Innovation Systems: Implications for agricultural policy and practice

Farmers and businesses need to adapt constantly if they are to survive and compete in the rapidly evolving environment associated with the contemporary agricultural sector. Rethinking agricultural research as part of a dynamic system of innovation could help to design ways of creating and sustaining conditions that will support the process of adaptation and innovation. This approach involves developing the working styles and practices of individuals and organizations and the incentives, support structures and policy environments that encourage innovation. Previous efforts to support agricultural sector innovation largely targeted agricultural policy and research organizations. The systems approach recognizes that innovation takes place through the interaction of a broader set of organizations and activities. These patterns of interaction and working styles and practices – or institutions as they are referred to by social scientists – need to adapt continuously if they are to meet the changing demands of the evolving agricultural sector. Institutional learning is central to this process and will ensure research organizations remain relevant and continue to introduce innovations that impact positively on the livelihoods of the poor.innovation, systems, agricultural Research, adaptation, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

RESTORATION OF TALL FESCUE PASTURES TO NATIVE WARM SEASON GRASSLANDS: DOES A FUNGAL ENDOPHYTE SYMBIOSIS PLAY A ROLE IN RESTORATION SUCCESS?

Tall fescue, a cool-season grass native to Europe, central Asia, and northern Africa, has been widely distributed throughout the U.S. for use as turf and forage. Following its widespread planting, its ability to associate with a toxic fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, was discovered. Research has linked this fescue-endophyte association with increased biotic and abiotic stress resistance in endophyte-infected (E+) versus endophyte-free (E-) plants, and these differences may affect the ability of land managers to eradicate tall fescue and restore native grasslands. I conducted three studies to examine whether E+ tall fescue plants respond differently to management than E- plants, and whether the success of planted native species might be impacted via indirect soil effects. My overall hypotheses were that E+ plants would recover from restoration/eradication efforts better than E- plants, and that E+ fescue would reduce microbial symbionts in the soil needed by planted native species. I first conducted a field study of a tall fescue pasture consisting of four sub-units being restored with different combinations of prescribed burns and/or herbicide applications, as well as an unmanaged control. I found no evidence of E+ plants preferentially surviving restoration management; however this field had unusually low endophyte infection rates to begin with. The second study was a greenhouse experiment in which I measured growth of E+ and E- plants exposed to different watering regimes (wet, dry) and prescribed burn treatments (none, one, or two burns). Watering regime significantly affected all measured growth parameters (wet\u3edry), but few endophyte effects were found and when present were opposite the hypothesis (E-\u3eE+). All burned plants quickly re-grew tiller lengths comparable to the unburned control, with recovery occurring faster following the second burn compared to the first. My final study examined growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of native species planted by seed into soil from beneath E+ and E- tall fescue. I observed few differences in mycorrhizal colonization or biomass for seedlings between soil from E+ and E- tall fescue. Taken together, my results indicate endophyte status of tall fescue pastures being restored to native grassland species may not be important in governing restoration success

Crossing the Line Between Rough Remedial Justice and Prohibited Punishment: Civil Penalty Violates the Double Jeopardy Clause—United States v. Halper, 109 S. Ct. 1892 (1989)

Historically, the constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy has been triggered primarily in criminal prosecutions. It has not encompassed civil monetary penalties. In United States v. Halper, the Supreme Court expanded double jeopardy protection. The Court held that government imposition of a civil monetary penalty on a defendant who has been criminally convicted for the same offense is punishment to the extent that the penalty clearly exceeds compensation. The punitive portion of the civil penalty, according to the Court, is multiple punishment prohibited by the Double Jeopardy Clause. This Note examines Halper and its effect on legislatures, prosecutors, and courts. The Author concludes that the Court\u27s application of double jeopardy protection effectively protects convicted defendants, but should be extended to protect acquitted defendants from punitive civil penalties

Anatomical Alterations of the Pelvis: The Significance When Determining Childbirth and Sex

Research concerned with the osteological alterations in the pelvic girdle thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition is fairly recent. Much of the research in this area has dealt with the osteological alterations seen on the anterior and posterior pubic facies. The research on the sacroiliac joint has leaned toward the preauricular sulcus of the ilium. Consequently, data pertaining to the osteological alterations thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition seen on the lateral margins of the anterior face of the first through third sacral vertebrae are not complete. It is my intention in this thesis to demonstrate what changes thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition may be seen on the anterior and posterior pubic facies, the preauricular sulcus of the ilium and the lateral margins of the anterior face of the first through third sacral vertebrae, in particular the sacrum. The skeletal material used in this thesis consists of 61 males and 51 females (12 years and older) and 115 of undetermined sex (under 12 years of age) Arikara American Indians from the Mobridge collection housed in the Osteological Laboratory of the Department of Physical Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and in the Department of Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Osteological alterations of the pelvic girdle thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition include new bone formation and bone resorption in the form of depressions, pits, cavities and grooves. The presence, position and frequency of the changes seen in the pelvic girdle thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition were visually noted. The size (length, width and depth when applicable) of the alterations were determined through measurements. In an attempt to explain how and why these changes may be present, hypotheses were proposed. The data suggest that osteological alterations seen on the anterior and posterior pubic facies, the preauricular sulcus of the ilium and the lateral margins of the anterior face of the first through third sacral vertebrae in female skeletal material are associated with pregnancy and parturition. The changes associated with pregnancy and parturition are seen on those areas of the bone that are subject to great stress during pregnancy and parturition: the sites of attachment for the interpubical ligaments, the sacroiliac ligaments, the uterine ligaments, the perineal muscles and the anterior abdominal muscles. The changes similar to those associated with pregnancy and parturition were not seen in any of the skeletal material under the age of 12 years and were rarely seen in the male skeletal material over the age of 12. If changes thought to be associated with pregnancy and parturition had been present in skeletal material under the age of 12 years and no explanation could be offered then our assumptions of associating alterations in the pelvic girdle with pregnancy and parturition would be wrong. The presence of changes similar to those associated with pregnancy and parturition in some of the male skeletons may be explained through the natural stresses from physical exertion commonly experienced by both males and females. The alterations are more extensive in the female skeletal material because the effects of physical exertion are exaggerated during pregnancy. Through changes in body function during pregnancy, bone composition is altered, muscular tissue is subject to excessive strain and the blood clotting factor is hampered. The results are new bone formation and bone resorption in the form of depressions, pits, cavities and grooves. Determination of the number of births per female was not possible because a population for which the actual number of births per female is documented was not available. As a result, the data presented in this thesis can only suggest that alterations present on the anterior and posterior pubic facies, the preauricular sulcus of the ilium and the lateral margins of the anterior face of the first through third sacral vertebrae may help to indicate males, nulliparas (females having given no births), primiparas (females having given one birth) or multiparas (females having given two or more births)

