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Kinds of Local Terms modified by Local Selected AbstractsBUYING LOCAL IS NOT NECESSARILY GREENECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2008Andrew Lilico Environmentalists are urging consumers to stop buying imports that needed to be transported long distances. However, the domestic production of the same goods would typically involve a much greater use of resources and therefore be counter-productive. [source] PREDICTION OF LOCAL SCOUR AROUND BRIDGE PIERS USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 2 2006Sung-Uk Choi ABSTRACT: This paper describes a method for predicting local scour around bridge piers using an artificial neural network (ANN). Methods for selecting input variables, calibrations of network control parameters, learning process, and verifications are also discussed. The ANN model trained by laboratory data is applied to both laboratory and field measurements. The results illustrate that the ANN model can be used to predict local scour in the laboratories and in the field better than other empirical relationships that are currently in use. A parameter study is also carried out to investigate the importance of each input variable as reflected in data. [source] THE IMPACT OF PRICES AND CONTROL POLICIES ON CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTSCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 2 2001C Czart Smoking among youths and young adults rose throughout the 1990s. Numerous policies were enacted to try to reverse this trend. However, little is known about the impact these policies have on the smoking behavior of young adults. This article uses a dichotomous indicator of daily smoking participation in the past 30 days, an ordered measure representing the frequency of cigarette consumption, and a quasi-continuous measure of the number of cigarettes smoked per day on average to examine the impact of cigarette prices, clean indoor air laws, and campus-level smoking policies on the smoking behaviors of a 1997 cross section of college students. The results of the analysis indicate that higher cigarette prices are associated with lower smoking participation and lower levels of use among college student smokers. Local- and state-level clean indoor air restrictions have a cumulative impact on the level of smoking by current smokers. Complete smoking bans on college campuses are associated with lower levels of smoking among current smokers but have no significant impact on smoking participation. Bans on cigarette advertising on campus as well as bans on the sale of cigarettes on campus have no significant effect on the smoking behavior of college students. [source] FEAR, TV NEWS, AND THE REALITY OF CRIME,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2000TED CHIRICOS Data from a 1997 survey of 2, 250 Florida residents are used to assess whether and how the reality of crime influences the relationship between watching TV news and fear of crime. Local crime rates, victim experience, and perceived realism of crime news operationalize the reality of crime and are included in ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates of the TV news and fear of crime relationship. These measures of reality are also used as contexts for disaggregating the analysis. Local and national news are related to fear of crime independent of the effects of the reality of crime and other controls. Local news effects are stronger, especially for people who live in high crime places or have recent victim experience. This contextual pattern of findings is consistent with a conclusion that TV news is most influential when it resonates the experience or crime reality of respondents. [source] Out in Nicaragua: Local and Transnational Desires after the RevolutionCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Florence E. Babb First page of article [source] Local and regional-scale responses of ant diversity to a semiarid biome transitionECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2001Brandon T. Bestelmeyer The locations of biome transitions and ecotones are frequently defined by the rapid shift from one form of dominant vegetation to another. The composition of animal taxa is predicted to shift in parallel with that of dominant plants and species diversity is predicted to he greater in transitional zones than in adjacent areas. We asked whether ant species diversity and composition supported these predictions across a biome transition between shortgrass steppe and Chihuahuan desert vegetation. Neither species richness nor diversity was highest at the biome transition region as a whole, or within habitats in the biome transition. The biome transition region was not intermediate in ant species composition or in the representation of different faunal complexes. The community similarity between matched habitats shared between the biome transition zone and adjacent regions was less than that between distinct habitats occurring within regions. A zoogeographic transition for ants may occur to the north of the phytogeographic transition and may be coincident with the northern limits of monsoonal precipitation patterns. In contrast, the phytogeographic transition may be related to less extreme climatic variation within the monsoonal region occurring further south. [source] The political economy of direct legislation: direct democracy and local decision,makingECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 33 2001Lars P Feld Local and regional governments account for an important share of total government spending and, given the decentralization trend in OECD nations, this is likely to increase. How should this spending be governed? This article argues that direct democracy is best suited to organize decision,making at the state and local level. To support