cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evolving quorum sensing in digital organisms

For centuries it was thought that bacteria live asocial lives. However, recent discoveries show many species of bacteria communicate in order to perform tasks previously thought to be limited to multicellular organisms. Central to this capability is quorum sensing, whereby organisms detect cell density and use this information to trigger group behaviors. Quorum sensing is used by bacteria in the formation of biofilms, secretion of digestive enzymes and, in the case of pathogenic bacteria, release of toxins or other virulence factors. Indeed, methods to disrupt quorum sensing are currently being investigated as possible treatments for numerous diseases, including cystic fibrosis, epidemic cholera, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In this paper we demonstrate the evolution of a quorum sensing behavior in populations of digital organisms. Specifically, we show that digital organisms are capable of evolving a strategy to collectively suppress self-replication, when the population density reaches a specific, evolved threshold. We present the evolved genome of an organism exhibiting this behavior and analyze the collective operation of this "algorithm." Finally, through a set of experiments we demonstrate that the behavior scales to populations up to 400 times larger than those in which the behavior evolved.
Registration of ‘AP‐4’ Peanut

'AP-4' (Reg. No. CV-106, PI 654070) peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea) cultivar was developed by the University of Florida, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) near Marianna, FL. Tested under the experimental designation UF03325, AP-4 was approved for release in 2007. AP-4 was developed from a cross made in 1996 between a University of Florida breeding line (88 × OL3-HO6-) and the F 1 ('Andru 93' x F435-HO). Lines were advanced using single seed descent in the F 2 to F 4 generations and pedigree selection in the F 5 and F 6 generations. Seed from three F 7 plants were bulked to form the line later designated UF03325. AP-4 has larger-than-average runner-type seeds and pods. The average weight of 100 sound mature kernels of AP-4 was 71 g compared with 57 g for 'Georgia Green' (P < 0.0001), a typical runner-type cultivar. The prostrate growth habit of AP-4 is typical of runner-type peanut cultivars. Release of AP-4 was based on its pod yield and seed grade (total sound mature kernels [TSMK]). In 19 tests in Florida over 3 yr, the TSMK of AP-4 averaged 77% compared with 73% for 'AP-3' (P < 0.0001). AP-3 is most noted for its high level of resistance to spotted wilt caused by Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus, but low TSMK has restricted its acceptance among farmers. AP-4 has competitive pod yield potential and good resistance to spotted wilt. The improved TSMK of AP-4 should provide improved revenue compared to AP-3.
Schools, Education Policy, and the Future of the First Amendment

A democracy requires broad public support for freedom of expression. Individuals form persistent views about civil liberties and other political issues during adolescence. Many factors influence adolescents' opinions and beliefs, including what they learn and experience in schools. Therefore, schools' treatment of the Constitution and the press is important for the future of the First Amendment. In turn, state policies influence what schools teach and what extracurricular experiences they offer. This article estimates the impact of existing state policies and students' experiences on students' knowledge of, and attitudes toward, the First Amendment. A hierarchical linear model analysis of data from the Knight Foundation 2005 Future of the First Amendment survey, combined with data on state education policies, reveals that discussing the news media in class enhances students' attitudes and habits related to the free press. Also, when their teachers have required the use of news media in classes, students a...
H2-DMα−/− Mice Show the Importance of Major Histocompatibility Complex–Bound Peptide in Cardiac Allograft Rejection

The role played by antigenic peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules is evaluated with H2-DMα−/− mice. These mice have predominantly class II–associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP)-, not antigenic peptide–bound, MHC class II. H2-DMα−/− donor heart grafts survived three times longer than wild-type grafts and slightly longer than I-Aβb−/− grafts. Proliferative T cell response was absent, and cytolytic response was reduced against the H2-DMα−/− grafts in vivo. Residual cytolytic T cell and antibody responses against intact MHC class I lead to eventual rejection. Removal of both H2-DMα and β2-microglobulin (β2m) in cardiac grafts lead to greater (8–10 times) graft survival, whereas removal of β2m alone did not have any effect. These results demonstrate the significance of peptide rather than just allogeneic MHC, in eliciting graft rejection.
Type B Haemophilus influenzae-induced otitis media in the mouse.

