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Local Area (local + area)
Terms modified by Local Area Selected AbstractsSocial Inequality: Utilisation of general practitioner services by socio-economic disadvantage and geographic remotenessAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2004Gavin Turrell Objective: To examine the association between socio-economic status (SES) and GP utilisation across Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) that differed in their geographic remoteness, and to assess whether Indigenous status and GP availability modified the association. Design: Retrospective analysis of Medicare data for all unreferred GP consultations (1996/97) for 952 SLAs comprising the six Australian States. Geographic remoteness was ascertained using the Area Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA), and SES was measured by grouping SLAs into tertiles based on their Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage score. Main outcome measure: Age/sex standardised rates of GP utilisation for each SLA. Main results: In SLAs classified as ,highly accessible', rates of GP use were 10.8% higher (95% CI 5.7,16.0) in the most socio-economically disadvantaged tertile after adjustment for Indigenous status and GP availability. A very different pattern of GP utilsation was found in ,remote/very remote' SLAs. After adjustment, rates of GP use in the most socio-economically disadvantaged tertile were 25.3% lower (95% CI 5.9,40.7) than in the most advantaged tertile. Conclusions: People in socio-economically disadvantaged metropolitan SLAs have higher rates of GP utilisation, as would be expected due to their poorer health. This is not true for people living in disadvantaged remote/very remote SLAs: in these areas, those most in need of GP services are least likely to receive them. Australia may lay claim to having a primary health care system that provides universal coverage, but we are still some way from having a system that is economically and geographically accessible to all. [source] Rapid Geometric Modeling for Unstructured Construction WorkspacesCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2003Yong-Kwon Cho Most automated and semi-automated construction tasks require real-time information about the local workspace in the form of 3D geometric models. This article describes and demonstrates a new rapid, local area, geometric data extraction and 3D visualization method for unstructured construction workspaces that combines human perception, simple sensors, and descriptive CAD models. The rapid approach will be useful in construction to optimize automated equipment tasks and to significantly improve safety and a remote operator's spatial perception of the workspace. [source] Mineral chemical provenance of Neolithic pitchstone artefacts from Ballygalley, County Antrim, Northern IrelandGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Jeremy Preston A large number of pitchstone fragments and artefacts have recently been discovered at a Neolithic settlement site in Ballygalley, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. They consist predominantly of flakes and un-reworked lumps and cores, with only one complete tool being found. Since no sources of workable pitchstone exist in Ireland, the source must have been the abundant pitchstone volcanic rocks found on the Hebridean Islands of northwest Scotland. The composition of the glass from a number of artefacts is highly siliceous, indicating that they were derived from pitchstones on the Island of Arran; pitchstones from all other Scottish locations are less silica-rich. In addition, analysis of pyroxene and amphibole microcrystallites within the pitchstone suggests that the Corriegills area of Arran is the most likely source of the Ballygalley artefacts, although the precise outcrop has proved elusive. These finds, and others across Ireland, show that raw materials were being transported and probably traded over considerable distances despite there being suitable alternative sources of material for making tools (flint, etc.) available in the local area. This suggests that the pitchstone had a very specialist use. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Observations of initiation stage of spontaneous vapor explosions for droplet scaleHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 1 2008Takeo Takashima Abstract In this study, the initiation stage of spontaneous vapor explosions generated by single droplets of molten tin submerged in water was investigated using a high- speed video camera operated with a reflected light system. Photographs of the formation process of vapor film, the process of vapor film disturbance, and the initiation process of the vapor explosions for different masses of molten tin and different nozzle diameters were obtained. The results demonstrate that partial thermal interaction between tin and water does not cause a vapor explosion with fragmentation. The vapor film disappears locally during the formation of the vapor film around the hot liquid droplet. Direct contact between the hot molten tin surface and water is thereby generated. However, the local disappearance of the vapor film does not progress and the vapor film is reconstructed. A vapor explosion occurs when the vapor film collapses at the local area of the bottom or edge of the disk-shaped droplet. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 37(1): 41,55, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20185 [source] Image matching based on relation between pixels located on the maximum and minimum gray-levels in local areaIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2007Fumihiko Saitoh Member Abstract This paper proposes a template matching method maximum and minimum gray levels pixels sign matching (MMM) which is based on a comparison of the gray levels of a pair of pixels whose locations are on the pixels with the maximum and the minimum gray levels in a local area in a template image. In this method, the locations of the pixels with the maximum and the minimum gray levels are registered in a local area whose center is every pixel in a template image. The target image area is searched from the matching ratio which is obtained by the relation between the gray levels of the two pixels whose locations have been registered in the template image. The experimental results show that the proposed method had equal or better robustness to the inferior factors of objective images in comparison with the three typical conventional template matching methods. