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Local Problems (local + problem)
Selected AbstractsEffective constitutive parameters of structured chiral metamaterialsMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 9 2006O. Ouchetto Abstract In this paper we present a novel procedure for predicting the effective constitutive parameters of three-dimensional periodic materials with chiral component phases. The method combines the mathematical homogenization technique and the finite element method. The homogenization is accomplished by solving a local problem in the unit cell. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 1884,1886, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21795 [source] Using Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to Target Health Disparities in FamiliesFAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 4 2009Jerica M. Berge Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an action research approach that emphasizes collaborative partnerships between community members, community organizations, health care providers, and researchers to generate knowledge and solve local problems. Although relatively new to the field of family social science, family and health researchers have been using CBPR for over a decade. This paper introduces CBPR methods, illustrates the usefulness of CBPR methods in families and health research, describes two CBPR projects related to diabetes, and concludes with lessons learned and strengths and weaknesses of CBPR. [source] Numerical investigation of the reliability of a posteriori error estimation for advection,diffusion equationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2008A. H. ElSheikh Abstract A numerical investigation of the reliability of a posteriori error estimation for advection,diffusion equations is presented. The estimator used is based on the solution of local problems subjected to Neumann boundary conditions. The estimated errors are calculated in a weighted energy norm, a stability norm and an approximate fractional order norm in order to study the effect of the error norm on both the effectivity index of the estimated errors and the mesh adaptivity process. The reported numerical results are in general better than what is available in the literature. The results reveal that the reliability of the estimated errors depends on the relation between the mesh size and the size of local features in the solution. The stability norm is found to have some advantages over the weighted energy norm in terms of producing effectivity indices closer to the optimal unit value, especially for problems with internal sharp layers. Meshes adapted by the element residual method measured in the stability norm conform to the sharp layers and are shown to be less dependent on the wind direction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Protocols, practices, and the reproduction of technique in molecular biology*THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Michael Lynch ABSTRACT Protocols are one of the main organizational resources in molecular biology. They are written instructions that specify ingredients, equipment, and sequences of steps for making technical preparations. Some protocols are published in widely used manuals, while others are hand-written variants used by particular laboratories and individual technicians. It is widely understood, both in molecular biology and in social studies of science, that protocols do not describe exactly what practitioners do in the laboratory workplace. In social studies of science, the difference between protocols and the actual practices of doing them often is used to set up ironic contrasts between ,messy' laboratory practices and the appearance of technical order. Alternatively, in ethnomethodological studies of work, the difference is examined as a constitutive feature, both of the livedwork of doing technical projects, and of the administrative work of regulating and evaluating such projects. The present article takes its point of departure from ethnomethodology, and begins with a discussion of local problems with performing molecular biology protocols on specific occasions. The discussion then moves to particular cases in criminal law in which defense attorneys crossexamine forensic technicians and lab administrators. In these interrogations, the distinction between protocols and actual practices animates the dialogue and becomes consequential for judgments in the case at hand. The article concludes with a discussion of administrative science: the work of treating protocols and paper trails as proxies for actual ,scientific' practices. [source] The problems of sustainable water use in the Mediterranean and research requirements for agricultureANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2004J LARAUS Summary This study addresses the sustainable use of water resources in the Mediterranean basin, particularly in the Southern and Eastern parts of the region, and the many problems generated by water scarcity and misuse. Water economy in the region is beset by two specific problems: high irrigation needs and changes in consumer demands (especially after population shifts from rural to urban areas and because of increasing tourism and industrialisation). The challenges presented by the water crisis are even greater because of growing populations and estimated future climatic changes in the region. The integrated management of limited water resources in the Southern and Eastern parts of the Mediterranean involves several areas of research. Those most directly related with agriculture concern improving water (and nutrient) use in agriculture through the management and breeding of irrigated and rain-fed crops. However, these fields of research address only one face of a multi-factorial equation that affects water sustainability in the region. Thus, other research fields include the design of comprehensive water policies and