Planning the neighbourhood economy:land-use plans and the economic potential of urban residential neighbourhoods in the Netherlands

This article investigates the relationship between zoning by-laws, as put forward in governmental land-use plans and the viability of urban residential neighbourhood economies. The Dutch planning tradition has long been characterized by strict separation of functions and top-down planning. We argue that profound changes in social and economic structures make land-use planning practices less suitable for the current policy formula of "mixed urban milieus". Although the residential neighbourhood might not be the location of large firms, it definitely attracts small ones, and facilitates starting businesses whose presence (and potential growth) can be beneficial to the city as a whole. We present a typology of spatial patterns of neighbourhood economies based on land-use plans and describe whether these are related to the distinctive economic development of the neighbourhood over the period 1999-2007. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

A New Class of Processes for Formalizing and Generalizing Individual-Based Models: The Semi-Semi-Markov Processes

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60K15, 60K20, 60G20,60J75, 60J80, 60J85, 60-08, 90B15.

A temporális diszkontálási szokások vizsgálata – a társadalmi diszkontráta és a társadalmi preferenciák kapcsolata

A társadalmi diszkontráta kérdését a hazai szakirodalom mindezidáig mostohán kezelte, holott korántsem elhanyagolható tényező a közösségi projektek értékelésénél. Az Európai Uniós forrásokból finanszírozott beruházásokra vonatkozó szabályok, illetve a közösségi döntések racionalitásának növelésére vonatkozó fokozódó igény miatt végre nálunk is kezd reflektorfénybe kerülni a másutt már elterjedten alkalmazott költség-haszon elemzés módszertana. Ennek eredményét döntően befolyásolja a társadalmi diszkontráta megválasztása, ezért fontos, hogy ennek módszertanát, problematikáját megismerjük. A temporális diszkontálási szokásokat kétféle módon is tanulmányozhatjuk: a kinyilvánított és a megfigyelt preferenciák alapján. A társadalmi diszkontráta meghatározása a megfigyelt preferenciák alapján történik, top-down módszertannal, míg a temporális viselkedést természetesen a kinyilvánított preferenciák segítségével, kérdőíves módszerekkel végezhető el. A tanulmányban bemutatásra kerül a társadalmi diszkontráta módszertana és egyben kísérletet teszünk a magyar lakosság temporális diszkontálási szokásainak feltárására egy 1000 fős kérdőíves felmérés alapján, mely egyfajta útmutatásként is szolgálhat a top-down módszertanok fejlesztését illetően.

A temporális diszkontálási szokások vizsgálata – a társadalmi diszkontráta és a társadalmi preferenciák kapcsolata

A társadalmi diszkontráta kérdését a hazai szakirodalom mindezidáig mostohán kezelte, holott korántsem elhanyagolható tényező a közösségi projektek értékelésénél. Az Európai Uniós forrásokból finanszírozott beruházásokra vonatkozó szabályok, illetve a közösségi döntések racionalitásának növelésére vonatkozó fokozódó igény miatt végre nálunk is kezd reflektorfénybe kerülni a másutt már elterjedten alkalmazott költség-haszon elemzés módszertana. Ennek eredményét döntően befolyásolja a társadalmi diszkontráta megválasztása, ezért fontos, hogy ennek módszertanát, problematikáját megismerjük. A temporális diszkontálási szokásokat kétféle módon is tanulmányozhatjuk: a kinyilvánított és a megfigyelt preferenciák alapján. A társadalmi diszkontráta meghatározása a megfigyelt preferenciák alapján történik, top-down módszertannal, míg a temporális viselkedést természetesen a kinyilvánított preferenciák segítségével, kérdőíves módszerekkel végezhető el. A tanulmányban bemutatásra kerül a társadalmi diszkontráta módszertana és egyben kísérletet teszünk a magyar lakosság temporális diszkontálási szokásainak feltárására egy 1000 fős kérdőíves felmérés alapján, mely egyfajta útmutatásként is szolgálhat a top-down módszertanok fejlesztését illetően.

A megnyilvánult és kinyilvánított időpreferenciák - mennyire vagyunk rövidlátóak?

