Effects of Macronutrients on Seed Quality and Profitability Analysis of Sunflower Production in Northwest Pakistan

Potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) application to sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) reduced cost of production, increased seed oil and protein concentration, yield and net returns on the K and P deficient soils in Northwest Pakistan. Field experiment was conducted at the New Developmental Research Farm of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan during summer 2006. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with split plot arrangements using three replications. Six levels of K (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 kg ha-1) were kept in main plots while four levels of P (0, 45, 90 and 135 kg ha-1) were kept in sub-plots. Increase in K and P levels enhanced seed oil concentration, on the other hand, increase in P level increased seed protein concentration but increase in K level decreased seed protein concentration. Both oil and protein yields per unit area increased significantly with increase in K and P levels. The increase in oil and protein yields of sunflower was mainly attributed to the improvement in yield components and significant increase in seed yield. The highest net returns of Rs. 25268 (grain yield basis) and Rs. 31274 (oil yield basis) was obtained from those plots that received a combination of 100 kg K + 45 kg P ha-1. Application of 100 kg K ha-1 + 45 kg P ha-1 was therefore, recommended for profitable sunflower production in the agro-climatic conditions in Northwest Pakistan.sunflower, potassium, phosphorus, oil, protein, economic analysis, Northwest Pakistan, Farm Management, International Development, International Relations/Trade, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

Evaluating Dryland Crop/Livestock System Alternatives for Risk Management under Declining Irrigation in the Texas Panhandle

Production budgets for dryland crop and crop/livestock systems are developed to estimate yields, costs and returns for dryland wheat and sorghum and for alternative dryland crop/livestock systems. A crop simulation model aids yield estimation. The yield and return distributions are used to estimate risk and relative risk for included alternatives.Relative Risk, Ogallala Aquifer, Crop-Livestock Systems, Wheat, Sorghum, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

Quest for certainty regarding early discharge in paediatric low-risk febrile neutropenia : a multicentre qualitative focus group discussion study involving patients, parents and healthcare professionals in the UK

OBJECTIVES: A systematic review of paediatric low-risk febrile neutropenia found that outpatient care is safe, with low rates of treatment failure. However, this review, and a subsequent meta-ethnography, suggested that early discharge of these patients may not be acceptable to key stakeholders. This study aimed to explore experiences and perceptions of patients, parents and healthcare professionals involved in paediatric febrile neutropenia care in the UK. SETTING: Three different centres within the UK, purposively selected from a national survey on the basis of differences in their service structure and febrile neutropenia management. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two participants were included in eight focus group discussions. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Experiences and perceptions of paediatric febrile neutropenia care, including possible future reductions in therapy. RESULTS: Participants described a quest for certainty, in which they attempted to balance the uncertainty involved in understanding, expressing and negotiating risk with the illusion of certainty provided by strict protocols. Participants assessed risk using both formal and informal stratification tools, overlaid with emotional reactions to risk and experiences of risk within other situations. The benefits of certainty provided by protocols were counterbalanced by frustration at their strict constraints. The perceived benefits and harms of previous inpatient care informed participants' appraisals of future treatment strategies. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the previously underestimated harms of admission for febrile neutropenia and the paternalistic nature of decision making, along with the frustrations and challenges for all parties involved in febrile neutropenia care. It demonstrates how the same statistics, generated by systematic reviews, can be used by key stakeholders to interpret risk differently, and how families in particular can view the harms of therapeutic options as different from the outcomes used within the literature. It justifies a reassessment of current treatment strategies for these children and further exploration of the potential to introduce shared decision making

Uncomfortable truths - teamworking under lean in the UK

A recent contribution in this journal – Procter, S. and Radnor, Z. (2014) ‘Teamworking under Lean in UK public services: lean teams and team targets in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25:21, 2978–2995 – provides an account of teamworking in the UK Civil Service, specifically Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), focused on the relationship between recently implemented lean work organisation and teams and teamworking. Procter and Radnor claim in this work that it delivers a ‘more nuanced’ analysis of lean in this government department and, it follows, of the lean phenomenon more generally. Our riposte critiques their article on several grounds. It suffers from problems of logic and construction, conceptual confusion and definitional imprecision. Methodological difficulties and inconsistent evidence contribute additionally to analytical weakness. Included in our response are empirical findings on teamworking at HMRC that challenge Procter and Radnor’s evidential basis and further reveal the shortcomings of their interpretation

