Vulnerability of native and exotic urban birds to housing densification and changing gardening and landscaping trends

Variation in densities of native and exotic urban-adapted birds across suburban habitats may reveal levels of adaptation that predict vulnerability to habitat modification over time. We investigated the densities of the eight most common exotic and native birds in a southern hemisphere city across suburbs of varying housing density, vegetative cover and garden vegetation characteristics to determine whether avian population densities are maintained across variations in habitat structure that mirror current temporal trends in land use and landscaping/gardening preferences. We also tested whether densities of birds in residential areas bordering undeveloped patches were higher due to spill-over from patches. Densities of all four native species were highest in undeveloped patches and these species were largely absent from high density housing areas. While densities of two exotic species (blackbird, song thrush) were slightly higher in suburbs with greater vegetation complexity, they were still present in higher density housing suburbs in significant numbers. Common starlings were similarly abundant across all residential habitats and house sparrow density increased in higher density housing areas. Blackbirds appeared least vulnerable to housing densification and landscaping and gardening trends because they were abundant across all habitats, including undeveloped patches. Densities of native birds were higher in residential areas bordering undeveloped patches indicating spill-over was occurring and emphasising the role that patches could play in boosting city-wide native bird abundances. Native birds are vulnerable to reductions in garden size and vegetation complexity that should have little or positive effects on populations of common exotic species.     

Beyond Cans and Capacity

Many essential public services are provided through networks of community‐based nonprofit organizations. Previous research has demonstrated that simply providing additional resources to these organizations is insufficient to better address demands for public services. We also know little about how and why these organizations adopt network‐level objectives related to service provision. In this analysis, we expand the focus of service provision beyond capacity to incorporate the unique roles that define the very existence of nonprofit organizations, and how these roles affect organizational behavior with respect to service network objectives. We use focus group, survey, and administrative data from one hundred community‐based nonprofit organizations in an emergency food service network to explore the relationships among capacity, roles, and specific program objectives.     

Fielding supranationalism: the European Central Bank as a field effect

The European Central Bank (ECB), like all European institutions, poses basic problems of definition and comparability. Mobilizing Bourdieusian field theory (BFT) to resolve them, we map out the ECB's deep investments in scientific prestige and scholarly productivity – that is, its hyper-scientization – and the ambiguities therein, and then set out to explain them. Mobilizing diverse sources that include official documents, on-site interviews, and comparative data, we argue that hyper-scientization is a field effect expressing the ECB's origins and cross-location in three worlds: financial institutions, professional economics, and European politics. We then trace out the signs and symptoms of cross-location. First, we trace the origins of the ECB's directorate for research, DGR, which differentiated the ECB from most other European central banks at the time of its founding. Thus invested, the ECB accelerated its scholarly activities in step with the internationalization and scientization of economics. But this also expressed the ECB's stake in European authority struggles: research exchanges are a means of building relationships with national central banks, which was especially crucial in the lead-up to the European Union's (EU) 2004 enlargement. We thus argue that there is more to the ECB than its independence and policy operations, and that some of its most striking features are best explained as effects of its multiple field locations.     

Exploring Perceptions of the Food Environment Amongst Congolese,Somalis and Zimbabweans Living in Cape Town

In low and middle‐income countries, the nutrition transition to highly processed, high‐sugar diets has been extraordinarily rapid. Yet in these same settings, obesity and hunger are often experienced within a single household. As part of a broader study of cross‐border migrants’ experiences of maternal and infant nutrition in Cape Town, in this article I explore the individual and collective meanings associated with foods in a specific migrant context, as well as their connections to changing food environments in Cape Town, South Africa. While there was relative silence over food scarcity, the food environment seemed to present constraints to dietary diversity. The migrants’ views and experiences suggest the relevance of improving the accessibility and affordability of already desirable, nutrient dense foods.     

Factors associated with general sexual permissiveness

This study examines the predictors of premarital, extramarital, and homosexual permissiveness in an attempt to arrive at a framework of general sexual permissiveness. Data from a national probability sample were used. The results indicate that the three types of permissivieness are strongly correlated with one another and have some common predictors. Age and religiosity are found to be negative predictors and education and freedom of expression are found to be positive predictors. A potential framework of general sexual permissivieness emerges from these results.     

Validity of Person Matching in Vocational Interest Inventories

Research for more than 60 years has shown that entry into occupations can be predicted from scores on interest inventories at a rate better than chance (Donnay, 1997 ). The psychometric scoring methodologies used today by a majority of vocational interest inventories were developed in the 1920s and 1960s. Researchers are challenged with improving the theory and science behind vocational interest inventories to align them with current vocational constructions. In this study, validity comparisons were made between person matching and standard scoring based on 5,143 medical students who had taken a vocational interest inventory and had entered their medical residency. Person matching was found to improve differentiation between occupational groups and increase the amount of information offered in the scoring report; in addition, it could potentially increase occupational group assignment to advance vocational interest inventory validity.     

Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Parenting: An Effect of Gender

The definition of family in Australia has been continuously changing over the past four decades. The 21^st century has brought with it various images of family, with an increase of awareness to same-sex families; however, the acceptance of such family structures does not appear to be widespread and is often determined by sex. Substantive literature demonstrates differences between men and women in attitudes toward same-sex parenting, with theory suggesting that gender role norms may explain this. Despite large efforts to determine sex differences in attitudes toward same-sex parenting, little research, and even less in Australia, has been done to investigate whether there are differences in reasons behind negative attitudes toward same-sex parenting between men and women. To further this understanding, an Australian sample (N= 790) ranging in age from 18-78 completed a survey regrading attitudes toward same-sex parenting, in addition to relevant demographic information. Participants reported more positive attitudes about parenting by lesbians as compared to parenting by gay men. Reasons behind attitudes toward same-sex parenting also differed between males and females. Results suggested that the impact of socially prescribed gender norms may affect prejudice toward same-sex families. Despite an increase in tolerance for sexual minorities recently, policies that continue to discriminate against same-sex parenting rights demonstrates the importance of continuing to identify potential influences of same-sex family prejudice to reduce the potentially negative impacts associated with the prejudice.     

SEATBELT USE AMONG DRUNK DRIVERS IN DIFFERENT LEGISLATIVE SETTINGS

We present evidence from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that shows increased seatbelt use following the concurrent presence of stricter blood alcohol content thresholds and primarily enforced seatbelt laws. This suggests that inebriated drivers may use their seat belts more judiciously to avoid being identified as a drunk driver by law enforcement. The interactive effect of stricter drunk driving laws and primary seatbelt laws are also shown to be more effective than either law passed in isolation in terms of reducing traffic fatalities. (JEL K4, I18)