Achievements and Perspectives in the Breeding of Tropical Grasses and Legumes

Pasture and forage plant breeding is complicated by the perennial nature of the plants, the diversity of environments in which improved cultivars will be used, and the complex criteria of merit involved, criteria that necessarily include some measure of impact on the efficiency of animal production. While pasture plant breeding in the temperate zone is a demonstrably productive activity, the record of success for the tropical species -- success measured by release and adoption of bred cultivars -- is less convincing, in spite of four decades of activity in numerous public sector breeding programs and a large published literature. The difference is at least partly owing to the less developed state of pasture research in general in the tropics. More specifically, the reasons for the lack of success of tropical pasture plant breeding can be classified as: i) inadequate understanding of the socioeconomic environment in which the bred cultivars are to be used, ii) inadequate level and stability of institutional support, and iii) inherent biological obstacles. It appears that in most cases the biological obstacles, while sometimes formidable, are the least constraining to success. Until responsibility for tropical pasture plant breeding is assumed by the private sector (as it largely has been in the temperate zone) the single factor that would most improve chances of success (or at least avoid many of the failures) is intimate contact and constant communication between the public sector plant breeder and the seed industry that is the vehicle for diffusion of his new bred cultivars

A modular, programmable measurement system for physiological and spaceflight applications

The NASA-Ames Sensors 2000! Program has developed a small, compact, modular, programmable, sensor signal conditioning and measurement system, initially targeted for Life Sciences Spaceflight Programs. The system consists of a twelve-slot, multi-layer, distributed function backplane, a digital microcontroller/memory subsystem, conditioned and isolated power supplies, and six application-specific, physiological signal conditioners. Each signal condition is capable of being programmed for gains, offsets, calibration and operate modes, and, in some cases, selectable outputs and functional modes. Presently, the system has the capability for measuring ECG, EMG, EEG, Temperature, Respiration, Pressure, Force, and Acceleration parameters, in physiological ranges. The measurement system makes heavy use of surface-mount packaging technology, resulting in plug in modules sized 125x55 mm. The complete 12-slot system is contained within a volume of 220x150x70mm. The system's capabilities extend well beyond the specific objectives of NASA programs. Indeed, the potential commercial uses of the technology are virtually limitless. In addition to applications in medical and biomedical sensing, the system might also be used in process control situations, in clinical or research environments, in general instrumentation systems, factory processing, or any other applications where high quality measurements are required

Assessment of cockpit interface concepts for data link retrofit

The problem is examined of retrofitting older generation aircraft with data link capability. The approach taken analyzes requirements for the cockpit interface, based on review of prior research and opinions obtained from subject matter experts. With this background, essential functions and constraints for a retrofit installation are defined. After an assessment of the technology available to meet the functions and constraints, candidate design concepts are developed. The most promising design concept is described in detail. Finally, needs for further research and development are identified

Flora of Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia

An inventory of the vascular flora of nine of eleven units of Richmond National Battlefield Park was compiled from 1985 to 1987. Each site was visited during the growing season in two to four week intervals; plant species were identified and recorded in the field and/or collected for later study. A total of 761 different species were identified in the surveyed units, and 2487 individual records of species per particular park unit were noted. Twenty-three percent of the flora consists of exotic species, largely from Eurasia. Voucher specimens are housed in the herbaria of the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University

A Critical Examination of Contemporary Legal Issues Important to College Presidents

This discussion provides a highlight of the legal dimensions that college presidents must consider in providing oversight for college operations. Many of these issues are driven by the behaviors of campus constituents, but several key legal issues are also the result of federal legislation and involvement in higher education

Population trends of forest birds in Missouri, USA: Comparison of point count data with predictions from the BBS [abstract]

Abstract only availableLong-term population size trends of Neotropical migrants and other forest birds are of primary concern for conservation biologists. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has become an important tool for biologists in estimating population trends, but because surveys are conducted only along roads, its utility for forest interior species may be limited. We analyzed a long term (1991-2006) point count data set from the interior of three forested sites in central Missouri and compared our trend estimates to BBS trends for the state of Missouri. Using a mixed model analysis of variance with year as a fixed effect and point as a random effect, we generated trend estimates for thirteen species. Results/Conclusions Five species (38%) exhibited statistically significant negative trends indicating species decline, four species (31%) exhibited positive trends indicating that populations increased, three species (23%) exhibited no significant trend, and data from one species did not adequately fit the model. Of the nine species with significant trends in our point count data, seven (78%) had trends that were qualitatively similar to those generated from BBS data. However, for both of the species with contrasting trends, model predictions were strongly different. Our results suggest that the accuracy of BBS trends for forest interior birds may be species specific. We hope to strengthen our conclusions by incorporating point count data from other field sites and by controlling for observer effects in future analyses.NSF Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biolog