Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Embedded Contrasts in Race, Municipal Fragmentation, and Planning: Divergent Outcomes in the Detroit and Greater Toronto–Hamilton Regions 1990–2000

ABSTRACT: Since the early 1980s, scholars have debated whether or not the converging forces of globalization have disembedded city-regions from their national contexts. This study explored this question through a comparison of post-1990 growth trends in the Detroit and Greater Toronto Area–Hamilton regions (GTAH), two urban areas within the same natural region and closely linked by industrial production flows, yet politically situated within two separate Federalist states. Guided by Nested City Theory, it reveals how their dissimilar contexts for race, local autonomy, and multilocal planning have helped foster divergent spatial patterns in the two regions. In particular, provincial controls governing municipal fragmentation, Ontario’s Planning Act, and subregional/microregional planning have been key embedded structures helping to limit population decline and disinvestment in GTAH core cities. In the process, this article shows how urban trajectories have remained nested within multilevel spatial and institutional configurations. Its findings also call for greater consideration of nested state/provincial factors in cross-national comparisons of cities within Federal states. Finally, its conclusion offers a starting point toward a more nuanced specific version of Nested Theory to be called the Contextualized Model of Urban–Regional Development.
Performance evaluation measures in the private sector: Egyptian practice

Purpose – This study aims to examine performance evaluation measures across private sector companies in an Egyptian context and pinpoints obstacles that may limit the adoption of the balanced scorecard (BSC). Design/methodology/approach – Uses a questionnaire that was mailed to a sample of 150 companies listed in the Egyptian stock exchange market. The analysis is directed at determining managers' perceptions of performance evaluation measures within the Egyptian private sector. Descriptive statistics, frequency of use of companies' practices and possible relationships between variables provide the basis for discussion.Findings – Companies rely on both financial and non‐financial measures of performance evaluation. The profit margin, as a financial measure, is also the most commonly used performance measure. Customer satisfaction is the most commonly used non‐financial measure of performance evaluation. The BSC has wide spread use in the Egyptian companies surveyed, but the level of use of multi‐dimensiona.
Overseas visitor deaths in Australia, 2001 to 2003.

BACKGROUND The health and safety of international visitors remain an important issue for Australia and other tourist destinations. The death of visitors remains an important indicator of safety. The aim of this study was to provide updated figures on deaths of overseas travelers in Australia. METHODS Data were sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics concerning deaths of overseas visitors for the years 2001 to 2003. RESULTS There were 1,068 overseas visitor deaths (701 males, 66%) during the study period 2001 to 2003. Death by natural causes increased with age, while deaths associated with accidents were more frequent among younger age groups. The majority of deaths were from natural causes (782, 73%), particularly ischemic heart diseases (26%). There were a total of 247 accidental deaths (23% of all deaths) with the main causes being transportation accidents (14% of all deaths) and accidental drowning/submersion (5% of all deaths). The countries contributing the most deaths were the UK (247, 23%), New Zealand (108, 10%) Melanesia/Micronesia (95, 9%), and the United States (57, 5%). CONCLUSIONS Australia remains a relatively safe destination for international travelers, at least in terms of fatalities, which appear to be declining. Most deaths of overseas tourists in Australia are due to natural causes with cardiovascular disease being the predominant cause of death in this group. Accidents remain the most common preventable cause of death of travelers, with road and water safety being the major issues. It is important that tourism and travel medicine groups continue to advocate for improved health and safety of international travelers visiting Australia.
Reexamining the Relationship Between Audit and Nonaudit Fees

The authors introduce some new econometric tests and techniques for identifying and overcoming the problem of weak instruments in the context of joint provision of audit and nonaudit fees. The authors use this context because identifying appropriate instruments is difficult due to the lack of theoretical guidance as well as due to the difficulty in intuitively identifying instruments that satisfy the econometric requirements. The authors introduce a battery of empirical tests based on recent developments in econometrics to test for the appropriateness of the instruments. The authors then illustrate two approaches of using instruments from existing data: the size industry average portfolio approach and the synthetic-instrument approach. Although the approach using synthetic instruments sidesteps issues of identifying proxies with desirable properties, it requires some stringent assumptions that cannot be directly tested. However, as a methodological alternative, this approach can be used for robustness tests. The authors find that when the instruments are not weak, audit and nonaudit fees are positively associated. This relationship holds for audit and tax-related nonaudit fees as well. Overall, the evidence suggests the existence of economies of scope benefits from the joint supply of audit and nonaudit services. Methodologically, the authors illustrate the importance of testing the appropriateness of the instruments utilized when accounting for endogeneity.
The quality of life of people with leprosy-related residual impairment and disability in Malawi--is there a difference between people living in a leprosarium and those re-integrated into their communities?

