Why Have Poorer Neighbourhoods Stagnated Economically, While the Richer have Flourished? Neighbourhood Income Inequality in Canadian Cities

Higher income neighbourhoods in Canada’s eight largest cities flourished economically during the past quarter century, while lower income communities stagnated. This paper identifies some of the underlying processes that led to this outcome. Increasing family income inequality drove much of the rise in neighbourhood inequality. Increased spatial economic segregation, the increasing tendency of “like to live nearby likeâ€, also played a role. In the end, the differential economic outcomes between richer and poorer neighbourhoods originated in the labour market, or in family formation patterns. Changes in investment, pension income, or government transfers played a very minor role. But it was not unemployment that differentiated the richer from poorer neighbourhoods. Rather, it was the type of job found, particularly the annual earnings generated. The end result has been little improvement in economic resources in poor neighbourhoods during a period of substantial economic growth, and a rise in neighbourhood income inequality.Inequality, Neighbourhood, Poverty

SURE Impact? An Empirical Investigation of Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection Behavior

The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program, enacted under the 2008 Farm Bill, is intended to provide indemnity payments to producers whose crop losses exceed 50% of their historical average yields. However, indemnification does not require that the farm is located in a region designated a disaster relief area -- a provision that can create significant moral hazard incentives. This study is the first to perform an empirical analysis of possible moral hazard behavior in corn, soybean, and wheat markets in response to the SURE program. Results suggest that an increase in crop insurance demand after the enactment of SURE may be due to the program's moral hazard incentives.Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management,

Z-Selective Homodimerization of Terminal Olefins with a Ruthenium Metathesis Catalyst

The cross-metathesis of terminal olefins using a novel ruthenium catalyst results in excellent selectivity for the Z-olefin homodimer. The reaction was found to tolerate a large number of functional groups, solvents, and temperatures while maintaining excellent Z-selectivity, even at high reaction conversions

Making Medical Homes Work: Moving From Concept to Practice

Explores practical considerations for implementing a medical home program of physician practices committed to coordinating and integrating care based on patient needs and priorities, such as how to qualify medical homes and how to match patients to them

Academic Degree Programs And Living-Learning Communities

Living-learning communities can be effective in enhancing academic programs at universities and the undergraduate student experience. Information on a successful program focused on teacher education will be shared

The precipitous decline of the ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana: time to build on scientific evidence to inform conservation management

In recent decades there has been a marked decline in most ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana populations in temperate Europe, with many regional populations now extinct or on the brink of extinction. In contrast, Mediterranean and, as far as we know, eastern European popula-tions seem to have remained relatively stable. The causes of decline remain unclear but include: habitat loss and degradation, and related reduction in prey availability; climate change on the breeding grounds; altered population dynamics; illegal captures during migration; and environmental change in wintering areas. We review the current knowledge of the biology of the ortolan bunting and discuss the proposed causes of decline in relation to the different population trends in temperate and Mediterranean Europe. We suggest new avenues of research to identify the factors limiting ortolan bunting populations. The main evidence-based conservation measure that is likely to enhance habitat quality is the creation of patches of bare ground to produce sparsely vegetated foraging grounds in invertebrate-rich grassy habitats close to breeding area

γ-Aminobutyric Acid Increases the Water Accessibility of M3 Membrane-Spanning Segment Residues in γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors

Abstractγ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors are members of the ligand-gated ion channel gene superfamily. Using the substituted cysteine accessibility method, we investigated whether residues in the α1M3 membrane-spanning segment are water-accessible. Cysteine was substituted, one at a time, for each M3 residue from α1Ala291 to α1Val307. The ability of these mutants to react with the water-soluble, sulfhydryl-specific reagent pCMBS− was assayed electrophysiologically. Cysteines substituted for α1Ala291 and α1Tyr294 reacted with pCMBS− applied both in the presence and in the absence of GABA. Cysteines substituted for α1Phe298, α1Ala300, α1Leu301, and α1Glu303 only reacted with pCMBS− applied in the presence of GABA. We infer that the pCMBS− reactive residues are on the water-accessible surface of the protein and that GABA induces a conformational change that increases the water accessibility of the four M3 residues, possibly by inducing the formation of water-filled crevices that extend into the interior of the protein. Others have shown that mutations of α1Ala291, a water-accessible residue, alter volatile anesthetic and ethanol potentiation of GABA-induced currents. Water-filled crevices penetrating into the interior of the membrane-spanning domain may allow anesthetics and alcohol to reach their binding sites and thus may have implications for the mechanisms of action of these agents

New Left Organizers and the Poor

The decade of the sixties witnessed a resurgence of radical or leftist movements in the United States as manifested in the political activism of college students, civil rights organizations, community groups and others. Today, in the post-Vietnam era of the seventies, the fires of the New Left appear to have been dampened. But even though these groups may be less visible and vocal today, it would be a mistake to think that their ideas are no longer of interest to certain segments of our society. Some contemporary New Left groups, while outwardly rejecting dramatic Marxist revolutionary tactics have instead engaged in grass-roots organizing efforts at the community level. What follows is an analysis of one such New Left organization, Western Massachusetts Labor Action (WMLA), an affiliate of the National Labor Federation (NATLFED). Prior literature regarding NATLFED and its branch associations ( entities ) has been descriptive of the organization, but heavily propagandistic (National Labor Federation, 1976; Leggett and Mouldner, 1976). Here, we attempt a critical examination of WMLA both as a representative entity of NATLFED and as an example of an independent effort to organize the poor. The essential question addressed is the manner in which grass-roots, community-based groups can best organize the poor to improve their living conditions in American society