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A symposium has been defined as a collection of essays on a particular subject and as a philosophical or other focused discussion. It derives from a Greek origin meaning a drinking party. The focus of this symposium is on the published version of a plenary address given in Boston at the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, on September 4, 1998. The article, "Is Humanity Destined to Self-Destruct?" was printed in the preceding issue of this journal (1999a). Because not all readers of the present issue may have seen the article toward which the preceding commentaries are directed, a brief summary of its argument follows here:As the twenty-first century approaches, we may identify both constructive and destructive trends that will influence the future. Which set of trends will dominate is uncertain. Attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors all interact to direct the flow of change over time. However, the options and constraints of human life are ultimately fixed by those elements of the environment over which humans have little control. The modem assumption of a world without end or limits risks collision with the obdurate reality called "nature." Facing threats to its survival, humanity is challenged to learn how to build a sustainable future. A successful effort will require a concerted and cooperative effort among all fields of knowledge. The threats are both "natural" and "societal." Humanity is an inseparable part of its planetary environment. Chaos and conflict in human society, shortsightedness and indifferences, delay the cooperative action needed to move toward a sustainable future. We do not know how much time we have to avoid catastrophic collision with the hard realities of the planet Earth. This article identifies some of the trends that threaten humanity's future and suggests four lines of action that should be pursued in order to reduce the likelihood that humanity will inadvertently destroy itself.

This paper studies simultaneous determination of nominal
exchange rate and domestic price level in Pakistan. The estimated model
contains sufficient built-in dynamics to trace the pattern and speed of
adjustment in the two variables in response to temporary or permanent
shocks. The two domestic shocks considered in the paper are monetary and
real shocks, while the three external shocks considered are import
price, export price and foreign exchange reserves shocks. The study
finds that the impact period effects of temporary shock on price level
and exchange rate are divergent, while the long run effects are
convergent. This means that, while purchasing power parity does not hold
in the short run, there is a tendency in the system to regain relative
parity in the long run. Further more continuation of shocks can produce
a persistent but non-accelerating divergence between inflation rate and
the rate of devaluation. Therefore the parity holds in a weaker sense
that is for the marginal fluctuations in the rates of changes in price
level and exchange rate over time. It is also observed that the
direction of temporary disparity between the rates of inflation and
devaluation depends crucially on the origin of the shock. The shocks
with direct effect on price level (exchange rate) have more pronounced
effects on the rate of inflation (devaluation). Finally, the
relationship between price level and exchange rate is not
unidirectional, though the short run effect of devaluation on inflation
is smaller than the effect of inflation on devaluation. Since movements
in exchange rate are mostly driven by price inflation, the practice of
using exchange rate as an independent instrument is not sustainable in
the presence of inflation. From policy perspective both the inflation
and exchange rate could be considered as interrelated targets while
focusing on the instruments that are in effective control of
policy-makers, such as money supply.

This paper reviews existing data on the variability in parameters relevant for health risk analyses. We cover both exposure‐related parameters andparameters related to individual susceptibility to toxicity. The toxicity/susceptibility data base under construction is part of a longer term research effort to lay the groundwork for quantitative distributional analyses of non‐cancer toxic risks. These data are broken down into a variety of parameter types that encompass different portions of the pathway from external exposure to the production of biological responses. The discrete steps in this pathway, as we now conceive them, are:Contact Rate (Breathing rates per body weight; fish consumption per bodyweight)Uptake or Absorption as a Fraction of Intake or Contact RateGeneral Systemic Availability Net of First Pass Elimination and Dilutionvia Distribution Volume (e.g., intial blood concentration per mg/kg of uptake)Systemic Elimination (half life or clearance)Active Site Concentration per Systemic Blood or Plasma ConcentrationPhysiological Parameter Change per Active Site Concentration (expressed as the dose required to make a given percentage change in different people, or the dose required to achieve some proportion of an individual's maximum response to the drug or toxicant)Functional Reserve Capacity‐Change in Baseline Physiological Parameter Needed to Produce a Biological Response or Pass a Criterion of Abnormal FunctionComparison of the amounts of variability observed for the different parameter types suggests that appreciable variability is associated with the final step in the process‐differences among people in "functional reserve capacity." This has the implication that relevant information for estimatingeffective toxic susceptibility distributions may be gleaned by direct studies of the population distributions of key physiological parameters in people that are not exposed to the environmental and occupational toxicants thatare thought to perturb those parameters. This is illustrated with some recent observations of the population distributions of Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol from the second and third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

