bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE aerosol climatology using satellite and ground‐based measurements: A comparison study
Authors: Liu Li , Lacis Andrew A. , Carlson Barbara E. , Mishchenko Michael I. , Cairns Brian
Published: October 2006

A physically based aerosol climatology is important to address questions of global climate change. We evaluate the aerosol climatology used in the GISS ModelE (Schmidt et al., 2006), by characterizing and comparing the geographic distribution and seasonal variability of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and particle size via Ångström exponent (A) against available satellite and ground‐based measurements, i.e., MODIS, MISR, POLDER, AVHRR, and AERONET data. There are a number of model parameters, particularly those related to aerosol size specification, that can be better constrained by comparison to satellite data. Our comparison shows that there are large differences in the satellite and ground‐based global distributions of AOD. The differences between the observations increase for the Ångström exponent. Given the uncertainties associated with satellite retrieval results, the agreement in the distributions of global optical depth between GCM aerosols and satellite data is qualitatively reasonable. However, the Ångström exponent of the GCM aerosol is clearly biased low compared to satellite data, implying that the GCM aerosol sizes are overestimated. There is qualitative agreement of the ModelE aerosol single scattering albedo ϖ with TOMS Aerosol Index (AI) and AERONET data. The comparisons show insufficient aerosol absorption at most locations, suggesting a possible underestimation of black carbon distributions in the GCM. However, a more quantitative comparison first requires a readjustment of the GCM aerosol size specification.
Design method for independent control of beam width and sidelobe level for wideband smart antennas
Authors: Al‐Husseini Mohammed , El‐Hajj Ali , Kabalan Karim Y.
Published: October 2006

In this paper, a design method for wideband smart antennas with independently controllable beam width and sidelobe level in their patterns is demonstrated. Using a frequency domain frequency‐invariant beam former, the phases of the complex weights can be adjusted to obtain a beam pattern that is invariant over the frequency range of interest, and a modified Chebyshev approach is used to calculate the amplitudes of these complex beam‐forming weights, ensuring a relatively independent control of the beam width and the sidelobe level. The paper also briefly discusses different approaches for selecting the amplitudes leading to patterns with high directivities.
Confined alpha particle diagnostics for ITER based on measurements of gamma rays emitted from D(α,γ)6Li reaction
Authors: Ochiai K. , Kubota N. , Taniike A. , Kitamura A. , Nishitani T.
Published: October 2006

For the diagnosis of confined alpha particles in D-T plasma, we propose the observation of 2.186MeV gamma ray produced by D(α,γ)6Li reaction. However, there are few nuclear data of the D(α,γ)6Li reaction rate. Therefore, we carried out the experimental verification of the gamma ray diagnostics technique by using an accelerator. Helium ions in the energy range of 2–4MeV were bombarded into a thick deuterated polyethylene, where the gamma ray spectrum was measured with a Ge detector. Photopeak of the 2.186MeV gamma ray was clearly observed. From our experiment, the emission rate of the 2.186MeV gamma ray from the D(α,γ)6Li reaction is estimated to be 1012–1013s−1 in the ITER typical plasma condition. So we obtained a good prospect of the gamma ray measurement as the confined alpha particle diagnostics by using a high efficiency detector.
Energy correlations for a random matrix model of disordered bosons
Authors: Lueck T. , Sommers H.-J. , Zirnbauer M. R.
Published: October 2006

Linearizing the Heisenberg equations of motion around the ground state of an interacting quantum many-body system, one gets a time-evolution generator in the positive cone of a real symplectic Lie algebra. The presence of disorder in the physical system determines a probability measure with support on this cone. The present paper analyzes a discrete family of such measures of exponential type, and does so in an attempt to capture, by a simple random matrix model, some generic statistical features of the characteristic frequencies of disordered bosonic quasiparticle systems. The level correlation functions of the said measures are shown to be those of a determinantal process, and the kernel of the process is expressed as a sum of biorthogonal polynomials. While the correlations in the bulk scaling limit are in accord with sine-kernel or Gaussian Unitary Ensemble universality, at the low-frequency end of the spectrum an unusual type of scaling behavior is found.
Thrust stand for electric propulsion performance evaluation
Authors: Polzin Kurt A. , Markusic Thomas E. , Stanojev Boris J. , DeHoyos Amado , Spaun Benjamin
Published: October 2006

