General training under asymmetric information

One widely accepted conclusion in the human capital literature on training is that firms will finance only firm-specific training because it is non-transferable to other firms. Firms will not be willing to finance training in general (transferable) skills. In this paper it is argued that a recruiting firm will possess only limited knowledge of the training level in general skills acquired by workers in other firms. Hence a worker with transferable skills who changes employer can expect to suffer a cut in wages for a transition period while his level of productivity is being evaluated and recognized. Such a worker has no incentive to move as long as the present value of the loss in earnings is greater than the present value of the loss incurred in remaining with the training firm at a wage below the market-level for his skill. This result may have some important policy implications in countering the effects of market imperfections. It also suggests that training certification, in facilitating inter-firm mobility, discourages on-the-job training by firms.ICT Policy and Strategies,Labor Standards,Tertiary Education,Primary Education,Agricultural Research

Shared investment in general training : the role of information

The major premise of this paper is that potential recruiters do not possess much information on the extent and type of workers'on-the-job-training. Workers taken for trained might turn out to possess no, or very little, general training. Also, a worker recruited for a given job may possess the wrong type of general training. All this imposes substantial information-based costs on firms that recruit rather than train. These costs include opportunity costs, actual expenses and increased exposure to risk. As a result, a recruiting firm will offer lower wages and place a lower value on a recruited worker with general training than the firm that trained him.Tertiary Education,Primary Education,Labor Standards,Teaching and Learning,ICT Policy and Strategies

Property Rights, Theft, and Efficiency: The Biblical Waiver of Fines in the Case of Confessed Theft

In this paper we show that costs associated with infractions of property rights, such as theft, can be reduced by imposing lower penal-ties on individuals who admit to such infractions and make restitution. We find that the socially optimal penalty on a confessed thief may be zero (complete amnesty) or even negative – a person may be given a reward for confessing a theft. The benefits of amnesties were apparently recognized in ancient times and they constitute part of Biblical Law. Moreover, such amnesties have also been informally incorporated into modern legal systems, wherein leniency (a form of partial amnesty) is generally shown to individuals who confess their infractions.

Macroeconomic Instability, Migration, and the Option Value of Education

We explore the relation between variability in the rate of return to human capital and investment in education in the context of migration. Specifically, we show that if migration is a possibility, such variability in the rate of return to human capital can induce residents of developing countries to make greater investments in education. Moreover, providing that education is relatively costly, variability in the return to human capital may increase the average level of education in a developing economy even after expected migration is netted out. Finally, our findings are shown to have explanatory power in relation to education and migratory patterns of minorities.Macroeconomic instability, Income volatility, Migration, Human capital, Ethnic discrimination, Ethnic conflicts, Minorities.

Motivational music and repeated sprint ability in junior basketball players

We examined the effect of motivational music on repeated sprint ability (RSA) in a full squad of junior top national level league basketball players. Participants performed two repeated sprint tests (RSTs), with and without motivational music, at random order, during the end of the basketball season. The RST included 12 X 20 m runs departing every 20 s. There were no significant differences in ideal sprint time, total sprint time and performance decrement between RST with or without music. However, when we compared each sprint during the RST, the last two sprints (sprints number 11 and 12) were significantly faster with, compared to without, music (p<0.01). We conclude that music led to improved sprint performance towards the end of RST, suggesting, probably, beneficial effect mainly on aerobic components of repeated sprintability. Therefore, music can be used during basketball training, hoping that improved training ability will convert also to better game performance

O Uso de Experimentos Demonstrativos como Estratégia Didática para Aumentar a Motivação dos Estudantes e a Eficiência do Aprendizado das Leis de Newton: um estudo de caso no 1º ano do ensino médio