To characterize the middle and inner ear cellular inflammatory responses to otitis media using im-munohistochemical methods, we inoculated type B Haemophilus influenzae into the middle ears of healthy adult BALB/c mice. Mac-1+ neutrophils and macrophages appeared in the middle ear at 3 days. Lyt-1+ T cells and Lyt-2+ T suppressor/cytotoxic cells entered the middle ear mucosa on days 7 and 14. IgG+ and IgM+ T cells were present at all time points, with IgA+ lymphocytes forming the majority of mucosal immunoglobulin-bearing cells at 2 weeks. The co-chlear scala tympani contained Lyt-1+ and Mac-1+ cells and two endolymphatic sacs stained diffusely with anti-IgA and -IgG antibodies. Lyt-1/L3T4+ T lymphocytes greatly outnumbered B lymphocytes, suggesting that helper/inducer T cells play a more important role in acute otitis media than has been recognized. Inner ear changes occurred after a single episode of otitis media.
Rapid method for the analysis of tobacco nicotine alkaloids

A rapid glass capillary gas chromatographic (GC) method for the analysis of the nicotine alkaloids of tobacco, including nicotine, nornicotine, myosmine, anabasine, anatabine and 2,3′-dipyridyl, was developed. The use of glass capillary GC methodology, coupled with nitrogen-specific detection, provided rapid, unambiguous alkaloid analysis. About 25 mg of cured tobacco and 1 ml of 0.05 M methanolic potassium hydroxide (containing the internal standard, 2,4′-dipyridyl) were placed in a standard 2-ml autosampler vial, and the vial was capped and placed in an ultrasonic bath for 15 min. A 1-μl volume was analyzed by glass capillary GC operating in the split-injection mode on a wall-coated Superox™-4 column. This simple procedure is compared with the previously reported Soxhlet extraction-packed column GC method and the Griffith still-colorimetric method. The application of the method for the analysis of alkaloids in various cured and green, budworm-resistant, tobaccos is discussed.
A resource-based perspective of developing organizational capabilities for business transformation

From a resource-based perspective, organizations are considered heterogenous in relation to their resources and capabilities. Resources and capabilities largely determine the competitiveness of the organization. Organizational capabilities are rooted in the ability of the organizations to reconfigure and recombine organizational resources. In a way, it is the interaction between resources and capabilities that becomes critical in providing sustaining advantages to the organizations. The pattern of interaction is mostly determined by an organization's foreground knowledge and background knowledge. Even though foreground knowledge can be easily imitated, replicated, and transferred, background knowledge remains elusive to imitation. In addition, imitating foreground knowledge may not be that important because for developing capabilities, foreground knowledge and background need to matched, reconfigured, and recombined. There are several ways through which organizations develop their capabilities. For example, routines set around technological systems are important in developing organizational capabilities, but technologies do not determine capabilities. It is the pattern of interaction between techniques, technology, and people that determine organizational capabilities. Therefore, despite the fact that technologies can be replicated and imitated, an organization may still not be able to develop worthwhile capabilities, because of its inability to comprehend and apply patterns of interactions that are likely to be the sources of sustaining advantages. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Particulars in Context: Maintaining a Balance in Soil Geography

A s society faces increasingly complex environmental and social problems, calls for integrative, interdisciplinary solutions are growing (e.g., Cairns 1993; Patten 1994; Lubchenco 1998). As participants in an integrative discipline, geographers have often considered themselves ideally situated to tackle these questions. "Geography has always been (and remains) a generalized-as opposed to a specialized discipline. Its viewpoint is one of broad understanding," states one introductory physical geography textbook (McKnight 1996: 3). Another emphasizes, "Geography is in a unique position to synthesize the environmental, spatial, and human aspects of all these concerns" (Christopherson 1997:5). We often make similar statements to our students or otherswhenever we need to explain our discipline to outsiders. But privately, among ourselves, we may question the veracity of these assertions. The bewildering multiplicity of subspecialties within geography makes communication across subdisciplinary boundaries difficult, and we wonder whether, as a discipline, we have carved up the world to such an extent that we have lost the right to make claims to synthesis or integration. Have we prodigally sold our integrative inheritance and run off to squander it on the glittering, reductionist high life? Behind these vague feelings of unease in the discipline lie valid methodological questions. In this paper, I discuss a few of the methodological implications from the vantage point of the subdiscipline of soil geography.I I argue that, despite the difficulties, we must strive to bridge the gap between subdisciplinary reductionist research, on the one hand, and society's real-world concerns on the other. I begin by describing two approaches to research in soil geography, the state-factor approach and the process-based approach. The tension between these two orientations embodies a key methodological issue in soil geography today. Next, I examine the relative merits of reductionism and synthesis in soil geography. I conclude by reflecting on the nature of disciplinary identity and the struggle of integrative disciplines like soil geography to maintain a balance between the particulars (i.e., research involving detailed scales in space and time) and their overall context (the broad-scale outlook generally considered "integrative").
Total quality management in the university: a quality code of honor

