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University Reporter - Volume 10, Number 01 - September 2005

1996-2009, University Reporter

This issue of the University Reporter includes articles about the summer activities of Chancellor Michael F. Collins, the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research's work at Boston's African Meeting House on Beacon Hill, a conversation with new College of Public and Community Service Dean Adenrele Awotona, students' work on a mural for the New England Aquarium, and other news from UMass Boston.

Assessing Global Cge Model Validity Using Agricultural Price Volatility , Ernesto Valenzuela, Thomas Hertel, Roman Keeney, Jeff Reimer

GTAP Working Papers Archive

Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models are commonly used for global agricultural market analysis. However, concerns are sometimes raised about the quality of their output since key parameters may not be econometrically estimated and little emphasis is generally given to model assessment. This article addresses the latter issue by developing an approach to validating CGE models based on the ability to reproduce observed price volatility in agricultural markets. We show how patterns in the deviations between model predictions and validation criteria can be used to identify the weak points of a model and guide development of improved specifications with firmer empirical …

The Problematics Of A Social Constructivist Approach To Science, Bryce Christensen

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper, "The Problematics of a Social Constructivist Approach to Science," Bryce Christensen takes John Gray's hope that science can serve as a remedy for anthropocentrism as an entry point for discussing the debate between scientific realists and social constructivists. Christensen examines the way science appears to buttress the realist position when it confronts humans with truths that contradict their expectations and desires. In his discussion, Christensen also surveys the ways that science fits within social constructivist theory when it serves identifiable social needs or advances identifiable group interests. Further, Christensen identifies eschatological cosmology as an extreme test case …

The Detection Of Pathogenic Leptospira Species Using A Polymerase Chain Reaction Test, Alongkorn Amonsin, Thanis Dumrongwatanapokin, Chailai Koowatananukul, Somathat Wongsawang

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Pathogenic Leptospira species cause leptospirosis in animals and humans. Bacterial culture and the serological identification of leptospires are constrined by being time consuming and labor intensive. Oligonucleotide primers complementary to the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence of pathogenic leptospires were designed to amplify the 343 bp fragment. The primers were specific to pathogenic Leptospira species and did not amplify either non-pathogenic leptospires or common bacteria found in urine. This developed PCR assay allows the rapid identification of pathogenic leptospires from rodent urine, with high sensitivity and specificity.

The Effect Of Electromagnetic Waves On The Growth Of Entamoeba Histolytica And Entamoeba Dispar, Umit Aksoy, Serap Sahin, Soykan Ozkoc, Gul Ergor

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of electromagnetic radiation of a digital Global System for Mobile Communication mobile telephone (900 MHz) on Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) and Entamoeba dispar (E. dispar) (cysts or trophozoites, or both) in a 24-hour period. METHODS: This study was carried out from April 2004 to May 2004 at the Department of Parasitology, Medical Faculty of Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey. The cultivated isolate tubes, which were exposed to electromagnetic field at 37OC, were evaluated as study group, whereas the tubes without exposure were assessed as control group. Finally, only …

Beaver Creek, Chris Dora

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Commercial Diazinon And Imidacloprid On Microbial Urease Activity In Soil And Sod, C. W. Ingram, Mark S. Coyne, David W. Williams

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Diazinon [O,O-diethyl O-2-isopropyl-6-methyl(pyrimidine-4-yl) phosphorothioate] and imidacloprid [1-(1-[6-chloro-3-pyridinyl]methyl)-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine] are applied to lawns for insect control simultaneously with nitrogenous fertilizers such as urea, but their potential effect on urease activity and nitrogen availability in turfgrass management has not been evaluated. Urease activity in enzyme assays, washed cell assays, and soil slurries was examined as a function of insecticide concentration. Intact cores from field sites were used to assess the effect of insecticide application on urease activity in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) and bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) sod. Bacterial urease fromBacillus pasteurii and plant …

