East

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Humanities and Social Sciences

Kinds of East

  • ancient near east
  • far east
  • middle east
  • near east
  • north east
  • russian far east
  • south east

  • Terms modified by East

  • east africa
  • east african
  • east african cassava mosaic virus
  • east african community
  • east african rift system
  • east antarctica
  • east asia
  • east asian
  • east asian country
  • east asian crisis
  • east asian economy
  • east asian population
  • east asian summer monsoon
  • east australian current
  • east china
  • east china sea
  • east coast
  • east england
  • east european
  • east european country
  • east german
  • east germany
  • east greenland
  • east india company
  • east indian
  • east java
  • east london
  • east pacific
  • east pacific rise
  • east region
  • east russia
  • east sea
  • east side
  • east tennessee
  • east usambara mountain

  • Selected Abstracts


    CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR RESEARCH ETHICS WORKSHOPS FOR COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

    DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 2 2010
    HENRY SILVERMAN
    ABSTRACT To help ensure the ethical conduct of research, many have recommended educational efforts in research ethics to investigators and members of research ethics committees (RECs). One type of education activity involves multi-day workshops in research ethics. To be effective, such workshops should contain the appropriate content and teaching techniques geared towards the learning styles of the targeted audiences. To ensure consistency in content and quality, we describe the development of a curriculum guide, core competencies and associated learning objectives and activities to help educators organize research ethics workshops in their respective institutions. The curriculum guide is divided into modular units to enable planners to develop workshops of different lengths and choose content materials that match the needs, abilities, and prior experiences of the target audiences. The content material in the curriculum guide is relevant for audiences in the Middle East, because individuals from the Middle East who participated in a Certificate Program in research ethics selected and developed the training materials (e.g., articles, powerpoint slides, case studies, protocols). Also, many of the activities incorporate active-learning methods, consisting of group work activities analyzing case studies and reviewing protocols. The development of such a workshop training curriculum guide represents a sustainable educational resource to enhance research ethics capacity in the Middle East. [source]


    Assessment of multiple implicit self-concept dimensions using the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST)

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2004
    Sarah Teige
    This study explored the psychometric properties of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; De Houwer, 2003a) as adapted for the measurement of the implicit self-concept of personality. The EAST was adapted to allow the simultaneous assessment of the three traits shyness, anxiousness, and angriness. In order to test the EAST's psychometric properties, 100 participants completed a trait EAST, Implicit Association Tests (IATs), and direct self-ratings. The EAST showed low internal consistencies and correlated neither with the IATs nor with the direct measures. The main problem of the EAST, namely its low reliability, is discussed, and general conclusions regarding the indirect assessment of the personality self-concept by EASTs are derived. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    CHRISTIAN PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST A WORKING PAPER,

    INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 352 2000
    Article first published online: 25 MAR 200
    First page of article [source]


    CHRISTIAN PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

    INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 352 2000
    Riad Jarjour
    First page of article [source]


    DR CONGO , ASIA, MIDDLE EAST: Foreign Investment

    AFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 6 2010
    Article first published online: 3 AUG 2010
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    AFRICA,EAST: High Stakes Courtship

    AFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 5 2010
    Article first published online: 8 JUL 2010
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    DIET OF RINGED SEALS (PHOCA HISPIDA) ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF THE NORTH WATER POLYNYA, NORTHERN BAFFIN BAY

    MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2001
    Meike Holst
    Abstract In conjunction with the International North Water Polynya Study (NOW) in northern Baffin Bay, we examined the diets of ringed seals (Phoca hispida)1 on the west (Grise Fiord, Nunavut) and east (Qaanaaq, Greenland) sides of the polynya, using conventional stomach content analysis, as well as inferences from stable isotope ratios in seal muscle. Between May and July 1998, stomach and muscle tissue samples were collected from 99 ringed seals taken near Grise Fiord and 100 taken near Qaanaaq. The amphipod Themisto libellula was the dominant prey type in the diet of immature ringed seals from Grise Fiord, whereas arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and polar cod (Arctogadus glacialis) predominated in the diet of adults. Both immature and adult seals collected near Qaanaaq fed predominantly on arctic cod. Overall, seals collected near Grise Fiord had significantly higher ,13C values than those collected near Qaanaaq (P < 0.001), but there was no statistical separation in ,15N values between the two samples (P= 0.06). Differences in diets of ringed seals from the east and west sides of the North Water Polynya may be due to differences in prey distribution and/or differences in biological productivity and fish biomass within the polynya. [source]