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Underarm cosmetics and breast cancerJOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 2 2003P. D. Darbre Abstract Although risk factors are known to include the loss of function of the susceptibility genes BRCA1/BRCA2 and lifetime exposure to oestrogen, the main causative agents in breast cancer remain unaccounted for. It has been suggested recently that underarm cosmetics might be a cause of breast cancer, because these cosmetics contain a variety of chemicals that are applied frequently to an area directly adjacent to the breast. The strongest supporting evidence comes from unexplained clinical observations showing a disproportionately high incidence of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, just the local area to which these cosmetics are applied. A biological basis for breast carcinogenesis could result from the ability of the various constituent chemicals to bind to DNA and to promote growth of the damaged cells. Multidisciplinary research is now needed to study the effect of long-term use of the constituent chemicals of underarm cosmetics, because if there proves to be any link between these cosmetics and breast cancer then there might be options for the prevention of breast cancer. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of genetic impoverishment on plant community diversityJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Rosemary E. Booth Summary 1Established individuals removed at random from populations of 11 long-lived herbaceous species coexisting in a local area of ancient limestone pasture at Cressbrookdale in North Derbyshire were subjected to clonal propagation to produce stocks of genetically identical individuals sufficient to create 36 model communities identical in species composition but widely contrasted in genetic diversity. 2Three levels of genetic diversity were imposed. In one treatment, all individuals of each species were genetically unique. The second contained four randomly selected genotypes of each species. In the third, there was no genetic diversity in any of the species but each community contained a unique combination of genotypes. 3Over a period of 5 years the communities were allowed to develop in microcosms containing natural rendzina soil and exposed to a standardized regime of simulated grazing and trampling. The treatments were maintained by the removal of flowers, immature seed-heads and seedlings originating from the seed-bank and seed rain. Point quadrat surveys were used to monitor changes in species composition and diversity in the three experimental treatments. 4During the experiment a distinction rapidly developed between five canopy dominants and five subordinates, a process that caused the vegetation structure to closely resemble that occurring at Cressbrookdale. 5A gradual loss of species diversity occurred in all three treatments but by the end of the fifth growing season species diversity was higher in the most genetically diverse communities. 6Ordination of the 36 communities at intervals over a 5-year period revealed a gradual convergence in the species composition of the 4-genotype and 16-genotype communities and this effect was more strongly developed in the latter. A comparable process was not observed in the 1-genotype communities, suggesting that interaction between particular genotypes of different species in local neighbourhoods may be an essential part of the mechanism that determines the predictable composition of a mature pasture community. 7It is concluded that, under the conditions of this experiment, genetic diversity within component species reduced the rate at which species diversity declined. The relative importance in this effect of factors such as greater disease resistance and moderated competitive interactions remains uncertain. [source] Identifying patterns in primary care consultations: a cluster analysisJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2009Joachim P. Sturmberg MBBS DORACOG MFM FRACGP PhD Abstract Background, A literature review revealed that little is known about the systems context of general practice consultations and their outcomes. Objectives, To describe the systems context and resulting underlying patterns of primary care consultations in a local area. Design, Cross-sectional multi-practice study based on a three-part questionnaire. Cluster analysis of data. Setting, Stratified random sample of general practices and general practitioners , NSW-Central Coast, Australia. Participants, A total of 1104 adults attending 12 general practitioners between February and November 1999. Results and Conclusions, The study identified seven subgroups within the study population uniquely defined by variables from the health system, individual doctor and patient, consultation and consultation outcomes domains. A systems approach provides a framework in which to track and consider the important variables and their known and/or expected workings and thus offer a contextual framework to guide primary care reform. [source] Dietary habits and health status of African-Caribbean adultsJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 3 2010J. Earland Abstract Background:, Although African-Caribbeans in the UK are more likely to suffer from a number of diet-related health conditions, including obesity, hypertension and type II diabetes, there have been few dietary studies on this group. The present study is based on a small survey of food and nutrient intakes and traditional dietary habits of African-Caribbean adults living in Staffordshire. Methods:, A