Explore the vast range of titles available.

A growing trend in the field of higher education is the increase in private investment and our objective is to measure its impact in recent years in the European context and if it puts at risk the affordable access to this educational level. [...]from the Comparative Education methodology, we compare the variation in the sources of financing for higher education in 20 European countries, over a 13-year trajectory (2002-2016), and its impact on affordable access to education higher, through the analysis of economic rates and student aid systems. The results, on the one hand, indicate that the EU justifies the increase in private financing of universities, as a global strategy to achieve greater competitiveness within the context of the knowledge society. [...]there is a trend towards the privatization of financing models for higher education in European countries, which countries such as Spain, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal, put at risk the affordable access to higher education.

Summary Biogas production represents a fascinating process for the recovery of nutrients and renewable energy from various organic waste streams. The process is of interest for the production of value‐added chemicals by mixed cultures and can also be applied in combined bioenergy production systems. Strategies and opportunities for optimization of biogas quality and quantity are presented.

Summary Electromicrobiology is the domain of those prokaryotes able to interact with charged electrodes, using them as electron donors and/or electron acceptors. This is performed via a process called extracellular electron transport, in which outer membrane cytochromes are used to oxidize and/or reduce otherwise unavailable insoluble electron acceptors. EET‐capable bacteria can thus be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from small power sources, water reclamation, to pollution remediation and electrosynthesis. Because the study of EET‐capable bacteria is in its nascent phase, the applications are mostly in developmental stages, but the potential for significant contributions to environmental quality is high and moving forward.

Summary Biological production of hydrogen is poised to become a significant player in the future energy mix. This review highlights recent advances and bottlenecks in various approaches to biohydrogen processes, often in concert with management of organic wastes or waste CO2. Some key bottlenecks are highlighted in terms of the overall energy balance of the process and highlighting the need for economic and environmental life cycle analyses with regard also to socio‐economic and geographical issues. Biohydrogen production is best achieved by a combination of dark fermentation and photofermentation with the organic acid co‐products of the former fed to the latter via electrodialytic separation. For organic acid waste streams a photofermentation gives a greater energy yield than by producing biogas.

Fungal biomineralization of carbonates results in metal removal from solution or immobilization within a solid matrix. Such a system provides a promising method for removal of toxic or valuable metals from solution, such as Co, Ni, and La, with some carbonates being of nanoscale dimensions. A fungal Mn carbonate biomineralization process can be applied for the synthesis of novel electrochemical materials.

Currently the chemical industry is largely petroleum based and although the number of ongoing large‐scale biocatalytic processes are relatively low, a trend in growth is expected and the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) and other agencies aim to have 30% of the total chemical industry based on renewable sources by 2050 (Philp et al., 2013). At present a good number of bio‐based products (bioethanol, acids such as lactic, succinic, itaconic and others) are derived from corn syrup and other sugar sources (Geiser et al., 2016; Ramos et al., 2016a); however, because of the food v fuel controversy new trends have been directed towards the production of bioproducts/biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass—the most abundant and important renewable source for alternative petrol derivatives. We discuss here the bases for sustainable bioenergy production.

Recent evidence suggests that increasing overall service coverage and promoting access to telecommunications services have a high economic benefit. Overall, it is estimated that a ten percent increase in mobile telephony penetration could increase economic growth by 0.81 percent in developing countries, whereas a ten percent increase in broadband penetration could increase economic growth by 1.4 percent. In rural and low-income areas in particular, not only do basic telephony services and broadband access allow population to connect with relatives and friends, but they have also introduced a dramatic increase in productivity and in many cases have become the only way for small and medium enterprises in rural areas to access national and, in some cases, global markets. Moreover, the impact of access to telecommunications in rural areas on health, education, disaster management, and local governments has allowed better and more rapid responses, improved coordination, and more effective public management. It is therefore worthwhile to take a second look at all possible policy options, both conventional mechanisms (some of which underutilized) as well as new approaches, to determine whether some of them may be relevant for the emerging agenda of universal broadband access. This paper will first address the necessary conditions required to adopt a more ambitious universal access policy in developing countries. After that, a brief account of the main relevant trends in the industry will be made, followed by a description of twelve different mechanisms for project implementation and six different mechanisms for funding of universal access strategies. Then, an evaluation of the mechanisms will be carried out to identify the most suitable ones. Finally, some recommendations to policy makers on implementation of the preferred mechanisms are also drawn from the analysis.