    Allergy to goat and sheep milk without allergy to cow's milk

    ALLERGY, Issue 11 2006
    S. Ah-Leung
    Background:, Cow's milk (CM) allergy is the most frequent cause of food allergy in infants. Most children who are allergic to CM are also sensitized to whey proteins and/or to the casein fraction and many of them cannot tolerate goat's or sheep's milk (GSM) either. Conversely, the GSM allergies that are not associated with allergic cross-reactivity to CM are rare. Methods:, Twenty-eight children who had severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, after consumption of GSM products but tolerated CM products were recruited in a retrospective study. Whole casein and whey proteins were fractionated from CM and GSM. , -Lactoglobulin and the different caseins were isolated, purified and used to perform enzyme allergosorbent tests (EAST) and EAST inhibition studies with the sera of the allergic children. Results:, Clinical observations, skin prick testing and immunoglobulin (Ig)E-binding studies confirmed the diagnosis of GSM allergy without associated CM allergy. EAST determinations demonstrated that GSM allergy involves the casein fraction and not whey proteins. Cow's milk caseins were not at all or poorly recognized by the patient's IgE, while ,S1 -, ,S2 - and , -caseins from GSM were recognized with a high specificity and affinity. In all cases, increasing concentrations of CM caseins failed to inhibit the binding of patient's IgE to sheep or goat milk caseins, whereas this binding was completely inhibited by GSM caseins. Conclusions:, The characteristics of GSM allergy differ from those of the CM allergy because it affects older children and appears later. CM products do not elicit any clinical manifestation in GSM allergic patients, whereas CM allergic patients, usually cross-react to GSM. In all the GSM allergic children, the IgE antibodies recognized the caseins but not the whey proteins. Moreover, IgE specificity and affinity was high to GSM and lower to CM caseins despite their marked sequence homology. Doctors and allergic individuals should be aware that GSM allergy requires a strict avoidance of GSM and milk-derived products because reactions could be severe after ingestion of minimal doses of the offending food. [source]


    EXCAVATIONS EAST OF LOKOZOUN

    ACTA ARCHAEOLOGICA, Issue 1 2009
    Article first published online: 5 JUL 2010
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Comparing measures of cognitive bias relating to eating behaviour

    APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
    Emmanuel M. Pothos
    Consumption of and/or abstinence from substances with a high reward value (e.g. heroin, marijuana, alcohol, nicotine, certain foods) are associated with cognitive biases for information related to the substance. Such cognitive biases are important since they may contribute to difficulties in controlling intake of the substance. We examine cognitive biases for stimuli related to food. For the first time, we concurrently employ and compare five conceptually distinct measures of cognitive bias (dot probe, emotional Stroop, recognition, EAST, explicit attitudes). Contrary to expectations from current theory, the relation between the cognitive measures was weak and evident only in certain subsets of the population sample, as defined by gender and emotional-, restrained- and external-eating characteristics of our participants. We discuss some methodological implications of our findings. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    ISOTOPIC DISCRIMINANTS BETWEEN LATE BRONZE AGE GLASSES FROM EGYPT AND THE NEAR EAST

    ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2010
    P. DEGRYSE
    This paper presents oxygen, strontium and neodymium isotopic analysis from a series of Late Bronze Age glasses from Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was found that oxygen and neodymium isotopes alone cannot readily distinguish between glasses from the various sites. However, combined Sr and Nd isotope analysis separate the data into three groups: an Egyptian group with relatively low Sr and Nd ratios; a Late Bronze Age (LBA) Nuzi group with high Sr and low Nd ratios; and an intermediate Sr and high Nd ratio grouping of glasses from Tell Brak. These findings suggest that most of the glass from Nuzi and Tell Brak had different raw materials and hence the glass was probably produced at different manufacturing sites. However, one glass ingot found at Tell Brak (TB1) appears to have Nuzi-type Sr,Nd characteristics. This is the first positive identification of multiple production sites in LBA Mesopotamia and an exceptional example of a glass that may have been exchanged from one LBA site to another. [source]


