101,240 research outputs found
Murder in McComb: The Tina Andrews Case
No full textWhat remained of the badly decomposed body of twelve-year-old Tina Marie Andrews was discovered underneath a discarded sofa in the woods outside of McComb, Mississippi, on August 23, 1969. Ten days earlier, Andrews and a friend had accepted a ride home after leaving the Tiger’s Den, a local teenage hangout, but they were driven instead to the remote area where Andrews was eventually murdered. Although eyewitness testimony pointed to two local police officers, no one was ever convicted of this brutal crime, and to this day the case remains officially unsolved. Contemporary local newspaper coverage notwithstanding, the story of Andrews’s murder has not been told. Indeed, many people in the McComb community still, more than fifty years later, hesitate to speak of the tragedy.
Trent Brown’s Murder in McComb is the first comprehensive examination of this case, the lengthy investigation into it, and the two extended trials that followed. Brown also explores the public shaming of the state’s main witness, a fifteen-year-old unwed mother, and the subsequent desecration of Andrews’s grave. Set against the uneasy backdrop of the civil rights movement, Brown’s study deftly reconstructs various accounts of the murder, explains why the juries reached the verdicts they did, and explores the broader forces that shaped the community in which Andrews lived and died.
Unlike so many other accounts of violence in the Jim Crow South, racial animus was not the driving force behind Andrews’s murder; in fact, most of the individuals central to the case, from the sheriff to the judges to the victim, were white. Yet Andrews, as well as her friend Billie Jo Lambert, the state’s key witness, were “girls of ill repute,” as one defense attorney put it. To many people in McComb, Tina and Billie Jo were “trashy” children whose circumstances reflected their families’ low socioeconomic standing. In the end, Brown suggests that Tina Andrews had the great misfortune to be murdered in a town where the locals were overly eager to support law, order, and stability—instead of true justice—amid the tense and uncertain times during and after the civil rights movement
In vitro soil-less (IVS) rooting medium
No full textThe principle hypothesis of this thesis is that hypoxia, in agar-based media, compromises rooting in vitro. From a practical point of view this is important because most plant tissue culture activities require the material to be successfully acclimatised in a nursery environment. Compromised rooting often results in excessive losses at this stage which are costly and inconvenient. In addition, many plants with commercial and/or scientific interest remain unavailable as they are not able to be rooted and acclimatised reliably. The use of agar as a rooting medium has limited the capacity of plant tissue culture to clonally propagate many plants.
The thesis begins by demonstrating how poorly some plants respond to agar rooting media. Juvenile Chamelaucium hybrid microcuttings were pulsed with IBA 40 mcg M and then placed for 3 weeks on either M1 (1/2 MS) or aerated in vitro soil-less substrate (IVS) (Chapter 2). IVS had 42-82% rooting at the end of Stage 3 compared with 0-1% in agar. Shoot survival for IVS-rooted microcuttings was significantly greater than M1-rooted shoots. Pulsed shoots placed in IVS showed root primordia after 7 days. In contrast, shoots placed in agar showed no root primordia after 21 days and formed callus but did not root when subsequently placed in IVS for a further 4 weeks. The agar medium almost totally and permanently inhibited the capacity of competent shoots to form root primordia and roots.
The effectiveness of different types of aerated and non-aerated media, including IVS, were tested to validate the hypothesis (Chapter 3). Microcuttings from shoot cultures of two Australian plants Grevillea thelemanniana and Verticordia plumosa x Chamelaucium uncinatum were pulsed for 7 days on a high auxin (40 mcg M IBA), agar-solidified medium in the dark. Rooting of the microcuttings was then compared on five experimental substrates: a) standard agar M1 medium (1/2 MS, no hormones, 8 g agar L-1), b) porous-agar medium (1/2 MS, no hormones, 30 g agar L-1, solidified then blended to provide aeration), c) white sand wet with liquid M1, d) white sand with M1 medium containing agar, and e) IVS. A separate experiment involved flushing the IVS soil profile with low or normal oxygen. Low and variable rooting percentages were recorded on the controls on M1 medium. Root induction and average total root length per microcutting at final harvest were significantly higher using the porous media including IVS, blended agar or white sand. The M1 medium and the addition of M1 medium to sand suppressed the percentage rooting and elongation. Flushing the IVS rooting medium with low oxygen also suppressed rooting. The experiments showed that increasing the air-filled porosity of the rooting medium has a positive effect on rooting and this is most likely due to the increased oxygen at the base of the microcutting. The role of ethylene, and the sugar and nutrients in M1 were not investigated.
