43,087 research outputs found
Infrastructure bottlenecks, private provision, and industrial productivity : a study of Indonesian and Thai cities
No full textThis research project followed an earlier similar project on Nigeria, applying the same methods. A sample of manufacturers was surveyed to document their responses to infrastructure deficiencies in electricity, water, transport, telecommunications, and waste disposal. They found the manufacturers undertook significant expenditures to offset deficiencies in publicly provided infrastructure services, and that changing public policy toward privately supplied infrastructure and changing the pricing of public infrastructure could yield significant savings in social costs. Thailand and Indonesia have made significant strides in following the policies for private sector participation in infrastructure provision. Nigeria, where public infrastructure monopolies still dominate, lags behind, yet stands to benefit most from such policy reform. Government policy toward the industrial organization and pricing of infrastructure sectors can significantly help a developing economy realize the benefits of private sector participation in the provision of infrastructure services.Banks&Banking Reform,Decentralization,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Municipal Financial Management,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Urban Services to the Poor,Urban Services to the Poor,Public Sector Economics&Finance
Caterpillar phenology predicts differences in timing of mountain chickadee breeding in urban and rural habitats
No full textTo ensure the survival of their offspring, birds need to precisely time their reproduction: when offspring have the highest demand for food, food resources should be most abundant. In temperate environments, caterpillars are often a key food source for nestlings, so many insectivorous bird species time their reproduction to correspond to the peak abundance of caterpillars in their habitat. Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) are small songbirds that naturally inhabit coniferous forests, but are also found in urban areas. Reproductive timing of these birds may be altered by urbanization, as mountain chickadees in the city have been shown to breed earlier than those in natural habitat. This study aimed to determine if caterpillar abundance drives reproductive timing of mountain chickadees and if urbanization alters the timing of caterpillar abundance. Birds in both urban and rural habitats were monitored throughout the breeding season. Caterpillar abundance was estimated at each nest location by collecting samples of caterpillar excrement (frass).We found that in both urban and rural habitat, frass mass changed throughout the breeding season, but the date of maximum frass mass occurred about one week earlier in urban habitat. However, in both habitats maximum frass mass occurred when offspring were approximately 11 days old. Our results suggest that mountain chickadees time their reproduction to correspond to caterpillar abundance, and birds in urban environments may be reproducing earlier to correspond with earlier peak caterpillar abundance in the city.Peer reviewedarticlespublishedPoecile gambeliFrassUrbanizationReproductive timingCaterpillarMountain chickade
Article on the lack of affordable housing in Portland, describing author Alex Ir
No full textArticle on the lack of affordable housing in Portland, describing author Alex Irvine\u27s two-week search for an affordable two-bedroom apartment. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development\u27s recommendation that no more than 30 percent of your income be spent on housing, Irvine and his family of four should look for an apartment renting for 900, down from 36,000. Portland\u27s 2002 comprehensive housing plan\u27s goal of 4,200 new units by 2012, seems unrealistic even to Mark Adelson, former city housing director. Details
Sensing the Inner City: A Conversation with Alex Rhys-Taylor
No full textAlex Rhys-Taylor is an urban sociologist at the Goldsmiths University of London. His works are based on the relationship between experiences of the city (e.g., multisensory experiences) and histories of change. Given the importance of sensory methodologies in social sciences, the following conversation addresses their role in the comprehension of contemporary urban changes (e.g., touristification and housing crisis), social processes of discrimination (e.g., cultural disgust), and social history of urban areas (e.g., inner city and culinary experiences). These issues are addressed during the conversation by discussing the methodological and empirical implications of concepts like intersensoriality, sensescapes, inner city, and between the digital and the physical city
Urban ‘tourism exploration space’: the example of Łódź
No full textThe author refers to the concept of ‘tourism space’ published earlier, and confronts this notion with a definition of ‘urban space’, bearing in mind that both these ‘spaces’ are subspaces of general ‘geographical space’. Assuming that each is distinguished on the basis of differing criteria, the author believes that the tourism function which gives rise to ‘tourism space’ can develop within ‘urban space’. Further on, the formulation of a precise definition of urban ‘tourism exploration space’ is focused on, which is understood as a personal space of created in the discovery of a city. The conclusion includes three case studies of urban ‘tourism exploration space’ in Łódź: Bidermann family properties, Piotrkowska courtyards and the ‘Green Ring of Tradition and Culture’
Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Kyiv (Ukraine): "Crisis Induced Strategy" versus Recreational Resource