A társadalmi időpreferenciák vizsgálatához két út áll rendelkezésünkre; a megnyilvánult és a kinyilvánított időpreferenciák vizsgálata. A megnyilvánult preferenciák egyfajta top-down módszertan, vagyis a társadalmi időpreferenciákat makroadatokból számítják ki (pl. megtakarítások, jövedelemrugalmasság, gazdasági növekedés stb.) és vonnak le következtetéseket az emberek preferenciáival kapcsolatosan. Egy másik lehetséges módszer a diszkontráta meghatározásához a kinyilvánított preferenciák megfigyelése, illetve ami azt jelenti, hogy felmérések útján hipotetikus szituációkon át mérjük fel az egyén preferenciáit [Lippai, 2009], vagyis ez esetben egy bottom-up módszertant alkalmazunk.

Middle school teachers perspectives on inclusion: A qualitative study

Historically, research has placed considerable emphasis on developing a systematic body of knowledge about education in which little voice has been given to teachers themselves. The critical role that teachers play in this generative process such as reflecting, acting and theorizing upon practices that shape life in the classroom has largely been ignored in favor of technical innovation and organizational procedure. As schools struggle to reform and restructure, an understanding of how teachers interpret their practices in context and how the culture of schools influence, constrain, or encourage these practices become critical aspects of school success or failure. ^ This study examined the perspectives on inclusion of seven middle school teachers as they attempted to include exceptional students in regular classes. The study utilized three forms of data collection: observations were made of participant interactions as they led their everyday school lives; document analysis was used as a means to gain an understanding of programs affecting exceptional students, and interviews were used to give voice to teacher's perceptions regarding inclusion, allowing description in their own words rather than those imposed by an outside inquirer. Data collection and analysis sought to identify emerging themes, categories and patterns, allowing for the creation of substantive theory grounded in empirical data. ^ The key issues that emerged in the study were considered in terms of three general categories. The first, teaching and learning, revealed stark contrasts in opinions regarding the type of human support thought necessary for successful inclusion. Regular educators clung to the traditional notion of solitary teachers directing all class activity, while exceptional educators preferred a more team-oriented approach. The second, school structure, revealed that highly collaborative structures were only partially successful in creating additional conversation between regular and exceptional educators. Collegiality was affected by lack of staff experience with the process as well as its implementation in a top-down fashion. The third, school culture and climate, revealed that regular educators believed the school was prepared for a limited amount of inclusion. Although exceptional educators acknowledged school readiness, they did not believe that inclusion was an important item on the school's reform agenda. ^

Defining the role of floating periphyton mats in shaping food-web dynamics in the Florida Everglades

Expansive periphyton mats are a striking characteristic of the Florida Everglades. Floating periphyton mats are home to a diverse macroinvertebrate community dominated by chironomid and ceratopogonid larvae and amphipods that use the mat as both a food resource and refuge from predation. While this periphyton complex functions as a self-organizing system, it also serves as a base for trophic interactions with larger organisms. The purpose of my research was to quantify variation in the macroinvertebrate community inhabiting floating periphyton mats, describe the role of mats in shaping food-web dynamics, and describe how these trophic interactions change with eutrophication. ^ I characterized the macroinvertebrate community inhabiting periphyton through a wet-season by describing spatial variation on scales from 0.2 m to 3 km. Floating periphyton mats contained a diverse macroinvertebrate community, with greater taxonomic richness and higher densities of many taxa than adjacent microhabitats. Macroinvertebrate density increased through the wet season as periphyton mats developed. While some variation was noted among sites, spatial patterns were not observed on smaller scales. I also sampled ten sites representing gradients of hydroperiod and nutrient (P) levels. The density of macroinvertebrates inhabiting periphyton mats increased with increasing P availability; however, short-hydroperiod P-enriched sites had the highest macroinvertebrate density. This pattern suggests a synergistic interaction of top-down and bottom-up effects. In contrast, macroinvertebrate density was lower in benthic floc, where it was negatively correlated with hydroperiod. ^ I used two types of mesocosms (field cages and tanks) to manipulate large consumers (fish and grass shrimp) with inclusion/exclusion cages over an experimental P gradient. In most cases, periphyton mats served as an effective predation refuge. Macroinvertebrates were consumed more frequently in P-enriched treatments, where mats were also heavily grazed. Macroinvertebrate densities decreased with increasing P in benthic floc, but increased with enrichment in periphyton mats until levels were reached that caused disassociation of the mat. ^ This research documents several indirect trophic interactions that can occur in complex habitats, and emphasizes the need to characterize dynamics of all microhabitats to fully describe the dynamics of an ecosystem. ^

