Digital Commons Network^™

Should Our Prophetic Schema Be Revised?, Roland R. Hegstad

Perspective Digest

No abstract provided.

Post·Hum·An·Ous, C. Jason Smith, Geoff Klock, Ximena Gallardo-C.

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The Death of the Human is in many ways one of those characteristic intellectual bids for attention, in the vein of Lacan's Woman does not exist or Baudrillard's the Gulf War never happened. Flashy and rhetorically misleading, such assertions nevertheless create a discursive space in what otherwise appears to be a closed, natural(ized) system. Posthumanism, like any other movement or -ism, is difficult to introduce, first and foremost, because of this kind of rhetoric: its first infiltrating tactic is to call the time of death on the current age. Perhaps the most salient example of this self-defined loss …

A Theoretical Analysis Of Long-Term Bisphosphonate Effects On Trabecular Bone Volume And Microdamage, Jeffry S. Nyman, Oscar C. Yeh, Scott J. Hazelwood, R. Bruce Martin

Biomedical Engineering

Bisphosphonates increase bone mass and reduce fracture risk, but their anti-resorptive action may lead to increases in fatigue microdamage. To investigate how bisphosphonate effects influence changes in bone volume and microdamage in the long term, a strain-adaptive model of bone remodeling and microdamage balance was developed for a continuum-level volume of postmenopausal trabecular bone by invoking Frost's mechanostat hypothesis. Both disuse and fatigue microdamage were assumed to stimulate the activation frequency of basic multicellular units (BMUs) such that bone remodeling served to remove excess bone mass and microdamage. Bisphosphonate effects were simulated as follows: low, intermediate, high, or complete suppression …

Teaching Texts Materially: The Ends Of Nella Larsen’S Passing, John K. Young

English Faculty Research

The author suggests that attending to the publishing history of Larsen’s novel and the resulting indeterminacy of its ending(s) offers a concrete example of a materially oriented pedagogy that can illuminate the racial politics behind textual production and its relation to particular historical and cultural moments. He suggests that such a pedagogy offers both another way of understanding the textual contingency emphasized in contemporary theory and a way of further opening up questions of textuality and meaning for students.

'Who Are You?': Alien/Woman As Posthuman Subject In Alien Resurrection, Ximena Gallardo C.

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Editors' Introduction]

Traditionally considered a monster in outer space series, the four films comprising the Alien saga: Alien, Aliens, Alien³, and Alien Resurrection, contain a vision of the Alien creature as an agent of human evolution that, taken to its logical extreme in Alien Resurrection, produce an uncommon posthuman subject: the Alien/Woman protagonist named Ripley. In the following article, Ximena Gallardo C. explores the introduction of the series' conception of human evolution through fusion with the Alien as a driving theme in Alien. It then briefly follows through Aliens and Alien^{3, …}

Review Of The Sheep Look Up, By John Brunner, Davin Heckman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Toward A Posthuman Ethics, Dongshin Yi

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Editor's Introduction]

Setting a posthuman ethics as a goal toward which the collaboration of posthumanism and ethics must move, Yi in his essay, Toward a Posthuman Ethics, points out that the collaboration is detained because current debates on the cyborg harbor on the question of representations and consider how political, social and cultural problems of the human are reconfigured, and possibly resolved, by the cyborg. Thus, the debates are bound to be retrospective in approach and circular in direction, as they fail to recognize new possibilities that the cyborg may present. Arguing that the failure indicates the cyborg is being …

The Infinite Plasticity Of The Digital: Posthuman Possibilities, Embodiment And Technology In William Gibson's Interstitial Trilogy, Tama Leaver

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Editors' Introduction]

Ever since William Gibson coined the term cyberspace in his debut novel Neuromancer, his work has been seen by many as a yardstick for postmodern and, more recently, posthuman possibilities. This article critically examines Gibson's second trilogy (Virtual Light, Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties), focusing on the way digital technologies and identity intersect and interact, with particular emphasis on the role of embodiment. Using the work of Donna Haraway, Judith Butler and N. Katherine Hayles, it is argued that while William Gibson's second trilogy is infused with posthuman possibilities, the role of embodiment is …

A Cost Effective Approach To Taxonomic Resolution For Bioassessment And Monitoring Programs In The State Of Georgia, Jodi Alene Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The Georgia Ecoregions Reference Sites Project has developed biological criteria for streams in Georgia according to the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols For Wadeable Streams and Rivers. Streams will ultimately be classified into categories of impairment so that management decisions can be made in accordance with the Clean Water Act. A cost-effective approach to accomplish mandates set forth by the Clean Water Act must be employed, as state budgets are limited. One means of examining costs is to assess taxonomic resolution. Taxonomic resolution not only assesses the sensitivity of biocriteria, it also allows one to make recommendations to state agencies regarding the …

