Millet Response to Root Inoculation with Putative Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Isolated from a Sahelien Shrub

In agriculture systems like the Sahel of West Africa, where climatic and anthropomorphic events have degraded the soil, the reduced crop yield can severely impact the economy of the country and the livelihood of its citizens. Furthermore, most farmers operate at the subsistence level and cannot afford chemical fertilizers to increase crop production. However, two common shrubs Guiera senegalensis and Piliostigma reticulatum, commonly found in farmers’ fields of the Sahel hold potential as local and low cost resource for improving crop yield in millet and peanuts. G. senegalensis performs hydraulic lift which moves water from the wet subsoil to the dry surface soil at night when photosynthesis stops. This hydraulically lifted water could support microorganism even in the dry season and may assist crops through drought periods. Crop yields are higher in the presence of shrubs, but the mechanism for this response is not well understood. We hypothesized that shrubs may harbor a diverse community of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPRs). Therefore, the objective was to measure the growth response of millet in presence and absence of inoculating with putative PGPR from the genus Bacillus in a one-month greenhouse experiment in Dakar, Senegal. Using amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), 11 different groups were identified in rhizosphere soil taken from G. senegalensis in farmers’ fields. The millet plants were inoculated with individuals from each group, and the plants’ growth measured. Using pair-wise comparisons between the control groups, water and bacterial medium, it was found that one of the Bacillus groups significantly (P < 0.1) increased the growth of millet plants.National Science FoundationNo embargoAcademic Major: Evolution and EcologyAcademic Major: Microbiolog

«We' re just little people, Louis» : Marie-Antoinette on Film

In 1938, with much fanfare and advance notice, MGM released the lavish costume drama, Marie-Antoinette. Designed as a star vehicle for Norma Shearer, one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of the decade, the film's supporting cast included matinee idol Tyrone Power as MarieAntoinette' s supposed lover, Count Axel von Fersen, the ageing Shakespearean actor John Barrymore as an ageing Louis XV, and Robert Morley as a singularly befuddled and inept Louis XVI. Although MGM executives mismanaged the film' s production, they promoted an energetic ad campaign for the finished product and arranged for Shearer to reprise her role on the «Maxwell House Coffee Radio Hour.» In the end, Marie-Antoinette achieved only moderate commercial success but it met with a generally favourable critical reaction. Praised by the New York Herald Tribune as «the most sumptuous historical spectacle of the year ,» it was named one of the ten best movies of 1938 by Film Daily and was nominated for four Academy Awards.In 1938, with much fanfare and advance notice, MGM released the lavish costume drama, Marie-Antoinette. Designed as a star vehicle for Norma Shearer, one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of the decade, the film's supporting cast included matinee idol Tyrone Power as MarieAntoinette' s supposed lover, Count Axel von Fersen, the ageing Shakespearean actor John Barrymore as an ageing Louis XV, and Robert Morley as a singularly befuddled and inept Louis XVI. Although MGM executives mismanaged the film' s production, they promoted an energetic ad campaign for the finished product and arranged for Shearer to reprise her role on the «Maxwell House Coffee Radio Hour.» In the end, Marie-Antoinette achieved only moderate commercial success but it met with a generally favourable critical reaction. Praised by the New York Herald Tribune as «the most sumptuous historical spectacle of the year ,» it was named one of the ten best movies of 1938 by Film Daily and was nominated for four Academy Awards

Teachers\u27 Perceptions about Instructional Coaches

Many states and school districts are using federal funds to hire instructional coaches to provide quality professional development for teachers. These instructional coaches provide on-site, on-going support for teachers. This study inquired into about teachers\u27 perceptions of instructional coaches, both positive and negative. A survey was given to 52 teachers from four elementary schools that have had a coach for the past few years. The results indicated that 97% of the teachers who have been coached perceived the experience as beneficial and would choose to be coached again in the future. When asked about the benefits of being coached, the most prevalent answers were the opportunities to learn new strategies; the coach\u27s modeling of lessons in the classroom; the immediate feedback given by the coach to the teacher; and the availability of resources from the coach

Foreign embassies and the Roman senate.

Typewritten sheets in cover. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Essential Neo-Riemannian Theory for Today\u27s Musician

This thesis will build upon the foundation set by Engebretsen and Broman in Transformational Theory in the Undergraduate Curriculum: A Case for Teaching the Neo-Riemannian Approach (Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy 21) and Roig-Francoli’s Harmony in Context (McGraw-Hill) by justifying the inclusion of neo-Riemannian Theory (NRT) in the undergraduate music theory curricula. This thesis also serves as a text for use by undergraduates to supplement a typical theory curriculum. While Engebretsen and Broman introduce the notion of NRT inclusion, and Roig-Francolí dedicates several pages in Harmony to its discussion, NRT remains uncommon in an undergraduate curriculum. NRT, an emerging and relevant analytical system, lends itself to bridging the transition from the chromatic harmony of the nineteenth century to the varied techniques of the twentieth century. NRT’s flexibility assists comprehension of passages from various genres of music, old and new. In an effort to communicate the concepts of NRT to as many undergraduate perspectives as possible, examples and assignments feature musical works of the Common Practice Period, such as those of Beethoven and Liszt, as well as those drawn from the Rock-Pop Era from artists such as Ozzy Osbourne and The Beatles. This thesis addresses the application of NRT through various written, aural, and keyboard assignments that can be easily utilized in most undergraduate curricula. Through the use of written assignments, including examples for analysis as well as composition-exercises, students will achieve an understanding of NRT at the Analytical and Synthesis levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Evaluating observer agreement of scoring systems for foot integrity and footrot lesions in sheep