questionnaire, designed to collect demographic data and information on medical status, physical activities, dietary, cooking and food shopping habits was administered to a convenience sample of 39 adults. Detailed information on food intakes was gathered using a modified existing Food Frequency Questionnaire with 169 items. Height and weight were measured for the calculation of body mass index. Results:, The average age of the subjects was 47 years (range 19,65 years). The prevalence of obesity was 39% and one-third of subjects reported having at least one health condition. Physical activities, outside of work, were undertaken by 95% of the sample. Traditional foods were used by 92% of respondents, including fruit and vegetables purchased at markets outside of their local area. A wide variety of foods were consumed and the percentages of energy provided by fats and carbohydrates (30% and 53%, respectively) appeared to be meeting government recommendations. However, absolute energy intakes were high and salt consumption, often in the form of commercial seasonings, exceeded government recommendations. Conclusions:, The positive aspects of the diets of this population need to be encouraged. Interventions need to focus on ways of reducing total energy intakes, as well as levels of salt consumption. [source] Isolation and identification of adenovirus from conjunctival scrapings over a two-year period (between 2001 and 2003) in Yokohama, JapanJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 2 2007Kiyohiko Matsui Abstract Over a 2-year period between 2001 and 2003, a total of 115 conjunctival scrapings were collected from patients with keratoconjuctivitis from several hospitals in Yokohama, Japan. Out of 115, 94 (82.4%) cases of adenoviruses were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); 60 (52.1%) by cell culture isolation; and 16 (14.0%) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serotypes were determined by PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) and by the neutralization test (NT). PCR-RFLP was performed using a combination of endonucleases such as HhaI, AluI, and HaeIII. Of the 94 PCR-positive samples, the serotypes of 91 (96.8%) were identified by PCR-RFLP analysis (adenovirus 3: 50%, 4: 11%, and 8: 32%). Out of the 115 samples, 60 samples were identified by the neutralization (adenovirus 3, 4, 7, and 8). When both PCR-RFLP and the neutralization techniques were used, 53.2%, 11.7%, 1.1%, and 34% of the samples were identified as adenovirus 3, 4, 7, and 8, respectively. In contrast to the results of a nationwide surveillance report, adenovirus 3 was found as a major cause of keratoconjunctivitis in the Yokohama area. The nationwide surveillance report did not reflect accurately the epidemiological situation in the local area. In order to obtain surveillance data that would be useful for the prevention of an adenovirus conjunctivitis epidemic, it seems that local epidemiology is more important than that nationwide surveillance. J. Med. Virol. 79:200,205, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Occurrence of Vibrio vulnificus in mussel farms from the Varano lagoon environmentLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010L. Beneduce Abtract Aims:, Monitoring the occurrence of the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus in a mussel farm located in the lagoon of Varano (Italy). Methods and Results:, A total of 72 samples of mussel, water and sediment, collected from two locations of Varano lagoon in the Gargano peninsula, during a 7- month survey, were analysed. Isolation and PCR characterization of six V. vulnificus environmental genotype strains revealed that this pathogen was isolated when with T was above 22°C and salinity ranged between 22·7 and 26·4,. No significant correlation of the occurrence of V. vulnificus with water pH or salinity was observed. Moreover, 8% of mussel samples were found to be contaminated by V. vulnificus. All of that positive mussel samples originated from the same sampling station. Conclusion:, It is suggested that warmer season are risky to eat raw or undercooked bivalve molluscs in the local area. Significance and Impact of the Study:, To increase knowledge about environmental conditions that may affect the occurrence of waterborne pathogen Vibrio vulnificus in seafood. [source] Developing and setting up a patient and relatives intensive care support groupNURSING IN CRITICAL CARE, Issue 1 2009Maureen Peskett Abstract Aim:, The purpose of this article was to highlight the need to provide support for patients and relatives following critical illness and discharge from hospital and how this can be improved through the establishment of user support groups. Background:, Critical illness predisposes patients to extended physical and psychological ill health with the potential for a reduced quality of life. The authors' personal experience, patient feedback and current literature suggested that there was a need for further support during their recovery. Methods:, Building on an existing formal follow-up service, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Support Team for Ex-Patients established a patient-centred forum, where patients and relatives could share experiences with others who had also been through critical illness by holding drop-in sessions. Feedback from those attending these flexible and informal sessions indicates that support was needed and that patients and families have found benefit in sharing experiences with others who can empathise, having been through critical illness themselves. Conclusions:, Our experience has shown there is a need that can be met simply with minimal investment of time and funding but that addresses a gap in patient support that otherwise goes unmet. Although this was a service development in one local area, it could be adapted to ICU patients and relatives more widely. [source] Legal Implications Regarding Self-Neglecting Community-Dwelling Adults: A Practical Approach for the Community Nurse in IrelandPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2010Julianne