INTRODUCTION To compare the quality of life of people affected by leprosy living in a leprosarium and those reintegrated in communities in the southern region of Malawi. DESIGN A translated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was administered among two groups of people with leprosy-related residual impairment and disability living in either a leprosarium (male 47, female 53) or re-integrated into communities (male 41, female 57). The cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted by trained Leprosy Control Assistants (LCAs). Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to summarise the data while differences between the groups were evaluated using independent t-test. Level of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS Demographic data revealed that there were more residents of an older age in the leprosarium. There was no statistically significant differences in the WHOQOL-BREF mean scores between by those affected by leprosy living in the two contexts. Statistically significant differences existed in the psychological, physical and environmental domains when age and gender were used as confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that there is need to provide interventions that will encompass age and gender to all those affected by leprosy to improve their quality of life in both contexts.
Deciding how to use scarce federal housing aid funds

Abstract This paper assesses the major forms of federal housing assistance and compares the relative value of each in meeting the housing needs of the nation's low‐ and moderate‐income households. Programs are first identified and described. A ranking system, based on nine criteria of desirability, is then developed and used to compare the programs. The evaluation system presented in this paper represents one method of determining how to allocate scarce federal housing assistance funds. The subjective nature of the evaluation process dictates that other criteria and weighting systems may be legitimately applied. However, to provide a clear decision‐making framework, any such system should clearly explain its assumptions and rationales.
The place of inequality: Non-participation in the American polity

The recent history of political participation in the United States poses a particularly striking puzzle. Over the past several decades, the United States has stood out among wealthy capitalist democracies for its high and ris ing levels of economic inequality.1 Yet at the same time, the United States has continued to be distinguished by widespread political quiescence, far greater political engagement by the rich than the poor, and, until recently, the absence of even moderately redistributive policies.2 Students of capitalism and democ racy, from Karl Marx to T.H. Marshall to Milton Friedman, have long sug gested that rising inequalities would motivate the disadvantaged to exercise their political rights to seek economic redistribution.3 Yet this prediction seems to falter badly in the United States today.
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Nicotine metabolism and intake in black and white smokers.

CONTEXT Racial differences in tobacco-related diseases are not fully explained by cigarette-smoking behavior. Despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day, blacks have higher levels of serum cotinine, the proximate metabolite of nicotine. OBJECTIVE To compare the rates of metabolism and the daily intake of nicotine in black smokers and white smokers. DESIGN Participants received simultaneous infusions of deuterium-labeled nicotine and cotinine. Urine was collected for determination of total clearance of nicotine and cotinine, fractional conversion of nicotine to cotinine, and cotinine elimination rate. Using cotinine levels during ad libitum smoking and clearance data, the daily intake of nicotine from smoking was estimated. SETTING Metabolic ward of a university-affiliated public hospital. PARTICIPANTS A total of 40 black and 39 white smokers, average consumption of 14 and 14.7 cigarettes per day, respectively, of similar age (mean, 32.5 and 32.3 years, respectively) and body weight (mean, 73.3 and 68.8 kg, respectively). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clearance (renal and nonrenal), half-life, and volume of distribution of nicotine and cotinine and the calculated daily intake of nicotine. RESULTS The total and nonrenal clearances of nicotine were not significantly different, respectively, in blacks (17.7 and 17.2 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1)) compared with whites (19.6 and 18.9 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1)) (P=.11 and .20). However, the total and nonrenal clearances of cotinine were significantly lower, respectively, in blacks (0.56 and 0.47 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1)) than in whites (0.68 vs 0.61 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1); P=. 009 for each comparison). The nicotine intake per cigarette was 30% greater in blacks compared with whites (1.41 vs 1.09 mg per cigarette, respectively; P=.02). Volume of distribution did not differ for the 2 groups, but cotinine half-life was higher in blacks than in whites (1064 vs 950 minutes, respectively; P = .07). CONCLUSIONS Higher levels of cotinine per cigarette smoked by blacks compared with whites can be explained by both slower clearance of cotinine and higher intake of nicotine per cigarette in blacks. Greater nicotine and therefore greater tobacco smoke intake per cigarette could, in part, explain some of the ethnic differences in smoking-related disease risks.
Employability and problem drug users

