bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuroanatomical correlates of hunger and satiation in humans using positron emission tomography
Authors: Tataranni P. Antonio , Gautier Jean-François , Chen Kewei , Uecker Anne , Bandy Daniel , Salbe Arline D. , Pratley Richard E. , Lawson Michael , Reiman Eric M. , Ravussin Eric
Published: July 2002

The central role of the hypothalamus in the origination and/or processing of feeding-related stimuli may be modulated by the activity of other functional areas of the brain including the insular cortex (involved in enteroceptive monitoring) and the prefrontal cortex (involved in the inhibition of inappropriate response tendencies). Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), a marker of neuronal activity, was measured in 11 healthy, normal-weight men by using positron emission tomography in a state of hunger (after 36-h fast) and a state of satiation (after a liquid meal). Hunger was associated with significantly increased rCBF in the vicinity of the hypothalamus and insular cortex and in additional paralimbic and limbic areas (orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parahippocampal and hippocampal formation), thalamus, caudate, precuneus, putamen, and cerebellum. Satiation was associated with increased rCBF in the vicinity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and inferior parietal lobule. Changes in plasma insulin concentrations in response to the meal were negatively correlated with changes in rCBF in the insular and orbitofrontal cortex. Changes in plasma free fatty acid concentrations in response to the meal were negatively correlated with changes in rCBF in the anterior cingulate and positively correlated with changes in rCBF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, these findings raise the possibility that several regions of the brain participate in the regulation of hunger and satiation and that insulin and free fatty acids may be metabolic modulators of postprandial brain neuronal events. Although exploratory, the present study provides a foundation for investigating the human brain regions and cognitive operations that respond to nutritional stimuli.
Activation of p53 in cervical carcinoma cells by small molecules
Authors: Hietanen Sakari , Lain Sonia , Krausz Eberhard , Blattner Christine , Lane David P.
Published: July 2002

In over 90% of cervical cancers and cancer-derived cell lines, the p53 tumor suppressor pathway is disrupted by human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV E6 protein promotes the degradation of p53 and thus inhibits the stabilization and activation of p53 that would normally occur in response to HPV E7 oncogene expression. Restoration of p53 function in these cells by blocking this pathway should promote a selective therapeutic affect. Here we show that treatment with the small molecule nuclear export inhibitor, leptomycin B, and actinomycin D leads to the accumulation of transcriptionally active p53 in the nucleus of HeLa, CaSki, and SiHa cells. Northern blot analyses showed that both actinomycin D and leptomycin B reduced the amount of HPV E6-E7 mRNA whereas combined treatment with the drugs showed almost complete disappearance of the viral mRNA. The combined treatment activated p53-dependant transcription, and increases in both p21
WAF1/CIP1
and Hdm2 mRNA were seen. The combined treatment resulted in apoptotic death in the cells, as evidenced by nuclear fragmentation and PARP-cleavage indicative of caspase 3 activity. These effects were greatly reduced by expressing a dominant negative p53 protein. The present study shows that small molecules can reactivate p53 in cervical carcinoma cells, and this reactivation is associated with an extensive biological response, including the induction of the apoptotic death of the cells.
Specific chemical and structural damage to proteins produced by synchrotron radiation
Authors: Weik Martin , Ravelli Raimond B. G. , Kryger Gitay , McSweeney Sean , Raves Maria L. , Harel Michal , Gros Piet , Silman Israel , Kroon Jan , Sussman Joel L.
Published: July 2002

Radiation damage is an inherent problem in x-ray crystallography. It usually is presumed to be nonspecific and manifested as a gradual decay in the overall quality of data obtained for a given crystal as data collection proceeds. Based on third-generation synchrotron x-ray data, collected at cryogenic temperatures, we show for the enzymesTorpedo californicaacetylcholinesterase and hen egg white lysozyme that synchrotron radiation also can cause highly specific damage. Disulfide bridges break, and carboxyl groups of acidic residues lose their definition. Highly exposed carboxyls, and those in the active site of both enzymes, appear particularly susceptible. The catalytic triad residue, His-440, in acetylcholinesterase, also appears to be much more sensitive to radiation damage than other histidine residues. Our findings have direct practical implications for routine x-ray data collection at high-energy synchrotron sources. Furthermore, they provide a direct approach for studying the radiation chemistry of proteins and nucleic acids at a detailed, structural level and also may yield information concerning putative “weak links” in a given biological macromolecule, which may be of structural and functional significance.
Theta oscillations index human hippocampal activation during a working memory task
Authors: Tesche C. D. , Karhu J.
Published: July 2002

