Safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm for breeding

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) originated in South America, but is now cultivated in various parts of the tropics. Movement of cocoa germplasm is often required in breeding programmes to increase the genetic diversity pool or to test clones/progeny in the field. However, such movement brings with it the risks of spread of pests and diseases, many of which are confined to particular geographical locations. Thus, it is critical that movement of germplasm is conducted within a quarantine framework. This chapter reviews the risks associated with the movement of cocoa germplasm. It considers international governance of plant movement and discusses the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre at the University of Reading (ICQC,R) as a hub for safe handling and movement of cocoa germplasm

Comparison of Flickr and Public Participation GIS to characterise the types, spatial patterns and socio-ecological drivers of social values for the Kimberley region

Coastal and marine environments are highly valued for the resources and services they provide. To sustainably manage these environments, we need to understand what people value and where these values occur, but spatial data is not always easily obtainable. Crowdsourcing methods such as the retrieval of geotagged photographs from the photo-sharing social media platform Flickr and Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) that use field-based or online mapping techniques enable the identification, quantification and mapping of social values. This study compared these methods to evaluate whether Flickr provides similar data to PPGIS about values and where they are likely to occur. A total of 5,293 geotagged Flickr photographs of the natural environment were retrieved for the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The relative abundance of the ten evaluated value types differed between Flickr and two previously published PPGIS datasets involving field-based interviews (p < 0.001) and an online survey (p < 0.001), but scenic/aesthetic and nature appreciation were highly valued in all studies. There were clear distinctions in the spatial patterns of where values were recorded; Flickr users tended to take photographs near easily-accessible locations, whereas PPGIS participants mapped values across most of the Kimberley coastline. Spatial modelling performed to investigate the distribution of value types revealed accessibility was the main driver to where Flickr users were likely to take photographs within the Kimberley region. In contrast, values mapped by PPGIS participants were more broadly distributed and therefore the models were less able to identify strong relationships with the evaluated drivers. Despite this, value types mapped by both methods were concentrated near the coastline and the few major towns of the region, likely due to these being familiar places and popular tourism destinations. Values crowdsourced through Flickr and PPGIS can be used together to take advantage of their reinforcing and complementary information. Whilst PPGIS enabled more value types to be identified within the study area and over a greater spatial distribution, Flickr can be used to provide further depth of information, such as insight into certain value types through photograph content analysis and by highlighting locations of visitation that may need management. The findings of this study can be valuable to inform future planning and management of coastal and marine environments, especially where spatial data may be limited

The Effectiveness of a Social and Emotional Learning Intervention Program with Middle School Students in Central Georgia

Addressing students\u27 social and emotional learning can lead to increased social and emotional functioning, improved classroom and school behavior, and increased academic performance. This study investigated the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention program in a middle school in central Georgia. The study utilized a mixed methodology and examined the effects of a semester long SEL intervention program called Second Step. The participants in the study consisted of 60 7th-grade students between 11 and 13 years of age who were enrolled in a health education course for the second semester at ABC Middle School. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests were used to test the hypotheses of this study with the scientific approach and gather quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected from five participants\u27 pre- and post-intervention surveys and open-ended questions to understand a more in-depth look into the rationale behind their survey answers. The study\u27s results revealed a significant disparity between students\u27 pre-training and post-training perceptions of their classroom and school. From the findings of this study, it can be inferred that the positive difference in students\u27 perceptions of their classroom and school after participating in the Second Step. The study’s results indicated a reduction in disciplinary referrals after students participated in the Second Step, although this reduction was not statistically significant. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating social and emotional learning interventions into the school curriculum while suggesting the need for further exploration of enhancing classroom behavior outcomes

Analysis of physiological data from the International Clonal Trial (CFC)