No full textFor the study 240 Kyiv households with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) have been surveyed in 2005. Quotas were assigned to four different types of plots. A standardized questionnaire was developed to collect data on crop and animal production, inputs, sales of produce for income, importance of the plot for self-sufficiency, recreation and leisure time. A factor analysis is employed to reduce attitudinal data. Based on factor scores a cluster analysis is conducted to segment the respondents into more homogeneous groups and to show multiple purposes of UPA. Four clusters labeled as “Seekers of leisure activities”, “UPA-dependent growers”, “Recreation-oriented growers” and “Little engaged growers” are created. Multiple purposes of UPA are shown by profiling the clusters due to demographic, socioeconomic and other selected characteristics. The results show that depending on the type of plot the importance of UPA shifts from livelihood necessity to recreational resource or combines both.Urban and peri-urban agriculture, livelihood, Ukraine, Farm Management,
Alex Norman interview, 2014
No full textNorman, Alex - Oral History Interview- CSWA ❧ Alex J. Norman, DSW – Oral History Interview for the California Social Welfare Archives (CSWA). Interviewer: Joseph A. Nunn, PhD. Date: 07/23/2014. An interview with Alex J. Norman, DSW, as he discusses his various and influential roles in social and academia justice movements, including his work in gang intervention and creating equal treatment for minority professors. ❧ Alex Norman. PhD. Professor of Social Work. Retired Activist. Interviewed by Dr. Joe Nunn. Date of interview: 7-23-14. Length of interview: 1 Hour 20 Minutes. ❧ CONTENTS: (1:10)- Early History – How he was brought to the field. (2:09) Whitney Young – Dean of School. (5:35)- Coming to Los Angeles – Herman – Conference in Philadelphia. (6:51)- Special Services for Groups – accepted job in California. (10:01)- Description of gang programs – Group Work. (13:12)- Shift focus from social work to suppression. (15:31)- Services to gangs defunded. (18:00)- “Farming Out” Service to Pasadena. (18:56)- Veterans’ Administration. (19:14)- Youth Opportunities Board – Community Development. (20:56)- Rent Strikes. (24:16)- Office of Economic Opportunity. (25:15)- Youth Training Project. (26:12)- Economic Youth Agency. (26:58)- Neighborhood Adult Participation Project (NAP). (28:47)- Civil Rights Act 1964. (28:58)- Employment Discrimination. (31:49)- UCLA Director of Department of Urban Development. (34:58)- Returned to school to secure PhD. (36:11)- Return to UCLA – academia. (39:51)- Experience as professor. (45:16)- Advocacy for students. (48:34)- International experience. (49:15)- Tenure issues – suit against UCLA. (58:20)- Retirement – Consultant Long Beach. (1:00:57)- Clinton and Empowerment Zone. (1:03:18)- Long Beach Economic Development Project. (1:04:20)- Community Policing. (1:06:05)- Commissioner of Public Safety. (1:10:20)- Corridor Project – “The Connected Corridor”. (1:11:58)- Concluding remarks. (1:13:38)- Current issues to be addressed. ❧ ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: 1. California Social Work Hall of Distinction Biography ( http://socialworkhallofdistinction.usc.edu/honorees/ ). 2. Curriculum Vitae. 3. DVD containing interview
The encroachment of value pragmatism on pluralism: The practice of the valuation of urban green space using stated-preference approaches
No full textMonetary valuation of urban green space using stated-preference approaches has gained prominence among pragmatic urban researchers, but the resultant reduced potential for value pluralism has gone unnoticed. There is confusion on value concepts. Public-social values have been treated as private-economic ones. The potential for reflecting the multiple values and social roles of urban nature is thus reduced. Being method-driven, the practice fails to relate to the claimed objective of comprehensively portraying it. There is inadequate understanding of the philosophy and psychology of the values associated with urban green space, despite its multi-faceted role being widely recognized. This results in an unreflective acceptance of economic techniques. More work is needed to clarify issues concerning the manifestation and theoretical foundation of value pluralism. Deliberative approaches may be a potential complementary or alternative valuation method. © 2011 The Author. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research © 2011 Urban Research Publications Limited.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Inhibition of BK channels by GABAb receptors enhances intrinsic excitability of layer 2/3 vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons in mouse neocortex
No full textDatasets for the publication titled: Bogaj K, Urban-Ciecko J. Inhibition of BK channels by GABAb receptors enhances intrinsic excitability of layer 2/3 vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons in mouse neocortex. J Physiol. 2025 Mar;603(5):1171-1196. doi: 10.1113/JP286439. Epub 2025 Feb 3. PMID: 39901494; PMCID: PMC11870045.Raw data contains electrophysiological records in *.abf format (Clampfit, Molecular Devices, free to open and analysis).Please consult the Readme.odt file for additional information. For more details see related publication or contact the corresponding author.</p
Learning to manage environmental ventures and technological innovation : the case of solar energy
No full textThesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2003."September 2003."Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-101).by Alex Ricardo Jiménez Cruz.M.C.P
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