Irish Economic Development over Three Decades of EU Membership

This paper draws out lessons from Ireland´s economic experience over the course of EU membership. The author starts with a description of the effects of opening up to free trade, and highlights the problems of the 1970s and 1980s that arose as a consequence of misguided fiscal policy. He then turns to the beneficial developments that paved the way to the emergence of the Celtic Tiger economy. EU aid alone, he argues, cannot guarantee convergence. It is likely to be of greatest benefit when the other conditions for real convergence including a well-functioning labour market, reform-oriented microeconomic policy and macroeconomic stability ? are also in place. For countries attempting to follow the Irish strategy of attracting inward FDI in high-tech manufacturing sectors, the author emphasises that low corporation-tax rates are only one part of the story. A supportive public administration system and an abundance of human capital of the appropriate type are also key requirements.Ireland; economic development; European Union

The Photometric Period of the Cataclysmic Variable HV Andromedae

We present four nights of time-resolved photometry of the cataclysmic variable star HV And. Our time series analysis has revealed a prominent period at 3.368 +/- 0.060 hours, as well as some low frequency power. We interpret this signal, from saw-tooth waves in the light curve, as evidence of superhumps in HV And.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in New Astronom

The property development challenge: Creating wealth through regional and rural projects

Past experience, specifically in the regional context in South Africa, shows that development of land and the use of land for physical projects and buildings has had some negative effects on the environment. Recently developers have tended to be more sympathetic regarding the possible negative influence of project development. The challenge is to match economic, environmental, health and social sustainability with growth, in respect of small projects, or small benefits from big projects. Lessons from nature, wildlife and environment as well as results of a study conducted by the department of quantity surveying and construction management, University of the Free State, on rural sustainability will be discussed

Carcass characteristics of cattle differing in Jersey proportion

peer-reviewedComparison of alternative dairy (cross-)breeding programs requires full appraisals of all revenues and costs, including beef merit. Few studies exist on carcass characteristics of crossbred dairy progeny originating from dairy herds as well as their dams. The objective of the present study was to quantify, using a national database, the carcass characteristics of young animals and cows differing in their fraction of Jersey. The data set consisted of 117,593 young animals and 42,799 cows. The associations between a combination of sire and dam breed proportion (just animal breed proportion when the dependent variable was on cows) with age at slaughter (just for young animals), carcass weight, conformation, fat score, price per kilogram, and total carcass value were estimated using mixed models that accounted for covariances among herdmates of the same sex slaughtered in close proximity in time; we also accounted for age at slaughter in young animals (which was substituted with carcass weight and carcass fat score when the dependent variable was age at slaughter), animal sex, parity of the cow or dam (where relevant), and temporal effects represented by a year-by-month 2-way interaction. For young animals, the heaviest of the dairy carcasses were from the mating of a Holstein-Friesian dam and a Holstein-Friesian sire (323.34 kg), whereas the lightest carcasses were from the mating of a purebred Jersey dam to a purebred Jersey sire which were 46.31 kg lighter (standard error of the difference = 1.21 kg). The young animal carcass weight of an F1 Holstein-Friesian × Jersey cross was 20.4 to 27.0 kg less than that of a purebred Holstein-Friesian animal. The carcass conformation of a Holstein-Friesian young animal was 26% superior to that of a purebred Jersey, translating to a difference of 0.78 conformation units on a scale of 1 to 15. Purebred Holstein-Friesians produced carcasses with less fat than their purebred Jersey counterparts. The difference in carcass price per kilogram among the alternative sire-dam breed combinations investigated was minimal, although large differences existed among the different breed types for overall carcass value; the carcass value of a Holstein-Friesian animal was 20% greater than that of a Jersey animal. Purebred Jersey animals required, on average, 21 d longer to reach a given carcass weight and fat score relative to a purebred Holstein-Friesian. The difference in age at slaughter between a purebred Holstein-Friesian animal and the mating between a Holstein-Friesian sire with a Jersey dam, and vice versa, was between 7.0 and 8.9 d. A 75.8-kg difference in carcass weight existed between the carcass of a purebred Jersey cow and that of a Holstein-Friesian cow; a 50% Holstein–Friesian-50% Jersey cow had a carcass 42.0 kg lighter than that of a purebred Holstein-Friesian cow. Carcass conformation was superior in purebred Holstein-Friesian compared with purebred Jersey cows. Results from this study represent useful input parameters to populate simulation models of alternative breeding programs on dairy farms, and to help beef farmers evaluate the cost-benefit of rearing, for slaughter, animals differing in Jersey fraction.This publication arose from research supported in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (Dublin) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine on behalf of the Government of Ireland under the Grant 16/RC/3835 (VistaMilk; Dublin, Ireland) as well as funding from the Research Stimulus Fund (BreedQuality and GREENBREED; Dublin, Ireland) and Meat Technology Ireland (MTI; Dublin, Ireland), a co-funded industry/Enterprise Ireland project (TC 2016 002)

’n Model vir die meting van die bourekenaar se kommunikasievolwassenheid

The aim of this article is to describe the identification and measurement of the determinants important for a communication maturity model leading to the development of a communication maturity model to measure the communication capabilities of the quantity surveyor. The survey has been conducted amongst practising quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, clients and contractors chosen from all 9 provinces in South Africa. The questionnaire which was distributed and returned by respondents by email in 2010, was aimed at measuring the importance of the determinants according to the quantity surveying standard. Views on the quantity surveying standard of maturity in communication based on the chosen determinants which forms the communication maturity model for the quantity surveyor in the construction industry were also collected. The results of the survey indicated that respondents identified the following determinants as important elements of the communication maturity model: verbal communication, written communication, contractual communication, information technology communication, leadership communication and instruments communication. The views of respondents regarding the quantity surveying standard in maturity from the chosen determinants which form the communication maturity model, showed that all determinants were positively experienced and that the determinant ‘Contractual communication’ showed the highest valuation result. The determinant ‘Verbal communication’ is in relation to other determinants identified as an area that should be developed

