Why NBIC? Why human performance enhancement?

A 2001 U.S. workshop with the title “Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science (NBIC): Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance” introduced the convergence of various sciences and technologies based on their nanoscale properties. It highlighted BIC as the science and technologies converging on the nanoscale. However many other sciences and technologies with nanoscale components exist, such as chemistry and material sciences. Furthermore the workshop chose human performance enhancement as its case study of application despite various other possible applications that could have been chosen. This paper addresses the questions why the workshop organizers (a) introduced nanoscale as a convergence concept, (b) chose BIC as the convergence examples and (c) chose human performance enhancement as their application. The paper provides some thoughts as to the success and consequences of that strategy.     

On multiattributive risk aversion: some clarifying results

This article sheds some light on three concepts of risk aversion in a multiattributive decision framework introduced into the literature by Kihlstrom and Mirman (J Econ Theor 8:361–388, 1974), de Finetti (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia 11:685–709, 1952), Richard (Manage Sci 22:12–21, 1975), and Meyer (Preferences over time, New York, pp. 473–514, 1976). We review the three multiattributive risk aversion definitions as well as the notion of partial risk aversion, give a translation of these concepts into properties of the multiattributive utility function and reveal that Meyer’s, de Finetti/Richard’s concepts are very closely related. Moreover, it is shown that any additive utility function is risk neutral in the sense of de Finetti/Richard and Meyer independently of the risk attitude that it expresses in terms of Kihlstrom/Mirman. Additionally we introduce a multiattributive utility function derived from a one-dimensional function that leads to a coincidence of the differently defined risk attitudes.

Divided we stand: Defying hegemony in global public relations theory and practice?

The last decade has seen the world becoming increasingly complex. One way of dealing with complexity, according to Schwab (2010a), is to look for certainties or solutions that impose order by simplifying. The authors contend that this is a risk in public relations practice and the academy. While recognizing their benefits they warn against attempts to produce global models which also seek to impose hegemony and argue for maintaining a diversity that reflects reality. They take the cases of the UK and Singapore as respective exemplars where hegemony has arguably occurred and where it can still be resisted. They call for a professional and epistemological stand against hegemony.     

Does Migration Pay Off in Later Life? Income and Subjective Well-Being of Older Migrants in Europe

Social Indicators Research - This study examines whether intra-European migration pays off in terms of income and subjective well-being (SWB) for migrants aged 50?+?who are now growing...     

Note on incidence chromatic number of subquartic graphs

An incidence in a graph G is a pair (v, e) where v is a vertex of G and e is an edge of G incident to v. Two incidences (v, e) and (u, f) are adjacent if at least one of the following holds: \((a) v = u, (b) e = f\), or \((c) vu \in \{e,f\}\). An incidence coloring of G is a coloring of its incidences assigning distinct colors to adjacent incidences. In this note we prove that every subquartic graph admits an incidence coloring with at most seven colors.     

Understanding public relations in the ‘sharing economy’

In spite of the macro-economic impact of the so-called ‘sharing economy’ there is a nearly complete dearth of contributions from the communication academy to its discourse. More attention is overdue, particularly for the conceptual pressure the ‘sharing economy’ is exerting on the public relations function. The authors propose a reconceptualization of public relations by identifying the constitutive aspects of the sharing economy and bringing together the explanatory concepts ‘circuits of commerce’ and ‘viable matches’ from economic sociology and communicative constitution of organizations theory to develop the notions of ‘deliberate disintermediation’ and ‘circuits of communication’ in public relations. The contention is that by doing this, communicative acts not only contribute meaning in the sharing economy, but have economic value. Furthermore, the sharing economy poses challenges to the traditional forms of organizing public relations functions, but offers opportunities to realize different potential when public relations facilitates circuits of communication and becomes a meta-communicative competence embedded within the organization.     

What factors drive personal loan fraud? Evidence from Germany

Based on a data set of nearly 43,000 personal loan applications from Germany, this paper empirically determines key factors of application fraud such as, for instance, the sales channel or the loan amount. This is done univariately as well as by employing a logistic regression, which is found to be a statistically significant approach for profiling loan application fraudsters. Besides in-sample and out-of-sample verifications, we also prove the economic significance of our results by developing a fraud management framework taking the fraud rate, the average default cost due to fraud as well as the fraud screening costs into account.