The efficacy of the IVS protocol on a range of Australian herbaceous and woody species was investigated to determine whether the observed benefits were generic or plant specific (Chapter 4). Improved rooting in IVS compared to agar was shown for 28 Australian species and genotypes from the families Liliaceae, Haemodoraceae, Myrtaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Proteaceae, Goodeniaceae and Rutaceae. Twenty-seven of the 28 species rooted in IVS medium at equal or better rates than in M1. In three cases - Actinodium cunninghamii, one of the Pimelea physodes genotypes and one of the Eriostemon australasius genotypes - shoots did not root in M1 but showed good root development in IVS medium. With few exceptions average root length and number in microcuttings rooted in IVS was superior to those in agar medium.
To further test the resilience of the hypothesis, it was tested on nodal microcuttings of lentil which are recalcitrant to root in vitro (Chapter 5). The veracity of a published conclusion that inverted lentil microcuttings (with their base in the air) root better because of their altered polarity was also examined. It was found that, as is the case for many species, roots initiated and grew only at the proximal end of the microcutting regardless of its orientation. When the proximal end was in agar (a hypoxic environment) the rooting percentage was low (9-25%) even when the orientation of the microcutting was altered by inverting the culture tube. In contrast, when the proximal end of the microcutting was in an aerobic environment (from the shoot being placed upside down in agar medium or placed normally or upside down in an aerated medium) rooting percentages were higher (62-100%).
Given that Stage 2 microcuttings are prepared with the objective to root and acclimatise them to nursery conditions, the duration of this activity becomes important as it can impact on plant quality and costs. The pulsing protocol and the length of time that Stage 3 cultures remain in the culture room during the rooting phase is a component of the unit cost of production of each rooted microcutting. Initially a 7-day IBA pulse was used after which the pulsed microcuttings were transferred to IVS to root. Chapter 6 shows that the pulsing period can be shortened to one day or replaced with a single auxin dip while still achieving high rooting percentages and maintaining plant quality. These materials handling improvements go some way to realising the logistical benefits of ex vitro rooting but without compromising the positive influences of hygiene and a stable environment of the in vitro environment
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Pelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
Measuring industry-science links through inventor-author relations: A profiling method
No full textIn this pilot study we examine the performance of text-based profiling in recovering a set of validated inventor-author links. In a first step we match patents and publications solely based on their similarity in content. Next, we compare inventor and author names on the highest ranked matches for the occurrence of name matches. Finally, we compare these candidate matches with the names listed in a validated set of inventor-author names. Our text-based profile methodology performs significantly better than a random matching of patents and publications, suggesting that text-based profiling is a valuable complementary tool to the name searches used in previous studies.innovation; industry-science links; text-based profiling;
Interactions between Phytophthora cinnamomiand Acacia pulchella: consequences on ecology and epidemiology of the pathogen
No full textPhytophthora cinnamomi is an important pathogen of many plant species in natural ecosystems and horticulture industries around the world. In Western Australia, a high proportion of native plant species are susceptible to P. cinnamomi attack. Acacia pulchella, a resistant legume species native to Western Australia has been considered as a potential biological control tool against P. cinnamomi. To develop effective control methods, it is important to understand the interactions between the control agent and the different life forms of the pathogen. In this thesis the interactions are investigated between P. cinnamomi and varieties of A. pulchella which occur in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest and sand plain ecosystems.
The soil inoculum of P. cinnamomi was compared under the potted plants of the three common varieties of A. pulchella, var. pulchella, var. glaberrima and var. goadbyi. These were grown in infected jarrah forest soil in the glasshouse and in vitro in a sterilised soil-less mix aseptically. Acacia urophylla (a species non suppressive towards P. cinnamomi) was also included as a control. An isolate of the most commonly found clonal lineage of P. cinnamomi in the jarrah forest, A2 type 1 was selected for use in experiments after testing showed it reliably produced zoospores and chlamydospores both axenically and in non-sterile conditions, in comparison to several other isolates. The lowest survival of P. cinnamomi inoculum was found under A. pulchella var. goadbyi plants grown both in non sterile soil and in aseptic soil-less mix.
