Increasing the Affordability of Rental Housing in Canada: An Assessment of Alternative Supply-Side Measures

Homelessness is a serious social problem that is unlikely to be solved by grand proclamations or a single policy initiative. It is, more likely, to be solved by the introduction of innumerable changes both in how we understand the problem and how we approach its solution. In this paper we examine the costs and benefits of tax measures that would promote greater involvement of the private sector in the provision of affordable housing. We also examine the costs and benefits of a variety of regulatory initiatives. In an earlier era, centrally directed federal-provincial grant programs for housing run by governments and non-profit organizations were the means of providing affordable housing. Most of the proposals in this paper, in contrast, aim to harness the energy and the efficiency-promoting competition of the private sector. The focus is on decentralized decision-making. Some measures would depend heavily on individual entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations. Others would depend on municipal governments, whose program capacities have grown greatly in recent decades and whose closeness to their constituencies makes them well-placed both to develop and to deliver supportive measures. Our assessment of possibilities suggests that a low-income housing tax credit best balances effectiveness with the need to minimize costs on strained government budgets. Tax measures aimed at investors in multi-unit rental buildings are also likely to meet these criteria

Dry eye disease

This issue of eMedRef provides information to clinicians on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapeutics of dry eye disease

Infiltration and short-term movement of nitrogen in a silt-loam soil typical of rice cultivation in Arkansas

Rice production in Arkansas is one of the top three crop commodities in terms of cash receipts. Researchers and farmers report that nitrogen (N) needs to be managed according to a variety of factors with two important ones being soil and fertilizer type. The objectives of this experiment were to determine: 1) the degree to which floodwater-incorporated N applied as urea or as ammonium sulfate infiltrates intact cores (7.2-cm dia., 10-cm depth) containing DeWitt siltloam soil, and 2) the distribution of N during 12 h of ponding. Inorganic-N concentrations were analyzed at 2-cm depth intervals in cores following removal of the flood. Nitrogen from applied fertilizer was recovered as ammonium. Ammonium sulfate-N remained in the top 4 cm of soil with concentrations of 375 µg N g-1 in the surface 2 cm and 300 µg N g-1 at the 2 - 4 cm depth after 12 hr of ponding. At all depth intervals below 4 cm, ammonium sulfate-N remained below 30 µg N g-1. In contrast, after 12 h of ponding, N in soil receiving urea was 105 µg N g-1 in the top 2 cm and 173 µg N g-1 at 2-4 cm. At 4-6, 6-8, and 8-10 cm, N was 109, 108, and 35 µg N g-1, respectively, after 12 h of ponding. These results demonstrate immediate and deeper movement of ammonium into silt loam soil receiving urea as compared to ammonium sulfate, demonstrating how the form of N in fertilizer affects its movement into the soil profile

Lies, damned lies and storytelling: an exploration of the contribution of principals’ anecdotes to research, teaching and learning about the management of schools and colleges

This article investigates the extent to which story telling can be an acceptable and effective presentation of experience which facilitates research, teaching and learning in education management. Stories, written by school principals about real events which influenced their practice, are interspersed with discussion first, on the art of storytellers and how their magic can be distinguished from that of actors and of management gurus. Secondly, story telling is suggested as a method of research since it records authoritative experience, can lead to categorisation. is documentary in source, recreates the past from participant observation and offers easy access to data. Thirdly, storytelling is an effective teaching method, stimulating imagination, offering learning stimuli from varying sources, linking teacher and taught through shared experiences, allowing relaxation in the learning process and opening up opportunities for frank exchanges of feelings. The three stories included in the article offer the reader the chance to test the ideas presented

Estimation of gross land-use change and its uncertainty using a Bayesian data assimilation approach

We present a method for estimating land-use change using a Bayesian data assimilation approach. The approach provides a general framework for combining multiple disparate data sources with a simple model. This allows us to constrain estimates of gross land-use change with reliable national-scale census data, whilst retaining the detailed information available from several other sources. Eight different data sources, with three different data structures, were combined in our posterior estimate of land use and land-use change, and other data sources could easily be added in future. The tendency for observations to underestimate gross land-use change is accounted for by allowing for a skewed distribution in the likelihood function. The data structure produced has high temporal and spatial resolution, and is appropriate for dynamic process-based modelling. Uncertainty is propagated appropriately into the output, so we have a full posterior distribution of output and parameters. The data are available in the widely used netCDF file format from http://eidc.ceh.ac.uk/

Microbial biomass and nitrogen availability under the invasive plant species Lonicera japonica and native grasses in wetland soil

Invasive plants decrease aboveground biodiversity and suitable wildlife habitat. Wetlands are especially valuable ecosystems because they provide habitat, floodwater control, and function as filters for urban runoff. Wetland soils also act as sinks for nutrients. This characteristic reduces levels of excess nutrients often found in adjacent aquatic systems. The importance of soil functions in wetlands necessitates further investigation of the effects of invasive species on belowground nutrient pools. Approximately 75% of a small neighborhood wetland located in Fayetteville, Ark., has been invaded by Lonicera japonica. The effects of L. japonica and its replacement with native grasses on soil microbial biomass and nutrient pools were evaluated. Eight plots were established in April 2003. Four were left vegetated with the invasive species L. japonica while the other four were revegetated with transplants of five native grass species: Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium spp., Sorghastrum nutans, Panicum virgatum, and Tripsacum dactyloides. Soil samples were taken three times over the growing season, once prior to the removal of L. japonica and twice after transplanting occurred. Microbial biomass, soil carbon and nitrogen, Mehlich III- extractable phosphorus, pH, moisture content, and inorganic nitrogen were analyzed and significance was tested using a one-way ANOVA test (

A qualitative exploration of service users’ and staff members’ perspectives on the roles of inpatient settings in mental health recovery

Background: Today, international mental health care increasingly focuses on creating recovery-oriented systems of support. This study aims to unravel the daily practice of an inpatient psychiatric ward that engages with persons with complex mental health needs. Methods: 17 in-depth interviews were conducted with patients and staff of the ward. Data was analyzed by means of thematic analysis. Results: Three important functions of the ward were identified in the participants’ experiences. First, it functions as an asylum, a safe environment where patients can ‘simply be’. Second, the ward is experienced as a particularizing space, as support is organized in an individualized way and patients are encouraged to reconnect with their own identity. Third, the ward functions as a transitional space towards a valuable community life, in which finding adequate housing is of central importance. Conclusions: The results show that inpatient forms of support tally with personal and social dimensions of recovery and fulfill important roles in recovery-oriented systems of support

Communicating Climate Change: A Qualitative Study Exploring how Communicators and Educators are Approaching Climate-Change Discussions

The scientific community has come to the conclusion that the climate is changing, but the existence of climate change continues to be rejected or doubted, creating communication challenges for professionals. The purpose of this study was to determine how education and communication professionals involved in climate-change communication are framing the discussions about climate change with agricultural producers. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to address terminology usage, challenges encountered, overcoming challenges, and utilization of social media when educating and communicating about climate change. Responses from professionals indicated: 1) they do not avoid using the term “climate change” but are concerned about jargon in materials; 2) the majority agreed the public believes climate change is happening; 3) not addressing the root causes of climate change; 4) framing messages; 5) addressing adaption options using local data; and 6) climate organizations are promoting materials on social media. This study recommends practitioners frame conversations depending on the audience and avoid using terminology that is not accepted by the target audience. Future research should investigate the effectiveness and uses of social media to engage desired audiences