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso apresentado ao Instituto Latino-Americano de Ciências da Vida e da Natureza da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, como requisito parcial à obtenção do título de Licenciado em Ciências da Natureza – Biologia, Física e Química. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Juan de Diós Garrido Arrate Co-orientadora: Prof.a Dr.a Catarina Costa Fernandes.Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar se a utilização de experimentos demonstrativos no ensino das leis de Newton, no nível médio, desperta uma maior motivação nos estudantes e, consequentemente, um maior nível de aprendizado dos conceitos físicos estudados, quando comparado ao ensino expositivo. Para isso, foram escolhidas duas turmas do 1o ano do ensino médio de um colégio público, cujo rendimento na disciplina de Física fosse semelhante. Então, inicialmente fez-se um diagnóstico das duas turmas através de um questionário contendo questões de motivação pelo estudo de Física e, também, uma questão envolvendo o conceito físico força. Através dos resultados deste questionário de diagnóstico, escolheu-se a turma que apresentava menos estudantes motivados/interessados em estudar Física, para a aplicação do primeiro experimento sobre a 1a Lei de Newton. Posteriormente, aplicou-se um segundo experimento envolvendo os conteúdos da 2a e 3a Lei de Newton, desta vez em ambas as turmas. Os resultados revelaram que o primeiro experimento serviu como elemento motivador na turma onde foi aplicado, enquanto que o segundo experimento proporcionou números muito próximos de estudantes motivados/interessados em estudar Física e de estudantes que compreenderam os conceitos referentes à 2a e 3a Lei de Newton, em ambas as turmas.This work aims to analyze if the use of demonstrative experiments in the teaching of Newton's laws, in High School, arouses greater motivation in students and hence a higher level of learning of the studied physical concepts when compared to expository teaching. For this, two classes from the 1st year of High School of a public school were chosen, whose income in the discipline of physics was similar. So, firstly made up a diagnosis of the two groups using a questionnaire containing questions motivating the study of physics and also a matter involving physical force concept. Through the results of this questionnaire diagnostic, was chosen the class that was less motivated students / interested in studying physics, for the application of the first experiment on the 1st Law of Newton. Subsequently, he applied a second experiment involving the contents of the 2nd and 3rd law of Newton, this time in both groups. The results revealed that the first experiment served as a motivating factor in the class where it was applied, while the second experiment yielded very similar numbers of students motivated / interested in studying physics and students understand the concepts related to the 2nd and 3rd law of Newton, in both classes

The effect of motivational music on aerobic and anaerobic performance among overweight children

The present study examined whether background music improves aerobic and anaerobic performance in overweight children. Eleven participants (14.6±1.5 yrs, BMI%: 94.3±6.5) performed aerobic (20m Shuttle Run) and anaerobic (repeated sprint test – RST) field tests. Ten participants (12.0±2.1 yrs, BMI%:97.4±1.6) performed aerobic (treadmill running) and anaerobic (Wingate Anaerobic Test – WAnT) laboratory tests. Treadmill running time was significantly longer with, compared to without, music (11.9±1.5 versus 10.6±2.2 min, respectively; p<0.007). There was no significant difference in the 20m shuttle run distance with or without music. Total sprint time was significantly faster during RST with, compared to without, music (47.7±4.7 versus 48.5±5.5 s, respectively; p<0.04), with no significant difference in ideal sprint time and performance decrement. There was no significant difference in peak and mean anaerobic power and fatigue index during the WAnT with and without music. Motivational music may be used to improve aerobic and anaerobic performance among overweight children

Reef fisheries and livelihoods in coastal villages of southern Tanzania : Lessons for adaptation to environmental change?