Ballard ABSTRACT This paper explores the current literature related to legal issues encountered by the public health nurse in Ireland in visiting clients exhibiting self-neglecting behavior. Nurses working in community settings where home visiting of clients is required will at some point encounter situations of client self-neglect. Possession of a clear legal framework for the local area that addresses both the nurse's professional responsibility and the client's rights is needed. Because a high incidence of depression and dementia seen in self-neglecting adults has prompted calls for wider screening of the agreeable client, an understanding of the definition of competence and capacity in the national legal system for that client becomes critical. In Ireland, as in many other countries, refusal of care or screening is the right of any competent adult. However, issues of mandatory reporting, confidentiality, and trespass may differ from other areas. Nursing care delivered at the community level to a client exhibiting self-neglecting behavior involves a delicate balance of trust and support. Through this overview of the legal implications for self-neglecting clients in Ireland, nurses have the opportunity to begin an exploration of similarities and differences in approach on a global level. [source] The Brunswick Centre Marchmont Street London WC1ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 4 2005Bruce Stewart Abstract Some 30 years after completion, one of London's most iconic postwar schemes is being refurbished by Levitt Bernstein, with its original architect, Patrick Hodgkinson, on board as a consultant. Bruce Stewart describes the plans and asks what the impact of the renewal of the building might be on residents and on the immediate local area. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mental health services for people with intellectual disability: challenges to care deliveryBRITISH JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2009Eddie Chaplin Accessible summary ,,This paper looks at how care is given to people with intellectual disability who have mental health problems. ,,The paper looks at care since Valuing People came out in 2001. ,,It shows there are not enough services for people with intellectual disability who have mental health problems. ,,It shows there are not enough services for people who have autism and mental health problems. ,,Lots of people feel that mainstream mental health services are not good enough for people with intellectual disability. Lots of people feel mainstream services could be better. ,,The paper looks at how people can get help and support in their local area and not having to move away to get help. ,,The paper looks at what services might be needed in the future. What can be done to make services better? ,,The people who pay for services are called commissioners. They should think about how they can make local services better for with intellectual disability and mental health problems. ,,Commissioners should work more together with those who support people with intellectual disability to improve services. ,,People with intellectual disability should be happy with the services they have in their local places. ,,Services need to remember that people change as they get older. ,,Services need to remember that what people want. This can change when they get older. Summary The commissioning and provision of mental health services for people with intellectual disability is often complex and characterised by different service delivery models. This paper looks at the current situation 7 years after the White Paper, Valuing People (From words into action: London learning disabilities strategic framework, Department of Health, London), within the context of the National Service Framework for Mental Health (Establishing responsible commissioner; draft guidance. HSC draft, Department of Health, London). It sets out to illustrate problems faced in providing local services in the United Kingdom for those with intellectual disability and other neurodevelopmental disorders. This paper proposes new ways of working and introduces the concept of a neurodevelopmental model designed to address gaps and inequalities within services by offering solutions that embrace joint working. [source] Technology-dependent children in the community: definitions, numbers and costs,CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2001C Glendinning Summary Objectives To assess available data on the numbers of technology-dependent children living at home in the UK and estimate the costs of caring for them. Design Data were obtained from all known secondary sources, including surveys of children with specific conditions known to specialist paediatric departments and the database of applicants to the Family Fund Trust. The costs of all services received by three hypothetical exemplar ,case study' children were calculated. Results All existing sources of data have some shortcomings. Taking these shortcomings into account, it is estimated that there may be up to 6000 technology-dependent children living at home. They appear to be disproportionately young and may be distributed unevenly between different regions of the UK. The total service costs of caring for each child will vary according to the types of technologies involved and local patterns of services, but may be as high as £150 000 a year. Conclusions Because of the very high costs of services, routine information on the numbers of technology-dependent children discharged home is urgently needed. This should include details of the duration of technology dependence and the local area to which the child is discharged. New opportunities for joint service planning and purchasing should improve the co-ordination of services for these children. [source] Do Integrated Children's Services Improve Children's Outcomes?: Evidence From England's Children's Trust PathfindersCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 5 2009Margaret O'Brien Thirty-five children's trust pathfinders, local cross-sector