Income inequality: a tale of two cycles?

Building on previous work, this paper documents the changes in income inequality that have occurred over the past 20 years, right up until the late 1990s. In particular, we are interested in whether or not the path of inequality in the most recent economic cycle differed from that observed in the 1980s. The robustness of the results is investigated using innovative statistical techniques, in an attempt to identify whether or not the observed changes represent real increases or decreases in inequality or whether they can be attributed simply to sampling variation between years. Finally, some preliminary results are presented which attempt to identify some of the reasons underlying the observed trends in income inequality, with a particular focus on the role of the labour market.

Using GIS to Evaluate the Effects of Flood Risk on Residential Property Values

Annually, flooding causes more property damage in the United States than any other type of natural disaster. One of the consequences of continued urbanization is the tendency for floodplains to expand, increasing flood risks in the areas around urban streams and rivers. Hedonic modeling techniques can be used to estimate the relationship between residential housing prices and flood risks. One weakness of hedonic modeling has been incomplete controls for locational characteristics influencing a given property. In addition, relatively primitive assumptions have been employed in modeling flood risk exposures. We use GIS tools to provide more accurate measures of flood risks, and a more thorough accounting of the locational features in the neighborhood. This has important policy implications. Once a complete hedonic model is developed, the reduction in property value attributed to an increase in flood risks can, under certain circumstances, be interpreted as the household’s willingness to pay for the reduction of flood risk. Willingness to pay estimates can in turn be used to guide policymakers as they assess community-wide benefits from flood control projects

The distance and neutral environment of the massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1

The goal of this study is to determine a distance to Westerlund 1 independent of the characteristics of the stellar population and to study its neutral environment, using observations of atomic hydrogen. The HI observations are taken from the Southern Galactic Plane Survey to study HI absorption in the direction of the HII region created by the members of Westerlund 1 and to investigate its environment as observed in the HI line emission. A Galactic rotation curve was derived using the recently revised values for the Galactic centre distance of $R_\odot = 7.6$ kpc, and the velocity of the Sun around the Galactic centre of $\Theta_\odot = 214$ km s$^{-1}$. The newly determined rotation model leads us to derive a distance of $3.9\pm 0.7$ kpc to Westerlund 1, consistent with a location in the Scutum-Crux Arm. Included in this estimate is a very careful investigation of possible sources of error for the Galactic rotation curve. We also report on small expanding HI features around the cluster with a maximum dynamic age of 600,000 years and a larger bubble which has a minimum dynamic age of 2.5 million years. Additionally we re-calculated the kinematic distances to nearby HII regions and supernova remnants based on our new Galaxic rotation curve. We propose that in the early stages of the development of Wd 1 a large interstellar bubble of diameter about 50 pc was created by the cluster members. This bubble has a dynamic age similar to the age of the cluster. Small expanding bubbles, with dynamical ages $\sim 0.6$ Myr are found around Wd 1, which we suggest consist of recombined material lost by cluster members through their winds.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in A&

Made in America? The New World, the Old, and the Industrial Revolution

For two decades, the consensus explanation of the British Industrial Revolution has placed technological change and the supply side at center stage, affording little or no role for demand or overseas trade. Recently, alternative explanations have placed an emphasis on the importance of trade with New World colonies, and the expanded supply of raw cotton it provided. We test both hypotheses using calibrated general equilibrium models of the British economy and the rest of the world for 1760 and 1850. Neither claim is supported. Trade was vital for the progress of the industrial revolution; but it was trade with the rest of the world, not the American colonies, that allowed Britain to export its rapidly expanding textile output and achieve growth through extreme specialization in response to shifting comparative advantage.

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life

Discusses survey results about the standard of living, sense of progress and mobility, economic behaviors, anxieties and aspirations, and social and political values of the American middle class. Also examines trends in demographic and income data

Is nomadism the ‘problem’? The social construction of Gypsies and Travellers as perpetrators of ‘anti-social’ behaviour in Britain

Book sysnopsis: Anti-social behaviour is a key issue in the social and political life of Britain in the twenty-first century, as were respectability and immorality in the Victorian era. Written by expert sociologists, historians, criminologists and political scientists, this interdisciplinary collection examines anti-social behaviour from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives. The volume compares two essential themes, firstly the forms of anti-social behaviour and secondly the methods employed by governments to repress and control anti-social behaviour. Compelling parallels emerge through the interrelated chapters, which are divided into three main areas: the urban environment and public spaces, the vulnerable and the marginalised and recreation and leisure. This comprehensive collection is the first to examine anti-social behaviour from such an inclusive and wide-ranging position. It establishes clear parallels between the two periods regarding types of ASB and how they have been dealt with by successive governments, arguing that anti-social behaviour and political responses to it are by no means new phenomena

The Future of Aquatic Commons: Recommendations Based on an Evaluation of Business Models and Stakeholder Consultation

Aquatic Commons is a digital repository established by the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC) in 2007 to provide a solution for member institutions that didn’t have an institutional repository. It is directed by the Aquatic Commons Board, and submissions are reviewed by an editorial team. Originally hosted by the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA), the repository was moved to the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) in 2011 when FCLA faced major budgetary issues. Aquatic Commons has grown to more than 20,000 publications from over 90 institutions in all areas of the aquatic sciences, including freshwater, fisheries, and oceanography, yet support for the repository has not kept pace with developmental needs. To ensure a sustainable future, the Aquatic Commons Board determined it was necessary to conduct an evaluation and created the Aquatic Commons Evaluation (ACE) team. The team identified and compared four potential business models: 1a) maintain Aquatic Commons as a separate repository but upgrade the EPrints software; 1b) maintain Aquatic Commons as a separate repository but migrate to DSpace software; 2) migrate content to the existing IODE OceanDocs repository but retain Aquatic Commons identity by having a separate DSpace community; and 3) partner with IODE and possibly the Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) to create an entirely new repository with content merged from Aquatic Commons and OceanDocs. The team consulted with potential partners (e.g. ASFA and IODE) and ran a survey to elicit feedback from members, depositors, and other stakeholders about the models, addressing issues of thematic scope, branding, software, technical requirements, workflows, and training. At the 2019 conference, the team presented a recommendation based on the evaluation in order to initiate a roadmap for the Aquatic Commons

Fathering to meet the needs of children (2007)

"Information from Human Environmental Sciences Extension.""Human relations.""This publication was originally written by Denise E. Taylor and Janet A. Clark, Human Development and Family Studies Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. Kim Leon, state specialist in Human Development and Family Studies, reviewed and revised this edition."New 4/00; Revised 4/07/Web

Multi-layer light-weight protective coating and method for application

A thin, light-weight, multi-layer coating is provided for protecting metals and their alloys from environmental attack at high temperatures. A reaction barrier is applied to the metal substrate and a diffusion barrier is then applied to the reaction barrier. A sealant layer may also be applied to the diffusion barrier if desired. The reaction barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the metal substrate and the diffusion barrier. The diffusion barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the reaction barrier and the sealant layer. The sealant layer is immiscible with the diffusion barrier and has a softening point below the expected use temperature of the metal

Infection and Fungal Development of Tubakia Dryina on Sweet Gum (Liquidambar Styraciflua)

Infection and fungal development of Tubakia dryina were investigated on leaves of sweet gum using a combination of microscopic techniques. Conidia of T. dryina adhered to the leaf surface and formed septate germ tubes. Germ tubes terminated in small appressoria that formed directly over epidermal cells. Intra- and intercellular hyphae ramified extensively throughout the leaf tissue. Host cells associated with the infection site became necrotic and collapsed, resulting in macroscopic disease symptoms