Life Cycle Risks for Human Health: A Comparison of Petroleum Versus Bio-Based Production of Five Bulk Organic Chemicals

This article describes the development and application of a generic approach to the comparative assessment of risks related to the production of organic chemicals by petrochemical processes versus white biotechnology. White biotechnology, also referred to as industrial biotechnology, typically uses bio-based feedstocks instead of the fossil raw materials used in the petrochemical sector. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the production of chemicals by means of white biotechnology has lower conventional risks than their production by petrochemical processes. Conventional risks are the risks of well-established processes, and not those related to genetically modified microorganisms and plants. Our approach combines classical risk assessment methods (largely based on toxicology), as developed by the life cycle assessment (LCA) community, with statistics on technological disasters, accidents, and work-related illnesses. Moreover, it covers the total process chain for both petrochemical and bio-based products from cradle to grave. The approach was applied to five products: the plastics polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and ethanol. Our results show that the conventional risks related to the white biotechnology products studied are lower than those of the petrochemical products. However, considering the uncertainties with respect to the ranges of input data, the (incomplete) coverage of emissions by the environmental priority strategies (EPS) 2000 method, and the uncertainties of the assumptions made in this study (i.e., large to very large), the differences in results between bio-based and petrochemical products fall into the uncertainty range. Because of this, future research is necessary to decrease the uncertainties before we can conclude that the conventional risks of biotechnologically produced chemicals are lower than those of fossil-fuel-derived chemicals.     

制造企业集群网络协作过程生命周期及成长机理

制造企业集群网络协作过程生命周期模型不同于企业生命周期模型,制造企业集群网络协作过程具有生命周期的特征,深刻认识网络协作过程中各个阶段的具体特征及相应指标的变化趋势,可以为制造集群网络实现协作收益及协作剩余最大化提供理论指导。     

What works best when? The role of active labour market policy programmes in different business cycles

Nordlund M. What works best when? The role of active labour market policy programmes in different business cycles Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 43–54 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. At what point in a business cycle do long‐term unemployed persons gain most from participation in active labour market policy programmes (ALMP) as compared with openly unemployed persons? This article studies this question from the perspective of individual human capital with the hazard of labour market exit and chances of future labour market stability and equal post‐unemployment income as output variables. All the long‐term unemployed in Sweden were followed on a four‐year basis, with 1993 (recession) and 1999 (boom) as starting years. The study shows mainly positive effects among participants regardless of the state of the market. However, ALMP training has a ‘bridging’ effect over different labour market conditions, and a quick return to the regular labour market is, therefore, not as important for the success of participation as it is among ALMP employment participants.     

广东高等教育的周期波动：基于CF滤波的分析

文章依据从时间序列变量中分离趋势成分和周期成分的CF滤波方法,对广东1978~2009年间包括实际GDP、人均GDP、高等教育毛入学率、每万人口大学生、普通高等学校、招生、在校生、毕业生、生均经费等在内的9个时间序列变量进行了消除趋势的处理,进而采用相关度研究,对作为普通高等教育基准周期退势后的GDP或人均GDP时间序列与退势后的其他7个时间序列变量之间的共动性进行经验统计分析。通过对高等教育与经济发展的波动性和协动性分析,总结出广东高等教育周期波动的经验特征和典型化事实（Stylized facts）。     

The Blended Family Life Cycle

Blended families face unique challenges that differ greatly from those encountered by nuclear families. Societal stereotypes that view blended families as abnormal, taking nuclear family functioning as the prototype for all family units, create a lack of role clarity for each of the members involved. Although many strategies exist with which to help families, many are based on nuclear family systems and thus are inapplicable to blended families. The creation of a blended family life cycle specific to blended family systems could help members of a blended family create a successful family unit as they work with a counselor.     

Extension of the Kaldor-Kalecki model of business cycle with a computational anticipated capital stock

Abstract

This article would like to show the importance of anticipation for making decisions and organizational transformations. A useful tool for computing anticipatory systems is given by differential difference equations with retardation and anticipation. This paper shows the effect of retardation and anticipation on the evolution of simple growth equations. As a practical example, the Kaldor-Kalecki model of business cycle is studied in view of showing its anticipatory capabilities. Initially, this model was created to include anticipated decisions of investments. Indeed there is a time shift between a decision of investment and the actual installation of investment equipment. The Kalecki ‘distribution’ cycle related dynamics and income distribution in perhaps the first mathematically sophisticated treatment of cyclical phenomena in economics. His instrumental relationship was to posit a time lag between the investment decision and installation of investment goods.     

A Case Study of Adaptation in a Nonprofit Human Service Organization

This paper demonstrates the applicability of political economy theory to understanding adaptation of human service organizations. Through the use of a case study, the paper demonstrates the adaptation that occurred over twenty years in a family service agency. The findings show an organization selecting a particular service niche in which to operate. The findings further demonstrate a specialized clientele, a diversified program style, marked stability in the organization's financial strategy, and a diversified financial style. The major tier of revenue groups was dominated by Purchase of Service Contracts (POSC) which demonstrated volatility in response to changes in the external environment. Implications are drawn from education and practice.     

A Rose by Any Name Would Smell as Sweet

No abstract available for this article.     

返本开新与文化自觉——从斯宾格勒与雷海宗谈起

文化自觉,就是认识到文化是一个独立存在的有机体,有自己的孕育、萌芽、生长、成熟、衰落和死亡,完成一个自然生命的周期。文化多元的实质在于世界上曾经存在多个相互独立的文化,彼此无高下之分。中西文化之间,不是进步、落后,发达、不发达的问题,而是不同的文化形态、不同的有机体、不同的生命阶段及未来不同的走向。中国文化的出路在于返自我之本开自我之新。     

从《论法的精神》追寻孟德斯鸠“最优的政体”

孟德斯鸠将政体划分为民主政体、贵族政体、君主政体和专制政体,这一划分不仅是对亚里士多德的继承和发展,而且他强调政体的核心在于政体的原则。政体的原则是使政体行动的东西,是使政体运动的人类感情,包括风俗、人情、民族性、地理环境等等。每一种政体都有其赖以依存的原则,当这种政体原则发生变化的时候,政体就发生了腐化,造成了政体之间的循环。前三种宽和政体之间的转变是可以接受的,但是要防止政体向专制政体转化,就需要权力的制约和平衡。他认为"最优的政体"是一个最适宜于一个民族特征的政体,是一个包含社会各阶层的中庸政体,是一个在法律的统治之下权力相互制约、相互制衡的政体。