Local Matter Research Articles

Tourism development and conservation, do local resident attitudes matter?

Many remote communities particularly in developing countries have been targeted for development using a tourism approach. Many of these communities are living in poverty in biodiversity-rich areas....

Heterogeneity in the local employment multipliers in the United States

AbstractRecent studies have found evidence of a local employment multiplier’s effect. For the most part, these studies provide an average estimate for all labor markets. In this paper, we examine how the average local employment multiplier, the effect of an exogenous increase in employment in the tradable sector on total employment, depends on the characteristics of the local labor market. Specifically, we estimate the average multipliers for coastal, noncoastal, large, and small metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across different time periods using the data of 333 US MSAs. Overall, we find a reduced form of local employment multiplier ranging from 1.38 to 2.24, which is within the range of typically estimated local employment multipliers. In addition, the characteristics of the local labor market matter. The local multipliers appear larger in noncoastal and large MSAs. For small and coastal metros, the multiplier is closer to 1.5 than to 2.0 while in the case of large and noncoastal metros, it is closer to 2.0 than to 1.5. The local multipliers are also sensitive to the time period considered.

Implications of a Time-varying Galactic Potential for Determinations of the Dynamical Surface Density

Recent studies have shown that the passage of a massive satellite through the disk of a spiral galaxy can induce vertical wobbles in the disk and produce features such as in-plane rings and phase-space spirals. Here we analyze a high-resolution N-body simulation of a live stellar disk perturbed by the recent passage of a massive dwarf galaxy that induces such perturbations. We study the implications of the phase-space structures for the estimate of the matter density through traditional Jeans modelling. The dwarf satellite excites rapid time-variations in the potential, leading to a significant bias of the local matter surface density determined through such a method. In particular, while the Jeans modelling gives reasonable estimates in the most overdense regions of the disk, we show that it tends to overestimate the dynamical surface density in underdense regions. In these regions, the phase-space spiral is indeed more marked in the surface of section of height vs. vertical velocity. This prediction can be verified with future Gaia data releases. Our finding is highly relevant for future attempts at determining the dynamical surface density of the outer Milky Way disk as a function of radius. The outer disk of the Milky Way is indeed heavily perturbed, and \textit{Gaia} DR2 data have clearly shown that such phase-space perturbations are even present locally. While our results show that traditional Jeans modelling should give reliable results in overdense regions of the disk, the important biases in underdense regions call for the development of non-equilibrium methods to estimate the dynamical matter density locally and in the outer disk.

Removing staggered fermionic matter in U(N) and SU(N) lattice gauge theories

Gauge theories, through the local symmetry which is in their core, exhibit many local constraints, that must be taken care of and addressed in any calculation. In the Hamiltonian picture this is phrased through the Gauss laws, local constraints that restrict the physical Hilbert space and relate the matter and gauge degrees of freedom. In this work, we present a way that uses all the Gauss laws in lattice gauge theories with staggered fermions for completely removing the matter degrees of freedom, at the cost of locally extending the interaction range, breaking the symmetry and introducing new local constraints, due to the finiteness of the original local matter spaces.

Correlation between β-amyloid deposits revealed by BF-227-PET imaging and brain atrophy detected by voxel-based morphometry-MR imaging: a pilot study.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition was associated with local atrophy of corresponding areas in the brain.Methods[11C]2-[2-(2-Dimethylaminothiazol-5-yl) ethenyl-6-[2-(fluoro)ethoxy]benzoxazole (BF-227)-PET, MRI and neuropsychological tests were carried out on 56 subjects, out of which 21 were patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 20 were patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 15 were normal controls (NC). The BF-227 uptake in each local brain region was set up with automated anatomical labeling atlas using Wake Forest University PickAtlas software and local standardized uptake value ratios of BF-227 were calculated as the average value of right and left using the MRIcron software.ResultsGroup comparisons of Aβ deposition as determined by BF-227 uptake using PET imaging showed no significant differences between MCI and AD. Aβ deposition was significantly higher in MCI and AD than in NC. The correlation analysis between local Aβ deposition and gray matter atrophy showed that in AD, the Aβ deposition in the inferior temporal gyrus was strongly related to the gray matter atrophy in this region. On the contrary, the Aβ deposition in the precuneus was associated with the atrophy in the right occipital-temporal region. In the NC, the Aβ deposition in the inferior temporal gyrus was associated with the atrophy in the precuneus.ConclusionIn the AD, the relationship between the Aβ deposition and local atrophy is area-dependent. In NC, Aβ deposition in the inferior temporal gyrus correlated to the atrophy in the precuneus.

