Topics in electrodynamics of moving media Final report, 1 May 1965 - 1 May 1966

Electrodynamics of moving medi

Radiation due to an oscillating dipole over a lossless semi-infinite moving dielectric medium

Boundary value problems for radiation field due to oscillating dipole over moving dielectric mediu

Molecular approaches to increasing resistance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) towards two insect pests; Cereal aphid (Sitobion avenae F.) and Wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata Fallen).

Cereal aphid (Sitobion avenae) and wheat bulb fly (Delia coarctata) are serious pests of wheat in the UK. At the present, chemical pesticides are used to control these insects, but they are limited in effectiveness, and have undersirable ecological impacts. There is a need to improve wheat genetically to be resistant to such inset pests. The objectives of this work were to investigate digestive biochemistry in the selected insect pests of wheat, and to determine effects of potential endogenous resistance factors in wheat on digestion, nutrition and other insect metabolic processes. The aim was to develop new strategies for crop protection. Digestive biochemistry in S. avenae and D. coarctata was studied to characterise gut proteases and their inhibition by host plant proteinase inhibitors (PIs). Investigation of proteolytic digestion in S. avenae gut showed that in spite of being a phloem-feeding insect, cereal aphid could digest ingested protein, using cysteine proteases. D. coarctata larvae contained mainly serine protease activity. A serine protease (DcSP) and a cysteine protease (DcCathL) from D. coarctata gut tissue were expressed as recombinant proteins. Only DcCathL was recovered in active form. DcCathL was insecticidal to Mamestra brassicae when injected into hemolymph, causing systemic and extensive melanisation. DcCathL selectively degraded recombinant serpins from M. brassicae in in vitro assays, and is suggested to interfere with regulation of the proteolytic cascade leading to phenoloxidase activation and melanin production in vivo. DcCathL has potential as a biopesticide if it could be made effective when orally delivered. A cationic amino acid transporter from D. coarctata gut (DcCAAT) was also cloned as a target for RNA interference. Potential resistance factors in wheat were characterised by expression as recombinant proteins. Two PIs from wheat (subtilisin/chymotrypsin inhibitor; WSCI, and cysteine proteinase inhibitor; WCPI) were expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and purified. WSCI inhibited gut protease activity of both insects in in vitro and in vivo assays, whereas WCPI only inhibited S. avenae gut extract activity. On feeding, WSCI was antimetabolic to both insects, affecting both survival and growth, whereas WCPI was antimetabolic to S. avenae only. Wheat Hessian fly responsive (Hfr) genes are up-regulated in response to herbivory by Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor). The protein product Hfr-3 was expressed and purified, and showed antimetabolic effects on survival and growth of both S. avenae and D. coarctata. Both accumulated and induced defence proteins, like WSCI, WCPI and Hfr-3, have the potential to act as endogenous resistance factors in wheat towards a range of insect pests. Developing a wheat variety constitutively expressing these defence proteins by using traditional breeding methods and/or modern biotechnological tools is discussed

Electrodynamics of moving media First semiannual report, 1 May - 1 Nov. 1965

Electrodynamics of moving media - Minkowski covariant formulation - Radiation due to oscillating dipole in vacuum - Field of moving charge in bounded region and Cerenkov radiatio

Re-Envisioning Libraries in the Information Society: A Critical Theory of Library Technology

Libraries have been involved in technological transformation for several decades, and are now increasingly associated with discourses surrounding the development of a global information society. The information society, however, remains a contested terrain, with a major focus on connectivity to ICTs, and is often linked with technological determinist and technocratic agendas. The library profession and field do not adequately theorize technology in a way that offers a progressive alternative to this dominant information society vision. In light of this context, this dissertation argues for the relevance of critical theory as a framework for guiding and analyzing library technology actions. This confluence of critical theory and library technology studies is named a “critical theory of library technology.” The framework is both a conceptual tool for re-envisioning the roles of libraries in relation to technology, as well as an analytical tool for exploring library technology decisions at various levels of impact. The open source software movement in libraries serves as test case in the application of this framework as a mode of analysis. Prominent library open source projects are discussed, and an in-depth, qualitative case study of Simon Fraser University Library in Canada, a library developing open source software for electronic resource management and electronic journal publishing, is undertaken. Interviews and documentary research are the main sources of data. Findings indicate that while the software projects are nominally open source, the co-developer communities remain limited. Best practices research will have to address areas related to the on-going community development and sustainability of these projects. However, in relation to the critical framework, the library emerges as a model of high investment in the technological skills of systems staff. The case presents a regional example of cooperation that is benefiting smaller client libraries in the regional consortia. Open source ideology, however, appears as just one of a variety of factors behind the deployment of these projects. In the case of the electronic journal publishing software project, an open source/open access ideological orientation is prominent, and the project presents a potentially new model for academic libraries in the support of electronic publishing services

