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In recent years, the economic development world has come to recognize the pivotal role entrepreneurship plays in increasing a region's economic prosperity. Entrepreneurial approaches to economic development such as “economic gardening,” first introduced in the City of Littleton, Colorado, focus on the important role that timely, reliable, and actionable business information plays in the success of small and growing local businesses. This approach to economic development provides public and university libraries with a unique opportunity to play an important role in their communities by supporting the business information needs of local entrepreneurs. This article addresses some of the successes and challenges that have arisen in the implementation of a pilot economic gardening project involving several libraries and business service entities in two communities in rural Michigan.

The accelerated growth of the creative economy poses two problems for policy analysts.The first is the disconnect that exists between the use of conventional economic accounting tools used to capture skills and innovations in quantitative ways, and the qualitative essence of the creativity itself. The second problem is the tendency to examine and portray the creative economy in theoretical terms rather than through empirical studies, which creates an artificial basis for policy design. In this article, ‘relational mapping’ is outlined as an alternative empirical model and as a possible solution to both sets of problems. Relational mapping portrays the creative economy as a system of relations between workers and networks, which represent the principal creative spaces through which creative enterprise takes hold. In categorizing the creative economy in this way, it is possible to uncover new patterns and regularities in creative practices, which open up new avenues of enquiry. As an example, a relational map of arts-based organizations and networks operating in the West Midlands, United Kingdom is examined here, which magnifies the importance of underground scenes in creative economic activities, and from which it is possible to conceive of an upperground, middleground and underground of creative spaces taking hold and driving creativity in different ways.

A variety of foreign agents, including environmental chemicals, food additives, natural food constituents, and pharmaceuticals, enter the body every day. Many of these compounds must undergo metabolism by specific enzymes within the body to facilitate their clearance. The most important of the enzyme systems, which is found in the liver, includes the cytochrome P-450 dependent mixed function oxidase, as well as several conjugation enzymes, including sulfotransferase, glucuronyl transferase, and glutathione-S-transferase. The balance of the reactions determines the rate of metabolism and clearance of the agents, as well as the degree of intracellular damage or toxicity. Specific dietary factors, such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, affect the efficiency of these reactions.

Medications can affect, and be affected by, nutrition. The interactions between drugs and various components in the diet are in part responsible for the erratic drug responses observed in patients. Because of the diversity of food consumption patterns among individuals and the widespread use of drugs, an array of varied and complicated side effects can occur. When vitamins, minerals, or other food components alter drug utilization or when drugs induce nutritional deficiencies, the effect poses a risk to the patient. Drugs can also affect many nutrition-related factors, such as appetite, taste acuity, and gastrointestinal function. Dietary habits or metabolic changes should be examined carefully and evaluated in any patient who unexpectedly gains or loses weight while taking drugs. Medicated patients need to be aware of good nutrition practices and to understand the importance of dietary modifications associated with certain diseases. A nutritious diet not only makes an important contribution to the health of those individuals but also reduces the risk of nutrition disorders or altered drug efficacy. Nutrition counseling should be considered for medicated patients to help them make rational decisions about their food choices.