Connecting the Empire: New Research Perspectives on Infrastructures and the Environment in the (Post)Colonial World

In the academic debate on infrastructures in the Global South, there is a broad consensus that (post)colonial legacies present a major challenge for a transition towards more inclusive, sustainable and adapted modes of providing services. Yet, relatively little is known about the emergence and evolution of infrastructures in former colonies. Until a decade ago, most historical studies followed Daniel Headrick’s (1981) “tools of empire” thesis, painting—with broad brush strokes—a picture of infrastructures as instruments for advancing the colonial project of exploitation and subordination of non-European peoples and environments. This paper explores new research perspectives beyond this straightforward, ‘diffusionist’ perspective on technology transfer. In order to do so, it presents and discusses more recent studies which focus on interactive transfer processes as well as mechanisms of appropriation, and which increasingly combine approaches from imperial history, environmental history, and history of technology.There is much to gain from unpacking the changing motives and ideologies behind technology transfer; tracing the often contested and negotiated flows of ideas, technologies and knowledge within multilayered global networks; investigating the manifold ways in which infrastructures reflected and (re)produced colonial spaces and identities; critically reflecting on the utility of large (socio)technical systems (LTS) for the Global South; and approaching infrastructures in the (post)colonial world through entangled histories of technology and the environment. Following David Arnold’s (2005) plea for a “more interactive, culturally-nuanced, multi-sited debate” on technology in the non-Western world, the paper offers fresh insights for a broader debate about how infrastructures work within specific parameters of time, place and culture.     

Study of the growth and structural properties of InMnAs dots grown on high-index surfaces by MOVPE

The growth of InMnAs quantum dots by low pressure MOVPE technique on patterned (1 0 0) GaAs substrates was studied. The patterning in the form of ridges with sidewalls having (2 1 1) and (3 1 1) facets was prepared by wet chemical etching via a GaAs/AlAs sacrificial etching mask structure. AFM studies showed that the dots formation and distribution were very similar for both types of facets under study. InMnAs dot density on the (3 1 1) plane is about 5–7 times lower in comparison to that on the (1 0 0) planar substrate. The dots on sidewalls are larger in comparison to average dots formatted on planar GaAs (1 0 0) substrate. The lateral dimensions of these dots are in the interval 100–180 nm. In addition, dot distribution along the sidewall (from top to bottom) is not uniform. A higher dot concentration was observed close to the intersection of (3 1 1) facets with concave bottom part of the valleys between ridges. Finally, no dots were grown on the (1 0 0) plane created by self-faceting on the top of the triangular ridges. This is probably a consequence of the high quality of the (1 0 0) facet formed by lateral overgrowth.     

Transport and optics in quantum wires fabricated by MBE overgrowth on the (110) cleaved edge

The MBE double-growth technique that we call cleaved-edge overgrowth has, over the past several years, proved itself to be especially suitable for making quantum wires of the very highest quality. We will review our recent progress in measuring the transport and quantum optics characteristics of these wires, and the MBE growth issues that arise with cleaved-edge overgrowth fabrication. Our transport experiments have resulted in 250 Å wide quantum wires with ballistic mean free paths exceeding 10 μm. We verify the prediction that in the ballistic regime the electron conductivity in a quantum wire is independent of the wire length and shows quantized steps proportional to e²/h. The deviation of our observed step heights from exactly e²/h is taken as evidence for correlated electron behaviour. The electrons are tightly confined on three sides by atomically smooth GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunctions and in the fourth direction by an electric field. This results in a quantum wire of nominal square cross-section 250 × 250 Å. Magneto-transport measurements reveal quantum wire sub-band separations in excess of 20 meV as well as the symmetries of the wave functions of the one-dimensional modes. For optics studies our quantum wires are made using cleaved-edge overgrowth to form a line junction as two quantum wells are made to intersect with the cross-section forming a letter ‘T’. This line intersection separately forms a quantum wire bound-state for holes, for electrons, and even for excitons. We have characterized our optical wires by PL, by PLE, and by scanning near-field optics. An important application of this work is our demonstration of the first quantum laser using this T-geometry.     

Photoinduced enhancement of superconductivity

The photoinduced enhancement of superconductivity in RBa₂Cu₃O _x (R=rare earth or yttrium) and Pr _y R_1–y Ba₂Cu₃O _x was explored through temperature-dependent resistivity, Hall coefficient and mobility, and x-ray diffraction measurements. The increases inT _c are enhanced near the metal-insulator transition, although photoinduced changes always exist in oxygendeficient samples. Several explanations, including intergrain Josephson coupling, photoassisted oxygen ordering, and the trapping of photogenerated electrons in oxygen vacancies, are discussed.     

