PLANT’S-EYE VIEWS OF TAIPEI

The installation of “Plant’s-Eye Views of Taipei” is the result of an international workshop that took place in Taipei in summer 2018, organized as part of the 2018 Taipei Biennial. Under the direction of two participating artists, and with the help from ecologists and videographers, university students from the Asia-Pacific region each imagined themselves as a particular plant. Students began by examining the physiology of selected plants to better understand their characteristics and life histories, as well as their adaptive features and ecosystem behaviors. In viewing themselves as plants, students were able to see Taipei through a new lens as a place coproduced by the city’s urban flora and human communities. The installation including scaffolds, sketches, and films was exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum to explore different ways through which plants view the city, as well as notions of anthropomorphism, phytomorphism, and phototropism.     

A review of the ICT-enabled development literature: Towards a power parity theory of ICT4D

ICT projects are considered an important means of achieving development goals in developing countries. Although voluminous, the research to date is inconsistent in theorizing how, or why, development outcomes do or do not occur following the introduction of ICT4D. To better understand how and why ICT projects succeed, and even what success means in the ICT4D context, we conducted a literature review of ICT4D studies published during the period 2000–2016. We find that the very meaning of development varies, with four meanings of development emerging from the literature: (1) development as increased freedom, (2) development as expanded inclusion, (3) development as increased economic productivity, and (4) development as improved well-being. An ICT might succeed according to one meaning of development while simultaneously hindering achievement according to another meaning. As revealed by our analysis of the literature, these four perspectives suffer from some limitations, not least among them being the imposition of colonialist views of development on the recipients of the ICT4D. To address the limitations, we employ postcolonial theory to derive a new theory of ICT4D in which development is defined as an increase in power parity between dominant stakeholders and intended beneficiaries.     

Mono- and diquaternary ammonium cellulose cottons prepared in nonaqueous media

Mono- and diquaternary ammonium cellulose anion exchangers in fabric form were prepared in nonaqueous media by reacting diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cotton with an alkyl halide, RX, or a dihaloalkane, X(CH₂)_nX, respectively. The alkyl group was varied from CH₃ to C₁₈H₃₅, and n varied from 5 to 10 in the dihaloalkanes. Electron emission spectroscopy for chemical analyses (ESCA) showed that approximately 70% of the amino groups in the original DEAE-cotton were free amines. ESCA data showed that highest degree of quaternization of the free amine groups was obtained with CH₃I but that diiodo and dibromo pentanes and decanes were also effective. Diquaternary ammonium cellulose exchangers of high nitrogen content had high wet and conditioned wrinkle recoveries, whereas the monoquaternary ammonium cellulose exchangers showed no improvement in wet or conditioned wrinkle recoveries. The monoquaternaries, like unmodified cottons and DEAE-cottons, were soluble in cupriethylenediamine hydroxide (cuene), and cross sections of their fibers expanded when subjected to layer expansion techniques. All diquaternaries were insoluble in cuene, and their cross sections did not layer.     

The destruction of vitamin a by rancid cod liver oil

Vitamin A was destroyed in cod liver oil as rancidity developed. Vitamin A was destroyed at lower peroxide values when rancidity developed at room temperature than when it was accelerated by aeration at 100°C. It is suggested that not only vitamin A, but other biological properties of oils are not equally affected by rancidity produced in different ways and at different rates, and that peroxide value may not necessarily be parallel to that of other changes which take place in an oil as rancidity develops.     

Low temperature ferroelectric behavior in morphotropic Pb (Zr1−xTix)O3

We provide an insight into the switching of near‐morphotropic composition of PZT, using molecular dynamics simulations and electrical measurements. The simulations and experiments exhibit qualitatively similar hysteretic behavior of the polarization for different temperatures showing widening of the P‐E loops and the decrease in the coercive field toward high temperatures. Remarkably, we have shown that polarization switching at low temperatures occurs via polarization rotation, that is a fundamentally different mechanism from high‐temperature switching, which is nucleation driven.     

