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This article introduces Eugene F. Fama, the Robert McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and makes the announcement that Fama has been chosen to receive the Morgan Stanley-American Finance Association Award for Excellence in Finance.

The article offers information on several congresses related to econometrics of the Econometric Society from June 28 to November 3, 2012 including North American Summer Meeting at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois from June 28 to July 1, Australasia Meeting in Melbourne, Victoria on July 3-6, and European Meeting Málaga, Spain on August 27-31.

This article focuses on the contributions of Professor Nicholas Dopuch to credible financial reporting research at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, during the 1960s. Some of Dopuch's contributions include bringing about significant changes in accounting, regulation, practice, and scholarship. The article also explains that Dopuch was one of the leading proponents behind the idea that research in accounting should test conjectures and subject claims to refutation. A historical overview of accounting scholarship is also presented, which focuses on the environmental and research technology changes that have occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Preserving Rural Land" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The author points out that the papers are commendable and emphasize the breadth and complexity of economic issues related to the preservation of rural lands. The papers focus on the evaluation of land rent gradients and the effects of rural land preservation policies on property values.

The article offers information on several meetings including the 2011 Australasia Meeting of the Econometric Society to be held in Adelaide, South Australia on July 5-8, 2011, the 2011 Asian Meeting of the Econometric Society to be held in Seoul, Korea on August 11-13, 2011, and the 2012 North American Winter Meeting of the Econometric Society to be held in Chicago, Illinois on January 6-8, 2012.

The article offers information on several Econometric Society (ESEM) meetings including the 2012 North American Winter Meeting in Chicago, Illinois on January 6-8, 2012, Australasia Meeting in Melbourne, Australia, July 3-6, 2012, and the European Meeting in Málaga, Spain on August 2731, 2012.

The Chinese Economic Association in North America (CEANA), consisting of Chinese American and Chinese economists and other economists interested in the economy of China, held a joint session with the American Economic Association and allied scholarly groups on December 29, 1987 in Chicago. In preparation for the session and other sessions of the CEANA in New York, the new group has issued a call for papers.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Wealth Dynamics, Risk Preferences and Threshold Effects" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors presents a status model in which there is both an income effect via the joint utility function over the status level and income, and a gain the probability of attaining a higher status level.

Understanding soil moisture variability and estimating high‐resolution soil moisture at subfield to field scales is critical for agricultural research and applications. However, systematic investigation of subfield scale soil moisture variability over cropland is still lacking from both measurement and satellite remote sensing. In this study, we aim to investigate (1) the characteristics of within‐field soil moisture distribution over typical cropland in the US Midwest and (2) the capabilities of satellite remote sensing in capturing the spatiotemporal variabilities of soil moisture at subfield scale. Specifically, we conducted soil moisture field experiments in three typical commercial agricultural fields (∼85 acres per field) in central Illinois, representing typical commercial farmlands in the US Midwest, and compared the soil moisture measurements with satellite remote sensing data from optical and active microwave sensors. In each field, dense soil moisture samples (spaced at 50–60 m) were obtained for two dry down events in May and July 2021, and multiple long‐term soil moisture stations were installed. We found prominent time‐invariant spatial structures of soil moisture at within‐field scales both during the dry down period and over longer time scales, and the stability is minimally affected by plant water use during the growing season. Comparing the field campaign measurements with satellite remote sensing data, we found that surface reflectance of shortwave infrared bands, such as SWIR1 (1610 nm) from Sentinel‐2, can capture relative surface soil moisture patterns at within‐field scales, but their relationships with soil moisture are field specific. These findings and the improved understanding of within‐field soil moisture dynamics could potentially help future research on high‐resolution soil moisture estimation with multi‐source remote sensing data. Core Ideas: High‐density soil moisture sampling was conducted in agricultural fields.Time‐invariant spatial structures of within‐field soil moisture were evaluated.Strong but field‐specific relationships between soil moisture and optical remote sensing were found.A pathway for remote sensing based high‐resolution soil moisture estimation was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze disease burden in osteoarthritis (OA) according to Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ)/Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) scores at the initial visit and the 6‐month follow‐up visit, compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a benchmark for high disease burden. Methods: All patients with all diagnoses at the Rush University Medical Center Division of Rheumatology complete a paper MDHAQ at all visits, saved as a PDF in the electronic health record. MDHAQ 0–10 scores for physical function, pain, and patient global assessment (compiled into RAPID3 0–30 scores) and additional scales at the initial and 6‐month follow‐up visits, for new OA and RA patients seen from 2011 to 2017, were compared. OA and RA patients were classified as self‐referred or physician‐referred, and RA patients were classified as disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)–naive or having prior‐DMARD treatment. Patient groups were compared using t‐tests and analysis of variance, adjusted for age, disease duration, body mass index (BMI), education, and ethnicity. Results: Compared with RA patients, OA patients had higher age, BMI, and disease duration. At initial visit, the mean RAPID3 did not differ significantly in OA versus DMARD‐naive RA patients, whether self‐ or physician‐referred (range 14.8–16.4 [P = 0.38]), or in all OA patients versus DMARD‐naive RA patients versus prior‐DMARD RA patients (15.0, 15.7, and 15.8, respectively [P = 0.49]). After 6 months, RAPID3 was improved to 13.3, 10.3, and 10.8, respectively, which represented substantially greater improvement in RA patients than OA patients (P < 0.001). Similar results were seen for most self‐reported measures and in adjusted analyses. Conclusion: MDHAQ/RAPID3 scores are similar in OA and RA patients at the initial visit, but higher in OA patients than in RA patients 6 months later, reflecting superior RA treatments. The same MDHAQ/RAPID3 allows comparisons of disease burdens in different diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The author comments on the paper "Designing Water Markets for Unstable Climatic Conditions: Learning from Experimental Economics," by Albert Garrido in this issue. It is observed that the farmers in the Guadalquivir River Basin, Spain, are most likely experienced water traders.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The author comments on the paper "Optimal Conjunctive Use of Surface and Groundwater with Recharge and Return Flows: Dynamic and Spatial Patterns," by S. Ponkijvorasin and J. Roumasset.