Smoke gets in your eyes: re-reading gender in the "nostalgia film"

Upon its release, American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973) was much admired by critics and audiences alike. Yet, in subsequent years, the film became known for its supposed “flattening of history,” and celebration of patriarchal values. This article demonstrates that such a judgement owes much to Fredric Jameson’s historically contingent work on postmodernism, which argues that American Graffiti constitutes the paradigmatic nostalgia film. In contrast, using close textual analysis, I demonstrate that American Graffiti provides a more complex construction of the past, and of gender, than has hitherto been acknowledged. Far from blindly idealising the early 1960s, the film interrogates the processes through which the period and its gender relations come to be idealised. This article has consequences not only for our understanding of Lucas’ seminal film, but also for the American New Wave, and the “nostalgia” text

Improved pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes but substantial clinic-to-clinic variations: a prospective nationwide study

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this prospective nationwide study was to examine antenatal pregnancy care and pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and to describe changes since 2002/2003. Methods: This national population-based cohort included 3036 pregnant women with diabetes from 155 maternity clinics in England and Wales who delivered during 2015. The main outcome measures were maternal glycaemic control, preterm delivery (before 37 weeks), infant large for gestational age (LGA), and rates of congenital anomaly, stillbirth and neonatal death. Results: Of 3036 women, 1563 (51%) had type 1, 1386 (46%) had type 2 and 87 (3%) had other types of diabetes. The percentage of women achieving HbA1c < 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) in early pregnancy varied greatly between clinics (median [interquartile range] 14.3% [7.7–22.2] for type 1, 37.0% [27.3–46.2] for type 2). The number of infants born preterm (21.7% vs 39.7%) and LGA (23.9% vs 46.4%) were lower for women with type 2 compared with type 1 diabetes (both p < 0.001). The prevalence rates for congenital anomaly (46.2/1000 births for type 1, 34.6/1000 births for type 2) and neonatal death (8.1/1000 births for type 1, 11.4/1000 births for type 2) were unchanged since 2002/2003. Stillbirth rates are almost 2.5 times lower than in 2002/2003 (10.7 vs 25.8/1000 births for type 1, p = 0.0012; 10.5 vs 29.2/1000 births for type 2, p = 0.0091). Conclusions/interpretation: Stillbirth rates among women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have decreased since 2002/2003. Rates of preterm delivery and LGA infants are lower in women with type 2 compared with type 1 diabetes. In women with type 1 diabetes, suboptimal glucose control and high rates of perinatal morbidity persist with substantial variations between clinics