KUALITAS NUTRISI PAKAN LOKAL YANG DISUPLEMENTASI ZN BIOKOMPLEK DAN VITAMIN E

The nutritional quality of local food in the poor Kalimantan region will be lacking in minerals because the place for growing forage plants in a land with margins (acid) makes the quality of mineral poor food ingredients. The purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional quality of local feed supplemented with biocomplex ZN and Vitamin E. The treatment in this study used a complete design (CRD) with 4 processing repetitions made from 16 experimental units, consisting of (Tl) local forage-concentrates l2% PK without Zn and vitamin E supplementation, (T 2) Tl-supplementation + 60 mg Zn / kg as biocomplex Zn and vitamin E (T3) Tl + l20 mg Zn / kg such as Zn biocomplex + vitamin E and (T4) Tl + l80 mg Zn Biokomplek / kg + vitamin E. Parameters collected are the nutritional quality and digestibility of dry matter and feed organic matter. The results shown from studies using biocomplex ZN up to 180mg / kg of feed (PT3) can increase the protein content and dry matter content of local feed, and can increase the digestibility of local dry matter and organic feed ingredients. It was concluded that ZN Biokomplek and Vitamin E can improve the quality of local feed.

The centre–periphery dimension and trust in politicians: the case of Norway

ABSTRACT Scholars have often studied social, political and economic factors affecting trust. This paper considers the relationship between spatial location and trust in politicians. It is hypothesized that the centre–periphery framework developed by Stein Rokkan has explanatory value for the study of trust in politicians. By using multilevel regression analysis on a large-N survey on a crucial case (Norway), the paper controls for the urban–rural divide and cultural, institutional, political and economic factors at both the individual and municipal levels. The findings indicate that spatial location manifests itself as a unique explanatory variable and that the peripheral regional location (i.e., distance from the political centre) matters more for spatial differences in trust in politicians than the urban–rural divide. The spatial dimension of political trust could be considered as an additional factor for explaining differences in trust in politicians.

African Cultural Festivals and World Literature

Abstract In an era where cultural festivals multiply, so-called African festivals have spread in Africa, but also outside of the continent, in major cities as well as in little-known villages, for example in provincial France. What are some of their implications and effects in the case of francophone African literature? These events privilege a continental representation of literature, which often reveals itself as problematic when confronted with the complex geographies of the texts and authors represented at these festivals. Using cross-disciplinary methodology, this critical inquiry reads different reallocations of this persistent African matrix through a typology and contemporary examples (Kossi Efoui’s writings, the “Étonnants Voyageurs” and “Plein sud” festivals). As an object of study, festivals bear witness to the necessity of expanding the toolbox of the (world) literary scholar by making use of documentary sources and adopting ethnographic approaches. It reveals a structural tension between an African map and various concrete territories, where local issues matter often more than this continental category, and can affect the form and content of literature itself.

Public Participation in Local Development in the Opinion of Local Governments and Social Economy Entities

In the new paradigm of territorial development, an important role is attributed to the cooperation of local government units with the society, considered as a factor of local development. This cooperation is determined, among others, by engaging citizens in local matters, including through social economy entities. Local authorities of the entities of social economy perceive and evaluate this activity in a slightly different way, which is not conducive to the development of cooperation or the region. Thus, the purpose of the article is to assess the role and level of social participation in local development in the light of the opinions of local governments and entities of social economy. The following methods were used in the study: literature analysis, comparative analysis of the results of surveys carried out in the communes of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and among social economy entities operating in this area (research was carried out in 2017-2018), inference and plus evaluations. They enabled (1) a synthetic assessment of the role and level of social involvement in local development and an indication of differences in its perception by the surveyed entities, as well as (2) formulating recommendations for improving cooperation between local governments and the society and social economy entities.