partnerships, were introduced across England in 2003 to promote greater integration in children's services. Using administrative performance data, this paper tracks yearly trends in child service outputs and child well-being outcomes from 1997 to 2004 in these local areas, including the period before their introduction. Professional perceptions of change in child outcomes are also presented. Time series regression analysis shows there was a general improvement in England in these selected performance indicators prior to the introduction of children's trusts pathfinders. Children's trust pathfinder areas initially focusing on ,all children' in their local area, rather than selected groups of children, showed the most progress. There was no consistent quantitative evidence for better outcomes in more integrated areas, however, 25 of the 35 survey respondents provided locally specific examples of children's trust pathfinder arrangements improving outcomes for children and young people. [source] Prevalence and associations of cataract in indigenous Australians within central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health StudyCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, Issue 4 2010John Landers MBBS MPH PhD Abstract Purpose:, To determine the prevalence and associations of cataract within the indigenous Australian population living in central Australia. Methods:, 1884 individuals aged ,20 years, living in one of 30 remote communities within the statistical local area of ,central Australia' were recruited for this study. This equated to 36% of those aged ,20 years and 67% of those aged ,40 years within this district. Slit-lamp examination was performed. The degree and subtype of cataract was graded using the Lens Opacities Classification System III criteria. A cataract was defined as a nuclear opalescence ,4.0, a cortical opacity ,3.0, a posterior subcapsular opacity ,2.0, a visual acuity worse than 6/12 or a visual acuity worse than 6/60 due to cataract. The prevalence of cataract in one or both eyes was presented for each of the definitions. Results:, Nuclear opalescence cataract was present in 13.5% (18.5% of those ,40 years); cortical opacity cataract was present in 13.1% (17.7% of those ,40 years); and posterior subcapsular cataract was present in 15.8% (21.0% of those ,40 years). 12.6% of patients (17.3% of those ,40 years) and 4.4% of patients (5.9% of those ,40 years) had a cataract that resulted in a visual acuity of worse than 6/12 and worse than 6/60, respectively. All cataracts were associated with advancing age. Posterior subcapsular cataract was associated with self-reported diabetes. Conclusion:, There is a higher prevalence of cataract among indigenous Australians living within remote central Australia compared with the non-indigenous population. Services for this population need to be designed with this in mind when planning resource allocation. [source] Prevalence and associations of diabetic retinopathy in indigenous Australians within central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health StudyCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, Issue 4 2010John Landers MBBS MPH PhD Abstract Purpose:, To determine the prevalence and associations of diabetic retinopathy (DR) within the indigenous Australian population living in central Australia. Methods:, 1884 individuals aged 20 years or older, living in one of 30 remote communities within the statistical local area of ,central Australia' were recruited for this study. This equated to 36% of those aged 20 years or older and 67% of those aged 40 years or older within this district. Participants were recruited as they presented to the eye clinic at each remote community. Following dilated slit-lamp fundoscopy, the amount of DR in participants with diabetes mellitus (DM) was quantified using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria. The presence of any DR and vision-threatening DR (clinically significant macular oedema and/or proliferative DR) in one or both eyes was presented. Results:, Of those with diabetes, 22.2% (25.4% of those aged 40 years or older) had any DR and 7.0% (8.4% of those aged 40 years or older) had vision-threatening DR. Both the presence of any DR and vision-threatening DR were associated with advancing age and HbA1c level, but neither subcategory was associated with sex or self-reported hypertension. Conclusion:, Our study has shown similar prevalence rates for DR in indigenous Australians compared with non-indigenous Australians. However, as DM is far more prevalent among indigenous Australians, the proportion of those affected by DR across the population should be considerably higher when compared with non-indigenous Australians. [source] The Village in a Game Park: Local Response to the Demise of Coal Mining in KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2003Tony Binns Abstract: Changing economic circumstances as a result of deindustrialization and market forces dramatically affect local areas and lead to a variety of local-level responses. Economic change and the reaction to this process have received much attention in the context of the decline of old heavy industrial regions in Western Europe and North America. But deindustrialization is also occurring elsewhere, for example, in countries such as South Africa, where the decline of mining and related industries is having a severe impact on the livelihoods of individuals, households, and communities. Considerations of institutional thickness, resourcefulness, and capacities inherent within host communities contribute to an understanding of the likely potential of the development response undertaken. This article considers the situation in a once important coal-mining region in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, focusing particularly on the community of Utrecht. In the postapartheid period, unemployment in the area has escalated, at a time when greater empowerment of the historically disadvantaged black population is urgently needed. Through cooperation within the community, together with the