This dissertation considers two separate but related research questions. The first question asks what factors would create an implied contractual relationship between states and their postsecondary institutions. The second question asks what factors could provide students third-party beneficiary status under that implied contract, if one exists. The recent cuts in public postsecondary funding and trends toward institutional performance accountability were the impetuous for this research. As state fiscal support for public higher education has dropped, student cost and debt has risen. These research questions examine whether students have a legal remedy that could force states to provide enough resources to make postsecondary education affordable and accessible. A case study methodology is used to study these research questions. The state of California serves as the single state case study for this research. California was chosen for a number of reasons. First, the state’s tripartite public postsecondary system provides clear insights into the unique considerations that face different types of postsecondary institutions. Second, the relevant facts and circumstances surrounding California’s higher education sector are vast. This allows for a depth of analysis that other states simply could not provide. Lastly, California’s previous fiscal commitment to postsecondary education has been unmatched by other states. The state’s recent cuts have also been as severe as any other state in the country. These fiscal considerations bring additional insights to the analysis. All told, these traits made California an ideal case study for this research. The research reveals a few interesting considerations. First, a number of factors influence the answer to the research questions. These factors can be analyzed within a historical, legal, administrative, and fiscal framework. Second, given the right circumstances, a particularly generous court may find that students are third-party beneficiaries to an implied contract between California and its postsecondary institutions. However, students may have an easier time proving that California directly promised to provide them affordable access to high-quality postsecondary education. If this is true, students may be a principal party to implied contract with California. All told, proving either claim would be difficult. However, states and their postsecondary institutions would likely benefit from treating their relationship in a contractual manner so that each party understands their rights and accepts their responsibilities before accountability or funding disputes arise.

National agencies are calling for quality improvement in primary care health care services and across the United States health care system. Changes would be directed toward improving quality of life for the chronically ill and decreasing their financial burden and that placed on society. Nurse practitioners, based on their expertise and preparation in patient education, are ideal health care providers to establish partnerships with motivated, informed, chronically ill patients and to promote change in health care policy, guidelines, and meeting patient educational needs. Within worksite primary care, nurse practitioners can, through the Chronic Care Model framework, provide chronic disease management and affordable health care access. • National agencies are calling for quality improvements in primary care.• Nurse practitioners (NPs) must help to improve chronic disease management in today’s health care.• NPs can use self-management skills of the Chronic Care Model (CCM) to educate the chronically ill.• Employer-based clinics offer low-cost, prevention, and chronic disease management.• Implementing the CCM in primary care improves quality of life and lowers health care spending.

The study begins with an overview of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and its flexibilities, delineating the legal requirements of the TRIPS agreement regarding their use. It then examines the challenges entailed in the beneficial interpretation and implementation of the TRIPS agreement at both the national and regional levels under the auspices of African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI). The next section reviews the domestic antiretroviral (ARV) production experiences of Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana with an eye for evaluating the option of sustainable local production. The study is based on existing literature and on interaction with various key players and resource persons in government institutions, the private sector, and civil society groups, especially nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) at the national level. Information was gathered from officials of the regional patent institutions, OAPI and ARIPO, along with official documents of these institutions. International organizations involved in HIV/AIDS work in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) also provided input. The study was conducted under considerable time and logistical constraints, making it difficult to meet and interview all the persons that the authors wished to consult during travel across the African continent. Another limitation was the lack of an easily accessible database on ARVs and other HIV/AIDS medicines being used in Africa, their patent status, and their relative prices. National drug procurement bodies were often reluctant to divulge information on prices and quantities of medicines obtained.