Farming in Brunei: current systems and prospects for beef production

The paper analyses the environmental, demographic and socio-economic characters of a topographically discrete area of 521 square kilometres of the Lower and Mid-Tutong Plain within the State of Brunei, a Muslim Sultanate on the Northwest coast of Borneo. The majority of the data was obtained through face-to-face interviews with a random sample of six hundred and fifty nine householders, an estimated sixty per cent of those resident within the project area. Detailed descriptions are given of agricultural production and farm sales. Also, information is provided on the levels of non-farm earnings and the degree to which these contribute to household incomes. Production data on liveweight gains per animal and per hectare and management regimes are detailed for a model small-holder beef unit situated in the north of the project area. Using these data an estimate is made of the possible range of smallholder beer production systems and incomes calculated using current 1977 prices. Beef consumption figures for the period 1975-1977 are detailed and a calculation made by income and ethnic group on the probable demand for beef within the State in 1984. These indicate that the State will not be able to achieve its aims of self-sufficiency and that because of location constraints on production significant advisory efforts will be necessary to increase production by any real amount. Broad based extension recommendations are made as to the methods by which production increases can be achieved within the project area

Liturgy, imagination and poetic language : a study of David Jones's The Anathemata.

The thesis seeks to attempt an examination of David Jones's long poem The Anathemata primarily from a theologically informed standpoint. It sets out to understand, from the literary-critical point of view, the forces and influences that have come together in order to make the poem. At the same time, it is aware of and tries to explore the theological, liturgical and mythological material which provides Jones with both the background to and the content of his poem. It is argued that the form of poem, its linguistic content and the experience of reading it, are best understood in terms of pilgrimage and that such a metaphor is best suited to encompass both its huge scale and its attention to detail. From an overall examination of the available secondary literature, the thesis proceeds examine something of the experience of reading the poem, whether or not the poem can be conveniently understood as an epic and what Jones himself thought he was doing, at the same time his own theoretical stance is illuminated by reference to other contemporary thinkers. An extensive examination of the terms 'myth' and 'anamnesis' and the backgrounds and links between the two both in general and within the context of the poem precede chapters which explore the language of the poem both in terms of stylistic features and also in terms of the literary sources on which Jones draws and which make up the intertexual space within which the poem exists. These matters are further examined in a discussion of the most significant themes with which the poet works in the course of The Anathemata. Finally, some account is given of the formal shape of the poem before a 'commentary' or 'paraphrase' of the poem draws out, in context, the significant features

IT Offshoring Success: A Social Exchange Perspective

Spending by U.S. companies in offshore IT services continues at unprecedented levels despite a high failure rate. This study fills a gap in the existing literature by examining the client-vendor offshoring relationship through the theoretical lens of social exchange theory at the organizational level of analysis from the client's perspective. Social exchange theory focuses on the exchange of activities between two parties, whether they are individuals or companies and was used as a basis for examining the client and vendor relationship. Variables were identified by a review of the literature primarily from IT outsourcing and offshoring but also from general IT, marketing, sociology and organizational science literature. Data was collected using a field survey of Fortune 500 CIOs representing a population of organizations at the forefront of the offshoring phenomenon. The survey instrument was developed based on the adaptation of previously validated scales. Hypotheses regarding the correlations between social variables such as trust, communication, dependence, power, shared values and offshoring success were tested using Spearman's rho correlation. Seven of the hypotheses were supported, four hypotheses were not supported and one hypothesis was deemed not testable due to lack of information

Recent Trends In Offshoring Relationships

The nature and type of IT work being offshored is expanding as more sophisticated vendors and technologies make it feasible for new, often more complicated IT work to be offshored.  Information Technology (IT) is continually improving, transforming formerly non-offshorable, personal tasks into offshorable, impersonal tasks. The relationships between clients and their offshore vendors have been changing, most obviously in the sheer volume of offshoring being undertaken. This study uses social exchange theory to examine the relationship between clients and vendors as partners in offshoring

Relationship Changes In IT Offshoring

As the sheer volume of IT being offshored continues togrow, other changes are occurring.  Thetype of IT work being offshored is expanding as more sophisticated vendors andtechnologies make it feasible for new, often more complicated, IT work to beoffshored.  Information Technology (IT)is continually improving, transforming formerly non-offshorable personal tasksinto offshorable impersonal tasks. The relationships between clients and theiroffshore vendors have been changing, most obviously in the sheer volume ofoffshoring being undertaken. To gain a better picture of offshoring, it isnecessary to examine these changing aspects

Business Administration Students As Surrogates For IT Professionals Summary Of A Study