Background: A scoring scale with five ordinal categories is used for visual diagnosis of footrot in sheep and to study its epidemiology and control. More recently a 4 point ordinal scale has been used by researchers to score foot integrity (wall and sole horn damage) in sheep. There is no information on observer agreement using either of these scales. Observer agreement for ordinal scores is usually estimated by single measure values such as weighted kappa or Kendall’s coefficient of concordance which provide no information where the disagreement lies. Modeling techniques such as latent class models provide information on both observer bias and whether observers have different thresholds at which they change the score given. In this paper we use weighted kappa and located latent class modeling to explore observer agreement when scoring footrot lesions (using photographs and videos) and foot integrity (using post mortem specimens) in sheep. We used 3 observers and 80 photographs and videos and 80 feet respectively. Results: Both footrot and foot integrity scoring scales were more consistent within observers than between. The weighted kappa values between observers for both footrot and integrity scoring scales ranged from moderate to substantial. There was disagreement between observers with both observer bias and different thresholds between score values. The between observer thresholds were different for scores 1 and 2 for footrot (using photographs and videos) and for all scores for integrity (both walls and soles). The within observer agreement was higher with weighted kappa values ranging from substantial to almost perfect. Within observer thresholds were also more consistent than between observer thresholds. Scoring using photographs was less variable than scoring using video clips or feet. Conclusions: Latent class modeling is a useful method for exploring components of disagreement within and between observers and this information could be used when developing a scoring system to improve reliability

Digit ratio (2D:4D), myocardial infarction and fibrinogen in men

Background: Digit ratio (2D:4D: a correlate of prenatal testosterone and oestrogen) is sexually dimorphic withmalesfemales) and is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), the incidence of which is also sexdependent (males>females). Aims: We considered the relationship between 2D:4D, levels of fibrinogen and age at MI.Study design: Digit lengths, height, weight, smoking history and Townsend scores were recorded. Levels of fibrinogenwere measured for 150 patients and 140 age-matched controls. Subjects: The sample consisted of 441 men (301patients who had experienced an MI, 140 controls). Results: Right 2D:4D was positively correlated with fibrinogen inthe controls as was right and left 2D:4D in the total sample. Multiple regression analysis showed right and left 2D:4Dwere positively correlated with fibrinogen in the total sample independent of MI status, age, BMI, smoking history andTownsend scores. Right 2D:4D and right-left 2D:4D (Dr-l) were negatively correlated with age at MI, independent ofBMI, smoking history, and Townsend scores. The MI and control groups did not differ in their 2D:4D. Conclusion: Menwith low 2D:4D tend to have low levels of fibrinogen independent of MI, age, BMI, smoking habits and socioeconomicstatus. Right 2D:4D and Dr-l were negatively related to age at MI but there were no differences in 2D:4D between theMI and control groups. We discuss the implications of our findings for relationships between 2D:4D, MI andperformance in endurance sports in men

The effects of sex, nation, ethnicity, age and self-reported pubertal development on participant-measured right-left 2D:4D (Dr-l) in the BBC internet study

Digit ratio (2D:4D) – a proxy for prenatal sex steroids – shows sex, nationality and ethnic differences and is linked to pubertal onset. It is unclear whether right-left 2D:4D (Dr-l) also correlates with prenatal sex steroids, as evidence of these differences has been less conclusive. The present study examined the effects of sex, nation, ethnicity, age and self-reported pubertal development (i.e. the rate of physical development and age at menarche [females] or first shave [males]) on Dr-l in a large online study (the BBC internet study). Digit lengths were self-measured in 201,865 adults (110,955 males) and the sample of nations included 41 countries. Participants reported the self-perceived rate of physical pubertal development on a five-point scale (from very slow to very fast) and provided information on the age at menarche or first shave. Adult (>17 years) males had lower Dr-l than females with weak effect size across 41 nations (males-females; d = −.065, p 12 years; there were stable sex differences and a weak positive effect of age on Dr-l. Dr-l showed a positive relationship with the rate of physical development and a negative relationship with age at menarche or first shave. Relationships were present in males and females with stronger effects in the latter. It is concluded that Dr-l shows a weak sex difference (males < females) independent of nation, ethnicity and age, and suggest that Dr-l is a proxy for prenatal sex steroids

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and body mass index in the BBC Internet Study: prenatal sex steroids and a Trivers–Willard effect on body composition

Digit ratio – a putative measure of prenatal sex steroids – may be related to body mass index (BMI). However, reports of correlations between 2D:4D and BMI have yielded mixed results with some studies showing no relationship while others have reported positive associations in men or women only. This study considers associations between self-reported 2D:4D and BMI in a large online survey (i.e. the BBC Internet Study). At the individual level, there was a weak positive association between 2D:4D and BMI in both sexes with greater effect sizes in women. Body mass index was positively related to age and negatively related to parental income; however, the relationship between 2D:4D and BMI was independent of both variables. At the national level, mean 2D:4D per country showed positive associations with mean national BMI but those correlations were restricted to females. It is concluded that BMI is positively related to low prenatal testosterone and high prenatal oestrogen. Parental income inequality may influence both prenatal sex steroids (through a ‘Trivers–Willard’ effect) and BMI such that increases in inequality result in reductions in prenatal testosterone and increases in BMI at the individual and national level