Roads investment and economic growth : similarity or divergence between developed and developing countries : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Planning at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

This research investigates how arguments for economic growth are perceived and advanced to promote road investment. In particular, it addresses the question of whether there is similarity or divergence between developed and developing countries given their different growth trajectories. In literature, the relationship between building roads and achieving economic growth is heavily reliant on quantitative tools while ignoring the socio-economic and political contextual details of developed and developing countries. Using the Aristotelian concept of phronēsis, the research undertakes a comparative case study involving New Zealand and Pakistan. Phronēsis is an intellectual virtue capable of incorporating practical problems and contextual issues in everyday life. The concept was operationalized for this thesis by devolving it into three main questions in which the roads policy direction, the associated processes and discursive pragmatism was explored. Detailed analysis of two major roading infrastructure projects, MacKays to Peka Peka (M2PP) in the Wellington region of New Zealand and a Ring Road in Lahore, Pakistan, shows that roads investment is promoted on the basis of national visions and policies without robust evidence of how economic growth will be achieved. The findings indicate that the national visions, related to case study projects, are not based on robust analyses and research but rather on strategic needs that advance the agenda of the powerful. The research found that the discourse of economic growth in each project was based on similar arguments about travel time saving, efficiency and employment growth regardless of public consultations. The research concludes that ‘economic growth’ is a niche created, advanced, and interpreted by power to achieve its strategic objectives in road development without contextual differences being considered in developed and developing countries

Operation for LHC Cryomagnet Tests: Concerns, Challenges & Successful Collaboration

The LHC construction phase is coming to a close, with installation work progressing rapidly and beam start-up foreseen by end 2007. For the testing of the 1706 LHC cryomagnets in cryogenic conditions and its successful completion by early 2007, considerable challenges had to be overcome since 2002 to assure certain semi-routine tests operation at CERN. In particular, the majority of staff for tests and measurement purposes was provided by India on a rotating, one-year-stay basis, as part of the CERN-India Collaboration for LHC. This was complemented by some CERN accelerator Operation staff. While only 95 dipoles were tested till 2003, the efforts and innovative ideas coming from the Operation team contributed significantly to the completion of tests of nearly all 1706 magnets by end-2006. These included the improvements and management of the tests work flow as well as the test rates. Amongst these, certain pivotal ideas to stream-line the tests methodology as proposed and implemented successfully by the Indian Associates deserve a special mention. An insight into this as well an overall view of the tests operation will be given, together with an indication of some of the operation-related results from the tests programme

Software for Beam Diagnostics Front-End Systems: Synchronization and Implementation Issues

Front-end software systems used for beam diagnostics at CERN's PS accelerator complex perform control and data acquisition of local hardware components in synchronization with specific accelerator events. The principal part of the software is generally hosted in a VME create, which drives all system components, provides interactivity with the general controls environment through networking and decouples the networking layer from the machine layer. Using three real-world examples of operational instrumentation systems, namely the beam intensity measurement between the PS-Booster and the PS, the AD Coherent Oscillations measurement and the PS Closed-Orbit Synchronization, the paper describes their synchronization to accelerator events and states. Sometimes these instrumentation systems are subject to complex real-time constraints and external conditions. The strategies to meet these requirements in the real-time software are discussed in the context of the general design and implementation in the PS control system environment

Mathematical Educational Games : Perceptions of Special Education Teachers

Children lose 99 times out of hundred in almost every commercial game they play yet they do not stop playing games after such failures (McGonigal 2011). In fact, the more they fail the more they want to play games. The case is different when it comes to computer educational games. Children do not play them as often as these games are meant to be played. Therefore, the perceptions of the teachers who teach through such games are the focus of this study

A Racial Impact Analysis of HB 834/SB 449: The Virginia Growth & Opportunity Act

GO Virginia is an economic development initiative that seeks to preempt the harsh effects of federal budget cuts on Virginia’s economy, which is overly dependent on public-sector jobs. It promotes private sector job growth and workforce development through the use of state-based grants to invest in regionally significant capital projects that call for collaboration between localities, businesses, and education. It is important to be intentional in pursuing GO Virginia’s goals, otherwise this legislation may only allocate grants to institutions, organizations, and localities that already have sizeable resources. A critical question rests on how to ensure that low-income and minority communities can maximize the benefits of the legislation. The populations that are most affected by this legislation would depend on how the legislation is implemented. If minority communities are excluded from the process, then it is likely these communities would be insulated from the positive outcomes. It is imperative that minorities are adequately represented in the decision making process. This report explores why minority communities should be represented on the regional councils, which are the catalysts for the proposal process. By being proactive there is an opportunity to provide the same advantages to minority business development. We also explore how to strengthen the minority workforce to better compete for in-demand careers within the emerging industries that this legislation sets out to promote

Knowledge transfer: Benefits of playing MMORPGS towards enhancing IT managerial skills

This study is concerned with the positive effects, learnability and real-life skill knowledge transfer of commercial off-the-shelf video games.While extensive studies being carried out in exploring skill transfer from virtual world to real world in domains such as education and healthcare, it is felt that further study is needed to explore if these skills can be applied towards enhancing IT managerial skills.The focus of this study is on Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).MMORPGs are 3D online virtual worlds that allow players to interact with millions of other players through avatars.On the other hand, IT managerial skills definitions are determined by referencing the Skills Framework for Information Age (SFIA), a comprehensive ICT competency framework of nearly 100 IT professional skills.Thus this study is framed around answering the following question: What are the perceptions on the benefits of playing MMORPGs towards enhancing IT managerial skills

Determination of superoxide dismutase mimetic activity in common culinary herbs

BACKGROUND: Under conditions of oxidative stress, the removal of superoxide, a free radical associated with chronic inflammation, is catalysed by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Thus in addition to acting as an antioxidant, SOD may also be utilized as an anti-inflammatory agent. Some plant derived foods have been shown to have SOD mimetic (SODm) activity however it is not known if this activity is possessed by culinary herbs which have previously been shown to possess both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the study was to ascertain if the culinary herbs rosemary, sage and thyme possess SODm activity, and to investigate the influence of cooking and digestion on this activity. Transition metal ion content was also determined to establish if it could likely contribute to any SODm activity detected. FINDINGS: All extracts of uncooked (U), cooked (C) and cooked and digested (C&D) herbs were shown to possess SODm activity, which was significantly correlated with previously determined antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of these herbs. SODm activity was significantly increased following (C) and (C&D) for rosemary and sage only. The impact of (C) and (C&D) on the SODm for thyme may have been influenced by its transition metal ion content. CONCLUSIONS: SODm activity may contribute to the herbs' antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities however the source and significance of this activity need to be established

The New Digital-Receiver-Based System for Antiproton Beam Diagnostics

An innovative system to measure antiproton beam intensity, momentum spread and mean momentum in CERN's Antiproton Decelerator (AD) is described. This system is based on a state-of-the-art Digital Receiver (DRX) board, consisting of 8 Digital Down-Converter (DDC) chips and one Digital Signal Processor (DSP). An ultra-low-noise, wide-band AC beam transformer (0.2 MHz - 30 MHz) is used to measure AC beam current modulation. For bunched beams, the intensity is obtained by measuring the amplitude of the fundamental and second RF Fourier components. On the magnetic plateaus the beam is debunched for stochastic or electron cooling and longitudinal beam properties (intensity, momentum spread and mean momentum) are measured by FFT-based spectral analysis of Schottky signals. The system thus provides real time information characterising the machine performance; it has been used for troubleshooting and to fine-tune the AD, thus achieving further improved performances. This system has been operating since May 2000 and typical results are presented