Agricultural Extension and Production Agriculture The Good, The Bad and The Opportunity

TThe purpose of this study is to understand successful and failed partnerships between industries in production agriculture and Agricultural Extension services in order to determine appropriate avenues for mutually beneficial relationships. Participants across various industries in production agriculture were surveyed in order to provide their perception of partnerships with Extension. Using phenomenology as qualitative research the results indicate a clear disconnect between production agriculture and Extension. Production agriculture industries highlight certain programs and elements within Extension that contribute to successful partnerships. However, a lack of expertise and communication by Extension personnel contribute to failed partnerships, or worse, no working relationship whatsoever. The data includes overarching concepts and meaning as to why partnerships are considered successful or not. Production agriculture is turning to other organizations for collaboration that perform similar work to Extension including non-governmental organizations. However, industries in production agriculture identify opportunities to create new or improve upon existing partnerships with Extension

Desymmetrisation reactions of cyclohexa-1,4-dienes

This thesis describes the development of diastereotopic group selective processes allowing the desymmetrisation of 1,4-cyclohexadiene derivatives and their application to target synthesis. Chapter 1 discusses some of the benefits that may be derived by the use of desymmetrisation, and demonstrates some of the ways in which it has recently been applied in compounds based on 1,4-cyclohexadiene. Chapter 2 describes a novel use of the Prins reaction to desymmetrise cyclohexadiene derivatives with high diastereoselectivity, and the optimisation of this resulting in an effective, practical and straightforward procedure. Chapter 3 details the investigation into desymmetrisation through diastereoselective iodocyclisation reactions, much higher stereoselectivity is observed than found previously in cyclohexadiene based substrates and an explanation is suggested by examination of structural differences. Chapter 4 reviews some of the previous synthetic approaches to members of the fawcettimine group of Lycopodium alkaloids. This is followed by the results of our first approach to the core tetracyclic ring system of lycoposerramine A, based on the discovery of a novel base induced diastereotoselective cyclisation reaction. Chapter 5 describes our revised approach, leading to the construction of a closely related tetracycle, although not permitting the construction of the target. Chapter 6 discusses the synthesis of the core tricyclic system of lycoposerramine S by a different strategy. NMR spectra obtained from the final product are found to closely match those obtained from the natural product.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Initial test results on bolometers for the Planck high frequency instrument

We summarize the fabrication, flight qualification, and dark performance of bolometers completed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) of the joint ESA/NASA Herschel/Planck mission to be launched in 2009. The HFI is a multicolor focal plane which consists of 52 bolometers operated at 100 mK. Each bolometer is mounted to a feedhorn-filter assembly which defines one of six frequency bands centered between 100-857 GHz. Four detectors in each of five bands from 143-857 GHz are coupled to both linear polarizations and thus measure the total intensity. In addition, eight detectors in each of four bands (100, 143, 217, and 353 GHz) couple only to a single linear polarization and thus provide measurements of the Stokes parameters, Q and U, as well as the total intensity. The measured noise equivalent power (NEP) of all detectors is at or below the background limit for the telescope and time constants are a few ms, short enough to resolve point sources as the 5 to 9 arc min beams move across the sky at 1 rpm

Desymmetrisation reactions of cyclohexa-1,4-dienes

This thesis describes the development of diastereotopic group selective processes allowing the desymmetrisation of 1,4-cyclohexadiene derivatives and their application to target synthesis. Chapter 1 discusses some of the benefits that may be derived by the use of desymmetrisation, and demonstrates some of the ways in which it has recently been applied in compounds based on 1,4-cyclohexadiene. Chapter 2 describes a novel use of the Prins reaction to desymmetrise cyclohexadiene derivatives with high diastereoselectivity, and the optimisation of this resulting in an effective, practical and straightforward procedure. Chapter 3 details the investigation into desymmetrisation through diastereoselective iodocyclisation reactions, much higher stereoselectivity is observed than found previously in cyclohexadiene based substrates and an explanation is suggested by examination of structural differences. Chapter 4 reviews some of the previous synthetic approaches to members of the fawcettimine group of Lycopodium alkaloids. This is followed by the results of our first approach to the core tetracyclic ring system of lycoposerramine A, based on the discovery of a novel base induced diastereotoselective cyclisation reaction. Chapter 5 describes our revised approach, leading to the construction of a closely related tetracycle, although not permitting the construction of the target. Chapter 6 discusses the synthesis of the core tricyclic system of lycoposerramine S by a different strategy. NMR spectra obtained from the final product are found to closely match those obtained from the natural product

