Dynamic optimal taxation with human capital.

This paper revisits the dynamic optimal taxation results of Jones, Manuelli, and Rossi (1993, 1997). They use a growth model with human capital and find that optimal taxes on both capital income and labor income converge to zero in steady state. For one of the models under consideration, I show that the representative household's problem does not have an interior solution. This raises concerns since these corners are inconsistent with aggregate data. Interiority is restored if preferences are modified so that human capital augments the value of leisure time. With this change, the optimal tax problem is analyzed and, reassuringly, the Jones, Manuelli, and Rossi results are confirmed: neither capital income nor labor income should be taxed in steady state

Can modeling and simulation really help power system designers?

The rap session provided an informal forum for dissemination of information on the state of the art in modeling and simulation of power processing systems. Merits of time domain and frequency domain approaches were debated and the use of these techniques for the prediction of performance and the optimization of a design were discussed. Although it appears that the present state of the art is somethat primative, interest is high and continued progress and improvement should be forthcoming

Historical geography II: traces remain

The second report in this series turns to focus on the trace in relation to life-writing and biography in historical geography and beyond. Through attention to tracing journeys, located moments and listening to the presence of ghosts (Ogborn, 2005), this report seeks to highlight the range of different ways in which historical geographers have explored lives, deaths, and their transient traces through varied biographical terrains. Continuing to draw attention in historical geography to the darkest of histories, this piece will pivot on moments of discovering the dead to showcase the nuanced ways in which historical geography is opening doors into uncharted lives and unspoken histories

Curriculum and Teacher Education Reforms in Finland That Support the Development of Competences for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract This chapter analyzes how learning twenty-first century competences has been implemented in the Finnish educational context through the enactment of national and local level curricula and the design of a teacher education development program in a decentralized education system, in which teachers, schools, municipalities, and universities have high autonomy. The curricula and development program emphasize learning twenty-first century competences. Both were designed in collaboration with Finnish teachers and teacher educators, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Teacher’s Union, the Student’s Unions, and the Principal Association. The major actions taken to implement these changes included piloting, seminars and conferences, having different support and local level collaborations, and networking. According to recent evaluations, both endeavors – the development of national and local level curricula and a teacher education development program – have resulted in progress towards implementing twenty-first century competences in schools and for teacher education.Peer reviewe

A Comparison of Increases in Volume Load Over 8 Weeks of Low-Versus High-Load Resistance Training

Background: It has been hypothesized that the ability to increase volume load (VL) via a progressive increase in the magnitude of load for a given exercise within a given repetition range could enhance the adaptive response to resistance training. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare changes in volume load (VL) over eight weeks of resistance training (RT) in high-versus low-load protocols. Materials and Methods: Eighteen well-trained men were matched according to baseline strength were randomly assigned to either a low-load RT(LOW,n= 9) where 25 - 35 repetitions were performed per exercise, or a high-load RT (HIGH,n= 9) where 8 - 12 repetitions were performed per exercise. Both groups performed three sets of seven exercises for all major muscles three times per week on nonconsecutive days. Results: After adjusting for the pre-test scores, there was a significant difference between the two intervention groups on post intervention total VL with a very large effect size (F (1, 15) = 16.598, P = .001, p2 = .525). There was a significant relationship between pre-intervention and post-intervention total VL (F (1, 15) = 32.048, P \u3c .0001, p2 = .681) in which the pre-test scores explained 68% of the variance in the post-test scores. Conclusions: This study indicates that low-load RT results in greater accumulations in VL compared to high-load RT over the course of 8 weeks of training

Evaluation of Three Primary Teachers’ Approaches to Teaching Scientific Concepts in Persuasive Ways

The research set out in this paper seeks to develop pedagogical knowledge regarding how persuasive teaching approaches can be developed in primary science classrooms. To achieve this, the paper examines three case studies in which the teachers have been charged to develop and implement teaching strategies designed to persuade their children of the usefulness and validity of target scientific concepts. The analysis probes the teachers’ choice of contexts and patterns of discourse using criteria drawn from the sociocultural literature. Outcomes of the study exemplify how the teachers’ choices of learning contexts fail to emphasise the functionality of the target concepts and as a consequence scant rewards are provided for the children to participate actively in conceptually rich discourse. The final part of the paper explores how the development of what the author calls theme-specific plots, could be used to help teachers to stage teaching and learning performances which emphasise the functionality of specific explanatory models

Teaching energy conservation as a unifying principle in physics

In this work we present the design and assessment of a teaching sequence aimed at introducing the principle of energy conservation at post-compulsory secondary school level (16-18 year olds). The proposal is based on the result of research into teaching-learning difficulties and on the analysis of the physics framework. Evidence is shown that this teaching sequence, together with the methodology used in the classroom, may result in students having a better grasp of the principle of energy conservation. Keywords Physics education · Energy conceptions · Teaching activitie

Teaching of Energy Issues: A debate proposal for a GLobal Reorientation

The growing awareness of serious difficulties in the learning of energy issues has produced a great deal of research, most of which is focused on specific conceptual aspects. In our opinion, the difficulties pointed out in the literature are interrelated and connected to other aspects (conceptual as well as procedural and axiological), which are not sufficiently taken into account in previous research. This paper aims to carry out a global analysis in order to avoid the more limited approaches that deal only with individual aspects. From this global analysis we have outlined 24 propositions that are put forward for debate to lay the foundations for a profound reorientation of the teaching of energy topics in upper high school courses, in order to facilitate a better scientific understanding of these topics, avoid many students' misconceptions and enhance awareness of the current situation of planetary emergency