Success factors in new land-based industries

Part of the changing structure of New Zealand agriculture and horticulture includes a move from traditional land uses to new land uses. Not all new land uses, however, become established industries. The research objective of this study was to focus on a wide range of new land-based industries and address the question of why some new industries succeed and why others do not. The research also introduces a relatively new method, the Qualitative Comparative Analysis method, which identifies critical factors in industry success in a way that combines the richness of case studies with the rigour of comparative analysis. Results will be of interest to primary producers seeking to learn from recent experience of new industries, and to policy-makers interested in promoting new land-based industries.Funding for this research was provided by the Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology, via Crop and Food Research under Contract No. C02810 and entitled New Crops

Models To Estimate Arrival Counts And Staffing Requirements In Nonstationary Queueing Systems Applied To Long Distance Road Races

We examine the problem of staffing refreshment stations at a long distance road race. A race is modeled as a mixed queueing network in which the required number of servers at each service station has to be estimated. Two models to represent the progress of runners along a long distance road race course are developed. One model is a single-class model that allows a road race manager to staff service stations assuming the runners are identical to those in some historical dataset. Another model is a multi-class simulation model that allows a road race manager to simulate a race of any number of runners, classified based on their running pace into different runner classes. Both the single-class model and the multi-class model include estimates for the rates at which the runners arrive at specified locations along the course. The arrival rates, combined with assumed service rates, allow us to base staffing decisions on the Erlang loss formula or a lesser known staffing rule that gives a lower bound for the required number of servers. We develop a staffing strategy that we call the Peak Arrival Staffing Bound (PASB), which is based on this staffing bound. The PASB and the Erlang loss formula are implemented in the single-class model and the multi-class simulation model. By way of numerical experiments, we find that the PASB is numerically stable and can be used to get staffing results regardless of the traffic intensity. This finding is in contrast to the Erlang loss formula, which is known to become numerically unstable and overflows when the traffic intensity exceeds 171. We compare numerical results of the PASB and the Erlang loss formula with a blocking probability level of 5% and find that when iii the traffic intensity is high, staffing results based on the PASB are more conservative than staffing results based on the Erlang loss formula. As the traffic intensity gets lower, we find that staffing results based on the PASB are similar to staffing results based on the Erlang loss formula. These findings suggest that the PASB can be a valuable tool to aid race directors in making staffing decisions for races of all traffic intensitie

Determining the Metabolic Footprints of Hydrocarbon Degradation Using Multivariate Analysis

The functional dynamics of microbial communities are largely responsible for the clean-up of hydrocarbons in the environment. However, knowledge of the distinguishing functional genes, known as the metabolic footprint, present in hydrocarbon-impacted si

An updated assessment of the Agulhas sole resource, Austroglossus pectoralis

This analysis updates that of Butterworth and Glazer (2014), which considered two hypotheses of decreasing catchability and of decreasing productivity to account for a recent large drop in CPUE. Two further years of data reflect some increase in CPUE. For the most pessimistic scenario (a decrease in productivity, which remains at its current reduced level into the future), projections are somewhat more positive than previously, with recent biomasses estimated higher and projected to decrease more slowly if the 2013 effort level is maintained

Electron microscopical study to assess the in vitro effects of the synthetic trioxolane OZ78 against the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica

Adult Fasciola hepatica were incubated for 48 h in vitro in the synthetic peroxide, OZ78 at a concentration of 100 μg/ml and then prepared for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. There was limited disruption to the external fluke surface, with only slight swelling and blebbing of the interspinal tegument in the midbody and ventral tail regions. By contrast, significant disruption was observed to the ultrastructure of the tegument and subtegumental tissues. There was severe swelling of the basal infolds in the tegumental syncytium and the flooding spread internally to affect the subtegumental tissues. In the tegumental system, there was swelling of the cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticulum and of the mitochondria, with the latter showing signs of breaking down. Autophagic vacuoles and lipid droplets were present and the synthesis of tegumental secretory bodies was much reduced. The gastrodermal cells were severely affected, with swelling and degeneration of the mitochondria and the presence of autophagic vacuoles and lipid droplets. The granular endoplasmic reticulum was swollen and vesiculated and the cells contained few secretory bodies. Both the vitelline and testis follicles showed evidence of extensive cellular disruption and degeneration. This study confirms previous data indicating the potential flukicidal activity of OZ7

Single-chain Fv phage display propensity exhibits strong positive correlation with overall expression levels