Clean air legislation has fueled the development of alternatively fueled automobiles. As a result, automotive companies have looked for ways to increase the performance of these vehicles while attempting to bring down the price of this technology. In many cases, the fuel storage method plays a significant role in the achievement of these goals. The development of a flat sided pressure vessel would allow for better use of the available fuel storage space on the automobile. Construction of the pressurized fuel tank out of lightweight and economical materials will further increase the performance levels and bring down the cost of the fuel system. This thesis investigates the potential for the development of a flat sided, polymer composite pressure vessel. As part of the design approach, finite element analysis models, incorporating internal ribs for reinforcement against the bending of the flat walls, were constructed, analyzed and refined. Two final potential designs were constructed from fiberglass and pressure tested to validate the finite element analysis models. Analysis of pressure testing data and sectioning of a prototype tank, revealed potential problems with the construction approach utilized. In comparing the experimental data with the predicted finite element analysis values, conclusive correlation could not be drawn. Indications, however, lead to the belief that direct water contact with the composite walls and manual filament winding of the tanks led to the poor results. Finally, the results and information gained in this research have advanced the possibility of future successful development of a flat sided, polymer composite pressure vessel.Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1999 .G36. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, page: 1796. Adviser: D. F. Watt. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1999.

The present study tested the ability of Weiner's (1993a, 1995a, 1995b, 1996) social motivation model to explain Canadians' and Netherlanders' willingness to engage in prosocial behaviours toward people flying with FIN and lung cancer. Participants were 207 Canadian and 97 Netherlander undergraduate psychology students who responded to a scenario involving a boy or man flying with HIV or lung cancer. Overall, participants from both countries responded similarly and positively. Participants were relatively more positive toward those who acquired the illness through passive routes (i.e., blood transfusion, mother-to-infant-transmission, unknown cause) rather than active routes (i.e., smoking, sex, injection-drug use), but type of disease had little effect on responses. In other words, responses were based on the perceived morality of behaviour rather than on the type of illness. In support of Weiner's theory, participants who thought that the person in the scenario had control over the way in which his illness was acquired also judged him to be more responsible for his illness. Moreover, participants who judged the affected male to be more responsible tended to respond with less sympathy and more negative affect, which, in turn, predicted lower levels of prosocial behaviour. Weiner's model was improved, however, by the addition of blame as a distinct construct. Moreover, pre-existing social attitudes (e.g., attitudes toward gay men, belief in a just world, etc.) had a direct influence on emotions and behaviours. These findings indicate that AIDS education and prevention programs may be able to reduce attributions of culpability for HIV-infection by targeting personal prejudices and making it explicit that cultural, political, and social factors influence behaviour.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1999 .M351. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-09, Section: B, page: 5057. Adviser: Stewart Page. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1999.

