis is done on the ratings. Much more remains for applied product testers to learn from these liking attributes. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the interrelations among different liking attributes for apple pie. It shows that panelists discriminate among samples using different liking scales, but many of these scales correlate with each other creating a great deal of redundancy in the list of attributes. Factor analysis reveals one major dimension for liking of the entire pie, and three dimensions for liking of slices. A different way of analysis shows potentially more utility for developers. A linear model relating overall liking to each attribute liking reveals different slopes, suggesting different importance levels for the attribute liking scales. Furthermore, one can create an integrated liking model. The liking ratings can be combined into a single, overall product model, allowing the researcher to understand how changes in one liking attribute simultaneously affect all other liking attributes. [source]


    Letter: A Cryosurgeon's Viewpoint of Excision vs.

    DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 4 2008
    Cryosurgery or Basal Cell Carcinomas
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    FREE TRADE, ,PAUPER LABOUR' AND PROSPERITY: A REPLY TO PROFESSOR MISHAN

    ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2006
    John Meadowcroft
    In an Economic Viewpoint published in the September 2005 edition of Economic Affairs, ,Can Globalisation Depress Living Standards in the West?', Professor E. J. Mishan argued that globalisation may reduce living standards in the West by decreasing the labour,capital ratio in developed countries as firms move production to countries where labour is cheaper and/or migrants to the West from the developing world bid down wage rates. In a reply to Professor Mishan's article, Dr John Meadowcroft argues that this view of globalisation is far too pessimistic and explains why free trade, not protection, will secure the prosperity of developed and developing economies. In a final comment, Professor Mishan responds to this critique of his analysis. [source]


    Missing link identified: GpBAR1 is a neuronal bile acid receptor

    NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY & MOTILITY, Issue 7 2010
    S. J. Keely
    Abstract,In addition to their classical functions in aiding the digestion and absorption of lipids, bile acids are increasingly gaining appreciation for their roles in regulating intestinal physiology. Bile acids are now widely considered as hormones that exert a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological effects both within and outside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The discovery of the bile acid receptor, GpBAR1, represented a major step forward in our understanding of how cells can sense and respond to bile acids. GpBAR1 is a cell surface G protein-coupled receptor expressed on adipose tissue and skeletal muscle where it has been found to be an important regulator of cellular metabolism. In a paper published in the current issue of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Poole et al. investigated the expression and function of GpBAR1 in mouse intestine. They found the receptor to be expressed throughout the GI tract but predominantly on nerves within the myenteric and submucosal plexuses. Employing in vitro and in vivo techniques they demonstrated that activation of GpBAR1 by bile acids inhibits small and large intestinal motor function and delays intestinal transit. The effects of GpBAR1 activation are mediated through activation of cholinergic and nitrergic interneurons. The data reported by Poole et al. provides novel and exciting insights into how bile acids exert their actions in the intestine. This Editorial Viewpoint aims to further consider the potential physiological and pathophysiological implications of their findings. [source]


    TRPV1 in colitis: is it a good or a bad receptor?

    NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY & MOTILITY, Issue 8 2007
    a viewpoint
    Abstract, The role of the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) receptor has been repeatedly investigated in animal models of inflammation. The present issue of Neurogastroenterology and Motility includes another report on this issue and not unexpectedly, many questions on the precise role of TRPV1 receptors in inflammation remain unanswered. This Editorial Viewpoint discusses the present knowledge on TRPV1 receptor involvement in intestinal inflammation and discusses the question whether the TRPV1 has to be regarded as the good or the bad receptor in this context. Since TRPV1 activation turns out being a valuable approach, translation of this knowledge to human disease is highly recommended. [source]


    Political Islamists Have Hijacked Arab World

    NEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2002
    Sheikh Saud Nasser Al-Sabbah
    These comments are adapted from an interview conducted by Ammar-al Jundi for Asharq Al Awsat/Global Viewpoint in London. [source]


