Digital Commons Network^™

Desarrollo Y Acceso A Telecomunicaciones, Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu

Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu

No abstract provided.

Benchmarking Structural Transformation Across The World, Era Dabla-Norris, Alun H. Thomas, Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu, Yingyuan Chen

Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu

Presentation given at the IMF's Jobs and Growth Seminar on December 13, 2013, based on the IMF Working Paper No. 13/176 with the same name

Neutron Dosimeter Development Based On Medipix2, Mohd Amir R. Othman, Marco Petasecca, Susanna Guatelli, J. Uher, Damion Marinaro, Dale A. Prokopovich, Mark I. Reinhard, Michael L. F. Lerch, J. Jakubek, S. Pospisil, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld

Michael L.F. Lerch

A novel neutron dosimetry system for avionics and space applications is described. The new dosimetric system is based on Medipix2, a high density silicon based pixilated detector with integrated readout and digital interface circuitry. Real time dose equivalent response to fast neutron fields with flattened energy response is achieved through the coupling of a structured variable thickness polyethylene (PE) over layer with the high density pixilated detector. Experimental results obtained to 14 MeV D-T and Am-Be neutron fields are described along with a comparison to results obtained with GEANT4 simulations.

Development Of A New Detector Module For Use In Positron Emission Tomography, Michael Lerch, Robert Ward, Philip Simmonds, Steven Meikle, Anatoly Rosenfeld, George Takacs, V Pervertailo, G Taylor

Michael L.F. Lerch

No abstract provided.

La Croissance Élevée Récente De L’Afrique Subsaharienne Est-Elle Soutenable?, Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu

Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu

No abstract provided.

Cultural Industries And Cultural Policy: A Critique Of Recent Discourses In Regional Economic Development, Chris Gibson, Natascha Klocker

Natascha Klocker

The cultural industries (sometimes referred to as 'creative industries') are an increasingly common component of urban and regional economic development discourse, connected to an acknowledgement of the contribution of creativity to economic performance and, more generally, their power to transform images and identities for places. Such discourses have become more pervasive with a set of key books - most notably Charles Landry's The Creative City (2001), and Florida's The Rise of the Creative Class (2002) - that have become popular among both economic development planners and cultural policy makers. This paper seeks to intervene in the discourses established by these …

The 'Cultural Turn' In Australian Regional Economic Development Discourse: Neoliberalising Creativity?, Chris Gibson, Natascha Klocker

Chris Gibson

Regional economic policy-makers are increasingly interested in the contribution of creativity to the economic performance of regions and, more generally, in its power to transform the images and identities of places. This has constituted a 'cultural turn', of sorts, away from an emphasis on macro-scale projects and employment schemes, towards an interest in the creative industries, entrepreneurial culture and innovation. This paper discusses how recent discourses of the role of 'creativity' in regions have drawn upon, and contributed to, particular forms of neoliberalisation. Its focus is the recent application of a statistical measure - Richard Florida's (2002) 'creativity index' - …

The 'Cultural Turn' In Australian Regional Economic Development Discourse: Neoliberalising Creativity?, Chris Gibson, Natascha Klocker

Natascha Klocker

Regional economic policy-makers are increasingly interested in the contribution of creativity to the economic performance of regions and, more generally, in its power to transform the images and identities of places. This has constituted a 'cultural turn', of sorts, away from an emphasis on macro-scale projects and employment schemes, towards an interest in the creative industries, entrepreneurial culture and innovation. This paper discusses how recent discourses of the role of 'creativity' in regions have drawn upon, and contributed to, particular forms of neoliberalisation. Its focus is the recent application of a statistical measure - Richard Florida's (2002) 'creativity index' - …

Zebrafish: An In Vivo Model For The Study Of Human Diseases, Bibhas Kar, Sivamani Subbiah

Emily Scott

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful model organism for the study of vertebrate biology, being well suited to both developmental and genetic analysis. More recently, the rapid progress of various zebrafish genomics infrastructure initiatives is facilitating the development of zebrafish models of human disease. Genome organization and the pathways involved into control of signal transduction appear to be highly conserved between zebrafish and humans and therefore zebrafish may be used for modeling of human diseases. This review will highlight and describe the utility of zebrafish in the study of human diseases.