injection of external funding and collaboration in a series of joint ventures, Utrecht is progressively rebranding itself as a center for tourism. A number of community-initiated projects are discussed, and the dynamics of the formulation and implementation of the projects are evaluated in the context of the capabilities of individuals and institutions. [source] Quantitative effect of anodal current in the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis by direct electrical currentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2006rul H. Aydemir MD Aim, To determine the quantitative effect and technique of use of the anodal current for the treatment of palmoplantar hyperhidrosis on local areas of the palms and soles. Methods, Twelve patients (four males and eight females) with idiopathic palmoplantar hyperhidrosis were enrolled in this study. Having determined the initial sweat intensities of both hands using the pad glove method, direct electrical current (d.c.) treatment was applied to the palms of the patients using a complete regulated d.c. unit for which the current and potential ranges were 0,30 mA and 0,90 V, respectively. Electrodes were placed into two separate water plates, and covered with pad made from gauze and cotton material. The pads were moisturized with tap water for current conduction. The anodal current was applied to the right hands of six patients (group I) and to the left hands of the remainder (group II). After seven treatments had been completed for the palms, the final sweat intensities of the hands were measured. Results, In both groups, the final sweat intensities of the hands subjected to the anodal current were significantly decreased in comparison with the initial values, regardless of whether the anodal current was applied to the right or left hand (P < 0.05). In contrast, the final sweat intensities of the other hands subjected to the cathodal current were not significantly decreased (P > 0.05). Conclusions, It can be concluded that the anodal current is more effective in reducing sweating on the palms when applied either to the right or left hand. In the treatment of palmoplantar or localized hyperhidrosis, the anodal current should be referenced first to treat the sweatier hand or foot, or a local hyperhidrotic area of the skin. The selection of the anodal current for one hand for the first five or seven sessions appears to be more effective than the use of polarity changes for each session. [source] Religious Market Share and Intensity of Church Involvement in Five DenominationsJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 1 2000Paul Perl graduate student Proponents of the supply side approach to religion theorize that religious market share,the proportion of people in a geographical area who belong to a given denomination,is inversely related to religious commitment in that denomination. They argue that a small market share motivates religious leaders to compete harder in the religious market place, increasing the participation of members. Another perspective, often associated with secularization theory, make the opposite prediction. It argues that people find it difficult to remain religiously committed in social environments where they are numerical minoritiesbecause other people do not reinforce their beliefs and practices. We use data from a large study of financial giving to analyze the relationship between market share and commitment for five denominations in the United States. We find that market share has a negative effect on church financial giving within all five denominations and a weaker negative effect on attendance in threeof the denominations. We explore whether these effects are the spurious byproducts of pro-religious cultural norms associated with either the South or the presence of conservative Protestants in local areas. In models pooling all denominations, the negative effect of market share on financial giving and attendance cannot be explained away by either of these factors. However, the effect on attendance can be accounted for by congregational size. [source] Spatial relationships between intensive land cover and residual plant species diversity in temperate farmed landscapesJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2006SIMON M. SMART Summary 1In temperate farmed landscapes conservation policies increasingly emphasize large-scale reductions in land-use intensity. Yet despite a managed reversion to more favourable abiotic conditions, depleted regional species pools may prevent the re-assembly of target communities. 2Using national-scale survey data recorded across Great Britain in 1998, we investigated the extent to which grassland indicator plant species persisted on potential refuge habitats across a spatial gradient of intensive land cover in lowland 1-km squares. These habitats comprised road verges, field boundaries, watercourse banks and small biotope fragments. Intensive land cover comprised built land, arable and improved grassland. 3The rate of reduction in indicator species richness across the intensive land cover gradient was significantly lower in all potential refuge features than in surrounding fields and larger areas of habitat. 4The best refuge locations were watercourse banks and small biotopes. In both cases, indicator species richness was higher than adjacent fields at the lowest intensive land cover and stayed higher as intensive land cover increased. 5However, as intensive land cover increased, plant traits associated with higher nutrient availability were more prominently represented among indicator species. 6Although richer assemblages of indicator species persisted on refuge features, population sizes are likely to be small, because of species,area effects, and also vulnerable to nutrient surpluses and reduced or inappropriate disturbance. 