    Industry Viewpoint: Guidant: Pacemakers, ICDs, and MRI

    PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005
    JOSEPH M. SMITH
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Creaming off talent or aiding development? (Featuring Viewpoint from Phil Woolas MP)

    PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009
    Laura Chappell
    Think of migration and a long list of related issues come to mind , wages, employment, housing, community cohesion. But what about development, asks Laura Chappell [source]


    Quality Improvement from the Viewpoint of Statistical Method

    QUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2003
    Jeroen De Mast
    Abstract With the purpose of guiding professionals in conducting improvement projects in industry, several quality improvement strategies have been proposed which strongly rely on statistical methods. Examples are the Six Sigma programme, the Shainin System and Taguchi's methods. This paper seeks to make a rational reconstruction of these types of improvement strategies, which results in a methodological framework. The paper gives a demarcation of the subject of study and proposes a reconstruction research approach. Thereupon, the elements of the methodological framework are listed and briefly discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of the framework is illustrated by showing to what extent it reconstructs Six Sigma's Breakthrough Cookbook. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    T Cell-mediated Rejection of Kidney Transplants: A Personal Viewpoint

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2010
    P. F. Halloran
    In kidney allografts, T cell mediated rejection (TCMR) is characterized by infiltration of the interstitium by T cells and macrophages, intense IFNG and TGFB effects, and epithelial deterioration. Recent experimental and clinical studies provide the basis for a provisional model for TCMR. The model proposes that the major unit of cognate recognition in TCMR is effector T cells engaging donor antigen on macrophages. This event creates the inflammatory compartment that recruits effector and effector memory CD4 and CD8 T cells, both cognate and noncognate, and macrophage precursors. Cognate T cells cross the donor microcirculation to enter the interstitium but spare the microcirculation. Local inflammation triggers dedifferentiation of the adjacent epithelium (e.g. loss of transporters and expression of embryonic genes) rather than cell death, via mechanisms that do not require known T-cell cytotoxic mechanisms or direct contact of T cells with the epithelium. Local epithelial changes trigger a response of the entire nephron and a second wave of dedifferentiation. The dedifferentiated epithelium is unable to exclude T cells, which enter to produce tubulitis lesions. Thus TCMR is a cognate recognition-based process that creates local inflammation and epithelial dedifferentiation, stereotyped nephron responses, and tubulitis, and if untreated causes irreversible nephron loss. [source]


    The German Charitable Welfare System: A Criticism from the Viewpoint of Ordnungspolitik

    ANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2001
    Dirk Meyer
    Charitable social welfare care constitutes the market-leader in the provision of social services. Neocorporatist structures have resulted in the latter's exceptional situation. They are characterized by a preferential position in certain circumstances compared to commercial suppliers, cartel agreements which enjoy partial legal legitimacy, financial dependence on the state, as well as a say in social policy planning. Criticism from the viewpoint of Ordnungspolitik maintains a failure of internal and external controls, and above all of competitive structures. Possible starting points for a reform may be founded on the guarantee of equal opportunities and of non-discrimination against commercial suppliers. The governmental monopsonistic power should be removed by a decentralization of bargaining. In addition to this, the position of those having a right to such services needs to be strengthened by greater individual assistance combined with monetary allocations. [source]


    Place, memory and identity: Imagining ,New Asia'

    ASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 3 2005
    T.C. Chang
    Abstract:,The rapid transformation of Asian societies and landscapes, especially since the mid-1990s, has engendered much conjecture of the ,Asian renaissance' and the rise of a ,New Asia'. This Special Edition of Asia Pacific Viewpoint explores the intersecting themes of ,urban place', ,social memory' and ,cultural identity' in the articulation of and contestation towards New Asia. Specifically, the six articles here offer various interpretations of New Asia , as tourism marketing tool, political vision and social identity , and the politics involved in urban, tourism and cultural development. From colonial hotels in key South-East Asian cities to the historic waterfront of Singapore; from festivals and rituals in Hong Kong, Hoi An (Vietnam) and Penang (Malaysia) to the clash of cultural values in Manggarai (Indonesia), ,selective remembering' and ,ideological forgetting' are central to the construction of New Asian identities. Ultimately, this Special Edition hopes to provoke continuing discussions on the rhetoric of New Asia and its imaginative and contested geographies, sociologies and histories. [source]


