Socio-Economic Evaluation of the Potential for Australian Tree Species in the Philippines

Crop Production/Industries,

Some new results on decidability for elementary algebra and geometry

We carry out a systematic study of decidability for theories of (a) real vector spaces, inner product spaces, and Hilbert spaces and (b) normed spaces, Banach spaces and metric spaces, all formalised using a 2-sorted first-order language. The theories for list (a) turn out to be decidable while the theories for list (b) are not even arithmetical: the theory of 2-dimensional Banach spaces, for example, has the same many-one degree as the set of truths of second-order arithmetic. We find that the purely universal and purely existential fragments of the theory of normed spaces are decidable, as is the AE fragment of the theory of metric spaces. These results are sharp of their type: reductions of Hilbert's 10th problem show that the EA fragments for metric and normed spaces and the AE fragment for normed spaces are all undecidable.Comment: 79 pages, 9 figures. v2: Numerous minor improvements; neater proofs of Theorems 8 and 29; v3: fixed subscripts in proof of Lemma 3

Detecting early signs of depressive and manic episodes in patients with bipolar disorder using the signature-based model

Recurrent major mood episodes and subsyndromal mood instability cause substantial disability in patients with bipolar disorder. Early identification of mood episodes enabling timely mood stabilisation is an important clinical goal. Recent technological advances allow the prospective reporting of mood in real time enabling more accurate, efficient data capture. The complex nature of these data streams in combination with challenge of deriving meaning from missing data mean pose a significant analytic challenge. The signature method is derived from stochastic analysis and has the ability to capture important properties of complex ordered time series data. To explore whether the onset of episodes of mania and depression can be identified using self-reported mood data.Comment: 12 pages, 3 tables, 10 figure

Report Writing and Publication Strategy

In an academic world, it is critical to develop a research 'track record', a key indicator of which is the publications list. This can influence job satisfaction, promotion opportunities, and success in obtaining grants and consultancies. Publications are probably the single most important means by which researchers in universities, colleges and research institutions are evaluated. Publishing research results sends a signal to potential research funders and employers that the researcher is capable of bringing a research project to a conclusion and can produce a tangible outcome. Peer review provides a critical validation of the research methods and findings. Publications are also a major element in the transfer of technology - such as new processes and new understanding of system behaviour and management techniques - to potential users. Particularly when grant funding has been obtained, publication is expected, and is the requirement for further funding. Writing papers is a critical task for researchers. Many people do excellent conceptualisation, literature reviews, statistical analysis and other research activities, but fail to document their findings in a non-perishable and widely available form. Some people are 'writerholics' who write through compulsion; others are strongly disinclined to 'put pen to paper' and will always find something else pressing to do rather than write up their research. Writing is to some extent a matter of habit. However, some tips can be given to improve writing skills. While success in research is to a large extent a matter of commitment and perseverance, a number of strategies may be employed to increase effectiveness. Different strategies work best for different people, but a number of observations may be made as to how to be more effective in this endeavor. This module examines various aspects writing up and publishing research findings. The observations made here represent to some extent the personal views and experiences of the authors, and are designed to provoke interest and discussion on research publication strategies

Introduction to Discounted Cash Flow Analysis and Financial Functions in Excel

The financial and economic analysis of investment projects is typically carried out using the technique of discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. This module introduces concepts of discounting and DCF analysis for the derivation of project performance criteria such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and benefit to cost (B/C) ratios. These concepts and criteria are introduced with respect to a simple example, for which calculations using MicroSoft Excel are demonstrated

Team Building, Grant Seeking and Project Administration

The various research techniques introduced in earlier modules need to be viewed in the broader context of how they will be supported and applied. Doing research is a little like running a business. No matter how good the ideas are and how technically proficient one might be at doing the job, the success of the business depends largely on the structures that are put into place to get the job done. To draw an analogy, doing research in isolation is the business equivalent of running a small manufacturing business as a sole trader. To expand the business beyond this one needs to work with or employ other people (i.e. build or join a team) and capital is needed to do this (i.e. research grants), and this capital needs to be used efficiently and effectively and in accordance with the guidelines of those people (c.f. banks) that provided it (i.e. project management). The researcher then needs to produce a product and sell this product into the market place to generate a return to the business (i.e. completing research and publishing it). This module discusses the issues of research team building, obtaining funds and subsequent project management. In the following module, issues associated with documenting and disseminating the research findings are discussed

Potential Economic Impact of Improving Returns to Smallholder Tree-Farmers In Leyte: A Cost Benefit Analysis of ACIAR Project ASEM/2003/052

This paper presents the results of a cost benefit analysis of the likely impact of ASEM/2003/052 Improving financial returns to smallholder tree farmers in the Philippines. Three main categories of project benefits are identified which coincide with short, medium and long term outcomes, namely: (1) improved returns to existing tree farmers from increased volume and quality of merchantable timber combined with higher stumpage prices flowing from improved market access; calculated to have a net present value of AU$2.4million, (2) improved returns to existing tree farmers from subsequent rotations of tree farms from increased volume and quality of merchantable timber from better management and prices, calculated to have a net present value of AU$3.9million, and (3) expansion of the area of tree farms planted due to the higher returns available, and attributable to, project outputs

Project Planning Workshop Overview and Objectives

This paper presents an overview of the project planning workshop. The aims of the workshop were to update team members on the final project document approved by ACIAR and to present the broad outline of project activities; gain an appreciation of the potential for using existing tree farms as a core part of project activities (through site visits); present detailed plans for each project activity; and plan in detail the implementation of project activities including scheduling of data collection and identification of required resources. The workshop program consisted of a combination of field visits, formal presentations and formal and informal discussions about project implementation. Overall the project planning workshop was viewed as being an outstanding success