Search

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution is a pervasive and ubiquitous hazard, which has been linked to premature morbidity and a growing number of morbidity endpoints. Air pollution may be linked to neurodegeneration, and via this or other pathways, to neurodegenerative diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that air pollution may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Motor Neuron Diseases (MND), although this evidence remains inconsistent and very limited for MS and MND. In addition, this evidence base is rapidly emerging and would benefit from a wide and critical synthesis, including a better understanding of heterogeneity.OBJECTIVES: In this paper, we present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis and specify our methods a priori. The main aim of the planned systematic review is to answer the question of whether long-term exposure (>1 year) to ambient (outdoor) air pollution (exposure, compared to lower exposure) increases the risk of adult (population) incidence of neurodegenerative diseases (outcomes) in epidemiological observational studies (study design). Another aim is to meta-analyze the associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of the selected outcomes and assess the shape of exposure-response functions. To set the stage for the proposed work, we also overview the existing epidemiological evidence in this protocol, but do not critically evaluate it, as these results will be fully presented in the planned systematic review.SEARCH AND STUDY ELIGIBILITY: We will search the electronic databases Medline (via Ovid), Embase (via Ovid), Cochrane Library, Cinahl (via Ebscohost), Global Health (via Ebscohost), PsycINFO (via Ebscohost), Scopus, Web of Science (Core Collection), from inception to October 2022. Eligible studies must contain primary research investigating the link between 1-year + exposure to any outdoor air pollutant

Li Fung Kwan., Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006., Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-98)., s in English and Chinese., p.i, Acknowledgement --- p.iii, Chapter Chapter One: --- Introduction --- p.1, Chapter Chapter Two: --- On slash and De Certeau --- p.18, Chapter Chapter Three: --- The Pleasure of Escape --- p.30, Chapter Chapter Four: --- The Fan Community --- p.58, Chapter Chapter Five: --- Conclusion --- p.86, Reference --- p.92, http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5892835, Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

The objective of this thesis is to identify the key factors underpinning the operations of effective science parks. Electronics activities are taken as the yardstick for inferring the nature and degree of science park development. This is done by placing the determinants of electronics industries within a theoretical framework drawn from the industry life-cycle concept of the behavioural paradigm. Abstracting from that theory, the following two hypotheses are derived: (1) the survival of the early-stage firms, namely, the small innovative firms, is dependent upon the presence of external learning economies; and (2) their survival is also a result of the presence of entrepreneurial learning economies. A logit model that covers Western Canada as a whole and a multiple regression model that focuses on Manitoba are established for empirical verification of these hypotheses. The firm-level data are collected through questionnaire survey and in-person interviews. The econometric results of both models confirms that the two types of learning economics contribute significantly both to the agglomeration of the early-stage electronics firms in the first place and to their subsequent expansion in the second place. All in all, both models suggest that the successfulness of a science park depends on the coordination of key players both within electronics industries and government agencies, universities, research institutions, and financial agencies, all of which are lubricated by a proactive park management team led by an official who knows and guides the processes of industrial agglomeration within his or her jurisdiction. However, one must note that these economics alone are insufficient to generate desirable results; rather, it is the whole-hearted long-term commitment by the local authorities to the provision of infrastructure that is the overwhelming determinant of science-park effectiveness.

Outmigration has been recognized as a major regional problem contributing to disparity in Agro-Manitoba. Since the 1960s, both the federal and provincial governments have attempted to solve this problem mainly through economic-oriented initiatives. These initiatives include the land and water resources programmes, not to speak of the agricultural and non-agricultural programmes. It has been the intention of governments to resolve the migration problem by stimulating regional economic growth. The latter, in turn, aims to narrow the gap in the level of development among the rural municipalities in Agro - Manitoba. However, despite more than two decades of governmental attention, regional disparity was still very much in evidence in 1981. This may reflect an absence of adequate understanding of the outmigration phenomenon. Therefore, the objective of this research is to examine the major determinants of outmigration for Agro-Manitoba in a longitudinal study through two time periods, 1961-1971 and 1971-1981, so as to shed light on future regional development planning for the 112 rural municipalities. Past studies indicated that outmigration is not only a result of economic, social and environmental forces, but it, too, affects regional economic growth in terms of the level of income and employment opportunities. Mutual interaction relationship between outmigration and regional growth has thus been well realised. If the real mechanism underlying outmigration is to be understood, then, the two-way interaction relationship ought to be examined, and that purpose has been accomplished in this thesis. Thus, a simultaneous-equations model which allows for the incorporation of the two-way interaction between outmigration and the regional growth variables is constructed for each time period. Outcomes of the model indicate that outmigration is a disequilibrium process, having the effect of widening regional disparity in the more recent period. This reaffirms the vital role of gov