What’s Wrong with Dodd-Frank 1502? Conflict Minerals, Civilian Livelihoods, and the Unintended Consequences of Western Advocacy- Working Paper 284

Although its provisions have yet to be implemented, section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is already having a profound effect on the Congolese mining sector. Nicknamed “Obama’s Law” by the Congolese, section 1502 has created a de facto ban on Congolese mineral exports, put anywhere from tens of thousands up to 2 million Congolese miners out of work in the eastern Congo, and, despite ending most of the trade in Congolese conflict minerals, done little to improve the security situation or the daily lives of most Congolese. In this report, Laura Seay traces the development of section 1502 with respect to the pursuit of a conflict minerals-based strategy by U.S. advocates, examines the effects of the legislation, and recommends new courses of action to move forward in a way that both promotes accountability and transparency and allows Congolese artisanal miners to earn a living. Length: 32 pages

The Relationship of Presidential Leadership Style and the Financial Health of Private, Nonproprietary Institutions of Higher Learning

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the financial health of academic institutions and the leadership style of college and university presidents. Financial health was defined as the ability of an institution to pay its current debts. Secondly, the study tested a number of hypotheses derived from the contingency model of leadership effectiveness. Lastly, the study attempted to determine if there was an association between two lists of institutions considered to be led by effective presidents. The study involved a stratified random sample of 263 private institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Data analysis for seven of the eight null hypotheses posed was based upon the scored responses from 77 presidents and financial data from 53 of their associated institutions. Financial data from 199 institutions was used to test the remaining hypothesis. The data were analyzed by means of the Jaspen\u27s M correlational technique, one-way analysis of variance, directional t tests for independent data, and a point-biserial correlation. From the data analysis, it was determined that a significant association did not exist between financial health and leadership style and financial health and institutional degree granting status. The scored data failed to support, as well, the major tenets of the contingency model. In addition, a significant association was not established between institutions led by presidents with reputations for effective leadership and institutions led by presidents who were considered effective by the terms of this study. The data analysis did establish that the majority of the responding presidents were task-oriented leaders operating in high control situations and that institutions which offered the bachelor\u27s degree as their highest degree awarded were those most frequently found in the good financial health category while those which offered the master\u27s degree as their highest degree awarded were those most frequently found in the poor financial health category

Generation, Isolation and Assay Methods for Human Lymphocyte Mitogenic Factor

Activated lymphocytes secrete many products including the lymphokine human lymphocyte mitogenic factor (HLMF). In preliminary experiments lymphocytes from peripheral blood and palatine tonsils were evaluated as possible sources of HLMF by evaluating their level of activation through screening their spontaneous and concanavalin A (con A)-induced blastogenic responses. Tonsil lymphocytes (TL) were found to have high spontaneous proliferation as compared to peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Cells from both sources responded to con A by undergoing a typical blastogenic response. Because TL must be obtained septically, they are frequently cultured in the presence of the antimycotic agent, Amphotericin B (Am B). Since the primary and induced blastogenesis of TL were greatly inhibited by even low concentrations of Am B, those lymphocytes were considered unacceptable sources of HLMF. In contrast to TL the induced blastogenic responses of PBL were found to be augmented by concentrations of Am B less than 5 (mu)g/ml, but the drug appeared to provide no beneficial effect on the quantity of HLMF produced by the cells. HLMF appeared to be produced optimally in the first 48 hr of culture by 10(\u277) PBL/ml, cultured in Neuman-Tytell serumless medium which had been adjusted to 5 x 10(\u27-5) M 2-mercaptoethanol, and 5-35 (mu)g con A/ml. Stability of the HLMF activity could best be maintained by immediate dialysis against 0.05 M NH(,4)HCO(,3) solution, followed by lyophilization and storage of the dried material at -80(DEGREES)C until use. Activity was retained at -80(DEGREES)C for greater than 3 months. The activity was diminished after exposure to 56(DEGREES)C for 30 min, and completely lost after treatment at 80(DEGREES)C for 10 min or 100(DEGREES)C for 5 min. HLMF was insensitive to trypsin and exposure to pH ranges 2-7. Separation of HLMF and con A blastogenic activities was accomplished by addition of ovalbumin followed by Bio-Gel P-100 column Chromatography. HLMF activity eluted in the 12,000-20,000 d and 30,000-50,000 d ranges. The lower molecular weight material was active in the pH range 3.4-4.6 as demonstrated by isoelectric focusing. The larger molecular weight fractions had a pI of 4.14 (+OR-) 0.97. HLMF activated T cells, B cells and unfractionated PBL in assay, with the T cell response being generally, but not always greater. The factor behaved in a dose dependent fashion when assayed against unfractionated PBL

