Examining Human Capital Capacity’s Influence on Human Development and Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

The aim of this paper is to examine and expand our focus on human capital capacity building as a foundation for poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. The data showed significant differences in the human capital capacity building characteristics as measured by demographic, education and gender equality characteristics. In analyzing select human capital capacity building markers, the findings suggest that the educational indicators were among the strongest in explaining the variation in human development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings showed that gender inequality was a serious inhibitor of human development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, the Sub-Saharan nations with the lowest level of poverty had some combination of a population with higher median years of school completed, a higher literacy rate, a lower population growth rate, a larger percent of the population that lived in an urban area, and it had a higher rate of students progressing to secondary education. The findings of this paper lends support to the belief that poverty reduction cannot be confined to enhancing and understanding capacity building as an institutional level activity or only as an economic phenomenon. Finally, the findings lend support to the adoption of an integrated policy approach that takes into consideration social development as well as economic development as a means of poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. The social component of the strategy would emphasize the collective human capital development of the population, while the economic component would employ an inclusive growth strategy

Black Americans are pessimistic about the state of racial affairs in the US. But so are young whites.

Fifty years ago the Kerner Commission found that many Blacks felt powerless in the face of unfair racial treatment and categorized twelve areas of grievance that fed into these feelings. In new research, Theodore J. Davis, Jr. finds that Blacks (especially older Blacks) remain more pessimistic than Whites about the state of racial affairs in the US today. He writes that race still matters today, but it matters in ways that are very different from when the Kerner Commission report was released

Delaware’s case shows why the racial achievement gap in education remains stubbornly large

More than six decades after the historic Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which desegregated the nation’s schools, a significant achievement gap between Black and White students still remains. Theodore J. Davis, Jr argues that the slow progress in closing this gap comes down to the politics of race, involving past and present discriminatory institutional policies and practices, and the politics of education, which has contributed to the rise of alternative schooling, the re-segregating of public schools, and conflict over the allocation public education resources

Evaluation of a Low-Cost, PC-Based Driving Simulator to Assess Persons with Cognitive Impairments Due to Brain Injury

Brain injury due to accident or stroke frequently results in cognitive impairment, reducing an individual’s ability to judge driving situations accurately. Rehabilitation professionals typically use a combination of clinical and on-road tests to determine whether an individual is safe to drive. Weighing the safety of the community, the candidate, and the driving evaluator, these on-road tests are often conducted under road, traffic and weather conditions less demanding than those that a driver might face in the “real world,” and thus may offer less than complete information regarding the candidate’s responses to such real-world driving challenges. Indeed, individuals with mild cognitive deficits may perform adequately under such testing conditions but unsafely when driving challenges increase. Complicating this situation further, those with mild to moderate acquired cognitive impairments may be largely unaware of their own limitations, and thus more intolerant of perceived delays or challenges to their desire to drive again. Although continuing advances have improved performance and fidelity while significantly reducing costs, most interactive driving simulators remain too expensive for widespread clinical application. In a project funded by the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institutes of Health, we sought to determine, on a pilot basis, whether a low-cost, PC-based driving simulator could provide clinicians with information useful to their efforts to assess the safe ability to drive of individuals with cognitive impairments. We developed two comprehensive simulator-based driving scenarios, one quite basic and one more challenging, and pilot-tested them on ten subjects – five with moderate cognitive impairments, and five age and sex matched-controls without impairment. The “simple” scenario was developed to match the essential demands of the first half of an existing on-road driving evaluation; the “complex” scenario was based on the second half of the on-road evaluation into which more demanding, but still common, driving challenges were integrated. Road types, lane widths, pavement markings, traffic signals, horizontal and vertical curvature, and the proximal built environment were all created in simulation to provide a convincing generic representation of the on-road test. Challenges incorporated into the “complex” phase of the scenario, which were absent from the “simple” phase, included traffic events such as: cross-traffic failing to stop at a STOP sign; pedestrians crossing the driver’s path; vehicles suddenly pulling out in front of the subject from the road shoulder; opposing thru traffic appearing suddenly from behind slower moving vehicles as the subject attempted to turn left; slower moving lead vehicles causing passing decisions; traffic streams forcing gap acceptance decisions; etc. Results from the simulator were compared to results from the on-road evaluation. In addition, data gathered from subject exit interviews was used to judge simulator verisimilitude and efficacy in changing self-awareness of deficit. Because the cognitive impairments associated with brain injury often reduce the individual’s awareness of his or her own limitations, we looked at evidence that performance on the simulator could contribute to an individual’s own understanding of his or her driving strengths and weaknesses. The results of the pilot study will lead to an enhancement of simulator capabilities, and to a comprehensive clinical trial at multiple sites. This paper will present the findings of this pilot investigation and an overview of the expanded clinical study