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Single chain Fvs (scFvs) are widely applied in research, diagnostics and therapeutic settings. Display and selection from combinatorial libraries is the main route to their discovery and many factors influence the success of this process. They exhibit low thermodynamic stability, resulting in low levels of premature cytosolic folding or aggregation which facilitates <it>sec </it>YEG-mediated translocation and phage in <it>E. coli</it>. However, there is little data analysing how this is related to and influenced by scFv protein expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We characterised the relationship between overall scFv expression and display propensity for a panel of 15 anti-tetanus toxin scFvs and found a strong positive correlation (Rho = 0.88, p < 0.005) between the two parameters. Display propensity, overall expression and soluble localisation to the periplasm and extracellular fractions were clone specific characteristics which varied despite high levels of sequence homology. There was no correlation between display of scFv or its expression in non-fused (free) form with soluble scFv localisation to the periplasm or culture supernatant. This suggests that divergence in the fate of scFv-pIII and non-fused scFv after translocation to the periplasm accounts for the observed disparity. Differential degrees of periplasmic aggregation of non-fused scFv between clones may affect the partitioning of scFv in the periplasm and culture supernatant abrogating any correlation. We suggest that these factors do not apply to the scFv-pIII fusion since it remains anchored to the bacterial inner membrane as part of the innate phage packaging and budding process.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that in the absence of premature cytosolic aggregation or folding, the propensity of a scFv to be displayed on phage is directly related to its overall expression level and is thus indirectly influenced by factors such as codon bias, mRNA abundance or putative DNA motifs affecting expression. This suggests that scFvs capable of high overall expression and display levels may not produce high yields of non phage-fused soluble protein in either the periplasmic or extracellular fractions of <it>E. coli</it>. This should be considered when screening clones selected from combinatorial libraries for further study.</p> <p>The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the anti-tetanus toxin scFvs have been deposited in the EMBL data base: accession numbers-C1: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749134">AM749134</ext-link>, C2: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749135">AM749135</ext-link>, C3: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749136">AM749136</ext-link>, C4: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749137">AM749137</ext-link>, C5: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749138">AM749138</ext-link>, N1: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749139">AM749139</ext-link>, N2: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749140">AM749140</ext-link>, N3: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749141">AM749141</ext-link>, N4: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749142">AM749142</ext-link>, N5: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749143">AM749143</ext-link> J1; <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749144">AM749144</ext-link>, J2: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749145">AM749145</ext-link>, J3: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749146">AM749146</ext-link>, J4: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749147">AM749147</ext-link>, J5: <ext-link ext-link-type="embl" ext-link-id="AM749148">AM749148</ext-link>.</p

Almost Block Diagonal Linear Systems: Sequential and Parallel Solution Techniques, and Applications

Almost block diagonal (ABD) linear systems arise in a variety of contexts, specifically in numerical methods for two-point boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations and in related partial differential equation problems. The stable, efficient sequential solution of ABDs has received much attention over the last fifteen years and the parallel solution more recently. We survey the fields of application with emphasis on how ABDs and bordered ABDs (BABDs) arise. We outline most known direct solution techniques, both sequential and parallel, and discuss the comparative efficiency of the parallel methods. Finally, we examine parallel iterative methods for solving BABD systems. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Application of the method of auxiliary sources in optical diffraction microscopy

The Method of Auxiliary Sources is used for characterisation of grating defects. Grating profiles are characterised by best fit matching of a library of diffraction efficiencies with numerical simulated diffraction efficiencies with defects. It is shown that the presented method can solve the inverse problem with an accuracy usually thought to require rigorous electromagnetic theories

A long-term clinical trial on the efficacy and safety profile of doxofylline in Asthma: The LESDA study.

Doxofylline, an oral methylxanthine with bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory activities, offers a promising alternative to theophylline due to its superior efficacy/safety profile. No long-term studies on the efficacy and safety of doxofylline are currently available in asthma. The aim of the Long-term clinical trial on the Efficacy and Safety profile of Doxofylline in Asthma (LESDA) study was to investigate the safety and efficacy profile of doxofylline administered for one year in asthmatic patients. LESDA was a multicenter, open-label, Phase III, clinical trial in which adult asthmatic patients received the same treatment (oral doxofylline 400 mg t.i.d.) for one year. Efficacy was assessed through periodic pulmonary function tests and by having the subjects keep monthly records of asthma events rates and use of salbutamol as rescue medication. The rate of adverse events (AEs) was recorded during the study. Three-hundred nine patients were screened and allocated in the study. Doxofylline significantly improved the change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (+16.90 ± 1.81%, P < 0.001 vs. baseline). Doxofylline also significantly improved the rate of asthma events (events/day: -0.57 ± 0.18, P < 0.05 vs. baseline) and the use of salbutamol as rescue medication (puffs/day: -1.48 ± 0.25, P < 0.01 vs. baseline). The most common AEs were nausea (14.56%), headache (14.24%), insomnia (10.68%), and dyspepsia (10.03%). There were neither serious AEs nor deaths during or shortly after the study. Concluding, doxofylline is effective and well tolerated when administered chronically in asthmatic patients