The concept of total quality management (TQM)—an operating philosophy to achieve continuous performance improvement—is the new ‘buzz-word’ of the 1990s, attracting strong interest among organizations and educational institutions in the US. Many decision- and policy-makers actually believe that TQM is operational in their organizations and do not attempt to understand how TQM differs from the traditional application of total quality assurance (TQA). Using the university system as an example, this paper examines the misperceptions that many administrators hold regarding the utilization of TQM in their institutions. In this paper, the authors develop an action–implementation process for TQM in the university environment (which can also be applied to non-academic institutions) and a conceptual map illustrating how to manage TQM transformation in a university.
How sleep affects the developmental learning of bird song

Sleep affects learning and development in humans and other animals, but the role of sleep in developmental learning has never been examined. Here we show the effects of night-sleep on song development in the zebra finch by recording and analysing the entire song ontogeny. During periods of rapid learning we observed a pronounced deterioration in song structure after night-sleep. The song regained structure after intense morning singing. Daily improvement in similarity to the tutored song occurred during the late phase of this morning recovery; little further improvement occurred thereafter. Furthermore, birds that showed stronger post-sleep deterioration during development achieved a better final imitation. The effect diminished with age. Our experiments showed that these oscillations were not a result of sleep inertia or lack of practice, indicating the possible involvement of an active process, perhaps neural song-replay during sleep. We suggest that these oscillations correspond to competing demands of plasticity and consolidation during learning, creating repeated opportunities to reshape previously learned motor skills.
Homegrown Kenya: the horticultural industry under fire on CSR

Title – Homegrown Kenya: the horticultural industry under fire on CSR.Subject area – Corporate social responsibility (CSR).Study level/applicability – The Homegrown case is designed for teaching corporate social responsibility and business ethics at undergraduate and graduate levels. The case may be used on a variety of courses including: corporate social responsibility, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, and business ethics.Case overview – In May 2003, the headline of the East African newspaper screamed “The Kenyan Horticultural Industry under fire.” The industry was accused of exploitative labor policies with respect to working conditions, workers' welfare, sexual harassment, and exposure to harmful pesticides by the key stakeholders led by the Kenya Human Rights Commission. The stakeholders had announced plans to conduct national and international campaigns against the flower growing and exporting companies in Kenya. Mr Richard Fox, the Managing Director of Homegrown was worried that ...
Improvement in the electro-optic response of PDLC films (Invited Paper)

We have investigated two approaches to improving the electro-optic performance of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films. One involves using a partially fluorinated epoxy based thermoset to serve as the PDLC binding matrix. Results indicate that this causes an enhanced phase separation of the liquid crystal which leads to significant changes in the contrast ratio and fall time of a PDLC film. The other approach involves using duel frequencies to enhance the electro-optic performance of another type of PDLC film. Studies suggest that the hysteresis effect can be minimized and the overall control of the electro-optic response can be greatly increased by adding a second high frequency component to the PDLC driving voltage.
The type III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa : infection by injection

Pseudomonas aeruginosauses a type III secretion system to proliferate within the host. Here, Alan Hauser describes the regulation of the formation of this secretion system, the components that allow the transfer of effectors into the host and the activity of these effectors. The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses a complex type III secretion apparatus to inject effector proteins into host cells. The configuration of this secretion machinery, the activities of the proteins that are injected by it and the consequences of this process for infection are now being elucidated. This Review summarizes our current knowledge of P. aeruginosa type III secretion, including the secretion and translocation machinery, the regulation of this machinery, and the associated chaperones and effector proteins. The features of this interesting secretion system have important implications for the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa infections and for other type III secretion systems.
Documentation standards for beginning students

The importance of writing programs that are readable has finally gained preeminence in the struggle with such competing and contradictory goals as “cuteness” and “optimization” of code. As a result, a much greater stress on documentation standards is found in computer science education these days. Industry and government standards for documentation are being more widely adhered to and certain points of agreement have emerged. Some excellent books have been written that cover the subject (Van Tassel, 1974; Ledgard, 1975; Kernighan & Plauger, 1974); however it is safe to say that both the exhaustive treatment of the subject in such publications and the extremely high standards proposed probably preclude wholesale adoption by instructors of beginning level programming courses. What is proposed here is a set of common sense, scaled down documentation standards for the student in a first programming course in, say, FORTRAN, PL/I, ALGOL, or Basic.The following represents an amalgam of documentation requirements achieved as a result of teaching introductory programming to college students for nine years. The actual sources have been the literature, colleagues, and last but not least, experience. They are not intended to represent an “only” or “best” approach; the author has recently encountered other efforts in this direction that must surely be as reasonable and effective. It does represent one educator's approach; it is sufficiently scaled down so that one might reasonably expect to use it as a standard for beginning students; and it may be most useful as a contributor of components to be integrated into a more effective set of standards.The basics of documentation and readable programming include comments, meaningful variable names, labelled output, flowcharts, and clear program flow. The major components of and basic rules for each of these categories will be presented in the context of the needs and limitations of the beginning student.
Temporal frequency discrimination above threshold