An electric propulsion thrust stand capable of supporting testing of thrusters having a total mass of up to 125kg and producing thrust levels between 100μN to 1N has been developed and tested. The design features a conventional hanging pendulum arm attached to a balance mechanism that converts horizontal deflections produced by the operating thruster into amplified vertical motion of a secondary arm. The level of amplification is changed through adjustment of the location of one of the pivot points linking the system. Response of the system depends on the relative magnitudes of the restoring moments applied by the displaced thruster mass and the twisting torsional pivots connecting the members of the balance mechanism. Displacement is measured using a noncontact, optical linear gap displacement transducer, and balance oscillatory motion is attenuated using a passive, eddy-current damper. The thrust stand employs an automated leveling and thermal control system. Pools of liquid gallium are used to deliver power to the thruster without using solid wire connections, which can exert undesirable time-varying forces on the balance. These systems serve to eliminate sources of “zero drift” that can occur as the stand thermally or mechanically shifts during the course of an experiment. An in situ calibration rig allows for steady-state calibration before, during, and after thruster operation. Thrust measurements were carried out on a cylindrical Hall thruster that produces millinewton-level thrust. The measurements were very repeatable, producing results that compare favorably with previously published performance data, but with considerably smaller uncertainty.
Short wavelength effects on the collisionless neoclassical polarization and residual zonal flow level
Authors: Xiao Yong , Catto Peter J.
Published: October 2006

Sheared zonal flow helps to reduce the turbulent transport caused by the ion temperature gradient mode. Rosenbluth and Hinton (R-H) calculated the residual zonal flow level for radial wavelengths that are much larger than the ion poloidal gyroradius. Their calculation is extended to treat arbitrary radial wavelengths. For the radial wavelengths that approach the ion poloidal gyroradius, but are much larger than the ion gyroradius, an analytical formula is obtained. For radial wavelengths that are comparable or shorter than the poloidal ion gyroradius and the ion gyroradius a numerical solution is provided. These small radial wavelength results are then extended into the electron temperature gradient regime, where the residual zonal flow level is large but ineffective in regulating the turbulence, indicating that the conventional R-H explanation that zonal flow regulates turbulence is incomplete.
Fast surface temperature measurement of Teflon propellant-in-pulsed ablative discharges using HgCdTe photovoltaic cells
Authors: Antonsen Erik L. , Burton Rodney L. , Reed Garrett A. , Spanjers Gregory G.
Published: October 2006

High-speed mercury cadmium telluride photovoltaic detectors, sensitive to infrared emission, are investigated as a means of measuring surface temperature on a microsecond time frame during pulsed ablative discharges with Teflon™ as the ablated material. Analysis is used to derive a governing equation for detector output voltage for materials with wavelength dependent emissivity. The detector output voltage is experimentally calibrated against thermocouples embedded in heated Teflon. Experimental calibration is performed with Teflon that has been exposed to ∼200 pulsed discharges and non-plasma-exposed Teflon and is compared to theoretical predictions to analyze emissivity differences. The diagnostic capability is evaluated with measurements of surface temperature from the Teflon propellant of electric micropulsed plasma thrusters. During the pulsed current discharge, there is insufficient information to claim that the surface temperature is accurately measured. However, immediately following the discharge, the postpulse cooling curve is measured. The statistical spread of postpulse surface temperature from shot to shot, most likely due to arc constriction and localization, is investigated to determine an operational envelope for postpulse temperature and mass ablation. This information is useful for determining postpulse ablation contributions to mass loss as well as evaluation of theoretical discharge models currently under development.
The nature of the calculation of the pressure in molecular simulations of continuous models from volume perturbations
Authors: de Miguel Enrique , Jackson George
Published: October 2006

We consider some fundamental aspects of the calculation of the pressure from simulations by performing volume perturbations. The method, initially proposed for hard-core potentials by Eppenga and Frenkel [Mol. Phys.52, 1303 (1984)] and then extended to continuous potentials by Harismiadis et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 105, 8469 (1996)], is based on the numerical estimate of the change in Helmholtz free energy associated with the perturbation which, in turn, can be expressed as an ensemble average of the corresponding Boltzmann factor. The approach can be easily generalized to the calculation of components of the pressure tensor and also to ensembles other than the canonical ensemble. The accuracy of the method is assessed by comparing simulation results obtained from the volume-perturbation route with those obtained from the usual virial expression for several prototype fluid models. Monte Carlo simulation data are reported for bulk fluids and for inhomogeneous systems containing a vapor-liquid interface.
Fluorescence tomography in turbid media based on acousto-optic modulation imaging
Authors: Kobayashi Masaki , Mizumoto Takashi , Shibuya Yukihiro , Enomoto Masaru , Takeda Motohiro
Published: October 2006