A study of teachers' espoused instructional beliefs

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' espoused instructional beliefs and whether they differed in relation to schools' socioeconomic status, extent of teachers' educational background, or extent of teachers' classroom experience. The study comprised a total of 242 Miami-Dade County public school educators who responded to a thirty-nine question Likert scale, Literacy Instructional Practices Questionnaire. Eighteen schools, three from each of the six regions, were purposively selected based on the socioeconomic status of students. Nine participants were interviewed using semi-standardized interview procedures and open-ended questioning techniques. ^ Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) results revealed that teachers' espoused beliefs concerning the instruction of literacy and forces and influences affecting instruction do not significantly differ depending on schools' socioeconomic status, extent of teachers' educational background, or extent of teachers' classroom experience. The majority of teachers appear to follow a top-down generated direct instruction model. Generally, students are taught as a whole class and ability grouped for specific skill instruction utilizing commercially produced reading and language arts texts. ^ There was no evidence of a relationship between teachers' espoused beliefs concerning the model of instruction that they practice or teachers' espoused beliefs concerning research and its application to practice and the three independent variables. Interview data corroborated much of the information garnered through the questionnaire. However, interview participants espoused the belief that research did not influence their selection of instructional practices. ^ Although teachers perceive of themselves as eclectic in their espoused instructional beliefs, they appear to follow a skills based direct instruction pedagogy in practice. Much of what teachers believe constitutes effective practice, few researchers recommend, affirming the findings of Calderhead (1993) and the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board (U.S. Department of Education, 1998, p. 18) that “educators rarely know research, seek it out, or act in accordance with its results.” ^

Relative significance of pelagic, benthic and allochthonous organic matter to microbial carbon cycling in a phosphorus-depleted subtropical estuary (Florida Bay)

Heterotrophic bacteria are important decomposers and transformers of primary production and provide an important link between detritus and the aquatic food web. In seagrass ecosystems, much of seagrass primary production is unavailable through direct grazing and must undergo microbial reworking before seagrass production can enter the aquatic food web. The goal of my dissertation research is to understand better the role heterotrophic bacteria play in carbon cycling in seagrass estuaries. My dissertation research focuses on Florida Bay, a seagrass estuary that has experienced recent changes in carbon source availability, which may have altered ecosystem function. My dissertation research investigates the importance of seagrass, algal and/or cyanobacterial, and allochthonous-derived organic matter to heterotrophic bacteria in Florida Bay and helps establish the carbon base of the estuarine food web. ^ A three tiered approach to the study of heterotrophic bacterial carbon cycling and trophic influences in Florida Bay was used: (1) Spatiotemporal observations of environmental parameters (hydrology, nutrients, extracellular enzymes, and microbial abundance, biomass, and production); (2) Microbial grazing experiments under different levels of top-down and bottom-up influence; and (3) Bulk and compound-specific (bacteria-biomarker fatty acid analysis) stable carbon isotope analysis. ^ In Florida Bay, spatiotemporal patterns in microbial extracellular enzyme (also called ectoenzyme) activities indicate that microorganisms hydrolyzed selectively fractions of the estuarine organic matter pool. The microbial community hydrolyzed organic acids, peptides, and phosphate esters and did not use storage and structural carbohydrates. Organic matter use by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in Florida Bay was co-regulated by bottom-up (resource availability) and top-down (grazer mediated) processes. A bacterial carbon budget based on bacterial, epiphytic, and seagrass production indicates that heterotrophic bacterial carbon cycles are supported primarily through epiphytic production with mixing from seagrass production. Stable carbon isotope analysis of bacteria biomarkers and carbon sources in Florida Bay corroborate the results of the bacterial carbon budget. These results support previous studies of aquatic consumers in Florida Bay, indicating that epiphytic/benthic algal and/or cyanobacterial production with mixing from seagrass-derived organic matter is the carbon base of the seagrass estuarine food web. ^

Negotiating identities, striving for state recognition: Blacks in Córdoba, Argentina 1776–1853

