Liberty, Markets and Environmental Values: A Hayekian Defence of Free Market Environmentalism

Communitarian conceptions of the 'situated self' lie at the core of 'green' critiques of market approaches to environmental problems. According to this perspective resource management issues should be dealt with in the 'public sphere' of democratic politics rather than the 'private sphere' of market drien consumer choice. This paper suggests that such arguments rest on a series of non-sequiturs. Drawing on Hayek's non-rationalist liberalism it shows that a 'situated' view of the self offers a radical endorsement of the case for privatisating environmental assets, wherever it is possible to do so.free market environmentalism; property rights; deliberative democracy

Structural studies of actinyl co-ordination compounds

The work contained in this thesis describes the crystal and molecular structures of a number of uranium(VI) compounds, and the preparation of two of the neptunium(VI) analogues. Apparent from the results is the invariance of the uranyl U=0 bond length to substitution of sulphur or nitrogen for oxygen as the equatorial donor atom. This area has been explored through the determination of the following crystal structures: a) The dithiocarbarnate complexes [Et₄N][UO₂(C₅H₈NS₂)₃]; [Et₄N][UO₂(C₇H₁₀NS₂)₃]; [Et₄N][UO₂(C₅H₁₀NS₂)₃]; and [Me₄N][UO₂(C₃H₆NS₂)₃]. b) The pentane 2,4-dionate complexes [UO₂(C₆H₅COCHCOC₄H₅)₇(C₅H₅N)] and UO₂(CH₃COCHCOOC(CH₃)₃)₂(C₅H₅N)] c) The bispyridyl bis nitrato complex [UO₂(C₅H₅N)₂)(NO₃)₂ In addition, the structures are described of the 1,10-Phenanthroline complex of uranyl acetate, and two unexpected products, [Ph₄A₅][(C₄HN₂S₂)₂] and [(Me₂C₄HN₂S)₂], obtained by ligand dimerisation whilst attempting to form U-S bonded species

Handling protest responses in contingent valuation surveys

OBJECTIVES: Protest responses, whereby respondents refuse to state the value they place on the health gain, are commonly encountered in contingent valuation (CV) studies, and they tend to be excluded from analyses. Such an approach will be biased if protesters differ from non-protesters on characteristics that predict their responses. The Heckman selection model has been commonly used to adjust for protesters, but its underlying assumptions may be implausible in this context. We present a multiple imputation (MI) approach to appropriately address protest responses in CV studies, and compare it with the Heckman selection model. METHODS: This study exploits data from the multinational EuroVaQ study, which surveyed respondents' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY). Here, our simulation study assesses the relative performance of MI and Heckman selection models across different realistic settings grounded in the EuroVaQ study, including scenarios with different proportions of missing data and non-response mechanisms. We then illustrate the methods in the EuroVaQ study for estimating mean WTP for a QALY gain. RESULTS: We find that MI provides lower bias and mean squared error compared with the Heckman approach across all considered scenarios. The simulations suggest that the Heckman approach can lead to considerable underestimation or overestimation of mean WTP due to violations in the normality assumption, even after log-transforming the WTP responses. The case study illustrates that protesters are associated with a lower mean WTP for a QALY gain compared with non-protesters, but that the results differ according to method for handling protesters. CONCLUSIONS: MI is an appropriate method for addressing protest responses in CV studies

Use of Computers in the Teaching of ESL Writing: Effectiveness of Text Analysis and Word Processing

This paper offers an assessment of the utility and effectiveness of text analysis and word processing in ESL composition. It includes a review of previous findings and a discussion of an investigation conducted by the authors on computer-assisted composition tutorials involving four non-native university students. In the investigation, two of the students revised their compositions based on surfaceoriented feedback from a text analysis program reinforced by a tutor, and the other two revised according to an approach combining word processing and processoriented input from the same tutor. The students using the text analysis program and receiving exclusively surface-oriented feedback produced a higher proportion of short sentences, shorter drafts, and fewer meaningful revisions than the students receiving process-oriented feedback. The findings of this and other investigations are reviewed in a context which addresses the nature of ESL writing and of these two different computer-assisted media. Focusing on questions of purpose, suitability, potential outcomes, and term of results, the authors conclude that use of word processing seems justified as a medium for enhancing the creative revision process of ESL students, while use of text analysis with this same population of students is less obviously justified

FORECASTING FINANCIAL TRENDS IN THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

Intercollegiate athletics is a complex and unpredictable industry. The way the industry operates financially is unique to so many others. Administrators within intercollegiate athletics have the best ideas of where it is heading. All of their knowledge broght together provides valuable insight and predictions into future trends. Financial complications have intensified furing the COVID-19 pandemic, and planning is more important than ever. In addition to COVID-19, there are many more layers of complication with the addition of name, image, and likness policies and conference realignment.Master of Art

Property rights, public choice and urban containment: A study of the British planning system.