Tenderpryswerk van die voorbereidselsafdeling in hoeveelheidslyste vir bouwerk

This article describes the outcome of an investigation into tender pricing of the Preparatory Department. The purpose of the investigation is to determine which clauses are praised by contractors. As a consequence of the investigation, it became evident that certain tender price prevention categories, based on contributions, could be identified by the Pre-Preparation Sectional Total, from the Preparatory Section under investigation. It is also clear that the contractor excludes certain clauses and regularly prices. The key contributors to the Pre-Departmental total on the basis of pre-grain frequency as well as their contribution to the Pre-Preparation Division total are defined as Clauses A7 (Foreman) and B5.5 (Tools and Equipment). However, further research is required to determine whether the Model Prevention Document as well as prescribed usage procedures should be adapted to the tender prints observed in this study.*This article is written in Afrikaan

Die volwassenheid van die bourekenaar se kontraktuele kommunikasievermoë

The aim of this article is to identify principles that support the quantity surveyor to communicate effectively in contractual communication and measure these principles to determine the maturity standard of the quantity surveyor’s quantity surveying contractual communication. This article forms part of a more comprehensive study on quantity surveying communication in the construction industry, and aspects such as oral, written, electronic and leadership communication have been addressed elsewhere. The survey was conducted among practising quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, clients and contractors chosen from all 9 provinces of South Africa. The questionnaire was distributed to, and returned by respondents in 2010. The questionnaire was circulated by means of e-mail for the purpose of measuring the principles that support the quantity surveyor to communicate effectively in contractual communication according to the quantity surveying standard vs the worldclass standard. The results of the survey indicated that respondents identified the following principles as important in contractual communication maturity measured against quantity surveying standard: contractual binding, reasonableness, effectiveness/enforceability and unambiguousness, where contractual binding showed the most positive and unambiguousness the least positive valuation result

Parameter estimation on compact binary coalescences with abruptly terminating gravitational waveforms

Gravitational-wave astronomy seeks to extract information about astrophysical systems from the gravitational-wave signals they emit. For coalescing compact-binary sources this requires accurate model templates for the inspiral and, potentially, the subsequent merger and ringdown. Models with frequency-domain waveforms that terminate abruptly in the sensitive band of the detector are often used for parameter-estimation studies. We show that the abrupt waveform termination contains significant information that affects parameter-estimation accuracy. If the sharp cutoff is not physically motivated, this extra information can lead to misleadingly good accuracy claims. We also show that using waveforms with a cutoff as templates to recover complete signals can lead to biases in parameter estimates. We evaluate when the information content in the cutoff is likely to be important in both cases. We also point out that the standard Fisher matrix formalism, frequently employed for approximately predicting parameter-estimation accuracy, cannot properly incorporate an abrupt cutoff that is present in both signals and templates; this observation explains some previously unexpected results found in the literature. These effects emphasize the importance of using complete waveforms with accurate merger and ringdown phases for parameter estimation.Comment: Very minor changes to match published versio

Differential Tissue Response to Growth Hormone in Mice

Growth hormone (GH) has been shown to act directly on multiple tissues throughout the body. Historically, it was believed that GH acted directly in the liver and only indirectly in other tissues via insulin‐like growth hormone 1 (IGF‐1). Despite extensive work to describe GH action in individual tissues, a comparative analysis of acute GH signaling in key metabolic tissues has not been performed. Herein, we address this knowledge gap. Acute tissue response to human recombinant GH was assessed in mice by measuring signaling via phospho‐STAT5 immunoblotting. STAT5 activation is an easily and reliably detected early marker of GH receptor engagement. We found differential tissue sensitivities; liver and kidney were equally GH‐sensitive and more sensitive than white adipose tissue, heart, and muscle (gastrocnemius). Gastrocnemius had the greatest maximal response compared to heart, liver, white adipose tissue, and whole kidney. Differences in maximum responsiveness were positively correlated with tissue STAT5 abundance, while differences in sensitivity were not explained by differences in GH receptor levels. Thus, GH sensitivity and responsiveness of distinct metabolic tissues differ and may impact physiology and disease

’n Verkennende meting van die kommunikasievolwassenheid van die bourekenaars- en ingenieursprofessies in die konstruksiebedryf

The possible lack of scientific analyses with reference to the maturity of the quantity surveyor and engineering professions’ communication capabilities and communication instruments in the construction industry initiated the study. The reason for the survey on both professions is due to the fact that they perform almost similar functions. This article aims to measure the determinants of a communication maturity model in respect of the communication capabilities of these professions. Research undertaken by the University of the Free State in collaboration with the Wirtschafts University in Vienna, Austria in 2005/6 revealed the proposed most important determinants used. The results of the survey show that respondents were positive in respect of the professions’ communication in general. This can therefore influence the construction industry with continuous advantages for the property development environment. The survey results show that the determinant ‘instruments communication (supportive)’ of the quantity surveyor is experienced as the most positive. The determinants ‘verbal communication‘ and ‘written communication’ of the quantity surveyor are experienced as the least positive. In addition, the survey results show that the determinant ‘knowledge’ capabilities of the engineer is experienced as the most positive. The determinants ‘contractual communication’, ‘written communication’ and ‘instruments communication (clearness)’ of the engineer are experienced as the least positive. A communication maturity model, developed in previous research and consisting of the identified determinants for effective communication, has been used to measure the maturity of the two professions’ communication capabilities in the construction industry. The implementation of the communication maturity model in practice can have a positive influence to improve the communication capabilities of the profession in the construction industry