this, we present the main theoretical arguments on why and how referenda and initiatives affect fiscal policy outcomes. The basic argument concerns voter control. Under representative democracy, citizens only have direct control at election time. With referenda and initiatives, citizens can selectively control their representatives on specific policies whenever they deviate sufficiently from citizens' preferences. As a result, fiscal policy outcomes are likely to more closely reflect voter preferences. We empirically test this on Swiss data since Switzerland provides a ,natural laboratory' for local governance. The governance structures of Swiss cantons and localities with respect to fiscal issues range from classic parliamentary democracy to pure direct democracy, and an important part of spending and taxation is controlled at these levels. Specifically, we estimate an econometric model of fiscal behaviour using data from 1986 to 1997 for the 26 Swiss cantons, and 1990 data on 134 local communities. It is shown that mandatory referenda on fiscal issues at both levels have a dampening effect on expenditure and revenue, and at the local level also on public debt. Combining this with existing empirical evidence leads to a relatively uncontested result, namely that elements of direct democracy are associated with sounder public finances, better economic performance and higher satisfaction of citizens. [source] How does the periapical inflammatory process compromise general health?ENDODONTIC TOPICS, Issue 1 2004Idikó. Several lines of evidence support the causative role of oral inflammatory lesions and certain systemic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, adverse pregnancy outcome and lung diseases. Properly executed epidemiologic studies identified increased odds ratios. Local or metastatic spread of oral microorganisms, local production of microbial or host-derived soluble regulatory molecules, that may initiate or sustain inflammatory events in remote tissues and organs and the presence of (a) common , extrinsic- or intrinsic-pathological mechanism(s) may result in or contribute to both local and systemic inflammation. A number of cross-sectional studies addressing a possible association between oral health and systemic diseases have also investigated the presence or the absence of periapical lesions. However, these studies cannot either confirm or refute a role of the periapical inflammatory lesion in the observed associations, since other variables of oral health might have exerted an inestimable influence on general health of the assessed population. The literature, dealing with patients with root canal infections and apical periodontitis as sole oral inflammatory lesions is extremely sparse. Our group has demonstrated that young adults with apical periodontitis exhibit certain biochemical changes, such as elevated levels of C-reactive protein and an increased whole blood chemiluminescence, which have been shown to elevate the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Future research will be required to determine whether and to what extent may endodontic diseases affect general health. [source] Swazi Concepts of intelligence: The Universal versus the LocalETHOS, Issue 4 2002Professor Margaret Zoller Booth The Swazi concept of "intelligence " is analyzed in this article from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. It investigates the meanings of hlakaniphile (the closest translation for "intelligence") and how and why perceptions of this term have changed throughout the 20th century and continue to vary today. Utilizing historical and anthropological sources with contemporary local parental ethnotheories regarding intelligent behaviors, the article analyzes the impact of Western culture on meanings of the Swazi concept. Throughout history, as Swazi and Western societies have influenced each other, hlakaniphile continues to include a local perception of social skills. However, the definition has begun to incorporate more Western notions of intellectual competence, as reflected in academic achievement [source] Self-Regulated Learning in a TELE at the Université de Technologie de Compiègne: an analysis from multiple perspectivesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3-4 2006PHILIPPE TRIGANO Self-regulation has become a very important topic in the field of learning and instruction. At the same time, the introduction of new technologies in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has made it possible to create rich Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments (TELEs) with multiple affordances for supporting self-regulated learning (SRL). This study was conducted within the framework of the TELEPEERS project where we wanted to identify TELEs that seemed to have a potential for supporting SRL. For the last ten years, our University has been deeply involved in research, innovation, and exploration of digital technologies for training (initial and continuous). Local, regional, national, European and international projects were conceived and developed, so that a very significant knowledge base exists today. Our study focuses on a course called ,Introduction to Algorithms and Programming' (NF01) which our University is offering and on the perception of different stakeholders (experts and students) of its affordances for supporting SRL. [source] NCS-1 differentially regulates growth cone and somata calcium channels in Lymnaea neuronsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2008Kwokyin Hui Abstract Local voltage-gated calcium channels, which regulate intracellular Ca2+ levels by allowing Ca2+ influx, play an important role in guiding and shaping growth cones, and in regulating the outgrowth and branching of neurites. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms that regulate the biophysical properties of whole-cell calcium currents in the growth cones and somata of growing neurons is important to improving our understanding of neuronal development and regeneration. In this study, taking advantage of the large size of the pedal A (PeA) neurons in Lymnaea stagnalis, we compared the biophysical properties of somata and growth cone whole-cell calcium channel currents using Ba2+ and Ca2+ as current carriers. We found that somata and growth cone currents exhibit similar high-voltage activation properties. However, Ba2+ and Ca2+ currents in growth cones and somata are differentially affected by a dominant-negative peptide containing the C-terminal amino acid sequence of neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1). The peptide selectively reduces the peak and sustained components of current densities and the slope conductance in growth cones, and shifts the reversal potential of the growth cone currents to more hyperpolarized voltages. In contrast, the peptide had no significant effect on the somata calcium channels. Thus, we conclude that NCS-1 differentially modulates Ca2+ currents in the somata and growth cones of regenerating neurons, and may serve as a key regulator to facilitate the growth cone calcium channel activity. [source] Local and descending circuits regulate long-term potentiation and zif268 expression in spinal neuronsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2006Lars Jørgen Rygh Abstract Long-term potentiation (LTP), a use dependent long-lasting modification of synaptic strength, was first discovered in the hippocampus and later shown to occur in sensory areas of the spinal cord. Here we demonstrate that spinal LTP requires the activation of a subset of superficial spinal dorsal horn neurons expressing the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1-R) that have previously been shown to mediate certain forms of hyperalgesia. These neurons participate in local spinal sensory processing, but are also the origin of a spino-bulbo-spinal loop driving a 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor (5HT3-R)- mediated descending facilitation of spinal pain processing. Using a saporin-substance P conjugate to produce site-specific neuronal ablation, we demonstrate that NK1-R expressing cells in the superficial dorsal horn are crucial for the generation of LTP-like changes in neuronal excitability in deep dorsal horn neurons and this is modulated by descending 5HT3-R-mediated facilitatory controls. Hippocampal LTP is associated with early expression of the immediate-early gene zif268 and knockout of the gene leads to deficits in long-term LTP and learning and memory. We found that spinal LTP is also correlated with increased neuronal expression of zif268 in the superficial dorsal horn and that zif268 antisense treatment resulted in deficits in the long-term maintenance of inflammatory hyperalgesia. Our results support the suggestion that the generation of LTP in dorsal horn neurons following peripheral injury may be one mechanism whereby acute pain can be transformed into a long-term pain state. [source] From meiosis to postmeiotic events: Homologous recombination is obligatory but flexibleFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Lóránt Székvölgyi Sexual reproduction depends on the success of faithful chromosome transmission during meiosis to yield viable gametes. Central to meiosis is the process of recombination between paternal and maternal chromosomes, which boosts the genetic diversity of progeny and ensures normal homologous chromosome segregation. Imperfections in meiotic recombination are the source of de novo germline mutations, abnormal gametes, and infertility. Thus, not surprisingly, cells have developed a variety of mechanisms and tight controls to ensure sufficient and well-distributed recombination events within their genomes, the details of which remain to be fully elucidated. Local and genome-wide studies of normal and genetically engineered cells have uncovered a remarkable stochasticity in the number and positioning of recombination events per chromosome and per cell, which reveals an impressive level of flexibility. In this minireview, we summarize our contemporary understanding of meiotic recombination and its control mechanisms, and address the seemingly paradoxical and poorly understood diversity of recombination sites. Flexibility in the distribution of meiotic recombination events within genomes may reside in regulation at the chromatin level, with histone modifications playing a recently recognized role. [source] Temperature-Resolved Local and Macroscopic Charge Carrier Transport in Thin P3HT Layers,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 14 2010Patrick Pingel Abstract Previous investigations of the field-effect mobility in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) layers revealed a strong dependence on molecular weight (MW), which was shown to be closely related to layer morphology. Here, charge carrier mobilities of two P3HT MW fractions (medium-MW: Mn,=,7,200 g mol,1; high-MW: Mn,=,27,000 g mol,1) are probed as a function of temperature at a local and a macroscopic length scale, using pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (PR-TRMC) and organic field-effect transistor measurements, respectively. In contrast to the macroscopic transport properties, the local intra-grain mobility depends only weakly on MW (being in the order of 10,2 cm2 V,1 s,1) and being thermally activated below the melting temperature for both fractions. The striking differences of charge transport at both length scales are related to the heterogeneity of the layer morphology. The quantitative analysis of temperature-dependent UV/Vis absorption spectra according to a model of F. C. Spano reveals that a substantial amount of disordered material