The authors present a tomographic imaging technique of fluorescence in light-scattering media. Ultrasonic modulation of fluorescence based on the interaction between ultrasound and light is applied for imaging of a fluorescent material by scanning a focused sound field in which the light is modulated selectively. The on-axis sound-field characteristics that affect the light by modulating its amplitude (through variation of the refractive index and the scattering coefficient) were determined. That imaging technique is demonstrated using tissue phantoms that contain localized fluorescent regions in a dense scattering medium, suggesting the applicability of this technique for visualization of fluorescent probes in biological tissues.
Monolithic red-green-blue laser light source based on cascaded wavelength conversion in periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate
Authors: Gao Z. D. , Zhu S. N. , Tu Shih-Yu , Kung A. H.
Published: October 2006

A compact, pulsed, red, green, and blue laser source based on cascaded quasi-phase-matched wavelength conversion in two periodic superlattices set in tandem in a single stoichiometric LiTaO3 crystal and pumped by a laser source at 532nm is reported. The white light equivalent flux obtained was 80lmper1W input with a green to white light power conversion efficiency of >30%. Unity power conversion is feasible in this monolithic approach.
Synchronization by dynamical relaying in electronic circuit arrays
Authors: Da Silva Iacyel Gomes , Buldú Javier M. , Mirasso Claudio R. , García-Ojalvo Jordi
Published: October 2006

We experimentally study the synchronization of two chaotic electronic circuits whose dynamics is relayed by a third parameter-matched circuit, to which they are coupled bidirectionally in a linear chain configuration. In a wide range of operating parameters, this setup leads to synchronization between the outer circuits, while the relaying element remains unsynchronized. The specifics of the synchronization differ with the coupling level: for low couplings a state of intermittent synchronization between the outer circuits coexists with one of antiphase synchronization. Synchronization becomes in phase for moderate couplings, and for strong coupling identical synchronization is observed between the outer elements, which are themselves synchronized in a generalized way with the relaying element. In the latter situation, the middle element displays a triple-scroll attractor that is not possible to obtain when the chaotic oscillator is isolated.
RAFT Graft Polymerization of 2-(Dimethylaminoethyl) Methacrylate onto Cellulose Fibre
Authors: Roy Debashish , Guthrie James T. , Perrier Sébastien
Published: October 2006

Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) was grafted from cellulose by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The use of a free chain transfer agent in solution allowed for a better control over graft ratio, chain length of grafted polymer, monomer conversion, and homopolymer formation in solution. An increase in polymerization time or degree of polymerization led to an increase in graft ratio, as expected from a living system.
Chiroptical Properties of Homopolymers and Block Copolymers Synthesized from the Enantiomeric Monomers N-Acryloyl-L-Alanine and N-Acryloyl-D-Alanine Using Aqueous RAFT Polymerization
Authors: Lokitz Brad S. , Stempka Jonathan E. , York Adam W. , Li Yuting , Goel Hitesh K. , Bishop G. Reid , McCormick Charles L.
Published: October 2006

Chiral homo- and block copolymers based on the enantiomeric monomers N-acryloyl-l-alanine (ALAL) and N-acryloyl-d-alanine (ADAL) were prepared directly in water using controlled reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymerization of the chiral monomers proceeded in a controlled fashion producing the respective homopolymers, block copolymers, and a statistical copolymer with targeted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. The chiroptical activity of these biomimetic polymers and their analogous model compounds was investigated using circular dichroism (CD). P(ALAL) and P(ADAL) were shown to be optically active exhibiting mirror image CD spectra. In addition, statistical and enantiomeric block copolymers prepared at 1:1 stochiometric ratios exhibited virtually no optical activity.
The Indirect Effects of New Housing Construction in Developing Countries
Authors: Ferchiou Ridha
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to examine the indirect effects of new housing construction on the redistribution of old housing stock in developing countries. The basic data for the study comes from the author's work in Tunisia, with comparative illustration from similar studies in Mexico, and is used to test a certain number of conclusions on filtering derived from empirical studies undertaken in developed countries. The conclusions are that dwellings in the middle range of values initiated the longest chains of moves, but that as even these chains end before reaching the poorest families, filtering strategies need to be complemented by a positive programme of slum-upgrading.
Components of Manufacturing Employment Change in Ireland 1973-1981
Authors: O'Farrell P.N.
Published: October 2006

Employment change in Irish manufacturing industry is disaggregated into its basic components of openings, expansions, contractions and closures over the period 1973 to 1981. The components of change are cross-classified at plant level by ownership, grant type, size and sector and this shows that rates of indigenous new firm formation are higher in Ireland than in either of the UK regions. Comparisons of employment change by plant size with the US and the UK reveals that although the direction of change is the same for Irish manufacturing with only plants of below 100 employed recording net increases, the rate of net gain achieved by small plants in Ireland is greater than in either the US or the UK.
Racial Discrimination as a Determinant of Home Improvement Loans
Authors: Ryker Randy E. , Pol Louis G. , Guy Rebecca F.
Published: October 2006