7Synthesis and applications. Across the British lowlands, linear landscape features and small habitat fragments can provide limited safe havens for unimproved grassland plant species. However, the identity of refuge features and their species richness and composition are likely to vary with local conditions. Three activities are therefore paramount in assessing their role in larger scale extensification schemes: (i) development of rapid ways of assessing the plant diversity and distribution of refuge features in local areas; (ii) quantification of the risks posed to the viability of residual source populations through implementation of different options for incorporating them into extensification schemes; (iii) maximization of scheme performance by targeting landscapes with sufficient residual diversity to enable increases in population size of the target species in the medium term. [source] A cross-sectional analysis of residential property prices: the effects of income, commuting, schooling, the housing stock and spatial interaction in the English regions,PAPERS IN REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006Bernard Fingleton Housing supply and markets; cross-sectional models; spatial econometric models Abstract., This article examines the distribution of residential property prices in 2001 across local areas in England using spatial econometric methods, showing that spatial variations in local income, income within commuting distance, the stock of residential properties and the quality of local schooling have significant effects. The residual spatial variation due to unknown factors is modelled by a proxy variable, but this does not rule out a significant spatial lag. The article argues that this represents endogenous interaction of property price levels between neighbouring areas, which is interpreted as the outcome of local market knowledge and preference, which produces greater price similarity between an area and its neighbours than one would anticipate from the levels of the exogenous price determinants. [source] Spatial segregation, segregation indices and the geographical perspectivePOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 2 2006Lawrence A. Brown Abstract What could be more inherently geographical than segregation? However, the richness of the spatial variations in segregation is seldom captured by the dominant genre of empirical research. Returning the ,geography' to segregation research, we argue that local areas need to be given considerably more attention, using measures that explicitly reveal the spatial fabric of residential clustering along racial/ethnic lines. We first critique global measures such as the Dissimilarity Index and its spatial counterparts. Attention then turns to local measures such as the Location Quotient and Local Moran's I, applying them to Franklin County, Ohio, the core of Columbus MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area). Our interpretation of the findings also employs local knowledge concerning neighbourhood characteristics, ongoing urban processes, historical occurrences, and the like. Thus, while local indices based on secondary data expose the terrain of clustering/segregation, follow-up fieldwork and/or secondary data analysis in a mixed-methods framework provides a better understanding of the ground-level reality of clustering/segregation. Tangible evidence of the gain from this approach is provided by our evaluation of conventional frameworks for understanding racial/ethnic aspects of residential patterning , assimilation, stratification and resurgent ethnicity , and in our proposal for a new framework, ,market-led pluralism', which focuses on market makers who represent the supply side of housing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Economic transition and elections in Poland1THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 1 2003John E. Jackson Abstract Poland's economic and political transition, one of the most successful, has depended very heavily on job creation in new firms to replace the jobs lost in the formerly state-owned enterprises. This paper uses survey and aggregate data from three Polish elections to suggest that these de novo firms, the individuals they employ, and the residents in the local areas where they exist become an important constituency supporting pro-reform political parties and constraining the actions of parties less sympathetic to the reforms. The creation of this political constituency helps explain how countries can successfully pursue both economic and political reforms. JEL classification: D72, P26. [source] Dynamics of reintroduction in an indigenous large ungulate: the wood bison of northern CanadaANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 4 2000N. C. Larter We document the recolonization of an indigenous large herbivore into its historic range. Eighteen wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) were reintroduced into the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary of the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1963. The population subsequently increased in number and range, peaking at about 2400 in 1989; numbers were estimated at about 1900 in 1998. Recolonization occurred through a series of increases in local areas followed by pulses of dispersal and range expansion. This pattern was originally described for exotic species' introductions. Differences in diet and overwinter survival of calves over the bison's range suggest that intraspecific competition for food provided the stimulus for range expansion. For a conservation strategy, the reintroduction of animals into several independent sites in their historic range would facilitate recolonization and achieve a faster spread than a reintroduction into one site followed by waiting for the population to spread as a result of its own density dependent responses. [source] Three-dimensional surface maps link local atrophy and fast ripples in human epileptic hippocampus,ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 6 2009Jennifer A. Ogren PhD Objectives There is compelling evidence that pathological high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), called fast ripples (FR, 150,500Hz), reflect abnormal synchronous neuronal discharges in areas responsible for seizure genesis