integrated planning, and technologies for advanced water treatment and re-use. Moreover, local problems and socio-economic aspects must be considered when addressing research issues. [source] Diseases of the generative nail apparatus.AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Part II: Nail bed SUMMARY Nail bed insults may affect the resultant nail product in a number of ways. If focal in nature, the severity and duration of the insult will determine the appearance of the nail product. Widespread insults may alter the size, shape or colour of the nail plate. Nail bed insults tend to present with more immediacy than nail matrical insults, as there is no need to wait until the nail grows out until the sign is obvious. We are less interested in the history of the event, than we are with the clinical sign being presented to us. Should treatment be required for focal nail bed insults, treatment is likely to be local and curative. Widespread nail bed insults may be associated with systemic diseases and if a result of local problems these may be difficult to treat. [source] Site, vine state and responsiveness to the application of growth regulator fruitsetting agentsAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009J.A. CONSIDINE Abstract Background and Aims:, This study was initiated to investigate local problems in obtaining consistent fruit-setting responses to a recommended treatment combination of gibberellic acid (GA3) and (2-chloroethyl)-trimethyl ammonium chloride (CCC), with vineyard managers returning to more traditional methods of either cincturing or applying 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid (4-CPA). Methods and Results:, Five vineyard study sites located in the Chittering,Bindoon region of Western Australia were characterised by multivariate analysis using measures of vegetative and reproductive biomass. Two experiments were carried out in the vineyard to compare responses to combinations of GA3 and CCC. 4-CPA was used as an industry control. Bunch number was used as a novel covariate to adjust responses to individual vine and site factors. Berry volume increased in all vines and sites treated with GA3, irrespective of timing, but dry matter yield increased only in the youngest vineyards. The only site to show a significant response to CCC application was that with the highest vegetative biomass. Conclusions:, We conclude that site and management factors rather than growth regulator type, concentration or timing determined yield responsiveness (sugar production). Significance of the Study:, This study demonstrates a strong physiological and environmental effect on response to growth regulator application, reinforcing the importance of developing site-specific management practices. It shows how multivariate techniques may be used to characterise and compare vineyards, and also, how analysis of covariance using a new parameter, bunch number, may be used to enhance statistical of analysis of field experiments. [source] "If We Let the Market Prevail, We Won't Have a Neighborhood Left:" religious agency and urban restructuring on Chicago's southwest sideCITY & SOCIETY, Issue 2 2005ELFRIEDE WEDAM Catholic parishes and their neighborhoods on the Southwest Side of Chicago have moved from a relatively autonomous, relatively self-enclosed local institutions with relatively narrow social perspectives to organizations that work across parish boundaries, address local problems regionally, and acknowledge relinquishing to some degree their local identity and autonomy as progressive responses to the new urban context. Much of this new vision was stimulated by archdiocesan management changes under Joseph Cardinal Bernardin; by massive realignment of people, jobs, and political power in metropolitan Chicago; and not least by broader cultural and theological visions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). [source] Testosterone treatment comes of age: new options for hypogonadal menCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Eberhard Nieschlag Summary Male hypogonadism is one of the most frequent, but also most underdiagnosed, endocrinopathies. However, the required testosterone treatment is simple and very effective if properly administered. Although testosterone has been available for clinical use for seven decades, until quite recently the treatment modalities were far from ideal. Subdermal testosterone pellets require minor surgery for insertion and often cause local problems. The injectable testosterone enanthate, for a long period the most frequently used mode of administration, lasts for two to four weeks, but produces supraphysiological levels initially and low levels before the next injection. The oral testosterone undecanoate has to be taken three times daily, has an uncertain absorption pattern and results in peaks and valleys of serum testosterone levels throughout the day. With the advent of transdermal testosterone preparations, the desired physiological serum levels could be achieved for the first time. Scrotal testosterone patches were the first to fulfil this requirement. These were followed by nonscrotal skin patches, which, however, cause considerable skin reactions including erythema and blisters. Recently introduced, invisible transdermal testosterone gels increased the intervals of application and are now slowly replacing other modalities. A mucoadhesive buccal testosterone tablet with sustained release is also a recent competing modality. Finally, injectable testosterone undecanoate in castor oil was made into a real depot preparation requiring only four injections per year for replacement therapy. These new preparations with a desired pharmacokinetic testosterone profile give the patient a real choice and make treatment easier. Based on pharmacogenetic considerations taking the androgen receptor polymorphism into account, treatment may be individualized for each patient in the future. [source] | ||||||||||||||||