Recent Highlights In The Development Of Isatin-Based Anticancer Agents, Kara L. Vine, Lidia Matesic, Julie M. Locke, Danielle Skropeta

Danielle Skropeta

Isatin (1H-indole-2,3-dione) and its derivatives are responsible for a broad spectrum of biological activities. Among these the cytotoxic and antineoplastic properties have been the most widely reported. The synthetic versatility of the isatin, due to its privileged scaffold, has led to the generation of a large number of structurally diverse derivatives which include analogues derived from either mono-, di-, and trisubstitution of the aryl ring A, and/or those obtained by derivatisation of the isatin nitrogen and C2/C3 carbonyl moieties. These compounds inhibit cancer cell proliferation and tumour growth via interaction with a variety of intracellular targets such as DNA, telomerase, …

Development Of A Dc-Lsnd Welding Process For Gmaw On Dh-36 Steel, Raymond Holder, Nathan Larkin, Huijun Li, Lenka Kuzmikova, Zengxi Pan, John Norrish

zengxi pan

Weld induced distortion correction is a major cost within the shipbuilding industry. This paper investigates the use of an active cooling process known as Dynamically Controlled - Low Stress No Distortion (DC-LSND) Welding on DH-36 steel. Thermal profiles are obtained and distortion measurements are also achieved. Results show that the application of a localised cryogenic cooling source trailing the welding arc can significantly reduce weld induced distortion using the GMAW process. The effect of forced cooling on the weld microstructure is also observed.

Development Of Safe Optimized Welding Procedures For High Strength Q&T Steel Welded With Austenitic Consumables, Lenka Kuzmikova, Huijun Li, John Norrish, Zengxi Stephen Pan, Nathan Larkin

zengxi pan

High strength quenched and tempered (Q&T) steels offer obvious economic benefits originating from their advantageous strength to price and weight ratios. These steels are usually welded using ferritic consumables and for this combination the risk of hydrogen assisted cold cracking (HACC) is high. The use of austenitic stainless steel (ASS) consumables has great potential to significantly improve this issue. Yet, there are no guidelines for determination of safe level of preheat for welding ferritic steels with ASS consumables. For this reason manufacturers adopt this parameter from procedures developed for conventional ferritic consumables thus significantly limiting the benefits ASS consumables are …

A Is For Aphorism: Give Me The Child Until They Are Seven And I Will Show You The Man, Georga Cooke, Rae Thomas

Rae Thomas

This aphorism is true for some, but not most. Child development is about both continuity and change. Experiences in early childhood shape cognitions and new experiences are integrated into familiar models of relationships. For example, children who have experienced rejection from parents will often assume rejection from others, not initiate positive contacts, isolate themselves, and consequently experience rejection from peers. But they may also experience a caring and supportive teacher who assists them in making lifelong friends who change their perceptions and expectations. So, early experience matters and early family life plays an important role in child development outcomes.

Transnational Integration Regimes As Development Programs, Laszlo Bruszt, Gerald Mcdermott

Gerald A McDermott

In drawing on recent advances in international and comparative political economy, this paper argues that diverging paths of institutional development among emerging market democracies are driven by the Transnational Integration Regimes (TIRs), in which a country is embedded. As development programs, TIRs differ in their effectiveness not simply in terms of their incentives and largess and more in terms of their emphasis on building institutional capacities, empowering a variety of domestic state and non-state actors via multiplex methods of assistance and monitoring, and their ability to merge monitoring and learning at both the national and supra-national levels. We develop a …

Turning Water Into Wine: The Political Economy Of The Environment In Southern California's Wine Country, Jason Simms

Jason L Simms

This dissertation examines questions of water sustainability in contexts of wine production and state-led neoliberal development in the Temecula Valley, southern California, where wine tourism is at present being harnessed as an engine of economic growth. Natural and anthropogenic forces, such as global climate change, desertification, urban development, and the marketization and commodification of natural resources, affect the distribution and availability of water throughout the globe. As a result, the use of water, and associated political and environmental processes and consequences, in the production of global commodities, including wheat, citrus, and coffee, recently have come under increased scrutiny. Given wine's …

