Response of Corn and Palmer amaranth to Mesotrione

Mesotrione is a herbicide used for the selective pre- and post-emergence control of a wide range of broadleaf and grass weeds in corn (Zea mays). It inhibits the enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) which leads to stop biosynthesis of plastoquinone, a key factor in the synthesis of carotenoid pigment. The depletion of carotenoids leading to bleaching symptoms followed by necrosis in sensitive plants. Palmer amaranth (Amaranth Palmeri) is one of the major weeds in corn production system. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that mesotrione may be effective to control Palmer amaranth and safe for use in corn. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate response of corn and Palmer amaranth to mesotrione. Corn and Palmer amaranth plants were treated with mesotrione at 105 g ai ha-1,and plant survival data was collected at 3 week after application. There was no injury reported to any of the corn plant, and plant survival rate was reported 100%. However, Palmer amaranth plants showed bleaching symptoms followed by necrosis and plant death. Only 12.5% Palmer amaranth plants survived after mesotrione application. These results demonstrated the tolerance of corn and sensitivity of Palmer amaranth to mesotrione

Environmental impact and embodied energy

Recent reports from the industry suggest that FRP has been the most cost effective solution at “first installed” cost in a few recent structures. Even if the “first installed’ cost of FRP solutions in not favourable compared to equivalent concrete/steel structures the life cycle cost and life cycle assessment analyses could be used to demonstrate cost and sustainability benefits of FRP structures. For instance, FRP bridge decks have advantages, such as controlled off-site fabrication, high strength, highfatigue and corrosion resistance, light weight, easy transportation, faster on-site assembly, minimisation of traffic disturbances,etc.; these could be used to off-set the initial cost, and to exploit the sustainable solutions offered by FRP materials

Exploring Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions to Teach in Ontario’s Diverse Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

In the past few years, Canadian schools have experienced increasing diversity with a large number of English Language Learners (ELLs) becoming part of the mainstream classroom. Research has shown that ELLs will achieve academic success when their backgrounds are incorporated within the curriculum and pedagogy (Gay, 2000). However, our curriculum is largely Eurocentric and caters predominantly to mainstream students. As a result, it has become critical to investigate teachers’ perceptions in terms of providing inclusive pedagogy in various classroom contexts. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy perceptions of Ontario’s Science teachers to teach in diverse classrooms. Theories of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) and culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2000) frame this research. A mixed methods approach was employed including surveys (N = 76) and interviews (n = 10) of Ontario’s K-12 Science teachers. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to explore teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions overall and on general and culturally responsive pedagogical practices. Additionally, data were analyzed to explore the correlation between the teachers’ demographic characteristics including the grade-level, their linguistic background and experience and their self-efficacy perceptions. Findings revealed that teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions in providing culturally responsive pedagogy are significantly lower in comparison to providing general pedagogy. Also, demographic factors did not have any correlation with their self-efficacy perceptions. Interview data revealed that teachers face a number of challenges amidst diverse classrooms. Considering that self-efficacy perceptions influence teachers’ behaviour, this research has shed light on issues related to inclusive pedagogical practices that need to be targeted

A stress free model for residual stress assessment using thermoelastic stress analysis

Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) has been proposed as a method of obtaining residual stresses. The results of a preliminary study demonstrated that when Al-2024 plate containing holes that were plastically deformed by cold expansion process to 2% and 4% strain the thermoelastic response in the material around the hole was different to that obtained from a plate that had not experienced any plastic cold expansion (i.e. a reference specimen). This observation provides an opportunity for obtaining residual stresses based on TSA data. In many applications a reference specimen (i.e. residual stress free specimen) may not be available for comparison, so a synthetic, digital bitmap has been proposed as an alternative. An elastic finite element model is created using commercially available software Abaqus/Standard and the resultant stress field is extracted. The simulated stress field from the model is mapped onto a grid that matches the TSA pixel data from a physical reference specimen. This stress field is then converted to a ?T/T field that can be compared to the full-field TSA data. When the reference experimental data is subtracted from the, bitmap dataset the resultant ?T/T field is approximately zero. Further work proposes replacing the experimental reference data with that from specimens that have undergone cold expansion with the aim of revealing the regions affected by residual stress through a departure from zero in the resultant stress field. The paper demonstrates the first steps necessary for deriving the residual stresses from a general specimen using TSA