Race in Argentina played a significant role as a highly durable construct by identifying and advancing subjects (1776–1810) and citizens (1811–1853). My dissertation explores the intricacies of power relations by focusing on the ways in which race informed the legal process during the transition from a colonial to national State. It argues that the State’s development in both the colonial and national periods depended upon defining and classifying African descendants. In response, people of African descendent used the State’s assigned definitions and classifications to advance their legal identities. It employs race and culture as operative concepts, and law as a representation of the sometimes, tense relationship between social practices and the State’s concern for social peace. This dissertation examines the dynamic nature of the court. It utilizes the theoretical concepts multicentric legal orders that are analyzed through weak and strong legal pluralisms, and jurisdictional politics, from the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries. This dissertation juxtaposes various levels of jurisdiction (canon/state law and colonial/national law) to illuminate how people of color used the legal system to ameliorate their social condition. In each chapter the primary source materials are state generated documents which include criminal, ecclesiastical, civil, and marriage dissent court cases along with notarial and census records. Though it would appear that these documents would provide a superficial understanding of people of color, my analysis provides both a top-down and bottom-up approach that reflects a continuous negotiation for African descendants’ goal for State recognition. These approaches allow for implicit or explicit negotiation of a legal identity that transformed slaves and free African descendants into active agents of their own destinies.

Stable isotopes reveal complex changes in trophic relationships following nutrient addition in a coastal marine ecosystem

Complex links between the top-down and bottomup forces that structure communities can be disrupted by anthropogenic alterations of natural habitats.We used relative abundance and stable isotopes to examine changes in epifaunal food webs in seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds following 6 months of experimental nutrient addition at two sites in Florida Bay (USA) with different ambient fertility. At a eutrophic site, nutrient addition did not strongly affect food web structure, but at a nutrient-poor site, enrichment increased the abundances of crustacean epiphyte grazers, and the diets of these grazers became more varied. Benthic grazers did not change in abundance but shifted their diet away from green macroalgae + associated epiphytes and towards an opportunistic seagrass (Halodule wrightii) that occurred only in nutrient addition treatments. Benthic predators did not change in abundance, but their diets were more varied in enriched plots. Food chain length was short and unaffected by site or nutrient treatment, but increased food web complexity in enriched plots was suggested by increasingly mixed diets. Strong bottom-up modifications of food web structure in the nutrient-limited site and the limited top-down influences of grazers on seagrass epiphyte biomass suggest that, in this system, the bottom-up role of nutrient enrichment can have substantial impacts on community structure, trophic relationships, and, ultimately, the productivity values of the ecosystem.

Patterns and ecosystem consequences of shark declines in the ocean

Whereas many land predators disappeared before their ecological roles were studied, the decline of marine apex predators is still unfolding. Large sharks in particular have experienced rapid declines over the last decades. In this study, we review the documented changes in exploited elasmobranch communities in coastal, demersal, and pelagic habitats, and synthesize the effects of sharks on their prey and wider communities. We show that the high natural diversity and abundance of sharks is vulnerable to even light fishing pressure. The decline of large predatory sharks reduces natural mortality in a range of prey, contributing to changes in abundance, distribution, and behaviour of small elasmobranchs, marine mammals, and sea turtles that have few other predators. Through direct predation and behavioural modifications, top-down effects of sharks have led to cascading changes in some coastal ecosystems. In demersal and pelagic communities, there is increasing evidence of mesopredator release, but cascading effects are more hypothetical. Here, fishing pressure on mesopredators may mask or even reverse some ecosystem effects. In conclusion, large sharks can exert strong top-down forces with the potential to shape marine communities over large spatial and temporal scales. Yet more empirical evidence is needed to test the generality of these effects throughout the ocean.

Fire and grazing in a mesic tallgrass prairie: impacts on plant species and functional traits