The Cost Of Conscience: Quantifying Our Charitable Burden In An Era Of Globalization, Frank A. Pasquale

Frank A. Pasquale

Development economists have long debated the proper targets for foreign aid contributions from wealthy countries. Philosophers like Peter Singer and Peter Unger now suggest that these countries' citizens have a parallel moral responsibility to tithe a portion of their income directly for the relief of the suffering of the poorest. These thinkers would prefer a systematic global redistribution of income - some public mechanism for accomplishing worldwide what the tax systems of egalitarian social democratic states accomplish. But they all realize that such global governance is unlikely to come about in any of our lifetimes. So they turn their attention …

Interactions Between Trade Policy And Labor Market Policy And Their Effects On Development, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] Studies of various countries show that those which have emphasized an export-led growth strategy have, in general, outperformed those which have followed an import substitution orientation. Accordingly, AID is currently focusing on export promotion as a means to stimulate economic growth and development. An effective export-led strategy requires an integrated overall policy setting. In particular, trade and foreign sector policies must be related to labor market policies. Because labor market policy might reinforce or nullify trade policy, and because labor market issues merit attention per se, AID has an interest in research on how trade policies and labor market …

Assessing Progress Toward Greater Equality Of Income Distribution, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

This paper examines the suitability of increases in income equality as a criterion for assessing "commitment" and "progress" of countries, and hence, for allocating development assistance in accordance with the 1975 amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The principal conclusions are:

1. Income distribution is a useful concept; the usual figures on income in the current month or year, although not ideal, provide a reasonable approximation to economic well-being.
   
2. Reliable and timely data for measuring changes in income distribution are regularly available in only a handful of A.I.D.-recipient countries.
   
3. Since the concern of the development community appears to be …

Poverty, Inequality, And The Measurement Of Development Performance, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] U.S. law requires that foreign assistance be directed increasingly toward countries which are committed to and are making progress toward "greater equality of income distribution" so as to "help the poor toward a better life." This paper presents evidence on the extent of improvement in economic position of the poor in six less developed countries and explores the reasons for the differential performances.

Project Evaluation: Consulting Assistance On Economic Reform, David Callihan, Gary S. Fields, Joan Parker

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] The Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform Project (CAER) was designed to help AID and developing country governments to design, implement, monitor and evaluate economic policy reform. The project has provided AID access to economists and social scientists with extensive practical experience and outstanding educational credentials. CAER has been implemented by the Harvard Institute of International Development (HIID) since its inception in July 1989 and is scheduled to operate through June 25, 1994, with total authorized funding of up to $10.5 million. The CAER contract presents the project's objective as follows:

AID is increasingly involved in assisting developing nations to …

Wage Floors And Economic Development, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] I shall refer to minimum wages and other wage-increasing institutions collectively as "wage floors." Throughout the paper, they are assumed to be set in real terms, therefore not be eroded by inflation or devaluation. These wage floors typically are sector-specific: unions are stronger in some firms and industries than in others, minimum wage laws apply to some establishments and localities but not to others and are enforced with different degrees of diligence, and so on. As a stylized version of the differential applicability of wage floors, economists from such disparate fields as development economics, labor economics, and international trade …

Social Returns To Education: Central Planning And Local Planning Perspectives, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] This paper is written for educationists and development planners. Its purposes are to familiarize policy makers, advisors, and analysts with the most important approaches to the economics of education and to evaluate the various approaches critically in the context of developing countries. Three topics are developed: How social returns to education typically are calculated. An evaluation of the conventional social return to education approach. A comparison of central planning and local planning. Before embarking on these topics, an important preliminary issue arises: Why conduct economic analysis of education at all? After all, might it not be crass to think …

Maintain, Demolish, Re-Purpose: Policy Design For Vacant Land Management Using Decision Models, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Alma Hallulli

