Historic Cities Project Task 4 – The Business Surveys: Questionnaire Design, Implementation and Initial Analysis.

The Historic Cities project examined the potential impacts of transport demand management strategies on three case study ‘historic’ cities in England. These cities are York, Cambridge and Norwich, all of which have the following characteristics: - they are cities which pre-date motorised transport, and thus tend to have city centres dominated by narrow streets; - they are all members of the Historic Towns Forum; - they have a high architectural and historic heritage, and attract many tourists each year; - they have severe congestion, and congestion related problems; - the city authorities are faced with the problems of maintaining the environmental quality of the city, while allowing the most efficient use of the transport infrastructure. The focus of the project was how transport demand management policies, particularly parking, pricing and road-space re-allocation, can contribute to the last bullet above. Task 4 in the Historic Cities project examined the predicted effects on the urban economy from a work place parking levy and road user charging. It is thought that a major barrier to the implementation of these instruments is the perception that they will have detrimental impacts on the local economy. This task examines whether this hypothesis is correct by examining the impacts on, and attitudes of, businesses in the case study cities. This working paper describes the survey work that was undertaken and presents the initial analysis of the results. It has the following sections: Section 1: introduces the research; Section 2: describes the policies to be studied; Section 3: describes the development and rationale for the questionnaire; Section 4: describes the sampling process; Section 5: presents the initial analysis of the results; Section 6: gives a summary and conclusions. This is the second Working paper that summaries the Task 4 study. The first working paper (537) outlined the business sector profile for each city. A third working paper (552) will present multi-variate analysis of the dataset

Assessing the Impact of Local Transport Policy Instruments.

This working paper brings together some relevant material to assist the process of assessing local transport policy instruments. The paper was written with the support of the DETR, but is unofficial. It is intended to be a helpful resource document for local authorities who have indicated in the past a need for guidance in where to look for evidence on the diverse range of transport policy instruments referred to in the White Paper (CM3950). The authors would be grateful for feedback and comments. This document is not intended to be a complete description of the local transport plan process (for that, see the Local Transport Plan Guidance). Nor does this note aim to give a comprehensive review of the appraisal requirements for Local Transport Plans (for that, see Annex E of the Local Transport Plan Guidance and, where relevant, the Guidance on Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies). Important elements in the LTP process including the combination of a set of individual policy elements into a strategy, and the activity of public consultation are not considered. Nor do we consider the specification of problems or the set of objectives within which local transport planning is currently taking place – for these, see for example DETR, 2000. The focus of this piece of work is on assessment of the impact of individual instruments within an urban context. Specifically it considers their effects in terms of:- their impact on transport supply their impact on transport demand their final outcome in terms of their transport, environmental and other impacts When considering policy instruments which impact on urban transport systems, there comes a point at which the impacts and interactions of policies become extremely complicated. At some point, modelling becomes an important part of the assessment process, depending on:- − the capital and recurrent costs at stake − the size of the impact on users and other affected parties, which can be large without the capital costs being large − data availability and the costs of obtaining data for modelling − the ability of a model to represent the policy tool under consideration and the cost of model development. Policy initiatives such as major infrastructure investment, road user charging schemes, or significant roadspace reallocation schemes will require model-based approaches. This note may therefore be useful in one of two contexts firstly, where the intervention is not sufficiently large or significant to warrant a model-based approach, and secondly, to aid a rough calculation at an early stage so as to enable an initial assessment to be made which can then be investigated further. In the next section, we provide a brief generic review of the supply and demand issues so as to give some background to the general analysis and show how second round effects (supply/demand interactions) can be significant in determining the final equilibrium. We also comment on generic appraisal issues. In section three we provide a short review of eleven of the most important policy investments and their supply and/or demand effects. Where possible we have provided approximate indications of their impact, but these should not be interpreted as accurate and applicable to all situations. Finally, in Appendices we provide a reference list of some sixty policy instruments which we have identified in literature and other surveys, a note on elasticity methods for demand estimation, and a note on appraisal practice