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Crop Updates 2007 - Weeds

This session covers thirty two papers from different authors: 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, Alexandra Douglas CONVENOR – WEEDS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD WILD RADISH MANAGEMENT 2. Decimate a wild radish seed bank in five years, Peter Newman, Sally Peltzer, Abul Hashem and Aik Cheam, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. High level of seed-set control in wild radish is achievable, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee,Department of Agriculture and Food 4. Wild radish: Best management practice, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture and Food 5. Control of phenoxy resistant wild radish through the combined effects of wheat competition and phenoxy herbicides, Natalie Maguire and Michael Walsh, WAHRI, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia 6.Efficacy of florasulam on chlorsulfuron resistant and susceptible wild radish populations in Western Australia, Michael Walsh1 and Dan Cornally2, 1WAHRI, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 2Dow Agrosciences Australia 7. Does liming to increase soil pH limit the growth and development of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)Matt Willis and Michael Walsh, WAHRI, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia IWM TECHNIQUES AND SEEDBANKS 8. Weed trimming – a potential technique to reduce weed seed set, Glen Riethmuller, Abul Hashem and Shahab Pathan, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Burn narrow windrows in the wind, Peter Newman1and Michael Walsh2, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Research Fellow, WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative 10. Winning the Weed War with the Weed Seed Wizard! Michael Renton, Sally Peltzer and Art Diggle, Department of Agriculture and Food HERBICIDE RESISTANCE AND GENE FLOW 11. Frequency of herbicide resistance in wild oat (Avena fatua) across the Western Australian wheatbelt, Mechelle Owen and Stephen Powles, WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia 12. Pollen mediated gene flow of herbicide resistance can occur over long distances doe annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum): Results of two years with different meteorological conditions, Roberto Busi, Robert Barrett-Lennard and Stephen B. Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology – University of Western Australia 13. Doublegee has developed resistance to metsulfuron-methyl within WA wheatbelt, Dr Abul Hashem1and Dr Shahab Pathan2, 1Senior Research Officer, and 2Research Officer, Department Agriculture and Food 14. Another case of glyphosate resistance in annual ryegrass confirmes within Western Australia, Dr Abul Hashem1and Dr Shahab Pathan2, 1Senior Research Officer, and 2Research Officer, Department Agriculture and Food 15. Glyphosate resistance in the northern NSW – implications for Western Australian farming systems, Andrew Storrie, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries ALTERNATIVES TO TRIFLURALIN, KNOCKDOWNS, TANK MIXES AND NOVEL USES 16. Alternative pre-emergent herbicides to trifluralin for annual ryegrass control, Mr David Minkey and Dr Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture and Food, 17. Evaluation of a new pre-emergent herbicide alternative dor the control of trifluralin resistant Lolium rigidum Gaudin (annual ryegrass) in wheat and barley, Craig A. Ruchs, Syngenta Crop Protection Australia Pty Ltd and Dr Peter Boutsalis, University of Adelaide 18. Novel knockdown tank mixes: Results from 12 trials over four years, Shahab Pathan1, Abul Hashem2, Catherine Borger3, Nerys Wilkins and Julie Roche, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, and 3the University of Western Australia 19. Alternative herbicides for weed control in lupins, Peter Newman and Martin Harries, Department of Agriculture and Food 20. Novel use application of clopyealid in lupins, John Peirce, and Brad Rayner, Department of Agriculture and Food 21. A model to predict grass selective herbicide rates, John Moore, Department of Agriculture and Food CROP AND WEED MANAGEMENT 22. Inter-row weed control in wide row lupin using knockdown-based tank mixes, Dr Abul Hashem1, Ray Fulwood2 and Chris Roberts3, 1Senior Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Farmer, Meckering, WA, 3Technical Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food 23. Timing of weed removal in wide-row lupins, Sally Peltzer, Shahab Pathan and Paul Matson, Department of Agriculture and Food 24. The effect of row spacing and crop density on competitiveness of lupins with wild radish, Bob French and Laurie Maiolo, Department of Agriculture and Food 25. Is delayed sowing a good strategy for weed management in lupins? Bob French, Department of Agriculture and Food 26. Delayed sowing as a strategy to manage annual ryegrass, Department of Agriculture and Food HERBICIDE TOLERANCE 27. The effect of herbicides on nodulation in lupins, Lorne Mills1, Harmohinder Dhammu2 and Beng Tan1, 1Curtin University of Technology, and 2Department of Agriculture and Food 28. Response of new wheat varieties to herbicides, Harmohinder Dhammu, Department of Agriculture and Food 29. Herbicide tolerance of new barley varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert and Chris Roberts, Department of Agriculture and Food 30. Herbicide tolerance of new oat varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert and Chris Roberts, Department of Agriculture and Food OTHER WEEDY MATTERS 31. Research and extension need for wild radish and other cruciferous weeds, Aik Cheam, Department of Agriculture and Food 32. e-weed – an information resource of seasonal weed management issues, Vanessa Stewartand Julie Roche, Department of Agriculture and Foo