Working memory (WM) is the ability to retain and associate information over brief time intervals. Functional imaging studies demonstrate that WM is mediated by a distributed network including frontal and posterior cortices, hippocampus, and cerebellum. In rodents, the presentation of stimuli in a WM task is followed by a reset of the phase of hippocampal theta. In this paper we report the observation of a similar phenomenon in normal human subjects. Neuromagnetic responses were recorded during presentation of a set of digits and a subsequent probe of the retained items. All stimuli were presented with a fixed temporal pattern. We observed phase reset of ≈7 Hz theta in left hippocampus ≈120 ms after probe stimuli, whereas reset of theta in right hippocampus was visible ≈80 ms prior to these anticipated stimuli. The duration of stimulus-locked theta increased with memory load, with a limiting value of ≈600 ms for 5–7 retained items. We suggest that, as in rats, stimulus-locked theta may index involvement of human hippocampal networks in the cognitive processing of sensory input. The anticipatory phase reset of theta indicates involvement of hippocampus in right hemisphere and cerebellar timing networks. Hippocampal structures are essential for orientation to perturbations in the sensory scene, a function that requires use of a context established by a constellation of stimuli. We suggest that the initiation and maintenance of stimulus-locked hippocampal theta observed here may facilitate processing of potentially salient and/or novel input with respect to a context established by the contents of WM.
Data assimilation and its applications
Authors: Wang Bin , Zou Xiaolei , Zhu Jiang
Published: July 2002

In data assimilation, one prepares the grid data as the best
possible estimate of the true initial state of a considered system by
merging various measurements irregularly distributed in space and time,
with a prior knowledge of the state given by a numerical model. Because
it may improve forecasting or modeling and increase physical
understanding of considered systems, data assimilation now plays a very
important role in studies of atmospheric and oceanic problems. Here,
three examples are presented to illustrate the use of new types of
observations and the ability of improving forecasting or modeling.
Using lateral capillary forces to compute by self-assembly
Authors: Rothemund Paul W. K.
Published: July 2002

Investigations of DNA computing have highlighted a fundamental connection between self-assembly (SA) and computation: in principle, any computation can be performed by a suitable self-assembling system. In practice, exploration of this connection is limited by our ability to control the geometry and specificity of binding interactions. Recently, a system has been developed that uses surface tension to assemble plastic tiles according to shape complementarity and likeness of wetting [Bowden, N., Terfort, A., Carbeck, J. & Whitesides, G. M. (1997)
Science
276, 233–235]. Here the capacity of this system to compute by SA is explored. Tiles were prepared to test the system's ability to generate three structures of increasing complexity: a periodic checkerboard tiling, an aperiodic Penrose tiling, and a computational tiling that simulates a one-dimensional cellular automaton. Matching rules for these tilings were enforced by coating tiles with patterns of hydrophobic and hydrophilic patches or wetting codes. Energetic, kinetic, and mechanistic details of SA explain differences between experimental structures and mathematically ideal ones. In particular, the growth mechanism observed appears incompatible with computations that make use of a chosen input.
Aggregation of huntingtin in yeast varies with the length of the polyglutamine expansion and the expression of chaperone proteins
Authors: Krobitsch Sylvia , Lindquist Susan
Published: July 2002

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions in the huntingtin (Ht) protein. A hallmark of HD is the proteolytic production of an N-terminal fragment of Ht, containing the polyQ repeat, that forms aggregates in the nucleus and cytoplasm of affected neurons. Proteins with longer polyQ repeats aggregate more rapidly and cause disease at an earlier age, but the mechanism of aggregation and its relationship to disease remain unclear. To provide a new, genetically tractable model system for the study of Ht, we engineered yeast cells to express an N-terminal fragment of Ht with different polyQ repeat lengths of 25, 47, 72, or 103 residues, fused to green fluorescent protein. The extent of aggregation varied with the length of the polyQ repeat: at the two extremes, most HtQ103 protein coalesced into a single large cytoplasmic aggregate, whereas HtQ25 exhibited no sign of aggregation. Mutations that inhibit the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway at three different steps had no effect on the aggregation of Ht fragments in yeast, suggesting that the ubiquitination of Ht previously noted in mammalian cells may not inherently be required for polyQ length-dependent aggregation. Changing the expression levels of a wide variety of chaperone proteins in yeast neither increased nor decreased Ht aggregation. However, Sis1, Hsp70, and Hsp104 overexpression modulated aggregation of HtQ72 and HtQ103 fragments. More dramatically, the deletion of Hsp104 virtually eliminated it. These observations establish yeast as a system for studying the causes and consequences of polyQ-dependent Ht aggregation.
Columnar distribution of serotonin-dependent plasticity within kitten striate cortex
Authors: Kojic Ljubomir , Dyck Richard H. , Gu Qiang , Douglas Robert M. , Matsubara Joanne , Cynader Max S.
Published: July 2002

