Can Evolutionary Clustering Have Theoretical Guarantees?

Clustering is a fundamental problem in many areas, which aims to partition a given data set into groups based on some distance measure, such that the data points in the same group are similar while that in different groups are dissimilar. Due to its importance and NP-hardness, a lot of methods have been proposed, among which evolutionary algorithms are a class of popular ones. Evolutionary clustering has found many successful applications, but all the results are empirical, lacking theoretical support. This paper fills this gap by proving that the approximation performance of the GSEMO (a simple multi-objective evolutionary algorithm) for solving four formulations of clustering, i.e., $k$-tMM, $k$-center, discrete $k$-median and $k$-means, can be theoretically guaranteed. Furthermore, we consider clustering under fairness, which tries to avoid algorithmic bias, and has recently been an important research topic in machine learning. We prove that for discrete $k$-median clustering under individual fairness, the approximation performance of the GSEMO can be theoretically guaranteed with respect to both the objective function and the fairness constraint.Comment: 16 page

Sustainable Economic Development

This book is a pivotal publication that addresses the contemporary challenges of globalization and elaborate policy responses to environmental pollution, climate change, economic disruptions, poverty, hunger, and other threats to sustainable economic development. Many parts of the world, territories, and societies are now changing at an unprecedented pace in ways that fundamentally affect the markets, people, the environment, and biodiversity. Such changes are primarily driven by rapid social and economic developments, economic disparities between countries, the internationalization of production and value chains, and industrialization. Increasingly frequently, business interests are interfering with sustainable development goals. The issue is how to converge the economic benefits with the urgent need for establishing resilient production chains, social networks, sustainably-operating markets, and environmental protection. This publication highlights the need for the balanced economic development and comprehensive coverage of many sustainability–business areas. Economic, production, financial, and social factors of sustainability are discussed by over 90 contributors representing 40 universities and research institutions from seven countries. Their findings are translated into workable approaches and policies for the benefit of the global economy, people, and the environment

Global Mobility Handbook - 2010 Edition

[Excerpt] In today’s economy, the global movement of employees is essential. Getting the right people to the right places at the right time, with proper support, is critical to the success of far-flung businesses. Human resource professionals and corporate counsel are confronted with a maze of legal issues that must be considered before moving employees across borders. When can they go? How long can they stay? What can they do while there? Can they work? How can they be paid? What happens to their employment benefits during the trip? Who will be the employer during the trip? What are the tax consequences of the trip to the employer and the foreign employee? What about their family? These issues confront employers dealing with short-term business travelers, as well as long-term, employment assignments. This is a global mobility handbook to help guide you

Economic, epidemiological, and social analyses of H7N9 influenza control strategies for yellow broilers in Guangxi, China

The emergence of H7N9 influenza and its zoonotic transmission in China since March 2013 highlighted the continued threat from emerging avian influenza with pandemic potential. A series of policies and interventions were implemented nationwide; however, critical reviews of the effectiveness of these control strategies are lacking. This research conducted in Guangxi, a province with a significant yellow broiler industry, was designed to provide economic, epidemiological, and social evidence to inform future H7N9 control strategies in China. A value chain study was conducted to examine the yellow broiler production and trading system in Guangxi. Stakeholders of the yellow broiler industry, their interactions, governance structure and risk practices were investigated. Yellow broiler grower companies were the dominant stakeholders. Trading platforms were key premises, linking farms and live bird markets, to be included in H7N9 influenza control programs. Poor biosecurity practices present in different premises along the value chain, pose significant challenges for the control of H7N9 influenza. Spatio-temporal patterns of the movement of live broilers within and from Guangxi were also assessed. The most central broiler populations in the movement network were identified. The results showed that targeting areas based on movement characteristics would enable controlling H7N9 influenza more effectively compared to applying the same policy throughout Guangxi. The yellow broiler industry stakeholders’ practices, attitudes and motivations regarding H7N9 vaccination were investigated using a mixed-methods design. There was a strong willingness for the industry to continue vaccination even without government support. The economic values of the H7N9 vaccination program were also assessed using a benefit-cost analysis. It demonstrated that the current vaccination program was economically profitable compared to not vaccinating. However, the economic returns of vaccination relied heavily on industry profits. In summary, these research findings can help strengthen the control of H7N9 influenza in Guangxi and provide support for future avian influenza control strategies throughout China