The Occurrence And Control Of Disinfection By-Products (Dbps) In Two Water Treatment Plants Utilizing The Same Source, Sam George Khoury

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) on the operation and design of water treatment plants has been increasing since the early studies by Rook on trihalomethanes (THMs) (Stevens, 1977). Work conducted in the 1980s identified the existence of nonvolatile halogenated organics (non-THM organics), of which the majority produced by chlorination were haloacetic acids (HAAs), within the HAAs, dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) were the dominant members. Concern over potential health effect led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for total THMs and HAAs. The disinfectant/disinfection by-product rule (D-DBP Rule) currently proposed …

Sadb Is Required For The Transition From Reversible To Irreversible Attachment During Biofilm Formation By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pa14, Nicky C. Caiazza, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

Current models of biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa propose that (i) planktonic cells become surface associated in a monolayer, (ii) surface-associated cells form microcolonies by clonal growth and/or aggregation, (iii) microcolonies transition to a mature biofilm comprised of exopolysaccharide-encased macrocolonies, and (iv) cells exit the mature biofilm and reenter the planktonic state. Here we report a new class of P. aeruginosa biofilm mutant that defines the transition from reversible to irreversible attachment and is thus required for monolayer formation. The transposon insertion carried by the sadB199 mutant was mapped to open reading frame PA5346 of P. aeruginosa PA14 and encodes …

Activation Of The Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway Contributes To Survival Of Primary Epithelial Cells Infected With The Periodontal Pathogen Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Özlem Yilmaz, Thomas Jungas, Philippe Verbeke, David M. Ojcius

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Porphyromonas gingivalis, an important periodontal pathogen, infects primary gingival epithelial cells (GECs). Despite the large number of bacteria that replicate inside the GECs, the host cell remains viable. We demonstrate that P. gingivalis triggers rapid and reversible surface phosphatidylserine exposure through a mechanism requiring caspase activation. However, after 1 day of infection, the bacteria no longer induce phosphatidylserine externalization and instead protect infected cells against apoptosis. Infection exerts its effect at the level of mitochondria, as P. gingivalis also blocks depolarization of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and cytochrome c release. Interestingly, protein kinase B/Akt is phosphorylated during infection, which can …

Britain's Role In U.S. Missile Defense, Jeremy Stocker Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

America's European allies, especially Britain, have frequently been concerned by the wider implications of U.S. repeated efforts to develop and deploy missile defense. The United Kingdom is host to one of three Ballistic Missile Early Warning Stations (BMEWS) and to the European ground station for the Space-Based Infra-Red System (SBIRS), both vital elements in U.S. missile defense architecture. Britain also has a long record of technological cooperation in missile defense. Britons do not share American concerns about North Korea, and are not prepared to view China as a long-term strategic competitor requiring a BMD response. The UK is progressively shedding …

U.S. Army War College Guide To National Security Policy And Strategy, 1st Edition, J. Boone Bartholomees Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Although the Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College, uses several of the chapters in this volume as readings for its core course "War, National Policy and Strategy," this is not a textbook. It does reflect, however, both the method and manner used to teach strategy formulation to America's future senior leaders. However, the book is not a comprehensive or exhaustive treatment of either strategy or the policymaking process. It is organized in broad groups of chapters addressing general subject areas. We begin with a look at some specific issues about the general security environment—largely international. The …

Genetic Divergence Among Tomato Leafminer Populations Based On Aflp Analysis, Fábio Akiyoshi Suinaga, Vicente Wagner Dias Casali, Marcelo Picanço, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this work was to determine the genetic differences among eight Brazilian populations of the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), from the states of Espírito Santo (Santa Tereza), Goiás (Goianápolis), Minas Gerais (Uberlândia and Viçosa), Pernambuco (Camocim de São Félix), Rio de Janeiro (São João da Barra) and São Paulo (Paulínia and Sumaré), using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Fifteen combinations of EcoRI and MseI primers were used to assess divergence among populations. The data were analyzed using unweighted pair-group method, based on arithmetic averages (UPGMA) bootstrap analysis and principal coordinate analysis. Using a …

Prion Infection Of Skeletal Muscle Cells And Papillae In The Tongue, Ellyn R. Mulcahy, Jason C. Bartz, Anthony E. Kincaid, Richard Bessen