Recent studies have identified the potential for an important role for serotonin (5-HT) receptors in the developmental plasticity of the kitten visual cortex. 5-HT
2C
receptors are transiently expressed in a patchy fashion in the visual cortex of kittens between 30–80 days of age complementary to patches demarcated by cytochrome oxidase staining. 5-HT, operating via 5-HT
2C
receptors, increases cortical synaptic plasticity as assessed both in brain slices and
in vivo
. Herein, we report that bath application of 5-HT substantially increases the probability of long-term potentiation within 5-HT
2C
receptor-rich zones of cortex, but this effect is not observed in the 5-HT
2C
receptor-poor zones. Instead, in these zones, 5-HT application increases the probability of long-term depression. These location-specific effects of 5-HT may promote the formation of compartment-specific cortical responses.
In search of the wage‐labour/service contract: new evidence on the validity of the Goldthorpe class schema
Authors: Evans Geoffrey , Mills Colin
Published: July 2002

In this paper we examine new empirical evidence on the coherence and magnitude of the main classes in the Goldthorpe class schema. Particular attention is paid to issues that have recently been a source of academic dispute: the coherence and size of the service class and the distinction between the service class and intermediate classes. Using recently available British data collected by the Office for National Statistics we examine: (i) the extent to which measures of class‐relevant job characteristics are empirically discriminated by the categories of the schema; (ii) the structure of a ‘contract type’ dimension of employment relations conceived of as a categorical latent variable; and (iii) the association between this latent variable and both the Goldthorpe class schema and a related measure–socio‐economic group (SEG). We find that the data are consistent with the existence of a three category latent ‘contract type’ variable largely corresponding to the notions of service, intermediate and wage‐labour contracts explicit in discussions of the theoretical rationale for the Goldthorpe schema. We further find a substantial degree of fit between the latent ‘contract types’ and the schema. However, the service class fault line appears to lie within class I and II of the schema rather than between them and the intermediate classes which suggests a revised, smaller service class would better capture the reality of the contemporary British occupational structure.
World Cities in Asia: Cliques, Centrality and Connectedness
Authors: Shin Kyoung-Ho , Timberlake Michael
Published: July 2002

The world's leading cities are linked to one another by the flow of commodities, information and people to form part of the fabric of the world system. They are linked hierarchically, with some cities occupying more prominent positions than others in this global network of urban places. While this network is relatively stable, it is not immutable. The late 20th century saw deindustrialisation in the core countries, the shift of industries towards less developed countries, economic boom (and bust) in several developing countries and rapidly increasing global interdependence. Accompanying these changes has been the dramatic rise of several Asian cities in the hierarchical global system of urban places. This research describes the changing place of Asian cities in the world system of cities by using formal network analytical techniques with data on airline travel between all pairs of about 100 world cities from 1975 to 1997.
Consumer Information and Market-area Competition for Health-care Services
Authors: Seninger Stephen F.
Published: July 2002

This paper analyses the spatial availability of information and its impact on spatial-economic interactions, as measured by export sales and consumer trips to competing regional centres. The spatial interactions are applied to Medicare hospital services and patient mobility among market areas. A monopolistically competitive structure is developed within a competing central-place, spatial-interaction framework. Model estimates based on national data examine the determinants of Medicare health-care exports from the supply centres of Seattle and Portland to markets throughout the Pacific-Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington. Entropy measures of the uncertainty of specialised medical information in contested areas show that more certain information in origin supply centres relative to destination demand nodes has a positive effect on the attraction of patients and on the receipt of Medicare revenue. Distance to origin supply centres has a strong negative effect on export sales and on patient travel from other areas. Hospital shares of revenue in the local supply centre have a significant positive effect on export sales of hospital Medicare services.
Co-existence in Selected Mixed Arab-Jewish Cities in Israel: By Choice or by Default?
Authors: Falah Ghazi , Hoy Michael , Sarker Rakhal
Published: July 2002

In this paper, we use a data-set based on a survey of the perceptions about co-existence between Arabs and Jews as held by the inhabitants of five mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel: Acre, Haifa, Jaffa, Lydda and Ramla. Our main purpose is to determine the relative importance of various factors which contribute to the level of satisfaction with co-existence in Israel as perceived by the inhabitants themselves. Our choice of explanatory variables is motivated by a consideration of issues relating to the specific historical context of Jews and Arabs living together in these cities; and, an awareness of more general sociological considerations which may bear on the degree of satisfaction with co-existence. Our empirical analysis suggests that the variables relating to the specific historical evolution of Arab-Jewish relations-especially in the context of the urban setting-have the greatest explanatory power in understanding perceptions of co-existence. Basic sociological factors also hold some explanatory importance.
Restructuring in the Industrial Areas of Budapest in the Period of Transition
Authors: Kiss Eva
Published: July 2002