While there is a sizeable body of literature which points to racial discrimination in the mortgage lending market, few studies have examined racial discrimination in home improvement lending. Using data made available through the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, this study is concerned with determining if areas with a large proportion minority, in this case, blacks, are being systematically denied home improvement loans by the major lending institutions of Memphis, Tennessee. the findings presented here provide mixed support for the argument that racial discrimination in the home lending market also includes home improvement loans. The implications of these findings are discussed.
A Note on Housing Market Segmentation in an Israeli Development Town
Authors: Gabriel Stuart A.
Published: October 2006

Wbile the Israeli experiment in new town development included an attempt to integrate immigrants of disparate African, Asian and European backgrounds, subsequent development patterns indicate that neighbourhood stratification has occurred based upon population origin, date of immigration and local housing conditions. This analysis develops a hedonic price model which enables the specification and testing of the segmentation hypothesis. Disaggregation by neighbourhood reveals significant variation in the magnitude and sign of implicit prices and thus conflicts with the assumption of a unified housing market model.
Chasing a Dream: The Use of Tax Abatements to Spur Urban Economic Development
Authors: Wolkoff Michael J.
Published: October 2006

In this paper I develop a systematic framework for assessing the effectiveness of granting tax abatements to encourage urban economic development. This approach focuses upon the abatement's effect upon the firm's decision to invest and the impact of the investment upon the community. Current policy fails to take these considerations into account adequately. I use this framework to evaluate the potential revenue gain to the City of Detroit of offering variable abatement awards, and suggest a set of proposals to improve program performance.
Spatio-Temporal Structure of Population Growth in Urban Regions: The Cases of Tel-Aviv and Haifa, Israel
Authors: Krakover Shaul
Published: October 2006

Despite the growing awareness of the urban field as an urban entity extending beyond metropolitan area boundaries, the research on its internal spatial structure is still scarce. This study aims for a description of the spatio-temporal structure of population growth in the urban regions of Tel-Aviv and Haifa. The spatio-temporal trends of population growth in these regions are traced and analysed by the application of a multi-variate regression model using a compound spatio-temporal polynomial power series. The analysis is performed adirectionally for each urban region as a whole and it is repeated separately for three different geographic sectors in each region.

Structural differences were found to exist between the larger and smaller urban regions as well as among the different geographic sectors. It is demonstrated that in the smaller urban region of Haifa the structural pattern obtained for the whole urban region misrepresents the unique trends that pertain to different directions.
Women in the Labour Markets of the London Region: A Model of Dependence and Constraint
Authors: Gordon Ian , Molho Ian
Published: October 2006

This paper uses a simultaneous equations model of labour and housing market relationships in the London Metropolitan region in order to illuminate some of the specific characteristics of female labour markets in an explicitly spatial context. In addition to restricted female commuting fields, two significant sets of spatial constraint were identified: firstly, the residential location of married women tended to depend on access to male, not female, employment opportunities; and secondly, limited access to owner occupation tended to restrict the residential mobility of non-married women. Nevertheless, responsiveness to local demand conditions of married women's participation rates on the one hand, and non-married women's migration on the other, rendered local female unemployment comparatively less sensitive to employment change.
Old Industrial Areas: A Theoretical Approach
Authors: Steiner Michael
Published: October 2006

The paper tries to put forward a hypothesis for the changing fortunes of old industrial areas. A regionalized version of the product cycle hypothesis is used as a link for various aspects of the lost dynamics of this type of region, as interpreted by different models of regional growth. It offers an endogenous explanation for the change from prosperous to 'old'. Old industrial areas are at the end of a regional 'life cycle', a stage of development that is marked by inflexibilities of the regions' supply and a lack of innovative ability. Some implications of this approach for policy implementation are considered.
Urban Land Prices and Housing Distribution: Monopolistic Competition and the Myth of the 'Law' of Differential Rent
Authors: Emmanuel Dimitris
Published: October 2006

The currently dominant neoclassical models of urban ground rents and housing distribution as well as recent alternatives along neoricardian or Ricardian-Marxian lines display major weaknesses which derive from the problems inherent in the concept of differential rents and its pure competition presuppositions. The paper argues that an effective alternative can be developed on the basis of Chamberlin's theory of monopolistic competition. The formal structure of such a model simplifies greatly the matter of the determination of land prices and incorporates with ease difficult aspects such as the role of public controls. In addition, it offers a much needed theoretically valid integration of land price theory with operationally powerful Lowry-type models. The most interesting implication, however, of a monopolistic competition model is that the venerated 'law' of differential rents must be thoroughly rejected on both theoretical and practical grounds.
Transport, Land Use and Energy Interaction
Authors: Mogridge M.J.H.
Published: October 2006