Michael P. Johnson

Decline, measured in population growth rates, population levels, housing stock and economic activity, and associated increases in vacant land in urban areas, is a reality for cities and regions within the United States. However, planners increasingly see ‘decline’ as a development state to anticipate and a development strategy to consider. For example, a place may lose population while continuing to provide a high quality of life and social value. Vacant land is central to planning issues related to decline: some currently-occupied housing may likely become abandoned and demolished, yielding vacant lots, while some currently vacant lots may be inputs to …

Development Of A Clinician-Led Research Agenda For General Practice Nurses, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Louise Hickman

Elizabeth Jane Halcomb Professor

Objective: This study sought to identify and prioritise research issues as perceived by Australian general practice nurses. In this context, a research priority refers to the most pressing research problems that necessitate exploration to improve clinical practice. Design: This paper reports the findings of a two-round Delphi study. Initially, focus groups identified research issues. Subsequently, an online survey facilitated ranking of these issues on a 5-point Likert scale. Setting: Australian general practices. Subjects: Twenty-five practice nurses participated in the focus groups and 145 practice nurses responded to an online survey. Main outcome measure(s): The main outcome measure was the prioritisation …

"Taking Care Of Yourself" -A Student Programme For Personal And Professional Development Using Reflective Journaling In The University Of Wollongong Graduate School Of Medicine, Lyndal Parker-Newlyn, Coralie Wilson, Peter Kelly

Coralie J Wilson

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of A Concept Inventory For Introductory-Level Climate Change Science, Lorna Jarrett, Brian Ferry, George Takacs

George Takacs

This paper follows on from Jarrett, Takacs and Ferry (2011) which reported the first stage in development of a high school level concept inventory (CI) for the science of climate change: the climate change concept inventory (CCCI). In order to develop a reliable and valid instrument, it is necessary to follow appropriate procedures. This paper details the process of CI item development; reports statistical results of initial field trials and outlines how these will be used to further refine the CCCI. Item difficulty, discrimination, and point biserial coefficient were calculated for each item. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest data were used …

"Taking Care Of Yourself" -A Student Programme For Personal And Professional Development Using Reflective Journaling In The University Of Wollongong Graduate School Of Medicine, Lyndal Parker-Newlyn, Coralie Wilson, Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly

No abstract provided.

Strategic Leadership Capacity Development For Ict: Moving Beyond Learning On The Job, Geraldine Lefoe, Dominique Parrish

Geraldine Lefoe

Leadership for change is a key component for universities striving to find new ways to meet the needs of their future students. This paper discusses an innovative framework for leadership capacity development which has been implemented in a number of Australian universities. The framework, underpinned by a distributive approach to leadership, prepares a new generation of leaders for formal positions of leadership in all aspects of teaching and learning. Through the Faculty Scholars Program a number of teaching and learning innovations were implemented, including a number using innovative technologies, to establish strategic change within their faculties. The Scholars shared their …

Subject Coordinators: Leading Professional Development For Sessional Staff, Geraldine Lefoe, Dominique Parrish, Janne Malfroy, Jo Mckenzie

Geraldine Lefoe

The Coordinators Leading and Advancing Sessional Staff (CLASS) project, as it became known, explored a leadership capacity development framework that included targeted professional development as a means of improving academic leadership and management of sessional teaching teams. There were four partner universities: the University of Wollongong (lead), the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. This report presents the details and findings from a two-year ALTC leadership project to enhance the quality of teaching through the development of subject coordinators' leadership capacity in four institutions. It also demonstrates a strategy for embedded dissemination …

Evaluating Action-Learning And Professional Networking As A Framework For Educational Leadership Capacity Development, Cathy Gunn, Geraldine Lefoe

Geraldine Lefoe

This article describes the responsive evaluation component of an educational leadership capacity-building initiative developed at one Australian university and implemented by three others. The project aimed to develop, implement and disseminate an innovative framework to address the national strategic goal to increase the pool of qualified educational leaders. The framework reflected principles of distributive leadership, featured individual action-learning plans and fostered engagement in a supportive, scholarly community. Evaluation was challenging on many fronts, which the qualitative and responsive approach of design-based research was used to address. An external evaluator joined the project team and adjustments based on feedback were implemented …