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The presence of the prion agent in skeletal muscle is thought to be due to the infection of nerve fibers located within the muscle. We report here that the pathological isoform of the prion protein, PrP^Sc, accumulates within skeletal muscle cells, in addition to axons, in the tongue of hamsters following intralingual and intracerebral inoculation of the HY strain of the transmissible mink encephalopathy agent. Localization of PrP^Sc to the neuromuscular junction suggests that this synapse is a site for prion agent spread between motor axon terminals and muscle cells. Following intracerebral inoculation, the majority of PrP …

Nitrogen Mineralization From Humic Acid Fractions In Rice Soils Depends On Degree Of Humification, Bao Ve Nguyen, D. C. Olk, Kenneth G. Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although the chemical nature of soil organic matter (SOM) is thought to affect the mineralization rate of N bound in SOM, little direct evidence exists for such effects. To test the hypothesis that the N mineralization rate is affected by the degree of SOM humification, we added equivalent amounts of humic acid (HA) N as either the labile mobile humic acid (MHA) fraction or the more humified cal- cium humate (CaHA) fraction to two lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) soils, which were subsequently incubated under anaerobic conditions for 6 wk. The HA fractions had been chemically extracted from seven …

The Sweet Tooth Of Adult Parasitoid Cotesia Rubecula: Ignoring Hosts For Nectar?, Gitta Siekmann, Michael A. Keller, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Investing time and energy into survival and reproduction often presents a trade-off to many species of animals. In parasitic wasps, both hosts and sugar sources contribute to the forager’s fitness but are often found in different locations. The decision to search for hosts or for food can have a strong impact on fitness when the forager’s lifetime is short and resources are not abundant. We investigated the tendency of flowers and hosts to attract 1-day-old female Cotesia rubecula Marshall (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with different feeding histories in a wind tunnel. Only well-fed wasps exhibited a preference for hosts. In comparison, unfed …

Defined Anaerobic Growth Medium For Studying Candida Albicans Basic Biology And Resistance To Eight Antifungal Drugs, Raluca Dumitru, Jacob M. Hornby, Kenneth W. Nickerson

Papers in Microbiology

The polymorphic fungus Candida albicans is one of the most versatile opportunistic pathogens in humans. Many organs of the human body are potential targets for infection by this pathogen, but infection is commonly localized in the gastrointestinal tract, an environment providing anaerobic growth conditions. We describe a chemically defined anaerobic growth medium for four strains of Candida albicans (A72, SC5314, MEN, and 10261). It is a defined liquid glucose-phosphate-proline growth medium supplemented with oleic acid, nicotinic acid, and ammonium chloride. The cells did not require or respond to added ergosterol. Oleic acid and nicotinic acid are growth factors which are …

Hyaluronan Facilitates Invasion Of Colon Carcinoma Cells In Vitro Via Interaction With Cd44, Hyeong-Rok Kim, Marie A. Wheeler, Christopher M. Wilson, Joji Iida, David Eng, Melanie A. Simpson, James B. Mccarthy, Kelli M. Bullard

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Hyaluronan (HA) and its biosynthetic enzymes, HA synthases (HAS1, 2, and 3) are thought to participate in cancer progression. We have shown previously that HA production and HAS3 expression are increased in metastatic colon carcinoma cells (SW620) when compared with cells isolated from a primary tumor (SW480). Because invasion of the extracellular matrix is a fundamental event in tumor growth and metastasis, we hypothesized that SW620 cells would show greater invasive capability than SW480 cells, that invasion is HA dependent, and that HA mediates invasion via interaction with a cell-surface receptor. Invasion into artificial basement membrane (Matrigel) was assessed in …

Laboratory Diagnosis Of Hepatitis C Virus Infection. A Change To Common Practice, Ali H. Hajeer, Ziad A. Memish, Bandar A. Al-Knawy

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Putative Virulence Markers (Caga And Vaca ) Of Helicobacter Pylori In Peptic Ulcer Disease, Barik A. Salih

Saudi Medical Journal

Helicobacter pylori is genetically diverse and certain strains are more virulent and cause more severe diseases than others and such diversity is reflected on the clinical outcome. The cytotoxin-associated gene (cagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) gene are 2 putative markers that were associated with peptic ulcer disease. The basis for the epidemiological association between the cagA and vacA genes is not known. In this review, the molecular characteristics of these markers, and its role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer are discussed.

