Zambia's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Infrastructure improvements contributed 0.6 percentage points to Zambia's annual per capital GDP growth over the past decade, mostly because of exponential growth in information and communication services. The power sector, by contrast, pulled the growth rate down by more than 0.1 percentage points. Improving Zambia's infrastructure endowment could boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year. Zambia's relatively high generation capacity and power consumption are accompanied by fewer power outages than elsewhere in the region. But Zambia's power sector emphasizes the mining industry, while household electrification is about half that in other resource-rich countries. Zambia's power tariffs, among the lowest in Africa, are less than half the level needed to accelerate electrification and keep pace with mining sector demands. In power as in just about every other aspect of infrastructure, rural Zambians lag well behind their African peers. In a country where 70 percent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, this represents a huge drag on the economy. Zambia would need to spend an average of $1.6 billion a year over the decade 2006-15 to develop the infrastructure found in the rest of the developing world. This is equivalent to 20 percent of Zambia's GDP and about double the country's rate of investment in recent years. Closing the country's annual infrastructure funding gap of$500 million requires raising more funds, looking for more cost-effective ways to meet infrastructure targets, and eliminating the inefficiencies that cause the loss of $300 million annually.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Energy Production and Transportation,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Banks&Banking Reform

Cameroon's infrastructure : a continental perspective

The poor state of Cameroon's infrastructure is a key bottleneck to the nation's economic growth. From 2000 to 2005, improvements in information and communications technology (ICT) boosted Cameroon's growth performance by 1.26 percentage points per capita, while deficient power infrastructure held growth back by 0.28 points per capita. If Cameroon could improve its infrastructure to the level of Africa's middle-income countries, it could raise its per capita economic growth rate by about 3.3 percentage points. Cameroon has made significant progress in many aspects of infrastructure, implementing institutional reforms across a broad range of sectors with a view to attracting private-sector participation and finance, which has generally led to performance improvements. But the country still faces a number of important infrastructure challenges, including poor road quality, expensive and unreliable electricity, and a stagnating and uncompetitive ICT sector. Cameroon currently spends around $930 million per year on infrastructure, with$586 million lost to inefficiencies. Removing those inefficiencies would leave an infrastructure funding gap of $350 million per year. Given Cameroon's relatively strong economy and natural-resource base, as well as its success in attracting private financing, the country should be able to close that gap and meet its infrastructure goals within 13 years.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Energy Production and Transportation,Banks&Banking Reform

Niger's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made a net contribution of less than a third of a percentage point to the improved per capita growth performance of Niger, one of the lowest contributions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region’s middle-income countries could boost annual growth in Niger by about 4.5 percentage points. Niger has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including water and telecommunications. But the country still faces a number of important infrastructure challenges, the most pressing of which is probably in the water and sanitation sector, as 82 percent of Nigeriens still practice open defecation, the highest in the continent. Niger also faces significant challenges in the power sector, as only 8 percent of the population is electrified. Niger currently spends about $225 million per year on infrastructure, leaving an annual funding gap of$460 million even after savings from curing inefficiencies are taken into account. Niger can close that gap by tapping alternative sources of financing or by adopting lower-cost technologies. There is plenty of room for private-sector participation in Niger's infrastructure sectors, and the adoption of lower-cost technologies could reduce the funding gap by almost half.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Water Supply and Systems,Energy Production and Transportation

The Central African Republic's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Between 2000 and 2005, infrastructure contributed less than 1 percentage point to the Central African Republic's annual per capita GDP growth, despite substantial spending in the road sector. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 3.5 percentage points. The CAR has made significant progress in the transport, water, power, and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors. But the high cost of fuel, which raises transportation and energy costs, has been a vexing issue across all infrastructure sectors. The CAR's most pressing infrastructural challenge lies in the transport sector, which relies heavily on neighboring countries and could benefit from improved road conditions and enhanced performance at the port of Douala in Cameroon. In the power sector, the country suffers from a deteriorating infrastructure stock that it can no longer afford to maintain, and an inefficient and unreliable power supply. Additional challenges include a need for improved infrastructure in the water and sanitation and ICT sectors. Addressing the CAR's infrastructure challenges will require sustained expenditure of $346 million per year over the next decade. The nation already spends around$134 million per year on infrastructure, with $37 million a year lost to inefficiencies of various kinds. If those inefficiencies were fully eliminated, the country's annual infrastructure funding gap would be$183 million per year. Improvements in funding, coupled with the prospect of an economic rebound and prudent policies, could lift the country from its fragile state back to and beyond the prosperity standards it once enjoyed.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Energy Production and Transportation,Infrastructure Economics,E-Business

