Preharvest sprouting and post-anthesis development of hard winter wheat as affected by nitrogen nutrition

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 M67Master of Scienc

The Breakup Project: Using Evolutionary Theory to Predict and Interpret Responses to Romantic Relationship Dissolution

The formation and maintenance of romantic pair bonds is a well-represented topic in human evolutionary sciences. This extensive body of work, drawn mostly from the field of evolutionary psychology, has proposed mechanisms for attracting a mate (e.g., resource display, physical cues), attaining a mate (e.g., intrasexual competition), and keeping a mate (e.g., competitor derogation, emotional manipulation). However, this evolutionary model of human pair bonding has not fully addressed relationship termination. If we accept that we have an evolved suite of behaviors that encourage and facilitate pair bonding, then we must also look to breakups and ask whether evolution has played a role in shaping “heartbreak”—the post-relationship grief (PRG) which many individuals endure. The evolutionary model of human mating predicts divergent mating “agendas” for men and women. The first step in our research program was to conduct a modest pilot study to address how and when PRG differs between men and women. This pilot study is included as Chapter One for convenience. Having concluded that many of the existing suppositions about breakups were not supported by our initial inquiry, we set out to expand and revise the current model so that it can be used to make accurate predications regarding a more complex suite of variables (e.g., life history, sexuality). Chapter Two explains the logic and implications of this expansion via the example of a specific breakup scenario: the loss of a woman’s partner to a romantic rival. After presenting the possible evolutionary cause and adaptive benefits of PRG, we next tested both new and existing hypotheses as they relate to biological sex differences (Chapter Three) and life history variation (Chapter Four) in PRG. This quantitative foundation for ongoing qualitative study concludes with an overview of PRG in a population that is sorely underrepresented in evolutionary literature—individuals whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual

"Their power will be your pain": an investigation into the discourses of medicinal cannabis users

The discourses of medicinal cannabis users are the topic of this thesis, examined by way of qualitative in-depth interviews with thirty-two medicinal cannabis users. The thesis focuses on four main aims: how medicinal users talk about their use of cannabis (including looking at what discursive resources and rhetorical devices they use); the prevalence and significance of talking about 'nature' and the 'natural' within these discourses; the differences between the accounts of different participants; and the potential of different 'types' of discourse in relation to contestation around the use of this substance for medicinal benefit. A discourse analysis approach is used that draws mainly on the work of Wetherell and Potter (1992) and Fairclough (1995; 2001). A Bourdieusian theoretical framework is employed that draws on the key concepts of field, habitus, linguistic habitus, cultural and linguistic capital and trajectory (1979; 1992). The main findings are that whilst participants discuss a range of issues and use a range of rhetorical strategies and discursive resources in doing so, the majority of participants discursively construct cannabis in relation to ideas about nature, with cannabis frequently being articulated as 'natural' and therefore preferable to prescribed medicines, alcohol, other illicit drugs and 'chemical' / 'man-made' substances in ways that are strongly related to various notions of 'risk' (Beck, 1992). However, there is a great deal of difference between participants' discourses and these differences are underpinned by different educational and vocational trajectories, the unequal distribution of linguistic capital and differential dispositions when using language and engaging with knowledge, and are mediated by participants' different engagement with the issue of medicinal cannabis use. This emphasises the importance of an awareness of how social structuration continues to affect how individuals are capacitated and disposed to talk about and understand issues and to engage in contestation in contemporary society

Community energy in Germany

COMMUNITY ENERGY IN GERMANY Community energy in Germany / Morris, Craig (Rights reserved) ( -

2010 Annual Evidence Update on Critical Illness Rehabilitation

For this annual evidence update a detailed literature review was undertaken to retrieve any evidence published subsequent to the literature search which formed the basis for the NICE guideline. A total of 29 articles were selected for review and appraisal by a team of critical care practitioners. In this context it has to be noted that the evidence base on the subject is still relatively small. For the original guideline only 12 articles were selected as evidence which addressed the review questions. This evidence update intends to give an indication of encouraging trends within critical illness rehabilitation