Temporal frequency discrimination was measured above threshold with a two-alternative spatial forced-choice procedure. Stimuli were two 1 deg homogeneous fields modulated around a mean luminance of 3.7 log trolands. Observers determined which of the two stimuli was modulated at a higher frequency. To avoid differences in apparent modulation depth as a cue for discrimination, all stimuli were matched in apparent modulation depth to an 11 Hz standard that was 0.5 log units above its threshold. Adaptation, caused by repeated presentation of suprathreshold stimuli, was avoided by using a 15 sec inter-trial interval. The relative difference thresholds (Δff) were a non-monotonic function of frequency. Discrimination was best near 1.5, 4.0 and 30.0 Hz (Δff= 0.08) and worst near 20.0 Hz (Δff= 0.50). Control experiments showed that the improvement in discrimination beyond 20.0 Hz was not an artifact of mismatches in apparent modulation depth. These results demonstrate the existence of multiple channels sensitive to different ranges of temporal frequency.
Mass Spectrometric Sampling of a Liquid Surface by Nanoliter Droplet Generation from Bursting Bubbles and Focused Acoustic Pulses: Application to Studies of Interfacial Chemistry

The complex chemistry occurring at the interface between liquid and vapor phases contributes significantly to the dynamics and evolution of numerous chemical systems of interest, ranging from damage to the human lung surfactant layer to the aging of atmospheric aerosols. This work presents two methodologies to eject droplets from a liquid water surface and analyze them via mass spectrometry. In bursting bubble ionization (BBI), droplet ejection is achieved via the formation of a jet following bubble rupture at the surface of a liquid to yield 250 μm diameter droplets (10 nL volume). In interfacial sampling by an acoustic transducer (ISAT), droplets are produced by focusing pulsed piezoelectric transducer-generated acoustic waves at the surface of a liquid, resulting in the ejection of droplets of 100 μm in diameter (500 pL volume). In both experimental methodologies, ejected droplets are aspirated into the inlet of the mass spectrometer, resulting in the facile formation of gas-phase ions. We demonstrate the ability of this technique to readily generate spectra of surface-active analytes, and we compare the spectra to those obtained by electrospray ionization. Charge measurements indicate that the ejected droplets are near-neutral (<0.1% of the Rayleigh limit), suggesting that gas-phase ion generation occurs in the heated transfer capillary of the instrument in a mechanism similar to thermospray or sonic spray ionization. Finally, we present the oxidation of oleic acid by ozone as an initial demonstration of the ability of ISAT-MS to monitor heterogeneous chemistry occurring at a planar water/air interface.
“Esta página me recordó”: Young Latinas Using Personal Life Stories as Tools for Meaning-Making

Because schools place such high importance on text-based analysis often devoid of opportunities to draw on home knowledge, diverse ways of making meaning from books are often ignored. This qualitative study of a bilingual second-grade classroom examined the manner in which four young Latina students told stories about their life experiences in order to make meaning from the books they read for literature discussions. The findings illuminate that the stories told by the young Latinas were told for specific purposes; to make sense of their own and others' life's experiences, as responses to questions, connections to texts, and connections to each other. The study speaks to the necessity to include children's talk in all classrooms, particularly those with a high Latino population.
Organ transplantation in an era of economic constraint: Liver transplantation as a case study

A L T H O U G H EFFORTS to reform the health care system have fallen on hard times, the issues that spurred contemporary debate remain unresolved. 1-3 Although th~ annual rate of increase has decreased, health care expenditures reached approximately $1 trillion in 1994. While hope springs eternal, there is still cause for concern. As a society, we have responded to the symptoms of an impending catastrophe, but we have not addressed the root cause that made health care reform a social issue. Over time, people soon recognized that the reform of our health care system had a significant expense, a price few people, including employers, were willing to bear. What people realized in the end, is what they should have known all along: it was impossible to insure the uninsured, expand health care benefits, and aggressively pursue technological innovation, without substantially increasing total health care expenditures. 4-6 Even preventive health care initiatives, despite their intuitive appeai, are costly; rarely do they decrease health care expenditures. It is against this backdrop that we now consider liver transplantation. Significant changes have begun to take place in the health care delivery system: Whereas the Clinton Administration endorsed managed competition as the preferred strategy, employers and third-party payers were more impressed with a less-radical a l ternat ive--managed care. 7-m If change was necessary, those persons and organizations most affected were inclined to endorse an alternative that was less extensive and more familiar than managed competition. Managed care had the necessary assets and the fewest disincentives. By networking providers, and selectively contracting based on quality and price, traditional third-party payers and managed-care plans have settled on an approach to control the costs and assure the quality of expensive medical and surgical procedures. Often mistakenly referred to as "centers of excellence," designated centers for transplantation at tempt to balance economic goals with quality concerns. 1~-17 A1though the approach does not usually diminish the significance of quality relative to price, critics often refer to transplant centers of excellence as "centers of discount." This accentuates a fear that, in the end, quality is truly relative to price. Unfortunately, health policy anecdotes, much like clinical anecdotes, are neither valid nor generalizable. Many transplant networks are composed of excellent transplant programs and, most importantly, their excellence is not necessarily compromised by the price of their services. While there are reasons clinicians should be fearful of managed care, there are many experiences that underscore the value of the approach. As defined by the Physician Payment Review Commission (PPRC), managed care is:
Inhibition of ion absorption in oat roots: comparison of diethylstilbestrol and oligomycin

