Torture, Truth and Intelligence: The United Kingdom’s War on Terror

Is it the duty of government to protect its citizens and their society at all costs? Does a government have the right to torture in the name of protecting its citizens? This paper examines the ways in which assumptions and rationalizations about torture have shaped counter-terrorism tactics in the United Kingdom. At issue are questions of epistemology; questions that become even more complicated in the violence-filled and politically charged War on Terror. How does the theoretical possibility of torture become a viable counter-terror tactic? Using official government documents, texts from non-governmental organizations, scholarly works and documents obtained through WikiLeaks, this paper analyzes how and why torture became a technique relied upon by United Kingdom Security Services. Beginning with a discussion of the various definitions of torture, this paper presents a chronology of counter-terrorism practices in the United Kingdom as a way to discover how intelligence-gathering practices and interrogation techniques have changed over time. This paper concludes that torture is not an effective method for extracting accurate information and offers an explanation for why the United Kingdom has continued to rely on this ineffective practice. Finally, this paper argues that a new method for gathering, evaluating and transmitting information related to terrorism needs to be developed in order to prevent future attacks

Evaluation of methods and marker systems in genomic selection of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Background Genomic selection (GS) uses genome-wide markers as an attempt to accelerate genetic gain in breeding programs of both animals and plants. This approach is particularly useful for perennial crops such as oil palm, which have long breeding cycles, and for which the optimal method for GS is still under debate. In this study, we evaluated the effect of different marker systems and modeling methods for implementing GS in an introgressed dura family derived from a Deli dura x Nigerian dura (Deli x Nigerian) with 112 individuals. This family is an important breeding source for developing new mother palms for superior oil yield and bunch characters. The traits of interest selected for this study were fruit-to-bunch (F/B), shell-to-fruit (S/F), kernel-to-fruit (K/F), mesocarp-to-fruit (M/F), oil per palm (O/P) and oil-to-dry mesocarp (O/DM). The marker systems evaluated were simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). RR-BLUP, Bayesian A, B, Cπ, LASSO, Ridge Regression and two machine learning methods (SVM and Random Forest) were used to evaluate GS accuracy of the traits. Results The kinship coefficient between individuals in this family ranged from 0.35 to 0.62. S/F and O/DM had the highest genomic heritability, whereas F/B and O/P had the lowest. The accuracies using 135 SSRs were low, with accuracies of the traits around 0.20. The average accuracy of machine learning methods was 0.24, as compared to 0.20 achieved by other methods. The trait with the highest mean accuracy was F/B (0.28), while the lowest were both M/F and O/P (0.18). By using whole genomic SNPs, the accuracies for all traits, especially for O/DM (0.43), S/F (0.39) and M/F (0.30) were improved. The average accuracy of machine learning methods was 0.32, compared to 0.31 achieved by other methods. Conclusion Due to high genomic resolution, the use of whole-genome SNPs improved the efficiency of GS dramatically for oil palm and is recommended for dura breeding programs. Machine learning slightly outperformed other methods, but required parameters optimization for GS implementation

Barren unbranched is a new semi-dominant maize (Zea mays) mutant with defects in inflorescence development and root gravitropism that maps to 4L

Barren unbranched (Ba-ub) is a new, semi-dominant maize mutant that produces either an unbranched tassel and no ear, or fasciated tassels and ears, depending on the genetic background. In a W22xA632 mapping population, tassels and ears are fasciated, and increased spikelet density is found across the tassel rachi and branches, as a result of increased spikelet pair meristem initiation. Ba-ub mapping population tassels also make fewer tassel branches than normal, and branch angle is increased. Spikelet density is increased in the ear, and most mutants produce three silks per kernel, reflecting a likely increase in floral meristem size, proliferation, or branching. Ba-ub roots were found to be agravitropic. Positional cloning places Ba-ub on the long arm of chromosome four, in a region between 195 and 226 Mb

Delivering The Fruits Of Plant Genomics: Using Genotyping-By-Sequencing (Gbs), Genomic Selection (Gs), And Genome-Wide Association Studies (Gwas) To Improve Rice Breeding In The Tropics

To address the multiple challenges to food security posed by global climate change, population growth and rising incomes, plant breeders are developing new crop varieties that can enhance both agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Current breeding practices, however, are unable to keep pace with demand. Genomic Selection (GS) is a new breeding method in which genome-wide markers are used to predict the breeding value of individuals in a breeding population. GS has been shown to improve breeding efficiency in dairy cattle and several crop plant species, and here I evaluate for the first time its efficacy for breeding inbred lines of rice. I performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in conjunction with five-fold GS cross-validation on a population of 363 elite breeding lines from the International Rice Research Institute's (IRRI) irrigated rice breeding program and herein report the GS results. The population was genotyped using a genotyping-by-sequencing protocol optimized for rice in the first part of this thesis. The training population, statistical method used to build the GS model, number of markers, and trait were varied to determine their effect on prediction accuracy. For all three traits, genomic prediction models outperformed prediction based on pedigree records alone. Furthermore, the most accurate GS models were those that incorporated fixed variables derived from genome-wide-association studies (GWAS) performed on rice model training data and by incorporating data from multiple environments. Two breeding schemas are then presented, including an extended, two-stream breeding design that can be used to efficiently integrate novel variation into elite breeding populations, expanding genetic diversity and enhancing the potential for sustainable productivity gains

Barren unbranched is a new semi-dominant maize (Zea mays) mutant with defects in inflorescence development and root gravitropism that maps to 4L

Barren unbranched (Ba-ub) is a new, semi-dominant maize mutant that produces either an unbranched tassel and no ear, or fasciated tassels and ears, depending on the genetic background. In a W22xA632 mapping population, tassels and ears are fasciated, and increased spikelet density is found across the tassel rachi and branches, as a result of increased spikelet pair meristem initiation. Ba-ub mapping population tassels also make fewer tassel branches than normal, and branch angle is increased. Spikelet density is increased in the ear, and most mutants produce three silks per kernel, reflecting a likely increase in floral meristem size, proliferation, or branching. Ba-ub roots were found to be agravitropic. Positional cloning places Ba-ub on the long arm of chromosome four, in a region between 195 and 226 Mb