is present in these P3HT layers. Moreover, the analysis predicts that aggregates in medium-MW P3HT undergo a "pre-melting" significantly below the actual melting temperature. The results suggest that macroscopic charge transport in samples of short-chain P3HT is strongly inhibited by the presence of disordered domains, while in high-MW P3HT the low-mobility disordered zones are bridged via inter-crystalline molecular connections. [source] A Comparison of Cost of Equity Estimates of Local and Global CAPMsFINANCIAL REVIEW, Issue 4 2001Dev R. Mishra G12/G15/G32 Abstract Cost of equity estimates are compared for three pricing models: the traditional local CAPM, the single (market) factor global CAPM, and the two-factor global CAPM, with both market and currency index factors. For 2989 US stocks, the average difference in the cost of equity estimates is about 48 basis points between the local CAPM and the single-factor global CAPM, and is about 61 basis points between the two global models. For 70 developed-market ADRs, the corresponding average differences are 76 and 47 basis points, respectively. For 48 emerging-market ADRs, the corresponding average differences are 57 and 70 basis points. [source] Local and ecoregion effects on fish assemblage structure in tributaries of the Rio Paraíba do Sul, BrazilFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2009BENJAMIN CARVALHO TEIXEIRA PINTO Summary 1.,We examined the effects of physical and chemical habitat variables and ecoregions on species occurrence and fish assemblage structure in streams of the Paraíba do Sul basin, in southeast Brazil. 2.,Fish and environmental data were collected from 42 sites on 26 first to fourth order streams (1 : 50 000 map scale) in three ecoregions. The sites occurred in one valley and two plateau ecoregions at altitudes of 40,1080 m and distances of 0.1,188 km from the main channel of the Rio Paraíba do Sul. Physical habitat (substratum, riparian cover, habitat types) and water quality (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and conductivity) variables were measured at each sampling site. 3.,A total of 2684 individuals in 16 families and 59 species were recorded. 4.,Ecoregion was a better predictor of the fish assemblage than the other environmental variables, according to the differences between the mean within-class and mean between-class similarities in assemblage data. 5.,Differing landscape characteristics were associated with differing local variables and thereby with differing fish assemblage structures. Riffles, shrub, grass, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and temperature were closely related to fish assemblage structure. 6.,Fish assemblages in sites far from the main river and at higher altitudes also differed from those near the Paraíba do Sul main channel, presumably as a result of differences in connectivity, covarying environmental factors and anthropogenic influence. 7.,These results reinforce the importance of understanding how stream communities are influenced by processes and patterns operating at local and regional scales, which will aid water resource managers to target those factors in their management and rehabilitation efforts. [source] Competitive relationships of Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) from remnant and restored native populations and select cultivated varietiesFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2004D. J. GUSTAFSON Summary 1Although genetic differentiation among plant populations is well known, its relevance for preserving the integrity of native ecosystems has received little attention. In a series of competition experiments with Andropogon gerardii Vitman, a dominant species of the North American Tallgrass Prairie, plant performance was related to seed provenance and restoration activities. 2Glasshouse experiments showed plant performance to be a function of seed source. Differential target plant performance relative to competitor identity was observed when plant performance was assessed across a range of competitor densities. Local and non-local plants were larger when competing against non-local plants relative to the local and cultivar plants, while cultivar plants were consistently larger than local and non-local plants regardless of competitor identity or density. The consistency of cultivar performance could reflect directional selection during cultivar development for consistently high fecundity, vigorous vegetative growth and resistance to pathogens. 3In a field experiment, non-local plants were half the size of local and cultivar plants, supporting recognition of seed provenances of A. gerardii based on differences in plant performance among source populations observed in the glasshouse study, and previous genetic analyses of the same populations. 4This study establishes that seed provenance and restoration activities influence the competitive ability of a dominant species which, in turn, may affect plant community structure and potential ecosystem function. [source] From Local to Global to Transnational Civil Society: Re-Framing Development Perspectives on the Non-State SectorGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2007Cathy McIlwaine This article outlines the meanings of civil society covering theoretical and development policy debates. It traces the evolution of conceptualisations of civil society noting how diversity in type, function and scale are critical in understanding these changes. The role of non-governmental organisations within development policy is explored highlighting how the euphoria over civil society has been tempered over time, reflecting how Gramscian interpretations have begun to replace neo-Tocquevillian viewpoints. The article also examines how civil society operates over different scales from local to global to transnational, assessing