An analysis of data from London and Paris, using directly comparable methods of expressing all results in terms of distance from the centre, is undertaken of the following variables: population density, mean household income, car ownership, median daily travel time per traveller, and energy consumption. It is argued that the results demonstrate that population density and public transport provision are far less important influences on energy consumption than car ownership, and that it follows that economising energy consumed per car is far more important than policies concerned with decentralisation or public transport service levels. The importance of the rail network in setting road network speeds is also noted.
Metropolitan and Fiscal Policy: the Record of 40 Years
Authors: Burkhead Jesse , Dowall David E. , Leven Charles L. , Pascal Anthony H. , Burns Leland S.
Published: October 2006

These essays have emerged from a panel discussion presented at the 1984 meetings of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and convened to honor Harry Perloff's work and times. They seek to identify the successes and failures of US Urban Policy, and propose policy instruments which aim to foster progress in this area of public management. The essays raise issues which are pertinent to Urban Studies forthcoming special issue on US Urban Policy, and are published in this issue with the intention of prompting submissions.
The Capital Account and Regional Balance of Payments Problems
Authors: Dow Sheila C.
Published: October 2006

Many regional issues can be expressed in terms of regional balance of payments accounts. This framework in turn highlights a feature of regional economics to which little attention is paid: inter-regional capital flows. It is the presumption that these flows accommodate demand which explains the apparent absence of regional balance of payments problems. In fact, if capital flows are not accommodating, then regional balance of payments problems may be more serious than for countries with separate currencies, since they require income adjustment. Having explained the balance of payments accounts in regional terms and the nature and significance of inter-regional capital flows, the paper concludes with a discussion of data requirements, with particular reference to the Scottish case.
The Demand for Professional League Football and the Success of Football League Teams: Some City Size Effects
Authors: Walker Bruce
Published: October 2006

This paper examines the relationship between the league standing of English professional football teams and the rank and size of the SMLA in which they are located, and the influence of population, among other factors, on attendances at football fixtures. The paper commences with a brief review of existing work in this area and concludes on the basis of empirical work presented here that the demonstrated influence of population on both league standing and attendances would suggest that big city teams will be more successful. Additionally, the relative importance of distance between teams competing in a fixture on attendances for lower division teams, might suggest benefits to be derived from regionalisation of the lower leagues.
Taking Apart the American Dream: The Influence of Income and Family Composition on Residential Evaluations
Authors: Shlay Anne B.
Published: October 2006

Americans' overwhelming desires for single family homeownership have been so well documented that they have been termed the 'American Dream'. Government and financial incentives for homeownership are believed to allow the fulfillment of uniformly accepted housing norms which drive people to buy their own homes. This research takes apart that American Dream by examining the preferences of different income and family life cycle groups for housing and neighborhood characteristics associated with the housing bundle. Based on a sample of Syracuse metropolitan respondents, this research applies the factorial survey method to assess the variations in housing preferences by socio-economic status and family composition. Findings show that all groups of respondents were indifferent to housings' tenure. All respondents desired single family housing but the intensity of these preferences for single family homes over other types of housing varied among subgroups. Strong desires were expressed not to live among blacks nor lower income households, although respondents expressed no desires for either suburban locations or physically homogeneous neighborhoods. These findings suggest that surface desires for homeownership may proxy for desires to control local racial and socio-economic composition.
Residential Location and Intra-urban Mobility in a Developing Country: Some Empirical Observations from Benin City, Nigeria
Authors: Ozo A.O.
Published: October 2006

While rural-urban migration has been a major focus of studies in developing economies intra-city mobility has received very little attention. This article examines the locational pattern, and subsequent residential mobility, of new migrants in Benin City, Nigeria. The study shows that as a result of sentimental attachment to village of origin migrants from the adjoining rural region tend to have a bias in their city location for a sector of the city lying in the same direction with their village of origin and that this sentimental attachment reinforces the sectoral pattern of subsequent intra-urban mobility. The study observed a low rate of residential mobility, which even among those who have changed residence has not led to improvement in housing satisfaction. It also observed a pattern of out-migration from the inner zone of the city. The paper explores the policy impications of these.
The Relative Effects of Local Authority Financial Assistance Policies
Authors: Wren Colin
Published: October 2006

The provision of financial assistance to industry has formed a growing and important part of the economic development policies of many local authorities. However, assessments of these policies have suffered from a number of drawbacks. In particular, they have tended to focus on the employment effect of the local authority's assistance policy as a whole, and there have been few attempts to isolate the factors bearing on the success of these policies or to compare their effectiveness with schemes pursued by other agencies.

