BACKGROUND In problem-based learning curricular research has focused on the characteristics of good facilitators and how they influence student performance and satisfaction. Far less frequently addressed has been the question of how PBL facilitators influence the small group session activity of students. We investigated the impact that facilitators' encouragement of use or non-use of the Intern...

This paper constructs a simple model that can account for both the negative relationship between growth and income inequality observed in the cross-country data and the positive relationship observed within countries over time. The model employs a dualeconomy structure with formal and informal sectors. Growth is driven by formal sector human capital spillovers. Restrictive institutions impose b...

Plants in nature may face a wide range of favorable or unfavorable biotic and abiotic factors during their life cycle. Any of these factors may cause stress in plants; therefore, they have to be more adaptable to stressful environments and must acquire greater response to different stresses. The objective of this study is to retrieve and arrange data from the literature in a standardized electr...

As the global population ages and the occurrence of single and “empty nest” elderly household increases, artificial companion agents will play a more important part in seniors’ daily life to bridge some of the gaps left by the shortage of caregiving manpower. This research focuses on improving the emotional interaction strategies of artificial companion agents and advising designers on how to p...

Introduction As successive strategy and policy papers have emphasized, agriculture is the most important economic sub-sector in Papua New Guinea. We are constantly told that agriculture provides the livelihood for about 85 per cent of the economically active population. The agriculture sector covers the activities of the private and public sector in cropping, animal husbandry, management of lan...

Researchers in various international programs have studied the potential use of remotely sensed data to obtain accurate information on land surface processes and conditions. These studies have demonstrated that quantitative assessment of the soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer processes can lead to a better understanding of the relationships between crop growth and water management. Information...

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) aims at finding practical and sustainable solutions to water resource issues. Research and practice have shown that innovative methods and tools are not sufficient to implement IWRM - the concept needs to also be integrated in prevailing management paradigms and institutions. Water governance science addresses this human dimension by focusing on the a...

An estimated 200 million children worldwide fail to meet their development potential due to poverty, poor health and unstimulating environments. Missing developmental milestones has lasting effects on adult human capital. Africa has a large burden of risk factors for poor child development. The objective of this paper is to identify scope for improvement at the country level in three domains--n...

This paper surveys the literature on how democracy affects economic growth. The paper first presents descriptive statistics and brief case-descriptions to illustrate how democracy and dictatorship may affect growth. Thereafter, the paper evaluates five central arguments on democracy and growth, before it surveys empirical studies on the relationship. Furthermore, the paper highlights critical m...