1,000 research outputs found
South African Agricultural Research and Development: A Century of Change
The 20th Century saw substantive shifts in the structure of agriculture and agricultural production in South Africa. Farm size grew, farm numbers eventually declined, and production increasingly emphasized higher-valued commodities, notably a range of horticultural crops. The real gross value of agricultural output grew steadily (by 3.32 percent per year) from 1910-1981, but declined thereafter (by 0.21 percent per year from 1982-2008). These long-run sectoral changes provide a context to present and assess an entirely new data series on public agricultural R&D (and related regulatory and extension) spending and associated scientist trends. South African agricultural R&D has been affected by a series of major policy changes. These are also documented and discussed here, along with the associated institutional changes regarding the conduct and funding of public agricultural R&D in South Africa. We reveal a number of disturbing trends, including an effective flat lining of the long-run growth in total agricultural R&D spending that took hold in the 1970s, an erratic path of funding per scientist, and a loss of scientific personnel in recent decades. Moreover, South Africa has lost ground relative to its competitors in international commodity markets such as the United States and Australia in terms of the intensity of investment in agricultural R&D. These developments are likely to have long-term, and detrimental, consequences for the productivity performance and competiveness of South African agriculture. They deserve serious policy attention as the 21st Century unfolds, with a firm eye to the long-run given the long lags (often many decades) that typify the relationship between agricultural R&D spending and productivity growth.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,
Intelligent Agent Architectures: Reactive Planning Testbed
An Integrated Agent Architecture (IAA) is a framework or paradigm for constructing intelligent agents. Intelligent agents are collections of sensors, computers, and effectors that interact with their environments in real time in goal-directed ways. Because of the complexity involved in designing intelligent agents, it has been found useful to approach the construction of agents with some organizing principle, theory, or paradigm that gives shape to the agent's components and structures their relationships. Given the wide variety of approaches being taken in the field, the question naturally arises: Is there a way to compare and evaluate these approaches? The purpose of the present work is to develop common benchmark tasks and evaluation metrics to which intelligent agents, including complex robotic agents, constructed using various architectural approaches can be subjected
Sexual violence against female university students in the U.K.: A case study
In questo articolo presentiamo i risultati di una ricerca effettuata negli anni 2009-11 sulle aggressioni sessuali commesse a danno di studentesse frequentanti una universitĂ inglese.
I risultati di tale studio riguardano i seguenti aspetti: la natura e la numerositĂ dei casi di aggressione sessuale (molestia sessuale, aggressione e altri comportamenti sessuali violenti), lâidentitĂ degli aggressori, i luoghi in cui le aggressioni sessuali sono commesse, la comunicazione delle avvenute aggressioni alle autoritĂ universitarie e di polizia, la natura delle misure di prevenzione adottate e le pratiche operative delle autoritĂ universitarie rivolte ad affrontare questo fenomeno, la sensibilizzazione e la motivazione delle studentesse ad utilizzare le risorse universitarie esistenti per assistere le vittime e le modalitĂ previste al fine di migliorare la presa in carico di questa utenza da parte delle autoritĂ universitarie. I dati ottenuti da questa ricerca provengono da tre fonti: 1) un questionario online rivolto alle studentesse; 2) un focus group effettuato con un gruppo di studentesse e incentrato sul fenomeno in questione; 3) interviste con testimoni significativi universitari e non universitari.
I risultati di questa ricerca sono analizzati in rapporto alle politiche universitarie e alle pratiche operative.
RĂ©sumĂ©:Dans cette Ă©tude, nous prĂ©sentons les rĂ©sultats dâune recherche effectuĂ©e dans les annĂ©es 2009-11 sur les agressions sexuelles commises contre les Ă©tudiantes frĂ©quentant une universitĂ© Anglaise.
