Bespoke estyle statistical training for Africa: Challenges and opportunities of developing an online course

Problem In Africa, as well as the rest of the world, it is difficult for field scientists to access statistical support. This leads to poor field study design and inadequate analysis of the resultant data. There is also a need for support in data collection, data management, analysis and interpretation of results amongst early career agricultural researchers. Plan While statistical and software training sites exist such as those on EdX and Lynda, these sites generally focus on either simple statistical theory or the software. Our plan is to produce an end-to-end training system that takes users through the complete process of conducting high quality research in Agriculture. This training will show how the theory and software work together and demonstrates and explains procedures which lead to high quality reproducible research, It includes examples from Agricultural research some of which have been conducted by the team. Action The development of ‘BeST’ an online course for African scientists and early career researchers aimed to provide support for experimental design principles and the use of R software. It is available at yieldingresults.org and is supported by the Australian Centre for International Research (ACIAR). A team of developers produced materials with an emphasis on visual and practical materials. The site is continuously available and is in modular format and aims to assist in developing designs and following through with analysis and reporting. Due to the target audience and the potential reliability of service in Africa, the website has been designed to be lightweight and have a mix of online and downloadable resources. While the primary focus is for Agricultural researchers with limited mathematical backgrounds, extensions to modules are provided for those who wish to know more of the “mechanics” behind the methods. The software used throughout the website for statistical analysis is the R Statistical language, which follows in the site Open Source, creative commons mission. Reflection While we are still in a late-Beta stage in the website, we have had many users’ comments on how well the website has been designed and the general ease of accessibility of the topics. In the feedback we have received a suggestion to provide the website on DVD or usb stick has been put forward for those areas without reliable internet service. This is currently being developed as well as extending the programme to other areas which have shown high traffic, such as South East Asia and South America

Planck 2015 results. XX. Constraints on inflation

We present the implications for cosmic inflation of the Planck measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies in both temperature and polarization based on the full Planck survey. The Planck full mission temperature data and a first release of polarization data on large angular scales measure the spectral index of curvature perturbations to be n s = 0.968 ± 0.006 and tightly constrain its scale dependence to dn s /dlnk = −0.003 ± 0.007 when combined with the Planck lensing likelihood. When the high-ℓ polarization data is included, the results are consistent and uncertainties are reduced. The upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is r 0.002 <0.11 (95% CL), consistent with the B-mode polarization constraint r<0.12 (95% CL) obtained from a joint BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck analysis. These results imply that V(ϕ)∝ϕ 2 and natural inflation are now disfavoured compared to models predicting a smaller tensor-to-scalar ratio, such as R 2 inflation. Three independent methods reconstructing the primordial power spectrum are investigated. The Planck data are consistent with adiabatic primordial perturbations. We investigate inflationary models producing an anisotropic modulation of the primordial curvature power spectrum as well as generalized models of inflation not governed by a scalar field with a canonical kinetic term. The 2015 results are consistent with the 2013 analysis based on the nominal mission data

Transpiration: Water Use Efficiency

The balance between carbon assimilation (net photosynthetic production) and the throughput of water by transpiration (resource use in terms of water) results in a benefit–cost ratio of interest to eco-physiologists and crop physiologists, known as water-use efficiency. The differences in concentration of CO2 and water vapor between the intercellular surfaces of the leaf mesophyll and the atmosphere drive the fluxes of carbon dioxide and water through the plant. Hot dry environments provide conditions of high evaporative demand. CO2 concentrations are low in the atmosphere, and this gas diffuses through the stomata, which need to be open to allow gas exchange. There is a need under most environments to conserve water, and under drought stress, stomata close which conserves water. Water-use efficiency is an expression of the benefit–cost ratio for a plant and integrates the physiology of photosynthesis and plant water relations over a particular growth period or cropping season

Genotype and water limitation effects on transpiration efficiency in sorghum

Sorghum is grown in many parts of the semi-arid tropics in environments where water limitation is common. Recent studies have identified genetic variation in transpiration efficiency (TE) in sorghum under well-watered conditions. Crop simulation studies suggest that improvement in TE in sorghum could have considerable payoff in many water-limited environments. The objectives of this study were to examine the variation in TE for a range of sorghum genotypes grown under well watered and water limited conditions, and to seek selection indices for this trait by measuring a range of associated physiological and morphological attributes. A glasshouse study was conducted with 17 genotypes grown under well-watered (WW) or water-limited (WL) conditions. Plants were grown in mini-lysimeters and water use and biomass production were measured. A range of other attributes were measured at plant and leaf level. Genotypes varied significantly in TE (highest about 50% greater than lowest) and TE was about 10% greater under WL. There was no interaction among genotype and water treatments. TE correlated well with transpiration per unit leaf area, which is a plant scale index of conductance. Leaf level measurements supported the association of TE with conductance. The best indicators of variation in TE were leaf C concentration and leaf ash, which offer promise as an avenue for development of a selection index. The mechanism underlying this association, however, remains unclear. Before TE can be used actively in a breeding program, field studies are required to confirm these findings from glasshouse studies and more robust selection indices are needed.</p

Seed Delivery Systems and Farm Characteristics Influencing the Improved Seed Uptake by Smallholders in Northern Ghana

