Family planning in developing countries: A study in communication strategies

This thesis examines communication strategies used in the promulgation of family planning in developing countries. The types of information, education and communication are studied. The case study of the telenovela focuses on an application of communication theory to promote social change

The Real cost of beef: A monetary assessment of the environmental degradation caused by beef production

The environmental degradation caused by beef production is severe. The current literature assesses the ecological damage, but falls short of assigning a per pound dollar amount to reflect the real cost of beef. In the United States, most of the environmental focus has been centered around the use of public lands for grazing and the grazing fee the government considers appropriate. The fee covers the maintenance of the grazing program, which includes maintenance of the actual land. This paper will concentrate on beef-related environmental degradation and select specific damage for monetary valuation

Comparison of the EyeSys Corneal Analysis System and peripheral keratometry using a B&L keratometer and a lighted fixation device

The purpose of this study was to develop a keratometric device that would give a peripheral corneal measurement approximately 3.0mm from the center of the cornea and to compare the accuracy of the peripheral keratometry readings to an industry standard, a computerized corneal topographer. The EyeSys Corneal Analysis System by EyeSys laboratories in Houston, Texas, was chosen as a representative of available computerized corneal topographers. A fixation device, with peripheral fixation targets was created and attached to a standard Bausch & Lomb keratometer. Thirty-one subjects (five in the initial phase and twenty-six in the final phase) who were free from corneal disease and were not contact lens wearers, were subjects for this study. Each subject had four keratometric readings per eye taken 3.0mm from the center of the cornea and compared to the same location on their topographic map. Ninety-one percent of all readings fell within ±0.500. The device may prove to be a useful tool to aid in the base curve selection when fitting RGP lenses on both normal and pathologic eyes (i.e. keratoconus, post-keratoplasty and post-refractive surgery)

Pathogenicity of Fusarium species causing head blight in barley

The pathogenicity of eight Fusarium species causing fusarium head blight (FHB) in barley was studied under controlled conditions. Six barley genotypes varying in resistance to FHB were artificially inoculated with six isolates each of F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. crookwellense, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. graminearum, F. poae and F. sporotrichioides 10-14 d after heading. Symptoms of FHB were rated as disease severity using a 0-9 scale, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28 d after inoculation, and as percentage of infected spikelets (IS) after 21 d. All species tested caused head blight symptoms on the barley genotypes, but only F. crookwellense, F. culmorum and F. graminearum resulted in severe disease development (> 65% IS) and were considered highly pathogenic. Fusarium avenaceum had 48% IS, which was significantly lower than those of the three highly pathogenic species and was moderately pathogenic. The remaining species had 65 %) et ont été considérés comme fortement pathogènes. Avec un PÉI de 48 %, qui était significativement inférieur à ceux des trois espèces les plus pathogènes, le Fusarium avenaceum a été considéré comme moyennement pathogène. Les autres espèces ont eu un PÉI de moins de 15 % et ont été considérées comme faiblement pathogènes. Des différences significatives (P < 0,05) ont été observées entre les espèces pour l'agressivité parmi les isolats et pour la sensibilité parmi les génotypes d'orge, ce qui suggère que le tri pour la résistance à la FÉ doit faire appel à des isolats agressifs ou à un mélange de plusieurs isolats. C'est la première fois que le F. crookwellense est signalé comme fortement pathogène et le F. avenaceum comme moyennement pathogène sur l'orge

Pathogenicity of Pythium species causing seed rot and damping-off in soybean under controlled conditions

Pythium species cause seed rot (SR) and damping-off (DO) in soybean worldwide. In a previous study, a number of Pythium species were isolated from infected soybean plants across Ontario and Quebec, but their comparative pathogenicities to soybean were not examined. In the present research, 24 isolates from eight Pythium spp. were evaluated for their pathogenicity in causing soybean SR and DO in a greenhouse environment. The effect of temperature on the ability of these isolates to cause SR was also studied. There were significant differences among the eight Pythium spp. for both SR and DO. When tested at 25°C, Pythium ultimum was the most pathogenic species, causing 97.0% SR and 46.4% DO, on average, in the two soybean cultivars used. Pythium aphanidermatum was the second most pathogenic species, resulting in 88.5% SR and 41.8% DO. The two species resulted in significantly greater SR and DO than the other six species tested and were considered highly pathogenic. Of the two cultivars used in these trials, ‘Beechwood’ was significantly more susceptible than ‘Nattawa’ to both SR and DO. Temperature had a significant influence on SR caused by Pythium spp. At all four temperatures tested (4°C, 12°C, 20°C and 28°C), P. ultimum was highly pathogenic, while P. arrenomanes, P. coloratum and P. dissotocum were the least pathogenic. The interactions between temperature and Pythium spp. were more pronounced for P. aphanidermatum, which showed an increased percentage of SR with an increase in temperature, and for P. irregulare, P. macrosporum and P. sylvaticum, which showed a decreased percentage of SR with an increase in temperature.Les espèces de Pythium provoquent la pourriture de racine (PR) et la fonte des semis (FS) chez la fève de soja dans le monde entier. Dans une étude précédente, des espèces de Pythium ont été isolées à partir de plants de fève de soja infectés en Ontario et au Québec, mais leur pouvoir pathogène n’a pas été évalué. Dans la présente recherche, le pouvoir pathogène de 24 isolats de huit espèces de Pythium a été évalué relativement à leur capacité de provoquer la PR et la FS dans des serres; l’effet de la température sur leur capacité de provoquer la PR a également été étudié. Il y avait des différences significatives entre les huit espèces de Pythium pour la PR et la FS. À 25°C, P. ultimum détenait le plus grand pouvoir pathogène, provoquant 97,0 % de PR et 46,4 % de FS, en moyenne, chez les deux cultivars utilisés. Pythium aphanidermatum détenait le deuxième plus grand pouvoir pathogène, provoquant 88,5 % de PR et 41,8 % de FS. Des deux cultivars utilisés dans ces essais, ‘Beechwood’ était significativement plus susceptible que ‘Nattawa’ à la PR et à la FS. La température a eu un effet significatif sur la PR. Pour les quatre températures évaluées (4°C, 12°C, 20°C et 28°C), P. ultimum détenait un important pouvoir pathogène, alors que P. arrenomanes, P. coloratum et P. dissotocum étaient les moins pathogènes. L’influence de la température était plus prononcée chez P. aphanidermatum, qui montrait un pourcentage élevé de PR avec une augmentation de la température, et chez P. irregulare, P. macrosporum et P. sylvaticum, qui ont montré une diminution de PR avec une augmentation de la température