Standard Heterosis of the Selected Maize (Zea mays L.) Inbred Lines Hybrids for Grain Yield and Yield Component at Jimma, South West Oromia Region, Ethiopa

The study was carried out at Jimma Agricultural Research Center during 2015 cropping season. The objective was to evaluate standard heterosis for grain yield and yield components in maize hybrids. Ten selected inbred lines were crossed in a half diallel following Griffing’s Model 1, Method4 and the resulting 45 F1 hybrids (excluding parents) were evaluated with four commercial hybrid checks in 7x7 alpha lattice designs with three replication. For analysis of variance ear length, ear diameter, number of rows per ear, number of kernel rows per ear, number of grain per row, thousand grain weights and grain yield data were collected. The Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) was used to analyze the data. Analysis of variance indicates highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) and significant (P ≤ 0.05) difference for all traits except for thousand grain weights. Among the crosses L6 x L7 (8.9%), L7 x L10 (10.7%), L2 x L9 (11.1%) and L7 x L9 (15.6%) t/ha exhibited the highest standard heterotic effects for grain yield over the best commercial check BH546. Therefore maize breeding program can engage in hybrid variety formation based on the information of inbred lines with high grain yield. However, hybrids with the highest grain yield than the best commercial check can advanced to multi-location trail for further study to be released, since this experimental study was carried out only at one location. Keywords: Inbred line, Standard heterosi

Standard Heterosis of the Selected Maize (Zea mays L.) Inbred Lines Hybrids for Grain Yield and Yield Component at Jimma, South West Oromia Region, Ethiopa

The study was carried out at Jimma Agricultural Research Center during 2015 cropping season. The objective was to evaluate standard heterosis for grain yield and yield components in maize hybrids. Ten selected inbred lines were crossed in a half diallel following Griffing’s Model 1, Method4 and the resulting 45 F1 hybrids (excluding parents) were evaluated with four commercial hybrid checks in 7x7 alpha lattice designs with three replication. For analysis of variance ear length, ear diameter, number of rows per ear, number of kernel rows per ear, number of grain per row, thousand grain weights and grain yield data were collected. The Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) was used to analyze the data. Analysis of variance indicates highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) and significant (P ≤ 0.05) difference for all traits except for thousand grain weights. Among the crosses L6 x L7 (8.9%), L7 x L10 (10.7%), L2 x L9 (11.1%) and L7 x L9 (15.6%) t/ha exhibited the highest standard heterotic effects for grain yield over the best commercial check BH546. Therefore maize breeding program can engage in hybrid variety formation based on the information of inbred lines with high grain yield. However, hybrids with the highest grain yield than the best commercial check can advanced to multi-location trail for further study to be released, since this experimental study was carried out only at one location. Keywords: Inbred line, Standard heterosi

The relationship between school principals\u27 self-perceived brain hemispheric processing modes and their self-perceived leadership styles

This study was designed to examine the relationship between the self-perceived preferred brain hemispheric processing of West Virginia public school principals and their self-perceived leadership styles. Seventy-five respondents completed the Herrmann Brain Dominance Profile, the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, and a demographics sheet. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model of the Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS). Chi Square analyses at the 0.05 alpha level were used to test two directional hypotheses that guided this study. Both hypotheses were confirmed. Public school principals in West Virginia who perceived themselves as preferring mental processes that are predominantly left train hemispheric perceived themselves to be initiating structure leadership style. Public school principals in West Virginia who perceived themselves as preferring that are predominantly right brain hemispheric perceived themselves to be consideration leadership style. Fifty-six principals had preferences for left hemispheric processing, 16 principals had preferences for right hemispheric processing. and three principals preferred neither left nor right hemispheric processing and were considered to be integrated. Of the 56 left hemispheric principals. 47 were males and, nine -were females. Of the 16 principals who preferred right hemispheric processing, five were males and 11 were females. Significant differences were found between principals’ preferred hemispheric processing modes and their predominant leadership styles. Additionally, significant differences were found between male and female principals’ hemispheric preferences

Alumni as givers: An analysis of donor-nondonor behavior at a Comprehensive I institution

