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Remote Locations (remote + locations)
Selected AbstractsMethodology and Transport Medium for Collection of Helicobacter pylori on a String Test in Remote LocationsHELICOBACTER, Issue 6 2005Helen M. Windsor ABSTRACT Background.,Helicobacter pylori can be isolated from patients using the string test but contaminating oral and nasopharyngeal microflora need to be suppressed by rapid plating out onto selective culture media. Recently, use of this diagnostic method was enhanced by using a novel transport medium to collect specimens from subjects in a remote Australian clinic over 1300 km from the laboratory. Methods., Retrieved string tests were transported to the laboratory in chilled polystyrene boxes in 5 ml screw-cap bottles with 3 ml of a brain heart infusion broth plus antibiotics. These were 20 g/ml vancomycin, 10 g/ml trimethoprim, 10 g/ml cefsulodin, and 10 g/ml amphotericin B. A comparison was made between subjects who gargled with a chlorhexidine mouthwash before swallowing the string test and those who did not. Results., Forty-five urea breath test-positive subjects were tested and H. pylori was isolated from 34 of them. Successful culture was achieved from string tests that were in transit for up to 29 hours and where the maximum temperature in the transport box was 14 °C. The additional use of a mouthwash had a marked effect on the isolation rate. H. pylori was cultured from 75% of subjects who gargled but only from 39% who did not. Conclusions., This methodology and transport medium can broaden the use of the string test to more remote geographic areas where endoscopy is not feasible so that H. pylori isolates may still be obtained for diagnostic and epidemiologic studies. The value of this promising methodology of collection and transport should be assessed in a controlled study. [source] PAUL FURSE AND HIS PLANT COLLECTIONS AT KEWCURTIS'S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, Issue 1 2007Kit Strange Summary Paul Furse was an accomplished botanical artist and amateur botanist who, after his retirement from the Navy, spent several years searching for bulbs, travelling to remote locations in the Near East. He went to Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and collected many plants which are still in cultivation today. His pioneering expeditions and enthusiasm inspired a generation of botanists to explore these areas. [source] The development and validation of the Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS): a 13-item screening instrument for alcohol and drug and mental health riskDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2007CARLA M. SCHLESINGER Abstract The study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS) as a screening instrument for determining (i) the presence of alcohol and drug and mental health risk in Indigenous adult Australians and (ii) the cut-off scores that discriminate most effectively between the presence and absence of risk. A cross-sectional survey was used in clinical and non-clinical Indigenous and non-Indigenous services across Queensland Australia. A total of 175 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from urban, rural, regional and remote locations in Queensland took part in the study. Measures included the Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS), the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ). Additional Mental Health measures included the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ). Principle axis factoring analysis of the IRIS revealed two factors corresponding with (i) alcohol and drug and (ii) mental health. The IRIS alcohol and drug and mental health subscales demonstrated good convergent validity with other well-established screening instruments and both subscales showed high internal consistency. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to generate cut-offs for the two subscales and t-tests validated the utility of these cut-offs for determining risky levels of drinking. The study validated statistically the utility of the IRIS as a screen for alcohol and drug and mental health risk. The instrument is therefore recommended as a brief screening instrument for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. [source] Exploitation and habitat degradation as agents of change within coral reef fish communitiesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008S. K. WILSON Abstract Over-exploitation and habitat degradation are the two major drivers of global environmental change and are responsible for local extinctions and declining ecosystem services. Here we compare the top-down effect of exploitation by fishing with the bottom-up influence of habitat loss on fish communities in the most diverse of ecological systems, coral reefs. Using a combination of multivariate techniques and path analyses, we illustrate that the relative importance of coral cover and fishing in controlling fish abundance on remote Fijian reefs varies between species and functional groups. A decline in branching Acropora coral is strongly associated with a decline in abundance of coral-feeding species, and a decrease in coral-associated habitat complexity, which has indirectly contributed