Development and Testing of the CRYOTSU Flight Experiment

This paper describes the development and ground testing of the CRYOTSU thermal management flight experiment. CRYOTSU incorporates three cryogenic temperature experiments and one ambient temperature experiment into a Hitchhiker (HH) Get Away Special (GAS) Canister that is currently scheduled to fly on STS-95 in October 1998. The cryogenic experiments consist of a nitrogen triple-point cryogenic thermal storage unit (CTSU), a nitrogen cryogenic capillary pumped loop (CCPL), and a hydrogen gas-gap cryogenic thermal switch (CTSW). The ambient experiment is a carbon-fiber core, paraffin-filled thermal storage unit. Test results of integrated flight canister testing are provided herein for the CTSU and CCPL experiments. Pre-integration laboratory test results are provided for the CTSW. Design information and test results for the ambient experiment are not included

Lesions and cellular tropism of natural Rift Valley fever virus infection in adult sheep

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne disease that affects both ruminants and humans, with epidemics occurring more frequently in recent years in Africa and the Middle East, probably as a result of climate change and intensified livestock trade. Sheep necropsied during the 2010 RVF outbreak in South Africa were examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). A total of 124 sheep were available for study, of which 99 cases were positive for RVF. Multifocal-random, necrotizing hepatitis was confirmed as the most distinctive lesion of RVF cases in adult sheep. Of cases where liver, spleen, and kidney tissues were available, 45 of 70 had foci of acute renal tubular epithelial injury in addition to necrosis in both the liver and spleen. In some cases, acute renal injury was the most significant RVF lesion. Immunolabeling for RVFV was most consistent and unequivocal in liver, followed by spleen, kidney, lung, and skin. RVFV antigen-positive cells included hepatocytes, adrenocortical epithelial cells, renal tubular epithelial cells, macrophages, neutrophils, epidermal keratinocytes, microvascular endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle. The minimum set of specimens to be submitted for histopathology and IHC to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of RVFV are liver, spleen, and kidney. Skin from areas with visible crusts and lung could be useful additional samples. In endemic areas, cases of acute renal tubular injury should be investigated further if other more common causes of renal lesions have already been excluded. RVFV can also cause an acute infection in the testis, which requires further investigation.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/vethj2019Paraclinical SciencesProduction Animal Studie

Ovine fetal and placental lesions and cellular tropism in natural Rift Valley fever virus infections

Infection with Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) causes abortion storms and a wide variety of outcomes for both ewes and fetuses. Sheep fetuses and placenta specimens were examined during the 2010–2011 River Valley fever (RVF) outbreak in South Africa. A total of 72 fetuses were studied of which 58 were confirmed positive for RVF. Placenta specimens were available for 35 cases. Macroscopic lesions in fetuses were nonspecific and included marked edema and occasional hemorrhages in visceral organs. Microscopically, multifocal hepatic necrosis was present in 48 of 58 cases, and apoptotic bodies, foci of liquefactive hepatic necrosis (primary foci), and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions in hepatocytes were useful diagnostic features. Lymphocytolysis was present in all lymphoid organs examined with the exception of thymus and Peyer’s patches, and pyknosis or karyorrhexis was often present in renal glomeruli. The most significant histologic lesion in the placenta was necrosis of trophoblasts and endothelial cells in the cotyledonary and intercotyledonary chorioallantois. Immunolabeling for RVFV was most consistent in trophoblasts of the cotyledon or caruncle. Other antigen-positive cells included hepatocytes, renal tubular epithelial, juxtaglomerular and extraglomerular mesangial cells, vascular smooth muscle, endothelial and adrenocortical cells, cardiomyocytes, Purkinje fibers, and macrophages. Fetal organ samples for diagnosis must minimally include liver, kidney, and spleen. From the placenta, the minimum recommended specimens for histopathology include the cotyledonary units and caruncles from the endometrium, if available. The diagnostic investigation of abortion in endemic areas should always include routine testing for RVFV, and a diagnosis during interepidemic periods might be missed if only limited specimens are available for examination.The Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority of South Africa. Publication of this study was funded by the Department of Paraclinical Sciences of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, and the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/vethj2020Paraclinical Science

