A review of the characteristics of 108 author-level bibliometric indicators

An increasing demand for bibliometric assessment of individuals has led to a growth of new bibliometric indicators as well as new variants or combinations of established ones. The aim of this review is to contribute with objective facts about the usefulness of bibliometric indicators of the effects of publication activity at the individual level. This paper reviews 108 indicators that can potentially be used to measure performance on the individual author level, and examines the complexity of their calculations in relation to what they are supposed to reflect and ease of end-user application.Comment: to be published in Scientometrics, 201

The Energy-Momentum Tensor(s) in Classical Gauge Theories

We give an introduction to, and review of, the energy-momentum tensors in classical gauge field theories in Minkowski space, and to some extent also in curved space-time. For the canonical energy-momentum tensor of non-Abelian gauge fields and of matter fields coupled to such fields, we present a new and simple improvement procedure based on gauge invariance for constructing a gauge invariant, symmetric energy-momentum tensor. The relationship with the Einstein-Hilbert tensor following from the coupling to a gravitational field is also discussed.Comment: 34 pages; v2: Slightly expanded version with some improvements of presentation; Contribution to Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Field Theory, special issue in memory of Raymond Stora, Nucl. Phys.

Working Paper 03-07 - Capital services and total factor productivity measurements : impact of various methodologies for Belgium

This Working Paper presents the different methodologies currently used to construct a volume index of capital services and analyzes the effects of methodological changes on capital services and total factor productivity estimates for Belgium over the period 1970-2004. The measurement of capital services is realized in two steps. First, productive capital stocks have to be estimated for each type of asset. Two methodologies are generally used: the geometric and the hyperbolic profile. Secondly, these stocks are aggregated, using the user costs of capital (exante or ex-post approach) as weights to derive an overall index. For the economy as a whole and the entire period, under an ex-post approach, the volume indices of capital services estimated with a hyperbolic age-efficiency profile grow at a higher rate than the indices estimated with a geometric profile. This general conclusion is, however, not observed in every sector. Under an ex-ante approach, the different volume indices are quite similar for the whole economy, even if the indices grow generally at a slightly higher rate in the case of a geometric pattern. A higher growth rate of the volume indices generates a higher capital contribution and, consequently, a lower TFP contribution. Over long periods of time, the different TFP estimates are relatively similar. Over shorter periods, the different methodologies generate more significant variations in the TFP contribution.TFP

Measuring the immeasurable: a survey of substainability indices

Sustainability indices for countries provide a one-dimensional metric to valuate country-specific information on the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental, and social conditions. At the policy level, they suggest an unambiguous yardstick against which a country?s development can be measured and even a cross-country comparison can be performed. This paper reviews the explanatory power of various sustainability indices applied in policy practice. We show that these indices fail to fulfill fundamental scientific requirements making them rather useless if not misleading with respect to policy advice. --Sustainability Indices,Composite Indicators,Sustainability,Indices

Evaluation of quality level in managing the development of industrial enterprises