    Announcing a New Article Category: Review and Viewpoint

    BIOTROPICA, Issue 4a 2000
    Robert J. Marquis Editor
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Our Current Understanding of the Impact of Aerosols on Climate Change

    CHEMSUSCHEM CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY & MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009
    Kimberly
    Abstract Aerosols constitute a climate and health risk via both direct and indirect effects. In this Viewpoint, recent developments in aerosol research and available instrumentation are discussed in the context of environmental change. [source]


    Animal models in infection and inflammation , chance and necessity

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 8 2009
    Andreas Radbruch
    Abstract In biomedical research, to understand pathogenesis and test innovative therapeutic strategies, animal models of human disease are a bare necessity. We cannot do without them, but could we do better with them? In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology a series of Viewpoints discusses the pros and cons of currently available animal models that address the clinical challenges of immunology in infection and inflammatory diseases. [source]


    The Relevance of Ontological Commitments in Social Sciences: Realist and Pragmatist Viewpoints

    JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 3 2004
    OSMO KIVINEN
    The article discusses the relevance of ontology, the metaphysical study of being, in social sciences through a comparison of three distinct outlooks: Roy Bhaskar's version of critical realism, a pragmatic realist approach the most renowned representatives of which are Rom Harré and Hilary Putnam, and the authors' own synthesis of the pragmatist John Dewey's and the neopragmatist Richard Rorty's ideas, here called methodological relationalism. The Bhaskarian critical realism is committed to the heavy ontological furniture of metaphysical transcendentalism, resting on essentialist presumptions of causality and social structures, tacitly creating a dualism between individuals and society. Pragmatic realists, for their part, carry much lighter metaphysical baggage than critical realists and, much in a pragmatist vein, accept the idea that social scientists should study society by studying social life,the interwoven activities of individuals. Nevertheless, pragmatic realists only reluctantly, if at all, renounce the subject,object dualism and its ontological implications. Drawing on the ideas of Donald Davidson and Richard Rorty, the writers outline their own antirepresentationalist, antiessentialist approach to social sciences. The proposed methodological relationalism is a pragmatist approach of Deweyan origin. Based on a Darwinian understanding of human beings as organisms trying to cope with their environment, it emphasises the insight that one can neither step outside one's own action, nor withdraw from the actor's point of view, just as one cannot cognitively step outside language. [source]


    On Defending Controversial Viewpoints: Debates of Sixth Graders About the Desirability of Early 20th-Century American Immigration

    LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 3 2002
    Charles A. MacArthur
    Sixth-grade students with and without mild disabilities participated in an eight-week project-based investigation about immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Students' investigations were designed to promote their understanding of the perspectives of immigrants and Americans who opposed immigration, as well as the "ways of life" that gave impetus to immigration and often resulted in conflict between these groups. At the conclusion of these investigations, students were assigned the role of the immigrants or opponents of immigration and were asked to debate the desirability of immigration to the United States during this historical period. The primary focus of this article is on the opportunities afforded by, and the limitations of, these classroom debates. The debates promoted high levels of engagement and equal participation by students with and without disabilities as well as by boys and girls. Analyses of content and structure showed that students' discourse was influenced by the knowledge they gained during their investigations, but the use of this knowledge was shaped by the competitive rhetorical goal of defending a particular viewpoint. Later rounds of the debates were more balanced and drew more on the breadth of available knowledge than did earlier rounds. Overall, the debates were more typical of everyday arguments than academic arguments. The implications of our findings for the design of instructional opportunities in the social studies in inclusive classrooms are discussed. [source]