Abstract The effects of diethylstilbestrol (DES) and oligomycin, inhibitors of ion absorption in animal cells, on the energetics of ion absorption in oat roots were compared. Both compounds inhibited K+ and Cl− absorption in excised roots and oxidative phosphorylation in isolated mitochondria. DES inhibited a plasma membrane ATPase that is involved with ion absorption but did not inhibit the mitochondrial ATPase, whereas, oligomycin inhibited the mitochondrial ATPase but inhibited the plasma membrane ATPase only slightly. These results show that both compounds inhibit ion absorption by affecting ATP metabolism. Decreases in ATP production (oxidative phosphorylation) and ATP utilization (plasma membrane ATPase) account for the inhibition by DES. However, oligomycin does not affect the plasma membrane ATPase, and thus the mechanism of action of oligomycin is probably restricted to inhibition of ATP production. This is the first report that DES inhibits ion absorption in plant cell. The compound appears to inhibits ion absorption in oat roots by the same mechanism as in animal cells.
Competition in Medical Services and the Quality of Care: Concepts and History

This paper reviews the concept of optimal quality in medical care from an economic viewpoint. It also provides some data on recent trends in competition in the health care sector. Economically optimal quality reflects a tradeoff of marginal benefits against (minimized) marginal cost. Actual quality may be suboptimal either because of technical inefficiency in the production of quality or because consumers fail to make proper choices. In concept, competition, if supplemented by adequate information, can help. Overall competition in the hospital industry has declined modestly in recent years, but competition in markets for more generously reimbursed specific services, such as coronary artery bypass grafting, has increased.
Conventional Shoulder Arthroplasty in the Athlete

Humeral head replacement and total shoulder arthroplasty are successful procedures for improving pain and function for patients with glenohumeral arthritis and intact rotator cuff. Shoulder replacement is becoming more commonplace in younger patients and in an elderly population, with increasing numbers participating in sports. Therefore, many patients have greater expectations of postoperative function, including return to athletics. Before surgery, it is important to counsel the patient regarding the types of activities that are safe and those that are not recommended. Patient expectations can also be managed by evaluating the preoperative level of function and the cause of the glenohumeral arthritis. In general, patients with greater athletic aptitude before surgery will have an easier time returning to sports. Postoperatively, the rehabilitation program is designed to first restore range of motion and improve function in activities of daily living. At 3 months postoperatively, the rehabilitation program becomes more individualized for each patient and sports-specific training is allowed. Performing lesser tuberosity osteotomy when repairing the subscapularis might allow for more reliable healing and greater function after surgery. Ultimately, patient satisfaction with the outcome of shoulder replacement is dependent on a combination of preoperative expectations for athletic participation after surgery and postoperative subjective assessment of symptoms and function.
Generating desirable sampling plans by the technique of trade-off in experimental design

Abstract It is known that fixed size sampling plans with uniform inclusion probability for individual units and for pairs provide a nonnegative variance estimate for the Horvitz-Thompson estimator of the population total. Using some results in the theory of design of experiments as well as the theory of trade-off, we give a method for designing surveys for which the uniformity condition on the pairs is relaxed. A practical usefulness of this result is indicated.
Assessment of monocyte derived dendritic cell phenotype upon biomaterial contact in vitro

Immune response remains a concern associated with the successful integration of tissue engineered device into living systems. Upon implantation, both living and non-living device components elicit a specific immune and a nonspecific inflammatory response, respectively. We hypothesize that biomaterial contact is a maturation stimulus for dendritic cells (DC), the antigen presenting cells that activate T cells and initiate adaptive immunity. Maturation of DC was reconstituted by culturing human blood monocytes with GM-CSF and IL-4 to induce differentiation into immature DC (iDC). iDC were then treated with 4 /spl mu/m poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid microparticles (PLGA MP), or with LPS to yield mature DC (mDC) as positive control. Cell morphology and surface phenotype were monitored as a function of time. On day 10, biomaterial- treated cells morphologically most closely resembled mDC with dendritic processes. In contrast and as expected, monocytes/macrophages did not exhibit processes and expressed high levels of CD14. mDC expressed high levels of costimulatory and MHC molecules compared to iDC. Our preliminary results show that biomaterial microparticles were phagocytosed, and the level of costimulatory and MHC molecules expression by biomaterial- treated cells was between that expressed by iDC and mDC.
Comparison of Average Performance of GPS Discriminators in Multipath

