Contribution of simulation and gaming to natural resource management issues: An introduction

Nowadays, computer-mediated simulations and games are widely used in the field of natural resource management (NRM). They have proved to be useful for various purposes such as supporting decisionmaking processes and training. First, the specificities of the NRM research field are highlighted. Then, based on the analysis of the articles presented in this special issue of Simulation & Gaming, some key features related to the implementation of gaming in such a context are introduced. Finally, after reviewing the benefits of using simulation games in NRM, the authors stress the ethical issue of changing social relationships among stakeholders by playing a game with some of themGESTION DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT;RESSOURCE NATURELLE;SIMULATION;SOCIOLOGIE;JEU DE ROLE;BENEFITS;CONTEXT;COLLECTIVE POLICY DESIGN;DECISION MAKING;ETHICAL ISSUES;IMPLEMENTATION;NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (NRM);SIMULATION GAMES;SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT;SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS;SOCIOECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS;STAKEHOLDERS

Intersection between class and gender and its effect on the quality of employment in Chile

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.En este artículo se analiza el efecto de la intersección entre clase y género sobre la calidad del empleo en Chile. La medida de posición de clase utilizada está basada en la propuesta de Erik O. Wright y la calidad del empleo en una medida multidimensional, que incluye un índice de condiciones objetivas de empleo y dos índices de condiciones subjetivas (motivación en el trabajo y percepción del control sobre el proceso de trabajo). Los resultados demuestran que la clase y el género determinan diferencias significativas en la calidad objetiva y subjetiva del empleo. Sin embargo, los datos también indican que el género (particularmente, el hecho de ser mujer) no actúa necesariamente como “amplificador” de las desigualdades de clase observadas en el mercado laboral. A partir de esto, al final del artículo se plantean algunas reflexiones sobre cómo opera la intersección entre clase y género en el mercado laboral chileno.This study explores the impact of the intersection between class and gender on the quality of employment in Chile. The method used to measure social class position is based on the work of Erik O. Wright, while, for the quality of employment, a multidimensional measurement was used, including one index for objective working conditions and two indices for subjective ones (motivation on the job and the perception of control over work processes). The results demonstrate that class and gender give rise to signifcant differences in objective and subjective job quality. However, the data also indicate that gender (more specifcally, the fact of being female) does not necessarily amplify the class-based inequalities observed in the labour market. Drawing on these fndings, a number of thoughts about how the class/gender intersection operates in the Chilean labour market are shared in the fnal section of this studyhttp://hdl.handle.net/11362/4079

Recent results on self-dual configurations on the torus

We review the recent progress on our understanding of self-dual SU(N) Yang-Mills configurations on the torus.Comment: Latex 3 pages, 1 figure. Contribution to the Lat99 Proceeding

Adaptive Transmission Techniques for Mobile Satellite Links

Adapting the transmission rate in an LMS channel is a challenging task because of the relatively fast time variations, of the long delays involved, and of the difficulty in mapping the parameters of a time-varying channel into communication performance. In this paper, we propose two strategies for dealing with these impairments, namely, multi-layer coding (MLC) in the forward link, and open-loop adaptation in the return link. Both strategies rely on physical-layer abstraction tools for predicting the link performance. We will show that, in both cases, it is possible to increase the average spectral efficiency while at the same time keeping the outage probability under a given threshold. To do so, the forward link strategy will rely on introducing some latency in the data stream by using retransmissions. The return link, on the other hand, will rely on a statistical characterization of a physical-layer abstraction measure.Comment: Presented at the 30th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC), Ottawa, Canada, 2012. Best Professional Paper Awar

The potential link between corporate innovations and corporate competitiveness:Evidence from IT firms in the UK

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough empirical investigation of the potential link between corporate innovations and corporate competitiveness in the context of the UK IT industry. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses a panel of 216 UK IT firms for the period from 2000 to 2016. The sample data for this study were extracted from the Worldscope, extracted from the Datastream database from Thomson Reuters. For the analysis of the data, the generalised method of moments model is applied. Findings: The results of this study provide empirical evidence that there exists a strong, positive link between corporate innovations and corporate competitiveness. Such evidence further reinforces the common view in the current literature of strategic management that because of the nature of their business, firms in the IT industry need to enhance their innovative capacities on a continual basis because of their critical role on these firms’ success and survival. Also, it is found that when the proxies for corporate innovations are lagged by two periods, their impact on corporate competitiveness becomes relatively more significant. However, when they are further lagged, i.e. by three periods, such an impact turns out to be relatively less pronounced. Research limitations/implications: The data gathered for this paper was restricted to IT-oriented firms in the UK. Using a secondary database (Datastream), the paper considered the period of 2000-2016. Originality/value: The research makes a significant contribution to the current debate on the relationship between information technology, innovation and performance, referred to in the literature as the productivity paradox, by studying the problem in the IT industry. It supports organisations from the sector in their efforts to deal with the dynamic nature of technological innovations and of the context where they operate. Methodologically, the way the study has measured the concepts of innovation and performance and the lessons learned from their analysis has also brought value to the research

Planetary landing: modelling and control of the propulsion descent

In the propulsive phase, after parachute release, of planetary landing like Mars or Moon, horizontal motion is obtained by tilting the axial thrust, so that it aligns either to the negative velocity vector (gravity turn) or to the requested acceleration vector. The latter strategy is assumed here, as it allows pinpoint landing. As such, tilt angles (pitch and yaw) become proportional to the horizontal acceleration. Instead of designing a hierarchical guidance and control in which horizontal acceleration becomes the attitude control target, a unique control system can be designed based on the fourth order dynamics from angular acceleration to position. The paper shows that the combined dynamics can be (quasi) input-state linearized except the nonlinear factor of the tilt angles (the axial thrust imposed by vertical braking). The paper shows that control design around the reference trajectory (tilt and position) given by the guidance can exploit the quasi linearization, but tracking error stability must be proved in presence of a not stabilizable external disturbance. The paper is restricted to closed-loop control strategies, and their effectiveness is proved through Monte Carlo simulations

Superconformal mechanics, black holes, and non-linear realizations

The OSp(2|2)-invariant planar dynamics of a D=4 superparticle near the horizon of a large mass extreme black hole is described by an N=2 superconformal mechanics, with the SO(2) charge being the superparticle's angular momentum. The {\it non-manifest} superconformal invariance of the superpotential term is shown to lead to a shift in the SO(2) charge by the value of its coefficient, which we identify as the orbital angular momentum. The full SU(1,1|2)-invariant dynamics is found from an extension to N=4 superconformal mechanics.Comment: 19 pages, plain latex file. Slightly shortened version, two references adde