to reduced abundance of small-bodied damselfish. In contrast, reduced fishing pressure, brought about by declining human populations and a shift to alternate livelihoods, is associated with increased abundance of some piscivores and fisheries target species. However, availability of prey is controlled by coral-associated habitat complexity and appears to be a more important driver of total piscivore abundance compared with fishing pressure. Effects of both fishing and coral loss are stronger on individual species than functional groups, as variation in the relative importance of fishing or coral loss among species within the same functional group attenuated the impact of either of these potential drivers at the functional level. Overall, fishing continues to have an influence on Fijian fish communities; however, habitat loss is currently the overriding agent of change. The importance of coral loss mediated by climate change is expected to have an increasing contribution to fish community dynamics, particularly in remote locations or where the influence of fishing is waning. [source] Small,Scale Entrepreneurship and Access to Capital in Peripheral Locations: An Empirical AnalysisGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2002Daniel Felsenstein This paper presents an analysis of a public assistance program for small,scale entrepreneurship in peripheral areas. Public assistance compensates for market inefficiencies where the decision rules of financial institutions discriminate against otherwise viable small firms in capital markets. Lending institutions perceive high risk in providing debt capital when little information is present. Using empirical data from Israel, the determinants of this risk are estimated and the role of location in creating this information asymmetry is stressed. These results empirically establish that (1) location matters in determining the risk profile of the firm, (2) locationally targeted programs can reduce the information asymmetries that make peripheral firms unattractive to lenders, and (3) these programs can also generate positive welfare effects. Finally, there is speculation on the potential role of ICT (information and communications technology) in increasing the visibility of small firms in remote locations and creating a more symmetrical flow of information. [source] Modified passive capillary samplers for collecting samples of snowmelt infiltration for stable isotope analysis in remote, seasonally inaccessible watersheds 2: field evaluationHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 7 2010Marty D. Frisbee Abstract Twelve modified passive capillary samplers (M-PCAPS) were installed in remote locations within a large, alpine watershed located in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado to collect samples of infiltration during the snowmelt and summer rainfall seasons. These samples were collected in order to provide better constraints on the isotopic composition of soil-water endmembers in the watershed. The seasonally integrated stable isotope composition (,18O and ,2H) of soil-meltwater collected with M-PCAPS installed at shallow soil depths < 10 cm was similar to the seasonally integrated isotopic composition of bulk snow taken at the soil surface. However, meltwater which infiltrated to depths > 20 cm evolved along an isotopic enrichment line similar to the trendline described by the evolution of fresh snow to surface runoff from snowmelt in the watershed. Coincident changes in geochemistry were also observed at depth suggesting that the isotopic and geochemical composition of deep infiltration may be very different from that obtained by surface and/or shallow-subsurface measurements. The M-PCAPS design was also used to estimate downward fluxes of meltwater during the snowmelt season. Shallow and deep infiltration averaged 8·4 and 4·7 cm of event water or 54 and 33% of the measured snow water equivalent (SWE), respectively. Finally, dominant shallow-subsurface runoff processes occurring during snowmelt could be identified using geochemical data obtained with the M-PCAPS design. One soil regime was dominated by a combination of slow matrix flow in the shallow soil profile and fast preferential flow at depth through a layer of platy, volcanic rocks. The other soil regime lacked the rock layer and was dominated by slow matrix flow. Based on these results, the M-PCAPS design appears to be a useful, robust methodology to quantify soil-water fluxes during the snowmelt season and to sample the stable isotopic and geochemical composition of soil-meltwater endmembers in remote watersheds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Indigenous children and receipt of hospital dental care in AustraliaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 5 2006L. M. JAMIESON Summary., Objective., The aim of this study was to investigate dental procedures received under hospital general anaesthetic by indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children in 2002,2003. Methods., Separation data from 1297 public and private hospitals were obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Hospital Morbidity Database for 2002,2003. The dependant variable was the admission rate of children receiving four