Signal multipath in GPS leads to undesirable tracking errors and inaccurate ranging information. The extent of the tracking error in compromising the receiver performance depends on the multipath amplitude, delay, and phase relative to the direct path. The coherent discriminator and the noncoherent early-minus-late power discriminator offer different tracking accuracy and sensitivity to multipath parameters. In this paper, we develop analytical expressions of the average performance of the two discriminators over the multipath phase distribution and other propagation channel variables.
Corruption in Africa – Part 1

As Africans struggled against colonial exploitation, there was near universal agreement among the freedom fighters and other nationalists that one of the most important determinants of poverty in the colonies was the control of the instruments of economic and political governance by foreign interlopers, all of whose objectives were in conflict with those of the Africans. Colonial institutional arrangements were primarily instruments for the exploitation of Africans and their resources. Europeans came to Africa to maximize metropolitan objectives and hence, established within each colony, institutional arrangements that enhanced their ability to exploit Africans and their resources for the benefit of the metropolitan economies. With their comparative advantage in the employment of military and police force, the Europeans were able to impose on the African colonies laws and institutions that enhanced their objectives but significantly impoverished Africans. Hence, independence was considered critical not only to the elimination of the psychological effects of foreign occupation but also to the empowerment of Africans and the enhancement of their ability to take full control of their governance systems. First, independence was expected to expel the European interlopers from the continent and allow the in-coming African leaders to rid their societies of the exploitative, despotic and non-democratic institutions that had been brought to the colonies by the Europeans. In the post-independence period, Africans were expected to have full control of their own destiny, allocate their own resources, and generally take responsibility for the design and implementation of policies affecting their own welfare. Second, the new leaders were then expected to engage all relevant stakeholder groups in each country in democratic constitution making to develop and adopt locally focused, participatory, inclusive and politically and economically relevant institutional arrangements. Finally, Africa’s post-independence leaders were expected to use public policy as an instrument for the effective eradication of mass poverty and deprivation.
Direct mapping of deformation in punch indentation and correlation with slip line fields

Deformation field parameters in plane-strain indentation of a perfectly plastic solid with a punch have been mapped using particle image velocimetry, a correlation-based image analysis technique. Measurements of velocity and strain rate over a large area have shown that the deformation resembles that of the slip line field of Prandtl. A zone of dead metal is found to exist underneath the indenter adjoining which is a transition region of material flow similar to the centered-fan region in the slip line field. Shear bands demarcate the boundaries of these deformation regions. The observations suggest that a representative strain rate may be assigned to the indentation. By integrating the strain rate field along particle trajectories, the strains in the indentation region have been estimated. The strain values are seen to be large, 0.5 to 4, over a region extending to about twice the indenter half-width. A pocket of large strain, ∼4, is found to exist close to the edge of the indenter–specimen contact. Prandtl’s slip line field is modified based on the observations and used to estimate the strain field. The measurements of the deformation parameters are found to compare mostly favorably with the predictions of the slip line field and prior observations of indentation. The implications of these findings for analysis and interpretation of indentation hardness are briefly discussed.
A primal-dual approximation algorithm for the Steiner forest problem

Given an undirected graph with nonnegative edge-costs, a subset of nodes of size k called the terminals, and an integer q between 1 and k, the minimum q-Steiner forest problem is to find a forest of minimum cost with at most q trees that spans all the terminals. When q = 1, we have the classical minimum-cost Steiner tree problem on networks. We adapt a primal-dual approximation algorithm for the latter problem due to Agrawal, Klein and Ravi to provide one for the former. The algorithm runs in time 0 (n log n + m ) and outputs a solution of cost at most 2 ( 1 - l/ (k - q + 1) ) times the value of a lower bound on the cost of any solution. Here n and m denote respectively the number of nodes and edges in the input graph.
Ten Ways to Enhance the Effectiveness of Repeated Readings

Many students struggle academically because of their persistent reading problems. Active student responding is a practice that has been demonstrated to improve student achievement with a variety of important skills, including reading. One form of active student responding effective for increasing reading performance is repeated readings. When students are provided frequent opportunities to orally read text, they make significant gains in fluency. Based on the reading fluency literature, this article provides practitioners with suggestions for making repeated readings more effective.
KINESTHETIC COMPENSATION FOR MISALIGNMENT OF TELEOPERATOR CONTROLS THROUGH CROSS-MODAL TRANSFER OF MOVEMENT COORDINATES