    Challenges in Implementing Adaptive Designs: Comments on the Viewpoints Expressed by Regulatory Statisticians

    BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006
    Paul Gallo
    Abstract This is a discussion of the following three papers appearing in this special issue on adaptive designs: ,FDA's critical path initiative: A perspective on contributions of biostatistics' by Robert T. O'Neill; ,A regulatory view on adaptive/flexible clinical trial design' by H. M. James Hung, Robert T. O'Neill, Sue-Jane Wang and John Lawrence; and ,Confirmatory clinical trials with an adaptive design' by Armin Koch. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    SusChem Reaction & Process Design,Sustainable and Competitive Chemical Production in Europe

    CHEMSUSCHEM CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY & MATERIALS, Issue 8-9 2008
    Alexis Bazzanella Dr.
    Sustainability in action: The European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) has become a significant focus for the chemical, chemical engineering and biotechnology community across Europe. Its three key technology areas, namely materials technology, industrial biotechnology and reaction & process design, are discussed in more detail in this series of Viewpoints. [source]


    BUILDING A DATA-MINING GRID FOR MULTIPLE HUMAN BRAIN DATA ANALYSIS

    COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2005
    Ning Zhong
    E-science is about global collaboration in key areas of science such as cognitive science and brain science, and the next generation of infrastructure such as the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. As a case study, we investigate human multiperception mechanism by cooperatively using various psychological experiments, physiological measurements, and data mining techniques for developing artificial systems which match human ability in specific aspects. In particular, we observe fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and EEG (electroencephalogram) brain activations from the viewpoint of peculiarity oriented mining and propose a way of peculiarity oriented mining for knowledge discovery in multiple human brain data. Based on such experience and needs, we concentrate on the architectural aspect of a brain-informatics portal from the perspective of the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. We describe how to build a data-mining grid on the Wisdom Web for multiaspect human brain data analysis. The proposed methodology attempts to change the perspective of cognitive scientists from a single type of experimental data analysis toward a holistic view at a long-term, global field of vision. [source]


    A Fast Simulation Method Using Overlapping Grids for Interactions between Smoke and Rigid Objects

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2008
    Yoshinori Dobashi
    Abstract Recently, many techniques using computational fluid dynamics have been proposed for the simulation of natural phenomena such as smoke and fire. Traditionally, a single grid is used for computing the motion of fluids. When an object interacts with a fluid, the resolution of the grid must be sufficiently high because the shape of the object is represented by a shape sampled at the grid points. This increases the number of grid points that are required, and hence the computational cost is increased. To address this problem, we propose a method using multiple grids that overlap with each other. In addition to a large single grid (a global grid) that covers the whole of the simulation space, separate grids (local grids) are generated that surround each object. The resolution of a local grid is higher than that of the global grid. The local grids move according to the motion of the objects. Therefore, the process of resampling the shape of the object is unnecessary when the object moves. To accelerate the computation, appropriate resolutions are adaptively-determined for the local grids according to their distance from the viewpoint. Furthermore, since we use regular (orthogonal) lattices for the grids, the method is suitable for GPU implementation. This realizes the real-time simulation of interactions between objects and smoke. [source]


    Diorama Construction From a Single Image

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2007
    J. Assa
    Abstract Diorama artists produce a spectacular 3D effect in a confined space by generating depth illusions that are faithful to the ordering of the objects in a large real or imaginary scene. Indeed, cognitive scientists have discovered that depth perception is mostly affected by depth order and precedence among objects. Motivated by these findings, we employ ordinal cues to construct a model from a single image that similarly to Dioramas, intensifies the depth perception. We demonstrate that such models are sufficient for the creation of realistic 3D visual experiences. The initial step of our technique extracts several relative depth cues that are well known to exist in the human visual system. Next, we integrate the resulting cues to create a coherent surface. We introduce wide slits in the surface, thus generalizing the concept of cardboard cutout layers. Lastly, the surface geometry and texture are extended alongside the slits, to allow small changes in the viewpoint which enriches the depth illusion. [source]