Gray Matter Atrophy to Explain Subclinical Oculomotor Deficit in Multiple Sclerosis.

Eye movement deficits are frequently noted in multiple sclerosis during bedside clinical examination, but subtle dysfunction may remain undetected and might only be identified with advanced approaches. While classical neurology provides insight into the complex functional anatomy of oculomotor functions, little is known about the structural background of this dysfunction in MS. Thirty four clinically stable, treated relapsing-remitting MS patients with mild disability and 34 healthy controls were included in our study. Group difference and correlation with clinical parameters were analyzed in case of the latency, peak-velocity, gain, dysconjugacy index, and performance during a saccade and anti-saccade task. High-resolution T1 weighted, T2 FLAIR, and double inversion recovery images were acquired on 3T to evaluate the correlation between behavioral and MRI parameters, such as T2 lesion and T1 black-hole burden, global brain, gray, and white matter atrophy. VBM style analysis was used to identify the focal gray matter atrophy responsible for oculomotor dysfunction. Significantly increased latency in the prosaccade task and significantly worse performance in the anti-saccade task were found in MS patients. The detailed examination of conjugated eye movements revealed five subclinical internuclear ophthalmoparesis cases. The peak velocity and latency of the anti-saccade movement correlated with the number of black holes, but none of the eye movement parameters were associated with the T2 lesion burden or location. Global gray matter volume correlated with saccade and anti-saccade latency, whereas white matter and total brain volume did not. Local gray matter atrophy in the left inferio-parietal lobule and temporo-occipital junction correlated with anti-saccade peak velocity. Our results show that neurodegeneration-like features of the MRI (black-hole, gray matter atrophy) are the best predictors of eye movement deficit in MS. Concurring with the clinico-radiological paradox, T2 lesion burden cannot explain the behavioral results. Importantly, anti-saccade peak velocity correlates with gray matter atrophy in the left parietal regions, which are frequently implicated in attention tasks.

Smoking in the temple of the holy spirit? Geographic location matters

Smoking at a young age poses significant risks to one's health and is linked with a wide range of deviant conducts. While prior research has looked into the ways in which individual religious characteristics may influence smoking, much less is known about how the overall religious context in which individuals are embedded may affect smoking during adolescence and early adulthood. In this study, multilevel regression analyses were used on nationally representative panel data to explore this understudied area. The results suggest that when a county has higher population share of conservative Protestants, youth living there are more likely to smoke. A similar robust relationship is also found for county-level mainline Protestant population share and smoking. By simultaneously examining both the individual and contextual religious effects on smoking, this study contributes to a renewed, more comprehensive understanding of an important public health and youth deviance issue.

Presence on the Ground: Expectations, Resources and Tactical Moves in the Negotiation of a UN Peacekeeping Operation in the Central African Republic

ABSTRACTHow do local situations matter? It is tempting to explain the creation of a new peacekeeping operation (PKO) by the willingness to solve a local security problem. However, main contributor countries to UN and EU PKO in the Central African Republic in 2014, have sent hundreds of troops without a genuine interest in the local situation. Thus, how, why and when links to the ground are made? Having presence on the ground gave some actors levers in the negotiations. The contact with the ground impact the construction of expectations. It is a resource for pressuring on hesitating countries.

