Deterioration and fragmentation of rivers in Malta

Malta, situated in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily, is a small island of less than 300 km2. Two hundred years ago Malta was a wet and sodden country. The limestone was like a sponge, with numerous perennial springs, great and small, and so full of water that most flat areas did not drain, but were marsh. Water from springs, rivers and marshes was in ample supply. In the space of two centuries, Malta's rivers have passed from being good, spring-regulated watercourses with a mixed community of clean limewater plants, to the present-day situation where many if not all are on the verge of extinction. This is the result of human impact, not climate change, and is set to continue and increase. Unfortunately the best wetland-type valley communities were scheduled to be destroyed in 1997 but, after a change of Government and vigorous representations, these may now be spared. However, there is at least a great opportunity to prevent further fragmentation of remaining rivers and to reclaim some of the fragmented portions

Costs of Participation in the School Administration Manager (SAM) Process

Analyzes variations in school districts' implementation costs, by model, of the school administration manager process to help principals increase the time they spend on instructional leadership. Explores funding sources

Cross-Correlation analysis of WMAP and EGRET in Wavelet Space

We cross correlate the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) first year data and the diffuse gamma-ray intensity maps from the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) using spherical wavelet approaches. Correlations at 99.7% significance level have been detected, at scales around $15^{\circ}$ in the WMAP foreground cleaned W-band and Q-band maps, based on data from regions that are outside the most conservative WMAP foreground mask; no significant correlation is found with the Tegmark cleaned map. The detected correlation is most likely of Galactic origin, and thus can help us probing the origins of possible Galactic foreground residuals and ultimately removing them from measured microwave sky maps.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ

A Series of Five Graded Selections for String Ensemble (Representing Development at the End of Each Year for Five Years)

The problem involved in this project is the composition of a series of selections for string ensemble. The series is comprised of five sections, each to parallel general achievement of the string students at the end of each year for five years. The degree of advancement one year over another is based not upon the slow student, nor the student who learns extremely fast. Nor is it graded to meet achievement of students who have been afforded a large amount of private instruction over the five years. Rather, it is based upon the growth and development, as observed by the writer, in a group of students of the Ogden City Schools. The writer believes that this would be typical of youngsters in other systems. Also, it is generally agreed upon by string music educators that a group of violins will reach a higher degree of proficiency over a given period of time than will the lower strings, viz., cellos and string basses. This fact has been kept in mind in the writing of these ensembles

Statistical boundaries: A means by which the realities of rural decline in the Western Australian wheatbelt has been hidden

This paper will focus on a recent demographic study of the statistical subdivisions between Geraldton and Esperance and an ethnographic survey in that region, undertaken to understand the changes occurring in rural- communities. The paper will then examine the links between continuing depopulation trends and diminishing infrastructure, focusing on how these demographic changes impact on the daily lives of the Western Australian agricultural population, particularly women, and what effect these changes and government policy are having on the delivery of essential services. The overall population of the region from Geraldton south to Esperance in Western Australia, excluding the metropolitan area, has increased in the years between 1961 and 1996. The Australian Bureau of Statistics\u27 (ABS) twelve statistical divisions show fairly steady population growth and politicians and bureaucrats often cite these statistics as evidence of growth, vibrance and percipient regional planning. However, if the ABS statistical subdivisions are analysed even in a cursory manner, it is obvious that the increase in population has not been uniform. A small number of subdivisions show a significant population increase while the majority of inland subdivisions have experienced depopulation. Those divisions which are limited to agricultural production and can be defined as completely rural show a persistent decrease in population. The depopulation trend is exacerbated when the populations of regional towns in these more rural districts are excluded. For those rural dwellers living in the wheatbelt that stretches inland from Geraldton to Esperance the misinterpretation of the statistics has meant that regional issues and concerns are not properly understood by policy makers. There is a feeling that they are the \u27forgotten people\u27, less important than urban dwellers and the mining sector. Furthermore, there is evidence that shows that the rural population feels frustrated by Federal government policy because there is the presumption that the experience of rural Western Australia is necessarily the same as the ·rest of rural Australia

Farm women and work : required but not recognised

Across Australia, government sponsored Rural Women\u27s Networks have been established to encourage rural women to look beyond their individual context and to identify as part of a much larger group of women, all with common concerns. These networks have encouraged women to view themselves as legitimate participants in a patriarchal society and to realise that the traditional male culture of farming is redundant. Fiona M. Haslam-McKenzie, a lecturer in the Faculty of Business at Edith Cowan University, reviews the recognition given to women on the farm

Who gets the Carrot and Who gets the Stick? Evidence of Gender Disparities in Executive Remuneration

This paper offers a new explanation of the gender pay gap in leadership positions by examining the relationship between managerial bonuses and company performance. Drawing on findings of gender studies, agency theory, and the leadership literature, we argue that the gender pay gap is a context-specific phenomenon which results partly from the fact that company performance has a moderating impact on pay inequalities. Employing a matched sample of 192 female and male executive directors of UK listed firms we corroborate the existence of the gender pay disparities in corporate boardrooms. In line with our theoretical predictions, we find that bonuses awarded to men are not only larger than those allocated to women, but also that managerial compensation of male executive directors is much more performance-sensitive than that of female executives. The contribution of attributional and expectancy-related dynamics to these patterns is highlighted in line with previous work on gender stereotypes and implicit leadership theories such as the romance of leadership. Gender differences in risk-taking and confidence are also considered as potential explanations for the observed pay disparities. The implications of organizations’ indifference to women’s performance are examined in relation to issues surrounding the recognition and retention of female talent.executive compensation;gender pay gap;gender stereotypes;implicit leadership theories;corporate performance;romance of leadership

Evaluation of the School Administration Manager Project

Examines the results to date of a Wallace-supported project to help principals delegate some administrative and managerial tasks to school administration managers and spend more time interacting with teachers, students and others on instructional matters

DASI Three-Year Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Results

We present the analysis of the complete 3-year data set obtained with the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI) polarization experiment, operating from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station. Additional data obtained at the end of the 2002 Austral winter and throughout the 2003 season were added to the data from which the first detection of polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation was reported. The analysis of the combined data supports, with increased statistical power, all of the conclusions drawn from the initial data set. In particular, the detection of E-mode polarization is increased to 6.3 sigma confidence level, TE cross-polarization is detected at 2.9 sigma, and B-mode polarization is consistent with zero, with an upper limit well below the level of the detected E-mode polarization. The results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the cosmological model that has emerged from CMB temperature measurements. The analysis also demonstrates that contamination of the data by known sources of foreground emission is insignificant.Comment: 13 pages Latex, 10 figures, submitted to Ap