2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report

Background on the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world. Often referred to as the “think tanks’ think tank,” TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy research organizations. Over the last 30 years, TTCSP has developed and led a series of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between knowledge and policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security, globalization and governance, international economics, environmental issues, information and society, poverty alleviation and healthcare and global health. These international collaborative efforts are designed to establish regional and international networks of policy institutes and communities that improve policymaking while strengthening democratic institutions and civil societies around the world. TTCSP works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs and produces the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index that ranks the world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories. This is achieved with the help of a panel of over 1,796 peer institutions and experts from the print and electronic media, academia, public and private donor institutions and governments around the world. We have strong relationships with leading think tanks around the world, and our annual think Tank Index is used by academics, journalists, donors and the public to locate and connect with the leading centers of public policy research around the world. Our goal is to increase the profile and performance of think tanks and raise the public awareness of the important role think tanks play in governments and civil societies around the globe. Since its inception in 1989, TTCSP has focused on collecting data and conducting research on think tank trends and the role think tanks play as civil society actors in the policymaking process. In 2006, TTCSP developed and launched a pilot project named the global index of think tanks, designed to identify and recognize centers of excellence in all the major areas of public policy research and in every region of the world. To date, TTCSP has provided technical assistance and capacity building programs in 85 countries. We are now working to create regional and global networks of think tanks in an effort to facilitate collaboration and the production of a modest yet achievable set of global public goods. Our goal is to create lasting institutional and statelevel partnerships by engaging and mobilizing think tanks that have demonstrated their ability to produce high quality policy research and shape popular and elite opinions and actions for the public good

Sustainable Agriculture and Advances of Remote Sensing (Volume 1)

Agriculture, as the main source of alimentation and the most important economic activity globally, is being affected by the impacts of climate change. To maintain and increase our global food system production, to reduce biodiversity loss and preserve our natural ecosystem, new practices and technologies are required. This book focuses on the latest advances in remote sensing technology and agricultural engineering leading to the sustainable agriculture practices. Earth observation data, in situ and proxy-remote sensing data are the main source of information for monitoring and analyzing agriculture activities. Particular attention is given to earth observation satellites and the Internet of Things for data collection, to multispectral and hyperspectral data analysis using machine learning and deep learning, to WebGIS and the Internet of Things for sharing and publishing the results, among others