Measurement of planktonic chlorophyll‐a—a proxy for algal biomass—in rivers may represent local production or algae transported from upstream, confounding understanding of algal bloom development in flowing waters. We modeled 3 years of chlorophyll‐a transport through a 394‐km portion of the Illinois River and found that although algal biomass is longitudinally widespread, most net production occurs at river control points in the upper reaches (up to 3.7 Mg chlorophyll‐a y−1 km−1). Up to 69% of the algal biomass in the upper river was a result of within‐reach production, with the remainder recruited from headwaters and tributaries. High chlorophyll‐a measured farther downstream was largely because of transport from source‐area control points, with substantial net losses of algal biomass occurring in the lower river. Modeling the often‐overlooked river transport component is necessary to characterize where, when, and why planktonic algae grow and predict how far and fast they move downstream. Plain Language Summary: Planktonic algae in rivers may accumulate during periods of high productivity stimulated by favorable light, temperature, nutrient, and flow conditions, which can disrupt ecological processes and affect human uses including recreation and drinking water supply. Planktonic algae observed in rivers may occur because of local growth or transport from upstream source areas. Therefore, considering both local and upstream conditions may improve early warnings of potentially harmful blooms. Along a 394‐km stretch of the Illinois River, we found that most of the algae grew in the upper reaches and was then transported to downstream reaches, contributing to potential downstream harms such as excessive turbidity, organic carbon, biological oxygen demand, and algal toxins. We demonstrate how the often‐overlooked river transport component can be quantified to better identify where, when, and why algae grow in river networks. Key Points: Planktonic algal biomass is pervasive in the Illinois River, yet production is favored at certain locations and timesMost planktonic algal biomass was produced in upper‐reach control points that supplied downstream areasTransport analysis using local and upstream data improves understanding of river algal blooms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharp rise in U.S. incarceration rates has heightened long-standing concerns among scholars and policymakers that lengthy incarceration permanently harms the future labor market outcomes of prisoners. If true, then lengthy prison sentences will not only punish criminals for crimes committed, but will also make it far more difficult for ex-prisoners to reenter society as productive citizens. To investigate this claim I examine how increase in duration of incarceration affects subsequent earnings and employment. Comparing long-serving prisoners with short-serving ones in the Illinois state prison system, I find that the length of incarceration is positively associated with earnings and employment, even though these effects attenuate over time. The positive effects are stronger for individuals convicted of economically motivated and less violent crimes (such as property- and drug-related offenses) than for those convicted of violent crimes (such as person-related offenses). The effect is also stronger for prison entrants with self-reported drug addiction problems. The deterrent effect of lengthy incarceration and rehabilitation during incarceration are possible reasons for this positive effect. However, because this paper analyzes men who served less than four years in Illinois prison and excludes the population of men who served their terms exclusively in jail, readers should be cautious about generalizing findings of this paper. © 2011 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has argued for the existence of a marriage benefit to men, women, and children. Although the commonly suggested current response to a husband's violence has been for the couple to separate, traditionally women were often told to “stay for the children.” This paper uses the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods longitudinal data to examine the relationships among marital stability, husband violence, and children's behavior problems. Among married mothers who reported husband violence at time 1 (N= 414), the negative relationship between child behavior problems and remaining in the marriage dissipated when selection bias and husband violence recidivism were controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper presented during the "Whither Jobs and People?: Rural-Suburban-Urban Differences and Modern Growth Patterns" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is observed that research on the fiscal costs of community services demonstrate that residential land use causes a net drain on local fiscal resources and commercial land use subsidizes residential development.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Rural Poverty Revisited: A New Look at Place and Policy" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors report on a study which showed that even though more education enhances the possibility of moving from a rural area to the city and decreases the probability of being poor, it is additional education and not moving that decreases poverty risk.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Urban Sprawl: Consequences and Policy Approaches" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. This paper developed a simple economic model which showed that the fiscal differences between the city and suburb do not only cause suburbanization, but the product as well.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Urban Sprawl: Consequences and Policy Approaches" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. This paper reports on a study which indicated that individuals with higher body mass index (BMI) tend to choose locations with a high degree of sprawl. There is much weaker evidence that living in a sprawling area results in higher BMI.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Urban Sprawl: Consequences and Policy Approaches" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. This paper reports on a study which found that the spatial differences between the marginal values of housing density and lot size are essential in understanding urban sprawl.