This paper examines the effect of local authority financial assistance on the operation and employment of establishments over the period 1980-84, using data collected as part of a survey of 201 establishments located in the North-East of England. These policies are compared with the two major instruments of regional policy: regional development grant (RDG) and regional selective assistance (RSA), and with national selective assitance (NSA). Different purposes of project are also examined using log-linear models.

The results show that local authority assisted projects perform well when compared with RDG, but that RSA/NSA assisted projects perform even better. Much of the local authority assistance has been directed towards new company start-ups, but the research shows that nearly two-thirds of these projects would have gone ahead without being assisted. In general, projects concerned with machinery and equipment were most effective in employment terms and they also had a range of other beneficial impacts upon assisted establishments.
Housing for Temporary Residents: A Study of Pilgrims to Makkah
Authors: Pasha Hafiz A.
Published: October 2006

Pilgrims to Makkah in Saudi Arabia have a strong preference for locating in the central area of the city, in proximity to the Haram (a mosque). Available evidence suggests that this has led to considerable overcrowding and congestion. The objective of this paper is to identify the scope for decentralising the location of such temporary residents. In this connection, a model of seasonal housing markets is set up to study the impact of different projects on the spatial distribution of residents and on the welfare levels of consumers and producers of housing. Within the framework of the model, the economics of two specific housing and transportation proposals for dispersing pilgrims away from the center of the city is examined.
Improving Housing by Conventional Versus Self-help Methods: Evidence From Israel
Authors: Carmon Naomi , Gavrieli Tamar
Published: October 2006

The study compares the two major processes of improving housing conditions for moderate- and low-income households in Israel: the institutional solution - relocating eligible households in new public housing; and the spontaneous self-help solution - households who purchase their housing units from a housing management company, improve and enlarge them on their own initiative and with their own resources, with or without the assistance of a publicly subsidised loan. It was found that the self-help improvements produced better housing conditions, better relationships with neighbours and more satisfaction with housing. They increased the individual motivation to work, and also had a positive aggregate impact in preventing neighbourhood decay and encouraging urban renewal. These results were achieved at a low cost to the public treasury as compared to the institutional solution.
Creative Financing, House Prices, and Property Tax Inequities
Authors: Sirmans G. Stacy , Sirmans C.F. , Smith Stanley D.
Published: October 2006

This paper examines the distortions in house prices caused by the use of creative financing and the horizontal and vertical inequities in property tax assessments that can result if the proper adjustment of prices for financing is not made. The results show that horizontal inequities exist across financing alternatives (i.e., between conventional and assumption financing). The results also indicate vertical inequities in house prices since the amount of capitalization of financing differs across price levels.
Changing Rates of Return on Rental Property and Condominium Conversions
Authors: Crone Theodore M.
Published: October 2006

In the 1970s about 350,000 housing units in multi-family structures in the US were converted to a condominium or co-operative form of ownership. This paper shows how changes in both rents and housing prices influence the expected rate of return on rental property and therefore the probability of conversion. A minimum logit chi-square model was applied to data from 34 metropolitan areas to estimate the effects of these changes. The evidence suggests that changes in housing prices had a greater effect on conversions than changes in the expected net return on rental property.
Manufacturing Plant Size - Toward a Regional Strategy. A Case Study in Limburg, Belgium
Authors: Kipnis Baruch A. , Swyngedouw Erik A.
Published: October 2006

The impact of manufacturing plant size on urban and regional growth is analysed in the region of Limburg, Belgium, extending both geographically and in scope previous studies on the same issue in Israel and in Brazil. The study reveals that medium size plants are important growth constituents, whose favourable impacts are felt in the immediate local and regional industrial spaces. The study is extended to evaluate the influence of town size on input-output flow patterns and to examine interrelations between plant size and level of technology. Development strategy considerations for peripheral regions are discussed.
The Availability of Land for Inner City Development: A Case Study of Inner Manchester
Authors: Adams C.D. , Baum A.E. , MacGregor B.D.
Published: October 2006

Much of the existing literature on land availability centres upon the controversial policy debates concerning land release at the urban periphery. Recently, the Government has assumed that Green Belt policies could be used to redirect development towards inner urban areas. Although inner cities may contain substantial areas of vacant land, there are very real constraints upon its immediate development. Flexible planning policies will not in themselves guarantee inner city regeneration. Complex ownership, physical and price constraints act as blockages in the development process and prolong land vacancy. Future local land policies will need to develop a concerted approach to tackling these constraints if the inner city is to compete with the urban periphery for new development.
Analyzing Changes in Municipal Bond Ratings: A Different Perspective
Authors: Loviscek Anthony L. , Crowley Frederick D.
Published: October 2006