    The Perspective Silhouette of a Canal Surface

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 1 2003
    Ku-Jin Kim
    We present an efficient and robust algorithm for parameterizing the perspective silhouette of a canal surface and detecting each connected component of the silhouette. A canal surface is the envelope of a moving sphere with varying radius, defined by the trajectoryC(t)of its center and a radius functionr(t). This moving sphere,S(t), touches the canal surface at a characteristic circleK(t). We decompose the canal surface into a set of characteristic circles, compute the silhouette points on each characteristic circle, and then parameterize the silhouette curve. The perspective silhouette of the sphereS(t)from a given viewpoint consists of a circleQ(t); by identifying the values oftat whichK(t)andQ(t)touch, we can find all the connected components of the silhouette curve of the canal surface. ACM CSS: I.3.7 Computer Graphics,Three Dimensional Graphics and Realism [source]


    Drawing for Illustration and Annotation in 3D

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2001
    David Bourguignon
    We present a system for sketching in 3D, which strives to preserve the degree of expression, imagination, and simplicity of use achieved by 2D drawing. Our system directly uses user-drawn strokes to infer the sketches representing the same scene from different viewpoints, rather than attempting to reconstruct a 3D model. This is achieved by interpreting strokes as indications of a local surface silhouette or contour. Strokes thus deform and disappear progressively as we move away from the original viewpoint. They may be occluded by objects indicated by other strokes, or, in contrast, be drawn above such objects. The user draws on a plane which can be positioned explicitly or relative to other objects or strokes in the sketch. Our system is interactive, since we use fast algorithms and graphics hardware for rendering. We present applications to education, design, architecture and fashion, where 3D sketches can be used alone or as an annotation of an existing 3D model. [source]


    A Comparative Study of Modal Parameter Identification Based on Wavelet and Hilbert,Huang Transforms

    COMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2006
    Banfu Yan
    Special attention is given to some implementation issues, such as the modal separation and end effect in the WT, the optimal parameter selection of the wavelet function, the new stopping criterion for the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the end effect in the HHT. The capabilities of these two techniques are compared and assessed by using three examples, namely a numerical simulation for a damped system with two very close modes, an impact test on an experimental model with three well-separated modes, and an ambient vibration test on the Z24-bridge benchmark problem. The results demonstrate that for the system with well-separated modes both methods are applicable when the time,frequency resolutions are sufficiently taken into account, whereas for the system with very close modes, the WT method seems to be more theoretical and effective than HHT from the viewpoint of parameter design. [source]


    The life of , and ,,A tutorial review of the ubiquitous use of these symbols in Zeeman and magnetic-resonance spectroscopy

    CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 2 2008
    John Ashley Weil
    Abstract Certain concepts and symbolism as applied to electromagnetic radiation and especially the concept of photons are discussed and (perhaps) clarified. A useful summary of the properties of photons is provided, and the concept of polarization is discussed. In particular, the common usage in Zeeman and magnetic-resonance (EPR and NMR) spectroscopy of the symbols , and , is examined herein, both from the historical viewpoint and the scientific standpoint, and certain errors and fallacies are brought to attention. Brief reference to relevant recent work published on dynamic nuclear polarization and on pulse EPR is included. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Concepts Magn Reson Part A 32A: 134,142, 2008. [source]


    Parallel processing of remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery: full-pixel versus mixed-pixel classification

    CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 13 2008
    Antonio J. Plaza
    Abstract The rapid development of space and computer technologies allows for the possibility to store huge amounts of remotely sensed image data, collected using airborne and satellite instruments. In particular, NASA is continuously gathering high-dimensional image data with Earth observing hyperspectral sensors such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's airborne visible,infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS), which measures reflected radiation in hundreds of narrow spectral bands at different wavelength channels for the same area on the surface of the Earth. The development of fast techniques for transforming massive amounts of hyperspectral data into scientific understanding is critical for space-based Earth science and planetary exploration. Despite the growing interest in hyperspectral imaging research, only a few efforts have been devoted to the design of parallel implementations in the literature, and detailed comparisons of standardized parallel hyperspectral algorithms are currently unavailable. This paper compares several existing and new parallel processing techniques for pure and mixed-pixel classification in hyperspectral imagery. The distinction of pure versus mixed-pixel analysis is linked to the considered application domain, and results from the very rich spectral information available from hyperspectral instruments. In some cases, such information allows image analysts to overcome the constraints imposed by limited spatial resolution. In most cases, however, the spectral bands collected by hyperspectral instruments have high statistical correlation, and efficient parallel techniques are required to reduce the dimensionality of the data while retaining the spectral information that allows for the separation of the classes. In order to address this issue, this paper also develops a new parallel feature extraction algorithm that integrates the spatial and spectral information. The proposed technique is evaluated (from the viewpoint of both classification accuracy and parallel performance) and compared with other parallel techniques for dimensionality reduction and classification in the context of three representative application case studies: urban characterization, land-cover classification in agriculture, and mapping of geological features, using AVIRIS data sets with detailed ground-truth. Parallel performance is assessed using Thunderhead, a massively parallel Beowulf cluster at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The detailed cross-validation of parallel algorithms conducted in this work may specifically help image analysts in selection of parallel algorithms for specific applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Effective radial Liapunov exponent for the radial diffusion of test electrons

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 3-4 2003
    A. Maluckov
    Abstract The radial diffusion of test electrons in the bounded magnetic field region with irregularities is a realization of the magnetic (deterministic) and collisional (statistical) stochasticities. To clarify the development of stochasticities the effective radial Liapunov exponent Ler, the number of the electron trajectories (magnetic field lines) with positive radial Liapunov exponent Np, the distribution of the radial Liapunov exponent, Kolmogorov entropy and 3D Liapunov exponent are calculated numerically. In the absence of collisions the overlapping among magnetic islands (generation of the global stochasticity) is indicated by the qualitative change from negative to positive Ler in the long time limit. The fact that Np < N, where N is the number of test electrons, is the sign of sticking to the magnetic field structures. From the viewpoint of the radial Liapunov exponents both stochasticities manifest similarly. It is shown that the distribution of the radial Liapunov exponents is not the elementary one, except in the region of the extremely frequent collisions and partially destroyed magnetic field. Transition of the radial diffusion from the strange to the standard diffusion [1] is related with neglecting sticking of the electrons to the magnetic field structures by enough frequent collisions. [source]


    Should we measure corporate social responsibility?

    CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2003
    Dr Jouni Korhonen
    This paper is critical towards efforts that try and measure corporate social responsibility (CSR). A critical approach can be important for the development of the theory of the emerging field of corporate social responsibility. A critical and provocative approach can generate discussion and debate. Three main points of critique are presented toward the current efforts in the literature to measure corporate contributions to economic, social and ecological sustainability. First, the use of the concepts of eco-efficiency and eco-efficacy in measuring corporate contributions to sustainability are criticized from the viewpoint of the complementarity relation of human-manufactured capital, natural capital and social sustaining functions. Second, the use of measures that focus on an individual process or an individual company are reconsidered with an approach to industrial and firm networks. Third, the use of the monetary value is reconsidered, e.g. by suggesting an approach based on physical material and energy flows and on a new paradigmatic foundation for social responsibility. The social and ecological indicators illustrating the social and environmental impacts of economic activity and of firms can be combined with economic indicators, but not expressed in monetary terms. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source]