Remote Sensing Application to Land Use Classification in a Rapidly Changing Agricultural/Urban Area: City of Virginia Beach, Virginia

Remote sensing data on computer-compatible tapes of LANDSAT 1 multispectral scanner imager were analyzed to generate a land use map of the City of Virginia Beach. All four bands were used in both the supervised and unsupervised approaches with the LAYSYS software system. Color IR imagery of a U-2 flight of the same area was also digitized and two sample areas were analyzed via the unsupervised approach. The relationships between the mapped land use and the soils of the area were investigated. A land use land cover map at a scale of 1:24,000 was obtained from the supervised analysis of LANDSAT 1 data. It was concluded that machine analysis of remote sensing data to produce land use maps was feasible; that the LAYSYS software system was usable for this purpose; and that the machine analysis was capable of extracting detailed information from the relatively small scale LANDSAT data in a much shorter time without compromising accuracy

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT IN 21 ST CENTURY ORGANIZATIONS

ABSTRACT Given the complex nature and competitive environment under which organizations operate in, human capital management, performance management and change management initiatives can be very complex and challenging endeavours. This paper discusses transformational style of leadership and its contribution to management in modern organizations. In so doing, a brief comparison between transformational and transactional leadership is given. The paper goes ahead to suggest transformational leadership as the most appropriate leadership style to be adopted in the modern organizations and societies as it is most compatible with the uncertainties, challenges and perplexities of the 21 st century

African States and Agriculture: Issues for Research

SUMMARY This article assesses the relative merits of two styles in food marketing from the perspective of small?scale producer?sellers in rural Zambia. Of the alternatives — state?controlled maize cropping; free?market bean sales — the latter has been viewed as ‘obviously’ preferable. The author challenges this view, arguing that the seemingly inferior alternative (hybrid maize) cannot be dropped from the local food system where it has become a substitute for the very labour?intensive ‘traditional’ millet. This production function explains why maize is locally perceived as a valuable crop in spite of the poor infrastructure for providing inputs and for collection. SOMMAIRE Cet article évalue les mérites relatifs aux deux styles de mise en marché d'aliments dans la perspective des producteurs?vendeurs à petite échelle en Zambie rurale. Des deux alternatives — culture de mais contrôlée par l'état: vente libre d'haricots — on a retenu la dernière étant ‘évidemment’ préférable L'auteur conteste ce choix argumentant que l'alternative semblant inférieur (le maïs hybride) ne peut être abandonnée du système local d'alimentation, puisque cela constitue un substitut au travail intensif du millet ‘traditionnel’. Cette fonction de production explique pourquoi la culture du mais est perçue localement comme étant valable en dépit de la pauvreté de l'infrastructure fournissant les apports et facilitant la vente. RESUMEN Este artículo destaca los méritos relativos de dos estilos de comercialización alimenticia desde la perspectiva de los productores?vendedores en la Zambia rural. El autor desafía la creencia de que la venta de frejoles en el libre mercado es ‘obviamente’ preferible al cultivo del maíz controlado por el estado. Argumenta, por el contrario, que el maíz híbrido — alternativa aparentemente inferior — no puede eliminarse del sistema alimentario local, donde se ha convertido en un substituto del ‘tradicional’ mijo, muy intensivo en mano de obra Esta función de producción explica por qué el maíz es percibido localmente como un valioso cultivo, pese a la pobre infraestructura existente para proveer insumos y para la recolección

An innovative safe anesthesia and analgesia package for emergency pediatric procedures and surgeries when no anesthetist is available