categories of dental care (i.e. extraction, pulpal, restoration or other). The explanatory variables included sex, age group, indigenous status and location (i.e. major city, regional or remote). Rates were calculated using estimated resident population counts. Results., The sample included 24 874 children aged from 2 to 14 years. Some 4·3% were indigenous (n = 1062). Admission rates for indigenous and non-indigenous children were similar, with indigenous males having 1·2 times the admission rate of indigenous females (P < 0·05). Indigenous children aged < 5 years had 1·4 times the admission rate of similarly aged non-indigenous children (P < 0·001) and 5·0 times the admission rate of 10,14-year-old indigenous children (P < 0·001). Remote-living indigenous children had 1·5 times the admission rate of their counterparts in major cities or regional areas (P < 0·001), and 1·4 times the admission rate of remote-living non-indigenous children (P < 0·01). The extraction rate of indigenous males was 1·3 times that of non-indigenous males (P < 0·01), and 1·2 times that of indigenous females (P < 0·05). Pre-school indigenous children had 2·2 times the extraction rate of similarly aged non-indigenous children (P < 0·001), and 5·3 times that of indigenous 10,14-year-olds (P < 0·001). The extraction rate of remotely located indigenous children was 1·5 times that of indigenous children in major cities (P < 0·01), and 1·8 times that of remote-living non-indigenous children (P < 0·001). Conclusions., In certain strata , particularly males, the very young and those in remote locations , indigenous children experienced higher rates of extractions than non-indigenous children when undergoing care in a hospital dental general anaesthetic setting. [source] Internet-assisted Real-time Experiments Using the Internet,Hardware and Software ConsiderationsJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005R. Paul Singh ABSTRACT: The spectacular increase in Internet-based applications during the past decade has had a significant impact on the education delivery paradigms. The user interactivity aspect of the Internet has provided new opportunities to instructors to incorporate its use in developing new learning systems. The use of the Internet in carrying out live experiments has been a subject of interest that shows considerable promise. Using the common Internet browsers, it has become possible to develop engaging laboratory exercises that allow the user to operate experimental equipment from remote locations. To increase the availability of such experiments on the Internet, it would be beneficial to share methods employed in developing software and hardware of Internet-assisted experiments, among interested instructors. The objective of this paper is to present a description of the hardware and software required to create Internet-assisted laboratories. [source] In situ determination of sulfate turnover in peatlands: A down-scaled push,pull tracer technique,JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008Tobias Goldhammer Abstract Bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) is a key process in anaerobic respiration in wetlands and may have considerable impacts on methane emissions. A method to determine sulfate production and consumption in situ is lacking to date. We applied a single-well, injection-withdrawal tracer test for the in situ determination of potential sulfate turnover in a northern temperate peatland. Piezometers were installed in three peat depth levels (20, 30, and 50,cm) during summer 2004, and three series of injection-withdrawal cycles were carried out over a period of several days. Turnover rates of sulfate, calculated from first-order-reaction constant k (,0.097 to 0.053 h,1) and pore-water sulfate concentrations (approx. 10 µmol L,1), ranged from ,1.3 to ,9.0 nmol cm,3 d,1 for reduction and from +0.7 to +25.4 nmol cm,2 d,1 for production, which occurred after infiltration of water following a heavy rainstorm. Analysis of stable isotopes in peat-water sulfate revealed slightly increasing ,34S values and decreasing sulfate concentrations indicating the presence of BSR. The calculated low sulfur-fractionation factors of <2, are in line with high sulfate-reduction rates during BSR. Routine application will require technical optimization, but the method seems a promising addition to common ex situ techniques, as the investigated soil is not structurally altered. The method can furthermore be applied at low expense even in remote locations. [source] Homes for the orphans: utilization of multiple substrate-binding proteins by ABC transportersMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Gavin H. Thomas Summary Acquiring nutrients from the environment is essential for all microbes, and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are one of the major routes by which bacteria achieve it. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Chen et al. describe their characterization of what appeared at first glance a simple ABC transporter for acquisition of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in Pseudomonas sp., but their persistence in fully determining the properties of this system led to the experimental demonstration that QAC uptake utilizes three different substrate-binding proteins (SBPs), two of which are encoded at remote locations on the genome as ,orphan' SBPs that are each able to function with a single core ABC transporter. Building on the unusual nature of this system, in which multiple SBPs with non-overlapping substrate specificities compete for the same transporter binding site, they designed elegant in vivo experiments that suggest that only substrate-bound SBPs are able to form functional complexes with the membrane domains. This new finding provides an important piece of in vivo data leading to further insight into how this ubiquitous family of transporters operates. [source] The greying of resource communities in northern British Columbia: implications for health care delivery in already-underserviced communitiesTHE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 1 2005Neil Hanlon The delivery of ,rural' health care services has long confronted the geographic problems of distance, low user densities, low-order facilities and caregiver shortages. As a result, rural and remote communities across Canada have struggled with health care delivery. For rural and remote communities in resource hinterlands, population ageing driven by industrial restructuring presents a significant departure from past experience. Drawing on examples from northern British Columbia (BC), this paper examines this context of ageing in rural and remote locations with the purpose of highlighting impending challenges for health care service provision. In the first part of this paper, we provide a demographic overview of population change and ageing in northern BC. In the second part, we present data on the availability of services throughout the region to support seniors who age-in-place. Population ageing, in areas that have never dealt with this issue before, highlights not only important servicing questions but also important policy questions about how to provide for needs that the policy and community context are not presently equipped to meet. Ce n'est pas d'hier que la prestation de services de soins de santé en milieu «rural» doit composer avec les problèmes géographiques liés aux distances, à la faible densité d'usagers, aux établissements de bas ordre et à la pénurie de personnel soignant. C'est pourquoi, pour les collectivités rurales et éloignées du Canada, la prestation de soins de santé constitue un problème de longue date. Pour ces collectivités rurales et éloignées de l'arrière-pays industriel, le vieillissement de la population découlant de la restructuration industrielle représente une dérogation notable à l'ordre normal des choses. En s'appuyant sur des exemples du Nord de la Colombie-Britannique, le présent article examine le contexte du vieillissement en milieu rural et éloigné afin de faire ressortir les défis imminents à la prestation de services de soins de santé. La première partie de l'article présente un aperçu démographique du changement et du vieillissement de la population dans le Nord de la Colombie-Britannique. La seconde partie présente des données sur la disponibilité, dans la région, de services de soutien aux personnes âgées qui «vieillissent sur place». Pour les régions qui ne s'y sont pas encore attardées, le vieillissement de la population soulève non seulement d'importantes questions ayant trait à la prestation de services, mais aussi des questions de politiques visant la réponse à des besoins auxquels le contexte communautaire et le cadre de politique actuels ne répondent pas. [source] VIDEOCONFERENCING SURGICAL TUTORIALS: BRIDGING THE GAPANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 4 2008Andrew J. A. Holland The expansion in medical student numbers has been associated with a move to increase the amount of time students spend in rural and remote locations. Providing an equivalent educational experience for students in surgical subspecialties in this setting is a logistical challenge. We sought to address this issue by providing synchronous tutorials in paediatric surgery using videoconferencing (VC) at two rural sites with the tutor located at a metropolitan paediatric clinical school. Between March 2005 and July 2006, 43 graduate students in the University of Sydney Medical Program were assigned to receive the paediatric component of the course at one of two sites within the School of Rural Health. During this 9-week rotation, students were involved in two or three surgical tutorials by videoconference. Students were then invited to complete a confidential, anonymous 20-point structured evaluation using a Likert scale. Valid responses were received from 40 students, a response rate of 93%. There were 21 females (52%), with 21 students based in Dubbo and 19 in Orange. Students agreed or strongly agreed that VC surgical tutorials were useful, the content well covered and student involvement encouraged (mean scores 4.7, 4.5 and 4.5; standard deviation 0.56, 0.72 and 0.72, respectively). Overall, the majority of students strongly agreed that participation in VC of surgical tutorials was valuable (mean 4.68, standard deviation 0.57). VC surgical tutorials were highly valued by graduate medical students as an educational method. Our data suggest that tutorials can be successfully provided at remote sites using VC. [source] Reef shark declines in remote atolls highlight the need for multi-faceted conservation actionAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2010Nicholas A. J. Graham Abstract 1.The decline of large-bodied predatory species in the oceans is a concern both from a sustainability perspective and because such species can have important ecological roles. Sharks are particularly vulnerable to fishing as their life histories are characterized by late age at maturity, large body size, and low fecundity. 