A range of physiological parameters (canopy light transmission, canopy shape, leaf size, flowering and flushing intensity) were measured from the International Clone Trial, typically over the course of two years. Data were collected from six locations, these being: Brazil, Ecuador, Trinidad, Venezuela, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Canopy shape varied significantly between clones, although it showed little variation between locations. Genotypic variation in leaf size was differentially affected by the growth location; such differences appeared to underlie a genotype by environment interaction in relation to canopy light transmission. Flushing data were recorded at monthly intervals over the course of a year. Within each location, a significant interaction was observed between genotype and time of year, suggesting that some genotypes respond to a greater extent than others to environmental stimuli. A similar interaction was observed for flowering data, where significant correlations were found between flowering intensity and temperature in Brazil and flowering intensity and rainfall in Côte d’Ivoire. The results demonstrate the need for local evaluation of cocoa clones and also suggest that the management practices for particular planting material may need to be fine-tuned to the location in which they are cultivated

Bodies of Writing: Recovering the Past in Zoe Wicomb’s David’s Story and Elleke Boehmer’s Bloodlines

There are remarkable similarities between Zoe Wicomb’s David’s Story and Elleke Boehmer’s Bloodlines which were published in 2000. Both present characters, classified as coloured under the race categories of apartheid, who are compelled to re-examine their past, and both texts set this endeavour in the South Africa of 1990-91 which they represent as a time of euphoria and fear-filled uncertainty. The resistance movements had just been unbanned and leaders released from prison, and an interim constitution was being drawn up so that a government of national unity could oversee the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. At the same time, as previously exiled revolutionary groupings re-established themselves in the country, rumours of counter-coups circulated and ordinary people were subjected to a decade of continuing terror as various factions either enforced or resisted change

Load partitioning and evidence of deformation twinning in dual-phase fine-grained zr-2.5%Nb alloy.

In situ neutron diffraction loading experiments were carried out on a cold-rolled dual-phase (a-phase, '"' 10% b-phase) Zr–2.5%Nb alloy at room temperature. The specimens were cut at different angles from the rolling direction (RD) towards the transverse direction (TD), thus the loading axis changes gradually from the rolling to transverse direction. Due to the strong texture of the studied alloy, and unidirectional nature of deformation twinning, the changing loading direction with respect to initial texture has a significant impact on the collaborative slip-twinning deformation mode in the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) a-phase. The present neutron diffraction results provide direct evidence of {1 - 1.2}/1 - 1. - 1S ‘‘tensile’’ twins in the a-phase of dual-phase Zr–2.5%Nb alloy at room temperature. Additionally, TEM analysis was employed to confirm the presence of ‘‘tensile’’ twins, and determine if other type of twins were present. It is further clear from the neutron diffraction results that applied load is gradually transferred from the plastically softer a-phase to the plastically harder b-phase which acts as a reinforcing phase having a yield strength in the range 750–900 MPa depending on the loading direction

Farmers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC) in Ghana and its effects on poverty reduction

The study examined the contribution of the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC), which is a cocoa production-enhancing government policy, to reducing poverty and raising the living standards of cocoa farmers in Ghana. One hundred and fifty (150) cocoa farmers were randomly selected from five communities in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai district of the Western Region of Ghana and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Just over half of the farmers (53%) perceived the CODAPEC programme as being effective in controlling pests and diseases, whilst 56.6% felt that their yields and hence livelihoods had improved. In some cases pesticides or fungicides were applied later in the season than recommended and this had a detrimental effect on yields. To determine the level of poverty amongst farmers, annual household consumption expenditure was used as a proxy indicator. The study found that 4.7% of cocoa farmers were extremely poor having a total annual household consumption expenditure of less than GH¢ 623.10 ($310.00) while 8.0$398.81). An amount of money ranging from GH¢ 20.00 ($9.95) to GH¢ 89.04 ($44.29) per annum was needed to lift the 4.7% of cocoa farmers out of extreme poverty, which could be achieved through modest increases in productivity. The study highlighted how agricultural intervention programmes, such as CODAPEC, have the potential to contribute to improved farmer livelihoods