A holistic perspective

The phenomenon of globalization and the need to combat the harmful effects of the recent financial and economic crisis associated with rapid urban development and stagnant economic growth in countries/regions/cities seen in the last decade worldwide, has led to a paradigmatic change in the view of cities’ role in urban economic development. This profound change means that cites are faced with a complex and enormous challenge, set out in the European Union’s 2020 Strategy based on the premises of long-term intelligent, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. However, these premises imply that models of economic growth and their traditional determining factors are altered, and so development of the so-called new economy is in evidence. This means that the new economy proposed by the European Union, besides being based on traditional factors generating economic growth, has come to include a new own resource, the intangibility and soft and hard amenities of urban places, or cities, as factors associated with cities’ urban economic development. The changes in regional and public policies linked to repositioning cities have aroused great interest in the academic world and in other public and private agencies, leading to the emergence of countless constructs, concepts and models aiming to contribute to understanding of this global phenomenon. In this context, the concepts of creativity, intelligence and urban sustainability, as inseparable dimensions of cities, have gained relevance in studies on cities, particularly regarding their measurement. Consequently, a series of models and indices have been developed aiming to answer the question of how to assess cities’ performance around these dimensions. This proliferation of studies has not exhausted the topic, as gaps remain to be filled, particularly those involving great complexity by interlinking various constructs such as urban networks, besides creativity, intelligence and urban sustainability in cities. In this scenario, the general aim of the research presented here is to propose a holistic, multidimensional model for Current Creative Cities (CCCs) and its empirical validation through constructing a Composite Index for their holistic performance. The broad spectrum of this objective is clear, and so it was divided in six specific objectives, namely: 1) to map the most studied topics concerning networks and the performance of creative cities, through a bibliometric analysis; 2) to present a proposal of a multidimensional design for CCCs and the respective indicators to measure their performance; 3) to validate empirically the model proposed for each dimension proposed per se, and subsequently, for all the dimensions of the holistic model as a whole; 4) to demonstrate that networks are predictors of CCCs’ holistic performance; 5) to propose a taxonomy for the holistic performance of CCCs and 6) to analyse the effect of living labs on the economic growth of CCCs. 5) to propose a taxonomy for the holistic performance of CCCs; To respond to these aims a mixed research methodology was adopted, since quantitative and qualitative approaches complement each other, particularly concerning internal and external validity, using different research techniques of a deductive and inductive nature, as explained below. In Chapter 2, responding to the first objective, the bibliometrics revealed the most studied topics, besides exponential interest in studying creative cities and networks together. It was also clarified that creativity can be associated with intelligence and urban sustainability in CCCs, that there is still a need to construct a holistic, transversal model for these dimensions, and that this should allow measuring performance and the effect of networks on this. The result obtained in this study directed the research to Chapter 3, i.e., to the second aim established, and so a multidimensional, holistic model is presented to measure CCCs’ holistic performance. With the answers to the first objectives defined, Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 aim to provide the response to the third and fourth objectives, presenting individual Composite Indices and for the Holistic Performance of CCCs, obtained through multivariate statistical techniques – Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Principal Components Analysis (PCA). These indices were validated empirically in Portugal. The results obtained and their discussion revealed that strategies directed to implementing creative, intelligent and sustainable measures are visible in economic growth in Portugal, despite the need to continue to develop and spread the structural and conjunctural bases through public policies aiming to overcome persisting weaknesses. Therefore, the methodological tool presented here is a bonus for local authorities and their public policies. The demographical, spatial and territorial variations of Portuguese towns and cities led to developing a taxonomy of their holistic performance, to respond to the fifth objective defined by using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, presented in Chapter 8. The results show that improved holistic performance is only achieved when taking all the axes/dimensions of CCCs as a synergetic whole and as a cyclical consequence rather than per se. Finally, these results were complemented in Chapter 9 (sixth objective) by the case study method applied to the town of Fundão, which demonstrated it is not enough to activate the means for citizens to be dynamic actors in improved holistic performance, as current public policies must be strategically managed and promoted by reducing the financial costs involved. The studies presented here allowed presentation of a Composite Index for the Holistic Performance of Portuguese towns and cities, which with the due adaptations to the context analysed can be applied generally. This instrument forms the main contribution of this research, which is of an innovative and relevant nature by being based on urban networks as inductors and catalysts of improved urban economic growth in cities/local authorities. It is also shown that when cities include networks in their public policies, the intangible returns obtained benefit their holistic performance indirectly. Finally, Chapter 10 describes the limitations of the studies presented and makes general conclusions and contributions with implications for theory and practice.O fenómeno da globalização e a emergência de se contornar os efeitos nefastos da recente crise financeira e económica associados ao rápido desenvolvimento urbano e à estagnação do crescimento económico dos países/regiões/cidades a que se assistiu na última década em todo o mundo, originou que a visão do papel das cidades no desenvolvimento económico urbano fosse alterada de modo paradigmático. Esta alteração profunda significa que atualmente as cidades estão perante um desafio complexo e enorme, o qual se consubstanciou na Estratégia 2020 da União Europeia que assenta nas premissas de um crescimento económico inteligente, inclusivo e sustentável a longo prazo. Contudo, estas premissas implicaram que os modelos de crescimento económico e que os seus fatores determinantes tradicionais fossem alterados, pelo que se tem assistido ao desenvolvimento da denominada nova economia. Isto