In recent decades, and especially since the late 1970s, the industry and industrial areas of Western cities have undergone considerable restructuring. In east European cities, however, these changes began later and accelerated only after 1989, when radical political change permitted economic and social reforms. This study aims to examine the most important trends in the restructuring of industrial areas in Budapest. In particular, the study considers: how industrial restructuring affected the spatial structure of industry, the urban space and land use and, whether and to what extent these changes are similar to or different from processes in western and other east European cities.
Stratification and Spatial Segregation of Human Capital as Determinants of Metropolitan Productivity in the United States
Authors: Lobo José , Smole David P.
Published: July 2002

This paper explores the dynamics of how the human capital embodied in metropolitan populations might impact metropolitan productivity. Three aspects of human capital are examined: the average aggregate level of human capital, stratification according to human capital and spatial segregation according to human capital. These are measured for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the US for 1970, 1980 and 1990, and then tested as explanatory variables of metropolitan productivity. Econometric analysis confirms a strong relationship between higher average levels of human capital and higher productivity and growth. Stratification appears negatively correlated with productivity in 1970 and 1980, but positively correlated in 1990. Segregation appears negatively correlated with productivity in the 1970s, and in 1990 when controlling for stratification.
Hard and Soft Networks for Urban Competitiveness
Authors: Malecki Edward J.
Published: July 2002

The concept of competitiveness has grown significantly and it is now common for cities, regions and nations to assess, improve and publicise their competitive standing vis-à-vis other places. Yet it remains rather unclear just what competitiveness is when applied to places, which have objectives distinct from those of private-sector organisations, for whom share price and profitability serve as common metrics. The blurring of the responsibilities of the public and private sectors also complicates matters, with the former making increasing use of the terminology and priorities of business. This paper takes the view that both public and private sectors-and their interactions—are sustained by networks. To be effective, these networks must operate at the global, national, regional and local scales, gathering knowledge via social interaction—that is, through 'soft' networks. To a growing degree, competitive networking also demands technological capability, whether in high-tech sectors, `smokestack' industries or public-sector organisations. This capability now demands 'hard' networks that 'plug into' the Internet. Decisions about the location of this infrastructure are largely in the hands of the private sector, responding to agglomeration economies and other `imperatives' of the business world. The Internet also has created a new set of imperatives regarding information flow, since any competitive organisation must have an informative and 'user-friendly' website. Such new demands continue to 'raise the bar' regarding what urban competitiveness means.
Socio-economic Structure and Health in London
Authors: Congdon Peter
Published: July 2002

This paper considers socio-economic restructuring in London's small areas over two decades, in relation to broader changes in labour and housing markets. The relation of changing social structure to wider evidence of changes in inequality is discussed, with particular regard to the impact of socio-economic structure on health and mortality. The scale of the analysis is at ward level using census data for 1971, 1981 and 1991 and mortality data over 1990/92.
International Structural Adjustment and its Sectoral and Spatial Impacts
Authors: Pugh Cedric
Published: July 2002

Structural economic adjustment has relevance and significance in OECD countries, among the countries in transition from socialism to capitalism, and in the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Its impacts are multi-institutional being in firms, government agencies, non-government organisations and households. Institutions are having to innovate, to adapt and to reorganise to meet rapidly changing economic conditions in an increasingly competitive environment. This article evaluates the structural adjustment process. It will establish general principles for interpretation and for a newly emerging dominant political economy, the 'new political economy' (NPE) in which adjustment is being articulated. The NPE is evolving, being influenced by the post-1990 enhanced relevance of social and environmental issues, adding to the neoliberalism characteristics of the early origins of the NPE. Also, the NPE is being infused with intellectual institutionalism, especially the 'new institutional economics' (NIE). Thus, the themes in the article will include political economy, impacts of adjustment upon institutions and implications for governance and policy-making in city-regions. The arguments presented lead to a new city-regional theory and practice of development, written as operating guidelines.
Telecommunications and the Changing Geographies of Knowledge Transmission in the Late 20th Century
Authors: Warf Barney
Published: July 2002

Recent innovations in telecommunications and computing, enhanced by a global wave of deregulation and the emergence of post-Fordist production regimes, have unleashed profound transformations of various service sectors in the global economy. This paper first reviews the geographical repercussions of the explosion of information services, including the birth of electronic funds transfer systems, the growth of global cities and the dispersal of back offices to low-wage sites across the globe. Secondly, it explores the political economy and spatiality of the largest of these systems, the Internet. Thirdly, it summarises how the global division of labour has recently engendered the birth of 'new information spaces', places whose recent growth is contingent upon the introduction of telecommunications, citing as examples Singapore, Hungary and the Dominican Republic.
Local Exchange Trading Systems as a Response to the Globalisation of Capitalism
Authors: Pacione Michael
Published: July 2002

