Fourth Criterion Research Articles

Mortality Density Forecasts: An Analysis of Six Stochastic Mortality Models

We investigate the uncertainty of forecasts of future mortality generated by a number of previously proposed stochastic mortality models. We specify fully the stochastic structure of the models to enable them to generate forecasts. Mortality fan charts are then used to compare and contrast the models, with the conclusion that model risk can be significant. The models are also assessed individually with reference to three criteria that focus on the plausibility of their forecasts: biological reasonableness of forecast mortality term structures; biological reasonableness of individual stochastic components of the forecasting model (for example, the cohort erect); and reasonableness of forecast levels of uncertainty relative to historical levels of uncertainty. In addition, we consider a fourth assessment criterion dealing with the robustness of forecasts relative to the sample period used to fit the model. To illustrate the assessment methodology, we analyse a data set consisting of national population data for England & Wales, for Males aged between 60 and 90 years old. We note that this particular data set may favour those models designed for application to older ages, such as variants of Cairns-Blake-Dowd, and emphasise that a similar analysis should be conducted for the specific data set of interest to the reader. We draw some conclusions based on the analysis and compare to the application of the models for the same age group and gender for the United States population. Finally, we note the broader application of the approach to model selection for alternate data sets and populations

Eight survival strategies in traumatic stress.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in its fourth criterion relies on the consequences of fight and flight survival responses. However, this limits understanding of a much wider variety of stress responses from other survival strategies. Information from a variety of disciplines suggests eight survival strategies including fight and flight. The anatomy, physiology, cognitions, emotions, and social expressions of these strategies are described in animals, and human infants and adults. A wider variety of survival strategies enriches conceptualization of PTSD and apparent comorbid phenomena. Language: en

Limiting performance analysis of a seat belt system with slack

A limiting performance analysis is presented to determine the theoretically optimal control force-time profile generated by a vehicle restraint system, with slack represented as a system delay. Three established injury thresholds (chest acceleration, chest compression rate, and the viscous criterion) and the interior geometry of the vehicle, which defines the system rattlespace, serve as constraints in the analysis. A fourth injury criterion, maximum chest compression, is the performance metric minimized subject to those constraints. Single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom (D.O.F.) models are used, and the limiting performance equations are developed and solved analytically (single-D.O.F.) or numerically (multiple-D.O.F.). Regardless of the magnitude of the system delay, all control forces found with the multiple-D.O.F. model exhibit a short-duration period of high magnitude early in the profile, followed by an interval of nearly constant force. The peak magnitude of the restraining force decreases monotonically with slack, as do all of the injury criteria considered here. Most importantly from the standpoint of restraint system design, this limiting performance analysis shows that the benefits to be gained by pretensioning the belt system are largest over the performance range of current pretensioner technology. Continued refinement in pretensioner response time, through the use of improved crash sensors or faster-acting algorithms, will have a positive effect by reducing injury risk, but the effect should not be expected to be as pronounced as that already realized.

Red alert on transmembrane pressure (TMP)

In full-scale ultrafiltration plants there is a strong need to observe fouling in an early stage. The operator uses the transmembrane pressure (TMP). In order to compare different temperatures and different fluxes, it is better to have a criterion based on resistance or normalised flux. But also other red alerts are possible. For instance the fouling rate defined as the resistance increase during one day of operation. A fast increase is of course a red alert for the operator to change the operating conditions. Another proposed red alert is the slope of the filtration curve between two backwashes. An increase in this slope can be an indication that the available filtration area is decreasing because of accumulating fouling. The first three criteria alerted the operator four days after the event. The fourth criterion (slope of the filtration curve) alerted already after one day and it is a possible new early warning system for fouling. The drawback of this parameter is that it can also be influenced by the water quality. Perhaps a combination of the fouling rate and the slope of the filtration curve will give the operator the best information possible at this moment.