Firms’ innovation performance and the role of the metropolitan location. Evidence from the European periphery

ABSTRACTThis paper assesses the role of metropolitan location in explaining firms’ innovation performance while accounting for other internal and external determinants of innovation. Using micro-level dataset and controlling for firm-specific, sector-specific and region-specific features, we identify a nuanced effect of location within metropolitan areas on the innovative performance of companies The results prove to vary for the different measures of innovation output of firms and in particular there is no metropolitan advantage detected for binary self-declared measures of innovations. The advantage is detected for the count-based quantity of innovation measures which is shown to critically depend on the higher performance of metropolitan-based firms in patenting and licencing. The interlinkages between location and firm-size matter and the results are asymmetric with particular benefits arising for micro-firms in their patenting and licencing.

Food knowledge depends upon the integrity of both sensory and functional properties: a VBM, TBSS and DTI tractography study

Food constitutes a fuel of life for human beings. It is therefore of chief importance that their recognition system readily identifies the most relevant properties of food by drawing on semantic memory. One of the most relevant properties to be considered is the level of processing impressed by humans on food. We hypothesized that recognition of raw food capitalizes on sensory properties and that of transformed food on functional properties, consistently with the hypothesis of a sensory-functional organization of semantic knowledge. To test this hypothesis, patients with Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and healthy controls performed lexical-semantic tasks with food (raw and transformed) and non-food (living and nonliving) stimuli. Correlations between task performance and local grey matter concentration (VBM) and white matter fractional anisotropy (TBSS) led to two main findings. First, recognition of raw food and living things implicated occipital cortices, typically involved in processing sensory information and, second, recognition of processed food and nonliving things implicated the middle temporal gyrus and surrounding white matter tracts, regions that have been associated with functional properties. In conclusion, the present study confirms and extends the hypothesis of a sensory and a functional organization of semantic knowledge.

Perception of park access and park use amongst youth in Hanoi: How cultural and local context matters

Urban parks offer many benefits for youth, including providing a place to express and build their social identity. Yet we know very little about how this group accesses and uses parks in Vietnam, and in non-western urban contexts in general. This paper begins to fill this gap by using the case of Hanoi where youth (18–24 years old) make up almost 20% of the population and their socio-cultural characteristics are changing rapidly. An intercept survey, using convenience sampling with quotas, was deployed in four parks in dense central areas and newer suburban zones (n = 382). Heat, crowded sidewalks, street crossings and traffic near parks are the most problematic obstacles to park access. Security was mentioned as an obstacle, with no significant difference between men and women. Participants reported on average 6.6 visits over two weeks and 77.5 min per visit. Perceived obstacles to access, duration of stay and frequency of visits were then fitted in a series of models against gender, timing of visits, travel modes, previous location, travel time, and performed activities (only in the last two models). Travel modes proved the most important features explaining obstacles to access. Practicing sports and exercises were predominant in explaining higher frequency and duration of visits. Gender differences were significant after controlling for other variables: women go to the park less frequently and stay for shorter periods than men. Our findings suggest avenues for park design and planning, such as providing equipment to support physical activities and addressing travelling obstacles near parks.

The Political Economy of the Middle Income Trap: The Challenges of Advancing Innovation Capabilities in Latin America, Asia and Beyond

Building on the middle-income trap literature where contexts of time and location matter, the articles in this special section adopt a ‘political economy of development’ approach to the problem of the middle-income trap. The papers employ different analytical approaches and have different entry points into unpacking the complex economic, social, and technical processes that advance productive capabilities. But they share a common set of assumptions undergirding a political economy approach and come to a common understanding that advances the middle-income trap discussion: (1) the development of domestic productive capabilities is critical for upgrading and developing broad-based innovation that may translate into higher productivity growth; (2) the interaction of international with domestic factors changes over time and may exacerbate domestic innovation challenges; and (3) the nature of the inter-workings between the government and actors in the private sector is crucial for understanding the advancement of innovation capabilities or lack thereof. All the papers point to the importance of a systemic and long-term approach to building productive capabilities and the need for strong state action to advance these capabilities.