The Relationship between Skinfold and Ultrasound Measures of Subcutaneous Fat in Untrained Healthy Males

Ultrasound measurement of adipose tissue offers an alternative measure of body composition with less technical skill requirement than skinfolds. However, the relationship between skinfold and ultrasound measurements of adipose tissue is uncertain. The aim of this study was to compare these measures in a healthy untrained male population. One hundred male participants (aged 18–40 years) of varying body compositions had skinfold measures taken at the biceps, triceps and front thigh sites. Ultrasound measures were also taken at the same sites using B-wave ultrasound with a linear probe in the transverse plane. Strong, significant (p < 0.01), positive correlations were observed between skinfold and ultrasound measures at the biceps (r = 0.828), triceps (r = 0.813), and front thigh (r = 0.888) sites. However, there was significant (p < 0.01) variance between the techniques at all measurement sites. Whilst skinfold and ultrasound measures of adipose tissue have good linear agreement, skinfolds are consistently higher at all sites indicating a difference in the nature of the tissue measured via each technique. The exact nature of the relationship should be established on a population-specific basis

COMMUNICATIONS LINK FOR COMPUTERS

A system is disclosed for a computer to communicate with a selected one of a plurality of other computers through two identical communications links associated with the communicating computers. A single channel connects the two links which operate at a clock rate independent of the computers. Binary digits and clock pulses are combined and converted into a three-level signal for serial transmission over the single channel. Both control messages and data words may be transmitted. Each message and word transmitted is checked for error by the receiving link before it is accepted and the receiving computer is interrupted. If error is found, an error message is automatically transmitted to the originating computer

Structure-activity relationships of constrained phenylethylamine ligands for the serotonin 5-ht2 receptors

Serotonergic ligands have proven effective drugs in the treatment of migraine, pain, obesity, and a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. There is a clinical need for more highly 5-HT(2) receptor subtype-selective ligands and the most attention has been given to the phenethylamine class. Conformationally constrained phenethylamine analogs have demonstrated that for optimal activity the free lone pair electrons of the 2-oxygen must be oriented syn and the 5-oxygen lone pairs anti relative to the ethylamine moiety. Also the ethyl linker has been constrained providing information about the bioactive conformation of the amine functionality. However, combined 1,2-constriction by cyclization has only been tested with one compound. Here, we present three new 1,2-cyclized phenylethylamines, 9–11, and describe their synthetic routes. Ligand docking in the 5-HT(2B) crystal structure showed that the 1,2-heterocyclized compounds can be accommodated in the binding site. Conformational analysis showed that 11 can only bind in a higher-energy conformation, which would explain its absent or low affinity. The amine and 2-oxygen interactions with D3.32 and S3.36, respectively, can form but shift the placement of the core scaffold. The constraints in 9–11 resulted in docking poses with the 4-bromine in closer vicinity to 5.46, which is polar only in the human 5-HT(2A) subtype, for which 9–11 have the lowest affinity. The new ligands, conformational analysis and docking expand the structure-activity relationships of constrained phenethylamines and contributes towards the development of 5-HT(2) receptor subtype-selective ligands

Atmospheric Phase Correction Using Total Power Radiometry at the Submillimeter Array

Phase noise caused by an inhomogeneous, time-variable water vapor distribution in our atmosphere reduces the angular resolution, visibility amplitude and coherence time of millimeter and submillimeter wavelength interferometers. We present early results from our total power radiometry phase correction experiment carried out with the Submillimeter Array on Mauna Kea. From accurate measurements of the atmospheric emission along the lines of sight of two elements of the array, we estimated the differential atmospheric electrical path between them. In one test, presented here, the phase correction technique reduced the rms phase noise at 230 GHz from 72◦ to 27◦ over a 20 minute period with a 2.5 second integration time. This corresponds to a residual differential electrical path of 98 µm, or 15 µm of precipitable water vapor, and raises the coherence in the 20 minute period from 0.45 to 0.9.AstronomyPhysic