1,257 research outputs found
EC budget support: thumbs up or down?
Budget support is a form of macro-economic financial assistance that is designed to prioritise the fight against poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The European Commission (EC) is providing more and more budget support under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA), which structures the provision of assistance by the European Union (EU) to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The EC also provides macro-economic support through its cooperation agreements with a number of non-ACP countries, for which it is now also introducing budget support.
During the course of its work in the ACP regions, the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) was approached by parliamentarians, representatives of non-governmental organisations and partner government officials, all of whom had certain questions to ask about the background to and operation of budget support. These actors regard budget support as an increasingly important mechanism for development cooperation, and one that has potentially far-reaching implications for their work. At the same time, it is a relatively new mechanism, is poorly understood and is driven by a relatively small group of experts in aid agencies and partner country finance or planning ministries.
We have prepared this Discussion Paper in response to these queries. Our aim is to give policy-makers and practitioners in-depth information on the nature and potential of, and the constraints associated with, budget support as a development cooperation modality. The paper explains the complex nature of budget support and its implications for the actors involved, as well as highlighting issues that have a bearing on its success.
Budget support creates opportunities that are not always fully appreciated by its critics. At the same time, it creates risks which tend to be downplayed by its supporters. Against this background, this paper also aims to contribute to this intensely debated issue by providing a balanced view for those seeking to understand its complexities.
As this is intended to be a relatively brief paper, it is limited to key policy issues and the challenges arising from recent experiences with budget support. For this reason, we have not devoted much space to discussing the issue of sector budget support. We advise the reader to consult the bibliography for more detailed information on the practice and technicalities of this rapidly evolving mechanism.
Finally, it is important to recognise that the move towards budget support has aroused many questions among partner government officials, donor agencies, consultants and academic institutes, which tend to feed into the production of specialist documents assessing approaches and experiences. For this reason, this paper can do no more than to describe the current state of a rapidly evolving debate and practice. We hope to be able to follow up this initial study and produce further publications on specific issues, tailored to the needs of individual ACP audiences, as part of our future work
Clicking to Learn: A Case Study of Embedding Radio-Frequency based Clickers in an Introductory Management Information Systems Course
The challenges associated with teaching a core introductory management information systems (MIS) course are well known (large class sizes serving a majority of non-MIS majors, sustaining student interests, encouraging class participation, etc.). This study offers a mechanism towards managing these challenges through the use of a simple and effective innovation referred to as classroom response systems (a.k.a. clickers). Although clickers are not necessarily new, recent enhancements in the technology (such as radio-frequency and integration with presentation software) have made them easier to manage, with greater reliability and flexibility. This paper presents a case study of the development, implementation and integration of clickers into an introductory MIS course. The benefits, lessons learned and effective practices of integrating the technology in a large lecture format are provided. The case study findings are supplemented with results from student surveys administered to three sections of the same course based on clicker use levels (high, low and no usage). The study found that the use of clickers significantly improved students\u27 perceived performance in the course and classes with clickers experienced greater attendance levels and higher correlations of student performance and attendance. Furthermore, the greater the volume of clicker usage, the more favorable student perceptions were in terms of active learning, motivation, and providing feedback
Quantum simulation of the spin-boson model with a microwave circuit
We consider superconducting circuits for the purpose of simulating the
spin-boson model. The spin-boson model consists of a single two-level system
coupled to bosonic modes. In most cases, the model is considered in a limit
where the bosonic modes are sufficiently dense to form a continuous spectral
bath. A very well known case is the ohmic bath, where the density of states
grows linearly with the frequency. In the limit of weak coupling or large
temperature, this problem can be solved numerically. If the coupling is strong,
the bosonic modes can become sufficiently excited to make a classical
simulation impossible. Here, we discuss how a quantum simulation of this
problem can be performed by coupling a superconducting qubit to a set of
microwave resonators. We demonstrate a possible implementation of a continuous
spectral bath with individual bath resonators coupling strongly to the qubit.
Applying a microwave drive scheme potentially allows us to access the
strong-coupling regime of the spin-boson model. We discuss how the resulting
spin relaxation dynamics with different initialization conditions can be probed
by standard qubit-readout techniques from circuit quantum electrodynamics.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure
Stellar model atmospheres with magnetic line blanketing. III. The role of magnetic field inclination
Context. See abstract in the paper.