Les rĂ©sultats de cette recherche portent sur les aspects suivants : la nature et la prĂ©valence de lâagression sexuelle (harcĂšlement sexuel, agression sexuelle et autres comportements sexuels violents), lâidentitĂ© des agresseurs sexuels, les endroits oĂč les agressions sexuelles sont commises, le dĂ©voilement des agressions sexuelles aux autoritĂ©s universitaires et policiĂšres, la nature des mesures de prĂ©vention prises et les pratiques courantes des autoritĂ©s universitaires pour faire face Ă ce phĂ©nomĂšne, la sensibilisation et la motivation des Ă©tudiantes Ă utiliser les ressources universitaires mises en place pour assister les victimes et les moyens afin dâamĂ©liorer la prise en charge de ce phĂ©nomĂšne par les autoritĂ©s universitaires. Les donnĂ©es sur lesquelles les rĂ©sultats de cette recherche sont tirĂ©s proviennent de trois sources : 1) un sondage en ligne des Ă©tudiantes, 2) une discussion effectuĂ©e sur le phĂ©nomĂšne en question avec un groupe dâĂ©tudiantes, et 3) entrevues avec des professionnels oeuvrant ou non Ă lâuniversitĂ©.
Les résultats de cette recherche sont discutés en lien avec les politiques et pratiques universitaires.
Abstract: In this article we present the results of research conducted in 2009-2011 on sexual violence against female university students at a mid-sized English university.
Included are findings on: the nature and prevalence of sexual violence (sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault and other coercive sexual acts); the identity of perpetrators; most frequent victimisation locations; extent of, and reasons given for and against, disclosing victimisation to university authorities and police; nature of prevention and response policies, institutional arrangements and practices at the university; female studentâs awareness of, and willingness to access, available services for victims; and suggestions for improvements in the universityâs responses to this problem. All finding are based on data from (i) an online survey of female students, (ii) a small focus group discussion with female students, and (iii) interviews with âkey stakeholdersâ within and outside the university.
Implications of the findings for university policies, institutional arrangements and practices are discussed
Hubble Space Telescope observations of Mars
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) afforded the possibility of resolving features as small as 100 km on the Martian surface even when it is at the far point of its orbit. Therefore it is ideally suited for monitoring seasonal changes on the red planet. The objectives research include: the study of Martian dust storms; use of images obtained through different filters to study the spectral reflectance of regions on the Martian surface; use of ultraviolet images and spectra to measure the amount of ozone in the planet's atmosphere as a function of location of the planet; use of images to study changes in the albedo of the Mars surface; and use of Planetary Camera images to study Martian clouds and to measure the opacity of the atmosphere
Making a Research Infrastructure: Conditions and Strategies to Transform a Service into an Infrastructure
In this article, we investigate the making of research infrastructures. Our aim is to identify the relevant context factors, actor constellations, organizational settings, and strategies for a mere service to become an actual infrastructure. To this end, we conducted 36 case studies of non-commercial and commercial research services. Our research sheds light on the motivations and logics behind infrastructure development and the reasons why not every service succeeds in becoming one. We believe that the results of this study are therefore of practical relevance, especially for persons and organizations that want to create and sustain research infrastructured
South African agricultural R&D investments : sources, structure, and trends, 1910-2007
The twentieth century saw substantive shifts in the structure, funding and conduct of public
agricultural research and development (R&D) and related regulatory and extension activities in
South Africa. Following a long period of steady (and at times quite rapid) growth beginning in
the early twentieth century, real spending on public agricultural R&D has essentially flat lined
since the 1970s. There has also been an erratic pattern of funding per scientist and a loss
of scientific personnel in recent decades. Notably, South Africa has lost ground relative to its
competitors in international commodity markets, such as the United States (US) and Australia
in terms of the intensity of investment in agricultural R&D. In the absence of changes to these
trends, these developments may well have enduring, and detrimental, consequences for the
productivity performance and competitiveness of South African agriculture. They deserve
serious policy attention as the twenty-first century unfolds, with a firm eye to the long-run given
the lengthy lags (often many decades) that typify the relationship between public agricultural
R&D spending and productivity growth.The research supporting this paper was funded principally by the South African
DoA and ARC, with additional support from the International Food Policy
Research Institute, InSTePP, the University of Pretoria, and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ragr2