Abstract: Government and public services have to not only enforce the requirements of the regulatory policies, but also have to satisfy the needs of preferences of their clients and customers. In this paper, we summarize the results of a multi-year case study conducted to assess the choices of campground users at the Shawnee National Forest (Illinois), which is managed by United States Forest Service. The results show how users’ tradeoff between location, capacity-related and pricing attributes when choosing a campground. The case study provides guidance for design and development of new services and more effective management of effective resources within the national forest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aspergillus fungi are ubiquitous inhabitants of colonies of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera), where they interact with bees in associations ranging from parasitism to possible mutualism. Aspergillus Flavi fungi are frequently found in bee bread (pollen processed for longterm storage) and are thought to contribute to food preparation, processing, preservation, and digestion. Conditions in the hive are challenging for fungi due, in part, to xeric and acidic properties of bee bread and the omnipresence of propolis, an antimicrobial product manufactured by bees from plant resins. We used quantitative and qualitative assays to determine whether A. flavus isolated from bee bread demonstrates tolerance for hive environmental conditions in terms of temperature, pH, osmotic pressure, and propolis exposure. Comparisons made use of three strains of A. flavus: a fungal biocontrol product not known from beehives (AF36), a strain isolated from bee bread (AFBB) in hives from central Illinois, and a pathogenic strain from a honey bee colony displaying symptoms of stonebrood (AFPA). Strain AFBB displayed higher tolerance of acidic conditions, low matric potential (simulating xeric substrate), and propolis exposure than did other strains. A genomic comparison between this new strain and the reference NRRL‐3357 showed that AFBB, like AF36, might be blocked from carrying out aflatoxin biosynthesis. Sequence comparisons also revealed several missense variants in genes that encode proteins regulating osmotolerance and osmotic pressure in Aspergillus spp., including SakA, SskB, GfdA, and TcsB/Sln1. Collectively, results of our laboratory assays and genetic analyses are consistent with the suggestion that the strain isolated from bee bread is adapted to the bee bread environment and may have persisted due to a coevolutionary relationship between Aspergillus and A. mellifera. This finding bolsters recent concerns about the effects of fungicide use near bee colonies and broadens the ecological importance of highly adaptable fungal strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the papers presented during the "Wealth Dynamics, Risk Preferences and Threshold Effects" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is observed that this session is an important resource program in farm-household dynamics and promises to offer a meaningful target for poverty alleviation strategies.

