The impact of broadband in schools: summary report

Summary of the report, which reviews evidence for the impact of broadband in English schools, exploring; variations in provision in level of broadband connectivity. Links between the level of broadband activity and nationally accessible performance data; aspects of broadband connectivity and the school environment that contribute to better outcomes for pupils and teachers; academic and motivational benefits associated with educational uses of this technology

Trace Substances, Science and Law: Perspectives from the Social Sciences

Using advances in analytical technology as a point of departure, Dr. Short reviews what social science research reveals about perceptions, decision making processes and behaviors of organizations and individuals who try to cope with risk and uncertainty

East Durham Community College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 12/94 and 61/98)

East Durham Community College is situated in Peterlee, in the Easington district of County Durham. In 1995, the college changed its name from Peterlee College. This record comprises two Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspection reports for the periods 12/94 (as Peterlee College) and 61/98

Dancing on a Pin: Health Planning in Arizona

This publication challenges us to step back and reflect on the past, present and future of health systems. Take a deeper look at planning and how we got here, review the roles of competition and regulation, and learn about the health planning matrix along with the concept of health planning bridges. Discover for yourself if these thoughts and tools help the signal of quality health planning rise more clearly from out of the noise

"A serious business with plenty to play for: The PC, console and mobile gaming sector"

Not only the gamescom fair in Cologne and the games convention fair in Leipzig have recently shown that the often ridiculed games industry (PC, console and mobile gaming) has long since matured into a serious economic sector on a par with the film industry. Since the days of TV games the gaming sector has been one of the fastest-growing areas of the media business. The process of change within the sector continues apace, driven by technical, societal and economic factors. This change is focused on the distribution channels, the revenue models, the development processes and the target demographics.IT, games, economics, demographics

Intellectual property related development aid: is supply aligned with demand?

We assessed to what extent developed country development aid programmes are likely to have interacted with, and potentially contributed to the promotion of country-appropriate sustainable changes in IP strategies and technological capacities over the period 2005-10. This was done primarily on the basis of an imputed impact assessments of four emerging and transition economies; namely Brazil, India, Poland and Thailand. Through an analysis of various measures of the domestic economic, technological and Intellectual Property context, we studied to what extent the supply of IP-related development aid provided between 2005 and 2010 responded to the likely needs of recipient countries. While the data shows that technical and financial assistance in this area could be of great use, and there is clearly a need for well-targeted IP TA and much scope for useful IP TA interventions, there seemed to only be a partial alignment between country needs and the direction of IP TA. On the whole, most IP-related development aid and technical assistance ended to focus on similar areas in each country, regardless of the development context. In Brazil and India’s case, training on IP administration may have influenced increased efficiency (from a low base) at the INPI and IP India, while the substantial EU support to raise SME IP awareness in Poland is likely to have had some significant impacts. In India, sustained development aid in this area likely influenced legislation on plant variety protection, as did WIPO TA on legislative reforms in Thailand. In all cases, the substantial US (and to a more limited extent EC) focus on development aid directed towards enforcement coincided with improvements in this area, though the political and economic pressures by both providers, and especially the US Section 301 System probably dwarfed the impact of this type of aid. Further, the typology and direction of IP related development aid reflects the comparative advantage of IP TA providers, as well as political and diplomatic interests, trade priorities and colonial ties, among many other things. As such, it is important to understand that IP TA is also highly political – a fact often concealed in the emphasis on its “technical” nature.Intellectual Property and development, aid and technical assistance technological capacities in Brazil, India, Poland, Thailand, taxonomy of development, funding flows Intellectual Property and development, aid and technical assistance technological capacities in Brazil, India, Poland, Thailand, taxonomy of development, funding flows Intellectual Property and development, aid and technical assistance, technological capacities in Brazil, India, Poland, Thailand, taxonomy of development, funding flows Intellectual Property and development, aid and technical assistance technological capacities in Brazil, India, Poland, Thailand, taxonomy of development, funding flows

Geoinformation, Geotechnology, and Geoplanning in the 1990s

Over the last decade, there have been some significant changes in the geographic information available to support those involved in spatial planning and policy-making in different contexts. Moreover, developments have occurred apace in the technology with which to handle geoinformation. This paper provides an overview of trends during the 1990s in data provision, in the technology required to manipulate and analyse spatial information, and in the domain of planning where applications of computer technology in the processing of geodata are prominent. It draws largely on experience in western Europe, and in the UK and the Netherlands in particular, and suggests that there are a number of pressures for a strengthened role for geotechnology in geoplanning in the years ahead