New rules to help improve flow of data – China Daily
New rules to help improve flow of data China Daily
Month: April 2024
It’s “Classical Advice!” Why Medical Education Should Go Beyond Science
Abstract
This article is a reflection on a new (but ancient) definition of medicine, which considers doctors and patients alike from their complex human experiences. It explores the doctor-patient relationship as well as the practice of medicine itself through an historical lens, by examining some of the scholarship of Galen of Pergamum, the ancient Greek doctor and philosopher of the second century CE. The intention is not to give a new, definite answer, but to use an example from the past to look at the matter from a different, perhaps unusual, perspective.
Systematic review on the integration of immersive technologies to improve learning in primary education
Abstract
Immersive technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality have attracted a great deal of interest in educational research; they have the potential to enhance learning by providing interactive, realistic, and safe experiences without the constraints of time and space. This study is based on a systematic review of the literature following the guidelines of the PRISMA statement. The scientific production related to the integration of immersive technologies in learning processes in primary education was examined. The Web of Science, Scopus and ERIC databases were searched, considering the period from 2018 to 2023. The sample consisted of 64 studies that met the established inclusion criteria. The results showed a higher production of studies in Asia, a lack of theoretical support for the integration of immersive technologies, and a greater focus on science education. In conclusion, it is highlighted that studies focus on the effect of immersive technologies on academic achievement without sufficiently addressing the cognitive and affective experience of students. The study presents a classification framework grounded in the stimulus-organism-response model, offering recommendations for future research and practical implications for educators, educational policy makers, and digital content designers.
A Forgotten Maritime Highway: Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Emperor Seamounts with Implications for High Seas Conservation
Abstract
This article seeks to complement efforts to summarize information on the exceptional natural significance of the Emperor Seamounts. The human history of the Emperor Seamounts is culturally diverse and spans thousands of years. This ranges from indigenous cultures to the period of European colonial exploration and expansion to the rise of the modern global economy and its impact on the area through the hunting of marine mammals, fishing, and the transportation of commodities across these remote waters on ships. Some of these vessels were wrecked or disappeared, and may rest on the seabed of the Emperor Seamounts. Understanding this human history is critical in approaching the assessment, ongoing study, public outreach and management of this remote region, which has been highlighted as one of the most important areas beyond national jurisdiction to protect globally.
Greenfield investment and job creation in Ghana: a sectorial analysis and geopolitical implications of Chinese investments
Abstract
Multinational investment has attracted mixed reactions from scholars and policymakers concerning their role and impact on job creation in host countries, particularly in developing economies. Using Ghana as a case study, this paper examines the impact of Greenfield investment on job creation. Proponents of multinational corporations (MNCs) argue that foreign direct investment (FDI) leads to economic growth, creates technological spillover, increases exports, and creates jobs, among other benefits. This has encouraged developing economies to adopt developmental strategies around MNC activities. Although most researchers have analyzed the impact of FDI on job creation, the unanswered question is: Does greenfield investment in Ghana lead to significant job creation in the formal sector? Extant literature considers FDI monolithic, without adequately differentiating between Green and Brownfield investments. Using granular data from the FDI Markets, this research paper fills this gap by empirically analyzing the Greenfield investment by 386 multinational companies in Ghana from 2003 to September 2020. Over the specified year range, these companies engaged in 500 projects across Ghana. Adopting the ordinary least square analysis (OLS), the study demonstrates that Greenfield investment has a statistically significant and positive impact on job creation in Ghana. Out of the 31 sectors, only the following sectors contribute significantly to job creation through Greenfield investment in Ghana: Consumer Products, Food & Beverage, Industrial Equipment, and Non-automotive transport OEM. This paper contributes to a better understanding of how government investment in fixed assets (GCF) such as roads, railways, and industrial buildings in the local economy should be managed efficiently so as not to spur inflation, which correlates negatively with jobs. Finally, this paper analyzes Chinese investments in Ghana, comparing them with U.S. investments, and examining their broader geopolitical implications, which highlights the importance of aligning foreign investments with national development strategies and adhering to international norms and standards.
Expected inflation and interest-rate dynamics in the COVID era: evidence from the time–frequency domain
Abstract
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States may have led investors or other individuals to expect sharp drops in output and rising prices, as well as drastic changes in fiscal and/or monetary to deal with the crisis. This paper analyses the co-movement between expected inflation and interest in the U.S. by using a battery of wavelet tools over the period from January 21, 2020 to March 28, 2022. Wavelet methods are used to examine the linkages between expected inflation and nominal interest rates of varying terms, focusing on the direction of co-movement and their sub-time horizons. Both bivariate wavelet and partial wavelet models that incorporate daily COVID-19 case counts or a financial stress variable find that the relationship holds primarily in the longer short-run (more than 6 months), with connections stronger for maturities of 5 years than for 1 year or less. The expectation related to the ‘inflation–interest rate’ nexus and type of bond maturity seem to be significantly shaped by the pandemic peak and anticipated duration of the disease. More precisely, the longer the anticipated duration of the pandemic is, the higher the expected inflation rate, bond yield rate, and maturity are. The interaction between expected inflation and interest seems to be very sensitive to pandemic and financial stress in terms of lead-lag status, in the very short to short-run, for 5 and 10 years bond maturity. This seems to be explained by investor hazard to a new particular unknown stimulus caused by the pandemic and its socio-economic consequences.
Efficient numerical calculation of Lyapunov-exponents and stability assessment for quasi-periodic motions in nonlinear systems
Abstract
Investigating the stability of stationary motions is a highly relevant aspect when characterizing dynamical systems. For equilibria and periodic motions, well established theories and approaches exist to assess their stability: in both cases stability may be assessed using eigenvalue analyses of small perturbations. When it comes to quasi-periodic motions, such eigenvalue analyses are not applicable, since these motions can not be parameterized on finite time intervals. However, quasi-periodic motions can be densely embedded on finite invariant manifolds with periodic boundaries. In this contribution, a new approach is presented, which exploits this embedding in order to derive a sequence of finite mappings. Based on these mappings, the spectrum of 1st order Lyapunov-exponents is efficiently calculated. If the linearization of the problem is regular in the sense of Lyapunov, these exponents may be used to assess stability of the investigated solution. Beyond the numerical calculation of Lyapunov-exponents, an approach is presented which allows to check Lyapunov-regularity numerically. Together, both methods allow for an efficient numerical stability assessment of quasi-periodic motions. To demonstrate, verify and validate the developed approach, it is applied to quasi-periodic motions of two coupled van-der-Pol oscillators as well as a quasi-periodically forced Duffing equation. Additionally, a “step-by-step application instruction” is provided to increase comprehensibility and to discuss the required implementation steps in an applied context.