When a teleoperation system's remote image sensor is oriented so as to misalign the display coordinates in which the user must operate, control difficulties arise. Users then must learn to compensate for a rotational sensorimotor rearrangement. A new compensation technique is proposed in which the hand not used for control provides a kinesthetic cue to the rotation. In essence, the cueing hand provides a kinesthetic reference for the movement of the controlling hand. Users then make their control movements relative to their kinesthetic sense of the cueing hand's orientation. Experiments show that this technique can reduce control disturbances for some misalignments by up to 64%.
Self-focusing and self-defocusing by cascaded second-order effects in KTP.

We monitor the induced phase change produced by a cascaded χ(2):χ(2) process in KTP near the phase-matching angle on a picosecond 1.06-μm-wavelength beam using the Z-scan technique. This nonlinear refraction is observed to change sign as the crystal is rotated through the phase-match angle in accordance with theory. This theory predicts the maximum small-signal effective nonlinear refractive index of n2eff≅±2×10−14 cm2/W (±1 × 10−11 esu) for an angle detuning of ±5° from phase match for this 1-mm-thick crystal with a measured deff of 3.1 pm/V For a fixed phase mismatch, this n2eff scales linearly with length and as deff2; however, for the maximum n2eff the nonlinear phase distortion becomes sublinear with irradiance for phase shifts near π/4.
Brain Mechanisms Underlying Urge Incontinence and its Response to Pelvic Floor Muscle Training

Purpose: Urge urinary incontinence is a major problem, especially in the elderly, and to our knowledge the underlying mechanisms of disease and therapy are unknown. We used biofeedback assisted pelvic floor muscle training and functional brain imaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to investigate cerebral mechanisms, aiming to improve the understanding of brain-bladder control and therapy.Materials and Methods: Before receiving biofeedback assisted pelvic floor muscle training functionally intact, older community dwelling women with urge urinary incontinence as well as normal controls underwent comprehensive clinical and bladder diary evaluation, urodynamic testing and brain functional magnetic resonance imaging. Evaluation was repeated after pelvic floor muscle training in those with urge urinary incontinence. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was done to determine the brain reaction to rapid bladder filling with urgency.Results: Of 65 subjects with urge urinary incontinence 28 responded to ...
The Value of Pollinators and Pollinator Habitat to Rangelands: Connections Among Pollinators, Insects, Plant Communities, Fish, and Wildlife

The Value of Pollinators and Pollinator Habitat to Rangelands: Connections Among Pollinators, Insects, Plant Communities, Fish, and Wildlife DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v33i3_gilgert
Housing Types in Webster County, Nebraska 1870–1920

Editor's Note: Due to the length of the article “Housing Types in Webster County, Nebraska 1870–1920,” and the decision by the editorial committee to publish it in its entirety, the introduction and section I & II are being printed in this issue. Part III and the conclusion will be printed in Vol. 8, Number 2, Fall 1982, of JIDER. We regret any inconvenience that this decision may bring to our readers. The first settlers arrived in Webster County, Nebraska in the spring of 1870. In recent years due to the current recognition of the early writings of Willa Cather (1873–1947), Webster County has come to stand as the prototype of the pioneer settlement of the plains. However, a casual look by the traveler at other Nebraska locations indicates that housing in Webster County is typical of early housing in other parts of the state. The original study of Webster County housing was partially funded by the Nebraska State Historical Society, The Center for Great Plains Studies and the patrons of the Webster County Historical Museum.
Nitric oxide decreases lung injury after intestinal ischemia

Terada, Lance S., Nancy N. Mahr, and Eugene D. Jacobson.Nitric oxide decreases lung injury after intestinal ischemia.J. Appl. Physiol. 81(6): 2456–2460, 1996.—After injury to a primary organ, media...
High level expression of angiopoietin-2 in human abscesses

Abscesses are common sequelae of infections which can occur in any organ or tissue. The cardinal feature of an abscess is central necrosis, surrounded by a highly inflamed pseudocapsule, which is responsible for the sensation of induration around the necrotic area. Clinically, abscesses are significant because they are resistant to antibiotics and require physical drainage in order to resolve. While abscesses are common, the events leading to abscess formation are not fully understood. Recent advances in angiogenesis may account for the cardinal features of abscesses, namely central necrosis and pseudocapsule formation. We performed in situ hybridization on 5 paraffin fixed abscess tissues for two major angiogenesis factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2). We found high level expression of ANG-2 in abscess walls. High level expression of ANG-2 may account for the vascular leak of the pseudocapsule of an abscess. Overcoming this vascular leak may facilitate antibiotic treatment of abscesses. Abscesses on 5 patients were incised and drained using a 4 mm punch. The specimens were fixed in formalin and subjected to in situ hybridization for VEGF and ANG-2 according to the method of McLaughlin et al1. At least two of the drained abscesses were caused by methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). All lesions (5) demonstrated high level expression of ANG-2 in the wall of the abscesses, especially in association with endothelium (Figure 1). VEGF expression was barely noticeable by ISH (data not shown). Figure 1
Flexibility in Small Manufacturing Firms and Regional Industrial Formations

