On clusters of entrepreneurs - an austrian approach to innovative milieu

For the last 10 years, connections between economic geography, theory of innovation and the new theory of growth have produced substantial progress in the analysis of regional agglomeration. In this context, the theory on "innovative milieus" developed by the GREMI group has adressed a wide range of theoretical issues dealing with the dynamics of local production systems. The economic of innovative milieu has enables the study of links between technological innovation and geographical proximity proving that coordination problem of local economic agents is a central theoretical question in the major perspective of an economic analysis of territory as space of coordination. Innovative milieus are discovery procedures and refer to collective actions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of innovative milieu from an entrepreneurial process. We consider that entrepreneurs are a critical element in the emergence and validity of innovative milieus. Four main concepts from Austrian Economics - Entrepreneurship, dicovery process, coordination and imagination - guide our reflection on innovative milieu. Keywords : Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur, Discovery Process, Austrian Economics, Innovative Milieu, Coordination.

Field trial with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum agains bands of the grasshopper Rhammatocerus schistocercoides in Brazil.

The efficacy of a mycoinsecticide formulated in vegetable oil was tested in Brazil against the grasshopper Rhammatocerus schistocercoides. A set of experiments was conducted in the Chapada dos Parecis region (Mato Grosso state), a permanent zone of outbreaks for this pest. Experiments were performed in zones of natural vegetation, against grasshopper bands in the third nymphal instar. Three nymphal bands were treated with a mycoinsecticide formulation based on conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum (=M. flavoviride), strain CG 423. Three non-treated bands were used as control. The application was made with the aid of a hand-held ULV sprayer adjusted to deliver 2 1 of the formulation ha', each containing 1 x 10¹³ conidia. Treatments were limited to the surface of the grasshopper hands and their immediate borders (5-10 m). The efficacy of the mycoinsecticide was evaluated through band survival after treatment (grasshopper numbers surface, density, behaviour and daily movement of the band), allowing the insects to move freely in their natural environment. Insects were regularly surveyed and maintained in the laboratory, allowing estimates of the infection rate. Field and laboratory studies showed a clear effect of the product 10 days after treatment. At 14 days post-spraying, mortality caused by the mycoinsecticide in the field was approximately 88%. (Résumé d'auteur

A Computer Program for Simplifying Incompletely Specified Sequential Machines Using the Paull and Unger Technique

This report presents a description of a computer program mechanized to perform the Paull and Unger process of simplifying incompletely specified sequential machines. An understanding of the process, as given in Ref. 3, is a prerequisite to the use of the techniques presented in this report. This process has specific application in the design of asynchronous digital machines and was used in the design of operational support equipment for the Mariner 1966 central computer and sequencer. A typical sequential machine design problem is presented to show where the Paull and Unger process has application. A description of the Paull and Unger process together with a description of the computer algorithms used to develop the program mechanization are presented. Several examples are used to clarify the Paull and Unger process and the computer algorithms. Program flow diagrams, program listings, and a program user operating procedures are included as appendixes

Skuteczność, ewaluacja, rozmieszczenie terytorialne - odczytywanie francuskiego pejzażu uniwersyteckiego

This paper shows how the ‘the French university landscape’ can be read from a few perspectives. Those perspectives are associated with the author’s experience as a researcher, the chief inspector at the French Ministry of National Education, the prime minister^ advisor on national education, higher education and research, and, last but not least, the director of the International Centre for Pedagogical Studies (CIEP) in Sćvres near Paris. At first, the author presents the reform of higher education which has been running in France for a few years (parliamentary documents), assessment of the student environment and the links between universities and secondary schools. Then those issues are confronted against real-life practices. The author reviews the current reforms by asking about the correlation between the size of a university and its efficiency, its size and research work, as well as the correlation between education and research. He also reiterates the need for ongoing reflection on the mission of higher education and research.Artykuł jest próbą spojrzenia na zagadnienie „odczytywania francuskiego pejzażu uniwersyteckiego” z kilku punktów widzenia wynikających z doświadczeń autora - jako pracownika naukowego, głównego inspektora we francuskim Ministerstwie Edukacji Narodowej, doradcy premiera do spraw edukacji narodowej, szkolnictwa wyższego i badań, a wreszcie dyrektora Międzynarodowego Centrum Studiów Pedagogicznych (CIEP) z siedzibą w Sevres pod Paryżem. Na wstępie autor przedstawia przeprowadzaną od kilku lat reformę szkolnictwa wyższego we Francji (ustawy), ocenę środowiska studenckiego oraz powiązania między uniwersytetem a szkolnictwem średnim. Następnie kwestie te konfrontuje ze stosowaną praktyką. Dokonuje przeglądu realizowanych reform poprzez pytania o zależność między wielkością uczelni a jej efektywnością oraz prowadzonymi badaniami, a także między kształceniem a badaniami. Przypomina również o konieczności nieustannej refleksji nad misją, jaka wiąże się ze szkolnictwem wyższym i badaniami