Aims. In the last paper of this series we study the effects of the magnetic
field, varying its strength and orientation, on the model atmosphere structure,
the energy distribution, photometric colors and the hydrogen Balmer line
profiles. We compare with the previous results for an isotropic case in order
to understand whether there is a clear relation between the value of the
magnetic field angle and model changes, and to study how important the
additional orientational information is. Also, we examine the probable
explanation of the visual flux depressions of the magnetic chemically peculiar
stars in the context of this work.
Methods. We calculated one more grid of the model atmospheres of magnetic A
and B stars for different effective temperatures (Teff=8000K, 11000K, 15000K),
magnetic field strengths (B=0, 5, 10, 40 kG) and various angles of the magnetic
field (Omega=0-90 degr) with respect to the atmosphere plane. We used the
LLmodels code which implements a direct method for line opacity calculation,
anomalous Zeeman splitting of spectral lines, and polarized radiation transfer.
Results. We have not found significant changes in model atmosphere structure,
photometric and spectroscopic observables or profiles of hydrogen Balmer lines
as we vary the magnetic field inclination angle Omega. The strength of the
magnetic field plays the main role in magnetic line blanketing. We show that
the magnetic field has a clear relation to the visual flux depressions of the
magnetic CP stars.
Conclusions. See abstract in the paper.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
A Qualitative Analysis of Women's Short Accounts of Labour and Birth in a Western Australian Public Tertiary Hospital
This paper reports the findings of the postnatal qualitative arm of a larger study,which investigated women's prenatal and postnatal levels of childbirth fear. Women's expectations and experiences of labour and birth in a Western Australian public tertiary hospital were identified following thematic analysis of short written accounts from 141 participants who had given birth in the previous 6 to 14 weeks. Four major categories emerged to describe features and mediating factors in the trajectory of childbirth and the early puerperium "Anticipating Labour and Birth", "Labour and birth Depicted", "Mediating Factors and their consequences" and "Evaluating, Resolving, and Looking Ahead" portray women's comparative reflections on expectations and realities of birth, on mediating influences, and on moving on from their experience. These findings will provide maternity care professionals with insight into the personal and environmental features of the childbirth setting which colours women's recollections. Being aware of what women value during labour and birth will reinforce the need for professionals to provide care using a mindful approach that considers the potential psychological, emotional and behavioural implications of events
Palaeomagnetic time and space constraints of the Early Cretaceous Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (Eastern Alps)
© The Authors 2017. The Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (RDF) is a Lower Cretaceous-lower Palaeocene turbidite succession extending for ~500 km from the Danube at Vienna to the Rhine Valley (Eastern Alps). It consists of calcareous and siliciclastic turbidite systems deposited in a trench abyssal plain. The age of deposition has been estimated through micropalaeontologic dating. However, palaeomagnetic studies constraining the age and the palaeolatitude of deposition of the RDF are still missing. Here, we present palaeomagnetic data from the Early Cretaceous Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations of the RDF from two localities in the Bavarian Alps (Rehbrein Creek and Lainbach Valley, southern Germany), and from the stratigraphic equivalent of the Falknis Nappe (Liechtenstein). The quality of the palaeomagnetic signal has been assessed by either fold test (FT) or reversal test (RT). Sediments from the Falknis Nappe are characterized by a pervasive syntectonic magnetic overprint as tested by negative FT, and are thus excluded from the study. The sediments of the Rehbreingraben Formation at Rehbrein Creek, with positive RT, straddle magnetic polarity Chron M0r and the younger M'-1r' reverse event, with an age of ~127-123 Ma (late Barremian-early Aptian). At Lainbach Valley, no polarity reversals have been observed, but a positive FT gives confidence on the reliability of the data. The primary palaeomagnetic directions, after correction for inclination shallowing, allow to precisely constrain the depositional palaeolatitude of the Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations around ~28°N. In a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Alpine Tethys at the Barremian/Aptian boundary, the RDF is located on the western margin of the Briançonnais terrain, which was separated from the European continent by the narrow Valais Ocean
Midwives\u27 knowledge, attitudes and learning needs regarding antenatal vaccination
Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and learning needs of midwives regarding antenatal vaccination.
