Relationship between spatial proximity and travel-to-work distance : the effect of the compact city

In this paper, an assessment is made of the relationship between selected aspects of spatial proximity (density, diversity, minimum commuting distance, jobs-housing balance and job accessibility) and reported commuting distances in Flanders (Belgium). Results show that correlations may depend on the considered trip end. For example, a high residential density, a high degree of spatial diversity and a high level of job accessibility are all associated with a short commute by residents, while a high job density is associated with a long commute by employees. A jobs-housing balance close to one is associated with a short commute, both by residents and by employees. In general, it appears that the alleged sustainability benefits of the compact city model are still valid in a context of continuously expanding commuting trip lengths

Assessment of a global positioning system to evaluate activities of organic chickens at pasture

The aims of the present study were to assess the use of a global positioning system (GPS) monitoring device to evaluate the activities of organic chickens at pasture. Two hundred male birds from 2 strains (100 slow-growing and 100 fast-growing birds) were reared separately in 4 indoor pens (0.10 m2/bird), each with access to a grass paddock (10 m2/bird; 2 replications/ genotype). During the last week of age (from 73 to 80 d of age), the kinetic activity of chickens was monitored by behavioral observations (n = 20; focal bird sampling method) and a GPS (n = 10; Super Trackstick, Atex International, Route d'Esch, Luxembourg) equipped with a universal serial bus port for quick viewing on Google Earth's 3-D model, giving information concerning the date, hour, environmental conditions, and coordinates of monitored birds. Based on the focal bird sampling method, fast-growing birds tended to stay indoors rather than forage in the pasture, whereas slow-growing birds spent more time outdoors (P < 0.05). Moreover, visual observations confirmed GPS records, whereas slow growing birds were observed to perform more active behaviors stand less, and spend more time outdoors than indoors. Based on GPS tracks, slow-growing chickens covered an average daily distance of 1,230 m, whereas fastgrowing birds covered only 125 m. In conclusion, GPS appears to be a suitable way to evaluate the kinetic activity of chickens. We also concluded that locomotor activity, which requires a high energy consumption, is low in fast-growing birds compared with slow-growing ones, allowing the fast-growing birds to reallocate energy to productive traits

Mid-term review- UK Roma national integration strategy: Roma at the intersection of ethnic-inclusive, post-racial and hyper-ethnic policies

Rather than developing a specific strategy to promote Roma integration, the UK government decided to use mainstream legislation. However, the complex mechanisms of UK policy-making, means that responsibility for integration is defused. Because of the devolved governmental systems and the localisation agenda, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma (GTR) populations often find that they are subject to different forms of inclusion and exclusion depending on their specific geopolitical location. In this paper, the authors suggest that in addition to experiencing the impact of devolution, ‘mainstreaming’ approaches to Roma integration are failing because GTR communities find themselves located at the intersection of three different policy ideologies in the UK: ‘ethnic inclusive policies’ (that seek to promote Roma inclusion), ‘post racial policies’ (that obscure-specific forms of structural inequalities) and ‘hyper-ethnic’ policies, (targeted in a discriminatory manner towards certain communities). With the British about to exit from the European Union, concerns are also being raised about the future of Roma communities and the commitment to their inclusion

Transactions costs in rural decision-making: The cases of funding and monitoring in rural development in England

Public domain decisions in rural England have become more complex as the number of stakeholders having a say in them has increased. Transactions costs can be used to explore this increasing complexity. The size and distribution of these costs are higher in rural areas. Grouping transactions costs into four - organizations, belief systems, knowledge and information, and institutions - two of the latter are evaluated empirically: growth in the bid culture, and monitoring and evaluation. Amongst 65 Agents of Rural Governance (ARGs) in Gloucestershire, both were found to be increasing over time, but those relating to finance were a greater burden than those of monitoring: the latter can improve ARG performance. Increasing transactions costs in rural decision-making appears to be at variance with ambitions of achieving 'smaller government' through, for example, the Big Society. Smaller government is likely to be shifting the incidence of these costs, rather than reducing them. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Effect of a health-improvement pilot programme for older adults delivered by a professional football club: the Burton Albion case study

Older adults are a priority within policy designed to facilitate healthy lifestyles through physical activities. Golden Goal is a pilot programme of physical activity-led health improvement for older adults, 55 years and older. Activities were delivered at Burton Albion Football Club. Sessions involved weekly moderate to vigorous intensity exercise sessions including exer-gaming (exercise-orientated video-games), indoor bowls, cricket, new age curling, walking football, and traditional board games and skittles. Secondary analysis of data collected through the original programme evaluation of Golden Goal investigated the impact of the intervention on participants. Older adults completed self-reports for demographics, health screening/complications and quality of life. Attendees, n = 23 males (42.6%) and n = 31 females (57.4%) with a mean age of 69.38 (±5.87) (n = 40), ranging from 55-85 years took part. The mean attendance was 7.73 (±3.12) sessions for all participants, (n = 51). Older adults with two or more health complications (n = 22, 42.3%) attended fewer sessions on average (6.91 ± 3.322) compared to those reporting less than two health complications (8.65 ± 2.694). Self-rated health was higher for women (87.32 ± 9.573) vs. men (80.16 ± 18.557), although this was not statistically significant (U = 223.500, p = 0.350). Results support the potential of football-led health interventions for recruiting older adults, including those reporting health problems. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis

Radiation exposure from Chest CT: Issues and Strategies

Concerns have been raised over alleged overuse of CT scanning and inappropriate selection of scanning methods, all of which expose patients to unnecessary radiation. Thus, it is important to identify clinical situations in which techniques with lower radiation dose such as plain radiography or no radiation such as MRI and occasionally ultrasonography can be chosen over CT scanning. This article proposes the arguments for radiation dose reduction in CT scanning of the chest and discusses recommended practices and studies that address means of reducing radiation exposure associated with CT scanning of the chest

Homelessness and Crime: Do Your Friends Matter?

This paper investigates the influence of friends on crime, using data I collected among the homeless. To estimate the causal effects of friends and of the share of criminal friends on crime, I rely on two instruments. The first is the share of rainy days during one's first year as homeless: rainfall fosters homeless's concentration in sheltered places and increases the probability of interactions. The second is the share of inmates released during one's first year as homeless, which a\ua4ects the supply of criminal friends. I find that one additional friend decreases the probability of incarceration but criminal friends increases it