Opposition policies on identity cards

ID cards are a key point of difference between the main parties. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have pledged to scrap them, while Labour will continue with their plans to introduce them. The LSE Identity Project has been following developments in the UK’s Identity Policy since the early days of the Identity Cards Bill in 2005. Here, Dr Edgar A. Whitley and Dr Gus Hosein from the LSE Identity Project analyse the Labour Party’s manifesto comment on identity cards

How academic research has impact – but not always what the Minister wanted: the story of the LSE Identity Project

The last Labour government policy insisted that henceforward 25 per cent of all government aid to university R & D should be determined by how much ‘impact’ university research has on the economy and public policy. Academics from LSE’s ‘Identity Project’ have been heavily involved in the debates about the now scrapped government identity cards scheme. LSE published a critical report in 2005 only for some of the leading researchers to be singled out for attacks by Labour government ministers. Here Simon Davies, Edgar A. Whitley and Gus Hosein reflect on their experiences and discuss the perils for academic freedom in seeking to influence public policy. A more tolerant and broad-ranging consideration of university research can bring great benefits in building better policies from the outset

How academic research makes impact, but not always in the way the Minister wanted… the story of the LSE Identity Project

The last Labour government policy insisted that henceforward 25 per cent of all government aid to university R & D should be determined by how much ‘impact’ university research has on the economy and public policy. Academics from LSE’s ‘Identity Project’ have been heavily involved in the debates about the now scrapped government identity cards scheme. LSE published a critical report in 2005 only for some of the leading researchers to be singled out for attacks by Labour government ministers. Here Simon Davies, Edgar A. Whitley and Gus Hosein reflect on their experiences and discuss the perils for academic freedom in seeking to influence public policy. A more tolerant and broad-ranging consideration of university research can bring great benefits in building better policies from the outset

Thermodynamic Geometry of Fractional Statistics

We extend our earlier study about the fractional exclusion statistics to higher dimensions in full physical range and in the non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic limits. Also, two other fractional statistics, namely Gentile and Polychronakos fractional statistics, will be considered and similarities and differences between these statistics will be explored. Thermodynamic geometry suggests that a two dimensional Haldane fractional exclusion gas is more stable than higher dimensional gases. Also, a complete picture of attractive and repulsive statistical interaction of fractional statistics is given. For a special kind of fractional statistics, by considering the singular points of thermodynamic curvature, we find a condensation for a non-pure bosonic system which is similar to the Bose-Einstein condensation and the phase transition temperature will be worked out.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure

The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update

Studies conducted since the late 1970s have estimated the net energy value (NEV) of corn ethanol. However, variations in data and assumptions used among the studies have resulted in a wide range of estimates. This study identifies the factors causing this wide variation and develops a more consistent estimate. We conclude that the NEV of corn ethanol has been rising over time due to technological advances in ethanol conversion and increased efficiency in farm production. We show that corn ethanol is energy efficient as indicated by an energy output:input ratio of 1.34.ethanol, net energy balance, corn production, energy, Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Peran Negara Dalam Pengembangan Sistem Ekonomi Kerakyatan Menurut UUD 1945

The concept of people economy cannot be separated with the concept of people's welfare. Both concepts, explicitly and implicitly, are contained in Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. Referring to Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, it is clear that the national economic system Indonesia is intended for social welfare. The problem in this research is how legal policy able to clarify the people's economic as intended in the principles of Article 33 UUD 1945? By using qualitative research method with normative-juridical approach, the study was emphasized by analyzing a variety of resources related to the issues discussed in this paper. The research concludes that the policy of people economic development becomes essential and a priority in order to realize the people prosperity. This can be achieved if the policy of people economic development is supported by the law in the form of legislation which is able to develop micro, small and medium-scale enterprises to take a part in the national business world

U.S. Biodiesel Development: New Markets for Conventional and Genetically Modified Agricultural Products

With environmental and energy source concerns on the rise, using agricultural fats and oils as fuel in diesel engines has captured increasing attention. Substituting petroleum diesel with biodiesel may reduce air emissions, increase the domestic supply of fuel, and create new markets for farmers. U.S. agricultural fats and oils could support a large amount of biodiesel, but high production costs and competing uses for biodiesel feedstocks will likely prevent mass adoption of biodiesel fuel. Higher-priced niche markets could develop for biodiesels as a result of environmental regulations. Biodiesel has many environmental advantages relative to petroleum diesel, such as lower CO, CO2, SOx, and particulate matter emissions. Enhancing fuel properties by genetically modifiying oil crops could improve NOx emissions, cold flow, and oxidative stability, which have been identified as potential problems for biodiesel. Research activities need to be directed toward cost reduction, improving fuel properties, and analyzing the economic effects of biodiesel development on U.S. agriculture.biodiesel, biodiesel blends, fatty acid esters, soybean, oil crops, animal fats, plant genetics, diesel engines, alternative fuels, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Are all net generation students the same? The frequency of technology use at university

This paper looks at the results of a longitudinal study on how frequently the Net Generation students (i.e. those born in the 1980s) use technologies in their first year of university. Eight technology groupings were explored including web 2.0, social networking and computer software. The research investigated whether older Net Generation students (21-25 years) used technologies differently to the younger Net Generation students (≤20 years). Additional factors such as gender, university type (distance-learning or place-based) and nationality (UK or International) were accounted for during the study. The research found that nationality and university type were influential factors in determining the frequency of use across all technologies at the beginning of the academic year and continued to be influencing factors along with gender at the end of the academic year. Age only seemed to be an important factor for the use of Web 2.0 and social networking sites but these uses of technology were also dependent on students’ university type, gender and nationality. Thus these demographic and social factors have to be considered when analysing technology use or designing educational tools. The findings of this study have implications for research into age-related differences in students’ use of digital technologies and universities’ digital technologies training provision