Stem cankers on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Australia reveal a complex of pathogenic Diaporthe (Phomopsis) species

The identification of Diaporthe (anamorph Phomopsis) species associated with stem canker of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Australia was studied using morphology, DNA sequence analysis and pathology. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three clades that did not correspond with known taxa, and these are believed to represent novel species. Diaporthe gulyae sp. nov. is described for isolates that caused a severe stem canker, specifically pale brown to dark brown, irregularly shaped lesions centred at the stem nodes with pith deterioration and mid-stem lodging. This pathogenicity of D. gulyae was confirmed by satisfying Koch’s Postulates. These symptoms are almost identical to those of sunflower stem canker caused by D. helianthi that can cause yield reductions of up to 40 % in Europe and the USA, although it has not been found in Australia. We show that there has been broad misapplication of the name D. helianthi to many isolates of Diaporthe (Phomopsis) found causing, or associated with, stem cankers on sunflower. In GenBank, a number of isolates had been identified as D. helianthi, which were accommodated in several clades by molecular phylogenetic analysis. Two less damaging species, D. kochmanii sp. nov. and D. kongii sp. nov., are also described from cankers on sunflower in Australia

A TRNSYS Simulation Case Study on Utilization of Heat Pump

This paper presents a TRNSYS simulation case study on the integration of a heat pump into a hot water and cold water storage systems for the purpose of providing heating and cooling to a residential home or office building in a tropical climate. The motivation is to utilize waste heat rejected by the heat pump.The heat pump is integrated with two water storage tanks. One is the cold water tank where heat is extracted by the heat pump and the other is the hot water which stores the heat rejected by the heat pump. The cold water tank provides cooling water for air conditioning to the building. The hot water tank is used for daily usage like bathing and washing. The sizing of the two storage tanks and the balancing of the heat transfer between the two tanks are important design factors to maintain suitable temperatures in the storage tanks. The paper discusses the performance of the integrated system under different operational modes and the effects of each storage tank size on the performance.Key words: Heat pump; Heating; Cooling; TRNSYS; Simulation; Air conditionin

Customer Perceptions of Workplace Incivility in Singapore

Workplace incivility is found to be on the rise and exists widely in Asian workplaces. The combination of stress, less formal organisational structures and technological advancements has been found to contribute to a surge in workplace incivility. The negative effects of workplace incivility lead to problems in productivity, employee retention and service delivery. This exploratory study aims to examine whether workplace incivility is prevalent in 5-star hotels and premier restaurants in Singapore, from the perception of customers. Results of the conducted study show that customers see that workplace incivility is prevalent. Findings showed that co-workers did not greet or acknowledge each other during work and the critical service values of courtesy and friendliness were also not consistently demonstrated towards their internal or external guests. We suspect that key stakeholders within the hospitality and tourism industry in Singapore are unaware that workplace incivility can critically paralyse the ability of their staff to deliver excellent service and can hinder Singapore from achieving high ratings in the Customer Service Index

A theorem for the beam splitter entangler

It is conjectured that the an entanglement output states from a beam splitter requires the nonclassicality in the input state(M.S. Kim, W. Son, V. Buzek and P. L. Knight, Phys. Rev. A, 65, 032323(2002)). Here we give a proof for this conjecture.Comment: Two relevant literatures added. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Properties of a beam splitter entangler with Gaussian input states

An explicit formula is given for the quantity of entanglement in the output state of a beam splitter, given the squeezed vacuum states input in each mode.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Quantum Cryptography Using Single Particle Entanglement

A quantum cryptography scheme based on entanglement between a single particle state and a vacuum state is proposed. The scheme utilizes linear optics devices to detect the superposition of the vacuum and single particle states. Existence of an eavesdropper can be detected by using a variant of Bell's inequality.Comment: 4 pages, 3figures, revte

Corporate governance : the case for Asian REITs

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate , 2009.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-73).At the entity level, the design of sound corporate governance mechanisms is critical for REITs that are preparing to go public. At the industry level, issues of transparency and corporate governance are consequential to the further development of REITs in Asia. This study looks at various REIT regimes and corporate governance systems around the world. It then proceeds to examine the governance structures in place at the time of an IPO in the emerging REIT market of Singapore. The mechanisms of corporate governance used to evaluate the IPO of the REIT include (i) board structure and composition, (ii) ownership, (iii) compensation, and (iv) takeover defenses. The findings point to evidence that corporate governance structures are not "one size fits all" and must be tailored to fit the appropriate institutional context.by Denise Tan.S.M