Starting from 1415 when - after a previous and similar expedition that failed - they conquered the city of Ceuta , the Portuguese spread over the Iberian peninsula; interested, first of all, in the defence of their national borders, and, then, in the big trade routes, they built a row of fortified outposts along African and Asiatic coasts up to the Pacific Ocean.Lusitanian presence on the present Moroccan territory lasted till 1769, when they lost Mazagao, today's El Jadida. As a matter of fact, by the way, Portuguese military pressure reduced significantly already in the middle of XVI century, when most of the fortresses were captured by local populations. After, Portuguese period in Morocco started again with the opening of the kingdom to ocean wideness, includes the moments of his maximum richness and ends when the world's geopolitical balance of power had changed.An analysis of the luso-moroccan vestiges reveals a series of typology of action run down by countless actors and variables; even if, to describe them approximately, we can refer to a small number of major features. Those make reference to the physical condition of buildings, to the consideration they deserve in collective memory, to the typology of major actors intervening on these sites, to their interests and wills.While it sounds banal, we should not forget that an unescapable value is due to the socio-economical conditions of the involved area and, obviously, to the role and standing those sites can raise inside global economic gear. ; Nous proposons une lecture des dynamiques qui caractérisent les héritages matériels et monumentaux que la présence portugaise a laissés sur la côte atlantique du Maroc et leurs relations avec l'espace patrimonial actuel.L'objectif de ce travail est celui d'analyser le "phénomène patrimonial", c'est-à-dire l'ensemble des actions et des effets qui sont liés à un "objet" patrimonial, tel qu'il se présente dans l'environnement marocain, en tenant compte autant des liens directs des objets patrimoniaux avec leur ...

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, City and Regional Planning, Izmir, 1999 ; Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 195-201) ; Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and English ; xii, 200 leaves ; Squares as gathering places in cities have arose from the need for coming together which is necessary for the continuation of social life. Because of this, squares have an important place in urban life. In times, squares like the other urban spaces, have showed a change according to religious beliefs, economic and politic life of society andhuman needs. In spite of this, squares, in every age, act as an important element to provide social experience and occurrence of city identity. Urban public squares provide an effective ground for human interaction and communication. Therefore, they are important to determine the social character of cities and cultural identity. Urban public squares can establish a proper stage for spontaneous social experience and multiple human relationship in a direct relation with the environment. Because of this, they provide more opportunity for social experience than a barely sheltered place of our so called modem society. In contrast to many European cities, there is not a well established public square understanding which provides social experience and gives an identity to the city in our country. Although the squares have become a necessity for our society due to rapid structural changes in Turkish social life, they are still neglected by our current urban design practices. For, this reason, this study focuses on the spatial analysis of public squares in a rapidly changing social setting. Thus the study area of " public squares" is chosen as a research topic because of its importance in our society as well as in urban design. This research also aims to address the need for public squares in our society and contains a study in an urban design project in Konak izmir through an analysis of the characteristics of the square. KEY WORDS: Square, Space, Place, Public Space, Plaza, ...

The reform process in India has so far mainly concentrated at the central level. India has yet to free up its state governments sufficiently so that they can add much greater dynamism to the reforms. Greater decentralization of decision making from the center to the states will lead to greater competition among the states and therefore to higher efficiency and productivity in these regions. Policy making at the sub-national level is essential in order for the state governments to be able to follow development strategies suitable to their socio-economic, cultural, and geographic characteristics. Coastal states, for example, can follow a more focused export-led growth strategy, or states with a large pool of trained manpower, such as IT professionals in Tamil Nadu or Karnataka can lay more emphasis on IT and service sector. A few of the Indian States have been more reform-oriented, such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, but states, such as Haryana, Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have a lot to catch-up with. Of course, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are even further behind. We analyze the state-level situation in fifteen major states based on the progress of state-level policy reform. Accordingly, we have divided these states into three categories of reformers. These are the reform-oriented states, intermediate reformers and the lagging reformers. We then examine the performance of these states in terms of SDP growth, foreign direct investment, industrial investment proposals, and software exports among other variables. Real annual average growth rates of per capita gross state domestic product bear testimony to the fact that our group of reform-oriented states are the fastest growing states in India in the post-reform period. Also, these states have performed better in attracting both domestic and foreign investment, software exports, and in the areas of primary health and education.

