Enhancing rural road policy: the case for the incorporation of the capabilities approach into rural road appraisal in Africa

Infrastructure provisions, especially rural roads, have been highlighted in a number of recent studies and reports as an enabling factor for Africa to achieve 'development'. This paper reviews the current limits of rural road knowledge and appraisal procedures raising critical issues about what is actually known about the impact of rural roads and the extent to which current appraisal methods are able to fully contribute to this debate. An expanded methodology incorporating the capability approach is advocated to help overcome these issues. It is argued here that incorporation of the capability approach may help overcome certain frustrations in our ability to understand the manner in which rural roads impact upon the lives of people. The suggestion is made that the capability approach offers a different angle of analysis that could further contribute to critical questions surrounding the provision of roads, enhancing appraisal and helping to avoid the creation of further infrastructural 'white elephants' that have plagued Africa. Provision of rural roads is after all quite expensive and without a valid appraisal mechanism, money spent on some rural roads may more constructively be utilised elsewhere either on other roads, or on other sectors.

Race-to-the-Bottom or -Top at Home or Abroad: Health and Safety Standards and the Multinational Firm

We develop a model to illustrate potential complexities in the relationship between corporate geographical diversification and the health and safety (H&S) standards set in national jurisdictions. A firm, that initially has a plant in its home country, may choose to also have one or two foreign plants in order to improve its bargaining position versus local governments, and so ensure reduced H&S standards, i.e. a race-to-the-bottom. However, contrary to the main focus of the popular debate on this topic, we note the potential for the race-to-the-bottom tendency to be exerted on H&S standards in the multinational company’s home rather than host country, and also for an upward push on H&S to instead result.

Competency-Based Education and Federal Student Aid

Competency-based education is increasingly popular because of the flexibility it provides for students seeking a postsecondary credential. Current federal student aid, however, is geared toward supporting students in traditional, time-based degree programs. This paper discusses why current approaches to federal student aid are not supportive of competency-based degree programs and explores how federal statute and regulations could be changed, in ways that are not reliant on time and credit hours, to disburse aid to students while minimizing fraud

Glaciation of Chagvan Bay Area, Southwestern Alaska

Morphologic and stratigraphic evidence in this area indicates that a four-fold succession of glaciers originating in the Ahklun Mountains, spread over the coastal lowlands as broad piedmont lobes. The Kemuk and Clara Creek glaciations are considered Pre-Wisconsin, the Chagvan and Unaluk glaciations Wisconsin in age. Radiocarbon dates for the Unavuk and Chagvan drifts are 8910 ± 110 yr and >45,000 yr respectively. A broad bedrock channel buried beneath unconsolidated preglacial and glacial sediments was cut when relative sea level was 200 ft below its present level. Relationships of sedimentary fills to this and to a younger buried channel point to late Tertiary submergence of the Bering Shelf followed by eustatic changes related to fluctuations of Pleistocene glaciers.Au voisinage de la baie Chagvan, les indices morphologiques et stratigraphiques révèlent qu'à au moins quatre reprises, des glaciers descendus des monts Ahklun se sont répandus sur les basses-terres côtières en formant de larges lobes de piedmont. La plus ancienne moraine, déposée au cours de la glaciation de Kemuk, est profondément altérée et complètement recouverte par de la moraine plus récente. Les berges morainiques massives de la glaciation de Clara Creek, la seconde en âge et la plus étendue des avancées glaciaires, ont été grandement modifiées par l'érosion et les mouvements de masse, mais les sédiments qui les composent sont moins altérés que ceux de la moraine de Kemuk. Les moraines construites durant les glaciations moins étendues de Chagvan et d'Unaluk montrent une topographie moins modifiée, caractérisée par des crêtes basses et arquées et de nombreux lacs de fonte (Kettle) : les datations au radiocarbone assignent un âge minimum de 8910 ± 110 ans à la moraine d'Unaluk et de plus de 45,000 à la moraine de Chagvan.Un large chenal, enfoui sous des sédiments préglaciaires et glaciaires non-consolidés, a été creusé dans la roche en glace à une époque où le niveau de la mer se trouvait à 200 pieds (60 m) ou plus sous le niveau actuel. Les rapports entre, d'une part, les remblaiements sédimentaires et, d'autre part, ce chenal et un autre chenal fossile plus récent indiquent une submergence finitertiaire de la plateforme de Béring, suivie de changements eustatiques liés aux fluctuations des glaciers pléistocènes

The Effect of Bidding Information in Ascending Auctions.

We study the effect of the drop out and reenter information in an environment where bidders' values involve both private and common value components. We find that (1) providing bidding information does not have a significant effect on expected revenue and expected efficiency. (2) The effect of information on winner's expected profit depends on the range of uncertainty of the common value component and the level of Nash profit prediction, which the auctioneer has no a priori knowledge. In our environment, where bidders have a private component to their value and the auction takes place in ascending clock format, (3) bidders do not suffer from the winner's curse when information is not provided. (4) Information substantially increases the variability of revenue and winner?s profit when the range of uncertainty of the common value component is large. (5) Bidders? response to information depends on the range of uncertainty.

The Samuel Smith land grants: a historical study of land ownership and use in southern West Virginia

This study intends to illustrate the history of several tracts of land granted to General Samuel Smith, of Baltimore, Maryland by the state of Virginia in the years 1796 and 1797 containing, in totality, 300,000 acres (more or less). This research attempts to untangle some of the tangled web of ownership (both surface and mineral) that has affected this tract in particular and reflects the general trend of corporate land ownership in southern West Virginia

How should we follow up a positive screen for anemia in a 1-year old?

Healthy infants who test positive for anemia on routine screening at 1 year of age are most likely iron-deficient and may be treated empirically with a trial of iron therapy (3-6 mg of elemental iron/kg/d). Documentation of response to iron confirms the diagnosis of iron-deficiency (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B; evidence from randomized controlled trials with some conflicting results; lack of evidence for long-term benefits/harms of screening strategies). In these cases, further testing with a complete blood count, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width (RDW), serum ferritin concentration, as well as hemoglobinopathy screening when appropriate, may be effective in determining the cause of anemia (SOR: C, expert opinion)

The prevalence of parent reported food hypersensitivity at school entry in Malta

Food hypersensitivity refers to an adverse reaction to food at a dose which is tolerated by the majority of individuals, which is further classified into allergic and non-allergic food-hypersensitivity. Research on food hypersensitivity in young children is minimal, with countries like Malta lacking research on this topic. The reported prevalence of food hypersensitivity worldwide for the paediatric population to date in the 21st century ranges from 1% in Denmark to 38.4% in Germany. With regards to available research on food hypersensitivity for the age group 4 to 6 years, parent reported prevalence ranges from 4.2 to 11.8%, with the value going down to 2.5% when including research that reports a point prevalence based on food challenge and/or suggestive history and skin tests. The main food group causing food hypersensitivity worldwide in the paediatric population aged eighteen and under is reported to be cow’s milk and milk products, with other food groups being country specific. This research aimed to provide local statistics in food hypersensitivity in the paediatric population, as the prevalence of such allergic and non-allergic food hypersensitivity (intolerance) to food in Malta was not previosuly documented. This research has found a 2.5%-point prevalence of food hypersensitivity in the 5-to 6yr-old population under study. Milk and milk products followed by tree nuts have been identified as the main hypersensitivity causing food in this study. The statistics and recommendations of this study provide an opportunity to the Maltese Healthcare system to start providing a holistic service which deals with food hypersensitivity.peer-reviewe