Design & Setting: A cross-sectional, paper-based survey of midwives employed at the only public tertiary maternity hospital in the Australian state of XX between November 2015 and July 2016.
Participants: 252 midwives providing care in antepartum, intrapartum, and/or postpartum settings.
Measurements: Self-reported responses to a 41-item survey.
Findings: The vast majority of midwives supported influenza and pertussis vaccination for pregnant women, with 90.0% and 71.7% reporting they would recommend pertussis and influenza vaccine, respectively, to a pregnant friend or family member, and almost all stating that midwives should administer vaccines to pregnant patients (94.8%). Seven out of ten midwives (68.1%) responded correctly to all knowledge items regarding vaccines recommended during pregnancy; 52.8% demonstrated correct knowledge regarding vaccine administration despite only 36.6% having attended an education session on antenatal vaccination in the previous two years. Nearly all midwives (97.3%) expressed a need for more education on vaccine administration. The most commonly reported barrier to administering influenza (61.3%) and pertussis (59.0%) vaccination was having staff available with the certification required to administer vaccines.
Key Conclusions: Midwives view antenatal vaccination as their responsibility and are interested and receptive to education.
Implications for Practice: There is an unmet need and demand among midwives for professional development that would enable them to recommend and administer vaccines to pregnant women in accordance with national immunisation guidelines and integrate vaccination into routine antenatal care
NASA Science4Girls and Their Families: Connecting Local Libraries with NASA Scientists and Education Programs to Engage Girls in STEM
NASA Science4Girls and Their Families (NS4G) partners NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education programs with public libraries to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities and career information for girls and their families, along with training for librarians, in conjunction with Women's History Month (March). NS4G is a collaboration among education teams within the four NASA SMD education and public outreach (E/PO) Forums: Planetary, Earth, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. It began in 2012 as an Astrophysics-led program (Astro4Girls) with 9 events around the country. Upon expanding among the four Forums, over 73 events were held in Spring 2013 (Fig. 1), with preparations underway for events in Spring 2014. All events are individually evaluated by both the student participants and participating librarians to assess their effectiveness in addressing audience needs
Wave propagation in axion electrodynamics
In this paper, the axion contribution to the electromagnetic wave propagation
is studied. First we show how the axion electrodynamics model can be embedded
into a premetric formalism of Maxwell electrodynamics. In this formalism, the
axion field is not an arbitrary added Chern-Simon term of the Lagrangian, but
emerges in a natural way as an irreducible part of a general constitutive
tensor.We show that in order to represent the axion contribution to the wave
propagation it is necessary to go beyond the geometric approximation, which is
usually used in the premetric formalism. We derive a covariant dispersion
relation for the axion modified electrodynamics. The wave propagation in this
model is studied for an axion field with timelike, spacelike and null
derivative covectors. The birefringence effect emerges in all these classes as
a signal of Lorentz violation. This effect is however completely different from
the ordinary birefringence appearing in classical optics and in premetric
electrodynamics. The axion field does not simple double the ordinary light cone
structure. In fact, it modifies the global topological structure of light cones
surfaces. In CFJ-electrodynamics, such a modification results in violation of
causality. In addition, the optical metrics in axion electrodynamics are not
pseudo-Riemannian. In fact, for all types of the axion field, they are even
non-Finslerian
HD 12098 and other results from NainiTal-Cape survey
NainiTal-Cape Survey is a survey started with the aim of searching for new
rapidly oscillating Ap stars in the northern hemisphere and has discovered one
mono-periodic roAp star HD 12098. The frequency separation of HD 12098 suggests
a rotation period of 5.5 day for the star. The discovery of roAp oscillations
in HD 12098 and the results of the multi-site observation campaign organized to
resolve the ambiguity in the determination of the rotation period of HD 12098
is presented. The results of non oscillating Ap stars discovered in the survey
and two promising roAp candidates HD 17431 and HD 207561 are also presented. If
confirmed, the variability in HD 207561 will make it the first Am star showing
roAp type rapid variability.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, JAA sty, To appear in the proceedings of ARIES
international workshop on Asteroseismolog
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