All the life forms of P. cinnamomi were affected by A. pulchella (Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5). The soil leachates from potted plants of A. pulchella var. goadbyi reduced sporangial production (Chapter 2) and caused cytoplasm collapse of chlamydospores (Chapter 3). The confirmation was obtained that soil under A. pulchella was inhibitory to sporangial stage of P. cinnamomi and new evidence was obtained on chlamydospore inactivation. Cytoplasm collapse in the chlamydospores was observed both for chlamydospores on mycelial discs on Mira cloth exposed to the soil leachate and within infected roots buried in soils under the three varieties of A. pulchella plants. The effect was strongest under the plants of A. pulchella var. goadbyi and indicated that the chlamydospores of P. cinnamomi are unlikely to act as persistent structures under A. pulchella var. goadbyi plants.
In Chapter 4, bioassays were conducted with axenically produced mycelia, chlamydospores and zoospores to test the inhibitory effect of the root exudates collected from aseptically grown A. pulchella var. goadbyi plants. The zoospores of the same isolate used in the soil leachate tests were immobilised (became sluggish and encysted) within one to two minutes. When incubated for 24 h, zoospores predominantly clumped and germ tubes were observed only from the clumped ones. Chlamydospores produced by four isolates of the common A2 type 1 strain and the only one A2 type 2 strain available at the time were tested. A higher percentage of chlamydospores collapsed and a very low percentage germinated after 24 h. Chlamydospores of all the A2 type 1 isolates were inhibited by the root exudates whilst the A2 type 2 isolate remained viable. The findings showed that the suppressive effect must be due at least in part to substances exuded by the A. pulchella plants. However, it appeared that the A2 type 1 isolates were more vulnerable to this effect than the single A2 type 2 isolate.
In Chapter 5, the effect of season on sporangial suppression of P. cinnamomi was shown using field soils collected from three jarrah forest soil vegetation types and a Banksia woodland on Bassendean sand, collected in winter and summer. The effect of age of A. pulchella plants was demonstrated using the soils collected from rehabilitated bauxite mine pits. In all the locations soils were collected under A. pulchella plants and 5 m away from the nearest A. pulchella. An effect of soil type was evident as whilst the soil leachates made from the three lateritic jarrah forest soil types where A. pulchella is common in the understorey were suppressive to the sporangial stage of P. cinnamomi, this effect was not evident in the Bassendean sand under A. pulchella. A. pulchella soils collected in winter were less suppressive towards sporangial production than soils collected in summer. An effect of plant age was demonstrated as soil leachates from four year-old A. pulchella stands in rehabilitated bauxite mine sites were more suppressive for sporangia than leachates from one year-old stands.
Further information on the behaviour of the pathogen in soil and in potting mix with and without A. pulchella was obtained by infecting lupin radicles with an isolate of each A2 type, 1 and 2 strains of P. cinnamomi and burying them in the soil under the three varieties of A. pulchella plants. After a week, the chlamydospores were mostly collapsed and hyphae deteriorated. Oospores were observed and in significant numbers under the potted plants of A. pulchella var. glaberrima.
Isolates of all three clonal lineages of P. cinnamomi found in Australian soil were tested for the ability to produce oospores. Two isolates of the A1 and A2 type 2 and three isolates of the common A2 type 1 were screened. The two isozyme types of the A2 clonal lineage isolated in Australia varied in ability to self and produce oospores in planta in several soils from the jarrah forest. The isozyme type 2 of the A2 clonal lineage of P. cinnamomi produced oospores under these experimental conditions. This stimulation was not effective for most of the tested isolates of the A2 type 1 and the A1 clonal lineage. The in planta oospores were viable but dormant and the oogonial-antheridial associations were amphigynous both in vitro and in vivo. For the first time it was established that, the stimulus for selfing and oospore formation in the A2 type 2 of P. cinnamomi is available in some jarrah forest soils, with and without A. pulchella and also in the potting mix used. This raises important questions for the management of the pathogen.
Several factors were identified as potential stimuli for selfing. Among them, soil nutrient levels and essentially enhanced sulphur presence were found important. Temperature also played a key role. Oospores were produced abundantly at 21 - 25 degrees C but not over 28 degrees C.
The biology of P. cinnamomi has been studied for several decades but some important aspects remain un-researched. This thesis pioneers research into the in planta selfing aspect of the pathogen in soil. It also improved the understanding of the interactions between P. cinnamomi and A. pulchella which to some extent supports use of A. pulchella as a biological control tool against P. cinnamomi. However, attention is drawn to the natural mechanisms of this complex pathogen to survive in planta by producing oospores, the most persistent form of its life cycle
The school of the Sabbath : a poem /
No full textEngraved t.-p.Engraved, illustrated title vignette.Mode of access: Internet
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