Search results for " function"

Towards a functional classification of the freshwater phytoplankton

2002

This paper considers the structure of freshwater phytoplankton assemblages and promotes a scheme of ‘vegetation recognition’, based upon the functional associations of species represented in the plankton. These groups are often polyphyletic, recognizing commonly shared adaptive features, rather than common phylogeny, to be the key ecological driver. Thirty-one such associations are outlined and the basic pattern of their distinctive ecologies is outlined. An invitation to other plankton scientists to assist in the development of this scheme is issued.

SEXUALLY SELECTED TRAITS EVOLVE POSITIVE ALLOMETRY WHEN SOME MATINGS OCCUR IRRESPECTIVE OF THE TRAIT

2014

Positive allometry of secondary sexual traits (whereby larger individuals have disproportionally larger traits than smaller individuals) has been called one of the most pervasive and poorly understood regularities in the study of animal form and function. Its widespread occurrence is in contrast with theoretical predictions that it should evolve only under rather special circumstances. Using a combination of mathematical modeling and simulations, here we show that positive allometry is predicted to evolve under much broader conditions than previously recognized. This result hinges on the assumption that mating success is not necessarily zero for males with the lowest trait values: for examp…

Tourism sustainability and economic efficiency: a statistical analysis of Italian provinces

2009

Does politics matter in the conduct of fiscal policy? Political determinants of the fiscal sustainability: Evidence from seven individual Central and…

2007

This paper aims at assessing the fiscal sustainability and its political determinants in seven Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), namely Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. First, using the recent sustainability approach of Bohn (1998) based on fiscal reaction function, econometric findings using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) reveal a positive response of the primary surplus to changes in debt in several countries. In other words, fiscal policy is sustainable in Baltic countries, Slovenia and Slovakia, but not in Poland and in the Czech Republic. Second, by introducing political dummy variables, we test the electoral budget cycle and the…

A Note on Resampling the Integration Across the Correlation Integral with Alternative Ranges

2003

Abstract This paper reconsiders the nonlinearity test proposed by Ko[cbreve]enda (Ko[cbreve]enda, E. (2001). An alternative to the BDS test: integration across the correlation integral. Econometric Reviews20:337–351). When the analyzed series is non‐Gaussian, the empirical rejection rates can be much larger than the nominal size. In this context, the necessity of tabulating the empirical distribution of the statistic each time the test is computed is stressed. To that end, simple random permutation works reasonably well. This paper also shows, through Monte Carlo experiments, that Ko[cbreve]enda's test can be more powerful than the Brock et al. (Brock, W., Dechert, D., Scheickman, J., LeBar…

Customer functional value creation through a sustainable entrepreneurial orientation approach

2019

This paper advances a theoretical model to empirically test firms’ behaviour regarding sustainable entrepreneurship, enhancing what researchers have recently proposed at a solely conceptual level; this entails sustainable entrepreneurship being understood as a discipline that reliably allows organizations to successfully respond to sustainable development and market requirements. The authors suggest an integrated approach of dynamic-capabilities, S-D logic and product-service system views, which highlights the managerial predisposition to adopt a strategic position that fosters value in use (instead of regular property value), according to the current school of thoughts engaged with innovat…

Special functions for the study of economic dynamics: The case of the Lucas-Uzawa model

2008

The special functions are intensively used in mathematical physics to solve differential systems. We argue that they should be most useful in economic dynamics, notably in the assessment of the transition dynamics of endogenous economic growth models. We illustrate our argument on the famous Lucas-Uzawa model, which we solve by the means of Gaussian hypergeometric functions. We show how the use of Gaussian hypergeometric functions allows for an explicit representation of the equilibrium dynamics of all variables in level. The parameters of the involved hypergeometric functions are identified using the Pontryagin conditions arising from the underlying optimization problems. In contrast to th…

BOD7 production function of the Finnish pulp and paper industry

2001

Traditional neoclassical production theory analyzes the relationship in a production process between inputs and outputs which have a positive market value for the producer. The externalities of production, which have nonpositive market values, are discarded or included as the cost in a cost function. This paper studies the relationship between biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, an output of nonpositive value, and traditional factors of production, that is, investments, labor, output, and raw materials. An emissions production function is theoretically presented and empirically estimated with data from the Finnish pulp and paper industry. The approach is based on the observation that …

Convergence in the OECD: Transitional Dynamics or Narrowing Steady-State Differences?

2004

I. INTRODUCTION Research on growth and convergence has proceeded through several stages that can be described as a process of accommodating cross-country heterogeneity into the convergence equation. In the first stage, the world could be described as countries approaching to equal (absolute convergence) or to different (conditional convergence) steady states. In both cases--see Baumol (1986) Barro and Sala i Martin (1992), or Mankiw et al. (1992)--the assumption of parameter homogeneity of the underlying production function was assumed and not tested. Later, some researchers (Knight et al. [1993], Islam [1995], Durlauf and Johnson [1995], or Caselli et al. [1996], among others) began to cha…

Market-driven product and service design: Bridging the gap between customer needs, quality management, and customer satisfaction

2000

Bridging the gap between a firm's internal quality improvements and external measures of customer needs and satisfaction is an important yet complex translation process. The process has traditionally been studied within two very different domains. An external focus on customers has been the domain of marketers. Manufacturing and engineering-based approaches to quality management and improvement have traditionally taken a more internal, process improvement focus. Both areas have recognized the need to broaden thier focus and bridge the gap between internal quality and external customers needs and satisfaction. This paper offers a framework to integrate these two domains. A case study is pres…