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

Introducing Vireo: an ETD Submittal and Management System for DSpace

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : DSpace User Group PresentationsDate: 2009-05-20 03:30 PM – 05:00 PMThe Texas Digital Library (TDL) is a consortium of public and private institutions from across the state of Texas; a major project in TDL is the development of a state-wide repository for managing the entire life-cycle of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The Texas ETD Repository is a large effort that span multiple independent initiatives, all of which interact to support the overall task of managing ETDs in Texas. This presentation will describe Vireo, the customized submission and workflow management application that TDL developed for DSpace, and it's role within the Texas ETD Repository. We will describe its current implementation as a Manakin aspect and theme, and discuss the future plans for the application, including its release to the repository community under an open source license.Institute for Museum and Library Sciences; Texas Digital Librar

The Economic Reunification of Korea: A Dynamic General Equilibrium Model

This paper constructs a dynamic specific factors model to examine the impact of the economic reunification of North and South Korea. The model is a compromise between the highly stylized neoclassical models of trade found in the theoretical trade literature, and the highly aggregated models used in dynamic macroeconomics. We find that the policies with the biggest effects on aggregate output are changes in government tax and spending rates, particularly spending on infrastructure. In contrast, we find that both skilled and unskilled wages are much more responsive to the particulars of trade policy, particularly openness to intra-Korea trade and intra-Korea labor mobility. The location of production in a fully integrated Korean economy is determined by the location of infrastructure.factor mobility; dynamic general equilibrium; specific-factors; Korea

Fixed Effects Estimation of Private Health Insurance Influence on Factors Affecting Workplace Outcomes: Survey of income and program participation analysis

As a critical component of thriving administrative culture and management, I find the need to improve workplace outcomes by better understanding factors that influence worker demographics and employment characteristics influenced by private health insurance. As such, I conducted this quantitative longitudinal, panel survey analysis on Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) variables. Fixed effects regression is employed to analyze the factors among the two predictors and one outcome variable. The interactions among the thirteen variables tested and mediation from private health insurance are examined and substantiated via a series of Sobel tests. Results showed that independent variables of employment characteristics and private health insurance influenced the likelihood of sickness absenteeism and productivity. Additionally, results showed that private health insurance partially mediates the influence of the independent variables on the outcomes. These findings suggest that businesses and policymakers ought to ensure health insurance coverage for all workers. Keywords: Employment Characteristics, Fixed Effects, Health Insurance, Sickness Absenteeism, Survey of Income and Program Participation, Productivity, Worker Demographics, Workplace Outcome

The Establishment of a Preliminary Weight Profile for the 257 Table Birds within the Sheepdrove Organic Farm Organic Silvo-Poultry System.

A preliminary weight profile was produce for the organic silvo-poultry system on Sheepdrove organic farm. Seven batches (each of 20 hens and 20 cocks) were weighed over a two month period (January/February 2003). No current organic silvo-poultry weight profile was available but the weights achieved were found to exceed those of the nearest suggested profile (ISA 657) but were beneath the weights required for Sheepdroves markets. There was great and inconsistent variation between the batches and between sheds. This suggested that environment and management of particular houses could be having a large impact on final chicken weights

The influence of serial carbohydrate mouth rinsing on power output during a cycle sprint

The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of serial administration of a carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse on performance, metabolic and perceptual responses during a cycle sprint. Twelve physically active males (mean (± SD) age: 23.1 (3.0) years, height: 1.83 (0.07) m, body mass (BM): 86.3 (13.5) kg) completed the following mouth rinse trials in a randomized, counterbalanced, double-blind fashion; 1. 8 x 5 second rinses with a 25 ml CHO (6% w/v maltodextrin) solution, 2. 8 x 5 second rinses with a 25 ml placebo (PLA) solution. Following mouth rinse administration, participants completed a 30 second sprint on a cycle ergometer against a 0.075 g·kg-1 BM resistance. Eight participants achieved a greater peak power output (PPO) in the CHO trial, resulting in a significantly greater PPO compared with PLA (13.51 ± 2.19 vs. 13.20 ± 2. 14 W·kg-1, p < 0.05). Magnitude inference analysis reported a likely benefit (81% likelihood) of the CHO mouth rinse on PPO. In the CHO trial, mean power output (MPO) showed a trend for being greater in the first 5 seconds of the sprint and lower for the remainder of the sprint compared with the PLA trial (p > 0.05). No significant between-trials difference was reported for fatigue index, perceived exertion, arousal and nausea levels, or blood lactate and glucose concentrations. Serial administration of a CHO mouth rinse may significantly improve PPO during a cycle sprint. This improvement appears confined to the first 5 seconds of the sprint, and may come at a greater relative cost for the remainder of the sprint

A Phenomenological Study on Teachers\u27 Lived Experience With Self-Efficacy Teaching Face-to-Face Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe teachers’ lived experiences with self-efficacy teaching face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic in a public school district in South Georgia. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy which was used to answer the following central research question: What are teachers’ lived experience with self-efficacy teaching face-to face-instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic? Twelve teachers from two schools provided a description of their lived experiences teaching in-person instruction amid the pandemic. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, teacher journals, and a focus group. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental methods of epoché, phenomenological reduction with horizontalization and thematic development to create a textual description of the phenomenon, imaginative variation to create a structural description of the phenomenon, and synthesis of textural and structural descriptions to present the essence of the phenomenon. The study produced four themes and nine sub-themes. The themes were perseverance, awareness, a need to socialize, and challenging. The findings revealed that teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching in-person instruction continuously fluctuated and was informed by their classroom experiences and perceptions of their classroom environment. Teachers experienced increased self-efficacy through mastery experience, vicarious experience, and verbal persuasion, which enhanced their commitment and relationships but experienced decreased self-efficacy through emotional arousal because they perceived their environment as challenging, which exacerbated stress

Trade association strategies for providing technology intelligence to small and medium sized enterprises - A study of UK technology foresight processes

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.In the UK many industries are suffering as a result of business being lost to competition abroad. Raising the technical content of a company’s product or service may enable them to increase its competitiveness and hence retain or even increase business. A Trade Association exists to represent the interests of its members. One way that this can be realized is by provision of technical information to its members to support raising the technical content of their members’ products or services. The provision of technical information entails sourcing information, collecting it and then disseminating it in an appropriate format. Ways of undertaking this are identified. The factors that are likely to influence the provision of technical information are determined. This is so that a Trade Association can build upon its strengths, diminish weaknesses, exploit opportunities and avoid threats. A strategy for provision of engineering technical information to trade association members was given. Four mechanisms were implemented on a test-bed Trade Association; utilising information technology communication capabilities, newsletters, collaborations and conferences. Feedback and parameters were used to assess the strategy chosen for implementation on the test-bed. Taking this into consideration a revised strategy was established that can be adapted and applied by Trade Associations who wish to provide such a service in the future