Identifying Worldviews on Corporate Sustainability: A Content Analysis of Corporate Sustainability Reports

Companies commonly issue sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. This study seeks to understand worldviews of corporate sustainability, or the corporate message conveyed regarding what sustainability or CSR is and how to enact it. Content analysis of corporate sustainability reports is used to position each company report within stages of corporate sustainability. Results reveal that there are multiple coexisting worldviews of corporate sustainability, but the most dominant worldview is focused on the business case for sustainability, a position anchored in the weak sustainability paradigm. We contend that the business case and weak sustainability advanced in corporate sustainability reports and by the Global Reporting Initiative are poor representations of sustainability. Ecological embeddedness, or a locally responsive strategy that is sensitive to local ecosystems, may hold the key to improved ecological sensemaking, which in turn could lead to more mature levels of corporate sustainability worldviews that support strong sustainability and are rooted in environmental science. This must be supported by government regulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Forecasting UK consumer price inflation using inflation forecasts

The inflation rate is a key economic indicator for which forecasters are constantly seeking to improve the accuracy of predictions, so as to enable better macroeconomic decision making. Presented in this paper is a novel approach which seeks to exploit auxiliary information contained within inflation forecasts for developing a new and improved forecast for inflation by modeling with Multivariate Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA). Unlike other forecast combination techniques, the key feature of the proposed approach is its use of forecasts, i.e. data into the future, within the modeling process and extracting auxiliary information for generating a new and improved forecast. We consider real data on consumer price inflation in UK, obtained via the Office for National Statistics. A variety of parametric and nonparametric models are then used to generate univariate forecasts of inflation. Thereafter, the best univariate forecast is considered as auxiliary information within the MSSA model alongside historical data for UK consumer price inflation, and a new multivariate forecast is generated. We find compelling evidence which shows the benefits of the proposed approach at generating more accurate medium to long term inflation forecasts for UK in relation to the competing models. Finally, through the discussion, we also consider Google Trends forecasts for inflation within the proposed framework.     

X频段高频谱纯度频率合成器设计

针对高灵敏度接收机对频率合成器的高技术指标要求，构建了一种融合了直接模拟、直接数字以及间接数字的频率合成技术方案，根据该方案，成功实现了频率合成器的工程研制。通过测试，频率合成器相位噪声达-112 dBc/Hz@5 kHz，杂散抑制优于-75 dBc，频率分辨率小于1 kHz，10 MHz跳频时间约为13 μs，满足了高灵敏度接收机对频率合成器的高技术指标要求，为高纯度频率合成器的实现提供了一条新途径。     

一种利用优先经验回放深度Q-Learning的频谱接入算法

针对认知无线传感器网络中频谱接入算法的频谱利用率不高、重要经验利用率不足、收敛速度慢等问题，提出了一种采用优先经验回放双深度Q-Learning的动态频谱接入算法。该算法的次用户对经验库进行抽样时，采用基于优先级抽样的方式，以打破样本相关性并充分利用重要的经验样本，并采用一种非排序批量删除方式删除经验库的无用经验样本，以降低能量开销。仿真结果表明，该算法与采用双深度Q-Learning的频谱接入算法相比提高了收敛速度；与传统随机频谱接入算法相比，其阻塞概率降低了6%~10%，吞吐量提高了18%~20%，提高了系统的性能。     

一种嵌入式软件无线电频谱监测系统

为了降低研发成本，提高频谱系统的灵活性和缩短研制周期，提出了一种基于软件无线电的嵌入式频谱监测系统。首先研究了系统硬件平台组成和特点，在此基础上设计了一种灵活的软件定义系统架构；然后考虑到硬件平台自身性能的限制，重点研究了频率偏移校正、频谱扫描策略等关键技术，分别提出了基于GSM信号和温度传感器的频偏校正方法和基于相关性的扫频策略；最后通过具体实验，对系统性能进行验证与评估，结果表明所提出的频偏校正方法能够将绝对平均频偏控制在1.749×10-6以内，所设计的基于相关性的扫频策略对时变信号的频谱监测效果最好。     

基于图论的认知无线网络频谱动态分配

在认知无线电网络中，图论与量子遗传算法相结合的频谱分配策略能够提高频谱利用率，但存在早熟和收敛精度不够等缺点。为了解决该问题而实现算法的优化，对图着色理论的频谱分配模型进行数学建模，并针对该模型提出了改进的量子遗传算法。首先，通过使用小生境技术初始化种群，使种群分布更加广泛、算法的收敛度更高；其次，根据进化代数对量子旋转角进行实时动态调整，对染色体进行阈值变异，防止个体陷入早熟，跳出局部解；然后，对干扰约束条件进行重新设计，有效地避免盲目性，提高了网络的公平性和网络效益。仿真结果表明，所提算法有效地提高了频谱利用率，极大地增强了网络系统的性能。     

毛竹水溶性多糖提取工艺的优化及结构表征

采用响应面法优化毛竹水溶性多糖的提取工艺,分析其成分,并进行结构表征。研究结果表明,优化的毛竹多糖(BSP)提取条件为:料液比1∶27(g/mL)、提取温度78 ℃、提取时间4 h,该条件下BSP提取率为(5.18±0.07)%,提取物中多糖含量为(72.14±0.02)%,糖醛酸含量为(9.76±0.03)%;BSP具有酸性多糖典型的官能团特征吸收峰,其单糖组成及摩尔比为n_甘露糖∶n_葡萄糖∶n_阿拉伯糖∶n_木糖∶n_鼠李糖∶n_半乳糖=62.52∶23.05∶10.35∶2.78∶0.79∶0.51;BSP由两个主峰组成,相对分子质量分别为91.11、4.55 kDa。BSP是一种混合酸性多糖。     

Brexit: Tracking and disentangling the sentiment towards leaving the EU

On 23 June, 2016, the UK held a referendum to decide whether to stay in the European Union or leave. The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of this referendum had major consequences for public policy, investment decisions, and currency markets. We discuss some of the subtleties involved in smoothing and disentangling poll data in light of the problem of tracking the dynamics of the intention to Brexit, and propose a multivariate singular spectrum analysis method that produces trendlines on the unit simplex. The trendline yield via multivariate singular spectrum analysis is shown to resemble that of local polynomial smoothing, and singular spectrum analysis presents the nice feature of disentangling the dynamics directly into components that can be interpreted as changes in public opinion or sampling error. The merits and disadvantages of some different approaches for obtaining smooth trendlines on the unit simplex are contrasted, in terms of both local polynomial smoothing and multivariate singular spectrum analysis.     

认知无线电研究综述

本文论证了功利导向的市场化改革不是万能的,至少不适合科研领域。科研的根本动力是人对科学问题的兴趣,而功利化冲淡人对科学的兴趣,使人分心、浮躁和思想不自由,因而不是科研的动力;而是科研的阻力。科学产品具有自然垄断性、公共性、外部性和信息不完全性,因而容易使市场失效。在此基础上,文章还分析了中国科学的进步远不如经济的增长的一个主要原因是中国人的实用主义和功利主义的价值观。     

一种基于DS-FFH/MSK调制的数据链抗干扰性能分析

提出了DS-FFH/MSK调制方式的一种实现方案,并在多种干扰环境下,从信源误比特率的角度对基于该实现方案的Link16战术数据链的抗干扰性能进行了系统分析,推导了几种不同干扰条件下数据链的误比特率表达式,并给出了计算机仿真结果.