Exploration of the factors influencing attitudes to breastfeeding in public

Background: Negative attitudes towards breastfeeding in public have consistently been identified as a key barrier to breastfeeding continuation. In order to design effective social marketing campaigns to improve public attitude towards breastfeeding in public, it is critical to identify segments of the population who are less likely to support this activity, their underlying reasons and the medium through which they can be reached. Research aim/question(s): The aims were to identify the underlying dimensions that drive acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public; test whether specific population segments were more or less likely to support breastfeeding in public and identify suitable media outlets to reach them. Methods: A cross-sectional survey testing agreement with 60 statements was administered online between May 2016 and May 2017 and was completed by 7190 respondents. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to identify 12 dimensions driving acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public. The influence of demographics and media consumption on attitudes towards breastfeeding in public was tested using Welch's t-tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA). Results: Acceptance of breastfeeding in public was found to differ with gender, age, religion, parental and breastfeeding status, but not household income. Support for breastfeeding in public also varied with media consumption habits. Conclusion(s): This work lays the foundation to design effective social marketing campaigns aimed at increasing public support for breastfeeding in public

Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase (mcrA) Gene Abundance Correlates with Activity Measurements of Methanogenic H2/CO2-Enriched Anaerobic Biomass

Biologically produced methane (CH4) from anaerobic digesters is a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, but digester failure can be a serious problem. Monitoring the microbial community within the digester could provide valuable information about process stability because this technology is dependent upon the metabolic processes of microorganisms. A healthy methanogenic community is critical for digester function and CH4 production. Methanogens can be surveyed and monitored using genes and transcripts of mcrA, which encodes the α subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase – the enzyme that catalyses the final step in methanogenesis. Using clone libraries and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we compared the diversity and abundance of mcrA genes and transcripts in four different methanogenic hydrogen/CO2 enrichment cultures to function, as measured by specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays using H2/CO2. The mcrA gene copy number significantly correlated with CH4 production rates using H2/CO2, while correlations between mcrA transcript number and SMA were not significant. The DNA and cDNA clone libraries from all enrichments were distinctive but community diversity also did not correlate with SMA. Although hydrogenotrophic methanogens dominated these enrichments, the results indicate that this methodology should be applicable to monitoring other methanogenic communities in anaerobic digesters. Ultimately, this could lead to the engineering of digester microbial communities to produce more CH4 for use as renewable fuel

The Ursinus Weekly, June 3, 1963

Ground broken for new dining hall; Alumni award to Dr. John Clawson • Class of 1963 receives diplomas here today • Class challenged by Rev. Reynolds in Baccalaureate • Annual awards presented today • Ursinus receives Mobil Oil aid through FIC • Summer school to open June 10 • Esperanto book presented to Library • UC receives gift of $10,000 to endow scholarship • Boys Ranch sends thanks • Editorial: On graduation • American Chem. Society honors Calvin Moyer \u2763 • Howard\u27s End reviewed • Bolivia and the United States • One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich • Four students to spend junior year abroad • Chemistry, physics, mathematics integrated in new pilot project • Two graduates receive USAF commissions • Senior show delights students • Ursinus College to be beneficiary in Clamer estate • Girls\u27 teams win in Spring season • Final tribute to the athletic era of 1963 • Sieb satisfied in \u2763 but What happened to our hitting?https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1298/thumbnail.jp

Inbreeding depression in red deer calves

BACKGROUND Understanding the fitness consequences of inbreeding is of major importance for evolutionary and conservation biology. However, there are few studies using pedigree-based estimates of inbreeding or investigating the influence of environment and age variation on inbreeding depression in natural populations. Here we investigated the consequences of variation in inbreeding coefficient for three juvenile traits, birth date, birth weight and first year survival, in a wild population of red deer, considering both calf and mother's inbreeding coefficient. We also tested whether inbreeding depression varied with environmental conditions and maternal age. RESULTS We detected non-zero inbreeding coefficients for 22% of individuals with both parents and at least one grandparent known (increasing to 42% if the dataset was restricted to those with four known grandparents). Inbreeding depression was evident for birth weight and first year survival but not for birth date: the first year survival of offspring with an inbreeding coefficient of 0.25 was reduced by 77% compared to offspring with an inbreeding coefficient of zero. However, it was independent of measures of environmental variation and maternal age. The effect of inbreeding on birth weight appeared to be driven by highly inbred individuals (F = 0.25). On the other hand first year survival showed strong inbreeding depression that was not solely driven by individuals with the highest inbreeding coefficients, corresponding to an estimate of 4.35 lethal equivalents. CONCLUSIONS These results represent a rare demonstration of inbreeding depression using pedigree-based estimates in a wild mammal population and highlight the potential strength of effects on key components of fitness.This research was supported by a NERC grant to LEBK, JMP and THCB, NERC and BBSRC fellowships to DHN and a Royal Society fellowship to LEBK