The effects of drying methods and storage conditions on pea seed (Pisum sativum L.) quality and the relationship between high temperature drying and maize seed (Zea mays L.) stress cracks : this thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science (Agricultural Engineering) in the Institute of Technology and Engineering, Massey University, New Zealand

High temperature and high relative humidity adversely affect the quality of seeds, and are features of tropical climate. Seed drying and storage are being used increasingly in developing countries to improve seed storage and quality. This study was undertaken to evaluate a range of seed drying methods and storage conditions with the view to selecting an appropriate method(s) for use in tropical countries. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds at three initial seed moisture content (m.c.) of 23.8, 18.0 and 14.5% were dried to 10% seed m.c. before storage. The performances of four different drying methods: artificial dryer (Kiwi Mini) set at 30°C or 45°C, natural sun drying, and in-bin natural ventilation drying were evaluated. Natural sun drying, and in-bin natural ventilation drying were conducted from March to May, 1997, when mean temperature and relative humidity during sunny days were 17°C and 60% respectively. The dried seeds were stored under two conditions: open storage at 20.5°0 and 55% relative humidity (r.h.), and closed storage at 25°C and 90% r.h. for 20, 40, and 60 days. Time and energy consumed for drying by the different methods were determined to compare the drying efficiency when combined with quality of the seed. Deterioration of the seed due to storage conditions and drying methods used was determined by assessing their effects on seed germination, abnormal seedlings, dead seed, hollow heart percentages, and conductivity. Seed samples dried by the Kiwi Mini dryer set at 45°C took 7 hours and those set at 30°C took 17 hours. It took 54 hours with natural in-bin ventilation drying, while sun drying took 37 hours. However, energy consumed when drying seeds at 30°C was 17 kWh, which was more than twice that at 45°C. Seed germination was not significantly different between drying methods, but averaged only 75% because of sprouting damage of the crop prior to harvest. Germinations after open and closed storage for 20 days did not differ, although some differences appeared after 40 days of storage. However, open and closed storage for 60 days significantly reduced seed germination to 54 and 33% respectively. Because seeds are heat-sensitive, drying air temperature and drying rate are particularly important to avoid internal seed breakage, cracking and splitting, fungal growth, and loss of germination and vigour. Selected studies have shown that seed can be dried at high temperature for a short time, followed by tempering to re-distribute moisture and temperature inside the seed, thus reducing the percentage of cracking. Thus, a second experiment was conducted with maize (Zea mays L) to study the impact on seed viability of high temperature drying followed by tempering. Maize at 28.5% initial seed m.c. was dried at 60°C for short periods of 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 minutes, followed by tempering for 45 minutes at either 30°C or 21°C. This cycle was repeated until maize seeds were dried to 13.0% m.c.. The percentage of cracked seeds, germination immediately after drying, and after an accelerated ageing test, did not differ between 30°C and 21°C tempering. Drying exposure times of up to 10 minutes per cycle at 60°C caused vertical cracks in up to 50% of seeds, but seed germination remained over 90% and seed vigour was also maintained. The percentage of seeds with stress cracks due to high temperature drying (5 - 25 minute cycles) at 60°C followed by tempering had polynomial relationships with seed germination and vigour. Seeds dried at the same temperature without tempering had their germination reduced from 99 to 20%

Analysis of rDNA reveals a high genetic diversity of Halophila major in the Wallacea region

The genus Halophila shows the highest species diversity within the seagrass genera. Southeast Asian countries where several boundary lines exist were considered as the origin of seagrasses. We hypothesize that the boundary lines, such as Wallace’s and Lydekker’s Lines, may act as marine geographic barriers to the population structure of Halophila major. Seagrass samples were collected at three islands in Vietnamese waters and analyzed by the molecular maker ITS. These sequences were compared with published ITS sequences from seagrasses collected in the whole region of interest. In this study, we reveal the haplotype and nucleotide diversity, linking population genetics, phylogeography, phylogenetics and estimation of relative divergence times of H. major and other members of the Halophila genus. The morphological characters show variation. The results of the ITS marker analysis reveal smaller groups of H. major from Myanmar, Shoalwater Bay (Australia) and Okinawa (Japan) with high supporting values. The remaining groups including Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Two Peoples Bay (Australia) and Tokushima (Japan) showed low supporting values. The Wallacea region shows the highest haplotype and also nucleotide diversity. Non-significant differences were found among regions, but significant differences were presented among populations. The relative divergence times between some members of section Halophila were estimated 2.15–6.64 Mya

Selection of suitable fragment from rbcL gene for DNA barcode analysis of family Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta

Among the members of Halymeniaceae family, Grateloupia sensu lato occupies the largest composition in species. Classification based on morphological traits is difficult due to the highly variable terete to blade-like thalli among the members of this genus that usually leads to misidentification. Molecular systematics has been applied to classify Grateloupia sensu lato so that the taxonomists acquire a better understanding of the species diversity in general. The plastid gene encoding the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase-oxygenase (rbcL) was the focus of numerous marine algal studies concerning phylogeny and molecular evolution. However, using the full length of rbcL showed disadvantages such as cost and time consuming due to two times of sequencing and two times of PCR. In the present study, the shorter sequence, fragment 773 bp at 5’ end and fragment 579 bp at 3’ end of rbcL were applied and compared for the phylogenetic analysis of Halymeniaceae members. The results indicated there are no differences of topological phylogenetic trees, species resolution within genus and genus resolution within the family between fragment 773 bp at 5’ and the full length of rbcL. Therefore, we conclude that fragment 773 bp at 5’ should be used as DNA barcodes for the Halymeniaceae to reduce the cost and time during phylogenetic analysis. Two taxa Grateloupia newly collected in Vietnam were grouped to the known Phyllymenia, a new genus in Vietnam

Research and Design of an X-Band UHF Power Amplifier

Introduction. A method for designing power amplifiers for use in the transmitting channels of X-band transceiver modules is investigated. The design process was aimed at optimizing the relationship between the basic amplifier characteristics, including the operating frequency band, output power level, output linearity, high harmonics suppression, etc.  Aim. Investigation of a method for designing an X-band UHF power amplifier, which is capable of optimizing the relationship between its main characteristics.  Materials and methods. Theoretical calculations were combined with experimental studies into the design of a UHF power amplifier. The stages of the design process are described in detail, including major ideas, principal circuits, and strip circuits. Evaluations were conducted using the Keysight ADS high frequency circuit simulation tool.  Results. A method for designing X-band UHF power amplifiers on the basis of a close combination of theory, simulation, and experimental adjustment was described in detail.  Conclusion. A prototype of an X-band PA was developed; an approach to developing a methodology for manufacturing, measuring, and testing X-band PAs is described.Introduction. A method for designing power amplifiers for use in the transmitting channels of X-band transceiver modules is investigated. The design process was aimed at optimizing the relationship between the basic amplifier characteristics, including the operating frequency band, output power level, output linearity, high harmonics suppression, etc.  Aim. Investigation of a method for designing an X-band UHF power amplifier, which is capable of optimizing the relationship between its main characteristics.  Materials and methods. Theoretical calculations were combined with experimental studies into the design of a UHF power amplifier. The stages of the design process are described in detail, including major ideas, principal circuits, and strip circuits. Evaluations were conducted using the Keysight ADS high frequency circuit simulation tool.  Results. A method for designing X-band UHF power amplifiers on the basis of a close combination of theory, simulation, and experimental adjustment was described in detail.  Conclusion. A prototype of an X-band PA was developed; an approach to developing a methodology for manufacturing, measuring, and testing X-band PAs is described

Whose Research Is It? Reflection on Participatory Research with Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Global South

Drawing on the Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research, and Activism project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2016-2020), this article critically reflects on the project’s participatory research process that involved young women and girls with disabilities in the Global South. I discuss epistemological and methodological questions related to the deployment of decolonizing research methodologies in the Global South in relation to theoretical and methodological approaches for engaging girls with disabilities. I argue that a critical, reflexive, and decolonizing research approach that embodies knowledge from the Global South is essential for empowering these girls to express themselves through multiple forms of representation

Genealogies of Disability in Global Governance: A Foucauldian Critique of Disability and Development

In this article, I engage with the ways in which disability is governed within the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (United Nations 2000). Using a Foucauldian perspective on the governing of populations in modern states (Foucault 1991), I problematise this politics of disability and development by interrogating the ways in which biopower, through the constructions of modern development frameworks, has shaped our understanding of disability and impairment. I pursue this historical trajectory by tracing the emergence of the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), a global study developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank in the 1990s (Murray and Lopez 1996). The forms of knowledge emerging in these global frameworks shed light on genealogies of disability in the twenty-first century. By re-visiting a postcolonial critique of Foucault’s conception of power in the context of Third World’s struggles for liberation (Said 1986), I suggest that a Foucauldian critique in disability and development could be deepened through its engagement with postcolonial studies. A critical and genealogical perspective on disability and development, I argue, is useful for understanding the government of disability and impairment in the intersections of global and local histories

Regulation of apoptosis of dendritic cells by il-10 and in association with stat-1 signaling molecule

IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine, participating in induction of immune tolerance and cell apoptotic death. Dendritic cells (DCs) is the most professional antigen-presenting cells among innate immune cells to exert generation and maintenance of immunological memory mediated through activation of T and B lymphocytes. The STAT signalling pathway plays a regulatory role of maturation and differentiation of immune cells. In this study, DCs were treated with inflammatory cytokines including TNF-a, INFg, IL-2 and IL-10 and subsequently examined the phosphorylation of STAT-1 and STAT-3, TNF-α concetration in cell suspension and the proportion of Annexin V+ and caspase 3+ cells. Methods used for this investigation include western blotting, flow cytometry and ELISA. DCs were derived from mouse bone marrow cells and cultured with GM-CSF for 8 days. As a result, IL-10, but not other cytokines enhanced the number of Annexin V+cells and caspase 3 activity in DCs. More importantly, IL-10 also increased the phosphorylation of STAT-1 as well as the release of TNF-α into cell suspension. In conclusion, activation of STAT-1 might relate to the cell apoptotic death and TNF-α sectetion in IL-10-treated DCs