Anxiolytic-like action of neurokinin substance P administered systemically or into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis region

There is evidence that the neurokinin substance P plays a role in neural mechanisms governing learning and reinforcement. Reinforcing and memory-promoting effects of substance P were found after it was injected into several parts of the brain and intraperitoneally. With regard to the close link between anxiety and memory processes for negative reinforcement learning, the aim of the present study was to gauge the effect of substance P on anxiety-related behaviors in the rat elevated plus-maze and social interaction test. Substance P was tested at injection sites where the neurokinin has been shown to promote learning and to serve as a reinforcer, namely in the periphery (after i.p. administration) and after injection into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis region. When administered i.p., substance P had a biphasic dose-response effect on behavior in the plus-maze with an anxiolytic-like action at 50 microg/kg and an anxiogenic-like one at 500 microg/kg. After unilateral microinjection into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis region, substance P (1 ng) was found to exert anxiolytic-like effects, because substance P-treated rats spent more time on the open arms of the plus-maze and showed an increase in time spent in social interaction. Furthermore, the anxiolytic effects of intrabasalis substance P were sequence-specific since injection of a compound with the inverse amino acid sequence of substance P (0.1 to 100 ng) did not influence anxiety parameters. These results show that substance P has anxiolytic-like properties in addition to its known promnestic and reinforcing effects, supporting the hypothesis of a close relationship between anxiety, memory and reinforcement processes.     

Evaluation of the Role of p53 Tumour Suppressor Posttranslational Modifications and TTC5 Cofactor in Lung Cancer

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor are found in over 50% of cancers. p53 function is controlled through posttranslational modifications and cofactor interactions. In this study, we investigated the posttranslationally modified p53, including p53 acetylated at lysine 382 (K382), p53 phosphorylated at serine 46 (S46), and the p53 cofactor TTC5/STRAP (Tetratricopeptide repeat domain 5/ Stress-responsive activator of p300-TTC5) proteins in lung cancer. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of lung cancer tissues from 250 patients was carried out and the results were correlated with clinicopathological features. Significant associations between total or modified p53 with a higher grade of the tumour and shorter overall survival (OS) probability were detected, suggesting that mutant and/or modified p53 acts as an oncoprotein in these patients. Acetylated at K382 p53 was predominantly nuclear in some samples and cytoplasmic in others. The localization of the K382 acetylated p53 was significantly associated with the gender and grade of the disease. The TTC5 protein levels were significantly associated with the grade, tumor size, and node involvement in a complex manner. SIRT1 expression was evaluated in 50 lung cancer patients and significant positive correlation was found with p53 S46 intensity, whereas negative TTC5 staining was associated with SIRT1 expression. Furthermore, p53 protein levels showed positive association with poor OS, whereas TTC5 protein levels showed positive association with better OS outcome. Overall, our results indicate that an analysis of p53 modified versions together with TTC5 expression, upon testing on a larger sample size of patients, could serve as useful prognostic factors or drug targets for lung cancer treatment.     

Changes in crystallographic orientation of thin foils of palladium and palladium alloys after the absorption of hydrogen

The adsorption/absorption of hydrogen at room temperature by palladium, 16% silver-palladium and 5% ruthenium-palladium foils was studied using thermal desorption spectroscopy. Hydrogen readily diffused in the palladium and desorbed as one broad peak at about 650 K. Hydrogen also diffuses in the 16% silver-palladium foil and in the 5% ruthenium-palladium foil but with a smaller diffusion constant. Two hydrogen desorption peaks are observed for the Ru-Pd and Ag-Pd alloys, at 440 and around 650 K. The first hydrogen desorption peak is regarded as hydrogen desorbing from the surface sites while the second peak is regarded as hydrogen diffusing from the subsurface sites. The desorption order for surface hydrogen corresponds ton = 2 while the diffused hydrogen desorbs with a fractional order ofn = 1.25. The crystallographic orientation of the foils determined by X-ray diffraction shows a preferential (1,1,0) orientation along the direction of rolling of the foils before hydrogen absorption. This preferential orientation is destroyed after hydrogen adsorption for Pd and Pd-Ag but unaltered for the Pd-Ru alloy. This preferential orientation of the foils might have significant implications in membrane fabrication, since the absorption of hydrogen by Pd is very dependent on surface orientation.     

Self-administration of neurokinin substance P into the ventromedial caudate-putamen in rats

There is evidence that the neurokinin substance P plays a role in learning and reinforcement processes. Reinforcing effects of substance P were found upon injection into several parts of the brain. The aim of the present study was to gauge possible reinforcing effects of microinjections of substance P into the ventromedial caudate-putamen in rats. Two different behavioral paradigms were employed. In the first experiment a two-compartment choice procedure was used and the rats could trigger substance P injections (500 pg per 5 nl injection volume) into the ventromedial caudate-putamen by entering one distinctive compartment. During the injection period, substance P-injected animals spent significantly more time in the drug-paired compartment than vehicle-injected controls. In the second experiment, nose-poking through a hole in one wall of the cage was used as the operant. Rats that could self-administer substance P (100 pg per 5 nl injection volume) into the ventromedial caudate-putamen emitted a significantly higher rate of operant responding on the first day of testing and a significantly lower rate on the third day compared to vehicle-injected animals. The experiments provide evidence that the administration of substance P into the ventromedial part of the caudate-putamen can have positive reinforcing effects, but that repeated injections can have aversive properties. These effects are discussed, firstly, with regard to the possible mechanisms of intrastriatal substance P on striatonigral and striatopallidal output systems and, secondly, with respect to their possible relevance in the study of the basal forebrain reinforcement system.