Treatment Of Polycyclic Armoatic Hydrocarbone In Agriculture, Muayd A. Younis

Baghdad Science Journal

Despite the multiple sources of polycyclic compounds in the agricultural environment, this study suggests that it is possible to adopt the events of plants and their associated microorganisms in the soil, such as mushrooms and bacteria in the decomposition of these compounds can also use harvested plants such as barley and alfalfa grown for animal feed

Privatizing The Patriot Act: The Criminalization Of Environmental And Animal Protectionists As Terrorists, Ethan Carson Eddy

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Normal Hematologic And Biochemical Values For Prelaying Greater Sage Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) And Their Influence On Chick Survival, Mike R. Dunbar, Michael A. Gregg, John A. Crawford, Mark R. Giordano, Susan J. Tornquist

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Declines in greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) productivity and population numbers throughout their range demand a better understanding of how nutrition influences sage grouse populations. During March and April 1999–2001, blood samples were collected from 158 female (73 adult, 85 yearling), free-ranging, prelaying, greater sage grouse from an area in northwestern Nevada, USA, and southeastern Oregon, USA. These blood samples were evaluated to establish normal blood values for sage grouse and ascertain if certain blood parameters, as indices of nutrition, are useful for predicting if sage grouse hens would raise at least one chick to 1 August. Results of logistic …

Extraneural Prion Neuroinvasion Without Lymphoreticular System Infection, Jason C. Bartz, Crista Dejoia, Tammy Tucker, Anthony E. Kincaid, Richard A. Bessen

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

While prion infection of the lymphoreticular system (LRS) is necessary for neuroinvasion in many prion diseases, in bovine spongiform encephalopathy and atypical cases of sheep scrapie there is evidence to challenge that LRS infection is required for neuroinvasion. Here we investigated the role of prion infection of LRS tissues in neuroinvasion following extraneural inoculation with the HY and DY strains of the transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) agent. DY TME agent infectivity was not detected in spleen or lymph nodes following intraperitoneal inoculation and clinical disease was not observed following inoculation into the peritoneum or lymph nodes, or after oral ingestion. …

Contributions Of Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) To The Progress Of Surgery: A Study And Translations From His Book Al-Taisir, Rabie E. Abdel-Halim

Saudi Medical Journal

This study of the original Arabic edition of the book Al-Taisir Fil-Mudawat Wal-Tadbeer (Book of Simplification Concerning Therapeutics and Diet) written by the Muslim physician Abu-Marwan Abdel-Malik Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar, 1093-1162 AD) aimed at evaluating his contributions to the progress of surgery and providing English translations of relevant excerpts. Ibn Zuhr s unique experiment performing a tracheotomy on a goat, proved the safety of this operation in humans and represented a further step in the development of the experimental school started by Al-Razi (Rhazes) of Baghdad in the ninth century who is known to have given monkeys doses of mercury …

Anti-Toxoplasma Gondii Antibodies In Hemodialysis Patients Receiving Long-Term Hemodialysis Therapy In Turkey, Sabahattin Ocak, Nizami Duran, Ali F. Eskiocak, Hasip Aytac

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: Toxoplasma is a globally distributed pathogen for humans and animals. In situations of immunodeficiency, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) emerges as a life-threatening infection. Toxoplasma gondii is transmitted parenterally, flourish in state immunosuppression and, most toxoplasma infections are asymptomatic. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in hemodialysis patients with chronic renal failure. We undertook a prospective study of our maintenance hemodialysis patients to determine whether these sources posed a risk for transmission of T. gondii. METHODS: This study was carried out on patients undergoing regular hemodialysis in the dialysis units (Hemodialysis Center …