YOUNG R. C., FRANCIS J. D. and YOUNG C. H. (1994) Flexibility in small manufacturing firms and regional industrial formations, Reg. Studies 28, 27–38. Two surveys in different regions of New York State found that most firms were flexible. They did custom work, used computerized processing and changed or innovated products. However, most of the firms sold to larger manufacturing firms and few to retail trade. Thus, the flexibility was being used to make the core industries of the region more efficient and helping them weather the recession. Large firms were not being replaced by small. YOUNG R. C., FRANCIS J. D. et YOUNG C. H. (1994) La flexibilite sien des petites entreprises manufacturieres et les regroupements industriels regionaux, Reg. Studies 28, 27–38. A partir de deux enquetes menees dans des zones differentes de l'etat de New York il s'est avere que la plupart des entreprises etaient flexibles. Elles travaillaient sur commande, utilisaient des procedes assistes par ordinateur et changeaient la gam...
Spatial and temporal patterns of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence during leaf canopy development in transgenic oilseed rape, Brassica napus L.

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) holds promise as a field-level transgene marker. One obstacle to the use of GFP is fluorescence variability observed within leaf canopies. In growth chamber and field experiments, GFP fluorescence in transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus) was shown to be variable at each leaf position over time and among different leaves on the same plant. A leaf had its highest GFP fluorescence after emergence and, subsequently, its fluorescence intensity decreased. GFP fluorescence intensity was directly correlated with the concentration of soluble protein. The concentration of the genetically linked recombinant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cry1Ac endotoxin protein also was examined, and GFP fluorescence was positively correlated with Bt throughout development. The results show that GFP can be used as an accurate transgene marker but that aspects of plant developmental should be taken into account when interpreting fluorescence measurements.
Resveratrol has antiinflammatory and antifibrotic effects in the peptidoglycan‐polysaccharide rat model of Crohn's disease

Background Resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects. Resveratrol decreases proliferation and collagen synthesis by intestinal smooth muscle cells. We hypothesized that resveratrol would decrease inflammation and fibrosis in an animal model of Crohn's disease.
Economic Impact of Failed or Delayed Primary Repair of Bladder Exstrophy: Differences in Cost of Hospitalization

Purpose: Patients with bladder exstrophy and failed primary newborn closure or who undergo delayed primary repair have suboptimal functional outcomes. We sought to determine whether these patients also have costlier, more resource intensive hospitalizations compared to patients who undergo neonatal primary closure.Materials and Methods: We reviewed hospital coding records to identify patients who underwent surgical repair of classic bladder exstrophy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1997 and 2006, and obtained charge records for each hospitalization. Total hospital charges (excluding professional fees) were inflation adjusted to year 2005 dollars. Cases were identified as newborn primary repair, delayed primary repair or reclosure of failed prior repair.Results: Results of classic exstrophy repair were analyzed in 80 patients. A total of 34 procedures were newborn primary repairs, 15 were delayed primary repairs and 31 were reclosures of failed prior repair. All of the patients undergoing delayed pri...
Enabling gigabit network access to end users

To achieve innovative network architectures capable of delivering high-speed data transfers to end users, considerable efforts have been invested in minimizing or eliminating the bottlenecks that exist in high-speed network environments. These bottlenecks exist primarily at two levels, namely, network data transmission to the end system and data delivery within the end system to the user. For wired networks, improvements in fiber optic technologies have shifted the bottleneck from the underlying physical network to the end system. However, wireless networks still face obstacles at both levels to achieving high, end-to-end performance data delivery, particularly at gigabit per second rates. We first present current wireless communication technologies aimed at delivering gigabit per second transmission rates to end systems. We then investigate the bottleneck at the end system by exploring experimentally the performance benefits of a network interface architecture designed to enable high-performance, low-latency applications using minimal host resources. We compare the performance of our network interface architecture with the traditional one, using commodity PCs connected by gigabit per second local area networks running protocols such as TCP/IP and UDP/IP. We argue that such a network interface architecture can eliminate the bottlenecks prevalent in current end systems and, consequently, enables users to reap the full benefits of the high-speed networks available today.