Determinants of urban tree canopy in residential neighborhoods: Household characteristics, urban form, and the geophysical landscape

The aesthetic, economic, and environmental benefits of urban trees are well recognized. Previous research has focused on understanding how a variety of social and environmental factors are related to urban vegetation. The aim is often to provide planners with information that will improve residential neighborhood design, or guide tree planting campaigns encouraging the cultivation of urban trees. In this paper we examine a broad range of factors we hypothesize are correlated to urban tree canopy heterogeneity in Salt Lake County, Utah. We use a multi-model inference approach to evaluate the relative contribution of these factors to observed heterogeneity in urban tree canopy cover, and discuss the implications of our analysis. An important contribution of this work is an explicit attempt to account for the confounding effect of neighborhood age in understanding the relationship between human and environmental factors, and urban tree canopy. We use regression analysis with interaction terms to assess the effects of 15 human and environmental variables on tree canopy abundance while holding neighborhood age constant. We demonstrate that neighborhood age is an influential covariate that affects how the human and environmental factors relate to the abundance of neighborhood tree canopy. For example, we demonstrate that in new neighborhoods a positive relationship exists between street density and residential tree canopy, but the relationship diminishes as the neighborhood ages. We conclude that to better understand the determinants of urban tree canopy in residential areas it is important to consider both human and environmental factors while accounting for neighborhood age.     

Decision Support for Bus Operations in a Mass Transit System*

A computerized system has been developed for assigning, parking, and dispatching buses so that each operator in the St. Louis metropolitan transit system generally drives the same bus each day. Combinations of optimizing routines, mathematical heuristics, decision rules from experienced personnel, and human intervention are used to manage the bus operations efficiently. This paper describes the tools created for this task and documents significant improvements in maintenance that occurred after the system became operational.     

Gender Socialization,Countertransference and the Treatment of Men with Eating Disorders

Knowledge about the treatment of eating disorders is largely based on the experience of women with these disorders. The motivations, beliefs, vulnerabilities and developmental factors that cause and perpetuate eating disorders in men are often gendered. Engaging men in therapy and helping them build and sustain motivation requires therapeutic sensitivity to the impact of these gendered factors. Therapists’ sensitivity to these factors inevitably activates personal experiences with gender and provides an important source of information about patients’ experiences. This article focuses on how gender socialization and internalized views of masculinity affect client, therapist and the co-created therapeutic relationship. Male and female therapists can use awareness of gender influences to improve their ability to detect and communicate their gendered countertransference reactions. The article concludes with a discussion of how gendered assumptions and emotional reactions can affect treatment team interactions and treatment program protocols.     

Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback Sequence on Work Performance and Emotional Responses

Performance feedback has been broadly used within Organizational Behavior Management. However, the specifics regarding the most effective type of feedback still merits careful investigation, including the use of positive and negative sequences of feedback. The current study randomly assigned participants to receive one of the following sequences: (a) positive-positive feedback, (b) positive-negative feedback, (c) negative-positive feedback, and (d) negative-negative feedback. Uniform feedback delivery resulted in higher performance, although inconsistent feedback resulted in lessened negative emotional responses. Recommendations on whether to deliver positive or negative feedback in isolation or combination may depend upon the outcomes currently being prioritized by the organization.     

Righting a wrong: Retaliation on a voodoo doll symbolizing an abusive supervisor restores justice

When a subordinate receives abusive treatment from a supervisor, a natural response is to retaliate against the supervisor. Although retaliation is dysfunctional and should be discouraged, we examine the potential functional role retaliation plays in terms of alleviating the negative consequences of abusive supervision on subordinate justice perceptions. Based on the notion that retaliation following mistreatment can restore justice for victims, we propose a model whereby retaliation following abusive supervision alleviates the negative effect of abusive supervision on subordinate justice perceptions. In two experimental studies (Study 1 and 2), whereby we manipulated abusive supervision and subordinate symbolic retaliation—in particular, harming a voodoo doll that represents the abusive supervisor—we found general support for our predictions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Financial Intermediaries and Markets

A complex financial system comprises both financial markets and financial intermediaries. We distinguish financial intermediaries according to whether they issue complete contingent contracts or incomplete contracts. Intermediaries such as banks that issue incomplete contracts, e.g., demand deposits, are subject to runs, but this does not imply a market failure. A sophisticated financial system—a system with complete markets for aggregate risk and limited market participation—is incentive‐efficient, if the intermediaries issue complete contingent contracts, or else constrained‐efficient, if they issue incomplete contracts. We argue that there may be a role for regulating liquidity provision in an economy in which markets for aggregate risks are incomplete.     

How do we ensure that everyone graduates? An integrated prevention and tiered intervention model for schools and districts

Schools with large numbers of students falling off the graduation path need comprehensive reforms that create a solid foundation of high-quality instruction and positive behavioral supports for all students. They also need data-driven response systems that provide targeted and intensive interventions for students who need additional academic and social supports. This article offers a systematic plan for dropout prevention at the district and school levels that integrates research-based recommendations into a coherent, three-tiered model. The model provides a way to coordinate all types of interventions and replace the patchwork of fragmented programs that often allows students to fall through the cracks.     

Delegation,Union Leaders and Capital Allocation

This paper looks upon the effects of delegation of the bargaining process within unions. It investigates the allocation of capital when investment is sunk and there is an absence of binding contracts. Although capital investment is inefficient, capital allocation can be improved by precommitment. Strong union members precommit by hiring a weak leader, whilst weak union members hire a strong union leader. Governments can increase the efficiency of capital by reducing the intrinsic union strength, but could reduce the efficiency of capital if intrinsic internal union leader strength is reduced.