Forensic Science Course Student Efficacy, Task Value, and Sense of Community: Comparing Traditional and Virtual Classroom Designs

Student enrollment in undergraduate online education continues in an increasing trend toward the creation of new virtual degree programs. Academia and university faculty have observed comparable learning outcomes in both traditional and online classrooms, but minimal research exists discussing student perspectives of science-based coursework in these two learning environments. A specific discipline within scientific programs which continues to demand student interest is Forensic Science degree programs. Forensic Science coursework requires tangible application of content learning in addition to confidence in task completion. Forensic Science also necessitates a sense of connectedness amongst a team of individuals, as peer collaboration and discovery are essential. Therefore, developing an understanding of student self-efficacy, task value, and sense of community in Forensic Science classrooms is essential to promoting effective degree programs in both the traditional and online classrooms. This quasi-experimental nonequivalent group design research study sought to examine these variables within a Forensic Science Criminal Investigation course in a large, private university within comparable classrooms in the traditional and online classrooms. Data were collected from student surveys using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) self-efficacy and task-value subscales and the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) to measure the sense of community. The research results demonstrated a statistically significant difference between students’ classroom modality (traditional and online) when analyzing sense of community but no statistical significance was identified in student’s self-efficacy and task value based on classroom modality

Effect of zinc on immune function in young swine and on models of susceptibility to Serpulina hyodysenteriae infection

The effect of dietary zinc on immune function and resistance to Serpulina hyodysenteriae infection in young pigs and the effect of zinc supplementation on the S. hyodysenteriae infection in mice were examined. Zinc deficiency in young pigs resulted in a reduction in lymphocytes, as a percentage of total leukocytes (P \u3c.03), in proliferative response to pokeweed mitogen (P \u3c.03), and in antibody responses to injections with S. hyodysenteriae whole cell lysate (P \u3c.01). Pigs fed a corn and isolated soyprotein diet supplemented with zinc methionine (Zn Met) had higher concentrations of zinc in serum (P \u3c.03) and bone ash (P \u3c.05) than pigs supplemented with ZnO. After two wk of treatment pigs fed a corn and soybean meal diet had reduced proliferative responses to ConA (P \u3c.01) and PWM (P \u3c.02), and lower CD4 to CD8 ratio (P \u3c.06) than pigs fed ZnO or ZnMet supplements. After 4 wk of treatment, pigs fed the basal diet had fewer CD2, CD8, and macrophages than pigs fed supplemental zinc. There was a trend for pigs fed ZnMet to have less severe clinical signs of disease during the first five days after challenge with S. hyodysenteriae than pigs fed ZnO. Pigs fed Zn Met consumed more feed after challenge than did pigs ZnO;The effect of zinc on the susceptibility of BALB/cByJ mice to S. hyodysenteriae was investigated using four levels of zinc sulfate in the drinking water. The effect of zinc was dose dependent and had a narrow range of effectiveness. Ten days following infection mice receiving 12.5 ppm zinc in the water had significantly reduced cecal lesion scores (P \u3c.05) compared with mice receiving no supplemental zinc or 50 ppm zinc; mice receiving 25 ppm zinc had intermediate scores. Histologic evaluation of the mice ceca revealed a difference in the type of cells infiltrating the lamina propria. Mice which received no supplemental zinc or 12.5 ppm zinc had lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltration while mice which received 25, 50, or 100 ppm zinc had a mixture of neutrophilic and lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltration

Preparing Future Faculty as Service-Learning Instructors: A Proposal to Integrate Instruction in Service-Learning Pedagogy into the VCU Preparing Future Faculty Program

This proposal provides a detailed plan for incorporating service-learning pedagogy into the VCU Preparing Future Faculty Program (http://graduate.vcu.edu/development/faculty.html). The VCU Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFF Program) is an optional training program offered by the VCU Graduate School to all graduate students enrolled at the university. The PFF Program involves a series of courses and professional development opportunities aimed at preparing doctoral students for the professoriate