The purpose of this paper is to report a summary of the results of a study which examined the appropriateness of using business school students as surrogates for IT professionals by comparing cognitive styles, physiological characteristics, and basic demographic data among the two groups. Cognitive style refers to the way individuals think, perceive and remember information. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI), and Human Information Processing Survey (HIPS) tests were used to examine cognitive style. Physiological characteristics examined include dichotic (different ear) listening and visual perception speed, both with laterality (right/leftness). This study identifies important differences between the students and IT professionals. The results have implications for both researchers and designers of future information systems

The Value Of Partnership In Offshoring

Partnership or strategic partnership is a label attributed to client-vendor relationships characterized as highly involved. This high involvement or collaboration is considered a partnership quality. This study uses the social exchange theory to examine the relationship between clients and vendors as partners in offshoring. Social exchange theory requires that as members of an exchange relationship receive benefit, they must return an equivalent amount of benefit to maintain relationship equilibrium (Homans, 1958). Trust is an important element in exchange relationships because it helpsto ensure equilibrium.  Management of theclient-vendor relationship is critical for the success of the IT offshoring arrangement

Genome-wide association study of height-adjusted BMI in childhood identifies functional variant in ADCY3

Objective: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of BMI are mostly undertaken under the assumption that "kg/m2" is an index of weight fully adjusted for height, but in general this is not true. The aim here was to assess the contribution of common genetic variation to a adjusted version of that phenotype which appropriately accounts for covariation in height in children. Methods: A GWAS of height-adjusted BMI (BMI[x]=weight/heightx), calculated to be uncorrelated with height, in 5809 participants (mean age 9.9 years) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) was performed. Results: GWAS based on BMI[x] yielded marked differences in genomewide results profile. SNPs in ADCY3 (adenylate cyclase 3) were associated at genome-wide significance level (rs11676272 (0.28 kg/m3.1 change per allele G (0.19, 0.38), P=6 × 10-9). In contrast, they showed marginal evidence of association with conventional BMI [rs11676272 (0.25 kg/m2 (0.15, 0.35), P=6 × 10-7)]. Results were replicated in an independent sample, the Generation R study. Conclusions: Analysis of BMI[x] showed differences to that of conventional BMI. The association signal at ADCY3 appeared to be driven by a missense variant and it was strongly correlated with expression of this gene. Our work highlights the importance of well understood phenotype use (and the danger of convention) in characterising genetic contributions to complex traits

Location of the CD8 T Cell Epitope within the Antigenic Precursor Determines Immunogenicity and Protection against the Toxoplasma gondii Parasite

CD8 T cells protect the host from disease caused by intracellular pathogens, such as the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) protozoan parasite. Despite the complexity of the T. gondii proteome, CD8 T cell responses are restricted to only a small number of peptide epitopes derived from a limited set of antigenic precursors. This phenomenon is known as immunodominance and is key to effective vaccine design. However, the mechanisms that determine the immunogenicity and immunodominance hierarchy of parasite antigens are not well understood.Here, using genetically modified parasites, we show that parasite burden is controlled by the immunodominant GRA6-specific CD8 T cell response but not by responses to the subdominant GRA4- and ROP7-derived epitopes. Remarkably, optimal processing and immunodominance were determined by the location of the peptide epitope at the C-terminus of the GRA6 antigenic precursor. In contrast, immunodominance could not be explained by the peptide affinity for the MHC I molecule or the frequency of T cell precursors in the naive animals. Our results reveal the molecular requirements for optimal presentation of an intracellular parasite antigen and for eliciting protective CD8 T cells. © 2013 Feliu et al

Localization of type 1 diabetes susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-A

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6 is associated with susceptibility to more common diseases than any other region of the human genome, including almost all disorders classified as autoimmune. In type 1 diabetes the major genetic susceptibility determinants have been mapped to the MHC class II genes HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 (refs 1-3), but these genes cannot completely explain the association between type 1 diabetes and the MHC region. Owing to the region's extreme gene density, the multiplicity of disease-associated alleles, strong associations between alleles, limited genotyping capability, and inadequate statistical approaches and sample sizes, which, and how many, loci within the MHC determine susceptibility remains unclear. Here, in several large type 1 diabetes data sets, we analyse a combined total of 1,729 polymorphisms, and apply statistical methods - recursive partitioning and regression - to pinpoint disease susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-A (risk ratios >1.5; Pcombined = 2.01 × 10-19 and 2.35 × 10-13, respectively) in addition to the established associations of the MHC class II genes. Other loci with smaller and/or rarer effects might also be involved, but to find these, future searches must take into account both the HLA class II and class I genes and use even larger samples. Taken together with previous studies, we conclude that MHC-class-I-mediated events, principally involving HLA-B*39, contribute to the aetiology of type 1 diabetes. ©2007 Nature Publishing Group