Following the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act, a persistent policy of urban containment has been pursued throughout rural areas of the United Kingdom. In spite of growing evidence that the effects of containment are incompatible with key aspects of public policy towards housing, agriculture and the environment, there is little sign that government agencies are considering the possibility of a serious policy re-think. This thesis represents the first attempt to analyse the continued commitment to this core of the British land use planning system from the perspective of public choice theory. The thesis begins with an outline of the institutional focus of public choice analysis, considering the fundamental questions of 'market failure', 'government failure' and the theoretical case for state intervention in the market for land. Having examined the evolving context of urban containment in the post-war period, the thesis proceeds to apply key elements of public choice to decision-making incentives in the planning system. The empirical analysis commences with an account of interest group behaviour on the 'demand side' of the political system. A subsequent section turns to the 'supply side', examining bureaucratic incentive structures and the role of regulatory agencies in the management of land use change. A still further section considers the role of legislative incentives on the 'supply side'. Finally, the empirical analysis concludes with a case study of a major planning dispute. The evidence presented suggests that a combination of institutional incentives on both the 'demand' and 'supply' sides of the 'political market' has led to the continual growth of restrictive land use regulation at the expense of a diffuse and unorganized mass of urban taxpayers and consumers. The thesis concludes by outlining a possible institutional alternative based on private property rights, which might help to avoid these undesirable elements of the British planning system

Effect of left atrial and ventricular abnormalities on renal transplant recipient outcome—a single-center study

Background: Premature cardiovascular (CV) death is the commonest cause of death in renal transplant recipients. Abnormalities of left ventricular (LV) structure (collectively termed uremic cardiomyopathy) and left atrial (LA) dilation, a marker of fluid status and diastolic function, are risk factors for reduced survival in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). In the present analysis, we studied the impact of pre-transplant LA and LV abnormalities on survival after successful renal transplantation (RT).<p></p> Methods: One hundred nineteen renal transplant recipients (first transplant, deceased donors) underwent cardiovascular MRI (CMR) as part of CV screening prior to inclusion on the waiting list. Data regarding transplant function and patient survival after transplantation were collected.<p></p> Results: Median post-transplant follow-up was 4.3 years (interquartile range (IQR) 1.9, 6.2). During the post-transplant period, 13 patients returned to dialysis after graft failure and 23 patients died with a functioning graft. Survival analyses, censoring for patients returning to dialysis, showed that pre-transplant LV hypertrophy and elevated LA volume were significantly associated with reduced survival after transplantation. Multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated that longer waiting time, poorer transplant function, presence of LV hypertrophy and higher LA volume on screening CMR and female sex were independent predictors of death in patients with a functioning transplant.<p></p> Conclusions: Presence of LVH and higher LA volume are significant, independent predictors of death in patients who are wait-listed and proceed with renal transplantation.<p></p> METHODS: One hundred nineteen renal transplant recipients (first transplant, deceased donors) underwent cardiovascular MRI (CMR) as part of CV screening prior to inclusion on the waiting list. Data regarding transplant function and patient survival after transplantation were collected.<p></p> RESULTS: Median post-transplant follow-up was 4.3 years (interquartile range (IQR) 1.9, 6.2). During the post-transplant period, 13 patients returned to dialysis after graft failure and 23 patients died with a functioning graft. Survival analyses, censoring for patients returning to dialysis, showed that pre-transplant LV hypertrophy and elevated LA volume were significantly associated with reduced survival after transplantation. Multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated that longer waiting time, poorer transplant function, presence of LV hypertrophy and higher LA volume on screening CMR and female sex were independent predictors of death in patients with a functioning transplant.<p></p> CONCLUSIONS: Presence of LVH and higher LA volume are significant, independent predictors of death in patients who are wait-listed and proceed with renal transplantation