Benin's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made an important contribution of 1.6 percentage points to Benin's improved per capita growth performance, which was the highest among West African countries during the period. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 3.2 percentage points. Benin has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including roads, air transport, water, and telecommunications. But the country still faces important infrastructure challenges, including improving road conditions and port performance and upgrading deteriorating electrical infrastructure. The nation must also improve the quality and efficiency of its water and sanitation systems. Benin currently spends about $452 million a year on infrastructure, with almost$101 million lost to inefficiencies. Comparing spending needs with existing spending and potential efficiency gains leaves an annual funding gap of $210 million per year. Benin has the potential to close that gap by adopting alternative technologies in water supply, transport, and power, which could save as much as$227 million a year. The nation would also benefit from raising tariffs to cost-recovery levels and reducing inefficiencies, which could substantially boost financial flows to the infrastructure sectors.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Public Sector Economics,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Economic Theory&Research

Investigation of the electrostatic interactions of the T7 replisome

DNA replication is a process in which genetic information is copied and passed on from generationto generation. Multiple proteins of specialized function must transiently assembleand communicate to rapidly and accurately copy DNA. We study replication in bacteriophageT7, a virus that infects Escherichia coli (E. coli ), because it is a relatively simplemodel system that recapitulates all essential activities seen in more complex systems in justfour proteins. Recently our laboratory determined a crystal structure of an electrostaticinteraction between T7 primase-helicase and DNA polymerase, and the structure revealedthe acidic C-terminal tail of the T7 primase-helicase binds to a basic patch on the surface ofthe polymerase. The C-terminal tail of the primase-helicase contains a phenylalanine residuethat is essential for binding polymerase, and our structure reveals that this phenylalaninebinds to a hydrophobic cleft near the basic patch. Our crystal structure also unexpectedlyrevealed an interaction between a nucleotide triphosphate and tryptophan 160 located in theexonuclease active site, and this interaction has shed light on how the exonuclease domainof T7 polymerase recognizes a DNA substrate. To validate our crystal structure, point mutationswere generated along the basic patch of the polymerase as well as the hydrophobicpocket to disrupt the observed interactions.Using in vivo methods such as phage complementation and multi-step growth curvewe are able to directly test the effects on the virus replication during infection of E. coli. Phage complementation results demonstrate that these mutations F487A, I569A, R687A andR590 A show a 3-log and 4-log difference in growth compared to WT. Plaque assay resultsshow that R590 A is critical for replication, as the virus shows no growth under identical conditionsfor WT. The other mutations I569A, I569A, and F487A were also impaired duringthe plaque assay and similar to R590 A showed no plaque formation. R687A showed substantiallysmaller plaques compared to WT and we were unable to calculate a titer. No plaqueformation and smaller plaques indicate that the virus is heavily impaired in DNA replication.Under identical conditions to WT, R590 A show no growth over a 15 hour period where asWT reaches a maximum amount of virus and plateaus at 4 hours. Preliminary data forI569A and F487A show these mutations also result in impaired and reach a lower maximumviral concentration compared to WT. In the crystal structure R590 of the polymerase makesa critical contact with the C-terminal tail, and in agreement with the structure, mutation of R590 to alanine suggests that this residue serves an essential function in DNA replication. Phage complementation results for the two mutations in the exonuclease active site,W160 a and 5A7A, gave similar results compared to WT at a log of 1x1012 PFU/mL. Thedouble mutation D5A and E7A (5A7A) is unable to coordinate Mg+2 causing exonucleaseactivity to be diminished. Results for rolling circle reveal that polymerase with a 5A7Amutation can perform strand displacement synthesis without helicase. Future work willfocus on continuing Rolling circle, growth curve, and primer extension assays

Seeing the Invisible Among Us

The book is a study of the working poor in the United States, including accounts of waitresses, farm workers, shelf stockers, and others, some illegal immigrants. Employer, union organizers, job trainers, and social workers are interviewed, as well as various employees

A Study of the Nation's First CEO

The times which shaped America's first hero and head of government and their product, George Washington, are explored

Dada was there before Derrida was there : the sound poetry of Hugo Ball

In 1916, a group of artists met in Zurich, Switzerland to escape the horrors of war and to create art. The leader of this group was Hugo Ball who renamed a small café the Cabaret Voltaire. The members of the cabaret presented art in many forms. The group that met, and regularly performed at the cabaret, were known under the name dada. Ball became the unofficial poet of the group. At the cabaret, Ball presented what he called “sound poems” or “verse ohn vorte” poems. These poems lacked traditional language where words were replaced with a new language of Ball’s creation. Ball did not rely on his native German to create his sound poems. Instead, he took small snippets of many languages and his own “sounds” to create a performance based language. To aid in the creation of meaning, Ball would perform in fantastical costumes while he was reading his poems. His body would move in violent convulsions and his voice would rise to ear splitting volumes. The power of Ball’s performance reinforced the scope of his project. Meaning would come from both his “new” sounds and small parts of other languages. In doing this he would touch on many tenants of deconstruction created by Jacques Derrida. Through Derrida’s work concerning, “aural metaphors,” “difference,” and “signsponge” it is possible to see Hugo Ball, and some of the other members of dada, as early deconstructionists

Staff + Committees = Added Value

When library committees bring together staff with interests and talents outside their immediate job descriptions, the results can bring added value to the staff and library. Such interests and talents may result in exhibits, displays, and several interest programs for staff and users of the library