Enhancing the welfare of zebra finches through the use of environmental enrichment

This article will describe alterations made by the University of Glasgow to increase the welfare of our zebra finches by providing them with a more complex environment to engage with. I will explain how we have maximised the enrichment potential within the cages giving our finches greater choices of activity, thus improving their quality of life

Cold Acclimation: A Complex Interaction Of Low Temperature, Light And The Redox State Of Photosystem Ii

The process of cold acclimation refers to the physiological processes by which cold-tolerant plants such as cereals, when developed at low temperature, acquire freezing tolerance. Photosynthesis provides the energy required for these complex metabolic changes to take place. However, photosynthetic organisms must maintain a balance between energy input as a result of photochemical reactions and energy consumption through intersystem electron transport and the various biochemical reactions of cellular metabolism. Imbalances may be sensed by changes in the redox state of photosystem II (PSII), as this represents the rate-limiting step of photosynthetic electron transport. The redox state of PSII is sensitive to both temperature and irradiance. I demonstrate in this thesis that the photosynthetic adjustments which occur as a result of cold acclimation are responses to the redox state of PSII and not low temperature per se. In addition, plant growth habit and the mRNA accumulation of a nuclear gene associated with the acquisition of freezing tolerance (Wcs19) are also modulated by the redox state of PSII. Thus, changes in the environment which perturb the redox state of PSII, act to generate a chloroplastic redox signal, which may represent the first component in a sensing/signalling pathway which acts synergistically with other transduction pathways to elicit the appropriate responses to all environmental stresses

Many-body models for topological quantum information

We develop and investigate several quantum many-body spin models of use for topological quantum information processing and storage. These models fall into two categories: those that are designed to be more realistic than alternative models with similar phenomenology, and those that are designed to have richer phenomenology than related models. In the first category, we present a procedure to obtain the Hamiltonians of the toric code and Kitaev quantum double models as the perturbative low-energy limits of entirely two-body Hamiltonians. This construction reproduces the target models' behavior using only couplings which are natural in terms of the original Hamiltonians. As an extension of this work, we construct parent Hamiltonians involving only local 2-body interactions for a broad class of Projected Entangled Pair States (PEPS). We define a perturbative Hamiltonian with a finite order low energy effective Hamiltonian that is a gapped, frustration-free parent Hamiltonian for an encoded version of a desired PEPS. For topologically ordered PEPS, the ground space of the low energy effective Hamiltonian is shown to be in the same phase as the desired state to all orders of perturbation theory. We then move on to define models that generalize the phenomenology of several well-known systems. We first define generalized cluster states based on finite group algebras, and investigate properties of these states including their PEPS representations, global symmetries, relationship to the Kitaev quantum double models, and possible applications. Finally, we propose a generalization of the color codes based on finite groups. For non-Abelian groups, the resulting model supports non-Abelian anyonic quasiparticles and topological order. We examine the properties of these models such as their relationship to Kitaev quantum double models, quasiparticle spectrum, and boundary structure

Sports Logistics Outsourcing: a Conceptual and Qualitative Study in the Equine Industry

The equine industry, despite its considerable impact on the economy, remains overlooked in contemporary supply chain research. The current paper aims at narrowing the gap along two directions: First, the equine industry supply chain is conceptualized, and its main participants and relationships involved are identified. Second, the complex nature of these relationships is illustrated within the context of a specific strategic decision, outsourcing. For years, outsourcing was considered a formal transaction-cost economics decision with little or no consideration for additional factors. This limiting perspective provides the stimulus for the current study’s use of a qualitative approach to get a better understanding of additional factors affecting the decision. A series of in-depth interviews with horse owners and trainers in the equine industry revealed that, in addition to a detailed cognitive assessment of the transporter capabilities, the outsourcing decision involves a considerable emotional component

Studies in Cyperaceae in southern Africa 43: Scirpoides varius Browning — a new name for Scirpus varius Boeck. ex. C.B. Clarke

AbstractScirpoides varius Browning is established to accommodate the southern African endemic sedge Scirpus varius Boeck. ex C.B. Clarke, an illegitimate name in Scirpus. Morphological considerations support the transfer of the taxon to Scirpoides Ség., and there is no hindrance to the use of the epithet ‘varius’ in Scirpoides

A Conceptual and Qualitative Study of Outsourcing Criteria and the Role of Emotions in Decision-Making: The Case of Equine Sports Transportation Outsourcing

For years, transportation outsourcing was considered a formal transaction-cost economics decision with little or no consideration for additional factors. This limiting perspective provides the stimulus for the current qualitative study, which examines additional factors affecting the transportation decision. For this article, the equine industry is studied in order to gain a better understanding of additional factors that go into decision- making. In-depthinterviewswithhorseownersandtrainersintheequineindustryrevealedthat,inaddition to a detailed cognitive assessment of transporter capabilities, the outsourcing decision involves a considerableemotionalcomponent. Thesefindingcouldbenoteworthyforanumberofindustries,suchas household goods, museums, fine art (paintings, statues, sculptures), antique furniture (including pianos), collectibles of all kinds, and other high involvement luxury items

Senior Recital: Gordon Warren, Percussion; Harold Gray, Piano; November 1, 1970

CE121November 1, 19703:00 p.m

Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Zingiberaceae): observations on floral and reproductive biology

A taxonomic revision for the Flora of Southern Africa of Siphonochilus (Zingiberaceae) awaits publication (R.M. Smith, RBG, Edin., pers. comm. to ABC, 1987). In this revision the two southern African species, S. aethiopicus (Schweinf.) B.L. Burtt and S. natalensis (Schltr. & Schum.) Wood & Franks will be united. For the purposes of this article this conspecificity is assumed. S. aethiopicus has a distribution in Africa southwards from Senegal and Ethiopia to the Transvaal. Futher south wild populations are not now known, the species having disappeared from the natural flora of Natal. Rhizomes are extensively used in traditional African medicine and cultural practices. Floral and reproductive biology is poorly documented, but important if cultivated stocks in southern Africa are to be maintained. Monitoring of plants under cultivation and semi-natural conditions did not support the record of polygamy within the species. One type of flower only was produced by an individual rhizome. Bisexual flowers may mature to fruits containing viable seed that will germinate in situ. Ovaries of female flowers did not develop, suggesting apomixis does not operate in seed production. The internal surfaces of the staminodial tubes of bisexual flowers bore scattered glandular trichomes; those of female flowers densely placed multicellular papillae. Bisexual and female flowers are thus strikingly different in detailed structure as well as in general morphological form