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Fire Notification Signals in Sleeping Older Adults

No previous research has investigated the responsiveness of older adults (65–85 years) to different emergency fire signals during sleep. In this study the auditory arousal thresholds (AAT) of 45 older adults were compared across four signals; the high pitched T-3 (as in current US smoke alarms), a mixed frequency T-3 (500–2500 Hz), a 500 Hz T-3 and a male voice. Participants were carefully screened, including for hearing, and awoken from deep sleep in a repeated measures design. Sounds increased progressively in volume until awakening occurred. It was found that the median AAT for the most effective signal, the mixed frequency T-3, was 20 dBA lower than the median AAT of the least effective signal, the current US high frequency smoke alarm signal. This finding is consistent with previous research, where the high pitched signal required a significantly louder volume than alternatives to wake sleepers of different ages, including children. Those aged over 75 years are especially at risk for sleeping through high pitched signals, probably due to the normal age-related decline in the ability to hear high pitched sounds. The minimum pillow volume of 75 dBA is inadequate for those over 75 years if a 3000 Hz notification signal is used. It is recommended that the high frequency signal currently found in smoke alarms be replaced by an alternative signal that performs significantly better in awakening most of the adult population, once the nature of the best signal has been determined.

Assessment of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests marketed for detection of ruminant proteins in finished feed

The performance characteristics of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits, ELISA Technologies' MELISA-Tek test and Tepnel BioSystems' BioKit for (Cooked) Species Identification test, designed to detect ruminant proteins in animal feed, were evaluated. The test kits were evaluated by using acceptance criteria developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine Office of Research for evaluating selectivity, sensitivity, ruggedness, and specificity. The acceptance criteria for determining success used a statistical approach requiring a 90% probability of achieving the correct response within a 95% confidence interval. In practice, this measure requires the test to achieve the correct response 58 times for every 60 samples evaluated, or a 96.7% accuracy rate. A minimum detection level of 0.1% bovine meat and bone meal (BMBM) was required, consistent with the sensitivity of the analytical methods presently used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Selectivity was assessed by testing 60 dairy feed samples that contained no added animal proteins; sensitivity was determined by evaluating 60 samples (per level of fortification) of this same feed that contained 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, or 2% BMBM. The MELISA-Tek test passed the acceptance set-point criteria for selectivity assessment but failed the sensitivity assessment at all levels except at the 2% level. The MELISA-Tek test came close to passing at the 1% level, detecting true-positive findings at a rate of 93%, but failed at lower levels, in spite of the label claim of 0.5% sensitivity. The BioKit for (Cooked) Species Identification test detected only 2 of 17 samples fortified at the 2% BMBM level and failed to detect any other BMBM-fortified samples. The results of this evaluation indicate that neither test is adequate for regulatory use.     

Interactions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus mojavensis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium verticillioides</Emphasis> with a Benzoxazolinone (BOA) and its Transformation Product,APO

The benzoxazolinones, specifically benzoxazolin-2(3H)-one (BOA), are important transformation products of the benzoxazinones that can serve as allelochemicals providing resistance to maize from pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and insects. However, maize pathogens such as Fusarium verticillioides are capable of detoxifying the benzoxazolinones to 2-aminophenol (AP), which is converted to the less toxic N-(2-hydroxyphenyl) malonamic acid (HPMA) and 2-acetamidophenol (HPAA). As biocontrol strategies that utilize a species of endophytic bacterium, Bacillus mojavensis, are considered efficacious as a control of this Fusarium species, the in vitro transformation and effects of BOA on growth of this bacterium was examined relative to its interaction with strains of F. verticillioides. The results showed that a red pigment was produced and accumulated only on BOA-amended media when wild type and the progeny of genetic crosses of F. verticillioides are cultured in the presence of the bacterium. The pigment was identified as 2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO), which is a stable product. The results indicate that the bacterium interacts with the fungus preventing the usual transformation of AP to the nontoxic HPMA, resulting in the accumulation of higher amounts of APO than when the fungus is cultured alone. APO is highly toxic to F. verticillioides and other organisms. Thus, an enhanced biocontrol is suggested by this in vitro study.     

The impact of hearsay testimony on conviction rates in trials of child sexual abuse: Toward balancing the rights of defendants and child witnesses.

The authors examined how mock jurors respond to the testimony of hearsay witnesses in trials of child sexual abuse. In Experiment 1, participants watched a highly realistic videotape of a sexual abuse trial. In one condition, the child victim/witness testified on her own behalf, in the hearsay condition, the child's mother testified in lieu of her daughter. Conviction rates were significantly higher in the child condition versus the hearsay condition. In Experiment 2, participants read a trial summary of a sexual abuse case where either the child testified on her own behalf or the child did not testify and hearsay testimony was given by either the child's mother, doctor, teacher, or neighbor. Conviction rates were significantly lower in the child condition versus each of the hearsay conditions but not when the neighbor testified as the hearsay witness. The impact of hearsay testimony may depend on the perceived credibility or prestige of the hearsay witness. Several theoretical reasons are given to resolve the discrepancies in these and other studies that examine the impact of hearsay testimony in trials of child sexual abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)