The New Labour government in Britain has introduced a major programme of welfare to work, known as the New Deal, which aims to help unemployed and economically inactive people into paid work. Although welfare to work programmes may be appropriate for those who are more or less job ready, it is less clear that they are suitable for hard-to-help groups with multiple disadvantages. This article draws on new survey evidence from Scotland to question the suitability of welfare to work for problem drug users. It demonstrates that many people using drug treatment services suffer from a range of serious personal, health, lifestyle, and other problems that would need to be addressed before they are in a position either to complete welfare to work programmes successfully or to take up and retain paid employment.
Poverty and Inequality in the First Decade of South Africa's Democracy: What can be Learnt from Panel Data from KwaZulu-Natal?

Despite striking indicators depicting high per capita Gross Domestic Product together with poor social indicators, changes in the incidence and severity of money-metric poverty in South Africa since 1993 have been a source of debate. Household surveys suggest that poverty appears to have persisted during the 1990s, with perhaps some improvement since 2000. Inequality remains high, and is probably widening, but there has been delivery in terms of social services such as water and electricity. Panel data that track the circumstances of the same people contribute towards a deeper understanding of the complex story of poverty and inequality in South Africa. Data from the KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study (KIDS) collected between 1993 and 2004 show increasing poverty and inequality in the mid-1990s, with a partial reversal of some of these trends in the post-1998 period. The improved well-being of at least some next-generation households is a hopeful sign in these data. In addition, government transfers do seem to have contributed towards dampening the impact of market-generated inequality, reducing the spread of the expenditure distribution and lifting up the very lowest part of the distribution. In particular, the introduction of the Child Support Grant has dramatically increased the number of recipients of grants. This is reflected in the KIDS data, which show that the amount of transfers per-household has doubled. Copyright 2007 The author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Bridging the Gap: An Exploratory Study of Corporate Social Responsibility among SMEs in Singapore

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) among small-medium enterprises (SME) is an overlooked area, despite the latter's emerging prominence as an economic player. To provide a comprehensive analysis of the CSR landscape among Singapore SMEs, a triangulation of 15 in-depth interviews and a self-administered Web survey was conducted among 113 senior executives from top 500 Singapore SMEs (27.2% response). Key findings include (a) moderate awareness but low comprehension of CSR; (b) engagement relevance to immediate stakeholders; (c) individual values, stakeholder relationships, and governmental influences as main drivers; and (d) lack of various resources as key barriers. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Exploring the implication of science communication practices on a model for teacher professional development: Serving up the Pierian Waters

Science communication, over the last two decades, has shifted its onus from public understanding to public engagement. These efforts have been paralleled in science education, which strives to promote continued student engagement with science. Persistence with more traditional forms of pedagogy by teachers in middle school is a chief deterrent to this endeavour. Since many teachers’ inadequate understanding about science is regarded as inhibiting their use of inquiry-based pedagogy, professional development based on constructivist principles has been identified to remedy this problem. This study investigates the constructivist basis for a model of short-term professional development, which has not been addressed in the literature. The one-day workshops offered to middle school science teachers in Australia and overseas by the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (ANU, Canberra) are investigated here. While the workshops did facilitate conceptual change in the teachers, it was found that the constructivist principles which were incorporated into the workshops’ design and delivery were underpinned by science communication practices. The conclusions presented include: the possibility of a constructivist framework for short-term professional development; the need for greater involvement of science communication in science education reform; and the unique challenges which confront science teachers from non-Western cultures.
The story of the moment: risk averse cypriot farmers respond to drought management

This article illustrates the importance of estimating risk preferences when evaluating water policy. Using agricultural production data from the Kiti region of Cyprus we estimate farmers’ risk preferences à la Antle (Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 1, 192–201, 1983, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 69, 509–22, 1987) and show sensitivity to higher order moments of profit, such as skewness. We show that farmers in the Kiti region are risk averse with risk premiums in the region of 20% of expected profit. We use these estimates to analyse the impact of a water quota from the perspective of three policy-makers who differ only in their understanding of farmers’ risk preferences. We show in the case of Kiti that policy-makers who model risk preferences incorrectly, that is, either; (a) assume risk neutrality or; (b) ignore down-side risk, wrongly predict the magnitude and direction of input responses and therefore the magnitude of welfare changes. This highlights the importance of accommodating preferences for higher order moments of profit in the evaluation of water policy.
Neoplastic transformation in vitro induced by low doses of 232 MeV protons