    Peanut cross-reacting allergens in seeds and sprouts of a range of legumes

    CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 12 2008
    L. B. Jensen
    Summary Background Recently, peanut-allergic patients have reported symptoms upon ingestion of bean sprouts produced from various legumes. Objective This study was designed to identify immunoreactivity to seeds and sprouts of legumes other than peanut in sera from peanut-allergic patients. Methods Crude protein extracts of seeds and sprouts (comprising cotelydons and hypocotyls/epicotyls) of peanut, soybean, green pea, blue lupine, mung bean, alfalfa, broad bean, and azuki bean were prepared. The reactivity of sera from 10 peanut-allergic patients to these extracts was analysed by indirect histamine release (HR), enzyme-allergosorbent test (EAST), EAST inhibition, and Western blots. Skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed on the patients with fresh legume seeds as well as four commercial legume sprouts, and food challenges with soybean, pea, and lupine were performed on a subgroup of the patients. Results All legume seeds and commercial sprouts induced positive SPTs in some of the patients. Indirect HR experiments indicated an extensive co-reactivity between peanut and the legumes, and cross-reactivity was observed for soybean, pea, and lupine seeds as well as lupine hypocotyls in EAST inhibition experiments. Of the 16 protein extracts, soybean, pea, and lupine seed extracts produced visible bands in Western blots. Conclusion The symptoms reported by peanut-allergic patients after legume sprout intake might be caused by cross-reactivity of peanut-specific antibodies. The intake of raw legume sprouts might cause symptoms in peanut-allergic patients. [source]


    Assessment of multiple implicit self-concept dimensions using the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST)

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2004
    Sarah Teige
    This study explored the psychometric properties of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; De Houwer, 2003a) as adapted for the measurement of the implicit self-concept of personality. The EAST was adapted to allow the simultaneous assessment of the three traits shyness, anxiousness, and angriness. In order to test the EAST's psychometric properties, 100 participants completed a trait EAST, Implicit Association Tests (IATs), and direct self-ratings. The EAST showed low internal consistencies and correlated neither with the IATs nor with the direct measures. The main problem of the EAST, namely its low reliability, is discussed, and general conclusions regarding the indirect assessment of the personality self-concept by EASTs are derived. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Haiderism East of Austria:Reaction, Impact and Parallels

    CONSTELLATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRITICAL AND DEMOCRATIC THEORY, Issue 3 2000
    Miklós Haraszti
    First page of article [source]


    Is CEO Duality Always Negative?

    CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2009
    An Exploration of CEO Duality, Ownership Structure in the Arab IPO Context
    ABSTRACT Manuscript type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: This paper examines the relationships between initial public offering (IPO) underpricing, CEO duality, and strategic ownership in 12 Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Research Findings/Results: Using all IPOs from January 2000 until the end of July 2007, we document an average IPO underpricing of 184.1 per cent. Underpricing is higher in IPO firms that have CEO duality. However, strategic shareholders, such as corporations and other industry-related investors, are likely to play a monitoring role whereas underpricing is found to be lower in firms with both CEO duality and strategic shareholder ownership. Moreover, the negative relation between underpricing and strategic blockholding is greater for foreign strategic ownership than it is for domestic strategic ownership. Theoretical Implications: This paper examines the level and determinants of IPO underpricing in the MENA region. It provides evidence on the role played by foreign strategic owners in reducing agency conflicts and information asymmetries within an environment where firms may be affected by the cultural issues related to political ties and family involvement. Practical Implications: Our results contribute to the existing debate on the appropriate regulations for an effective and stable financial system in Arab countries. They offer policy-makers additional evidence on the positive impact of market openness to foreign shareholders. [source]