EVALUATING R&D PREMIUM IN THE INDIAN HEALTH AND PHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRIES

The economic advantages of research and development (R&D) investment have shown conflicting results in empirical studies. This study aimed to examine a different approach, evaluating R&D premium and cross-sectional variability of equity returns, a particular case for the Indian healthcare industry. The primary motivation for this study arrived from the size of the healthcare industry, the world's third-largest and India's largest industry, and the investment made in R&D activities. Results demonstrated that India's annualized R&D premium was significantly greater than the current value, investment, profitability, and momentum premiums. It indicated that the new R&D risk factor in pricing models is a primary reference for Indian equity investors, particularly for companies with R&D spending. Results were robust in evaluating portfolio return using univariate and multivariate tests. Findings suggested that R&D augmented models outperformed conventional pricing models, denoting that the R&D factor undoubtedly revealed priced element and vital risk factor in designing pricing models for emerging countries like India. When adjusting to R&D investment and trading strategies, policymakers, and financial professionals should hereby evaluate their risk-return implication

University of North Florida Communiting Preferences Survey 2011

This report describes the 2011 Commuting Preferences Survey (CPS) of the University of North Florida (UNF). The goal of the survey is to assess the commuting preferences of the UNF community in order to design efficient and sustainable transportation practices. The UNF CPS was written by UNF Environmental Center staff and created using the online survey tool Vovici. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent to all UNF students, faculty, and staff by Institutional Research; the final response rate was 20.52%. The survey opened on March 7, 2011 and closed on April 11, 2011. Three alternative transportation modes were queried in the survey.https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/sustainability/1005/thumbnail.jp

University of North Florida Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections 2009

This report describes the 2009 greenhouse gas emissions inventory of the University of North Florida. Such inventories are becoming more important as society approaches restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions due to their effects on global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions inventories have been conducted on hundreds of campuses in the United States, as well as thousands of other organizations worldwide, including U.S. private corporations. An inventory like this generally forms the initial baseline for a campus climate action plan. Climate action plans have also been created by hundreds of universities and other entities. Following the release of this report, a UNF Climate Action Plan will be created by the UNF Sustainability Committee, whose members are listed in Appendix 1, with essential input from the campus community.https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/sustainability/1006/thumbnail.jp

Effect of insecticidal fusion proteins containing spider toxins targeting sodium and calcium ion channels on pyrethroid-resistant strains of peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae)

BACKGROUND: The recombinant fusion proteins Pl1a/GNA and Hv1a/GNA contain the spider venom peptides δ-amaurobitoxin-PI1a or ω-hexatoxin-Hv1a respectively, linked to snowdrop lectin (GNA). Pl1a targets receptor site 4 of insect voltage-gated sodium channels (NaCh), while Hv1a targets voltage-gated calcium channels. Insecticide-resistant strains of peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) contain mutations in NaCh. The pyrethroid-resistant kdr (794J) and super-kdr (UKO) strains contain mutations at residues L1014 and M918 in the channel α-subunit respectively, while the kdr + super-kdr strain (4824J), insensitive to pyrethroids, contains mutations at both L1014 and M918. RESULTS: Pl1a/GNA and Hv1a/GNA fusion proteins have estimated LC50 values of 0.35 and 0.19 mg mL−1 when fed to wild-type M. persicae. For insecticide-resistant aphids, LC50 for the Pl1a/GNA fusion protein increased by 2–6-fold, correlating with pyrethroid resistance (wild type < kdr < super-kdr < kdr + super-kdr strains). In contrast, LC50 for the Hv1a/GNA fusion protein showed limited correlation with pyrethroid resistance. CONCLUSION: Mutations in the sodium channel in pyrethroid-resistant aphids also protect against a fusion protein containing a sodium-channel-specific toxin, in spite of differences in ligand–channel interactions, but do not confer resistance to a fusion protein targeting calcium channels. The use of fusion proteins with differing targets could play a role in managing pesticide resistance