Comparison of similarity measures for the task of template matching of masses on serial mammograms

We conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of twelve different similarity measures in matching the corresponding masses on temporal pairs of current and prior mammograms. To perform this comparison we implemented each of the twelve similarity measures in the final stage of our multistage registration technique for automated registration of breast lesions in serial mammograms. The multistage technique consists of three stages. In the first stage an initial fan-shape search region was estimated on the prior mammogram based on the geometrical position of the mass on the current mammogram. In the second stage, the location of the fan-shape region was refined by warping, based on an affine transformation and simplex optimization. A new refined search region was defined on the prior mammogram. In the third stage, a search for the best match between the lesion template from the current mammogram and a structure on the prior mammogram was carried out within the search region. Our data set consisted of 318 temporal pairs. We performed three experiments, using a different subset of the 318 temporal pairs for each experiment. In each experiment we further tested how the performance of the similarity measures varied as the size of the search region increased or decreased. We evaluated the twelve similarity measures based on four criteria. The first criterion was the mean Euclidean distance, which was the average distance of the true location of the mass to the location detected by the similarity measure. The second criterion was the percentage of temporal pairs that were aligned so that 50% or more of the lesion area overlapped. The third criterion was the percentage of pairs that were aligned so that 75% or more of the lesion area overlapped. The fourth and final criterion was the robustness of the similarity measure. Our results showed that three of the similarity measures, Pearson's correlation, the cosine coefficient, and Goodman and Kruskal's Gamma coefficient, provide significantly higher accuracy (p < 0.05) in the task of matching the corresponding masses on serial mammograms than the other nine similarity measures.

Collegiality, the Game

Collegiality, the Game "No wonder academic politics is so vicious, the stakes are so small." Collegiality, the Current Literature "Collegiality," shot back a friend when, desperately seeking a definition, I asked him for the meaning of this term we take for granted, "is like pornography. I know it when I see it." So let us begin, in proper academic fashion, with a literature review to provide a suitable context for the game that is the focus of this paper. Although both terms are robust in the archives of both Google Scholar (8550 hits for collegiality vs. 23,300 hits for pornography) and Google (333,000 collegiality vs. 6,260,000 pornography on June 13, 2005), to provide a succinct and generally applicable definition of either presents problems. While it may be hard to talk about pornography without sounding salacious, it's hard to talk about collegiality without sounding sanctimonious, smug, self-serving, or servile, however sincere one may be. Straight men. Nevertheless, serious and straightforward studies of and commentaries on collegiality abound. A sampling of recent titles includes the following. In "Do You Have to Be a Nice Person to Win Tenure?" Piper Fogg, defining the term, says maybe yes, maybe no. Collegiality, her sources make clear, "should not be confused with congeniality. 'Congenial' means agreeable, sociable, or companionable; 'collegial' refers to productive relationships with colleagues" (A9). These range on a continuum from highly involved professional collaboration, to simply neutral, to downright disruptive or threatening—to others' work or their persons. Fogg quotes Martin Snyder, who drafted the AAUP's 1999 statement "opposing the use of [End Page 207] collegiality as a fourth criterion in tenure": "'[A]re we dealing with someone who is truly disruptive, or are we dealing with someone who is outspoken? A genius may be hard to work with. Are you going to get rid of him?'" (A5). Mary Ann Connell and Frederick Savage's "Does Collegiality Count?" (2001) concludes that though faculty are divided on the issue, the courts are unanimous: "They won't protect truculent professors" (1). Other works proffer advice on professional survival, which invariably includes collegiality, ranging from a dollop to a heavy dose. In "Mentors and Muses" (2002), Angelique, Kyle and Taylor present "New Strategies for Academic Success"—in particular, how to set up a New Scholars Network at one's school. Philip Glotzbach's "Conditions of Collaboration: A Dean's List of Dos and Don'ts" (2001) includes "Focus on the real work," "Do the work," "Cultivate a flexible, Socratic spirit,""Trust but verify," and don't "bash" (18-19). In "Getting Tenure" (1996) Marilyn Gist addresses issues of research impact, "Teaching Effectiveness," and "Organizational Citizenship"—including "participation on committees, attendance at meetings, presence in one's office," supervising students, and participation in national professional organizations (187-89). In "Lessons Learned Along the Way: Twelve Suggestions for Optimizing Career Success," the opening chapter in Frost and Taylor's wide-ranging book on career success, Rhythms of Academic Life (1996), Arthur Bedian extrapolates on how to succeed in a business school career by really trying. In addition to doing top flight research, he emphasizes collegiality: "Work with good people," "playing to each other's strengths." He quotes Nobel laureate Herbert Simon: To make interesting scientific discoveries, you should acquire as many good friends as possible, who are as energetic, intelligent, and knowledgeable as they can be. Form partnerships with them whenever you can. Then sit back and relax. You will find that all the programs you need are stored in your friends, and will execute productively and creatively as long as you don't interfere too much. (qtd. in Bedian 5). In addition Bedian advises, Do your fair share of service work at home to avoid resentment while becoming a player on the national and international scene, in both research and in the professional associations. For it is in big-time collegiality that the major rewards and recognition lie (5-7). Recommendations such as these fulfill the desires for success ingrained...