Background: Adequate pain control through sedation and anesthesia for emergency procedures is a crucial aspect of pediatric emergency care. Resources for administering such anesthesia are extremely limited in many low-income settings. Methods: Non-anesthetist providers in Western Kenya were trained in the use of a ketamine-based sedation and anesthesia package for non-anesthetists, Every Second Matters for Mothers and Babies-Ketamine™ (ESM-Ketamine). Data on use and safety of this package for emergent and urgent pediatric procedures was collected. Providers were surveyed as to what they would have done for similar procedures if the ESM-Ketamine package were unavailable. Results: Ninety procedures were completed for 77 pediatric patients utilizing the ESM-Ketamine package. Of these, 29 (32.2 %) cases were orthopedic reductions, 19 (21.1 %) were incision and drainage, and 19 (21.1 %) were debridement and irrigation of burns. Remaining cases included cesarean section, repair of perineal tear, foreign body removal, arthrocentesis, laceration repair, exploratory laparotomy, excision of mass, paracentesis, and circumcision. There were no serious adverse events in any of the cases, 17 % experienced minor adverse events including hypersalivation, hallucinations, or brief, self-resolving, oxygen desaturations. Providers were surveyed for 80 of the 90 cases as to what they would have done in the absence of the ESM-Ketamine package: in 26 cases (32.5 %), they reported they would proceed with the procedure without any anesthesia or analgesia; in 15 (18.75 %), they reported they would significantly delay the procedure while waiting for an anesthetist; in 13 (16.25 %), they reported they would attempt referral to another facility; and in 26 (32.5 %), they reported they would try using an alternate form of analgesia, primarily acetaminophen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, and/or diazepam. All surveyed providers reported they would use the ESM-Ketamine package again in similar cases. Conclusions: The ESM-Ketamine package, through the use of a simplified protocol and checklist, allows for safe analgesia and anesthesia in children by non-anesthetists in a resource-limited setting for selected emergent and urgent procedures. This package addresses a significant gap in the availability of anesthesia services in low-income settings that would otherwise result in significant delays to procedures or proceeding with painful procedures with inadequate analgesia

Bactérias tolerantes a taninos obtidas de vacas mestiças Holandês x Zebu

The objective of this work was to isolate and characterize tannin-tolerant ruminal bacteria from crossbred Holstein x Zebu cows fed a chopped mixture of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), young stems of "angico-vermelho" (Parapiptadenia rigida), and banana tree (Musa sp.) leaves. A total of 117 bacteria strains were isolated from enrichment cultures of rumen microflora in medium containing tannin extracts. Of these, 11 isolates were able to tolerate up to 3 g L-1 of tannins. Classical characterization procedures indicated that different morphological and physiological groups were represented. Restriction fragments profiles using Alu1 and Taq1 of 1,450 bp PCR products from the 16S rRNA gene grouped the 11 isolates into types I to VI. Sequencing of 16S rRNA PCR products was used for identification. From the 11 strains studied, seven were not identifiable by the methods used in this work, two were strains of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and two of Streptococcus bovis.O objetivo deste trabalho foi isolar e caracterizar bactérias ruminais tolerantes a taninos obtidas de vacas mestiças Holandês x Zebu alimentadas com dieta composta por capim-elefante (Pennisetum purpureum) picado com ramos novos de angico-vermelho (Parapiptadenia rigida) e folhas de bananeira (Musa sp.). Um total de 117 cepas bacterianas foram isoladas a partir de cultivos de enriquecimento da microbiota ruminal em meio contendo extrato de taninos. Destas, 11 foram capazes de tolerar até 3 g L-1 de taninos. Procedimentos clássicos de caracterização indicaram que diferentes grupos, morfológicos e fisiológicos, estavam representados. Perfis dos fragmentos de restrição com Alu1 e Taq1 dos produtos de PCR de 1.450 bp do gene 16S rRNA agruparam os 11 isolados nos tipos I a VI. O sequenciamento dos produtos PCR 16S rRNA foi utilizado para identificação. Das 11 estirpes estudadas, sete não foram identificáveis pelos métodos utilizados neste trabalho, duas eram estirpes de Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens e duas de Streptococcus bovis

Diversity and Strain Specificity of Plant Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes Revealed by the Draft Genome of Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The African Presence and Limits of Double Consciousness in Caryl Phillips's Crossing the River

Set against the backdrop of the Transatlantic slave trade, Caryl Phillips’s Crossing the River can be read as a novel which explores severed family ties and the intertwined relationship between the dominant and the subdued within the African diaspora. Questions concerning “race”, identity and representation can be traced in all the narratives and are also the focus of this essay. Diasporic identities most often involve a double consciousness, seeing and/or identifying with different perspectives. All of the characters are clearly affected by slavery and/or racism directly or indirectly. This essay will argue that this is evident in all the narratives, using Paul Gilroy’s concept of the Black Atlantic to illustrate this point. However, when it comes to representation and whose voice is heard, Phillips’s choices of focalization have adverse implications for the representation of Africa and Africans. Although the novel explores identities of people of the African diaspora and one of the narratives, “The Pagan Coast”, is set in Liberia, the country remains anonymous, and no African is awarded a voice in that narrative. In his attempt at capturing the essence of African diasporic identities, Phillips has neglected the influence of Africa and Africans.