East Asia and the global/transatlantic/Western crisis

This paper introduces the special collection on East Asia and the Global Crisis. After justifying why a focus on East Asia is appropriate, it draws out the main themes that run through the individual contributions. These are the extent to which the region is decoupling from the global economy (or the West), the increasing legitimacy of statist alternatives to neoliberal development strategies, and the impact of crises on the definition of ―region‖ and the functioning of regional institutions and governance mechanisms

Gaawaadhi Gadudha: understanding how cultural camps impact health, well-being and resilience among Aboriginal adults in New South Wales, Australia - a collaborative study protocol

Introduction The health and well-being of Aboriginal Australians is inextricably linked to culture and Country. Our study challenges deficit approaches to health inequities by seeking to examine how cultural connection, practice and resilience among Aboriginal peoples through participation in 'cultural camps' held on sites of cultural significance promotes health and well-being. Methods and analysis The study will be undertaken in close collaboration and under the governance of traditional cultural knowledge holders from Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay and Yuin nation groups in New South Wales, Australia. Three cultural camps will be facilitated, where participants (n=105) will engage in activities that foster a connection to culture and cultural landscapes. A survey assessing connection to culture, access to cultural resources, resilience, self-rated health and quality of life will be administered to participants pre-camp and post-camp participation, and to a comparative group of Aboriginal adults who do not attend the camp (n=105). Twenty participants at each camp (n=60) will be invited to participate in a yarning circle to explore cultural health, well-being and resilience. Quantitative analysis will use independent samples' t-tests or χ 2 analyses to compare camp and non-camp groups, and linear regression models to determine the impact of camp attendance. Qualitative analysis will apply inductive coding to data, which will be used to identify connections between coded concepts across the whole data set, and explore phenomenological aspects. Results will be used to collaboratively develop a 'Model of Cultural Health' that will be refined through a Delphi process with experts, stakeholders and policymakers. Ethics and dissemination The study has ethics approval from the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (#1851/21). Findings will be disseminated through a combination of peer-reviewed articles, media communication, policy briefs, presentations and summary documents to stakeholders

The relationship between disease activity and UDCA response criteria in primary biliary cholangitis: A cohort study

\ua9 2022 The Authors, Background: Uncertainty exists about how best to identify primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients who would benefit from second-line therapy. Existing, purely clinical, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) response criteria accept degrees of liver biochemistry abnormality in responding patients, emerging data, however, suggest that any degree of ongoing abnormality may, in fact, be associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes. This cohort study explores the link between response status, the biology of high-risk disease and its implications for clinical practice. Methods: Proteomics, exploring 19 markers previously identified as remaining elevated in PBC following UDCA therapy, were performed on 400 serum samples, from participants previously recruited to the UK-PBC Nested Cohort between 2014 and 2019. All participants had an established diagnosis of PBC and were taking therapeutic doses of UDCA for greater than 12 months. UDCA response status was assessed using Paris 1, Paris 2 and the POISE criteria, with additional analyses using normal liver blood tests stratified by bilirubin level. Statistical analysis using parametric t tests and 1-way ANOVA. Findings: Disease markers were statistically significantly higher in UDCA non-responders than in responders for all the UDCA response criteria, suggesting a meaningful link between biochemical disease status and disease mechanism. For each of the criteria, however, marker levels were also statistically significantly higher in responders with ongoing liver function test abnormality compared to those who had normalised their liver biochemistry. IL-4RA, IL-18-R1, CXCL11, 9 and 10, CD163 and ACE2 were consistently elevated across all responder groups with ongoing LFT abnormality. No statistically significant differences occurred between markers in normal LFT groups stratified by bilirubin level. Interpretation: This study provides evidence that any ongoing elevation in alkaline phosphatase levels in PBC after UDCA therapy is associated with some degree of ongoing disease activity. There was no difference in activity between patients with normal LFT when stratified by bilirubin. These findings suggest that if our goal is to completely control disease activity in PBC, then normalisation of alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin should be the treatment target. This would also simplify messaging around goals of therapy in PBC, benefiting both patients and clinicians. Funding: Funding by the UK Medical Research Council (Stratified Medicine Programme) and an independent research grant by Pfizer. The study funders played no role in the study design, data collection, data analyses, data interpretation or manuscript writing