significa que a nova economia preconizada pela União Europeia, para além de assentar nos fatores tradicionais geradores de crescimento económico, passou a incluir um novo recurso próprio, a intangibilidade e as amenidades soft e hard dos lugares urbanos, vulgo cidades, como fatores associados ao desenvolvimento económico urbano das cidades. As mudanças das políticas económicas regionais e públicas ligadas ao reposicionamento das cidades despertou um elevado interesse no meio académico e em outras agências públicas e privadas, pelo que surgiram inúmeros construtos, conceitos, modelos que visavam contribuir para a compreensão desse fenómeno global. Neste contexto, os conceitos de criatividade, de inteligência e de sustentabilidade urbana, enquanto dimensões indissociáveis das cidades, ganharam relevância nos estudos sobre cidades, particularmente no tocante à mensuração da sua performance. Por conseguinte, uma bateria de modelos e de índices têm sido desenvolvidos visando responder à questão de como avaliar a performance das cidades em torno destas dimensões. Esta proliferação de estudos não esgotou a fertilidade desta temática, pela que ainda persistem lacunas por colmatar, em particular aquelas que envolvem elevada complexidade ao interligarem vários construtos, como as redes urbanas, para além da criatividade, inteligência e sustentabilidade urbana nas cidades. Neste cenário, o objetivo geral da investigação aqui apresentada passa pela proposta de um modelo holístico e multidimensional para as Currents Creative Cities (CCCs) e a sua validação empírica através da construção de um Índice Compósito para a performance holística das mesmas. É clarividente o largo espectro deste objetivo, pelo subdividiu este em seis objetivos específicos a saber: 1) Mapear as temáticas mais investigadas sobre as redes e a performance das cidades criativas, através de uma análise bibliométrica; 2) Apresentar uma proposta de desenho multidimensional para as CCCs e respetivos indicadores para a mensuração da performance das mesmas; 3) Validar empiricamente o modelo proposto para cada uma das dimensões propostas per si e, posteriormente, para o conjunto da todas as dimensões de modo holístico; 4) Demonstrar que as redes são preditores da performance holística das CCCs; 5) Propor uma taxonomia para a performance holística das CCCs; e 6) Analisar o efeito que as living labs têm no crescimento económico das CCCs. Para dar resposta a estes objetivos seguiu-se uma metodologia de investigação mista, uma vez que a abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa são complementares uma da outra, nomeadamente no tocante à validade interna e externa, em que se utilizaram diferentes técnicas de investigação de natureza dedutiva e indutiva, como explicado a seguir. Assim, o capítulo 2 responde ao primeiro objetivo, a bibliometria revelou os tópicos mais estudados, para além de um interesse exponencial em estudar as cidades criativas e as redes em conjunto. Também se clarificou que a criatividade é passível de associação à inteligência e à sustentabilidade urbana nas CCCs, que persiste a urgência de se construir um modelo holístico e transversal a estas dimensões e que possibilitem que se mensure a performance e o efeito das redes nessa. Assim, a resposta obtida neste estudo direcionou a investigação para o capítulo 3, ou seja, para o segundo objetivo estabelecido, pelo que se apresenta um modelo multidimensional e holístico para a mensuração da performance holística nas CCCs. Ainda com a resposta aos primeiros objetivos definidos, os capítulos 4, 5, 6 e 7 visam ilustrar a resposta aos terceiro e quarto objetivos, em que se apresentaram Índices Compósitos individuais e para a Performance Holística das CCCs, obtidos pelo uso de técnicas estatísticas multivariadas – Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE) e Análise dos Componentes Principais (ACP). Estes índices foram validados empiricamente em Portugal. Os resultados obtidos e a sua discussão revelaram que as estratégias direcionadas para a implementação de medidas criativas, inteligentes e sustentáveis são visíveis no crescimento económico em Portugal, porém ainda urge que se continue a germinar e disseminar as bases estruturais e conjunturais através de políticas públicas que visem ultrapassar as fragilidades que ainda persistem. Deste modo, a ferramenta metodológica aqui apresentada é uma mais valia para os municípios e suas políticas públicas. A disparidade demográfica, espacial e territorial das cidades em Portugal induziu ao desenvolvimento de uma taxonomia de performance holística para as mesmas, dando resposta ao quinto objetivo definido pela utilização da Análise Hierárquica de Clusters (AHC), apresentado no capítulo 8. Os resultados mostram que as melhorias na performance holística só são conseguidas quando se encaram todos os eixos/dimensões das CCCs como um todo sinérgico e como uma consequência em ciclo e não per si. Por último, estes resultados foram complementados no capítulo 9 (sexto objetivo) pelo método de estudo de caso aplicado à cidade do Fundão, o que possibilitou que se demonstrasse que não basta acionar os meios para que os cidadãos sejam atores dinâmicos na melhoria da performance holística, pois é premente que as atuais politicas públicas sejam estrategicamente geridas e alavancadas pela redução dos encargos financeiros afetos a essas politicas. Os estudos aqui apresentados possibilitarem a apresentação de um Índice Compósito para a Performance Holística das cidades portuguesas, que com as devidas adaptações ao contexto em análise é passível de aplicação generalizada. Este instrumento constitui o principal contributo desta investigação e que assume um carácter inovador e pertinente ao ter como pedra basilar as redes urbanas como indutoras e catalisadoras da melhoria do crescimento económico urbano das cidades/municípios. Mostra-se ainda que as cidades que integram as redes nas suas políticas públicas obtêm retornos intangíveis que indiretamente beneficiam a sua performance holística. Finalmente, no capítulo 10 são explanadas as limitações dos estudos apresentados e tecidas as conclusões gerais e outros contributos com implicações para a teoria e para a prática

Non-Rigid Designators in Modal and Temporal Free Description Logics (Extended Version)

Definite descriptions, such as 'the General Chair of KR 2024', are a semantically transparent device for object identification in knowledge representation. In first-order modal logic, definite descriptions have been widely investigated for their non-rigidity, which allows them to designate different objects (or none at all) at different states. We propose expressive modal description logics with non-rigid definite descriptions and names, and investigate decidability and complexity of the satisfaction problem. We first systematically link satisfiability for the one-variable fragment of first-order modal logic with counting to our modal description logics. Then, we prove a promising NEXPTIME-completeness result for concept satisfiability for the fundamental epistemic multi-agent logic $\mathbf{S5}^{n}$ and its neighbours, and show that some expressive logics that are undecidable with constant domain become decidable (but Ackermann-hard) with expanding domains. Finally, we conduct a fine-grained analysis of decidability of temporal logics