Uncollegiality, Tenure and the Weasel Clause

Uncollegiality, Tenure and the Weasel Clause Jeffrey R. Di Leo (bio) Collegiality plays an important role in establishing the identity of individuals within the academy and is a quality widely supported by institutions of higher education. While it may manifest itself within the academy in a multitude of different ways, collegiality is most clearly exemplified through actions such as working productively with others, treating one's colleagues as equals, respecting the ideas and ideals of one's colleagues (even if one disagrees with them), and taking an active and constructive role in the shared stewardship of the one's college or university. Collegiality is both a way of being in the academy as well as a productive and powerful force that may be utilized for the betterment of both individuals and institutions. When collegiality is present, individuals and institutions usually thrive; when it is absent, individuals and institutions often suffer. Although there are a number of intriguing directions that a discussion of collegiality in higher education may take, of particular interest for those who care as well about the future of the tenure system is the important discussion that has developed in the past few years about denying tenure on the basis of "uncollegiality."1 One of the major issues raised in this discussion is whether "collegiality" should be an explicit area of tenure evaluation in addition to teaching, scholarship, and service. Another issue is the current use of buried clauses in tenure policy to deny individuals tenure when they have met or exceeded requirements in teaching, scholarship, and service. These "weasel clauses" have been aptly described as "the often hidden clause in the university handbook that specifies that tenure and other appointment decisions need not be based on articulated criteria that can be objectively measured . . ." (Singer 2002, para. 3). [End Page 99] The latter use of collegiality is more pernicious to the future of the tenure system than the former. Whereas attempts to introduce collegiality as a fourth criterion of tenure evaluation positively establish the importance of collegiality in the institution, hidden collegiality clauses insinuate that collegiality is only relevant in a negative sense. Introducing collegiality as a fourth criterion for tenure directly indicates the value of collegiality to the university in considerations of permanent employment and says that we should make an effort objectively to evaluate collegiality in itself, difficult though this may be. Hidden clauses, on the other hand, give the indication that collegiality is only relevant when all other means of dismissing an individual have failed, and that collegiality is an important subjective criterion that can override all objective considerations. It is important that faculty have faith in the objectivity of the tenure system, and the negative use of collegiality clauses gives one cause for doubt. Though hidden tenure policy clauses may be disturbing, they should not be unexpected. Perhaps even more than the explicitly evaluated triumvirate of teaching, scholarship and service, these clauses protect universities against the procedural necessity to permanently hire people that they do not wish to accept into the power structure of their institutions. And, unfortunately, evaluations of scholarship, teaching and service do not always explicitly express the power relationships that the evaluated individual maintains with the other members of the institution, either locally at the program, unit, or department level, or more broadly with all the other members of the institution. Collegiality, when it is raised seemingly ad hoc by institutions unwilling to tenure otherwise qualified individuals, is in part a statement about the power structure of the institution. Collegiality, in its most ideal and significant sense, concerns what might be called "collegial power": a power structure whereby each member of a college or university is vested with an equal proportion of power. One sense of collegiality limits the range of power to the institution with whom the individual is employed, whereas another sense of collegiality broadens the range of power to span colleges and universities in general. The former sense of collegiality might be termed the internal sense, and the latter the external sense. Given these two senses of collegiality, it is possible for evaluations of scholarship, teaching and service conducted at the college or university level to overlook entirely...

Some Thoughts on Wesley Salmon's Contributions to the Philosophy of Probability

Wesley Salmon provided three classic criteria of adequacy for satisfactory interpretations of probability. A fourth criterion is suggested here. A distinction is drawn between frequency-driven probability models and theory-driven probability models and it is argued that single case accounts of chance are superior to frequency accounts at least for the latter. Finally it is suggested that theories of chance should be required only to be contingently true, a position which is a natural extension of Salmon's ontic account of probabilistic causality and his own later views on propensities.

Limit Load of Anisotropic Components Using the M-Beta Multiplier Method

The mβ-multiplier method is based on Mura’s extended variational theorems in plasticity, and has been applied previously to isotropic components containing notches and cracks. Lower bound limit loads rapidly converge to inelastic analysis results when the method is used in conjunction with elastic modulus adjustment procedures. In this paper, the mβ-multiplier method is applied to pressure components exhibiting anisotropy. Specifically, the method is applied to the limit load determination of a heat exchanger tubesheet, wherein the tubesheet is modeled as an equivalent solid plate with anisotropic properties. Results are presented for a finite element model where plasticity is represented with Hill’s yield criterion, and a model using a fourth order yield criterion that accounts for compressibility of the tubesheet.

