Cooperation in R&D as a leading indicator of innovative activity growth

Purpose: The article is focused on new trends in cooperation activity in research and development in the manufacturing industries of Russia. Various types of cooperation are considered, special attention is paid to research organizations and universities. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the context of this issue, it seems necessary to consider the conceptual framework and information basis for the analysis of scientific activity, to study the problems of scientific and technical cooperation, based on the works of foreign and domestic scientists and to develop indicators of cooperative activities. Finding: Authors proposed to rank the regions of Russia by the level of cooperation activity based on a specially developed hidden indicator. Comparison of the results obtained with regional layers of the costs of R&D suggests that joint research and development activities are typical for those regions that pay considerable attention to development of science. Ranking regions of Russia in terms of cooperative activity allowed identifying the leaders and outsiders of this process. Practical implications: The results of the study can be used in the development of measures of regional development of the country in the implementation of R&D. Originality/Value: To study the impact of the resource base on the cooperative activities of the organization, the authors proposed a composite indicator that includes a wide range of indicators that consider various aspects of cooperative activity.This work was supported by a grant of Russian Foundation for Basic Research №18-010-00564 Modern Tendencies and Social and Economic Consequences of Digital Technologies Development in Russia.peer-reviewe

Maine CDC/DHHS Demographics and Health Indicator Comparison Tables: Estimates for the Year 2006 and Projections for the Year 2015

The Maine CDC/DHHS Demographics and Health Indicator Comparision Tables were prepared July 2008 for Maine\u27s Community Service Networks by the Muskie School for Public Service and the Office of Adult Mental Health Services. These tables are based on the District Profiles created by the Maine Center for Disease Control and using data from the US Census and the Maine State Planning Office

A Flipped Classroom Redesign in General Chemistry

The flipped classroom continues to attract significant attention in higher education. Building upon our recent parallel controlled study of the flipped classroom in a second-term general chemistry course (J. Chem. Educ., 2016, 93, 13–23), here we report on a redesign of the flipped course aimed at scaling up total enrollment while keeping discussion sizes small (i.e.,students), and maintaining equivalent contact hour load for faculty and workload for students. To that end, the course format featured lecture contact pushed outside of the classroom in the form of video lectures (mean duration 13 minutes) paired with online homework sets, and three parallel weekly one-hour discussion sections were held in adjoining lab rooms immediately prior to the three-hour laboratory session. As in our previous design, the discussion sections were led by teaching assistants; however, the weekly discussion meeting was shortened from 75 minutes to 50 minutes, and the primary instructor “floated” between the three parallel sessions. Two such sessions were held each week, affording a possible enrollment of 144; initial enrollment was 141, with students self-selecting into the course. We examine student performance in and satisfaction with the course using: (1) a pre-test/post-test design based on the paired questions American Chemical Society (ACS) first-term and second-term exams, (2) data on DFW (D, F, withdrawal) rates, and (3) student evaluations

A policy relevant assessment of the environmental impacts of organic farming

Organic farming has become an important aspect of European agri-environmental policy. Since the implementation of EC Reg. 2078/92, the EU promotes organic farming based explicitly on its positive effects on the environment. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of organic farming's effects on the environment in comparison to conventional farming and to discuss the policy relevance of these issues. For this purpose the OECD set of environmental indicators for the agricultural sector has been adapted, taking into consideration only those indicators that are directly affected by the system of organic farming, as are the indicator categories ecosystem, natural resources, farm input and output, and health and welfare. Based on a survey of specialists in 18 European countries (all EU-member states plus NO, CH, and CZ) using a structured questionnaire and an extensive literature review, a conclusive assessment is given for each of the indicator categories. For most of the chosen indicator categories organic farming performs better than conventional farming on a per ha basis. These results are discussed with respect to their policy relevance. An increase in the area of organic farming would clearly improve the environmental performance of agriculture, as long as food production level is not a limiting factor. The question of whether there are other agri-environmental means of achieving a desired level of environmental performance that might be cheaper for society than organic production is discussed. It is concluded that the support of organic farming can be a useful part of the agri-environmental tool box, however, other, more specific instruments are also needed. Organic farming seems especially useful if broad environmental concerns are to be addressed

International benchmarking of Lesotho's infrastructure performance

The author provides a preliminary benchmarking of infrastructure performance in Lesotho in four major sectors--electricity, water and sanitation, information and communication technology, and road transportation--against the relevant group of comparator countries using a new World Bank international data base with objective and perception-based indicators of infrastructure performance from over 200 countries. The results of the benchmarking are revealing of several major, comparative deficiencies in infrastructure performance in Lesotho: (1) extremely low access to electricity and its affordability; (2) poor coverage, quality, and the cost of local (non-cellular) telephony; and (3) poor quality of roads. Infrastructure service delivery in electricity, telephony, and roads is well below what would be expected, on average, for a country in Lesotho's income group. In these sectors, Lesotho also compares unfavorably with many other geographical country groups. Unless addressed, such infrastructure shortfalls are likely to adversely affect the welfare of Lesotho's poor, and the cost competitiveness and growth prospects of a range of economic sectors (such as tourism and trade) that depend critically on a stable and competitive supply of basic infrastructure service. They could also affect the speed and quality of Lesotho's regional economic integration within the South Africa Customs Union (SACU) sub-region with attendant consequences for the long-term growth of regional trade and real output. By contrast, Lesotho's performance is solid in the access to improved water and sanitation, in the aggregate and in both rural and urban areas. Finally, this benchmarking, combined with more in-depth, sector analyses, could provide policymakers in Lesotho a useful guide to the areas of infrastructure performance requiring attention.Infrastructure Regulation,Urban Services to the Poor,Urban Slums Upgrading,Banks&Banking Reform,Roads&Highways