The globalisation of capitalism has disadvantaged those people and places marginal to the capitalist development process. The local exchange trading system represents a possible approach to the challenge of relocalising social and economic identity. Despite the growing importance of local exchange trading systems (LETS) in the UK, geographical research into the concept is limited. This paper examines the potential of LETS as a response to the hegemonic influence of global capitalism. The empirical evidence focuses on the development and operation of LETS in Glasgow. The research analyses both successful and unsuccessful LETS in the city, examines the prospects for further development of LETS in the UK, and considers the potential value of the concept particularly for people and places disadvantaged by the capitalist market economy.
Structural Adjustment Programmes and the City in Tropical Africa
Authors: Riddell Barry
Published: July 2002

Following a preface which indicates the alteration in the forces shaping the African city, it is indicated how the conditionalities imposed by structural adjustment programmes initially relate to the national economy. However, they also result in a second round of impacts which, in effect, reshape the city. These operate primarily with the removal of the operation of 'urban bias'; they are reflected in reduced urban growth rates and a mounting informal sector as the overall economy changes and the nature of industry is revised. Meanwhile, underdevelopment occurs as the quality of life declines, inequality mounts and the food supply experiences difficulty. At the same time, money and people depart. It is concluded that such programmes are but reflections of the operation of the global economy.
Women's Economic Progress and the Demand for Housing: Theory, and Empirical Analyses Based on Danish Data
Authors: Kristensen Gustav
Published: July 2002

The focus of this paper is upon the effects of women's economic progress on housing demand. The theoretical segment of the paper hypothesises that women's empowerment brings about an increase in the demand for housing space in less affluent environments, while instead it has the opposite effect in more affluent settings. These hypotheses are tested and validated using Danish data. The complex demand function on which the empirical analyses are based is constructed using expansion methodology. The themes discussed in this paper have scope broader than demand analysis: they centre upon the dialectic of empowerment that translates into reality women's preferences while at the same time altering them.
Public Housing in Singapore: Interpreting 'Quality' in the 1990s
Authors: Siew Eng Teo , Kong Lily
Published: July 2002

While writings exist on various aspects of public housing in Singapore, recent developments in the 1990s have not yet been given any serious academic attention. Our intention in this paper is to focus on such developments, paying particular attention to the government's policy of providing quality housing. After setting the context of efforts at providing quality in the first three decades of public housing by the Housing and Development Board, we turn our attention specifically to the 1990s, focusing on three areas in which attempts are being made to improve quality, namely, the physical upgrading of older estates, the privatisation of HUDC flats, and the invention of new schemes such as the executive condominium concept. In the final section, we argue that, as in earlier decades, such efforts belie a hegemonic intent, essentially to manage Singaporeans' growing aspirations and thus to gain political legitimacy for the government. This we term the 'politics of quality' in public housing. We then discuss briefly some reactions to such attempts at hegemony.
The Evolving Housing Market in Moscow: Indicators of Housing Reform
Authors: Daniell Jennifer , Struyk Raymond
Published: July 2002

With the Russian housing reform underway for several years, this is an appropriate time to review the progress made towards the stated goal of creating a market-oriented housing sector. From the fundamental shift towards private ownership to the supporting legislation, substantial progress has been made towards the realisation of this goal. One of the most significant elements of the housing reform is the law on privatisation of the housing stock passed by the Supreme Soviet in June 1991. Subsequent legislation passed in December 1992 further spurred the reform process. The most far-reaching of these measures was the law On Fundamentals of Housing Policy in the Russian Federation, which addressed the overall orientation of housing policy. This paper examines the results of the housing policy reforms in terms of their effects on private ownership, residential mobility, housing conditions and housing affordability. Longitudinal data on these four characteristics of the Moscow housing sector document the large distortions of the Soviet system and the improvements resulting from recent reforms.
Testing the Turning-point Hypothesis in City-size Distribution: The Israeli Situation Re-examined
Authors: Krakover Shaul
Published: July 2002

City-size distribution provides a tool for an overall inspection of the trends of population concentration or dispersion throughout systems of cities. Changes in city-size distribution have been related to economic development. In this respect, Israel has been identified as an anomalous country wherein population dispersal has supposedly started at a relatively low stage of economic development. This study re-examines city-size distribution in Israel in selected years between 1948 and 1995, using expanded rank-size distribution functions. Unlike most previous studies, this analysis is carried out using populations of metropolitan areas. Utilising this definition, it has been found that population continued to concentrate at least to the end of the 1980s and at a much higher economic level than anticipated by previous studies. There are indications that distribution of population in the urban system of Israel remained more or less stable during the last five decades.
Developing Indicators to Assess the Potential for Urban Regeneration: Improvements Using the 1991 Census of Population Samples of Anonymised Records
Authors: Gardiner Chris
Published: July 2002