Scheduling Many-Task Computing Applications for a Hybrid Cloud

A centralized scheduler can become a bottleneck for placing the tasks of a many-task application on heterogeneous cloud resources. Previously, it was demonstrated that a decentralized vector scheduling approach based on performance measurements can be used successfully for this task placement scenario. In this dissertation, we extend this approach to task placement based on latency measurements. Each node collects performance metrics from its neighbors on an overlay graph, measures the communication latency, and then makes local decisions on where to move tasks. We present a decentralized and a centralized algorithm for configuring the overlay graph based on latency measurements and extend the vector scheduling approach to take latency into consideration. Our experiments in CloudLab, both in a simulated environment and in realistic conditions, demonstrate that this approach results in better performance and resource utilization than without latency information

THE LEXICON OF SCIENCE: EXTRACTING THE SCIENTIFIC VOCABULARY FROM WRITTEN AND SPOKEN CORPORA

This study examined the nature and frequency of scientific vocabulary encountered in Science classrooms. The corpora that were analyzed include a Science textbook used at the 10th-grade level as well as transcripts of teacher-fronted lectures on three occasions. Interviews with one Science teacher were also conducted in order to understand the context of a secondary Science classroom in Ontario. Approximately 15% of the lexicon from the total corpora was scientific in nature. From the analysis of the scientific vocabulary, six lexical classes emerged with varying proportions between the written and the spoken corpora. Complexities of the scientific lexicon as realized from this study reveal that scientific vocabulary forms an extensive portion of the total corpus which makes explicit vocabulary instruction extremely important for all students, especially ELLs

India Australia Relations: Retrospect and Prospect

It is under-appreciated that Perth and Chennai are closer to each other than Sydney is to Seoul to Shanghai or to Tokyo As the world sees the potential of an Asian Pacific century unfold Australia sees India at the heart of this historic shif

Comparison of membrane permeabilities of trace amines and corresponding neurotransmitters

Trace amines (2-phenylethylamine, p-tyramine, p-octopamine and tryptamine) are endogenous compounds structurally similar to the monoamine neurotransmitters and distributed throughout the nervous systems of vertebrates. However, they are not thought to be stored in synaptic vesicles, nor released in an activity-dependent manner. Their synthesis, however, is regulated with the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase being a rate limiting factor. Distinct post-synaptic effects of trace amines have been demonstrated and a family of G-protein-coupled Trace Amine-Associated Receptors (TAAR) has been identified. The TAAR protein, though, is poorly translocated to the cell membrane and remains intracellular. Hence, in order to bind to post-synaptic TAAR, trace amines have to cross cell membranes. This was previously thought to occur by simple diffusion. Recent computer simulations have, however, predicted a high-energy barrier associated with this process. Here the membrane passage of trace amines in the absence of transporters has been measured directly for the first time using the Fluorosome system. The trace amines tyramine (p<0.01), and tryptamine (p<0.001), had significantly greater membrane permeability than the comparable monoamine neurotransmitters, with trace amine permeability half-lives under 15 seconds. The effect of membrane transporters on the permeability of a representative trace amine (tyramine) and neurotransmitter (dopamine) was examined in Caco-2 and synaptosome studies. Tyramine accumulation (≈7-8% of administered concentration) was approximately twice that of dopamine (3-4%) in Caco-2 cells. Equilibration of both tyramine and dopamine occurred in less than 10 minutes. In synaptosomes both tyramine and dopamine uptake equilibrated within 1 minute. Tyramine release from synaptosomes was significantly faster (p<0.001) than that of dopamine. Dopamine release in depolarized membranes was significantly faster (p<0.01, F = 6.95) while tyramine release was significantly slower (p< 0.05, F = 5.86) than in non-depolarized membranes. Release from synaptosomes was significantly slower than Fluorosome membrane passage for both tyramine (p<0.0002, F = 13.63) and dopamine (p<0.0001, F = 56.77) indicating the involvement of processes other than simple diffusion. In conclusion, the trace amines are more permeable than the corresponding neurotransmitters both in the absence and presence of transporters