Can Carbon Nanomaterials Improve CZTS Photovoltaic Devices? Evaluation of Performance and Impacts Using Integrated Life‐Cycle Assessment and Decision Analysis

In emergent photovoltaics, nanoscale materials hold promise for optimizing device characteristics; however, the related impacts remain uncertain, resulting in challenges to decisions on strategic investment in technology innovation. We integrate multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and life‐cycle assessment (LCA) results (LCA‐MCDA) as a method of incorporating values of a hypothetical federal acquisition manager into the assessment of risks and benefits of emerging photovoltaic materials. Specifically, we compare adoption of copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) devices with molybdenum back contacts to alternative devices employing graphite or graphene instead of molybdenum. LCA impact results are interpreted alongside benefits of substitution including cost reductions and performance improvements through application of multi‐attribute utility theory. To assess the role of uncertainty we apply Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis. We find that graphene or graphite back contacts outperform molybdenum under most scenarios and assumptions. The use of decision analysis clarifies potential advantages of adopting graphite as a back contact while emphasizing the importance of mitigating conventional impacts of graphene production processes if graphene is used in emerging CZTS devices. Our research further demonstrates that a combination of LCA and MCDA increases the usability of LCA in assessing product sustainability. In particular, this approach identifies the most influential assumptions and data gaps in the analysis and the areas in which either engineering controls or further data collection may be necessary.     

Children and Families’ Involvement in Social Work Decision Making

This review summarises the research literature on children’s and parents’ involvement in social work decision making, which is regarded, in policy terms, as increasingly important. In practice, however, it tends to be messy, difficult and compromised. Different individuals or groups may have different understandings of participation and related concepts, while differences of age and disability also mediate effective user engagement. The literature highlights common themes in effective participatory practice with both children and their parents. Central to this are the establishment of relationships of trust and respect, clear communication and information and appropriate support to participate.     

Occupational Engagement and Academic Major Satisfaction: Vocational Identity's Mediating Role

This study examined vocational identity as a mediator of the relationship between occupational engagement (i.e., participation in a breadth of activities and interactions) and academic major satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors evaluated whether satisfaction with academic major related to academic success (i.e., grade point average). The mediational model was tested in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 215). Results indicated that occupational engagement significantly predicted academic major satisfaction and that vocational identity fully mediated that relationship. These findings support occupational engagement as an important contributor to adaptive career decision making and encourage research on occupational engagement as an intervention point for career counselors.     

Attachment Disturbances Delay Language Acquisition in Internationally Adopted Children

Cross-sectional research on internationally adopted children has indicated an association between early attachment disturbances and language deficits. Raaska et al. (2013 Raaska, H., Elovainio, M., Sinkkonen, J., Stolt, S., Jalonen, I., Matomäki, J., … Lapinleimu, H. (2013). Adopted children's language difficulties and their relation to symptoms of reactive attachment disorder: FinAdo study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 34(3), 152–160.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) have speculated that this relationship is likely bidirectional. In an attempt to elucidate the causal relationship between these two risk factors, the attachment disturbances and language skills of 44 internationally adopted children were assessed in a cross-lagged structural equation model. Greater attachment disturbances at wave 1 predicted less gain in language by wave 2. In contrast, language at wave 1 was not predictive of attachment disturbances at wave 2. These results suggest that early attachment problems may present an important risk for later language development and should be an immediate and primary focus of post-adoptive intervention for families adopting internationally.     

The Subjectivity of Fairness: Managerial Discretion and Work–Life Balance

We use organizational justice theory to examine how perceptions of fairness affect the decision‐making process of line managers. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 35 Irish managers to explore how managers make organizational allocation decisions in cases where it is impractical to offer work–life balance accommodations to all employees. The findings suggest that firstly, managers construct the ‘life’ aspect of work–life balance within a heteronormative framework, where the emphasis is on caregiving and most usually parenting. Secondly, managers actively use their decision‐making powers around both formal and informal work–life balance supports to minimize injustice within their departments. By bringing together ideas about organizational justice and managerial decision‐making, we indicate how managers determine fairness through a decision‐making process narrowed by embedded gender role beliefs. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

智库影响力的国际比较与走向判断

现代智库已经成为各国决策者处理各种社会复杂问题所倚重的重要力量。中国与西方国家智库因为所处的体制环境不同，在独立属性上呈现出本土化运作的特征。通过对中西方智库的独立性的比较、分析和考察，以我国特有的国情为发展的起点，借鉴西方发达国家智库发展的成功经验，找到一条适合我国本土体制和国情的独立性的发展路径，是今后提高我国智库决策影响力的重要价值选择，也是促进我国决策科学化和民主化的重要动力。     

The Continuum of Care System

Abstract

The Continuum of Care System is a Decision Support System designed to assist social workers responsible for identifying and selecting alternative living arrangements for children unable to remain in their own families. The Continuum of Care System consists of two software packages called MATCH and PROFILE. MATCH produces a rank-ordered list of prospective placement alternatives by statistically comparing an individual child to groups of children previously admitted into different residential facilities. PROFILE summarizes the characteristics and problems of children at each facility in the system.     

On selecting the best population

This paper deals with the problem of selecting the “best” population from a given number of populations in a decision theoretic framework. The class of selection rules considered is based on a suitable partition of the sample space. A selection rule is given which is shown to have certain optimum properties among the selection rules in the given class for a mal rules are known.     

非均匀分布下区间数排序可能度计算模型及其应用

区间数排序的可能度计算模型是学术界一直在不断探索的基础性问题之一。区间数刻画着事物属性特征的取值范围,以往学术界都假设在区间内的取值服从均匀分布。本文将均匀分布推广到一般分布,运用概率论的方法,构建了一个新的区间数排序的可能度计算模型,由此修正了以往关于两个区间数全等的定义,提出了区间数形等的概念,同时进一步修正了可能度的自反性条件和区间数的综合排序方法,并将理论应用于多属性决策问题,给出了基本的决策过程,通过实例决策问题的计算,呈现了新理论和新方法的可行性和合理性,具有很好的推广应用价值。     

多边汇率风险下各国通货膨胀复杂性变化研究

国际汇率风险是一国经济市场稳定的重要决定因素,为此文章采用数值方法,对各种多边汇率情景下各国通货膨胀水平的变化情况进行模拟仿真.研究发现,汇率变化对各国通货膨胀的影响,受到各国问制造业产品替代弹性的干扰,存在复杂性特征:在各国制造业产品替代弹性处于低水平时,有金融国参与的贬值情景,有利于压低各国的通胀水平;当各国制造业产品替代弹性达到一定程度时,制造国(或资源国)的单独贬值,有利于压低本国的通胀水平,但却会拉高其他国家的通胀水平.因此,在国际汇率政策决策中,为控制国内通胀水平,一国应充分考虑多边汇率决策的综合博弈结果,而不是简单的一对一关系.