Rice and Water: The Final Frontier

Outlines the threat of diminishing water resources for rice crops, the economic and social dimensions of the droughts' potential effects, and the new cultural systems and adapted rice varieties being pursued as potential solutions

Investigations into some important fish larvae in the south east Atlantic in relation to the hydrological environment

Includes bibliographies at end of chapters.The following objectives are covered in the study: (i) the description of the seasonal hydrological changes in the survey area and a comparison between years. (ii) an examination of the seasonal distribution and abundance of the larval stages in relation to hydrological conditions. (iii) the determination of the preferential temperature and salinity ranges for the larvae. (iv) an examination of seasonal shift in location and intensity of spawning from the geographic distribution, abundance and size composition of the larvae. (v) the establishment of dispersal trends of developing larvae from the spawning grounds. (vi) the provision of information on the identity and development of important fish eggs and larvae. (vii) the determination of diurnal changes in abundance and size composition of various larval species. The results reported are regarded as scientifically significant in view of the paucity of basic information on the early life history of any fish species off South West Africa. Many aspects such as identity, development, distribution, abundance, hydrological affinities, diurnal variation and dispersal are given for the first time. The findings make a positive contribution not only to knowledge of the early stages and biology of the species but also provide an insight into the general ecology of fish larvae in what is probably the most productive and lucrative fishing grounds in the South East Atlantic

The Rockefeller Foundation's International Program on Rice Biotechnology

Presents the product of a two-year intensive survey and analysis of the genetic prospects for the world's major food crops conducted in the early 1980s

Earthquake source parameters from GPS-measured static displacements with potential for real-time application

We describe a method for determining an optimal centroid–moment tensor solution of an earthquake from a set of static displacements measured using a network of Global Positioning System receivers. Using static displacements observed after the 4 April 2010, MW 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah, Mexico, earthquake, we perform an iterative inversion to obtain the source mechanism and location, which minimize the least-squares difference between data and synthetics. The efficiency of our algorithm for forward modeling static displacements in a layered elastic medium allows the inversion to be performed in real-time on a single processor without the need for precomputed libraries of excitation kernels; we present simulated real-time results for the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake. The only a priori information that our inversion scheme needs is a crustal model and approximate source location, so the method proposed here may represent an improvement on existing early warning approaches that rely on foreknowledge of fault locations and geometries

Characterising live cell behaviour: traditional label-free and quantitative phase imaging approaches

Label-free imaging uses inherent contrast mechanisms within cells to create image contrast without introducing dyes/labels, which may confound results. Quantitative phase imaging is label-free and offers higher content and contrast compared to traditional techniques. High-contrast images facilitate generation of individual cell metrics via more robust segmentation and tracking, enabling formation of a label-free dynamic phenotype describing cell-to-cell heterogeneity and temporal changes. Compared to population-level averages, individual cell-level dynamic phenotypes have greater power to differentiate between cellular responses to treatments, which has clinical relevance e.g. in the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, as the data is obtained label-free, the same cells can be used for further assays or expansion, of potential benefit for the fields of regenerative and personalised medicine

Characterising live cell behaviour: traditional label-free and quantitative phase imaging approaches

Label-free imaging uses inherent contrast mechanisms within cells to create image contrast without introducing dyes/labels, which may confound results. Quantitative phase imaging is label-free and offers higher content and contrast compared to traditional techniques. High-contrast images facilitate generation of individual cell metrics via more robust segmentation and tracking, enabling formation of a label-free dynamic phenotype describing cell-to-cell heterogeneity and temporal changes. Compared to population-level averages, individual cell-level dynamic phenotypes have greater power to differentiate between cellular responses to treatments, which has clinical relevance e.g. in the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, as the data is obtained label-free, the same cells can be used for further assays or expansion, of potential benefit for the fields of regenerative and personalised medicine

The Right of Revolution: An Analysis of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes' Social Contract Theories

Thesis advisor: Richard Cobb-StevensThe right of revolution in the social contract theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke is a curious topic. This paper discusses the differences and similarities between the two philosophers’ discussions of this topic. It is argued that Hobbes and Locke differ most drastically on the notion of who the sovereign is. While Hobbes prefers to establish the sovereign as a demigod, Locke understands the sovereign as a mortal, and thus fallible, man. It is because of this distinction that Hobbes and Locke disagree on the notion of the right of revolution. Furthermore, the American Founding Fathers, including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, inherited Locke’s perspective on this matter when arguing for the independence of the colonies. Finally, it is the conclusion of this paper that this notion of the right of revolution continues today, when observing the numerous political revolutions around the world.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program.Discipline: Philosophy

Predicting and locating fracture in bone using acoustic emission

A novel way to predict intra-operative fracture during Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) using acoustic emission (AE) has been tentatively discovered. AE has also been shown to be able to predict the location of such fracture. This work has potential benefit for the THA surgeon as it gives him a warning of when fracture is imminent and secondly where on the bone it is likely to occur. Eight bovine femora were tested using a Materials Testing Machine. Mock implants were forced into the specially prepared femora until the femora fractured. Both strain guages and AE sensors were mounted on the femora. Strain was used as a control to indicate when the femur fractured. The data from the AE sensors was analyzed post test to determine a parameter that could be used to predict when fracture was imminent and indeed when it had occurred. It was discovered that the peak frequency of the AE waves reduced significantly just before fracture occurred. It is theorized that as the bone material undergoes microcracking, the properties of the materials alter resulting in this change in peak frequency.\ud Two AE source location algorithms were tested on rectangular samples of bone harvested from the mid diaphysis of bovine bone to determine the feasibility of predicting the location of the fracture by locating in real time the microcracks that occur as their prelude. The source location algorithms detected artificial AE sources (pencil lead breaks) to just over 1 mm (on average) of their true location. Then three samples were loaded in three point bending until they fractured. The source location algorithms located the microcracks using AE data collected during the tests. The computed locations showed that there was a close correlation between where the microcracks were detected and where the fractured occurred