Do variables that measure economic base diversification, market expansion, population growth, and energy endowment affect municipal bond ratings? To examine this question, we specify and test a linear probability model of changes in municipal bond ratings related to changes in these variables. Using county data for 49 urban areas for 1970 and 1981, we find that changes in each of the variables strongly influence changes in municipal bond ratings. The results suggest that municipal officials and investors can determine the credit condition of a municipality more accurately by using these variables than by using financial accounting variables. The results also indicate that the ratings can represent a unique, market evaluation of the success of local economic development efforts.
Agglomeration Economies: Localization or Urbanization?
Authors: Moomaw Ronald L.
Published: October 2006

I estimate localization and urbanization economies with a methodology and data different from those of Henderson and Nakamura. After demonstrating the problems associated with using a single agglomeration variable, I present my estimates. As Nakamura found for Japanese cities, I find evidence of both localization economies and urbanization economies but I also find evidence of urbanization diseconomies in some industries, as did Henderson. My evidence for localization and urbanization economies in American cities is stronger than Henderson's evidence. Finally, I show that the pattern of agglomeration economies by industry is consistent with observed patterns of industrial location.
The Movement of Manufacturing Industry in Great Britain: An Inter-County Analysis, 1972-1981
Authors: Taylor Jim , Twomey Jim
Published: October 2006

This paper is concerned with the movement of manufacturing industry between GB counties during the period 1972-81. After discussing the nature of movement data, the inter-regional and inter-county movement of manufacturing establishments is examined for the period 1972-81. The main focus of the paper, however, lies in the development of a model of industrial movement based upon a stock-adjustment approach distinguishing between actual and optimal moves and leading to an empirical test of various explanations of industrial movement via a binomial probability model. The main findings are that inter-county differences in industrial rates and in the cost of premises had a significant effect on movement during the period 1972-81. Distance, as expected, also played a critical role in explaining the geographical pattern of movement though labour availability and labour costs were found to be unrelated to this pattern. Finally, the impact of regional financial incentives is found to be negligible but this result may be due to the spatially restricted nature of certain data items which limit the subsequent application of the model.
A Local Income and Employment Multiplier Analysis of a Proposed Nuclear Power Station Development at Hinkley Point in Somerset
Authors: Glasson John , van Der Wee Dominique , Barrett Brendan
Published: October 2006

Nuclear power stations have a range of local economic implications for their host localities; some direct through local employment on the development, others more indirect resulting from the filtering through into the local community of income and expenditure. This paper focusses on the indirect effects, using a disaggregated dynamic multiplier approach. The case study used is that of the proposed Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power station development at Hinkley Point in Somerset, England. The analysis highlights the significance of the indirect effects and the importance of disaggregation by expenditure category and over time. A particularly important distinction is that between the indirect effects associated with the construction stage of the development and with the operational stage.
Service Industries and Local Labour Markets: Towards 'An Anatomy of Service Job Loss'
Authors: Buck Nick
Published: October 2006

A consequence of the basic non-basic distinction in industrial geography is the treatment of the non-basic sector as a form of black box, from which predictable employment change outcomes emerge as a result of changes in demand induced by changes in the basic sector. Implicitly there are assumptions of static and spatially uniform organisation, technology and labour process. This paper argues that important changes in production process, industrial organisation, technology and forms of employment do take place in all service industries just as they do in manufacturing, and that they have spatially variable effects on local labour markets. It applies the production change strategies of Massey and Meegan's Anatomy of Job Loss to the service sector, and shows that with modifications, and the addition of a number of strategies specific to service industries they can contribute significantly to our understanding of change in local labour markets.
Unravelling the Residential Rent-Value Puzzle: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Phillips Robyn S.
Published: October 2006

This paper tests empirically whether observed variation in the relationship between residential rents and housing prices in US metropolitan areas during the 1974-79 period can be attributed to differences in the user cost of residential capital. Consistent with user cost models, house values are found to be high relative to market rents where real after-tax financing costs are low and where expected capital gains from appreciation are large. At the same time, high rental vacancies, lagging rents and high inflation rates per se also are found to raise structure prices relative to market-clearing rents, suggesting significant adjustment lags from the durability of the housing stock, transaction costs, and segmentation between owner and rental submarkets.
An Historical Analysis of Federal Housing Policy from the Presidential Perspective: An Intergovernmental Focus
Authors: Caves Roger W.
Published: October 2006

The Federal government in the United States has been involved in housing policy for over 80 years. The involvement has grown from a handful of programmes to a vast array of programmes dealing with numerous aspects of housing. This paper provides an historical examination of how Presidents, from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan, have viewed housing, their role in initiating Federal housing policies and programmes, and the role of the Federal government in resolving the country's housing problems. Essentially, we have experienced three periods of Federal housing policy - a period where Presidents set the Federal housing policy agenda, a period where Congress became the centre of action, and a period where Presidents and Congress shared the initiative in developing and setting the Federal housing policy agenda. This paper examines Federal housing policy through these three periods.
Small Towns and Development: A Tale from Two Countries
Authors: Choguill Charles L.
Published: October 2006