The crucial importance of the reef fisheries to the livelihoods of communities associated with coastal areas in developing countries cannot be overemphasised. However, these important resources are increasingly threatened by destructive human activities and continued overexploitation. Therefore, understanding how the degradation of fisheries resources increases the vulnerability of the livelihoods of coastal households, and the coping strategies employed by them, is critical for planning sustainable livelihoods. This thesis looks at how households currently residing in coastal villages of the Mtwara district in southern Tanzaniaâ an area with a history involving dynamite-fishing activitiesâ sustain their livelihoods. In particular, it examines the existing livelihoods strategies, the ways these strategies are developed in response to changing socio-ecological conditions, and how livelihood trajectories of the households can be conceptualised and interpreted in that context. Further, through scenario planning, it examines whether current coping strategies predispose the community to adapt more easily to unprecedented threats of environmental change, more specifically the effects of climate change to their livelihoods. Drawing on perspectives of sustainable livelihoods, and the ideas of political ecology and scenario planning, the study examines the changing nature of livelihood strategies in coastal areas. By combining insights from political ecology and the thinking around sustainable livelihoods, it links a critical review of the degradation of natural resource discourse and policy with micro-level studies, and thus provides an enhanced understanding of the processes of humanâ environment interactions. The fieldwork was carried out in two phases: phase one from February to July 2012, and phase two from November 2012 to January 2013. A mixed-method approach, involving qualitative and quantitative methodology for data collection, was adopted. The main techniques for primary data collection were household survey, key informant interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions and life history interviews. A sample of 297 household heads and 46 key informants were interviewed, and 58 people participated in focus-group discussions. Secondary data were obtained through documentary review. Data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings demonstrate that the majority of study respondents are driven to the trajectory of livelihood diversification for subsistence where gradual improvements in the livelihoods are interspersed with more abrupt declines. It is clear that, despite significant constraints linked to destructive fishing activities, coastal households seem to retain a very high level of agency, which allows them to pursue their own, sometimes contested, economic and political objectives. Different social networks and local village groups appear to play a key role in facilitating this process, however, they offer less evidence in understanding the opportunities that households and individuals have to cope and transform their livelihoods. By presenting scenarios for the future of livelihoods, the thesis argues that although households constantly adjust their adaptive strategies to survive, their coping strategies in their current form are weak in terms of being able to transit to climate-resilient livelihoods. This situation calls for efforts that take more determined approaches towards sustainable livelihoods with particular focus on the role and viability of a natural-resource base to manage risk and build resilience in a changing social, environmental, institutional and political conditions. The results contribute to our understanding of how households negotiate livelihoods under conditions of rapid socio-environmental change and increased vulnerability

Interactive Video Game Content Authoring using Procedural Methods

This thesis explores avenues for improving the quality and detail of game graphics, in the context of constraints that are common to most game development studios. The research begins by identifying two dominant constraints; limitations in the capacity of target gaming hardware/platforms, and processes that hinder the productivity of game art/content creation. From these constraints, themes were derived which directed the research‟s focus. These include the use of algorithmic or „procedural‟ methods in the creation of graphics content for games, and the use of an „interactive‟ content creation strategy, to better facilitate artist production workflow. Interactive workflow represents an emerging paradigm shift in content creation processes used by the industry, which directly integrates game rendering technology into the content authoring process. The primary motivation for this is to provide „high frequency‟ visual feedback that enables artists to see games content in context, during the authoring process. By merging these themes, this research develops a production strategy that takes advantage of „high frequency feedback‟ in an interactive workflow, to directly expose procedural methods to artists‟, for use in the content creation process. Procedural methods have a characteristically small „memory footprint‟ and are capable of generating massive volumes of data. Their small „size to data volume‟ ratio makes them particularly well suited for use in game rendering situations, where capacity constraints are an issue. In addition, an interactive authoring environment is well suited to the task of setting parameters for procedural methods, reducing a major barrier to their acceptance by artists. An interactive content authoring environment was developed during this research. Two algorithms were designed and implemented. These algorithms provide artists‟ with abstract mechanisms which accelerate common game content development processes; namely object placement in game environments, and the delivery of variation between similar game objects. In keeping with the theme of this research, the core functionality of these algorithms is delivered via procedural methods. Through this, production overhead that is associated with these content development processes is essentially offloaded from artists onto the processing capability of modern gaming hardware. This research shows how procedurally based content authoring algorithms not only harmonize with the issues of hardware capacity constraints, but also make the authoring of larger and more detailed volumes of games content more feasible in the game production process. Algorithms and ideas developed during this research demonstrate the use of procedurally based, interactive content creation, towards improving detail and complexity in the graphics of games