Supporting Sustainable Technology Cluster Development: A Performance Measurement Problem

Managers require metrics to measure organizational performance. However, metrics used by organizations that support technology cluster development are poorly understood in the literature. The most frequently referenced indicator for cluster development is regional economic and jobs data. These macro level indicators are not sufficient to measure the performance inside the cluster, leaving champions and policy makers to struggle with ad-hoc trial and error experimentation. The difficulty in defining and developing a performance measurement system is addressed. This paper lays the groundwork for improved approaches towards measuring the performance of technology cluster initiatives

The transition to a low carbon energy system : insights on the role of the oil and gas sector

2017 has been significant year for energy activity in Scotland, both on a policy and technological front. Since the start of the year, the Scottish Government has launched its draft Scottish Energy Strategy (Scottish Government, 2017a) and draft Climate Change Plan (Scottish Government, 2017b) underpinning policy actions to address climate and emissions into the early 2030s. Additionally, new energy developments have kept on coming. On the electricity side, the latest data show that renewable electricity generation was 26% higher in the second quarter of 2017 than the same period in 2016. Total renewable electricity capacity rose by 16% over the same period. There were also major "firsts", including Hywind Scotland - the world's first floating offshore wind farm – beginning operation from October 2017 (Statoil, 2017) and the first ever coal-free working day for Great Britain’s electricity generation mix in April (Financial Times, 2017)

Employing Train Weigh in Motion Data in Comparison of Cumulative Fatigue Damage on Bridges

AbstractThis paper demonstrates how span lengths influence the result for assessment at the fatigue limit state when using a large amount of data from real trains. Nine fictitious bridge configurations are used with varying length and numbers of spans, thereby facilitating assessment of the impact of the different train configurations on the fatigue performance. Given a new traffic composition or the current traffic composition with a new allowed maximum speed for an arbitrary train route, the information from these calculations provides an improved basis for decisions concerning the need for bridge maintenance prioritization based upon susceptibility to fatigue damage

Assessing the quality, feasibility and efficacy of electronic patient platforms designed to support adolescents and young adults with cancer : a systematic review protocol

Background: A range of innovative websites, mobile technologies, eHealth and mHealth platforms have emerged to support adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Previous reviews have identified these various applications and solutions, but no review has summarized the quality, feasibility, and efficacy of existing patient platforms (inclusive of websites, mobile technologies, mHealth and eHealth platforms) developed specifically for young people with cancer. Objective: This paper describes the design of a protocol to conduct a review of published studies or reports which describe or report on an existing platform designed specifically for AYAs who have had a cancer diagnosis. Methods: A search string was developed using a variety of key words and Medical Subject Heading and applied to bibliographic databases. General data (sample characteristics, patient platform development, design and, if applicable, pilot testing outcomes) will be extracted from reports and studies. Drawing on a previously developed coding schematic, the identified patient platforms will be coded for mode of delivery into (1) automated functions, (2) communicative functions, and (3) use of supplementary modes. An adapted version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) will be used to assess the of quality of each identified patient platform. The methodological quality of included studies will be assessed using the Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields (QualSyst). Both authors will independently screen eligible studies for final inclusion and will both be responsible for data extraction and appraisal. Data will be synthesized narratively to provide an overview of identified patient platforms. Results: The review began in October 2016 and is currently in progress. The review paper will be submitted for peer-review and publication in the summer of 2017. Conclusions: This review will be unique in its focus on assessing, where possible, the quality and efficacy of patient platforms for adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer. Results generated from this review will provide an invaluable insight into the utility of modern technology in supporting young people with cancer

Scenario Modeling for the Management of International Bond Portfolios

We address the problem of portfolio management in the international bond markets. Interest rate risk in the local market, exchange rate volatility across markets, and decisions for hedging currency risk are integral parts of this problem. The paper develops a stochastic programming optimization model for integrating these decisions in a common framework. Monte Carlo simulation procedures, calibrated using historical observations of volatility and correlation data, generate jointly scenarios of interest and exchange rates. The decision maker's risk tolerance is incorporated through a utility function, and additional views on market outlook can also be incorporated in the form of user specified scenarios. The model prescribes optimal asset allocation among the different markets and determines bond-picking decisions and appropriate hedging ratios. Therefore several interrelated decisions are cast in a common framework, while in the past these issues were addressed separately. Empirical results illustrate the efficacy of the simulation models in capturing the uncertainties of the Salomon Brothers international bond market index.

Schrumpfen und wachsen: Strukturwandel der Wirtschaft und Entlastung der Umwelt

Im Bericht der Weltkommission für Umwelt und Entwicklung von 1987, der zu einer weltweiten Diskussion über zukunftsfähige Entwicklung (sustainable development) geführt hat, finden sich zwei Definitionen dieses Konzepts: „Entwicklung zukunftsfähig zu machen heißt, das die gegenwärtige Generation ihre Bedürfnisse befriedigt, ohne die Fähigkeit der zukünftigen Generationen zu gefährden, ihre eigenen Bedürfnisse befriedigen zu können“ (eigene Übersetzung und Hervorhebung). Die damit angesprochene Frage der intergenerationellen Gerechtigkeit durchzieht alle Diskussionen um das Konzept und ist Bestandteil aller seither vereinbarten internationalen Abkommen zum Schutz der Umwelt geworden

Schrumpfen und wachsen: Strukturwandel der Wirtschaft und Entlastung der Umwelt

Im Bericht der Weltkommission für Umwelt und Entwicklung von 1987, der zu einer weltweiten Diskussion über zukunftsfähige Entwicklung (sustainable development) geführt hat, finden sich zwei Definitionen dieses Konzepts: „Entwicklung zukunftsfähig zu machen heißt, das die gegenwärtige Generation ihre Bedürfnisse befriedigt, ohne die Fähigkeit der zukünftigen Generationen zu gefährden, ihre eigenen Bedürfnisse befriedigen zu können“ (eigene Übersetzung und Hervorhebung). Die damit angesprochene Frage der intergenerationellen Gerechtigkeit durchzieht alle Diskussionen um das Konzept und ist Bestandteil aller seither vereinbarten internationalen Abkommen zum Schutz der Umwelt geworden. --

Least developed countries (LDCs): newly determined

When in 1998 ECOSOC decided to reconstitute the previous Committee for Development Planning under name Committee for Development policy, it mandated the new CDP, among other tasks, to „… continue the triennial review of the status of least developed countries“, with the next review to be held in the year 2000. The review has been conducted every three years since 1991, when two composite indices were introduced to replace two single indicators to better reflect the structural weakness of low level of human resources and low degree of economic diversification

Social Change Community Education - Where are we now?

This article reviews the evolution of community education from its genesis in the 1970s to the present day. It begins by considering the contested meaning of the word ‘community’ and the origins of community education, before assess Irish community education, observing that it has become depoliticised and de-radicalised in recent years and calls for a return to the radical voluntary activism that was the original initiator of community education for social change