Sustainable Corporate Finance

This paper presents and illustrates the concept of sustainable corporate finance. Sustainability is a well-established concept in the disciplines of environmental economics and business ethics. The paper uses a broader definition of what is called “the firm” to pinpoint sustainability to the finance literature. The concept of sustainable finance is compared to traditional and behavioral finance. Four criteria are used to systematically analyze the basic differences. First on the order is the theory of the firm: the definition of the firm is reconsidered by integrating behavioral aspects and by expanding financial analysis to a three-dimensional goal setting. Secondly, a closer look is taken at the assumed behavior of economic agents and its consequences for the applied methodology. The shareholders paradigm is discussed against the background of growing stakeholder importance. Finally, the fourth criterion deals with the different ethical framework and its implication for financial behavior.

Role of Alpha-2 Agonists in Neuroprotection

Four criteria are used to evaluate the potential usefulness of an agent for neuroprotection in glaucoma: 1) the agent must have a target in the retina; 2) it must be neuroprotective in animal models; 3) it must reach neuroprotective concentrations in the posterior segment after clinical dosing; and finally, 4) it must be shown to be neuroprotective in clinical trials. The alpha-2 adrenergic agonist brimonidine has met the first three criteria and clinical trials to establish the fulfillment of the fourth criterion are ongoing. The effects of brimonidine are mediated by its interaction with alpha-2 adrenergic receptors that are present in the retina. Activation of alpha-2 receptors by brimonidine has been shown to effectively promote the survival and function of retinal ganglion cells in a variety of animal models of optic injury relevant to glaucoma such as the chronic ocular hypertensive rat and rat optic nerve crush. Brimonidine has also been shown to be neuroprotective in the rat ischemia reperfusion model that evaluates general hypoxic damage to the whole retina. Clinical dosing of the topical formulation of brimonidine results in brimonidine concentrations in the posterior segment that are sufficient for both pharmacological activity at alpha-2 adrenergic receptors and neuroprotection. Finally, clinical trials are in progress to investigate the ability of brimonidine to protect human retinal ganglion cells and the visual field in glaucoma-related disease.

Discovery and communication of important marketing findings: Evidence and proposals

My review of empirical research on scientific publication led to the following conclusions. Three criteria are useful for identifying whether findings are important: replication, validity and usefulness. A fourth criterion, surprise, applies in some situations. Based on these criteria, important findings resulting from academic research in marketing seem to be rare. To a large extent, this rarity is due to a reward system that is built around subjective peer review. Rather than using peer review as a secret screening process, using an open process likely will improve papers and inform readers. Researchers, journals, business schools, funding agencies and professional organizations can all contribute to improving the process. For example, researchers should do directed research on papers that contribute to principles. Journals should invite papers that contribute to principles. Business school administrators should reward researchers who make important findings. Funding agencies should base decisions on researchers' prior success in making important findings and professional organizations should maintain websites that describe what is known about principles and what research is needed on principles.

Do challenging behaviors affect staff psychological well-being? Issues of causality and mechanism.

Little explicit attention has been given to the potential impact of client challenging behavior on staff psychological well-being. Relevant research was critically reviewed according to criteria required to establish a causal relationship. Reasonable evidence was found for an association between challenging behavior and staff stress, and some evidence for temporal precedence. However, few researchers had analyzed data enabling alternative explanations to be eliminated. Thus, empirical evidence of a causal relationship between challenging behavior and staff stress is weak. A fourth causality criterion was addressed by suggestion of a mechanism by which challenging behavior may have its effects. I propose that staff negative emotional reactions mediate the impact of challenging behaviors on staff stress and evaluate research evidence for this theory.