The Diversity and Ecological Role of Non-scleractinian Corals (Antipatharia and Alcyonacea) on Scleractinian Cold-Water Coral Mounds

Cold-water coral carbonate mounds, created by framework-building scleractinian corals, are also important habitats for non-scleractinian corals, whose ecology and role are understudied in deep-sea environments. This paper describes the diversity, ecology and role of non-scleractinian corals on scleractinian cold-water coral carbonate mounds in the Logachev Mound Province, Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic. In total ten non-scleractinian species were identified, which were mapped out along eight ROV video transects. Eight species were identified as black corals (three belonging to the family Schizopathidae, one each to the Leiopathidae, Cladopathidae, and Antipathidae and two to an unknown family) and two as gorgonians (Isididae and Plexauridae). The most abundant species were Leiopathes sp. and Parantipathes sp. 2. Areas with a high diversity of non-scleractinian corals are interpreted to offer sufficient food, weak inter-species competition and the presence of heterogeneous and hard settlement substrates. A difference in the density and occurrence of small vs. large colonies of Leiopathes sp. was also observed, which is likely related to a difference in the stability of the substrate they choose for settlement. Non-scleractinian corals, especially black corals, are an important habitat for crabs, crinoids, and shrimps in the Logachev Mound Province. The carrier crab Paromola sp. was observed carrying the plexaurid Paramuricea sp. and a black coral species belonging to the genus Parantipathes, a behavior believed to provide the crab with camouflage or potentially a defense mechanism against predators. More information on the ecophysiology of non-scleractinian corals and fine-scale local organic matter supply are needed to understand what drives differences in their spatial distribution and community structure.

Board leadership structure and corporate headquarters location

This study examines empirically if corporate headquarters location matters for board leadership structure under different asymmetric information settings. We examine the impact of corporate headquarters location on CEO duality for the period 1998–2013. Using the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to define the location of corporate headquarters, we find that metropolitan firms are more likely to have CEO-Chairman duality than rural firms. Utilizing idiosyncratic risk and analyst forecast error or dispersion to proxy for information asymmetry, we find that metropolitan firms are more likely to have CEO-chairman duality than rural firms in the low information asymmetry setting. Our findings suggest that corporate headquarters location is an important determinant of board leadership structure.

Possible Explanation of the Geograv Detector Signal during the Explosion of SN 1987A in Modified Gravity Models

A change in gravity law in some regimes is predicted in the modified gravity models that are actively discussed at present. In this paper, we consider a possibility that the signal recorded by the Geograv resonant gravitational-wave detector in 1987 during the explosion of SN 1987A was produced by an abrupt change in the metric during the passage of a strong neutrino flux through the detector. Such an impact on the detector is possible, in particular, in extended scalar-tensor theories in which the local matter density gradient affects the gravitational force. The first short neutrino pulse emitted at the initial stage of stellar core collapse before the onset of neutrino opacity could exert a major influence on the detector by exiting the detector response at the main resonance frequency. In contrast, the influence of the subsequent broad pulse (with a duration of several seconds) in the resonant detector is exponentially suppressed, despite the fact that the second pulse carries an order-of-magnitude more neutrino energy, and it could generate a signal in the LSD neutrino detector. This explains the time delay of 1.4s between the Geograv and LSD signals. The consequences of this effect of modified gravity for LIGO/Virgo observations are discussed.

Decentralized environmental regulations and plant‐level productivity

AbstractUsing the framework provided by the Porter hypothesis, we study the impact of environmental regulations and enforcement policies on plant‐level green total factor productivity (TFP) growth and its components related to efficiency change and technical change. The detailed microdata we use are from Sweden and for the pulp and paper industry. This industry is the source of significant amounts of water and air pollution and is one of the most heavily environmentally regulated manufacturing industries. Sweden has a unique decentralized regulatory structure where the manufacturing plants have to comply with plant‐specific regulatory standards stipulated at the national level, as well as decentralized local supervision and enforcement. Our empirical results point to beneficial impacts of the environmental policies on plants' green TFP growth and sustainable production practices. We also find that political economy considerations are important, as the presence of the Green Party and aspects like plant size (with corresponding local and regional economic effects) matter in enforcement of the standards.