The lived experiences of College students in adapting the blended learning

Abstract onlyWith the pandemic compelling the entire country, the Covid-19 health crisis has forced colleges to adopt blended and digital-at home learning approaches. As a result, it was crucial to acknowledge and gave voice to the lived experiences of these students to fully comprehend educational journeys during this pandemic catastrophe. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of ABPSPA students at Central Philippine University in adapting to blended learning. This qualitative study utilized a descriptive phenomenology with seven participants. Three thematic analyses were generated such as online, face-to-face, and blended learning. In the online thematic analysis, there was one emerging theme: all about surviving, not learning anymore with two subthemes such as uncontrolled technological circumstances and poor interaction. In the face-to face thematic analysis, there were two emerging themes: social interaction with one subtheme which was learning-focused, and the other was theme homesickness. In the blended thematic analysis, there were three emerging themes: hassle, struggle in adapting the blended learning with two subthemes such as poor time management and flexible time management, and the other theme was coping mechanism in adapting the blended learning with two subthemes such as peer collaboration and utilization of online resources. Findings revealed challenges in online mode, emphasizing the need for strategies to enhance engagement and address technological barriers. Face-to-face learning highlighted the importance of social interaction despite homesickness challenges. In blended learning, students coped through effective time management and peer collaboration. Theoretical implications included the CABLS Theory and Discovery Learning theories.Includes bibliographical referencesBachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administratio

Nothing New in the (North) East? Interpreting the Rhetoric and Reality of Japanese Corporate Governance

Japan finally seems to be pulling itself out of its lost decade (and a half) of economic stagnation. Some grudgingly or triumphantly attribute this to micro-economic reforms, freeing up arthritic markets, although there is also evidence that macro-economic policy failures have been a major cause of poor performance since the 1990s. Many point to overlapping transformations in corporate governance, broadly defined to cover relationships among managers and employees as well as between firms and outside shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders. These relationships are in flux, with moves arguably favouring shareholders and more market-driven control mechanisms. It has certainly been a found decade for law reform in Japan, particularly in corporate law, with a plethora of legislative amendments commencing around 1993 and culminating in the enactment of a consolidated Company Law in 2005. This modernisation project, particularly since 2001, is reportedly aimed at (i) securing better corporate governance, (ii) bringing the law into line with a highly-developed information society, (iii) liberalising fundraising measures, (iv) bringing corporate law into line with the internationalization of corporate activity, and (v) modernizing terms and consolidating corporate law. Because the suite of revisions has moved away from strict mandatory rules set out originally in Japan\u27s Commercial Code of 1899, modeled primarily on German law, another growing perception is that Japanese corporate law and practice is or will soon be converging significantly on US models. However, assessments remain divided as to whether these moves in corporate governance and capitalism more generally in Japan amount to a new paradigm or regime shift . Focusing primarily on quite influential commentary in English, Part I of this paper outlines two pairs of views. It concludes that the most plausible assessment is of significant but gradual transformation towards a more market-driven approach, evident also in other advanced political economies. Drawing more generally from these often virulently divided views, Part II sets out five ways forward through the proliferating literature and source material on corporate governance in Japan. Particular care must be taken in: (i) selecting the temporal timeframe, (ii) selecting countries to compare, (iii) balancing black-letter law and broader socio-economic context, (iv) reflecting on and disclosing normative preferences, and (v) giving weight to processes as well as outcomes, when assessing change in Japan - and any other country\u27s governance system. Part III ends with a call for further research particularly on law- and policy-producing processes, rather than mainly outcomes. It also outlines the usefulness of this analytical framework for analysing the broader field of Corporate Social Responsibility, now emerging as the next major area of debate and transformation in Japan - as elsewhere