To promote collaboration, urban planners need to devise processes that consider stakeholders' interests not as an afterthought but as an integral component of decision analysis. In this paper, I introduce and illustrate a framework that attempts to do so using a long-running road extension planning process in Urbana, Illinois, USA. Drawing upon archival research, stakeholder reactions, and my experiences as an observer, the case study demonstrates how assumptions in problem framing and analysis and a focus on hardened positions can lead to disagreements. Using a stylized scenario exercise, I then present an alternative framework that can explicitly recognize the uncertainties and linked decisions involved in the analysis and allow the stakeholders to expound their concerns. A test of the principles shows that by bringing out the basic objectives of stakeholders and considering a wider range of choices and uncertainties, the framework can help identify underlying areas of agreement. I conclude that recognizing limitations of analytical methods and systematically bringing stakeholder values to a planning process can help improve its efficacy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the role that index funds have played in recent convergence problems of Chicago Board of Trade corn, soybean, and wheat futures contracts. These new market participants are widely considered to have inflated futures prices and/or expanded spreads between futures prices. Large spreads in futures markets contribute to a lack of convergence by uncoupling cash and futures markets. Statistical tests provide no evidence that rolling of positions by index funds or the initiation of large index positions in a “crowded market space” have contributed to an expansion of the spreads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper presented during the "Whither Jobs and People?: Rural-Suburban-Urban Differences and Modern Growth Patterns" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is observed that there are significant differences in the likelihood of households to live in urban areas compared to urban-rural fringe areas. Households new to the area have a higher possibility of moving to the fringe areas.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Whither Jobs and People?: Rural-Suburban-Urban Differences and Modern Growth Patterns" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is observed that the growth influence amenities and the pattern of urban sprawl vary across the United States. It is pointed out that the effectiveness of policies that support nonmetropolitan country growth could be enhanced.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Wealth Dynamics, Risk Preferences and Threshold Effects" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is hypothesized that with regards to static risk preferences as commonly depicted by the concavity of contemporaneous utility function, the rational adjustment requires more risk avoidance just above the dynamic asset threshold and more risk taking just below it.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Wealth Dynamics, Risk Preferences and Threshold Effects" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is argued that the behaviors related to wealth thresholds are multi-dimensional and increased wealth alone will not change essential behaviors or promote sustained improvements in household well-being.

The article presents a paper presented during the "Rural Poverty Revisited: A New Look at Place and Policy" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors examined the role of remoteness and scale in a rural persistent poverty (PP) status. It was observed that job in the nearest metropolitan area (MA) decreased poverty, and this antipoverty effect declined with greater distance.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Preserving Rural Land" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors show that the suburban rent gradient is much steeper beyond the city boundary than previously reported. It is pointed out sewage effluent must travel from a suburban property to the sewer and water infrastructure at the boundary to develop suburban densities.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Preserving Rural Land" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors demonstrate that the underrepresentation of exurban development in National Land Cover Dataset statistics is caused by significant differences in the observed pattern and location of exurban land use.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "Preserving Rural Land" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors reexamine the effect of agricultural easements on sales prices in Maryland using hedonic models of parcel price. It is shown that unrestricted land adjacent to preserved parcels tends to have the same low price as the preserved land.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The author looks at how water markets function during unstable climatic conditions using data from an experimental economics laboratory. Results indicate that agents can decrease vulnerability to extreme climatic cycles in a water economy.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors derive the efficiency price patterns for a model of conjunctive water management. For optimal water resource use, the shadow prices of irrigation water are needed, taking into account canal return flows, conveyance losses and groundwater recharge.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors examine the implications of the stabilizing role of groundwater for conjunctive ground and surface water policies, particularly in the Coimbatore Water District in Tamil Nadu, India. They point to the significant role of conjunctive water management policies.

