- JAPAN/USA: (THE APPARENT) MIRACLE OF CONVERGENCE

With reference to the Baumol/de Long controversy over the importance of the sample selection when verifying the convergence hypothesis, the paper concludes that the convergence results are conditioned by the joint consideration of the United States and Japan in the same country sample. The illustration of this result lays on the ó-convergence concept and uses the simple coefficient of variation as dispersion statistics. The database is the one provided by the OCDE regarding prices and estimates of constant purchasing power parity (base year 1990). In the Appendix, the results are compared with those obtained with an alternative source, the database supplied by Summers and Heston (Mark 5.6). Tomando como referente la polémica Baumol/de Long sobre la importancia de la selección de la muestra en la contrastación de la hipótesis de convergencia, el trabajo concluye que ésta se encuentra condicionada por la consideración conjunta de Estados Unidos y Japón en la muestra de países. La ilustración de este resultado descansa en el concepto de ó-convergencia y utiliza como estadístico de dispersión el coeficiente de variación simple. La base de datos es la proporcionada por la OCDE relativa a precios y paridad de poder de compra constantes (año base 1990). En el Anexo se comparan los resultados con los obtenidos utilizando, como fuente alternativa, la base de datos proporcionada por Summers y Heston (Mark 5.6).Convergencia, selección de la muestra, OCDE. Convergence, sample selection, OCDE

URBAN LANDSCAPE QUALITY AND FACTORS THAT HAVE INFLUENCE ON LANDSCAPE QUALITY IN LATGALE REGION

The paper deals with urban landscape individualities in the cities and towns of Latgale region. Also show facilities and methods of integrated assessment of urban landscape quality. Article provides information about specifics of urban landscape and factors, that have influence on landscape quality. The paper presents the results of Daugavpils and Rēzekne urban landscape quality complex assessment, that have been realised in 2003- 2005. This results don’t establish significant disparities between quality of urban landscape among Daugavpils and Rēzekne. This method of urban landscape assessment makes possible to get believeable and precise information about landscapes quality

Urban Development Trends In The Latgale Region At The Beginning Of The 21st Century

The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of urban development trends in the Latgale region, observed at the beginning of the 21st century and to a large extent also outlines the direction of future development. The paper is based on the evaluation of spatial development planning documents,the analysis of the available statistical data and the review of the urban development projects subject to implementation, supplemented by some results of field studies on the urban environment quality. Though the urban environment and partly also the landscape quality has been improved during the last period, as well as in many areas with support of the EU programmes major urban environment development projects are being implemented, however the economic growth is stalling, depopulation processes are not contained, and the regional urban development index is expressly negative. In the course of the administrative and territorial reform the status of the majority of towns and cities of the Latgale region has significantly changed, and sustainable urban development in the region is still under real threat

Can There Be Post-Persons and What Can We Learn From Considering Their Possibility?

Many prominent bioethicists have recently raised the question of the possibility of moral status enhancement. In this paper I discuss the arguments advanced by Nicholas Agar for the possible existence of the postpersons. I argue that in spite of the many limitations and shortcomings of Agar’s account, there are no conclusive reasons to rule out the possibility of moral status enhancement. However, if post-persons are as they are described by Agar, the fact of their possibility is less interesting and ethically relevant than it might seem. Most importantly, the account of post-persons given by Agar is rather an outcome of some implausible assumptions. I propose that Agar conflates the ethical with the scientific and dismisses the importance of phenomenology in framing our ethical outlook. Also, he seems to follow the assumption made by many utilitarian ethicists that such features as sentience and cognitive capacities have some universal relevance. This accounts for the delusion that we can view our moral attitudes from the point of view of the Universe

On the advancement of science and technology among nations: the importance of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries in five countries

The aims of this study were to compare the importance of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries in five countries: France, West Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan. Three advanced technology industries were selected: microelectronics, machine tools and advanced materials. Data were collected from governments in the five countries, academia, independent research organizations, trade associations, industry and international organizations. The data were analyzed using statistical procedures and the results were related to classical and the "new" theories of comparative advantage determinants for the five countries. Critical analysis was also undertaken of the theories that postulate the role of government policies for industrial growth in the light of the rapid geographic diffusion of advanced technology sectors across national boundaries. As a result of these analyses the role of government policies upon the development of advanced technology industries was identified in the five countries. Analyses were undertaken to determine government policies that were successful and those that were not and the reasons for the success or failure of these policies in the light of economic, social, political and geographic factors

Enhancing Pre-service Teachers’ Noticing: A Learning Environment about Fraction Concept

Professional noticing allows teachers to recognise important events in a classroom and give effective responses using their knowledge. Hence developing this competence in teacher training programs is an issue in the Mathematics Education field. In this study, we present the design of a learning environment about the part-whole meaning of fraction to develop pre-service primary school teachers’ noticing of students’ mathematical thinking. The learning environment is designed around three tasks (vignettes) that pre-service teachers have to analyse using knowledge from research on mathematics education provided as a students’ hypothetical learning trajectory. Eighty-five pre-service primary school teachers participated in this learning environment. Pre-service teachers’ written answers to the three tasks are the data of this study. Results allow us to characterise the enhancement of pre-service teacher noticing through looking at the changes in the discourse generated in the three tasks.The project I+D+i EDU2017-87411-R from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, Spain) supported this research

INSOLVENCY PROCESS OF LEGAL ENTITIES: THE NEW LAW FIRST YEAR’S APPLICATION PROBLEMS

In June 2010 Latvian Parliament (Saeima) adopted the new Insolvency Law. This article provides analysis of the main problem issues arising of a new law regulating legal entities insolvency process, and, subsequently, on the basis of the present research identifies several areas for further improvement of the legal regulation. The above confirms relevance of the topic of the present article and its importance. The research has the following tasks: identification and investigation of the main problem issues arising of a new law regulating legal entities insolvency process; examination and analysis of the legal entities insolvency process. With the view of the purpose set for this research, the author has applied empirical and theoretical scientific research methods