Them and us: Britain and the European city

Successful European cities combine high growth, good social outcomes and sustainable development. European cities have a range of different specializations, namely, manufacturing, tertiary services, government, to which interact with each other in complex ways. Compared to their United Kingdom counterparts, many big European cities seem to have higher population growth, educational achievement, quality of life and attractiveness to investors. Many cities on the Continent use formal and informal institutions to ensure that planning and investment are consistent across the real geography of cities. Strong executive leadership is visible in most big cities. Cities like Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam are leaders in integrated, affordable and reliable urban transport systems. There are also cities who show ways to combine good public spaces, high-density urban living and a wide range of other uses in inner urban locations. Furthermore, cities like Stuttgart and Helsinki have built up excellent local innovation systems and have touted their offer to research-intensive businesses

Design Influences in the Creation of an Online Mathematics Unit for Indigenous Adults

This paper documents the specific influences on the design decisions associated with the creation of an online unit for Indigenous adult learners. As part of a bridging course, the unit of study, Thinking Mathematically, primarily aims to increase the students’ mathematical skills and confidence levels in a supportive, constructive context. The manner in which the unit was designed was informed by a number of important factors relating to the specific student audience, the mathematical content of the unit, online learning principles and past feedback from our students. The presentation of the unit content, the provision of learning tools and the selection of communication technologies are aspects of the unit that are examined in this paper

Use of Cognitive Tools as Support Mechanisms for Adult Indigenous Learners in an Online Mathematics Unit

The staff at Kurongkurl Katitjin (the School of Indigenous Australian Studies, at Edith Cowan University) design, develop and teach courses that are offered in a variety of delivery formats: on-campus, online and through traditional distance education. Many of our off-campus courses are now being delivered via the use of online learning technologies. For example, the individual units within the Indigenous University Orientation Course (IUOC) are currently being redesigned to incorporate these new learning and communication technologies. With the major components of these units being based on the internet, learning is also supported by contact with on-campus lecturers, print and multimedia learning resources. This paper considers the instructional design, content preparation and delivery methods selected to create one particular unit of study in the IUOC course, Thinking Mathematically. The roles of the unit development team members involved in the design and production of this unit are outlined. The paper particularly focuses on the manner in which cognitive tools have been incorporated into the unit to scaffold learning opportunities, to promote positive attitudes to the topic and to identify and strengthen the link between theoretical and practical mathematics. Previous research into Indigenous students’ reactions to online learning and mathematics in general informed the unit development processes and was supplemented by research from contemporary literature relating to effective online learning guidelines. Primarily, the paper reports on which cognitive tools were implemented to achieve specific learning outcomes in terms of the students’ knowledge, skills and attitude development

The Energy Investment Index: A business case for Duke University Energy Initiative's Energy Investment Index

The Duke University Energy Initiative, with the goal of establishing Duke University as a leader in energy industry data analytics, is exploring the creation of an index that tracks investment in the energy sector over time. The Index would assist industry leaders, policymakers, and investors in decision-making and consulting by providing a comprehensive summary of trends in energy investment through aggregating data from various sources. This business plan comprises a market scoping analysis, customer and competitor analyses, a discussion of barriers to entry, a detailed description of the product and its underlying models, marketing materials, a financial analysis, and an implementation strategy. It concludes that the creation of the Energy Investment Index is both feasible and advisable

Investigating Trajectories of Social Recovery in Individuals with First Episode Psychosis:A Latent Class Growth Analysis

Background Social disability is a hallmark of severe mental illness yet individual differences and factors predicting outcome are largely unknown. Aim To explore trajectories and predictors of social recovery following a first episode of psychosis (FEP). Method A sample of 764 individuals with FEP were assessed on entry into early intervention in psychosis (EIP) services and followed up over 12 months. Social recovery profiles were examined using latent class growth analysis. Results Three types of social recovery profile were identified: Low Stable (66%), Moderate-Increasing (27%), and High-Decreasing (7%). Poor social recovery was predicted by male gender, ethnic minority status, younger age at onset of psychosis, increased negative symptoms, and poor premorbid adjustment. Conclusions Social disability is prevalent in FEP, although distinct recovery profiles are evident. Where social disability is present on entry into EIP services it can remain stable, highlighting a need for targeted intervention. Declaration of interest Non

Gendered Intra-household Contributions to Low-input Dairy in Senegal

A survey was conducted in two sites of Senegal to determine the intra-household gender roles in the Senegal dairy cattle systems. Two surveys, baseline and longitudinal were conducted and the main survey respondents were the households heads. Households were grouped into two levels (higher or lower) of market orientation using the longitudinal household milk production data. Baseline survey results revealed that adult males (\u3e 15 years of age) were responsible for the costs and decision making of most of the dairy related activities though less so when production was quite low. Adult males, hired males (\u3e 15 years of age), and any other household members, except the female gender were the main labor source for the dairy activities. When comparing who received income from milk sales, income from lower market orientated households went to females for a larger proportion of households, than in higher market orientated households