This paper explores possibilities for improvements in the quality of indicators to assess the potential for urban regeneration. A new source of data—the 1991 Census of Population Samples of Anonymised Records—is investigated. Refinements and improvements in the quality and targeting of indicators for the Single Regeneration Budget and other regeneration initiatives are recom mended. It is concluded that the 2 per cent Sample of Anonymised Records represents an invaluable resource supplementing the Index of Local Conditions and other databases as a source of information for regeneration based policy assessments.
Policies to Control Urban Sprawl: Planning Regulations or Changes in the 'Rules of the Game'?
Authors: Razin Eran
Published: July 2002

Urban sprawl, fuelled by powerful market forces, is unlikely to be controlled by macro-scale regional plans or by comprehensive reforms of the local government map. This paper emphasises two mechanisms that determine the 'rules of the game' of local development and public regulation of urban sprawl: local government finance and the transfer of land from rural to urban local authorities. Sharing local taxes paid by new non-residential property is discussed, in the Israeli context, as a means to reduce overdevelopment of industrial areas in the metropolitan fringes as well as pressures on open space. Complementary regulative measures, where rural local government is separated from urban local government, are based on improved co-ordination between land-use planning and decisions on municipal boundary changes.
The Effects of Local Growth Controls on Regional Housing Production and Population Redistribution in California
Authors: Levine Ned
Published: July 2002

Based on two surveys of 490 Californian cities and counties, the study examines the effects of local growth-control enactment between 1979 and 1988 on net housing construction between 1980 and 1990. It is shown that local growth-management measures significantly displaced new construction, particularly rental housing, possibly exacerbating the expansion of the metropolitan areas into the interiors of the state. Further, the measures impacted low-income households and minorities particularly. Not all growth-control measures were associated with this change. Measures which limited available land or which downsized existing zoning had stronger effects.
Needs-based Targeting without Knowing Household Incomes: How Would it Work in Russia?
Authors: Struyk Raymond , Kolodeznikova Anastasia
Published: July 2002

Proxy means tests are often suggested for use in countries where tighter targeting of benefits of social programmes are desired but verification of household incomes is difficult. This paper reports on simulations of the use of two types of proxy means test in determining eligibility for Russia's housing allowance programme and the payments which eligible households would receive. Based on 1995 and 1996 survey data, tests are reported for three cities: Vladimir, Moscow and Gorodetz. The results consistently show that the proxy procedures introduce substantial errors into who is admitted to the programme. Most disturbing is the large share of eligible households who would be denied benefits using the first proxy (predicted income used for eligibility determination)—10-30 per cent. The average benefit loss for the poorest quintile of households falsely denied benefits is equivalent to about 20 per cent of their incomes. Under the alternative procedure based on demographic characteristics, errors are smaller than under the first procedure for pensioners and large families but much greater for lone mothers. But even for the first two groups, undercoverage runs at about 15 per cent. On balance, these results suggest that very great caution should be used in proposing proxy income tests of the type analysed here in the countries of the former Soviet bloc for means-tested programmes in general.
Towards an Accurate Description of Affordability
Authors: Chaplin Russell , Freeman Angus
Published: July 2002

This paper draws upon the poverty literature and examines the desirable properties of a descriptive statistic of affordability—namely, that it should satisfy three axioms, monotonicity, transfer and transfer sensitivity. The descriptive statistics of headcounts and averages do not satisfy these three axioms and policies using these statistics as allocative tools may be misallocating resources. The paper advocates the use of a Foster, Greer, Thorbecke statistic (FGT). Examples of different hypothetical households are used to show the contradictory results that can be obtained by using the current statistics. As a case study, the paper compares regional affordability rankings in England by looking at the FGT, headcount and mean values of the rent—income ratio using the 1995/96 Existing Tenants' Survey.
The Residential Mortgage Supply Function of Commercial Banks
Authors: Epley Donald R. , Liano Kartono
Published: July 2002

The paper develops a residential supply function for approved fixed-rate mortgages in US commercial banks as a first step to explain differences in origination patterns among groups of borrowers. It models the lender's decision to offer the borrower a risk-adjusted loan bundle relative to the terms on the credit application. The model includes multiple dependent variables that are risk-adjusted simultaneously to reflect accurately the loan officer's decision. Canonical correlation factor analysis is used to capture the lender's simultaneous decision. The loan-price ratio and contract interest rate are the most important variables in the lender supply function.
On Rich Cities and Boring Places
Authors: Stich Andreas
Published: July 2002