The research focuses on the substantiation of theoretical aspects and practical support for assessing the quality level of managing enterprises development taking into account the influence of the external and internal environment. The conceptual apparatus for estimation of quality development of enterprise management was refined, which makes it possible to determine reasonably the level of management according to the generally known elements (economic, social and ecological) that are proposed to be supplemented with an energy component. A new conceptual approach to the procedure of evaluation of the quality of development management by levels, the stages of which are proposed to expand by: the formation of the database by levels of management (state, regional), choice and evaluation of indicators by components of development and spheres of activity, development of the tools for management improvement. The integrated indicator has been proposed, which differs from the existing ones by the fact that it estimates the quality of development management, rather than the development level. In contrast to the previously proposed ones, the integrated indicator takes into account the influence of external environment by the components of development and of the internal environment – by the areas of activity for each component. That is why it has practical significance, since it allows performing monitoring and detecting the negative influence of management on the enterprise development. Taking coke plants as an example, the structures of the indicators that characterize the management quality were determined. A large number of indicators were reduced by the method of expert assessments, which increases the validity of the choice. Indicator estimates were constructed solely based on relative indicators (indices), which improves consistency. Using the integrated method, the estimation of the indicators by individual components and on the whole was performed. The scale for evaluation of the quality level of enterprise development management was constructed using the Harrington function. The new approach to assessing the quality of the enterprise development management and a complex of mathematical support will lead to the uniform economic, social, environmental and energy development of enterprises.Роботу присвячено обґрунтуванню теоретичних аспектiв та практичного забезпечення оцiнки якiсного рiвня управлiння розвитком пiдприємств з урахуванням впливу зовнiшнього та внутрiшнього середовища. Уточнено понятiйний апарат щодо оцiнки якiсного розвитку управлiння пiдприємствами, який дозволяє обґрунтовано визначати рiвень управлiння за загальновiдомими складовими (економiчної, соцiальної та екологiчної), до яких запропоновано додати енергетичну складову. Побудовано новий концептуальний пiдхiд до процедури оцiнки якостi управлiння розвитком за рiвнями, етапи якої запропоновано розширити за: формуванням бази даних за рiвнями управлiння (державний, регiональний), вибiр та оцiнка iндикаторiв за складовими розвитку та сферами дiяльностi, розробка iнструментiв щодо покращення управлiння. Запропоновано iнтегральний показника, який вiдрiзняється вiд iснуючих тим, що оцiнює якiсть управлiння розвитком, а не рiвень розвитку. На вiдмiну вiд запропонованих ранiше iнтегральний показник враховує вплив зовнiшнього середовища за складовими розвитку та внутрiшнього – за сферами дiяльностi по кожнiй складовiй. Тому, має практичну значимiсть, оскiльки стає можливим проводити монiторинг та виявляти негативний вплив управлiння на розвиток пiдприємства. На прикладi коксохiмiчних пiдприємств визначено склад iндикаторiв, якi характеризують якiсть управлiння. Велику кiлькiсть iндикаторiв скорочено за допомогою методу експертних оцiнок, що пiдвищує обґрунтованiсть вибору. Iндикаторнi оцiнки побудовано виключно за вiдносними показниками (iндексами), що покращує узгодженiсть. За iнтегральним методом проведена оцiнка iндикаторiв за окремими складовими та у цiлому. За функцiєю Харрiнгтону побудовано шкалу оцiнки якiсного рiвня управлiння розвитком пiдприємств. Новий пiдхiд щодо оцiнки якостi управлiння розвитком пiдприємств та комплекс математичного забезпечення приведе до рiвномiрного економiчного, соцiального, екологiчного i енергетичного розвитку пiдприємств

CAPITAL SERVICES IN ARGENTINA. METHODOLOGY OF ESTIMATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH DURING THE 1990?s. A hedonic valuation approach