There has been limited research published about the characteristics of alumni donors in higher education. The majority of the research that has been done focused on large universities, consequently, such research findings may not be generalizable to smaller institutions.;The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent selected demographic, academic, behavioral, and attitudinal variables would discriminate between donors and nondonors in a smaller college or university such as a Comprehensive I institution.;Data for the study were gathered through a questionnaire mailed to a simple random sample of 300 alumni of a Comprehensive I institution. A 72 percent response to the questionnaire was realized. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis techniques available through Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) software.;It was concluded that it is probable that a Comprehensive I institution can predict group classification of alumni as donors versus nondonors at a success rate of approximately 75 percent and that: (1) the most powerful discriminating variables between alumni donors and nondonors within the population examined were planned visits, household income, designation of funds to the library, year of graduation, identification with the institution, and attendance of family members; (2) it is probable that descriptive and discriminant statistical analysis of selected variables can enhance fund raising strategies; (3) some variables affect all groups of donors similarly, but variables such as institutional size, type, age and location may affect alumni donors differently and to different degrees

The constraints of using design and build for the procurement of construction projects in South Africa

Despite the numerous advantages that design and build has as a procurement method for construction projects, which have made it the procurement method of choice for construction projects in Europe and North America, not many South African construction companies are making use of it. This study investigates the constraints which are associated with design and build in South Africa. It also seeks to find out how certain performance indicators in construction fare when design and build is used. It then proposes recommendations on how the method can be improved in order to increase its use in South Africa. Data for the study was collected from six major professions in the construction industry including contractors, engineers, quantity surveyors, project owners, project managers and architects in order to give a more balanced view of the problems. Questionnaires, emails and telephonic conversations were methods used to collect the data. Sample t-tests were then conducted on the data using the statistical package, Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS). The results obtained show that there are numerous problems faced in all phases of construction projects when design and build is used as the procurement method of choice in South Africa. Most of the problems are around the issues of inadequate knowledge by project owners in construction, and also the unavailability of manpower to help owners with technical issues. Of the performance indicators investigated, time management and project quality are found to perform poorly. Project owners should deploy their own project managers in the construction proces

Integrative Biological Chemistry Program Includes The Use Of Informatics Tools, GIS And SAS Software Applications

Wesley College is a private, primarily undergraduate minority-serving institution located in the historic district of Dover, Delaware (DE). The College recently revised its baccalaureate biological chemistry program requirements to include a one-semester Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences course and project-based experiential learning courses using instrumentation, data-collection, data-storage, statistical-modeling analysis, visualization, and computational techniques. In this revised curriculum, students begin with a traditional set of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics major core-requirements, a geographic information systems (GIS) course, a choice of an instrumental analysis course or a statistical analysis systems (SAS) programming course, and then, students can add major-electives that further add depth and value to their future post-graduate specialty areas. Open-sourced georeferenced census, health and health disparity data were coupled with GIS and SAS tools, in a public health surveillance system project, based on US county zip-codes, to develop use-cases for chronic adult obesity where income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, education, and age were categorical variables. Across the 48 contiguous states, obesity rates are found to be directly proportional to high poverty and inversely proportional to median income and educational achievement. For the State of Delaware, age and educational attainment were found to be limiting obesity risk-factors in its adult population. Furthermore, the 2004-2010 obesity trends showed that for two of the less densely populated Delaware counties; Sussex and Kent, the rates of adult obesity were found to be progressing at much higher proportions when compared to the national average

Movement, Dispersion, and Orientation of a Population of the Colorado Potato Beetle, \u3ci\u3eLeptinotarsa Decemlineata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in Eggplant

Short-term dispersal, dispersion, and orientation of a population of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. were examined in a uniformly spaced planting of eggplant using a mark-recapture technique. Recaptures of marked beetles declined throughout the study, the greatest decline occurring 24 h after release. Dispersal of remaining beetles through the field was gradual; beetle numbers declined with distance from the release point during the first 3 days of the study and increased with distance thereafter. Beetles were highly aggregated for 3-4 days after release but were well dispersed for the remainder of the study. Dispersal of aggregated beetles may have been stimulated by host plant defoliation. Orientation of dispersing beetles was significantly nonrandom for the majority of the study. Beetles oriented predominantly east-northeast

Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls from Rural Communities of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Background: Addressing the nutritional needs of adolescents could be an important step towards breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. Objective: Assess nutritional status of rural adolescent girls. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Anthropometric and socio-demographic information from 211 adolescent girls representing 650 randomly selected households from thirteen communities in Tigray was used in data analysis. Height-for-age and BMI-for-age were compared to the 2007 WHO growth reference. Data were analyzed using SAS, Version 9.1. Results: None of the households reported access to adolescent micronutrient supplementation. The girls were shorter and thinner than the 2007 WHO reference population. The cross-sectional prevalence of stunting and thinness were 26.5% and 58.3%, respectively. Lack of latrine facilities was significantly associated with stunting (p = 0.0033) and thinness (p <0.0001). Age was strong predictor of stunting (r(2) = 0.8838, p <0.0001) and thinness (r(2) = 0.3324, p <0.0001). Conclusion: Undernutrition was prevalent among the girls. Strategies to improve the nutritional status of girls need to go beyond the conventional maternal and child health care programs to reach girls before conception to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. Further, carefully designed longitudinal studies are needed to identify the reasons for poor growth throughout the period of adolescence in this population. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2009; 23(1):5-11

Continuing nursing education: An analysis of the relationship between benefits, participation and socialization of registered nurses in southeastern Virginia

There has been limited research on the benefits nurses\u27 derive from participation in continuing nursing education (CNE). Researchers have investigated sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics of CNE participants or the effects of CNE on nursing practice.;The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influenced registered nurses in the Southeastern region of Virginia to participate or not to participate in CNE. Specifically, this study investigated the relationship of socialization (defined as level of nursing education, reading of professional nursing journals and professional nursing memberships), benefits (defined as either personal or social/professional type) derived from CNE attendance, the importance or non-importance of these derived benefits and participation or nonparticipation in CNE. Respondents\u27 socialization was characterized as either high or low for the purposes of this study.;The theoretical framework used in this study was the Expectancy Valence Model of Participation (Rubenson, 1977). Valence was described as anticipated satisfaction (i.e. the benefits accrued); it was viewed as the positive and negative values of the effects of participation. Expectancy was defined as an expectation that particular actions would lead to certain outcomes; it related to individuals\u27 perceptions of themselves as successful participants.;Data for the study were collected through the use of two questionnaires which were mailed to a sample of 400 registered nurses selected by systematic sampling. One hundred and fifty-five responses were received (38.75%). Data were analyzed by Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) software using descriptive statistics, Chi square analysis and log linear analysis.;Findings indicated that level of socialization and participation in CNE were positively related. The importance of benefits derived from CNE participation and participation in CNE were not related. Level of socialization, importance of benefits derived from CNE participation and participation in CNE were positively related. High levels of socialization were related to participation in CNE while benefits of CNE were not related

Multidimensional Nature of Undernutrition: A Statistical Approach

The statistical assessment of undernutrition is usually restricted to a pairwise analysis of anthropometric indicators. The main objective of this study was to model the associations between underweight, stunting and wasting and to check whether multidimensionality of undernutrition can be justified from a purely statistical point of view. 3742 children aged 0 to 59 months were enrolled in a cross-sectional household survey (2004 Cameroon Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)). The saturated loglinear model and the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) showed no interaction and a highly significant association between underweight and stunting (P=0), underweight and wasting (P=0); but not between stunting and wasting (P=0.430). Cronbach's alpha coefficient between weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height was 0.62 (95% CI 0.59, 0.64). Thus, the study of these associations is not straightforward as it would appear in a first instance. The lack of three-factor interaction and the value of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicate that undernutrition is indeed (statistically) multidimensional. The three indicators are not statistically redundant; thus for the case of Cameroon the choice of a particular anthropometric indicator should depend on the goal of the policy maker, as it comes out of this study that no single indicator is to be used for all situations.Stunting; Wasting; Underweight; anthropometric measures; Z-score; Loglinear models