This paper investigates the effect of city size on income inequality in Germany after reunification. Using the Gini index, income inequality is computed. No correlation between income inequality and city size can be found, but dividing Germany in East and West Germany gives further insight into the dependence. It can be seen that a positive connection between city size and income inequality exists in West Germany, while in East Germany no correlation can be found. Another interesting point is the development of income in East German cities. It is shown in this paper that incomes increase rapidly in all cities while the increase in inequality is astonishingly small.
Product Variety and Sector-specific Unemployment
Authors: Nishimori Akira
Published: July 2002

In this paper, we combine the Harris-Todaro wage differential and unemployment with product variety. We analyse how city size is determined and how it relates to unemployment. Our main conclusion is as follows. If the government or the city authority executes the policy leading to growth in the urban population, then the unemployment rate decreases. Furthermore, in this case, even the number of the unemployed can decrease, although the city size increases.
Listening to Communities: Locality Research and Planning
Authors: Murtagh Brendan
Published: July 2002

This paper examines the use of community audits in plan formulation. Empirically, it evaluates the development of the strategy to implement the European Union's URBAN Initiative in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The core method used to determine the content of the plan was a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with community groups, tenant associations and voluntary organisations. The paper reviews the approach within the context of normative debates on the need for 'listening' strategies within land-use planning. It concludes by highlighting the importance of qualitative methodologies in opening consultative dialogue and discussion with deprived urban communities.
Industrial Crisis in the Centre of the Periphery: Stabilisation, Economic Restructuring and Policy Responses in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region
Authors: Rodriguez-Pose Andres , Tomaney John
Published: July 2002

This paper is concerned with the impact of economic stabilisation and internationalisation on the São Paulo metropolitan region and, in particular, in the industrial heartland of the Greater ABC region. The paper begins with a general discussion of the issue of globalisation and inequality in Brazil. It then examines the background to economic development in Brazil with special emphasis on the pattern of economic instability in the 1980s, before discussing the attempts to address this instability in the form of the Real Plan. The paper shows that the introduction of the Real Plan has not been socially or territorially neutral. In particular, the position of the ABC region has been undermined by the processes unleashed by the Real Plan. The final section looks at the response of different actors in the region to these developments.
Applying Bakhtin in Urban Studies: The Failure of Community Participation in the Ferguslie Park Partnership
Authors: Collins Chik
Published: July 2002

This paper attempts to demonstrate something of the potential value of an analytical focus on language-use as a method in urban studies. It sets out to do this by outlining a particular approach to the analysis of language-use and then bringing it to bear on a concrete problem which is of some significant relevance to those concerned with processes of urban change. The approach is one which is informed by the works of the 'Bakhtin Circle'. The problem addressed is that of the failure of community participation in what has been one of the flagship urban regeneration projects in Scotland over the past 10 years-the 'Ferguslie Park Partnership'. The suggestion is that an application of the approach emanating from the works of the Bakhtin Circle helps to cast some significant light on this problem. Moreover, this approach might well find a broader application in the analysis of processes of urban change.
Middle class Colombian children’s evaluations of personal, moral, and social-conventional interactions in the classroom
Authors: Ardila-Rey Alicia , Killen Melanie
Published: July 2002

The aim of this study was to investigate Colombian children’s evaluations of locus of control, compliance, teacher legitimacy, and teacher methods of conflict resolution regarding personal, moral, and social-conventional interactions in the classroom setting. Sixty-three middle class Colombian children at 3 years (n = 20), 5 years (n = 24), and 7 years (n = 19) of age, almost evenly divided by gender, were individually interviewed. With increasing age, children judged that children, not teachers, should make decisions (locus of control) about choice of activities and choice of playmates, and for some social-conventional issues as well. The vast majority of children, with increasing age, preferred that teachers use negotiation and explanation instead of punishment when responding to all types of conflicts, personal, moral, and social-conventional ones. Colombian children’s reasoning about personal, moral, and social-conventional events was not strictly “hierarchical” or “authority-oriented” as might be expected from recent cultural theorising.
Children’s Personal Distance and Their Empathy: Indices of Interpersonal Closeness
Authors: Strayer Janet , Roberts William
Published: July 2002

We examined relations between children’s preferred physical closeness with other persons and both their specific responsive empathy with these persons and their more general dispositional or trait empathy. Children ( N 73) in three age groups (5-, 9-, and 13-year-olds) viewed persons in videotaped vignettes, were interviewed for responsive empathy with these persons, and then placed photos of them on a grid at individually preferred distances relative to themselves. Dispositional empathy was assessed by questionnaire in a separate session. Older children placed vignette characters closer to themselves when they reported greater responsive empathy with them. There were substantial differences in responsive empathy across characters and situations, as would be expected: Adults who punished rarely elicited empathy, nor did a child who lied about another child. Consistent with the within-subjects analysis, vignette characters who elicited greater empathy also elicited closer personal distances. In both analyses (within-subjects and across vignette characters), strength of relation increased with age and was stronger for girls than boys. In contrast to responsive empathy, dispositional empathy was not significantly associated with closer personal distance, despite the significant correlation of the two empathy measures. Thus, it seems important to distinguish empathy that is responsive to particular persons and contexts from more general attitudes that may or may not generalise to specific contexts.
Maternal Speech to 4-month-old Infants in Two Cultures: Wolof and French
Authors: Rabain-Jamin Jacqueline , Sabeau-Jouannet Emilie
Published: July 2002