and critiquing the rise of global civil society or what is more appropriately called ,transnational civil society'. The article finishes by highlighting the importance of diasporic civil society in relation to migrant groups especially from a development viewpoint as well as the need for more research on this issue. Conceptually, the article argues for a more sophisticated Gramscian interpretation of civil society that also recognises the importance of spatiality in the complex interpenetration between an increasingly extra-territorialised state and an increasingly transnational civil society. Thus, it presents a re-framing of development perspectives on the non-state sector from local to global to transnational scales. [source] Local- to continental-scale variation in the richness and composition of an aquatic food webGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Hannah L. Buckley ABSTRACT Aim, We investigated patterns of species richness and composition of the aquatic food web found in the liquid-filled leaves of the North American purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae), from local to continental scales. Location, We sampled 20 pitcher-plant communities at each of 39 sites spanning the geographic range of S. purpurea, from northern Florida to Newfoundland and westward to eastern British Columbia. Methods, Environmental predictors of variation in species composition and species richness were measured at two different spatial scales: among pitchers within sites and among sites. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to examine correlates and similarities of species richness and abundance within and among sites. Results, Ninety-two taxa of arthropods, protozoa and bacteria were identified in the 780 pitcher samples. The variation in the species composition of this multi-trophic level community across the broad geographic range of the host plant was lower than the variation among pitchers within host-plant populations. Variation among food webs in richness and composition was related to climate, pore-water chemistry, pitcher-plant morphology and leaf age. Variation in the abundance of the five most common invertebrates was also strongly related to pitcher morphology and site-specific climatic and other environmental variables. Main conclusions, The surprising result that these communities are more variable within their host-plant populations than across North America suggests that the food web in S. purpurea leaves consists of two groups of species: (1) a core group of mostly obligate pitcher-plant residents that have evolved strong requirements for the host plant and that co-occur consistently across North America, and (2) a larger set of relatively uncommon, generalist taxa that co-occur patchily. [source] The relationships between local and regional species richness and spatial turnoverGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Patricia Koleff Abstract Aim To determine the empirical relationships between species richness and spatial turnover in species composition across spatial scales. These have remained little explored despite the fact that such relationships are fundamental to understanding spatial diversity patterns. Location South-east Scotland. Methods Defining local species richness simply as the total number of species at a finer resolution than regional species richness and spatial turnover as turnover in species identity between any two or more areas, we determined the empirical relationships between all three, and the influence of spatial scale upon them, using data on breeding bird distributions. We estimated spatial turnover using a measure independent of species richness gradients, a fundamental feature which has been neglected in theoretical studies. Results Local species richness and spatial turnover exhibited a negative relationship, which became stronger as larger neighbourhood sizes were considered in estimating the latter. Spatial turnover and regional species richness did not show any significant relationship, suggesting that spatial species replacement occurs independently of the size of the regional species pool. Local and regional species richness only showed the expected positive relationship when the size of the local scale was relatively large in relation to the regional scale. Conclusions Explanations for the relationships between spatial turnover and local and regional species richness can be found in the spatial patterns of species commonality, gain and loss between areas. [source] The role of local and regional processes in shaping dung beetle communities in tropical forest plantations in BorneoGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Andrew J. Davis Abstract We examine whether rain forest dung beetle species found in plantations in Sabah, northern Borneo, tend to be endemic or geographically widespread. In addition, linear regressions of abundance vs. distance from a major river in primary rain forest are calculated to see if species found in plantation forest show affinity to one specific biotope (riverine vs. interior forest) in their natural habitat. Results show that 14 of the 40 species recorded from plantations are endemic to Borneo. Only edge-specialist endemic species are found in plantation forest, with no interior-forest specialists recorded. Data suggest that endemic species that are adapted to more exposed conditions in primary rain forest, such as riverine species, can in some instances tolerate man-made habitats. Twenty-nine species (±SE 4.0) per transect are recorded from plantation transects, whereas 44.2 (±1.7 SE) are recorded in primary rain forest. As species richness is much lower in plantations than natural forest, implying loss of biodiversity, we conclude that measures of biogeographic distinctiveness, whereby endemic species