The snowflake effect: the future of mashups and learning

Emerging technologies for learning report - Article exploring web mashups and their potential for educatio

Valuing Private and Public Greenspace Using Remotely Sensed Vegetation Indices

In a typical metropolitan area, greenspace varies substantially in its quality and extent. Remotely sensed vegetation index data is used to characterize the heterogeneity in private and public greenspace (riparian corridors) in metropolitan Tucson, Arizona. This data set enables the researcher to test if: (1) greenness is a significant determinant of house price variation in this desert city; and (2) whether there is an interaction between public and private greenspace. Private greenspace amenities can be endogenously improved by homeowners as a complement or substitute for the greenspace that is publicly provided, whereas public greenspace might be exogenous or endogenous depending on households ability to pressure the local government to protect or restore public greenspace. The results of a Hausman test indicate that endogeneity is a problem in the dataset and therefore an instrumental variable two stage least squares estimation is used. The results of this analysis indicate that homebuyers in the study area have preferences for both greener lots and greener riparian corridors and that private and public greenspace appear to be substitutes. Results are robust across multiple identification strategies designed to address potential endogeneity. The study results could have fundamental implications for the efficient use of limited water supplies in this semi-arid metropolitan area.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Composantes d’efficacité des programmes de traitement communautaires destinés aux personnes souffrant de désordres mentaux

Les programmes communautaires visent à aider les bénéficiaires à s'intégrer de façon permanente au sein de la collectivité. Pour ce faire, ces programmes doivent être constitués de multiples composantes qui visent à réduire ou à éliminer les difficultés présentées par ces personnes. Ces composantes sont : des chimiothérapies; des interventions visant à encourager une prise régulière des médicaments jugés nécessaires; les mécanismes de formation susceptibles d'aider tant le personnel que les patients à évaluer la symptomatologie; une relation stable; des mécanismes permettant d'inculquer aux patients les aptitudes sociales dont ils ont besoin; des programmes de formation professionnelle visant à permettre aux patients de se trouver un emploi ou d'exercer une activité significative; des mécanismes de formation visant à enseigner aux patients les aptitudes pouvant les aider à faire face au stress et à résoudre leurs problèmes; des interventions destinées à les aider à réduire leur consommation d'alcool; des milieux résidentiel, social et communautaire propices à l'amélioration de l'état des patients, afin que ceux-ci puissent accomplir des progrès soutenus et durables.Community programmes are designed to help clients establish themselves permanently in the community to succeed, these programmes must include several treatment components each addressing a specific problem presented by the clients. These components include : drug therapy, an intervention to encourage clients to take medications as prescribed ; an intervention to train staff and clients to evaluate symptoms aetiology ; a stable relationship ; social skills training ; vocational training or an intervention which aims to help clients participate regularly in an activity of their choice ; stress innoculation ; problem solving ; an intervention to reduce the use of alcohol ; residences which will provide support to the clients

Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) observed during land-based surveys in The Minch, north-west Scotland

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Towards a radiocarbon chronology of the Late-Glacial: Sample selection strategies

This paper outlines a dating program designed to test the reproducibility of radiocarbon dates on different materials of Late-Glacial age (plant macrofossils, fossil beetle remains, and the "humic" and "humin" chemical fractions of limnic sediments) using a combination of radiometric (beta counting) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) techniques. The results have implications for the design of sampling strategies and for the development of improved dating protocols, both of which are important if a high-precision C-14 chronology for the Late- Glacial is to be achieved

Do Homebuyers Care about the 'Quality' of Natural Habitats?

We study if homebuyers in Tucson, Arizona care about the condition of natural habitats and if they have preferences between natural and manmade habitats. Using field work data we examine whether homebuyers willingness to pay is influenced by the biological condition of the neighboring riparian habitat and how homebuyers value alternative manmade green areas, specifically golf courses. We also explore the relationship between the field data and remote sensing vegetation indices. The results of a hedonic analysis of houses that sold within 0.2 miles of 51 stratified-random selected riparian survey sites in Tucson, Arizona reveals that homebuyers significantly value habitat quality and negatively value manmade park-like features. Homebuyers are willing to pay twenty percent more to live near a riparian corridor that is densely vegetated and contains more shrub and tree species, particularly species that are dependent on perennial water flow. These environmental premiums are significant, outweighing structural factors such as an additional garage or swimming pool. Likewise, proximity to a riparian habitat with low biological quality or to a golf course lowers property values.Land Economics/Use,

Examining Correlates of Problematic Internet Pornography Use Among University Students

The phenomenon of Internet pornography (IP) addiction is gainingincreasing attention in the popular media and psychological research.What has not been tested empirically is how frequency and amount ofIP use, along with other individual characteristics, are related tosymptoms of IP addiction. Methods 105 female and 86 male university students (mean age 21) from Calgary,Canada, were administered measures of IP use, psychosocial functioning(anxiety and depression, life and relationship satisfaction), addictivepropensities, and addictive IP use. Results Men reported earlier age of exposure and more frequent currentIP use than women. Individuals not in relationships reported morefrequent use than those in relationships. Frequency of IP use wasnot generally correlated with psychosocial functioning but was significantlypositively correlated with level of IP addiction. Higher level ofIP addiction was associated with poorer psychosocial functioning andproblematic alcohol, cannabis, gambling and, in particular, videogame use. A curvilinear association was found between frequency ofIP use and level of addiction such that daily or greater IP use wasassociated with a sharp rise in addictive IP scores. Discussion The failure to find a strong significant relationship between IPuse and general psychosocial functioning suggests that the overalleffect of IP use is not necessarily harmful in and of itself. Addictiveuse of IP, which is associated with poorer psychosocial functioning,emerges when people begin to use IP daily