Serodiagnosis Of Toxoplasmosis In Bahrain, Khaled S. Tabbara, Fadhel Saleh

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: We report here an analysis of results of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) measurements reported from the Central Laboratory of Bahrain over a period of 3 years and 9 months. METHODS: This study included all blood samples received at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain serology laboratory for the determination of Toxoplasma-specific antibodies during the period of January 2000 to September 2003. A total of 4,739 specimens were assayed for IgG and 1,947 for IgM. RESULTS: An overall seropositivity of 21.8% for IgG and 10.3% for IgM antibodies were found with no gender differences for either …

Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 And Bone Marrow As A Substitute For Bone Graft In Reconstruction Defect Of Rabbit Mandible, Amer Smajilagic, Moustafa Y. Al-Khalil, Amira Redjic, Selma Filipovic, Besima Hadjihasanovic, Sami Lappalainen

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information on the feasibility of employing recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-7 (rhBMP-7), mixed with bone marrow as a substitute for autologous bone graft. METHODS: We carried out the study in the University Clinic Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from February 2002 to January 2004. Six New Zealand rabbits underwent hemiresection of the mandible. We placed rhBMP-7 in a concentration of 100 micrograms and collagen (ACS) as carrier mixed with bone marrow in the defects in 3 animals. In another group of 3, we restored the defect by placement of autologous bone graft harvested from the iliac crest. …

Effects Of Sevoflurane And Desflurane In Ca1 After Incomplete Cerebral Ischemia In Rats, Ali F. Erdem, Mehmet Cesur, Haci A. Alici, Fazli Erdogan, Nazim Dogan, Husnu Kursad, Mustafa S. Yuksek

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: We compared the postischemic cerebral protective effects of sevoflurane and desflurane in rats with incomplete cerebral ischemia. METHODS: This study was performed in Ataturk University Medical Faculty in Erzurum, Turkey in 2003. All rats were anesthetized with 5% isoflurane, intubated and mechanically ventilated, then given 2% isoflurane in 70% nitrous oxide and 30% O2. The femoral artery was cannulated. Five minutes before ischemia, and at the end of ischemia, arterial blood was taken for plasma glucose, hematocrit and blood gas analysis. Hypotension was induced by hemorrhage, and then both common carotid arteries were clamped for 10 minutes. In the …

Medicolegal Deaths In Children And Adolescents, Yasar Tirasci, Suleyman Goren, Fuat Gurkan, Ibrahim Uzun

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Electromagnetic Fields, Hormonal Changes, And Offspring Sex Ratio, Mostafa Saadat

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Simultaneous Elastic And Electromechanical Imaging By Scanning Probe Microscopy: Theory And Applications To Ferroelectric And Biological Materials, J. Shin, B. J. Rodriguez, Arthur P. Baddorf, T. Thundat, E. Karapetian, M. Kachanov, Alexei Gruverman, Sergei V. Kalinin

Alexei Gruverman Publications

An approach for combined imaging of elastic and electromechanical properties of materials, referred to as piezoacoustic scanning probe microscopy (PA-SPM), is presented. Applicability of this technique for elastic and electromechanical imaging with nanoscale resolution in such dissimilar materials as ferroelectrics and biological tissues is demonstrated. The PA-SPM signal formation is analyzed based on the theory of nanoelectromechanics of piezoelectric indentation and signal sensitivity to materials properties and imaging conditions. It is shown that simultaneous measurements of local indentation stiffness and indentation piezocoefficient provide the most complete description of the local electroelastic properties for transversally isotropic materials, thus making piezoacoustic SPM …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, September 1, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

College of Agriculture

• New Course, New Prefix

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• Credit Hour Change
• Delete Course

Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences

• Delete Course

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Course Description Change, Course Number Change
• Credit Hour Change, Course Description Change, Course Number Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Credit Hour Change, Course Number Change
• Delete Course

Department of Plants, Soils and Biometeorology

• University Studies Request
• Delete Course

Department of Business Information Systems

• New Course

Department of Elementary Education

• New Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Prerequisite Change …

The Court Of Appeals Of North Carolina's Narrow Approach To Trade Secrets Protection In North Carolina Farm Partnership V. Pig Improvement Company, John M. Moye