Bei dem vorliegenden Papier handelt es sich um konzeptionelle Überlegungen, die dem Forschungsverbund "Arbeit und Ökologie" am WZB zugrunde liegen. Dieser Verbund hat sich die Aufgabe gestellt, in die derzeitigen Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurse systematisch die Interessenlagen von Arbeit einzubringen. Obwohl z. B. das Thema Beschäftigungswirkungen des Umweltschutzes schon lange Aufmerksamkeit genießt, fehlt es bisher an einer breiten und arbeitssoziologisch fundierten Analyse der Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Arbeit und Ökologie. Die historische Ausdifferenzierung von Politikfeldern und auch der wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen ist Grundlage der Externalisierung ökologischer Folgen gesellschaftlichen Handeins. Die ersten Analyseschritte müssen von dieser Trennung gesellschaftlicher Teilsysteme ausgehen und direkte und indirekte Wechselwirkungen aufspüren. Von daher wird der Schwerpunkt der Überlegungen darauf gelegt, die Entwicklungsdynamiken zu identifizieren, die das Wechselverhältnis prägen: erstens die bisher formulierten Anforderungen aus ökologisch geprägten Nachhaltigkeitskonzepten, zweitens die absehbaren Entwicklungslinien von Erwerbsarbeit und informeller Arbeit sowie drittens die subjektiven Ansprüche an Arbeit, wie sie von den verschiedenen sozialen Gruppen definiert werden. Am Ende des Textes steht ein analytischer Rahmen für Themenfelder, in denen relevante Wechselwirkungen vermutet und die im Zuge des Projekts weiter bearbeitet werden. ; This paper deals with the conceptual considerations that are the basis of the research network "Work and Ecology". This network has the aim to bring the interests of work systematically into the current sustainability discourse. Although, for instance, the employment effects of environmental protection have received attention for a longer period of time, there has been no broad, labor policy substantiated analysis of the interdependencies between work and ecology. The historical differentiation of policy fields and also of scientific disciplines is the basis of the externalization for the ecological consequences of society' s behavior and actions. The first analytical steps must start from this division of societal sectors and search for indirect as weil as direct reciprocal approaches. Therefore the focus of our considerations will be to identify the developmental dynamics that determine these reciprocal actions, namely, the demands for ecologically based sustainability concepts formulated up to now, the foreseeable development of paid and unpaid labor, and the subjective demands on labor, as they are defined by different social groups. Finally an analytical frame for the thematic areas is presented wherein we anticipate relevant reciprocal actions. These will be further addressed in the run of the project.

Starting from 1415 when - after a previous and similar expedition that failed - they conquered the city of Ceuta , the Portuguese spread over the Iberian peninsula; interested, first of all, in the defence of their national borders, and, then, in the big trade routes, they built a row of fortified outposts along African and Asiatic coasts up to the Pacific Ocean.Lusitanian presence on the present Moroccan territory lasted till 1769, when they lost Mazagao, today's El Jadida. As a matter of fact, by the way, Portuguese military pressure reduced significantly already in the middle of XVI century, when most of the fortresses were captured by local populations. After, Portuguese period in Morocco started again with the opening of the kingdom to ocean wideness, includes the moments of his maximum richness and ends when the world's geopolitical balance of power had changed.An analysis of the luso-moroccan vestiges reveals a series of typology of action run down by countless actors and variables; even if, to describe them approximately, we can refer to a small number of major features. Those make reference to the physical condition of buildings, to the consideration they deserve in collective memory, to the typology of major actors intervening on these sites, to their interests and wills.While it sounds banal, we should not forget that an unescapable value is due to the socio-economical conditions of the involved area and, obviously, to the role and standing those sites can raise inside global economic gear. ; Nous proposons une lecture des dynamiques qui caractérisent les héritages matériels et monumentaux que la présence portugaise a laissés sur la côte atlantique du Maroc et leurs relations avec l'espace patrimonial actuel.L'objectif de ce travail est celui d'analyser le "phénomène patrimonial", c'est-à-dire l'ensemble des actions et des effets qui sont liés à un "objet" patrimonial, tel qu'il se présente dans l'environnement marocain, en tenant compte autant des liens directs des objets patrimoniaux avec leur ...