The frequency of interactions among individuals is vital to understanding many aspects of a species' behavioral ecology. This also is a fundamental aspect of infectious disease epidemiology. However, the number of times an individual animal comes into contact with another is an extremely difficult parameter to estimate. This paper describes radiocollars (proximity detectors) capable of recording close contacts among radiocollared individuals. We conducted laboratory tests using collars alone (i.e., not fitted on an organism) and field tests of collar performance with collars fitted on 42 free-ranging raccoons (Procyon lotor) within a 20-ha portion of the Ned Brown Forest Preserve in northeastern Illinois, USA. During laboratory tests, we determined variation in detection distance within and among collars, effect of collar orientation on detection distances, and accuracy of recorded duration of proximity and identification of contacted collar. Overall variation in detection distance both within and among collars was relatively low, although we observed intrinsic variation in collar strength. We found little variation in horizontal detection distances with collar orientation, although mean distances for vertical tests were greater than most horizontal means. Recorded contact duration deviated from actual time by ≤3 seconds for short-duration (10-300 sec), and by ≤30 seconds for extended-duration (8-14 hr) contacts recorded as a single event. However, there was a tendency for the collars to record extended-duration contacts as multiple events, with the frequency dependent on settings. Identification number of the contacted collar was correctly identified in all cases (n = 1,537). We downloaded 35 of the 42 proximity detectors deployed on free-ranging raccoons. Of these, approximately 57% were functioning properly, 9% exhibited problems apparently correctable in the field, and 34% exhibited problems not correctable in the field. For random pairs of raccoons, daily contact duration and number of contacts (omitting 1-sec contacts) recorded by both detectors did not differ (P ≥ 0.066). Overall, collars produced accurate information in terms of detection range, duration of contact, and contacted collar identification, and represented a promising improvement over previous methods to assess intraspecific contact rates of secretive, nocturnal, or otherwise unobservable species. Because accurate determination of contact rates requires that a population be saturated with detectors, their use may be most appropriate for species readily trapped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a unique Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) livestock inspection data set, this paper presents an extensive empirical investigation of relationships between citizen complaints, swine production and community characteristics, EPA inspections, and regulatory violations. Our results suggest that facility and community characteristics have a relationship with citizen complaints. Also, complaint-initiated inspections are more efficient than regularly scheduled ones in terms of regulatory violation detection rates. Additionally, EPA inspectors and inspections influence a facility's compliance behavior. Except for building type and swine inventory intensity, facility and community characteristics are not associated with a facility's probability of regulatory violation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the papers presented during the "Whither Jobs and People?: Rural-Suburban-Urban Differences and Modern Growth Patterns" session at the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. It is observed that the authors do a good job of offering empirical evidence on population and job growth patterns.

The article presents a paper which was presented during the "New Frontiers in Water Resource Economics" session of the annual meeting of the Allied Social Sciences Association on January 5-7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The authors comment on the paper "The Stabilization of Groundwater and Conjunctive Water Management Under Certainty," by M. Gemma and Y. Tsur in this issue. It is observed that it is a promising research program in conjunctive use modeling and optimization.

