Commercialising Australia's interstate rail freight transport: Some ownership and investment issues

The paper addresses the issues of rights of way ownership and application of consistent investment appraisal techniques across modes of transport. There are linkages between ownership, rights of way, competitive strategies and market contestability which will have a significant bearing on the choice of investment criteria used by commercialised railways. Investment methodologies in competing modes of land transport must be consistent. Investment in individual elements of railway infrastructure must be integrated with the overall cost recovery strategy of the operator. Major railway projects must be submitted to both financial and economic evaluation, so that the interests of individual railway authorities and the community are considered

Computer‐based interactive tutorial versus traditional lecture for teaching introductory aspects of pain

In the health sciences, a wide range of computer‐based courseware is now available. The aim of the study described in this paper has been to compare the effectiveness of a computer‐based learning (CBL) software package and a traditional lecture (TL) for the delivery, of introductory material on pain. Nineteen undergraduate nursing students were divided into two groups to attend a one‐hour learning session which introduced clinical aspects of pain and which was delivered by either CBL or TL. Students were assessed for prior knowledge by a pre‐session test, and for knowledge gain by an identical post‐session test. In addition, a multiple‐choice question paper was used to examine differences in pain knowledge between the two groups, and a questionnaire was used to examine the students’ views on their experience during the learning session. The results demonstrated that both groups showed significant knowledge gain after their respective learning sessions. No significant differences between the groups in the magnitude of knowledge gain were found for clinical aspects of pain delivered during the learning sessions. The attitude questionnaire revealed that students attending CBL reported similar learning experiences to those attending the lecture

Introducing the modified paranormal belief scale: distinguishing between classic paranormal beliefs, religious paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity among undergraduates in Northern Ireland and Wales

Previous empirical studies concerned with the association between paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity have produced conflicting evidence. Drawing on Rice's (2003) distinction between classic paranormal beliefs and religious paranormal beliefs, the present study proposed a modified form of the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale to produce separate scores for these two forms of paranormal belief, styled 'religious paranormal beliefs' and 'classic paranormal beliefs'. Data provided by a sample of 143 undergraduate students in Northern Ireland and Wales, who completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity alongside the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, demonstrated that conventional religiosity is positively correlated with religious paranormal beliefs, but independent of classic paranormal beliefs. These findings provide a clear framework within which previous conflicting evidence can be interpreted. It is recommended that future research should distinguish clearly between these two forms of paranormal beliefs and that the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale should be routinely modified to detach the four religious paranormal belief items from the total scale score

Accordion dreams

This is a piece for piano, performed by Richard Casey at the Conservatoire Frederic Chopin, Paris as part of the Contemporary British Piano Music Festival

Morality, Education, and Judgement

To better understand the nature of teaching, educational research can focus on many issues. It can, for example, illuminate the challenges teachers face daily by studying the kind of emotional distress they typically experience. Research can also look into the types of relationships they have with their colleagues at school. A thorough investigation of the rapport between teachers can help us learn the extent to which teachers can rely on others for professional support. Another promising and interesting mode of investigation is to scrutinize what teachers actually do behind classroom doors. Research can study the kinds of tasks they set, the ways in which they praise students, and how they explain difficult concepts or themes. This paper will examine the moral evaluations teachers give in class, a practice that has not received much attention in studies in education. Teachers, as we shall see, commonly evaluate what students do and say from an ethical frame of reference, labelling and categorizing particular actions as morally right or wrong. A close study of moral evaluation can hopefully deepen our understanding of what teaching i

The Highlands and Islands Development Board, 1965-70: Policy-Making in an Administrative Setting

Abstract Not Provided

Civil Society and Blasphemy Laws Following the Arab Uprisings: Cases From Egypt and Tunisia

This study seeks to determine the contribution that civil society institutions make in democracy promotion. Due to the malleable nature of civil society, it can be a tool utilized by undemocratic governments to ensure the continuity of the status quo or by progressive elements in society as a catalyst for democratic consolidation. The autonomy and prevalence of civil society institutions are the determining factors of a healthy civil society. Prevalence of civil society institutions is defined as the number of civil society organizations in a country and autonomy is defined as the independence civil society has from the government. When there are high levels of autonomy and prevalence of civil society institutions then one should expect to see higher levels of democratic consolidation and greater blasphemy protections. The results of this study demonstrate that healthy civil societies facilitate blasphemy protections. This study will analyze relevant literature on the interplay between civil society institutions and democracy promotion. Case studies will be taken from two countries: Egypt and Tunisia. The nature of civil society and of democracy in these three will be evaluated. This study expects to show a positive relationship between the health of civil society and the amount of democratic consolidation within a country