2,289 research outputs found
Functional Distribution, Land Ownership and Industrial Takeoff: The Role of Effective Demand
This paper analyses how the distribution of land property rights affects industrial takeoff and aggregate income through the demand side. We study a stylized economy composed of two sectors, agriculture and manufacturing. The former produces a single subsistence good while the latter is constituted of a continuum of markets producing distinct commodities. Following Murphy et al. [20] we model industrialization as the introduction of an increasing returns technology in place of a constant returns one. However, we depart from their framework by assuming income to be distributed according to functional groups membership (landowners, capitalists, workers). We carry out an equilibrium analysis for different levels of land ownership concentration proving that, under the specified conditions, there is a non-monotonic relation between the distribution of land property rights and both industrialization and income. We clarify that non-monotonicity arises because of the way land ownership concentration affects the level and the distribution of profits among capitalists which, in turn, shape their demand. Our results suggest that i) both a too concentrated and a too diffused distribution of land property rights can be detrimental to industrialization, ii) land ownership affects the economic performance of an industrializing country by determining the demand of manufactures of both landowners and capitalists, iii) in terms of optimal land distribution there may be a tradeoff between income and industrialization.
Optimal generation of entanglement under local control
We study the optimal generation of entanglement between two qubits subject to
local unitary control. With the only assumptions of linear control and unitary
dynamics, by means of a numerical protocol based on the variational approach
(Pontryagin's Minimum Principle), we evaluate the optimal control strategy
leading to the maximal achievable entanglement in an arbitrary interaction
time, taking into account the energy cost associated to the controls. In our
model we can arbitrarily choose the relative weight between a large
entanglement and a small energy cost.Comment: 4 page
Research, #Huh? Improving research awareness in NHS Grampian through a website and more
Our public-facing website #Huh (Helping U Help) â www.grampianclinicalresearch.
com â has been designed to engage public, patients and staff in clinical research.
We have included views from patients and the public in its design and content,
using multiple methods to gather feedback, some proving more successful than
others. This article presents how our website was developed, including the different
methods we used to gather views from the patients and public before, during and
after its development. We hope that this paper will give useful insights to other
people interested in incorporating stakeholder feedback into their own work
Information-theory-based solution of the inverse problem in classical statistical mechanics
We present a procedure for the determination of the interaction potential
from the knowledge of the radial pair distribution function. The method,
realized inside an inverse Monte Carlo simulation scheme, is based on the
application of the Maximum Entropy Principle of information theory and the
interaction potential emerges as the asymptotic expression of the transition
probability. Results obtained for high density monoatomic fluids are very
satisfactory and provide an accurate extraction of the potential, despite a
modest computational effort.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Agricultural Institutions, Industrialization and Growth: The Case of New Zealand and Uruguay in 1870-1940
In this paper we apply a model of early industrialization to the case of New Zealand
and Uruguay in 1870-1940. We show how differences in agricultural institutions
may have produced different development paths in two countries which were similar under many respects. While in New Zealand the active role of the Crown in
regulating the land market facilitated access to land, in Uruguay land was seized by
a small group of large landowners. Our model shows that land concentration may
have negatively influenced industrialization and growth by impeding the formation
of a large group of middle-income landowners and, as a consequence, the development of a domestic demand for basic manufactures. We support this view with a
comparative analysis of agricultural institutions and industrial development in New
Zealand and Urugua
Improving the Sunscreen Properties of TiO2 through an Understanding of Its Catalytic Properties
The use of particulate titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an active sunscreen ingredient has raised concerns about potential risks from TiO2-mediated free radical formation. To date, remediation attempts have concentrated on reducing the yield of free radical generation by TiO2 upon sunlight exposure. The problem with this approach is that given the band gap in TiO2, production of radical and the ensuing reactive oxygen species (ROS) is completely normal. Our strategy is based on a nontoxic, biocompatible shell that neutralizes the free radicals by scavenging them with natural antioxidants before they exit the particle. The new lignin@TiO2 composites preserve the scattering and absorption properties of TiO2 because the particles retain their nanoscale dimensions as preferred by the cosmetic industry. Although the target properties for photocatalysis and sun-protection applications are opposite, we argue that exactly the same knowledge is required to optimize either one
Quantum measurement of a mesoscopic spin ensemble
We describe a method for precise estimation of the polarization of a
mesoscopic spin ensemble by using its coupling to a single two-level system.
Our approach requires a minimal number of measurements on the two-level system
for a given measurement precision. We consider the application of this method
to the case of nuclear spin ensemble defined by a single electron-charged
quantum dot: we show that decreasing the electron spin dephasing due to nuclei
and increasing the fidelity of nuclear-spin-based quantum memory could be
within the reach of present day experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; minor changes, published versio
Mental, Social and Visual Alienation in DâAlessandroâs Photography
This chapter analyzes the first of several photobooks that illustrated the reform of psychiatric health care in Italy in the 1960s and 1970s: Luciano DâAlessandroâs 1969 Gli esclusi. In 1967, DâAlessandro was invited by the director of the asylum of Nocera Superiore, Sergio Piro, to document through photography the abysmal conditions of the âtotal institutionâ that was the pre-reform mental hospital. DâAlessandro first published a small selection of photos, in Popular Photography Italiana (1967), which he then expanded in Gli esclusi. This chapter claims that, in the evolution between the two publications, we can read the complex and multilayered notion of alienation that informed the work of reform, especially that of one of the most famous figures associated with it, Franco Basaglia. By analyzing DâAlessandroâs Gli esclusi through the notion of alienation, this chapter lets what Sekula calls the conditions of âreadabilityâ of the photographic message emerge
Involving community health workers in disease-specific interventions: perspectives from The Gambia on the impact of this approach
Background
The Community Health Worker (CHW) programme is recognised as key for providing healthcare to communities, particularly in remote locations. CHWs are usually volunteers, nominated by their communities and trained to provide basic care and prevention for common illnesses. However, differences in disease-specific programmes aimed at meeting national agenda and perceived health needs of the community raises questions about the best approach to maximise the potential of this workforce.
Methods
This was an explorative qualitative study, ancillary to a larger trial on a malaria control intervention. In July 2017, 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 village health workers (VHWs), four community health nurses who supervise VHWs, and 19 key informants from the community. Analysis was concurrent to data collection and carried out using a deductive process for thematic analysis, with the aid of NVivo 11 Qualitative Analysis Software.
Results
There were three key aspects of the VHW role identified in this setting; (1) to give health advice; (2) to treat and refer patients; and (3) to support environmental cleaning. The VHWsâ involvement in the clinical trial impacted their role in several ways. Overall, this was perceived very positively by the community and the VHWs since it improved access to medication and training on how to treat malaria. However, involvement was also perceived to increase VHWsâ workload, and placed more emphasis on malaria over other common illnesses, creating a shift in the balance of their role between disease prevention and treatment.
Conclusions
VHWs are essential for the successful delivery of disease-specific activities at the community level. However, involving them in these activities has important implications for their everyday role. If carefully managed, it has the potential to improve their capacity to screen and treat specific diseases such as malaria
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