Factors Associated With Iron Depletion And Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Arabic Preschool Children Of The United Arab Emirates, Campbell J. Miller, Earl V. Dunn, Sameeh F. Abdouni, Huda M. Shaheen, Mohammed S. Ullah

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was: 1. To estimate the prevalence of iron depletion and iron deficiency anemia in preschool Arabic children of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and 2. To determine the risk factors associated with these conditions in this population of children. METHODS: From April through to October 2000 a questionnaire and capillary blood survey was carried out in one primary health care (PHC) centre of Al Ain, UAE. Children whose capillary hemoglobin (Hb) or mean cell volume (MCV) results fell below predetermined cutoffs were offered venous blood workup. An additional sample of children with capillary blood …

Hematological Findings In Male X-Ray Technicians, Sultan A. Meo

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: In view of the known health hazards of x-ray radiation, this study focuses on the basic hematological parameters: red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets count in x-ray technicians. The aim was to identify the affect of x-ray radiation on blood cell counts in x-ray technicians. METHODS: The present study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the year 2002. In this study, a group of 40 apparently healthy male x-ray technicians with age ranging from 25-50-years were recruited. They were matched with another …

Pattern Of Thyroid Malignancy At A University Hospital In Western Saudi Arabia, Faiza A. Qari

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: The aim is to study the incidence of thyroid cancer in surgically treated nodular thyroid disease, clinicopathological characteristics and treatment results. METHODS: A retrospective review of 45 patients with thyroid malignancy at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a 3-years period between January 2000 through to December 2003 was carried out. Analysis of clinicopathologic characteristics, age correlation to different risk factors, outcome of surgery and radioiodine treatment. RESULTS: A total of 120 thyroidectomies were performed during the 3-years period, January 2000 through to December 2003 at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. Forty-five (37.5%) patients had histopathology …

Nicotine Content In Tobacco Used In Hubble-Bubble Smoking, Kamal A. Hadidi, Faisal I. Mohammed

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the nicotine content of commonly used tobacco in hubble-bubble (HB) and compare it with that found in cigarettes. METHODS: Analysis of nicotine content of 13 commercial brands of HB tobacco was carried out using gas chromatography over an 8 month period; November 2002 through to June 2003 at the Toxicology Laboratory, University of Jordan. RESULTS: A wide variation in nicotine content in all brands was noticed with an average of 8.32 mg/g tobacco, range (1.8-41.3 mg/g). The average nicotine content in each HB head (20 gm) of unflavored tobacco was (713mg/head) and flavored tobacco has (67mg/head). One …

U.S. Army War College Guide To National Security Policy And Strategy, 1st Edition, J. Boone Bartholomees Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Although the Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College, uses several of the chapters in this volume as readings for its core course "War, National Policy and Strategy," this is not a textbook. It does reflect, however, both the method and manner used to teach strategy formulation to America's future senior leaders. However, the book is not a comprehensive or exhaustive treatment of either strategy or the policymaking process. It is organized in broad groups of chapters addressing general subject areas. We begin with a look at some specific issues about the general security environment—largely international. The …

Notes On Equilibria In Symmetric Games, Shih-Fen Cheng, Daniel M. Reeves, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Michael P. Wellman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In a symmetric game, every player is identical with respect to the game rules. We show that a symmetric 2strategy game must have a pure-strategy Nash equilibrium. We also discuss Nash’s original paper and its generalized notion of symmetry in games. As a special case of Nash’s theorem, any finite symmetric game has a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, symmetric infinite games with compact, convex strategy spaces and continuous, quasiconcave utility functions have symmetric pure-strategy Nash equilibria. Finally, we discuss how to exploit symmetry for more efficient methods of finding Nash equilibria.

Proceedings Of The National Workshop On Footrot, Perth 19-21 August 2003, R K. Mitchell, A R B Higgs, A R. Mercy

Agriculture reports

The financial support of Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI) made it possible for representatives of a range of organisations from across Australia to meet and review ovine footrot. This national workshop held in Perth in August 2003, was the first of its kind for several years and brought together senior researchers, policy makers and producers from all States. The workshop provided an opportunity for the varied approach to footrot control across Australia to be considered in terms of a national approach to footrot control and also for individual States to review their current strategies in the light of experiences in …

Politics Of Embryonic Discourse, Kevin Quinn

Faculty Publications

In our brave new world of stem cells, clones, and parthenotes, how should we talk about early human embryos? In fashioning a response to this very thorny question, Ann Kiessling has a core message. It is: (1)that new science produces "new" conceptuses;(2) that science and scientists have failed to differentiate (with appropriate clarity) these new ex vivo conceptuses from those createdin vivo; (3) that new, more appropriate and scientifically-informed, terms are necessary; and (4) that this new language should transform the public discourse about human embryos. No one would deny that the subtleties of human embryology are neglected in public …