Parental Educational and Engagement Through Positioning and Play

Background: This project is to increase the confidence of parents/caregivers via education about their infants that may not otherwise be provided by other health care professionals. This project also provides early intervention to the infants in efforts to facilitate their maximum development through proper positioning for sleeping and play. Purpose: The purpose of this project was a parental education class for parents/primary caregivers of babies ages 0-6 months. They were educated about their child’s development, and how to engage their baby through play and positioning for optimal cognitive, communication, and social-emotional development. This class and project sought to enhance parents’ level of responsiveness to their babies which facilitates development. The research question is how can occupational therapy address the developmental needs of infants related to positioning for sleeping and tummy time for playing? Theoretical Framework: This research project was guided by the developmental and Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) theoretical frameworks. Methods: The Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition is the agency through which participants were obtained for this descriptive study. A pre-class and a post-class survey were used to determine what the mothers learned in the class. Results: Thematic analysis was used to determine themes, and if the mothers felt the class overall was helpful. Conclusion: Occupational therapy can address the developmental needs of infants related to positioning for sleeping and tummy time for playing through parental education. In addition to v positively answering the research question, it was determined this class would be added to the programming of Healthy Start however, it is still in the planning phase

History of Jose Vasquez Borrego Grant

Typed Spanish and English translations of ...the history of the settlement on certain lands on the bank of the Rio del Norte by Jose Basquez Borrego... by C. Alegria in 1930. Donated by Hubert J. Miller. NOTE: The file does not contain facsimiles of the original manuscripts.https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/lrgv/1024/thumbnail.jp

Atomization and Dispersion of a Liquid Jet Injected Into a Crossflow of Air

In recent years, environmental regulations have become more stringent, requiring lower emissions of mainly nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (UHC). These regulations have forced the gas turbine industry to examine non-conventional combustion strategies, such as the lean burn approach. The reasoning behind operating under lean conditions is to maintain the temperature of combustion near and below temperatures required for the formation of thermal nitric oxide (NO). To be successful, however, the lean processes require careful preparation of the fuel/air mixture to preclude formation of either locally rich reaction zones, which may give rise to NO formation, or locally lean reaction zones, which may give rise to inefficient fuel processing. As a result fuel preparation is crucial to the development and success of new aeroengine combustor technologies. A key element of the fuel preparation process is the fuel nozzle. As nozzle technologies have developed, airblast atomization has been adopted for both industrial and aircraft gas turbine applications. However, the majority of the work to date has focused on prefilming nozzles, which despite their complexity and high cost have become an industry standard for conventional combustion strategies. It is likely that the new strategies required to meet future emissions goals will utilize novel fuel injector approaches, such as radial injection. This thesis proposes and demonstrates an experiment to examine, on a mechanistic level (i.e., the physics of the action), the processes associated with the atomization, evaporation, and dispersion of a liquid jet introduced, from a radial, plain-jet airblast injector, into a crossflow of air. This understanding requires the knowledge not only of what factors influence atomization, but also the underlying mechanism associated with liquid breakup and dispersion. The experimental data acquired identify conditions and geometries for improved performance of radial airblast injectors

Geological and Climatic Survey, Camp Bowie Military Reservation Brownwood, Texas

Camp Bowie, a Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG) training area located 6 miles south-southeast of Brownwood, Texas, and comprising 8,755 acres, is presently distributed as two parcels: an original reserve comprising 5,410 acres and a newly acquired adjacent tract to the southeast comprising 3,345 acres (Figure 1). The training area is used for vehicle maintenance and improving combat readiness in the TXARNG and is mandated for company and platoon-level training of reserve and active personnel in the use of armored vehicles and .50-caliber (nonexplosive) training devices. The area is of a size sufficient to implement the Army Training and Evaluation Program (ARTEP). The overall plan includes discontinuing agricultural use and allowing the land to return to a natural, if not original, physical state (Adjutant General's Department of Texas, 1992). Physiographically, Camp Bowie is on a transition between rolling hills developed on Cretaceous rocks of the Grand Prairie province in the east and the generally lower-relief Osage Plains developed on much older rocks (Triassic, Permian, and Pennsylvanian) to the west (Sellards and others, 1932; Figure 2). These physiographic provinces have also been called Cross Timbers and Prairies, and Rolling Plains, respectively (Gould, 1975). The area is in the Colorado River drainage basin and includes many small intermittent creeks. Water from these streams eventually drains into Pecan Bayou to the east of the camp or Indian Creek to the west. Pecan Bayou and Indian Creek drain south into the Colorado River (Figure 1).Bureau of Economic Geolog

High acceptance rate of anal pap screening despite limited knowledge about anal dysplasia among HIV+ MSM

Anal cancer in the general population is more prevalent in women, but in most HIV populations, MSM have the highest risk. Data suggest that screening can prevent invasive carcinoma. Use of routine cervical pap smears resulted in an 80% reduction in cervical cancer rates. The current study examines the effectiveness of a clinical intervention designed to increase anal dysplasia education, screening, and treatment for HIV+ MSM