This paper proposes to analyze the methodology of estimation of capital services in Argentina and its impact in the performance of the productivity growth during the 1990's. The capital stock is estimated according to the recommendations of the recent economic literature, mainly the OECD Capital Stock Manual; regarding how to use the hedonic valuation method (HV) to test the empirical depreciation of capital goods using a high desegregate data instead of the most known Perpetual Inventory Method (PIM) without empirical support. It is also presented a theoretical analysis about the methodological problems of both methods pointed out by the economic literature: the several assumptions in the PIM and the information problems regarding the use of traded used market prices in the HV case. The level of capital stock estimation is founded macroeconomic consistent with the principal national accounts aggregates. Taking into account the main recommendations of the OECD Productivity Manual and the OECD Capital Stock Manual, the paper reviews the proposals of estimation of capital services: efficiency-age profiles, level of aggregation, index number problem and the user cost approach in the context of their application of empirical estimation in Argentina. Given the relevance and dynamism of capital stock services for growth processes, an accurate measurement of this variable is critical. Thus, heterogeneity acquires more relevance, as well as the type of weights and the index numbers used to estimate its contribution to output. According to these results, evidences may indicate that during the nineties there was no productivity gain in the sense of Solow in Argentina. In any case, it may be inferred that the profile of economic growth was of the extensive type based on the accumulation of capital rather than disembodied technological progress or non-pecuniary spillovers. Este trabajo tiene por objeto presentar la metodología y principales resultados de una estimaciónexhaustiva de los servicios y valor del stock de capital de Argentina que el autor está llevando a cabo enla Dirección Nacional de Cuentas Nacionales de este país así como también se presenta el impacto deestas estimaciones en el análisis del crecimiento de la productividad de la economía argentina durante ladécada de 1990. El stock de capital es estimado de acuerdo a las recomendaciones de la literaturaeconómica reciente, principalmente el reciente Manual de Stock de Capital de la OECD, en el sentido deutilizar el Método de Valuación Hedónica (HV), en lugar de los supuestos que implica el conocidoMétodo de Inventario Permanente (PIM), con el objeto de testear empíricamente la depreciación y la vidaútil media de los activos producidos tomando en cuenta información detallada y exhaustiva de más decien tipologías de bienes de capital. Se analizan los problemas metodológicos de ambos métodosseñalados por la teoría económica: los supuestos en el PIM y los problemas de información que surgen enel HV cuando se utilizan precios de transacción del mercado de bienes durables usados. El nivel del stockde capital estimado para Argentina resulta consistente con los principales agregados macroeconómicos.Con el objeto de estimar la productividad, este paper revisa los principales problemas metodológicos delproceso de estimación de los servicios de capital en el contexto del caso argentino, tomando en cuenta lasprincipales recomendaciones del reciente Manual de Productividad de la OECD en cuanto a: perfilesetarios de eficiencia, nivel de agregación, números índices y costo de uso. Dada la relevancia ydinamismo de los servicios de capital en el contexto de la contabilidad del crecimiento de la economíaargentina, la medición precisa de esta variable constituye un punto crucial. La evidencia empíricaindicaría que para la economía argentina, las ganancias de productividad en el sentido de Solow fueronnulas durante la década de los noventa. Se podría inferir que el crecimiento de la economía argentina fuedel tipo extensivo basado en la acumulación de capital más que en el progreso técnico desincorporado,rendimientos crecientes o externalidades no pecuniarias.stock de capital, precios hedónicos, servicios de capital, productividad capital stock, hedonic prices, capital services, productivity

Computing parametrized solutions for plasmonic nanogap structures

The interaction of electromagnetic waves with metallic nanostructures generates resonant oscillations of the conduction-band electrons at the metal surface. These resonances can lead to large enhancements of the incident field and to the confinement of light to small regions, typically several orders of magnitude smaller than the incident wavelength. The accurate prediction of these resonances entails several challenges. Small geometric variations in the plasmonic structure may lead to large variations in the electromagnetic field responses. Furthermore, the material parameters that characterize the optical behavior of metals at the nanoscale need to be determined experimentally and are consequently subject to measurement errors. It then becomes essential that any predictive tool for the simulation and design of plasmonic structures accounts for fabrication tolerances and measurement uncertainties. In this paper, we develop a reduced order modeling framework that is capable of real-time accurate electromagnetic responses of plasmonic nanogap structures for a wide range of geometry and material parameters. The main ingredients of the proposed method are: (i) the hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin method to numerically solve the equations governing electromagnetic wave propagation in dielectric and metallic media, (ii) a reference domain formulation of the time-harmonic Maxwell's equations to account for geometry variations; and (iii) proper orthogonal decomposition and empirical interpolation techniques to construct an efficient reduced model. To demonstrate effectiveness of the models developed, we analyze geometry sensitivities and explore optimal designs of a 3D periodic annular nanogap structure.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, 2 appendice

One market, one number? A composite indicator assessment of EU internal market dynamics.

We consider the lack of consensus about an appropriate theoretical framework linking sub-indicators as a defining characteristic of composite indicators. This intrinsic feature implies uncertainties about the appropriate normalisation and aggregation of the raw data. The two are related: index theory offers some valuable guidelines about their connection. Yet these do not fully solve the basic problem of expert disagreement. We embed such (residual) disagreement in the aggregation method itself. Specifically, we apply an impartial benefit-of-the-doubt weighting procedure, where weight restrictions incorporate the available information on experts’ opinions. We apply this procedure to the dynamic performance assessment of EU Internal Market effects, thereby highlighting its capacity to disaggregate member states’ observed performance shifts into changes relative to benchmarks and performance changes of the benchmarks (i.e. catching up versus genuine progress). Our results indicate that the latter factor is more important in explaining the observed progress.Dynamics; Market;