Les méthodes employées pour le calcul d'indicateurs de politique scientifique sont fondées sur les lois bibliométriques (loi de Zipf pour les mots-clés, loi de Lotka pour les auteurs, loi de Bradford pour les périodiques). Elles s'appliquent en particulier à la littérature scientifique et nécessitent une normalisation des champs de données bibliographiques. Rassemblant des informations scientifiques et techniques normalisées et codifiées, une base est dite 'infométrique' ou 'bibliométrique' lorsque sa structure a été conçue pour obtenir des indicateurs infométriques ou bibliométriques. Il n'existe pas de producteurs directs de bases infométriques mais des bases constituées à partir de données fournies par les producteurs de bases de données bibliographiques. Le besoin croissant d'indicateurs européens, nationaux, régionaux, institutionnels demande, pour être satisfait, la mise en place de nouvelles bases de données, hybrides (multi-sources), adaptées au calcul d'indicateurs. Comment les concevoir ? Comment les alimenter ? L'objectif de l'article est double, mettre en évidence quelques points clés et les difficultés pour construire ce type de base et tirer les leçons d'expériences offrant une certaine similarité avec cette problématique. L'article aborde les problèmes de la couverture et de l'organisation de bases infométriques hybrides en analysant dans un premier temps les pratiques de trois observatoires des sciences et technologies. Après avoir mis en évidence les difficultés liées à l'hétérogénéité des données dans un tel contexte, nous proposons une approche développée dans le cadre de la veille scientifique. Nous en montrons les avantages et les limites pour la constitution de bases infométriques hybrides adaptées au calcul d'indicateurs. Cette approche est basée sur une représentation des documents par une structure d'arbre étiqueté couramment employée pour décrire des documents SGML. La méthode proposée permet de spécifier de manière déclarative les relations entre les éléments de données et leur ...

It is an honour for me as President of the Pakistan Society of
Development Economists to welcome you to the 14th Annual General Meeting
and Conference of th~ Society. As we prepare to enter the new
millennium, we find ourselves at a crucial moment in history. It is time
to take stock of our past achievements and to assess the new challenges.
To deal with the future would require not only thorough knowledge of the
evolving nature of development thinking but also a good sense of the
policy choices available to a country in its national, international and
regional position. What are the main challenges that require our urgent
attention? A few words are in order at the very outset about Pakistan's
current difficult economic situation. The slow-down in export expansion,
capital inflows and foreign direct investment was an expected
consequence of the imposition of sanctions. The pessimistic assessment
of Pakistan's prospects is based largely on the recent negative trends
of these economic parameters. The optimists are of the view that
Pakistan has survived the imposition of sanctions rather well. Economic
growth has remained positive and inflation has been kept under
reasonable control. The optimists further maintain that Pakistan's
current economic situation is no worse than that of the East Asian
countries when. they started their economic climb and engineered major
institutional and policy changes. Lessons from the initial years of the
East Asian miracle clearly show that development is decidedly possible
no matter what adverse initial conditions obtain in any developing
country. Sustained, rapid and equitable growth is possible through the
implementation of wide-ranging social and economic reforms. Lessons
from'the recentEast Asian Crises are also before us-guiding us on what
not to do and how best to protect ourselves in these rapidly changing
times.