in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). It is hypothesized that morphological changes associated with hippocampal atrophy (HA) contribute to the generation of FR, yet there is limited evidence that hippocampal FR-generating sites correspond with local areas of atrophy. Methods Interictal HFOs were recorded from hippocampal microelectrodes in 10 patients with MTLE. Rates of FR and ripple discharge from each microelectrode were evaluated in relation to local measures of HA obtained using 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hippocampal modeling. Results Rates of FR discharge were 3 times higher in areas of significant local HA compared with rates in nonatrophic areas. Furthermore, FR occurrence correlated directly with the severity of damage in these local atrophic regions. In contrast, we found no difference in rates of ripple discharge between local atrophic and nonatrophic areas. Interpretation The proximity between local HA and microelectrode-recorded FR suggests that morphological changes such as neuron loss and synaptic reorganization may contribute to the generation of FR. Pathological HFOs, such as FR, may provide a reliable surrogate marker of abnormal neuronal excitability in hippocampal areas responsible for the generation of spontaneous seizures in patients with MTLE. Based on these data, it is possible that MRI-based measures of local HA could identify FR-generating regions, and thus provide a noninvasive means to localize epileptogenic regions in hippocampus. Ann Neurol 2009;66:783,791 [source] Dynamic alterations of the extracellular environment of ovarian surface epithelial cells in premalignant transformation, tumorigenicity, and metastasisCANCER, Issue 8 2002Callinice D. Capo-Chichi Ph.D. Abstract BACKGROUND Ovarian surface epithelial cells are positionally organized as a single cell layer by a sheet of basement membrane. It is believed that the contact of the ovarian surface epithelial cells with the basement membrane regulates cell growth and ensures the organization of the epithelium. Disabled-2 (Dab2), a signal transduction protein and a candidate tumor suppressor of ovarian carcinoma, functions in positional organization of ovarian surface epithelial cells. In ovarian carcinomas, genetic and epigenetic changes enable the tumor cells to escape positional control and proliferate in a disorganized fashion. Alterations in the extracellular environment may also be critical for tumor initiation and progression. METHODS We analyzed and compared the presence of collagen IV and laminin, the scaffold proteins of the basement membrane, and Dab2 in 50 ovarian tumors that are restricted to the ovaries and in 50 metastases of ovarian tumors by immunohistochemistry. Expression of collagen IV, laminin, and Dab2 was also analyzed by Northern blotting in a panel of human ovarian surface epithelial and cancer cell lines. RESULTS The basement membrane is often absent in morphologically benign ovarian surface and cyst epithelium and low-grade tumors and collagen IV and laminin are absent in the extracellular matrix of most of the primary tumors tested. Of the 50 ovarian tumors confined to the ovaries, 6% (3 of 50) were collagen IV positive and 24% (12 of 50) were laminin positive tumors. Of the 50 metastatic tumors, 16% (8 of 50) are collagen IV positive and 86% (43 of 50) are laminin positive. In addition, even in the metastatic ovarian tumors that are largely collagen IV negative, there are pockets of local areas in which the tumor cells are surrounded by collagen IV-positive staining. Dab2 is absent in the majority of ovarian tumors found in both ovaries and metastatic sites. In both nontumorigenic human ovarian surface epithelial and cancer cell lines, collagen IV, laminin, and Dab2 are expressed aberrantly. CONCLUSIONS Loss of the basement membrane may be an early event in the preneoplastic transformation of ovarian surface epithelium and in the early stages of tumorigenesis before tumor invasion and metastasis. The majority of primary ovarian tumors examined lack collagen IV and laminin in their extracellular matrix. However, expression of laminin is restored in the majority of metastatic tumors. Reexpression of collagen IV may also contribute to tumor metastasis. The ability of tumor cells to dynamically alter the expression of collagen IV and laminin may facilitate the shedding of cancer cells into the peritoneal spaces and subsequent attachment to the metastatic sites. We propose that loss of collagen IV and laminin may be an initial event in ovarian tumorigenicity and that restoration of collagen IV and laminin expression in the later stages of tumor development may promote metastasis of ovarian tumors. Cancer 2002;95:1802,15. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10870 [source] Do Integrated Children's Services Improve Children's Outcomes?: Evidence From England's Children's Trust PathfindersCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 5 2009Margaret O'Brien Thirty-five children's trust pathfinders, local cross-sector partnerships, were introduced across England in 2003 to promote greater integration in children's services. Using administrative performance data, this paper tracks yearly trends in child service outputs and child well-being outcomes from 1997 to 2004 in these local areas, including the period before their introduction. Professional perceptions of change in child outcomes are also presented. Time series regression analysis shows there was a general improvement in England in these selected performance indicators prior to the introduction of children's trusts pathfinders. Children's trust pathfinder areas initially focusing on ,all children' in their local area, rather than selected groups of children, showed the most progress. There was no consistent quantitative evidence for better outcomes in more integrated areas, however, 25 of the 35 survey respondents provided locally specific examples of children's trust pathfinder arrangements improving outcomes for children and young people. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||