    Corporate social and environmental responsibility in Asian countries and other geographical regions

    CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007
    C. Christopher Baughn
    Abstract This study examines two aspects of corporate social responsibility (social and environmental CSR) in 15 Asian countries. The performance of firms in these Asian countries on the two types of CSR is also assessed relative to country economic, political and social conditions, and compared with those of other regions (Western Europe, East/Central Europe, Australia/New Zealand, US/Canada, Middle East and Africa). Drawing from over 8700 surveys of firms in 104 countries, this study demonstrates substantial country and regional differences in CSR. Firms are embedded in different country contexts, with differing underlying institutional capacities. Strong revealed relationships between CSR and country economic, political and social contexts reflect the importance of a country's development of such institutional capacity to promote and support CSR practices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


    Cultural Sovereignty in a Global Art Economy: Egyptian Cultural Policy and the New Western Interest in Art from the Middle East

    CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
    Jessica WinegarArticle first published online: 7 JAN 200
    The post-1989 transformation of the Egyptian art world reveals the particular tenacity of colonial logics and national attachments in culture industries built through anticolonial nationalism and socialism. Tensions emerged between and among Western and Egyptian curators, critics, and artists with the development of a foreign-dominated private-sector art market and as Egyptian art begins to circulate internationally. This international circulation of art objects has produced rearranged strategies of governance in the cultural realm, collusions and conflicts between the public and private sector, and, most importantly, a new articulation of cultural sovereignty. [source]


    PAUL FURSE AND HIS PLANT COLLECTIONS AT KEW

    CURTIS'S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, Issue 1 2007
    Kit Strange
    Summary Paul Furse was an accomplished botanical artist and amateur botanist who, after his retirement from the Navy, spent several years searching for bulbs, travelling to remote locations in the Near East. He went to Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and collected many plants which are still in cultivation today. His pioneering expeditions and enthusiasm inspired a generation of botanists to explore these areas. [source]


    CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR RESEARCH ETHICS WORKSHOPS FOR COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

    DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 2 2010
    HENRY SILVERMAN
    ABSTRACT To help ensure the ethical conduct of research, many have recommended educational efforts in research ethics to investigators and members of research ethics committees (RECs). One type of education activity involves multi-day workshops in research ethics. To be effective, such workshops should contain the appropriate content and teaching techniques geared towards the learning styles of the targeted audiences. To ensure consistency in content and quality, we describe the development of a curriculum guide, core competencies and associated learning objectives and activities to help educators organize research ethics workshops in their respective institutions. The curriculum guide is divided into modular units to enable planners to develop workshops of different lengths and choose content materials that match the needs, abilities, and prior experiences of the target audiences. The content material in the curriculum guide is relevant for audiences in the Middle East, because individuals from the Middle East who participated in a Certificate Program in research ethics selected and developed the training materials (e.g., articles, powerpoint slides, case studies, protocols). Also, many of the activities incorporate active-learning methods, consisting of group work activities analyzing case studies and reviewing protocols. The development of such a workshop training curriculum guide represents a sustainable educational resource to enhance research ethics capacity in the Middle East. [source]


    Poverty and Neo-Liberal Bias in the Middle East and North Africa

    DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2004
    Ray Bush
    This article examines the definition of poverty and the evidential base for the claims that the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has historically low levels of poverty and relatively good levels of income distribution. It argues that the dominant trend in the literature on poverty in the global south in general, and in MENA in particular, has a neo-classical bias. Amongst other things, that bias fails to understand that poverty does not emerge because of exclusion but because of poor people's ,differential incorporation' into economic and political processes. It also raises the question: if the MENA has indeed had relatively low levels of poverty and good income distribution, does this complicate the issue of autocracy and the western drive to remove political ,backwardness' in the region? In particular, the characterization of autocracy and the west's attempt to promote political liberalization is likely to impact adversely on the social contract that autocratic rulers have enforced regarding the delivery of basic services. [source]