The aim was to define the dose – response curve for high-energy proton-induced neoplastic transformation in vitro. The HeLa × skin fibroblast human hybrid cell assay was used to determine the frequency of neoplastic transformation following doses of 232 MeV protons (mean linear energy transfer, LET = 0.44 keV μm – 1) in the range 5 – 600 mGy. Proton irradiations were carried out at the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Facility, CA, USA. The data indicate no evidence for induction of transformation below a dose of 100 mGy. At doses of 5 and 50 mGy, there is evidence for a possible suppression of transformation frequencies below that for spontaneous transformation. The shape of the dose – response curve for high-energy proton-induced transformation of the human hybrid cell line CGL1 does not follow a linear no-threshold model and shows evidence for a threshold as well as for possible suppression of transformation at doses < 100 mGy, similar to that seen for other low-LET radiations.
Are Regulators Responsive?

For decades there has been a trend in regulatory studies to advocate a responsive, tit-for-tat, regulatory strategy. However, most of the prominent arguments for this strategy are theoretical and few have tested its effectiveness. Even less tested has been whether or not regulatory inspectors manage to react responsively to the conduct of regulatees. By distinguishing between five different kinds of responsiveness, the present article tests these different kinds of responsiveness in four different regulatory areas, using data about more than 2,500 legal breaches. The empirical analyses show that regulatory inspectors manage to act responsively, but only to a small degree and not necessarily in the way that the theories of responsive and tit-for-tat regulation recommend. Furthermore, the analyses show large differences between the four regulatory areas suggesting that future studies should focus on the role of formal and informal institutional settings in creating responsiveness. If we want to design regulatory agencies that are able to regulate responsively we need to know what kind of institutional settings promote responsiveness.
Competition and Industrial Organisation in Transition Markets: What Can We Derive from Empirical Studies?

Competition is the basic concept for both industrial organisation theory and institutional economics. Transition economies, including Russia, are natural laboratories allowing us to trace the emergence of competition, the influence of competition on the conduct of market participants, the relationship between competition and market structure and the institutional foundation of competition. This article provides a summary of the results of empirical studies in the above area. We try to explain some puzzles concerning the influence of competition on the conduct of Russian market participants and interpret the results in the framework of institutional and industrial economics. Overall, the results of empirical studies can be generalised as follows. Competition in Russian markets has been gaining momentum over the last 15 years. The results of empirical studies have confirmed the assumption that competition is an incentive for active restructuring of privatised enterprises. Many of the data collected are evidence in favour of the endogenous market structure approach. From the institutional viewpoint, the history of the evolution of Russia's transition economy shows interdependence between private property and competition: better protection of property rights is a precondition for the development of competition. At the same time, the model of corporate governance that allows the property rights of private owners to be protected in the Russian institutional environment restricts organisational diversity and therefore competition in Russian markets.
Communist Legacies, Gender and the Impact on Job Satisfaction in Central and Eastern Europe

■ This article studies potential legacy effects of a communist gender order, and in particular the impact on job satisfaction, in five Central and Eastern European labour markets. The empirical basis is derived from a sub-sample of the third wave of the European Values Study. There are substantial differences between male and female employees, some of which appear to reflect the persistent influence of a communist gender order, but several findings also highlight the importance of post-communist experiences. The evolving character of Central and Eastern European gender regimes requires a closer case-study approach to uncover the relationship with job satisfaction in further detail.
Competitive Balance in the Eyes of the Sports Fan

There are many measures of competitive balance in the sports economics literature, each with their strengths and weaknesses. This study uses point spreads to measure competitive balance which has the advantages that they are prospective rather than retrospective and that they are determined by the sports fans and not just the outcome of a game. A total of six measures of competitive balance are developed from point spreads. These measures show a general trend toward improvement in competitive balance in the National Basketball Association over the past 20 years with no clear trend emerging for competitive balance in the National Football League.