Evolutionary plant breeding for low input systems

Heritable variation is at the heart of the process of evolution. However, variation is restricted in breeding for uniform crop populations using the pedigree line approach. Pedigree lines are successful in agriculture because synthetic inputs are used to raise fertility and control weeds, pests and diseases. An alternative method promoted for exploring the value of variation and evolutionary fitness in crops is to create composite cross populations. Composite cross populations are formed by assembling seed stocks with diverse evolutionary origins, recombination of these stocks by hybridization, the bulking of F1 progeny, and subsequent natural election for mass sorting of the progeny in successive natural cropping environments. Composite cross populations can provide dynamic gene pools, which in turn provide a means of conserving germplasm resources: they can also allow selection of heterogeneous crop varieties. The value of composite cross populations in achieving these aims is dependent on the outcome of mass trials by artificial and natural selection acting upon the heterogeneous mixture. There is evidence to suggest that composite cross populations may be an efficient way of providing heterogeneous crops and of selecting superior pure lines for low input systems characterized by unpredictable stress conditions

William Adee Whitehead’s Visit to the Shakers: Introduction

On Saturday morning, August 7, 1830, William Adee Whitehead left New York City with his sister and brother “for the purpose of making part of what is called the ‘fashionable tour.’” The party traveled north up the river to Hudson and then rode twenty-five miles to the summer haven of Lebanon Springs. Over the next two days, the Whitehead siblings took part in a popular antebellum pastime, visiting the Shakers

When young people no longer see the police as procedurally fair, they are more likely to engage in risky behavior and be victimized.

One school of thought suggests that people tend to obey the law because they see police and criminal justice officials as being legitimate. But recent events that have seen police kill unarmed African-Americans have undermined many citizens’ belief in the procedural fairness of law enforcement. In new research, Scott E. Wolfe finds that the decline in trust in the police has consequences for adolescents; those young people who see the police as being procedurally unfair are more likely to engage in criminal behavior and engage in other risky activities which are more likely to lead to their own victimization

Uterine uptake of diazepam and quantification by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

One of the difficulties in drug delivery is transporting the compound of interest to the target organ while minimizing exposure to the rest of the body. Intravenous administration is effective in the delivery of drugs and results in high bioavailability leading to very rapid systemic distribution. Oral dosing of drugs is the most popular route because of its ease of administration, but it is subject to first pass metabolism by the liver which can greatly reduce the bioavailability of the parent compound. Patients undergoing hysterectomy were recruited for a study in which they were anesthetized and 5 mg of diazepam in gel was applied directly to the cervix by a patented drug delivery device (CerviPrep(TM)) consisting of a modified plastic syringe with a rounded cup on the end. The operation was then begun and blood samples were taken from a peripheral vein at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes during drug administration. Samples were also taken from the uterine vein and uterine capillary bed at 30--45 minutes during drug administration had begun. Red blood cells were separated from plasma and the plasma was analyzed for the presence of diazepam using an assay based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using stable isotopically labeled internal standards. In some of the patients, there was a measurable concentration of diazepam in uterine capillary blood following cervical administration, and some patients had greater than a ten-fold higher concentration in uterine blood than peripheral blood. The studies serve as a starting point for the development of delivery systems for other drugs, especially toxic anti-cancer drugs, delivered directly through the cervix and to the uterus. The results indicate that it is possible to deliver a drug locally to the cervix through a transdermal process and observe blood concentrations that are higher than those from peripheral blood

Habitat selection by calving caribou of the Central Arctic Herd, 1980-95

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2000Habitat selection by calving caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) of the Central Arctic Herd, Alaska, was assessed in relation to distance from roads, vegetation type, relative plant biomass (NDVI; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), accumulation of plant biomass during early lactation (NDVIrate), snow cover, and terrain ruggedness. From 183 calving sites of 96 radio collared- females, 1980-95, calving distribution was estimated in reference (no development) and treatment (oilfields present) zones east and west of the Sagavanirktok River, respectively. In the reference zone, caribou regularly selected wet-graminoid vegetation, above-median NDVIrate, and non-rugged terrain; concentrated calving remained in habitats with zonal average NDVI on 21 June (NDVI621). In the treatment zone, selection patterns were inconsistent; concentrated calving shifted inland to rugged terrainwith low NDVI621 and away from development. Repeated use of lower-quality habitats in the treatment zone could compromise nutrient intake by calving females, thereby depressing reproductive success of the western-segment of the herd

The relationship between EQ-5D, HAQ and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: further validation and development of the limited dependent variable, mixture model approach

Objective: To provide robust estimates of EQ-5D as a function of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Method: Repeated observations of patients diagnosed with RA in a US observational cohort (n=100,398 observations) who provided data on HAQ, pain on a visual analogue scale and the EQ-5D questionnaire. We use a bespoke mixture modelling approach to appropriately reflect the characteristics of the EQ-5D instrument and compare this to results from linear regression. Results: The addition of pain alongside HAQ as an explanatory variable substantially improves explanatory power. The preferred model is a four component mixture. Unlike the linear regression it exhibits very good fit to the data, does not suffer from problems of bias or predict values outside the feasible range. Conclusions: It is appropriate to model the relationship between HAQ and EQ-5D but only if suitable statistical methods are applied. Linear models underestimate the QALY benefits, and therefore the cost effectiveness, of therapies. The bespoke mixture model approach outlined here overcomes this problem. The addition of pain as an explanatory variable greatly improves the estimates

The alleged “Ferguson Effect” and police willingness to engage in community partnership

In response to increasing violent crime rates in several U.S. cities over the past year, some have pointed the finger of blame at de-policing, a result of the so-called “Ferguson Effect.” Although the Ferguson Effect on crime rates remains an open question, there may also be a Ferguson Effect on other aspects of police officers’ jobs, such as willingness to partner with community members. This study used data from a cross-sectional survey of 567 deputies at an agency in the southeastern U.S. to accomplish 2 objectives: (a) to determine whether the Ferguson Effect is associated with de-policing in the form of decreased willingness to engage in community partnership, and (b) to determine whether such an effect persists upon accounting for perceived organizational justice and self-legitimacy. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression equations revealed that the Ferguson Effect (as operationalized by reduced motivation stemming from recent negative publicity) was associated with less willingness to engage in community partnership (b = −.10; 95% CI = −.16, −.05). However, upon accounting for organizational justice and self-legitimacy, the Ferguson Effect was rendered insignificant (b = .01; 95% CI = −.05, .07). The findings suggest that officers who have confidence in their authority or perceive their agency as fair are more willing to partner with the community to solve problems, regardless of the effects of negative publicity

Management-level officers’ experiences with the Ferguson Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors associated with management-level officers’ sensitivity to various manifestations of the “Ferguson effect.” Design/methodology/approach A survey was administered to police officers attending an advanced training institute in the Southeastern USA in the fall of 2015. Specifically, a series of items first inquired about negative attitudes attributable to deadly force incidents throughout the country, followed by items tapping into theoretically relevant concepts including self-legitimacy, audience legitimacy, and peer attachment. Findings Findings suggest that like line-level officers, police managers may also harbor various attitudes attributable to a Ferguson effect – including less willingness to be proactive, reduced motivation, less job enjoyment, and a belief that crime will ultimately rise as officers “de-police.” However, officers who believe their communities afford legitimacy to the police were less likely to report these sentiments. Study limitations and avenues for future research are also discussed. Originality/value This is the first study to consider how police managers have been impacted by highly publicized deadly force incidents in recent years. It underscores the importance of maintaining legitimacy in the public eye, particularly in the post-Ferguson era of American policing