    The Nutrition Transition in the Developing World

    DEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 5-6 2003
    Barry M. Popkin
    This article explores shifts in nutrition transition from the period termed the receding famine pattern to one dominated by nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NR-NCDs). It examines the speed of these changes, summarises dietary and physical activity changes, and provides some sense of the health effects and economic costs. The focus is on the lower- and middle-income countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The article shows that changes are occurring at great speed and at earlier stages of countries' economic and social development. The burden of disease from NR-NCDs is shifting towards the poor and the costs are also becoming greater than those for under-nutrition. Policy options are identified. [source]


    "I asked my parents why a wall was so important": Teaching about the GDR and Post-Reunification Germany

    DIE UNTERRICHTSPRAXIS/TEACHING GERMAN, Issue 2 2008
    Bernhard Streitwieser
    Fifteen years after the ,peaceful revolutions' brought about the collapse of communism and the reunification of East and West Germany, a heated debate rages over the legacy of communism and the continuing impact of 1989. This paper describes a new course that explores the contentious issues in this debate through the innovative use of the course management system Blackboard. The paper describes how using Internet technology (video and audio links to archival and documentary footage, historic recordings, web linked academic articles, newspaper reports, internet sites, on-line quizzes and virtual discussions) has brought today's undergraduates into the current debate and engaged them technologically in ways that deviate from more traditional teaching models. Such a course is not as prevalent as one would expect, least of all in undergraduate curricula in Germany and the United States. [source]


    OPTICAL/DIGITAL CHROMOENDOSCOPY DURING COLONOSCOPY USING NARROW-BAND IMAGING SYSTEM

    DIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 2005
    Yasushi Sano
    This review is regarding the narrow-band imaging (NBI) system which has been developed at National Cancer Center Hospital East, Japan. The technology of the NBI system is based on modifying the spectral features by narrowing the bandwidth of spectral transmittance using various optical filters. The NBI system consists of three filters, 415,30 nm, 445,30 nm, and 500,30 nm, which are used as observing the fine capillaries in the superficial mucosa is essential to identify gastrointestinal neoplasms. The NBI system has been in development since 1999 and the first report of it's efficacy for gastrointestinal tract use was reported in 2001. In our pilot study, the NBI system may be sufficient to differentiate hyperplastic polyp from adenomatous polyp, and to visualize neoplasia with image processing in real-time during colonoscopy without the need for dye spraying. Herein, we propose the term ,optical/digital chromoendoscopy' using the NBI system and hope that this instrument will become standard endoscopy for in the 21st century. To estimate the feasibility and efficacy of using the NBI system for surveillance or screening examination, randomized control trials should be conducted in the future. [source]


    Different Approaches to a Regional Search for Balance: The Johnson Administration, the State Department, and the Middle East, 1964,1967*

    DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 1 2008
    Arlene Lazarowitz
    First page of article [source]


    JFK and the U.S.-Israeli Relationship

    DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 2 2005
    Zach Levey
    Book reviewed: Warren Bass. Support Any Friend: Kennedy's Middle East and the Making of the U.S.-Israel Alliance. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. 336 pp. Notes, bibliography, index. $30.00 (hardcover). [source]


    A Small Town in (East) Germany: The Erfurt Meeting and the Dynamics of Détente

    DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 1 2001
    M. E. Sarotte
    First page of article [source]


    Genetic diversity of endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa

    DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 5 2009
    Sébastien Calvignac
    Abstract Aim, Middle East brown bears (Ursus arctos syriacus Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1828) are presently on the edge of extinction. However, little is known of their genetic diversity. This study investigates that question as well as that of Middle East brown bear relationships to surrounding populations of the species. Location, Middle East region of south-western Asia. Methods, We performed DNA analyses on 27 brown bear individuals. Twenty ancient bone samples (Late Pleistocene to 20th century) from natural populations and seven present-day samples obtained from captive individuals were analysed. Results, Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial sequences obtained from seven ancient specimens identify three distinct maternal clades, all unrelated to one recently described from North Africa. Brown bears from Iran exhibit striking diversity (three individuals, three haplotypes) and form a unique clade that cannot be linked to any extant one. Individuals from Syria belong to the Holarctic clade now observed in Eastern Europe, Turkey, Japan and North America. Specimens from Lebanon surprisingly appear as tightly linked to the clade of brown bears now in Western Europe. Moreover, we show that U. a. syriacus in captivity still harbour haplotypes closely linked to those found in ancient individuals. Main conclusion, This study brings important new information on the genetic diversity of brown bear populations at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. It reveals a high level of diversity in Middle East brown bears and extends the historical distribution of the Western European clade to the East. Our analyses also suggest the value of a specific breeding programme for captive populations. [source]