confer higher values, may be misleading unless they take into account edge-affinity. Local- as well as regional-distributional data may therefore be needed to interpret correctly patterns of species assemblages in derived forest ecosystems. [source] Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the larynx: A 40-year experienceHEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 7 2008Roger V. Moukarbel MD Abstract Background Laryngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare disease. We reviewed our experience at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) with its treatment. Methods This is a retrospective chart review of 15 cases treated at PMH between 1963 and 2005. Results The mean age was 48.6 years. There was no sex predilection. The subglottis was the most common subsite involved. Only 2 patients had regional metastasis. Local or regional recurrence was noted in 5 patients (33.3%). The distant metastasis rate was 66.7% and involved the lungs. The median follow-up time was 6.9 years. The 5- and 10-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 64% and 46%, and 69% and 49%, respectively. Conclusion Laryngeal ACC is a rare disease with a high rate of distant recurrence. Its management should emphasize maximizing local and regional disease control by surgery followed by radiotherapy with distant disease failure eventually dictating survival. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008 [source] Local and systemic interleukin-18 and interleukin-18-binding protein in children with inflammatory bowel diseaseINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 1 2008Steven T. Leach Abstract Background: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is increased in the inflamed mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The balance between this pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine and its natural inhibitor, IL-18-binding protein (IL-18BP), may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Serum and mucosal biopsies were collected from children with IBD, from children with celiac disease, and from controls. Biopsies were maintained in culture for 24 hours, and supernatant was collected. Serum and supernatant IL-18 and IL-18BPa concentrations were measured by immunoassay. Disease activity score (PCDAI) and standard serum inflammatory markers (albumin, platelets, ESR, and CRP) were recorded. Results: Serum IL-18 was greater in children with CD (537 pg/mL) than in controls (335 pg/mL; P < 0.05) but not in children with ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD type unclassified (IBDU). Mucosal IL-18 was greater in children with CD and UC/IBDU than in controls (P < 0.01). Serum IL-18BPa was increased in children with CD compared with that in controls (3.9 versus 2.6 ng/mL; P < 0.05), but was not elevated in children with UC/IBDU. Furthermore, calculated free-serum IL-18 was elevated in CD, but not UC/IBDU, compared with that in controls (P = 0.001). Total and free-serum IL-18 were elevated in severe CD relative to in mild/moderate disease. Conclusions: IL-18, produced in the colons of children with IBD, may contribute to local inflammatory changes. Systemic IL-18 level may be a useful indicator of gut inflammation. Furthermore, free IL-18 is greatly elevated in children with CD, suggesting that compensatory increases in IL-18BPa are insufficient. Further exploration of the role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of IBD is now required. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source] Fluid flow and heat transfer investigations in shell and dimple heat exchangersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005A. Witry Abstract Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics are investigated here using experimental and analytical techniques for a dimple plate heat exchanger. The analysis uses the log mean temperature difference method (LMTD) in all its calculations. Whilest the shell side flow highly resembles the flow over a rough or wavy plate, the tube side passage in these represents the flow over short hexagonal tube banks with the flowing across the sectional areas between the hexagons having the shape of a benzene ring. Local and global experimental measurements are carried out around the heat exchanger. Furthermore, analytical models for both sides of the heat exchanger were obtained from the literature. Reasonable cross match between experimental and analytical results could be obtained. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hierarchy of equations in the generalized density functional theoryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2006Á. NagyArticle first published online: 28 NOV 200 Abstract Functional relations and equations of hierarchy in the generalized density functional theory (DFT) are derived from coordinate scaling and adiabatic connection. Local and nonlocal solutions for the noninteracting kinetic energy, exchange energy, correlation energy, and the kinetic energy correction functionals are presented. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006 [source] Local Governance as Government,Business Cooperation in Western Democracies: Analysing Local and Intergovernmental Effects by Multi-Level ComparisonINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008CLEMENTE J. NAVARRO YÁÑEZ Abstract The internationalization of economics and politics has forced local governments to develop new context-appropriate strategies; these strategies, characterized by a greater degree of interaction with non-governmental key actors and with the business world in particular, have been termed local or urban governance. This article is intended to illustrate the impact of three factors , local leadership, local political arenas and intergovernmental relationships , on the formation of cooperative networks between local governments and business organizations as one of the basic types of urban governance model. To achieve this, a comparative multi-level analysis presenting the CEO's perpective on such issues was conducted. The results show how local and intergovernmental opportunity costs and leadership are the factors that largely determine the degree of collaboration between local government and business. Résumé L'internationalisation de l'économie et de la politique a forcé les gouvernements locaux àélaborer de nouvelles stratégies en fonction des contextes ; caractérisées par une interaction plus forte avec des acteurs-clés non gouvernementaux et avec le monde de l'entreprise en particulier, ces stratégies ont reçu l'appellation de gouvernance locale ou urbaine. L'impact de trois facteurs , autorité locale, arènes politiques locales et relations intergouvernementales , sur la formation des réseaux de coopération entre gouvernements locaux et entreprises est présenté comme l'un des types essentiels de modèle de gouvernance urbaine. Pour ce faire, une analyse comparative multi-niveaux a été menée sur la vision des directions générales d'entreprises concernant ces questions. Les résultats montrent la manière dont les autorités et les coûts d'opportunité locaux et intergouvernementaux déterminent en grande partie le degré de collaboration entre les gouvernements locaux et le monde des affaires. [source] Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in BritainINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2006Shahram Khosravi No abstract is available for this article. [source] From Global to Local: Uncovering the Structural Causes of Civil WarINTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Andrew J. Enterline No abstract is available for this article. [source] Do Local Landscape Patterns Affect the Demand for Landscape Amenities Protection?JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2003Felix Schläpfer Agricultural support is increasingly flowing into the maintenance and improvement of landscape quality. While variations in the demand for landscape protection have been successfully attributed to variations in socio-economic characteristics, the effect of the local landscape setting as a potential determinant of environmental preferences has received less attention. A framework is formulated that describes public support for regional landscape protection as a function of socio-economic variables and land use patterns. Models are then estimated using detailed local land use statistics and voting records from a referendum on increasing public funding for local landscape amenities protection in the Swiss canton of Zurich. The land use variables represent proportions of open landscape and landscape features that are viewed as particularly valuable for aesthetic and other reasons. Cross-sectional estimation results suggest that attitudes towards public landscape protection are indeed strongly associated with the local landscape. Approval for protection programmes increased with local scarcity of open space and with the presence of high-amenity landscape features. Comparison with referendum outcomes on a national-level environmental issue suggests that the positive association with high-amenity landscape features may be partly attributable to individuals' self-selection of residency. [source] Linking movement behaviour, dispersal and population processes: is individual variation a key?JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Colin Hawkes Summary 1Movement behaviour has become increasingly important in dispersal ecology and dispersal is central to the development of spatially explicit population ecology. The ways in which the elements have been brought together are reviewed with particular emphasis on dispersal distance distributions and the value of mechanistic models. 2There is a continuous range of movement behaviours and in some species, dispersal is a clearly delineated event but not in others. The biological complexities restrict conclusions to high-level generalizations but there may be principles that are common to dispersal and other movements. 3Random walk and diffusion models when appropriately elaborated can provide an understanding of dispersal distance relationships on spatial and temporal scales relevant to dispersal. Leptokurtosis in the relationships may be the result of a combination of factors including population heterogeneity, correlation, landscape features, time integration and density dependence. The inclusion in diffusion models of individual variation appears to be a useful elaboration. The limitations of the negative exponential and other phenomenological models are discussed. 4The dynamics of metapopulation models are sensitive to what appears to be small differences in the assumptions about dispersal. In order to represent dispersal realistically in population models, it is suggested that phenomenological models should be replaced by those based on movement behaviour incorporating individual variation. 5The conclusions are presented as a set of candidate principles for evaluation. The main features of the principles are that uncorrelated or correlated random walk, not linear movement, is expected where the directions of habitat patches are unpredictable and more complex behaviour when organisms have the ability to orientate or navigate. Individuals within populations vary in their movement behaviour and dispersal; part of this variation is a product of random elements in movement behaviour and some of it is heritable. Local and metapopulation dynamics are influenced by population heterogeneity in dispersal characteristics and heritable changes in dispersal propensity occur on time-scales short enough to impact population dynamics. 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