2.Substantial shark population declines have been documented for a number of coastal and pelagic systems, with high population abundance limited to a few remote locations. The relative abundance and composition of reef shark populations are assessed from 1975 to 2006 at a remote, largely uninhabited, group of atolls in the central Indian Ocean; the Chagos Archipelago. 3.Number of sharks observed per scientific dive declined from a mean of 4.2 in the 1970s to 0.4 in 2006, representing a decline of over 90%. Silvertip sharks displayed an increase in abundance from 1996, whereas blacktip and whitetip reef sharks were rarely encountered in 2006. 4.Poaching in the archipelago, is the most likely cause of these declines, highlighted by a number of illegal vessels containing large numbers of sharks arrested since 1996. The data highlight that shark populations, even in remote, otherwise pristine, marine areas, are vulnerable to distant fishing fleets, and a range of strategies will need to be used in concert for their conservation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Aid and Growth in the Pacific IslandsASIAN-PACIFIC ECONOMIC LITERATURE, Issue 2 2006Vlad Pavlov The literature on the aid,growth relationship has recently been reinvigorated through the application of growth equations that seek to explain growth as a function of institutions, policies and aid. This approach has generally led to the conclusion that aid has contributed to growth, albeit with decreasing returns. Some studies have found that there is only a positive relationship between aid and growth when there is a favourable policy environment,a finding that has been used to provide a reason for the reallocation of aid to better-performing countries and an increased emphasis by donors on aid conditionality. It is unclear whether these conclusions apply to the Pacific island countries given their unusual features: notably, small populations, remote locations and a high level of aid. This paper draws on the recent literature in examining the aid,growth relationship in seven Pacific island countries. A positive relationship between aid and growth is identified, although it is subject to decreasing returns. The study is unable to provide an adequate explanation for the role of institutions and policy in growth in the countries studied, or determine whether aid only contributes to growth when favourable policy environments are in place. [source] Litterfall dynamics and nitrogen use efficiency in two evergreen temperate rainforests of southern ChileAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2003CECILIA A. PEREZ Abstract In unpolluted regions, where inorganic nitrogen (N) inputs from the atmosphere are minimal, such as remote locations in southern South America, litterfall dynamics and N use efficiency of tree species should be coupled to the internal N cycle of forest ecosystems. This hypothesis was examined in two evergreen temperate forests in southern Chile (42°30'S), a mixed broad-leaved forest (MBF) and a conifer forest (CF). Although these forests grow under the same climate and on the same parental material, they differ greatly in floristic structure and canopy dynamics (slower in the CF). In both forests, biomass, N flux, and C/N ratios of fine litterfall were measured monthly from May 1995 to March 1999. There was a continuous litter flux over the annual cycle in both forests, with a peak during autumn in the CF. In the MBF, litterfall decreased during spring. In both forests, the C/N ratios of litterfall varied over the annual cycle with a maximum in autumn. Annual litterfall biomass flux (Mean ± SD = 3.3 ± 0.5 vs 2.0 ± 0.5 Mg ha -1) and N return (34.8 ± 16 vs 9.1 ± 2.8 kg N ha -1) were higher in the MBF than in the CF. At the ecosystem level, litterfall C/N was lower in the MBF (mean C/N ratio = 60.1 ± 15, n= 3 years) suggesting decreased N use efficiency compared with CF (mean C/N ratio = 103 ± 19.6, n= 3 years). At the species level, subordinated (subcanopy) tree species in the MBF had significantly lower C/N ratios (<50) of litterfall than the dominant trees in the CF and MBF (>85). The litterfall C/N ratio and percentage N retranslocated were significantly correlated and were lower in the MBF. The higher net N mineralization in soils of the MBF is related to a lower N use efficiency at the ecosystem and species level. [source] Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to safe sex, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS among remote living north Queensland youthAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2010Patricia Fagan Abstract Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth living in far north Queensland in relation to sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and safe sex. Methods: Community consultation followed by local recruitment of a sample of young people who, in a facilitated same gender focus group setting, completed a questionnaire followed by open discussion of the issues in a range of remote locations during 2007. Results: The remote living Indigenous youth demonstrated lower levels of knowledge in relation to STI and HIV and higher levels of partner change than was demonstrated in the 2002 national secondary school survey. Despite the high rates of bacterial STI in the region, there was an extremely low level of awareness of personal risk in relation to STI and HIV. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to strengthen school-based sex education and to develop innovative approaches to sexual health promotion in addition to improving clinical sexual health service provision. [source] Rural pathology under the microscopeAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Helen Cameron Abstract There is little discussion about the crisis in the pathology and medical science workforce despite the implications it has for the whole health system. The crisis has greater implications for rural and remote locations because of the range of skills and multidisciplinary approach required in these areas. Recognition of the clinical significance and organisational importance of the sector is required as is recognition of the unique characteristics of rural and remote pathology and greater support for rural and remote pathology practitioners. [source] Role of xanthine oxidase in small bowel mucosal dysfunction after surgical stressBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 8 2000R. Anup Background The small intestine is highly susceptible to surgical stress even at remote locations. An earlier study using a rat model indicated that oxidative stress plays an important role in this process. The enzyme xanthine oxidase is an important source of free radicals in the small intestine. The role of this enzyme in intestinal damage after surgical stress was examined. Methods Rats pretreated with xanthine oxidase inhibitors were subjected to surgical stress by opening the abdomen and handling the intestine, as done during laparotomy. Enterocytes at various stages of differentiation were isolated and the protection offered by xanthine oxidase inhibitors against damage due to surgical stress was determined and compared with normal controls. Protection against ultrastructural changes to the mucosa, as well as mitochondrial function was examined. Results Surgical stress affected both the villus as well as crypt cells, causing increased superoxide generation, accompanied by increased activity of xanthine oxidase. Xanthine oxidase inhibitors ameliorated the increased superoxide generation, and protected against mitochondrial damage and ultrastructural changes in the intestine. Conclusion Surgical stress affects both the villus and crypt cell populations in the small intestine. The enzyme xanthine oxidase maybe an important mediator of surgical stress in the intestine. © 2000 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd [source] A mobile eye unit for screening of diabetic retinopathy and follow-up of glaucoma in remote locations in northern FinlandACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 8 2009Nina Hautala No abstract is available for this article. [source] Direction Sweden: migration fields and cognitive distances of Finland SwedesPOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 6 2007Charlotta Hedberg Abstract This article analyses migration fields and perceptions of distance in the context of the migration process of the Finland-Swedish minority group from Finland to Sweden between 1976 and 1999. The focus of investigation concerns whether the conceptualisation of distance, in terms of socio-historical migration fields and cognitive maps, can contribute to our understanding of migration decision-making. A combination of methods has been employed. Firstly, a quantitative analysis took place of the migration fields of Finland Swedes originating in three case-study areas in Finland. The extension of their migration fields into Sweden is calculated relative to the internal migration pattern within Finland. Secondly, an interview study analysed perceptions of distance among migrants to Sweden. The article shows that a sizeable proportion of the Finland Swedes' migration fields were directed towards Sweden, but that their extension contained regional variations. Further, the decision to migrate to Sweden was strongly influenced by the migrants' perceptions of Sweden prior to migration. Thus, the migrants possessed cognitive maps, with particular sites in Sweden being regarded as distinct and ,close' locations, in contrast to alternative, ,remote' locations in Finland. The perceptions of distance were shaped by the migrants' social, cultural and economic links with Sweden, as well as by their ethnic identity, which included an ethnic affinity with Sweden. It is suggested that the Finland-Swedish migration process to Sweden should be seen as a case of transnational migration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||