Evaluation of T2Candida Panel for detection of Candida in peritoneal dialysates

Fungal peritonitis in the peritoneal dialysis population is difficult to diagnose promptly due to the inherently slow cultivation-based methods currently required for identification of peritonitis pathogens. Because of the moderate risk for severe complications, the need for rapid diagnostics is considerable. One possible solution to this unmet need is the T2Candida Panel, a new technology designed to detect the most common pathogenic Candida spp. directly from whole blood specimens in as little as a few hours. We hypothesized that this technology could be applied to the detection of Candida in peritoneal dialysate, a matrix not currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for testing by this system. Remnant dialysate samples from three healthy (noninfected) pediatric peritoneal dialysis patients were spiked with Candida glabrata, serially diluted, and tested in triplicate with unaltered dialysate specimens. The assay detected C. glabrata in 100% of spiked dialysate samples across the full spectrum of dilutions tested, and no assay inhibition or cross-reactivity was noted. These findings suggest one of possibly more applications of this technology. The positive clinical implications of this test will continue to be realized as its use is validated in peritoneal dialysate and other patient specimen types

External excitation of a short-wavelength fluctuation in the Alcator C-Mod edge plasma and its relationship to the quasi-coherent mode

A novel “Shoelace” antenna has been used to inductively excite a short-wavelength edge fluctuation in a tokamak boundary layer for the first time. The principal design parameters, k[subscript ⊥] = 1.5 ± 0.1 cm[superscript −1] and 45 < f < 300 kHz, match the Quasi-Coherent Mode (QCM, k[subscript ⊥] ∼ 1.5 cm[superscript −1], f ∼ 50−150 kHz) in Alcator C-Mod, responsible for exhausting impurities in the steady-state, ELM-free Enhanced D[subscript α] H-mode. In H-mode, whether or not there is a QCM, the antenna drives coherent, field-aligned perturbations in density, [˜ over n][subscript e], and field, [˜ over B][subscript θ], which are guided by field lines, propagate in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, and exhibit a weakly damped (γ/ω[subscript 0] ∼ 5%−10%) resonance near the natural QCM frequency. This result is significant, offering the possibility that externally driven modes may be used to enhance particle transport. In L-mode, the antenna drives only a non-resonant [˜ over B][subscript θ] response. The facts that the driven mode has the same wave number and propagation direction as the QCM, and is resonant at the QCM frequency, suggest the antenna may couple to this mode, which we have shown elsewhere to be predominantly drift-mode-like [B. LaBombard et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056108 (2014)].United States. Dept. of Energy (Cooperative Agreement DE-FC02-99ER54512

Cornucopia: Temporal safety for CHERI heaps

Use-after-free violations of temporal memory safety continue to plague software systems, underpinning many high-impact exploits. The CHERI capability system shows great promise in achieving C and C++ language spatial memory safety, preventing out-of-bounds accesses. Enforcing language-level temporal safety on CHERI requires capability revocation, traditionally achieved either via table lookups (avoided for performance in the CHERI design) or by identifying capabilities in memory to revoke them (similar to a garbage-collector sweep). CHERIvoke, a prior feasibility study, suggested that CHERI’s tagged capabilities could make this latter strategy viable, but modeled only architectural limits and did not consider the full implementation or evaluation of the approach. Cornucopia is a lightweight capability revocation system for CHERI that implements non-probabilistic C/C++ temporal memory safety for standard heap allocations. It extends the CheriBSD virtual-memory subsystem to track capability flow through memory and provides a concurrent kernel-resident revocation service that is amenable to multi-processor and hardware acceleration. We demonstrate an average overhead of less than 2% and a worst-case of 8.9% for concurrent revocation on compatible SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks on a multi-core CHERI CPU on FPGA, and we validate Cornucopia against the Juliet test suite’s corpus of temporally unsafe programs. We test its compatibility with a large corpus of C programs by using a revoking allocator as the system allocator while booting multi-user CheriBSD. Cornucopia is a viable strategy for always-on temporal heap memory safety, suitable for production environments.This work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), under contracts FA8750-10-C-0237 (“CTSRD”) and HR0011-18-C-0016 (“ECATS”). We also acknowledge the EPSRC REMS Programme Grant (EP/K008528/1), the ABP Grant (EP/P020011/1), the ERC ELVER Advanced Grant (789108), the Gates Cambridge Trust, Arm Limited, HP Enterprise, and Google, Inc