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tributes/Comments/Recent Developments, North Carolina Law Review

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cuhk At Imageclef 2005: Cross-Language And Cross-Media Image Retrieval, Steven C. H. Hoi, J. Zhu, M. Lyu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we describe our studies of cross-language and cross-media image retrieval at the ImageCLEF 2005. This is the first participation of our CUHK (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) group at ImageCLEF. The task in which we participated is the “bilingual ad hoc retrieval” task. There are three major focuses and contributions in our participation. The first is the empirical evaluation of language models and smoothing strategies for cross-language image retrieval. The second is the evaluation of cross-media image retrieval, i.e., combining text and visual contents for image retrieval. The last is the evaluation of bilingual image retrieval …

Forms Of Expression For Designing Visual Languages For Animation, Richard Christopher Davis, James A. Landay

Research Collection School of Computing and Information Systems

We present further steps in our research into visual languages for animation. Animation is a rich mode of communication that is currently accessible to few, because animation systems are complex. Some systems try to make animation simple but put severe limits on users’ creative expression. Our field studies are demonstrating that would-be animators need to express animation in a wide variety of ways. We are developing a taxonomy of forms of expression for animation that will help the designers of visual languages for animation to determine which expressive forms to support. Our end goal is to build animation sketching systems …

Imagining Confucius: Paradigmatic Character And Virtue Ethics, Sor-Hoon Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In the Analects, discussions of how someone should act or had actedare accompanied by some assessment of that person’s character, someconclusion as to his having or lacking what are traditionally understoodas Confucian virtues—ren (benevolence or humanity), yi (appropriatenessor rightness, or even righteousness), li (rites, rituals, or ritualpropriety), zhi (wisdom), xin (trustworthiness), and yong (courage).1Scholars have different views as to how and to what extent Confucianvirtues are comparable with virtues in Western ethics like Aristotle’s.2The Analects is as preoccupied with the exemplary person (junzi) andhis virtues as the Nicomachean Ethics is concerned with elucidating thevirtues via portraits of the virtuous man. …

Distribution And Abundance Of Pest Animals In Western Australia: A Survey Of Institutional Knowledge, Andrew P. Woolnough, Garry S. Gray, Tim J. Lowe, Winifred E. Kirkpatrick, Ken Rose, Gary R. Martin

Agriculture reports

Data on the distribution and abundance of selected pest animals were obtained for the state of Western Australia. We used institutional knowledge from the Department of Agriculture (DAWA) and the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) to acquire this important information.A two-part survey process was used to capture knowledge in 104 face-to-face interviews. The first part of the survey was a questionnaire designed to capture local-area information about pest animals. The second part of the survey, a mapping exercise, was designed to capture information about the distribution and abundance of specific pest animals. The key to the mapping exercise …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With A Quadrupled Hamstring Autograft Does Not Restore Tibial Rotation, Anastasios D. Georgoulis, Stavros Ristanis, Vasilis Chouliaras, Constantina O. Moraiti, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

As a result of the morbidity associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with a bone–patellar–tendon– bone graft, many orthopaedic surgeons prefer hamstrings as the graft for ACL reconstruction. However, this selection is not based on solid scientific evidence. In vitro research shows that this graft cannot restore control of tibial rotation. Our recent in vivo research work has also demonstrated the same result. In particular, patients undergoing ACL repair who were reconstructed with a quadrupled hamstring tendon graft showed excessive tibial rotation during a dynamic activity when compared with healthy control subjects. Although the hamstring tendon graft has a …

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: September 2005, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2005

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Update from September 30, 2005.

This update describes damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

New Discoveries In The Joseph Smith Translation Of The Bible, Kent P. Jackson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Rethinking The Role Of Religion In Changing Public Spheres: Some Comparative Perspectives, Rosalind I.J. Hackett

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.