Narrow Results

Causal reasoning is a hard task that cognitive agents perform reliably and quickly. A particular class of causal reasoning that raises several difficulties is the cancellation class. Cancellation occurs when a set of causes (hypotheses) cancel each other's explanation with respect to a given effect (observation). For example, a cloudy sky may suggest a rainy weather; whereas a shiny sky may suggest the absence of rain. In this work we extend a recent neural model to handle cancellation interactions. Simulation results are very satisfactory and should encourage research.

This paper extends the theory of fuzzy diseases predictions in order to detect the causes of business failure. This extension is justified through the advantages of the reference model and its originality. Moreover, the fuzzy model is completed by this proposal and some parts of it have been published in isolated articles. For this purpose, the fuzzy theory is combined with the OWA operators to identify the factors that generate problems in firms. Also, a goodness index to validate its functionality and prediction capacity is introduced. The model estimates a matrix of economic- financial knowledge based on matrices of causes and symptoms. Knowing the symptoms makes it possible to estimate the causes, and managing them properly, allows monitoring and improving the company’s financial situation and forecasting its future. Also with this extension, the model can be useful to develop suitable computer systems for monitoring companies’ problems, warning of failures and facilitating decision-making.

This article studies poverty among self-employed businesspeople in a rich country, Belgium. Existing research on self-employment income, compared with income of employees, has made clear that self-employed have a higher probability of falling in the lowest income groups and that there is a distinct self-employment effect. Our findings for Belgium show that approximately one quarter of those who are self-employed in their main occupation are living below the poverty line. We also confirm findings reported in the literature that income distribution among self-employed people is very unequal. It appears from our qualitative findings that poverty among self-employed businesspeople is something distinct from other forms of poverty. Several factors can cause self-employed businesspeople to end up in poverty. As a result, poverty is a multifaceted problem. Policy recommendations are formulated to prevent and combat poverty among self-employed businesspeople.

The rapid and persistent improvement in the performance and cost of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) with respect to their capabilities for capturing, processing, displaying, communicating and storing information provide abundant opportunities. This paper aims to explain the causes and effects of the phenomenon in which manufacturing firms integrate ICTs in their established manufacturing products. The study of this phenomenon is based on structured interviews with executives of 37 large Swedish manufacturing firms. The results show that the phenomenon is wide-spread among manufacturing firms, that the number of products that integrate ICTs is growing relative to firms' total product portfolios, and that the revenues from these products are increasing. Competition is a significant reason why firms integrate ICTs into their goods, but firms also want to reap the rewards of the value provided. Important here is that firms often find it necessary to transform aspects of the way they do business (business model) in order to create a better fit between activities that create value for their customers and activities that produce profits for themselves. They also try to find innovative ways to be rewarded for the value they deliver, mainly based on the provision of services.

Acid rain is formed when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides reach the air and are transformed into sulfate or nitrate particles. When combined with water vapor, they are converted into sulfuric or nitric acids. Acid rain can adversely affect aquatic life, erode stone buildings and marble statues, and seriously threaten trees and crops. Power plants that burn coal to generate electricity are a chief cause of acid rain. The US Congress and US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) have worked to reduce acid rain by restricting the amount of sulfur allowed in the coal burned by power plants and other industrial sources. In some areas, where pollution is concentrated, plants may burn only coal with 1% sulfur or less. In rural locations, a maximum sulfur content of 2% is allowed. Nitrogen oxide emissions from cars also contribute to acid rain. These emissions are being reduced by new car emissions standards that have been established by the US EPA. Acid rain monitoring stations are built to determine the long-term effects of acid deposition. The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act Amendments required power plants across the nation to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. These measures have significantly reduced the pollutants that contribute to acid rain formation.

Aquatic life at all levels of the food chain can be harmed by acid rain. Destruction begins at the lowest level of the food chain, when the tiny microorganisms that are food for minnows and other small organisms die. As food sources dwindle, more and larger fish die. Acid in the water may also interfere with oxygen circulation, harm fish gills and cause heart problems in fish. Even though acid rain is a complex global problem, there are things that each of us can do to help control it. Conserving energy helps by reducing electricity demands on our power plants. Carpooling also helps, by reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides. And widespread recycling will also help control acid rain. By minimizing the volume of waste we generate, we are contributing to reductions of nitrogen oxide emissions from waste incinerators. These are a few ways that, with enough individuals acting on behalf of the environment, each of us can make a difference.