The decision of the BGH was based on the following set of facts: As a result of a traffic accident in August 1983, the plaintiff, who was then 46 years old and worked as a telephone technical operator with the Bundespost, suffered serious injuries to the chest and throat. The plaintiff, who had already suffered injuries as a result of accidents in the years between 1965 and 1982 was almost completely unfit for work following the new accident. Stays in various different clinics brought no noticable improvement in his condition. In particular he suffered pains in the areas of the chest, abdomen and back. The plaintiff was adjudged unfit for work and pensioned off with effect from 1 November 1985. Claiming that he was still suffering from the consequences of the accident, and that his pensioning off was also attributable to the event, the plaintiff claimed, inter alia, damages for pain and suffering, which he considered should be assessed at at least 25,000DM. The Landgericht rejected the claim. The Oberlandesgericht awarded damages of 50,000DM. The defendant's appeal on a point of law to the BGH was unsuccessful. According to the BGH, a tortfeasor is in principle liable for the psychological damage that flows from his tortious act - even if it arises from the prior susceptibility of the injured party to that kind of damage, or a nervous disorder. The only circumstances in which liability will not be imposed is when the event that causes the harm is trivial and does not have a direct impact on the degree of damage suffered by the injured party. From a procedural point of view, no upper limit is imposed on the judge in his assessment of the damages considered appropriate under § 308 ZPO by the plaintiff's claim for a minimum amount or suggestion of an indicative figure.

Through a labor-management partnership, Fort Lauderdale had addressed a wide variety of service and workplace issues. Presenting a perceptive list of typical barriers to a labor-management partnership, the author exposes us to our own myths and internal obstacles as well as other difficulties to changing a labor-management relationship. Without minimizing the difficulties, this article makes it clear that the change can be made, but the fundamentals must be put in place. There are no cutting corners, and the partnership must be nurtured. The author makes us face up to the fact that the union and management have inherently different values and ways of conducting business and notes that these differences have to be understood and actually honored. Because labor-management cooperation will be a revolutionary change in most organizations, leadership on both sides will feel threatened by this shift. As a result, the author cautions us, it is necessary to pay conscious attention, among other things, to managing relationships, actively building trust and deciding where to initiate a labor-management effort. In a departure from the traditional view of a strict two-party relationship, the author points out the importance of alliances with others in the community who have a direct stake in the outcome of the partnership—or who have a stake in not having it go forward—and the importance of institutionalizing the partnership so that it is not just a function of a few individuals who have built trust. This article focuses serious HR professionals, managers and union leaders on what investment it will take to be successful in pursuing a cooperative labor-management relationship that produces real change in the service and cost results of a public agency. The presentation is simple and to the point. Parties seeking greater detail will find the Fort Lauderdale lessons echoed and elaborated in Chapter 4 of Working Together, the well-known Report of the Secretary of Labor's Task Force.

International audience ; Economic theory has long opposed two mechanisms for coordinating the plans of elementary economic units: the market and the state. The first, by organizing the confrontation of supply and demand, provides an alternative indicator of choice on which each economic agent relies to make a final decision. The incentive and useful information are contained in the price. The motivation of agents is confused with the search for individual interest. Under the assumptions of pure and perfect competition, the generalized market allows the optimal allocation of production factors. The second mechanism is based on the presence of inequalities and externalities. State intervention is justified by market failures or non-existence. It constrains or directs individual behaviour according to a political expression of collective needs and produces adequate incentives through agendas, objectives, plans, price controls and the production of rules. In this state model, administrative command and control enables coordination. Here we find the canonical opposition between two social science traditions. With the first, the order that has become equilibrium is unintentional. It results from individual choices. With the second, order is achieved through recourse to authority. On a sectoral level, these two approaches discover the notions of "private" and "public".How then to consider and define the NGO object when these organizations, because of their history, motivations and principles, seem to move away from the usual mechanisms envisaged by the economy? What can be the legitimacy of an economic analysis towards organizations whose commitment describes above all "an ethical position that tries to mark reality by transforming it concretely" (Dalbera)? Published in 1998 in a first pluridisciplinary synthesis in French on Non-Governmental Organizations, this paper reviews the main characteristics of NGOs and their development operations in order to identify on a theoretical level what is specific to them. ; La ...