Urban centralisation within the developing world has resulted in numerous sectoral problems within major cities, such as congestion, migration, poor housing, unemployment and environmental deterioration. As a result, urban analysts have directed attention to the development of small and intermediate cities as one means of providing the necessary counterbalance to the development of primate cities. This paper examines the economic potential of small town development. What contributions can be expected from government investment at this level of the rural-urban interface? Is it possible to provide urban services at this lowest level of the urban hierarchy and if it can be done, what difference, if any, does it make to established rural-to-urban migration flows? Based on international experience, are some kinds of services more difficult to establish in small towns than others? To answer these questions, the experience of two countries is examined, selected from one of the regional development programmes in Malaysia and the ujamaa villagisation programme in Tanzania. The study concludes that necessary ingredients with a small town development programme include an appropriate agricultural policy as well as adequate consideration of the small town economic base. Also required is some element of self-reliance in the provision of local urban services. Without these components, such programmes are unlikely to have any significant effect upon current rural-to-urban migration flows.
The Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis: Some New Evidence
Authors: Gordon Peter , Kumar Ajay , Richardson Harry W.
Published: October 2006

This paper uses commuting times and distance data from the Nationwide Personal Transportation Studies of 1977 to 1983-4 to re-evaluate the spatial mismatch hypothesis. Neither minorities nor low-income workers have longer commutes. In fact, their commuting patterns are very similar to those of workers in general. This also implies that minorities are not constrained by income or housing to live closer to work. However, women consistently have shorter worktrips. The spatial mismatch hypothesis receives no support from examination of commuting data.
Core and Periphery: Territorial Dimensions in Politics
Authors: Wellhofer E. Spencer
Published: October 2006

The essay reviews developments of the Core-Periphery paradigm. Two variants of the paradigm are isolated. Both variants define core-periphery relations by three features: characteristics distinguishing core from periphery, the goods exchanged, and the nature of the exchange and the pattern of core-periphery relations. These features form the explanatory variables in the examination of three central problems in social science: the rise of the state, the development of imperialism and colonialism and regional social movements. However, the distinguishing feature of core-periphery analysis is the spatial representation of these dynamics. Yet spatial representations in core-periphery paradigms are latent and poorly developed. Several alternative spatial representations are more effective in displaying core-periphery dynamics, permitting simpler assumptions, introducing temporal dynamics and multi-linear models.
Inversions in Urban Density Gradients: A Brief Look at the Vancouver Metropolitan Area's Density Profile
Authors: Skaburskis Andrejs
Published: October 2006

This paper presents an estimate of the Vancouver metropolitan area's density profile to show the presence of density gradient inversions. A number of explanations for the inversions are offered and the policy implications of the explanations are briefly discussed.
A Comparative View of Housing Choices in Controlled and Uncontrolled Housing Markets
Authors: Dieleman F.M. , Clark W.A.V. , Deurloo M.C.
Published: October 2006

The research reported in this paper evaluates the relative contributions of economic and demographic variables in determining tenure and housing type choice and the extent to which tenure choice in US and Dutch housing markets is similar. Data from the American Housing Survey National file (1983) for approximately 1500 owners and 4000 renters was examined in the context of the PRU (proportional reduction in uncertainty) and ANOTA (analysis of tables) models. The results provide convincing evidence of the role of income, rent of previous dwelling, size of household and marital status. Renter choices are more dominated by income than are the choices of owners. A comparison of the US results with those for the Dutch housing market reveals that the owner models are similar in both housing markets but for renters the importance of size of household suggests the impact of policy controls on access to housing in the Dutch housing market.
Information, Intermediaries and Sales Strategy in an Urban Housing Market: The Implications of Real Estate Auctions in Melbourne
Authors: Maher Chris
Published: October 2006

The influence of groups such as real estate agents on the operation of local housing markets has been a consistent theme in urban studies. In Melbourne, an increasing incidence of property sales by means of open auctions is the result of a sustained campaign by the real estate industry. Such sales have substantial benefits for the agents and alter many of the strategies for buying adopted by both buyer and seller. However, it is apparent that there are a number of unintended impacts including making the purchase of housing more difficult or risky for some groups. The practice of auctioning is seen to be an active element in determining housing access and the basis for social change within neighbourhoods subject to a high incidence at auctions. Thus the actions of agents can be seen to have far reaching effects in terms of the socio-spatial outcomes of the housing market.