Did backcrossing contribute to the origin of hybrid edible bananas?

status: publishe

A nonracial craniofacial perspective on human variation: A(ustralia) to Z(uni)

Dental and craniofacial measurements were collected for 57 samples from Asia, the Pacific, the aboriginal western hemisphere, and Europe. The craniofacial dimensions include many that are not obviously under the control of specific selective forces. Similar configurations for these in different samples should yield indications of recency of common ancestry according to the logic expressed by Darwin and evident in the relationships indicated by nuclear DNA comparisons. Dental dimensions, however, vary according to the length of time that different intensities in selective forces have been in operation. The craniofacial measurements were transformed into C scores and used to generate Euclidean distance dendrograms. When all the material was used to generate a single dendrogram, the European and Amerindian samples sorted into two regionally identifiable clusters, and the Asian and Pacific material sorted into the three clusters identified in separate previous studies: a Mainland Asian cluster, a JŌmon-Pacific cluster and an Australo-Melanesian cluster. Since these clusters are based on variation in traits that are basically nonadaptive in nature, no hierarchical ranking is possible. The clusters simply reflect degree of relationship. This technique holds forth the promise of producing a nonracial assessment of the relationships of all the peoples of the world, past and present.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37649/1/1330820310_ftp.pd

Postgraduate study : the journey for registered nurses.

Backgound Postgraduate education is gaining momentum in NZ as Registered Nurses (RN) choose this pathway to advance their nursing careers, and is recognised as mandatory for RNs working in expanded practice roles and Nurse Practitioners (NP) to meet Nursing Council New Zealand (NZ) competencies. RNs participate in Post graduate study (PGS) while working, and while those employed by NZ District Health Boards (DHB), who meet the criteria, may be eligible for Health Workforce NZ (HWNZ) funding, but for various reasons large numbers of RNs are forced to self-fund their PGS. A literature review identified a gap in the NZ nursing literature regarding the RNs experience of the PGS journey. This study goes some way to address this gap. Method A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to describe and explore the PG journeys of RNs. Using a purposeful sampling, twelve RNs were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews was undertaken to identify key themes. Findings The study’s findings identified the challenges these nurses experienced, juggling their study/work/family obligations to commit to PGS. They spoke of sacrificing time with friends and family, sacrificing annual leave when study leave was not forth coming, or having to negotiate with employer to continue their PGS and being unprepared for the pressures of the academic environment. Relying heavily on family and colleagues for support, they navigated successful completion of their PGS, acknowledging the achievements and gains from PGS. Conclusion Findings from this study reflect findings from similar studies in Australia, UK and Ireland, indicating that RNs continue to experience the same issues and challenges to achieve a PG education. Given the push from within the profession for RNs to complete PG education, nurse educators, nurse employers and policy developers must engage with nurses to improve the PGS experience for RNs