Targeting the Major Groove of the Palindromic d(GGCGCC)2 Sequence by Oligopeptide Derivatives of Anthraquinone Intercalators
GC-rich sequences are recurring motifs in oncogenes and retroviruses, and
could be targeted by non-covalent major-groove therapeutic ligands. We
considered the palindromic sequence d(G1G2C3G4C5C6)2, and designed several
oligopeptide derivatives of the anti-cancer intercalator mitoxantrone. The
stability of their complexes with a 18-mer oligonucleotide encompassing this
sequence in its center was validated using polarizable molecular dynamics. We
report the most salient structural features of two novel compounds, having a
dialkylammonium group as a side-chain on both arms. The anthraquinone ring is
intercalated in the central d(CpG)2 sequence with its long axis perpendicular
to that of the two base-pairs. On each strand, this enables each ammonium group
to bind in-register to O6/N7 of the two facing G bases upstream. We
subsequently designed tris-intercalating derivatives, each dialkylammonium
substituted with a connector to an N9-aminoacridine intercalator extending our
target range from six- to a ten-base pair palindromic sequence,
d(C1G2G3G4C5G6C7C8C9G10)2. The structural features of the complex of the most
promising derivative are reported. The present design strategy paves the way
for designing intercalator-oligopeptide derivatives with an even higher
selectivity, targeting an increased number of DNA bases, going beyond ten
Cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia: An expert group paper on the current state of the art.
Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia represents one of the main obstacles to clinical and functional recovery. This expert group paper brings together experts in schizophrenia treatment to discuss scientific progress in the domain of cognitive impairment to address cognitive impairments and their consequences in the most effective way. We report on the onset and course of cognitive deficits, linking them to the alterations in brain function and structure in schizophrenia and discussing their role in predicting the transition to psychosis in people at risk. We then address the assessment tools with reference to functioning and social cognition, examining the role of subjective measures and addressing new methods for measuring functional outcomes including technology based approaches. Finally, we briefly review treatment options for cognitive deficits, focusing on cognitive remediation programs, highlighting their effects on brain activity and conclude with the potential benefit of individualized integrated interventions combing cognitive remediation with other approaches
An Open Letter to Congressman Gingrich
We urge you to reconsider your proposal to amend the House Rules to require a three-fifths vote for enactment of laws that increase income taxes. This proposal violates the explicit intentions of the Framers. It is inconsistent with the Constitution\u27s language and structure. It departs sharply from traditional congressional practice. It may generate constitutional litigation that will encourage Supreme Court intervention in an area best left to responsible congressional decision.
Unless the proposal is withdrawn now, it will serve as an unfortunate precedent for the proliferation of supermajority rules on a host of different subjects in the future. Over time, we will see the continuing erosion of our central constitutional commitments to majority rule and deliberative democracy
Why are sustainable practices often elusive? The role of information flow in the management of networked human-environment interactions
Analyzing the spatial and temporal properties of information flow with a multi-century perspective could illuminate the sustainability of human resource-use strategies. This paper uses historical and archaeological datasets to assess how spatial, temporal, cognitive, and cultural limitations impact the generation and flow of information about ecosystems within past societies, and thus lead to tradeoffs in sustainable practices. While it is well understood that conflicting priorities can inhibit successful outcomes, case studies from Eastern Polynesia, the North Atlantic, and the American Southwest suggest that imperfect information can also be a major impediment to sustainability. We formally develop a conceptual model of Environmental Information Flow and Perception (EnIFPe) to examine the scale of information flow to a society and the quality of the information needed to promote sustainable coupled natural-human systems. In our case studies, we assess key aspects of information flow by focusing on food web relationships and nutrient flows in socio-ecological systems, as well as the life cycles, population dynamics, and seasonal rhythms of organisms, the patterns and timing of speciesâ migration, and the trajectories of human-induced environmental change. We argue that the spatial and temporal dimensions of human environments shape society's ability to wield information, while acknowledging that varied cultural factors also focus a society's ability to act on such information. Our analyses demonstrate the analytical importance of completed experiments from the past, and their utility for contemporary debates concerning managing imperfect information and addressing conflicting priorities in modern environmental management and resource use
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