    Sensitivity of post-hurricane beach and dune recovery to event frequency

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 5 2009
    Chris Houser
    Abstract The recovery of Santa Rosa Island in northwest Florida is characterized following Hurricane Katrina (September 2005), which was preceded by Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005). Beach and dune recovery were quantified to the east and west of Pensacola Beach through a comparison of LiDAR data collected immediately following Hurricane Katrina and in July 2006 after almost a year of recovery. East of Pensacola Beach (the Santa Rosa Unit), the shoreline retreated by an average of 64 m during the 2004,2005 hurricane season and recovered by an average of 19 m. To the west of Pensacola Beach (the Fort Pickens Unit), the shoreline retreated by an average of 30 m, and while no significant shoreface recovery was observed, the presence of vegetation on low-profile dunes promoted backshore accretion. It is found that beachface recovery in the Santa Rosa Unit and backshore accretion in the Fort Pickens Unit occurred at the widest sections of the island where the pre-storm profile volume had been relatively large and overwash penetration was at a minimum. The narrow sections of the island (between cuspate headlands) had a smaller profile volume before the storms, leading to greater overwash penetration and in some cases island breaching in both sections, which limited the volume of sediment available for shoreface recovery. The alongshore variation in recovery is not only related to the island width, but also the offshore bathymetry, height of the pre-storm dunes and the overwash penetration. If sufficient time is allowed for the return of vegetation and the recovery of the dunes, the variations in storm impact observed during Hurricane Ivan will be reinforced during subsequent storms. In this respect, the level of impact during subsequent storms and the ability of the island to recover will depend on the frequency of storm events. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    The influence of scale and patchiness on spider diversity in a semi-arid environment

    ECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2002
    Mary E. A. Whitehouse
    Semi-arid scrubland in the Middle East consists of a soil crust matrix overlain with patches of perennial shrubs. To understand factors influencing biodiversity in this vulnerable landscape we need to understand how this mosaic of habitats influences associated fauna. Spiders are particularly abundant in this habitat so we asked if spider diversity differed between habitat patches and if different patch types contained either a subset of the regional species pool or specific species guilds. We also asked whether changes in the fractal nature of the microphytic and macrophytic patch mosaic altered spider diversity in this habitat. We found that the semi-arid scrubland at Sayeret Shaked Park (Israel) contains different spider communities that require patches of a certain quality to develop fully. Different patch types contain communities of different species, but the community structure of the patches is similar. We suggest that large-scale environmental factors typical of the site as a whole influence coarse-grained community structure, while small-scale differences between patch types result in the specialisation of species to different patch types. [source]


    Fluctuating Rounds of Inward Investment in Peripheral Regions: Semiconductors in the North East of England

    ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2007
    Stuart Dawley
    Abstract: This article extends economic geography research on foreign direct investment episodes by developing a historically grounded understanding of the socio-institutional relations that shape and constrain different rounds of (dis)investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) within a host region. Sensitive to the roles of contextuality, path dependency, and contingency, it argues that the temporal and spatial dynamics of volatile MNE (dis)investment are best tackled using a conceptual framework that accords a full and active role to the agency of the firm and its interrelations with the geographically variable socioinstitutional contexts that produce, regulate, and mediate investment decisions. The framework is used to interpret the brief but fluctuating history of the semiconductor fabrication industry in North Tyneside in the old industrial region of North East England. Within each investment episode, the empirical findings reveal the pivotal power and agency of the corporation in shaping and connecting processes across a variety of scales, places, and times. Contrasting corporate strategies illustrate the dynamic and contingent ways in which home and host national institutional contexts matter in mediating and regulating MNE investment decisions. [source]