Do rural infrastructure investments benefit the poor? Evaluating linkages : a global view, a focus on Vietnam

What are linkages between rural infrastructure investments, and household welfare? In the past, most of the evaluations to assess the effectiveness of a project, focused on physical outputs, and success of project implementation. In recent years, more attention has been given to the impact of investments, particularly its effect on the poor, both in economic, and non-economic terms. The author presents findings from a survey of the existing literature on such impacts. Although evidence exists for improved household welfare from rural infrastructure investment, little evidence was found of studies that provided concrete linkages between specific investments in rural infrastructure, and increased welfare of the rural poor. This is due in part to the complexity, and oftentimes the concurrent nature of interventions, that make attributing welfare improvements, to a particular project, virtually impossible. The evidence is presented in this three-part paper. Part I gives examples of past, and current attempts to assess the impact of rural infrastructure projects, and provides suggestions for future evaluations. Part II discusses in detail some observed economic, and non-economic impacts on the poor, from different rural infrastructure interventions. Part III presents lessons learned from the literature on how to maximize the impact of rural infrastructure interventions on household welfare. Specific project, and country examples from the literature, and new data from a recent qualitative study in Vietnam, are presented as evidence for, and illustration of key ideas, and issues.Environmental Economics&Policies,Decentralization,Health Economics&Finance,ICT Policy and Strategies,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Agricultural Research,Engineering

Comparison of submillimeter and ultraviolet observations of neutral carbon toward Zeta Ophiuchi

We have observed the ^3P_1 → ^3P_0 ground state transition of C_I emission toward ζ Oph. We compare this observation with predictions made from Copernicus ultraviolet absorption measurements of the population of the ^3P_1 level and with millimeter wave observations of CO

The abundances of atomic carbon and carbon monoxide compared with visual extinction in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud complex

We have observed emission from the 492 GHz lines of C I toward six positions in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud complex for which accurate visual extinctions are available. We find that the column density of C I increases with A_v to greater than 2 x 10^(17) cm^(-2) at 100 mag, the column-averaged fractional abundance reaches a peak of about 2.2 x 10^(-5) for A_v in the range 4-11 mag and the column-averaged abundance ratio of C I to CO decreases with A_v from about 1 at 2 mag to greater than ~0.03 at 100 mag. These results imply that, while C I is not the primary reservoir of gaseous carbon even at cloud edges, its fractional abundance remains high for at least 10 mag into the cloud and may be significant at even greater depths

First detection of the ground-state J_K = 1_0 → 0_0 submillimeter transition of interstellar ammonia

The J_K = 1_0 → 0_0 transition of ammonia at 572.5 GHz has been detected in OMC-1 from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The central velocity of the line (V_(LSR)≈ 9 km s^(-1)) indicates that it originates in the molecular cloud material, not in the hot core. The derived filling factor of ≳ 0.09 in a 2' beam implies a source diameter of ≳ 35" if it is a single clump. This clump area is much larger than that derived from observations of the 1_1 inversion transition. The larger optical depth in the 1_0 → 0_0 transition (75-350) can account for the increased source area and line width as compared with those seen in the 1_1 inversion transition

Chlorine in dense interstellar clouds - The abundance of HCl in OMC-1

We report the first detection of a chlorine-bearing molecular species in the interstellar medium via emission from the J = 1 → 0 transition of HCl at 625.9 GHz toward OMC-1. The relative strengths, widths, and velocities of the resolved hyperfine components are consistent with moderate optical depth emission originating from dense, quiescent molecular cloud material (V_(LSR) = 9 km s^(-1)). The overall emission strength implies a fractional abundance of f(HCl/H_2) ~ (0.5-5.0) x 10^(-8), depending on the density of the emitting region. This is approximately an order of magnitude below previous theoretical estimates and a factor of 3-30 below the cosmic abundance of Cl. Recent laboratory work suggests that the lowered fractional abundance of HCl is caused by a combination of depletion onto grains with gas-phase loss processes such as the reaction of HCl with C^+

Mental imagery, self-defining memories and emotion in individuals likely to develop bipolar disorder

The portfolio has three parts. Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the empirical literature relating to the relationship between mental imagery and emotion is reviewed. Part two is an empirical paper which explores self-defining memories, mental imagery and emotion in individuals likely to develop bipolar disorder. Part three comprises the appendices

Re-Curation and Recognition: Addressing The Curation Crisis Through the Garnet Ghost Town

As universities, federal curation facilities, public museums, and private collections struggle to create space on their shelves curators and archaeologists continuously evaluate what must continue to be stored and what needs to be deaccessioned. Utilizing a collection housed at the University of Montana I explore strategies for combating this issue. The collection originates from the Garnet Ghost Town and has been in the university’s care since its excavation. The objectives of this project are to obtain new information and incorporate innovative techniques to learn more about the collection itself and provide an updated analysis to one of Montana’s most complete Ghost Towns. This is achieved through the process of re-curation. The goals of recurating are to create a digital spreadsheet, identify objects of interest for testing or museum exhibition, extensive photography, and identify portions of the collection to be returned to the Ghost Town for interment. Additionally, re-curating the artifacts with newer theoretical frameworks and a better understanding of the hidden heritages within this industrial heritage landscape. The final objective is to prepare the information compiled so it can be made accessible in an effort to create equality in historic interpretation while creating a process that works in junction with the Bureau of Land Management, The University of Montana, and the public to conserve and preserve as much as possible while making room for the continuation of archaeological research

Surrogacy: Temporary Familial Bonds and the Bondage of Origins in Fouad Laroui’s Une année chez les Français

Embargo ends September 1, 2020Previously published in the Journal of North African StudiesThis article examines Fouad Laroui’s 2010 novel, Une année chez les Français, and charts the protagonist’s development to argue that it offers a new model for Moroccan coming-of-age in a postcolonial context. While Une année is a Bildungsroman, it breaks away from patterns seen in the genre before it to illustrate the possibilities of creating ‘Third Spaces’ (Bhabha 1990). The protagonist, Mehdi, arrives at his moment of ‘apprentissage’ thanks to his pseudo-adoption by a French family and French boarding school, where he experiences what I have termed a pull-push sensation. I outline the sources and effects of the pull-push Mehdi perceives and then turn to argue that these experiences allow him to destabilise the relationship between the concepts of family and familiarity. It is through his newly found understanding that what is familiar is not always family and what is family does not always feel familiar that Mehdi is able to articulate the third space he desires for himself and come of age. While this article focuses on the experiences of a single, fictional character, Une année chez les Francais introduces readers with a framework for imagining the identity-formation of a multiplicity of individuals who have grown up at the intersection of postcolonial North Africa and continental France.World Languages & Culture