The utilisation of improved seeds is reliant on distribution system and farmers’ preferences in using the seed. Primary data were collected from key informant interviews in seed delivery chains and a farmer survey to analyse the northern Ghanaian seed delivery systems and factors influencing the adoption of improved seed by farmers. The seed system in Ghana is made up of three main components; a formal seed system, an informal farmers’ seed system and a quasi-formal seed system. The seed chain starts with breeder seed production by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (except for imported seed) and ends with the grain farmer as the final consumer. The communication flows between members, strength of relationships and farm characteristics reveled to be affecting the improved seed uptake by smallholders in Northern Ghana. The study highlights the value of strengthening the seed delivery system and improving the availability and accessibility of improved seed varieties

Consumers' trust in vegetable supply chain members and their behavioural responses: a study based in Queensland, Australia

In the current era, food chains are becoming increasingly complex and consumer concerns about food safety are growing. As a result, consumers tend to rely heavily on chain actors to ensure the quality of the products they consume. Given this background, this study was conducted with a view to understanding the level of consumers' trust in vegetable supply chain members and how trust influences the consumers' behavioural responses. This paper is based on data obtained from 854 respondents in south-west Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The results revealed that the level of trust placed in chain members varied across the chain. Respondents considered that domestic producers are more trustworthy in terms of producing safer vegetables and the lowest trust level was associated with imported vegetables. Gender, household size, years of stay in Australia, trust perceptions, and country of origin concerns had a significant influence on the respondents’ intentions to pay a premium price for domestically produced vegetables. The study revealed that consumers respond to food safety concerns and this creates an opportunity for the vegetable industry to respond to these concerns

Seed delivery systems and farm characteristics influencing the improved seed uptake by smallholders in Northern Ghana

The utilisation of improved seeds is reliant on distribution system and farmers’ preferences in using the seed. Primary data were collected from key informant interviews in seed delivery chains and a farmer survey to analyse the northern Ghanaian seed delivery systems and factors influencing the adoption of improved seed by farmers. The seed system in Ghana is made up of three main components; a formal seed system, an informal farmers’ seed system and a quasi-formal seed system. The seed chain starts with breeder seed production by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (except for imported seed) and ends with the grain farmer as the final consumer. The communication flows between members, strength of relationships and farm characteristics reveled to be affecting the improved seed uptake by smallholders in Northern Ghana. The study highlights the value of strengthening the seed delivery system and improving the availability and accessibility of improved seed varieties

Resistance to yellow spot in wheat grown under accelerated growth conditions

Yellow spot, also known as tan spot (YS), is a serious fungal foliar disease of wheat worldwide. The introduction of resistance to YS in wheat cultivars offers the most durable, economic, and environmentally safe management strategy. Adult plant resistance (APR) is preferred over seedling resistance to control other diseases in wheat and has the potential to offer non-race specific resistance to YS. The search for APR currently relies on screening vast numbers of wheat genotypes in the field, where expression is affected by environmental factors. We report a rapid phenotyping method for APR to YS that combines use of constant light and controlled temperatures to achieve accelerated growth conditions (AGC). A panel comprising 20 spring wheat genotypes was evaluated in four separate experiments: (1) seedling stage under regular greenhouse conditions; (2) adult-plant (AP) stage under AGC; (3) integrated seedling and AP disease assessment; and (4) AP stage in the field. Phenotypes from all AP experiments conducted under controlled and field conditions correlated well (r\ua0=\ua00.71–0.84), but correlations between AP and seedling phenotypes were weaker (r\ua0=\ua00.30–0.62). Moderate to high levels of APR were displayed by some genotypes (e.g. CIMMYT line ‘ZWW10-50’) that were equivalent to levels attained by seedling resistant cultivar ‘Leichhardt’. An integrated cycle requires only seven weeks to complete, and provides a useful tool for breeders and pathologists to efficiently phenotype APR to YS under controlled conditions

Psychosocial factors that influence quality of life and potential for self-management in multiple sclerosis

Optimizing quality of life (QOL) and self-management in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is increasingly seen as a worthwhile goal. This study aimed to investigate factors that affect QOL in MS. A large national sample of Australians with MS (n = 1848) generated from the Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study completed a survey addressing disease duration and severity, self-efficacy, depression, perceived stress, social support, QOL, and self-management. We tested a model of self-help in which antecedent variables are influenced by mediating variables, which in turn affects outcome variables. In the current study, the antecedent variables were disease duration and disease severity; the mediating variables were self-efficacy, depression, perceived stress, and social support; and the outcome variables were QOL and self-management. We also tested the hypothesis that disease severity, depression, and perceived stress would correlate inversely with QOL and potential for self-management, whereas self-efficacy and perceived level of social support would correlate positively with QOL and potential for self-management. The results indicated that the antecedent variables did not correlate with the mediating variables, with one exception: a negative correlation was found between disease severity and social support. No correlations were found between social support and QOL or self-management. However, significant correlations were found between depression, self-efficacy, stress, and social support and QOL. No correlations were found between either the antecedent or the mediating variables and self-management. The results confirm previous findings of statistically significant correlations between psychosocial factors and QOL