The infant-directed speech of Wolof-speaking Senegalese mothers and French-speaking mothers living in Paris were compared to relate infant-directed communicative acts to the value system of the society to which the speaker belongs, and to describe the child’s place in those societies. Mother-infant linguistic interactions with 4-month-old infants were recorded (five dyads in the French group and four in the Wolof group). The discourse variables of the pragmatic and semantic categories in the mothers’ speech were analysed. The cross-cultural analysis included a comparison of the conventional versus shifted use of person markers by the mothers in the two cultures. The results demonstrated some features common to both groups, namely, a high percentage of expressive speech acts and the importance of affect-related statements. Some culture-specific emphases and tendencies were also noted. Whereas the French mothers’ conversational exchanges with their infants were dyadic in organisation and centred on the immediate physical environment, the Wolof mothers frequently expanded the dyadic framework to introduce third parties as conversational partners but talked very little about the immediate physical environment. Thus, it appears that cultural conceptions influence not only the content of mother-infant exchanges but also their participant structure.
Parent and Adolescent Contributors to Teenage Misconduct in Western and Asian High School Students in Hong Kong
Authors: Stewart Sunita Mahtani , Bond Michael H. , McBride-Chang Catherine , Fielding Richard , Deeds Osvelia , Westrick Jan
Published: July 2002

This study examined relations among teenagers’ and their mothers’ reports of values and autonomy expectations in relation to school misconduct in 58 Caucasian and 66 Asian high school students attending an international school in Hong Kong. Caucasian students were reported to exhibit more misconduct than did Asian students. Across cultures, teenagers’ endorsements of the values related to Openness to Change, and early autonomy expectations correlated positively whereas values related to Conservation correlated negatively with misconduct measures. Valuing tradition and conformity correlated negatively with disciplinary violations. Differences between teenagers’ and their mothers’ values significantly predicted disciplinary violations, providing evidence for the influence of parent/teenager interaction effects within families. The mediating role of values and autonomy expectations in explaining the link between culture and disciplinary violations is discussed in the light of these findings.
Temperament and Problem Behaviour during Early Childhood
Authors: Schmitz Stephanie , Fulker David W. , Plomin Robert , Zahn-Waxler Carolyn , Emde Robert N. , DeFries John C.
Published: July 2002

Some evidence exists for the phenotypic association of problem behaviour in early childhood with temperament in infancy, but little is known about the genetic and environmental mechanisms mediating this association. At the ages of 14, 20, 24, and 36 months, mothers of twins completed the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (CCTI; Buss & Plomin, 1984; Rowe & Plomin, 1977). At age 4, problem behaviour was assessed using maternal reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4-18; Achenbach, 1991). The temperamental trait of Emotionality at all four prior age points correlated significantly with the CBCL Total Problem Score at 4 years as well as with the broad-band groupings of Internalising the Externalising. In addition, Shyness at all four ages correlated significantly with the broad-band grouping of Internalising. Longitudinal behavioural genetic analyses indicated that these phenotypic predictions from early temperament to later behaviour problems are largely due to genetic factors.
Buprenorphine dosing regime in the management of out‐patient heroin withdrawal
Authors: LINTZERIS NICHOLAS
Published: July 2002

This study aimed to establish a buprenorphine regime suitable for the short‐ter m management of out‐patient heroin withdrawal using an open‐label, single‐group case series. Eighteen dependent injecting heroin users underwent an 8‐day withdrawal episode with supervised dosing of sublingual Subutex tablets. Buprenorphine doses were titrated daily over a 5‐day period. Fifteen subjects (83%) completed the 5‐day regime, and 14 (78%) completed the 8‐day withdrawal episode. The mean doses ((SD) were 6.1 (1.2) mg on day 1; 9.6 (1.7) mg on day 2; 10.1 (1.9) mg on day 3; 8.9 (2.0) mg on day 4; 4.1 (1.5) mg on day 5; and a total regime dose of 38.9 (5.8) mg. Withdrawal severity was mild, with minimal rebound upon the cessation of dosing. Five subjects reported no heroin use, and five subjects reported using on only one occasion during the 8 days. An out‐patient buprenorphine regime is recommended.