Difficulty in diagnosing double-chambered right ventricle in adults

D right ventricle (DCRV) is a rare form of congenital heart disease in which the right ventricle is divided into a high-pressure inlet portion and a low-pressure outlet portion by anomalous muscle bundles. This form of midcavitary obstruction was first described by Peacock in 1858, and since 1960 many published reports have appeared describing the pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of such an entity. However, most cases of DCRV are diagnosed and treated during childhood, and very few reports include cases in which the initial presentation for diagnosis and treatment is during the adult age. Adult patients with this condition are often misdiagnosed, and without follow-up or repair, DCRV is a potential cause of morbidity and mortality, all of which can be prevented by appropriate management leading to improved functional status. This retrospective study reviews our experience with 12 adult patients presenting with misor undiagnosed DCRV between 1977 and 2000. • • • A retrospective chart review was conducted in 12 patients aged 18 years with an initial diagnosis of DCRV. The following criteria were used to make the diagnosis of DCRV: (1) demonstration of midcavity obstruction by transthoracic (TTE) and/or transesophageal (TEE) echocardiography and an intraventricular pressure gradient by Doppler findings; (2) demonstration of a systolic pressure gradient between the right ventricular inflow and outflow tracts during cardiac catheterization and/or visualization of high or low anomalous muscle bundles below the infundibulum on angiocardiography; (3) absence of pulmonary hypoplasia; and (4) direct observation of the muscle bundles during surgical repair. In order for a patient to be included in the study at least 2 of the first 3 criteria should be met and all should meet the fourth criterion. Of the 12 patients included in the study, 6 were men and 6 were women (mean age at presentation 49 years, range 22 to 63). All patients presented with a history of a known precordial murmur since childhood, and 7 of 12 stated that at some point they were told that they had a “hole in the heart.” Only patient 10 were referred with a suspected diagnosis of DCRV after transthoracic echocardiographic evaluation. The remaining 11 were referred with a variety of diagnoses (Table 1). Eleven patients were referred after being evaluated and followed by an adult cardiologist, and 3 had also been evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist during childhood. Ten patients had been previously evaluated with TTE and/or TEE and 8 had undergone cardiac catheterization before presenting to our institution. They all underwent these procedures within 1 year before presentation. DCRV was questioned in only 1 patient. Two patients had previously undergone surgery for a presumed heart defect. DCRV was not considered in either at that time. Patient 7 had an open pulmonary valvotomy for suspected valvular pulmonary stenosis 30 years before the current presentation, and patient 1 underwent a Brock procedure on 2 occasions for suspected valvular pulmonary stenosis. It was later demonstrated at the time of surgery that this patient had a bicuspid pulmonary valve with moderately severe stenosis, for which he underwent pulmonary valve replacement in addition to midcavity muscle bundle resection. Two patients were asymptomatic: patient 2 was noted to have a precordial murmur on clearance physical examination for scuba diving and patient 12 was found to have increased tricuspid regurgitation on TTE. The most common symptoms were dyspnea on exertion, decreased exercise tolerance, chest pain/discomfort, and syncope/dizziness. The only finding on cardiac examination in all patients was a loud, harsh, systolic murmur heard at the left sternal border, often radiating throughout the precordium to the back. No patient had an S3 or S4. Chest x-rays were essentially normal in 2 patients. The most common finding was mild cardiomegaly in 7 patients. Two patients had evidence of right atrial and ventricular enlargement, and 4 had a prominent main pulmonary artery shadow. Pertinent clinical and electrocardiographic findings are listed in Table 2. All patients underwent TTE at our institution before surgery. The first TTE was recorded in the adult echocardiography laboratory in 7 patients. The correct diagnosis was made in 1 patient, no right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO) was seen in 4 patients, and valvular pulmonary stenosis was considFrom the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Moodie’s address is: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue/A120, Cleveland, Ohio 44195. E-mail: moodied@ccf.org. Manuscript received January 26, 2001; revised manuscript received and accepted May 23, 2001. TABLE 1 Referral Diagnosis

Application of Thermochemical Energy Hazard Criteria to the Prediction of Lower Flammability Limits of Hydrocarbons in Air

The energy hazard criteria of ASTM program CHETAH have been tested as criteria of flammability of gaseous mixtures containing an hydrocarbon vapour and air as oxidiser, at lean concentrations. A method for calculating the lower flammability limits in air, at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature, is proposed as a result of a statistical study, which involved 67 combustible compounds. CHETAH's fourth energy hazard criterion was found to be the most reliable flammability criterion. The method is predictive since all the input data may be obtained with very good accuracy using a group contribution method. It is reliable, predicted limits being more frequently underevaluated, by 0. 11 mol% on average, than overevaluated. The method is also precise, with a standard deviation of the estimates of 0. 14 mol%. It is easily applicable to fuel mixtures and gives the same results as Le Chatelier's law.

