Lean Production: Denial, Confirmation or Extension of Sociotechnical Systems Design?

This paper makes a comparison between the basicelements of lean production and sociotechnical systemsdesign (STSD) and compares them both with thecharacteristics of the traditional Fordist system of mass production. It argues that lean productioncan hardly be considered as an alternative to massproduction, as its proponents suggest, but is on thecontrary extending the life of mass production methods. However, lean production does appear to containsome building blocks for the innovative productionsystems that are expected to prevail in the 21stcentury. STSD, which has always presented itself as an alternative and possible successor to Fordistmethods, will need to link its traditional concerns forquality of work and flexibility of work organizationswith the new issues of continuous improvement, learning,and innovation.     

Relationship of Dyadic Closeness With Work‐Related Stress: A Daily Diary Study

We examined the association between work‐related stress of both spouses and daily fluctuations in their affective states and dyadic closeness. Daily diary data from 169 Israeli dual‐earner couples were analyzed using multilevel modeling. The findings indicate that work stress has no direct effect on dyadic closeness but rather is mediated by the spouses’ negative mood. Evidence was found for spillover of stress from work to mood at home, as well as negative crossover among couples with higher marital quality, resulting in greater distance on stressful days. Such increased distance may reflect either a deleterious effect of work stress on marital relationships or a protective mechanism used by couples in times of stress.     

The changing morphology of the gulf cities in the age of globalisation: the case of Bahrain

Cities in the Gulf region have been witnessing dramatic changes in their morphology and internal structures during the last three decades due to the successive shifts from endogenous to exogenous types of urban growth. In the past, the urban space was mainly shaped by the tribal structure and the economy of subsistence that is based on fishing, pearl trading and/or farming. After the discovery of oil, a first shift towards an exogenous form occurred. Due to the accumulation of wealth, the kingdom adopted a distributive and comprehensive welfare policy, and became a major and unique actor in shaping the city. At present, a second stage of “exogeneity” is occurring due to globalisation. The installation of large multi-national companies, the liberalisation of the economy and the integration with the world banking system are having a direct impact on the socio-economic, cultural and thus, urban morphology. Bahrain seems to reflect the three stages through the changing urban morphology of its two main cities; Muharraq and Manama. Analysed in the light of the endogenous–exogenous model, it opens a debate on the conditions for the survival of the old cities and defines a theoretical framework for the approach to management and planning to be adopted.     

Hawkes过程分支比估计——一种简单的非参数方法

Hawkes自激发过程是近年来被广泛用于金融建模的一个良好模型。本文提出了一种Hawkes自激发过程的分支比的简单估计方法,该方法是对Hardiman和Bouchaud提出的均值-方差估计量的改进。在继承均值-方差估计量形式简便的优点的同时,克服其参数难以选择的缺陷,减小了估计的系统性偏差。模拟结果验证了改进的效果,同时我们将该估计方法用于我国股市内生性水平的分析之中。     

蓝田华胥陵--中华民族的始祖陵

根据古代神话传说 ,盘古开天辟地之后乃有三皇。三皇的说法不一 ,笔者认为从时间早晚上当以燧人氏、伏羲氏和女娲氏为宜。伏羲和女娲皆是神性和人性相结合的人类始祖 ,是东方的“亚当和夏娃”。伏羲和女娲乃华胥氏所生的儿女 ,因此华胥氏是中华民族最早的始祖。蓝田县华胥镇之羲母陵是独一无二的华胥陵 ,华胥陵及与华胥陵相关的三皇故居等遗迹遗址具有重大的历史价值和开发价值     

试论周恩来新中国体育外交实践

体育既是竞技项目,又具有群众性,更是国民素质和综合国力的体现,在曾担任26年国务院总理的周恩来看来,体育还是外交的组成部分。因此,他十分关心体育事业,不仅推动了新中国体育事业的大发展,而且,通过体育又推动了外交的大发展。     

Commentary on the Developing Field of Ecotoxicology

Population and Environment -     

Stochastic Bounds with a Low Rank Decomposition

We investigate how we can bound a discrete time Markov chain (DTMC) by a stochastic matrix with a low rank decomposition. In the first part of the article, we show the links with previous results for matrices with a decomposition of size 1 or 2. Then we show how the complexity of the analysis for steady-state and transient distributions can be simplified when we take into account the decomposition. Finally, we show how we can obtain a monotone stochastic upper bound with a low rank decomposition.