Fire is a globally distributed disturbance that impacts terrestrial ecosystems and has been proposed to be a global “herbivore.” Fire, like herbivory, is a top-down driver that converts organic materials into inorganic products, alters community structure, and acts as an evolutionary agent. Though grazing and fire may have some comparable effects in grasslands, they do not have similar impacts on species composition and community structure. However, the concept of fire as a global herbivore implies that fire and herbivory may have similar effects on plant functional traits. Using 22 years of data from a mesic, native tallgrass prairie with a long evolutionary history of fire and grazing, we tested if trait composition between grazed and burned grassland communities would converge, and if the degree of convergence depended on fire frequency. Additionally, we tested if eliminating fire from frequently burned grasslands would result in a state similar to unburned grasslands, and if adding fire into a previously unburned grassland would cause composition to become more similar to that of frequently burned grasslands. We found that grazing and burning once every four years showed the most convergence in traits, suggesting that these communities operate under similar deterministic assembly rules and that fire and herbivory are similar disturbances to grasslands at the trait-group level of organization. Three years after reversal of the fire treatment we found that fire reversal had different effects depending on treatment. The formerly unburned community that was then burned annually became more similar to the annually burned community in trait composition suggesting that function may be rapidly restored if fire is reintroduced. Conversely, after fire was removed from the annually burned community trait composition developed along a unique trajectory indicating hysteresis, or a time lag for structure and function to return following a change in this disturbance regime. We conclude that functional traits and species-based metrics should be considered when determining and evaluating goals for fire management in mesic grassland ecosystems.

Organized labor and U.S. foreign policy: The Solidarity Center in historical context

During the Cold War the foreign policy of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), was heavily criticized by scholars and activists for following the lead of the U.S. state in its overseas operations. In a wide range of states, the AFL-CIO worked to destabilize governments selected by the U.S. state for regime change, while in others the Federation helped stabilize client regimes of the U.S. state. In 1997 the four regional organizations that previously carried out AFL-CIO foreign policy were consolidated into the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center). My dissertation is an attempt to analyze whether the foreign policy of the AFL-CIO in the Solidarity Center era is marked by continuity or change with past practices. At the same time, this study will attempt to add to the debate over the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the post-Cold War era, and its implications for future study. Using the qualitative "process-tracing" detailed by of Alexander George and Andrew Bennett (2005) my study examines a wide array of primary and secondary sources, including documents from the NED and AFL-CIO, in order to analyze the relationship between the Solidarity Center and the U.S. state from 2002-2009. Furthermore, after analyzing broad trends of NED grants to the Solidarity Center, this study examines three dissimilar case studies including Venezuela, Haiti, and Iraq and the Middle East and North African (MENA) region to further explore the connections between U.S. foreign policy goals and the Solidarity Center operations. The study concludes that the evidence indicates continuity with past AFL-CIO foreign policy practices whereby the Solidarity Center follows the lead of the U.S. state. It has been found that the patterns of NED funding indicate that the Solidarity Center closely tailors its operations abroad in areas of importance to the U.S. state, that it is heavily reliant on state funding via the NED for its operations, and that the Solidarity Center works closely with U.S. allies and coalitions in these regions. Finally, this study argues for the relevance of "top-down" NGO creation and direction in the post-Cold War era.

Deprofessionalization of curriculum decision -making

The purpose of this study was to analyze the evolution of Florida state level policy efforts and to assess the responding educational policy development and implementation at the local school district level. The focus of this study was the secondary language arts curriculum in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. ^ Data was collected using document analysis as a source of meaning making out of the language sets proffered by agencies at each level. A matrix was created based on Klein's levels of curriculum decision-making and Functional Process Theory categories of policy formation. The matrix allowed the researcher to code and classify specific information in terms accountability/high-stakes testing; authority; outside influences; and operational/structural organization. ^ Federal policy documents provided a background and impetus for much of what originated at the State level. The State then produced policy directives which were accepted by the District and specific policy directives and guidelines for practice. No evidence was found indicating the involvement of any other agencies in the development, transmission or implementation of the State level initiated policies. ^ After analyzing the evolutionary process, it became clear that state policy directives were never challenged or discussed. Rather, they were accepted as standards to be met and as such, school districts complied. Policy implementation is shown to be a top-down phenomenon. No evidence was found indicating a dialogue between state and local systems, rather the state, as the source of authority, issued specifically worded policy directives and the district complied. Finally, this study recognizes that outside influences play an important role in shaping the education reform policy in the state of Florida. The federal government, through NCLB and other initiatives created a climate which led almost naturally to the creation of the Florida A+ Plan. Similarly, the concern of the business community, always interested in the production of competent workers, continued to support efforts at raising the minimum skill level of Florida high school graduates. ^ Suggestions are made for future research including the examination of local school sites in order to assess the overall nature of the school experience rather than rely upon performance indicators mandated by state policy. ^