PEER REVIEW PAPER

To be accredited, every healthcare organization is required by JCAHO to determine which equipment should be included in its medical equipment management plan. Traditionally, most organizations have adopted the equipment inclusion criteria proposed by Fennigkoh and Smith (1989). This classic interpretation of JCAHO standard uses three criteria (equipment function, physical risks, and maintenance requirements) to establish a numerical value, called the equipment management (EM) number. Only equipment with an EM value higher than a predetermined threshold is included in the management plan. A fourth criterion (incident history) can be used to modify the EM number if data are available. If followed literally, this interpretation can lead to confusion and, occasionally, unreasonable conclusions that might result in inefficiencies and potentially unsafe conditions. A new interpretation of the inclusion criteria is proposed here. The major difference is in reinterpreting the equipment-function criterion as the equipment's importance within the organization's global mission. This helps to balance risk to a single patient with the organization's commitment to its entire community. An additional factor that should be considered is the equipment utilization rate; heavily used items require more frequent inspection and higher priority for repairs. Together, these two elements form an interpretation that is more attuned to JCAHO's new directive (and general business management principles) and encourages greater concurrence with the organization's mission and vision.

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome: Focus on MRI Diagnosis

Experience with modern neuroimaging techniques, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, in the diagnosis of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) is reviewed. Conventional CT scan remains normal in about two-thirds of these patients. In the reported 22 patients meeting the IHS criteria for a THS diagnosis on whom an MRI study was performed, MRI revealed a convex enlargement of the symptomatic cavernous sinus by an abnormal tissue isointense with gray matter on short TR/TE images and isohypointense on long TR/TE images. This abnormal tissue markedly increases in signal intensity after contrast injection. MRI seems also to be the ideal technique to follow progressive resolution of the abnormal tissue after steroids. Therefore, normal MRI would probably exclude THS, whereas in the appropriate clinical setting of steroid-responsive painful ophthalmoplegia, MRI showing the cavernous sinus abnormality described here suggests a diagnosis of THS. From these data, we propose that the fourth IHS criterion for THS diagnosis, "Exclusion of other causative lesions by neuroimaging and (not compulsory) carotid angiogram" should be changed to "Finding by MRI of specific cavernous sinus abnormalities (with the characteristics described herein) which slowly resolve with steroid treatment".

Budgeting for Facility Maintenance and Repair. II: Multicriteria Process for Model Selection

The second of two in a series, this paper presents an objective process for selecting an appropriate model for facility maintenance and repair budgeting. Three model evaluation criteria relating facility attributes to maintenance and repair costs—consideration of the facility's physical characteristics and environment, building system and component life cycles, and penalty costs brought on by deferral of maintenance—are introduced. The expense of supplying the necessary data for a model's implementation, given the model user's existing database, is presented as a fourth evaluation criterion. The relative merits of 18 available budgeting models are then assessed against these criteria using various multicriteria decision-making tools: Analysis of dominance, with results displayed via a Hasse diagram; lexicographic ordering; and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution. The results of the evaluation demonstrate how the preferred alternative can change in response to a decision-make...

On canonicity and strong completeness conditions in intermediate propositional logics

By using algebraic-categorical tools, we establish four criteria in order to disprove canonicity, strong completeness, w-canonicity and strong w-completeness, respectively, of an intermediate propositional logic. We then apply the second criterion in order to get the following result: all the logics defined by extra-intuitionistic one-variable schemata, except four of them, are not strongly complete. We also apply the fourth criterion in order to prove that the Gabbay-de Jongh logic D1 is not strongly w-complete.

Theoretically grounding management history as a relevant and valuable form of knowledge

Despite interest in management’s evolution, the discipline is devoid of systematic frameworks addressing historiography. Hence, Hirst’s (1965) theory of “forms of knowledge” is applied to demonstrate that management history satisfies his four criteria and qualifies as a valuable research domain. Hirst’s first criterion states that there must be certain central concepts that are distinctive to the subject. Management historians fulfill this criterion by investigating not only specific people, events and trends, but also topics such as motives and linguistics. Second, Hirst suggests that the discipline must offer distinctive ways of relating concepts. Management historians follow a unique investigatory process using three steps: investigation, synthesis, and interpretation. Third, there must be characteristic ways of adducing evidence in support of propositions. Historians define and refine by the available facts. The fourth criterion states that there be utilization of characteristic techniques for conducting investigations. Example methodologies include biographies and oral history. A fifth criterion, examining history’s pragmatic utility, is then advanced.