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper uses economic, hydrologic, and GIS modeling to assess the effectiveness of the Illinois Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in the Lower Sangamon watershed. Our results show that for a representative five-year storm event, the acres currently enrolled in the program result in a 12% reduction in sediment loading, which is below the program goal of 20% and four times the least-cost solution. We also analyze the design of alternative rental payment instruments for improving the cost-effectiveness of geographical targeting for land retirement. Policy implications for the characteristics of the land parcels that should be targeted for enrollment in the program are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 30 species of fleshy-fruited plants are found in southeast Alaska. In this paper we examine traits such as plant growth form, phenology, fruit color, seed load, pulp dry weight, and pulp nutrient content and compare them with those of fruits from central Illinois. Two comparative methods (continuous time Markov model and phylo-Anova) were used to compare both qualitative and quantitative traits between the two regions. Although fleshy-fruited plants from SE Alaska appear to be predominantly shrubs or herbs in contrast to central Illinois, where trees and vines tend to be more common, no significant differences among growth forms were found when accounting for plant phylogeny. In SE Alaska, most fruits mature in August and September, whereas most fruits mature later in the autumn in Illinois. Red fruits are more common in Alaska than in Illinois, where blue-black fruits predominate. Alaskan fruits have a significantly greater seed load than fruits in Illinois, while pulp dry weight does not differ between the two regions. Although the proportion of sugars and lipids in the pulp was not statistically different between the two regions, total reward of the pulp (estimated as the absolute amount of sugars plus twice the amount of lipids, as lipids provide about twice the energy of sugars) was greater in Alaskan than in Illinois fruits. Neither phylogenetic constraints nor selection by frugivores appear to account fully for the regional distribution of fruit characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the spatial patterns of unemployment in Chicago between 1980 and 1990. We study unemployment clustering with respect to different social and economic distance metrics that reflect the structure of agents' social networks. Specifically, we use physical distance, travel time, and differences in ethnic and occupational distribution between locations. Our goal is to determine whether our estimates of spatial dependence are consistent with models in which agents' employment status is affected by information exchanged locally within their social networks. We present non-parametric estimates of correlation across Census tracts as a function of each distance metric as well as pairs of metrics, both for unemployment rate itself and after conditioning on a set of tract characteristics. Our results indicate that there is a strong positive and statistically significant degree of spatial dependence in the distribution of raw unemployment rates, for all our metrics. However, once we condition on a set of covariates, most of the spatial autocorrelation is eliminated, with the exception of physical and occupational distance. Racial and ethnic composition variables are the single most important factor in explaining the observed correlation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period 1969 to 1974, the total number of farms in the North Central region decreased by 94,800, while the number of small farms, operationally defined as farms of 50 acres or less, increased by 18.500. The growth in small farm numbers is a dramatic reversal from the trend between 1959 arid 1954 when the number of small farms in the region declined by 45,000. The reversal is evident in most of the region hut is strongest in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Using county level data for those (out slates. the nature of this resurgence in small farms is analyzed. A modified shift-share analysis shows that the growth in small farms is widespread and not strongly associated with specific other county level variables. The paper acknowledges that small acreage farms are marginal to the agricultural industry, but stresses the need for further research to monitor and possibly understand a trend which may well grow and spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the political implications of the use of public enterprises at the municipal level, using survey data from Illinois cities. The dependent variables include the number of enterprises cities have, the dependence of cities on income from enterprises, and the choice of which enterprises to provide. The paper explores why some cities have enterprises to handle parking, garbage, and economic development. Conclusions are that cities experiencing fiscal stress avoid enterprises, and more-reformed cities use enterprises more frequently. Particular enterprises have their own political and financial characteristics and are more likely to be used by cities with matching political characteristics. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the proceedings of a symposium on conceptual and methodological developments in parent-child research held in Chicago, Illinois on May 8, 1959. Keynote speakers; Presentations; Forum on the papers presented.

Presents a discussion on a paper related to scope of business law in Chicago, Illinois. Association of typical business law curriculum with typical law school curriculum; Nature of business law; Usability of the paper for a first course in business law.

Metapopulation models may be applied to inform natural resource management to guide actions targeted at location‐specific subpopulations. Model insights frequently help to understand which subpopulations to target and highlight the importance of connections among subpopulations. For example, managers often treat aquatic invasive species populations as discrete populations due to hydrological (e.g., lakes, pools formed by dams) or jurisdictional boundaries (e.g., river segments by country or jurisdictional units such as states or provinces). However, aquatic invasive species often have high rates of dispersion and migration among heterogenous locations, which complicates traditional metapopulation models and may not conform to management boundaries. Controlling invasive species requires consideration of spatial dynamics because local management activities (e.g., harvest, movement deterrents) may have important impacts on connected subpopulations. We expand upon previous work to create a spatial linear matrix model for an aquatic invasive species, Bighead Carp, in the Illinois River, USA, to examine the per capita contributions of specific subpopulations and impacts of different management scenarios on these subpopulations. Managers currently seek to prevent Bighead Carp from invading the Great Lakes via a connection between the Illinois Waterway and Lake Michigan by allocating management actions across a series of river pools. We applied the model to highlight how spatial variation in movement rates and recruitment can affect decisions about where management activities might occur. We found that where the model suggested management actions should occur depend crucially on the specific management goal (i.e., limiting the growth rate of the metapopulation vs. limiting the growth rate of the invasion front) and the per capita recruitment rate in downstream pools. Our findings illustrate the importance of linking metapopulation dynamics to management goals for invasive species control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the symposium "Concepts of Systematic Biology From Linnaeus to the Present" which was held on July 11, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois is presented. The symposium was designed to chronicle many of the changes and attendant perspectives, with papers discussed by Gordon Reid who assessed the contributions of Carl Linnaeus. In addition, Peter Stevens gave comments on the developments of the natural system of plant taxonomy.