Vegetative and sexual phenology, reproductive dynamics and bud differentiation in a clonal seed orchard of white and black spruce

To evaluate the importance of phenology and strobilus production in a clonal seed orchard of white and black spruce, 14 clones of each species represented by 4 ramets each, were selected from the Mattawin seed orchard. Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The times of flushing of the terminal buds of the leaders and 4 lateral branches were determined using an index of vegetative bud and shoot development. Dates of growth cessation were determined at 95 percent of shoot elongation. An index was used to score stages of pollen release and female receptivity of black spruce. Counts were made of male and female strobilus production per ramet in black spruce. The time of reproductive bud differentiation, in two clones of black spruce, was estimated to be mid-July after viewing dissected buds under a dissecting microscope and epimicroscope. Analyses of variance showed significant differences among clones in times of flushing and growth cessation of the leaders and lateral branches of white and black spruce, and significant differences in times of pollen release and female receptivity in black spruce but not white spruce. However, few clones were significantly different from each other using Duncan's NMR test. Generally there was a small range in clonal mean dates for these characteristics, perhaps because the clone ortets all originated from the same northern seed zone. Early-flushing black spruce clones produced the greatest leader extension. Peak pollen release and female receptivity coincided in most clones, thus increasing the probability of selfing. An analysis of variance of the number of female strobili per ramet and an analysis of covariance of the number of male strobili per ramet, using ramet height as covariant, showed significant clone differences. A few clones produced the largest number of strobili, especially in male strobilus production. Heavy male strobilus producing clones were not necessarily heavy female strobilus producers. The genetic composition of the progeny was estimated from: 1) the daily stages of pollen release and female receptivity, and 2) the number of male and female strobili per clone. A few clones were the largest contributors to the genetic composition of the progeny; the timing of pollen release and female receptivity had little effect on these estimates. The total percentage of selfed-crosses was estimated at 1 1 percent, although the individual clone rates of selfing varied from 1 to 25 percent

Managerial challenges of publicly funded principal investigators

Principal investigators (PI) are at the nexus of university business collaborations through their leadership of funded research grants. In fulfilling their multiple roles, PIs are involved in a range of different activities, from direct scientific supervision of junior scientists, the organisation of new scientific avenues to engaging with industrial partners. With the increased impetus for public research to produce wealth through science commercialisation, research is increasingly orchestrated through programmes which seek to connect research avenues and markets. The role of PIs is of growing importance. The extent of managerial challenges encountered by scientists in the context of their PI role has not been the focus of any empirical studies. This paper examines the managerial challenges experienced by publicly funded PIs. Our study, set in the context of the Irish research system, found three foci of PI managerial challenges – project management, project adaptability and project network management

Physiological Responses of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur Seedlings to Light Intensity

Conference poster presentationBroadleaf planting has become increasingly important in Ireland over the recent years and light is recognised as one of the main environmental factors affecting stand development, but to date there has been little research on broadleaf responses to light intensity, particularly in Ireland. Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is increasing as an alternative to clear-cutting and uses the control of light to produce plantation benefits. The physiological responses of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak (Quercus robur) seedlings to four different shade environments (100%, 62%, 51% and 28% of incident photosynthetically active radiation, PAR) were studied in a shadehouse experiment during the summer of 2013. Light-response curves (only measured in the extreme treatments) differed between beech seedlings of the Control treatment (PAR=100%) and those of the heavy shade treatment (PAR=28%) when PAR > 100 μmol m-2 s-1, while there was little difference for oak between both treatments. Light-response curves generally showed maximum photosynthetic rates (Amax) at 1500 μmol m-2 s-1 in both treatments, and this PAR value was used while measuring stomatal conductance (gs) and water use efficiency (WUE). Significantly higher values of Amax and gs were found in oak than in beech in the 62%, 51% and 28% treatments. There were no significant differences between oak and beech for Amax and gs in the Control treatment or for WUE in the four treatments.COFORD Forest Research Programm

Publicly funded principal investigators allocation of time for public sector entrepreneurship activities

In this paper we explore the allocation of time of publicly funded principal investigators (PIs) for public sector entrepreneurship activities. We examine their allocation of time in general to research activities and specifically at a project level in relation to the type of research, knowledge transfer activity, project impact, deliberate technology transfer strategy and boundary spanning activities using data from a full population survey of publicly funded PIs in Ireland in science, engineering and technology across national and European research programmes. We find that PIs who spend more time on general research related activities allocated a higher proportion of time to technology transfer activities and that PIs who spend more time on technology activities engaged more in end of project reports and collaborative research with industry. In relation to the importance placed on impact criteria, PIs who spend more time on research placed more importance on technology and market impacts than those spending less time on research related activities. Furthermore, PIs who spend more time on technology transfer placed greater value on technology transfer, market and economic impact. We find projects of PIs spending more time on research related activities had a greater impact on technology transfer and a greater market impact, according to the assessment of respondents, than the projects of PIs spending less time on research activities. Finally, with respect to boundary spanning activities we find PIs spending more time on research engaged more in direct consultation with industry end-users and direct consultation with their technology transfer office at the pre-proposal stage of their selected project and they had significantly larger than average amount of industry partners. We conclude our analysis by considering the implications for public sector entrepreneurship

Thermal modelling of Advanced LIGO test masses

High-reflectivity fused silica mirrors are at the epicentre of current advanced gravitational wave detectors. In these detectors, the mirrors interact with high power laser beams. As a result of finite absorption in the high reflectivity coatings the mirrors suffer from a variety of thermal effects that impact on the detectors performance. We propose a model of the Advanced LIGO mirrors that introduces an empirical term to account for the radiative heat transfer between the mirror and its surroundings. The mechanical mode frequency is used as a probe for the overall temperature of the mirror. The thermal transient after power build-up in the optical cavities is used to refine and test the model. The model provides a coating absorption estimate of 1.5 to 2.0 ppm and estimates that 0.3 to 1.3 ppm of the circulating light is scattered on to the ring heater.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Innovating in Ireland: Can we fail better?

ReportThis report explores the extent to which the Irish innovation ecosystem allows space to fail at innovation and to learn from such failures

Effects of light availability on morphology, growth and biomass allocation of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur seedlings

peer-reviewedThe survival, morphological, and growth responses of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) seedlings to different light intensities, from full sunlight to heavy shade, were studied over two growing seasons in a shadehouse experiment. Although shade treatments significantly affected seedling growth, they did not influence seedling survival. Both growth and biomass increased as light intensity increased. Diameter growth of oak seedlings was higher than that of beech. Beech and oak seedlings showed typical acclimation to shade, including greater specific leaf area and height to diameter ratios, and lower leaf thickness and root:shoot ratios with increasing shade. Beech seedlings exhibited greater specific leaf area, and lower leaf thickness and root:shoot ratios than oak seedlings. In spite of the greater growth at full sunlight, the results from this study suggest that beech and oak seedlings would have high survival rates and would acclimate well if underplanted below overstories that reduce the available light to as low as 28% of full light

Advances in the synthesis of acyclic peroxides

Peroxide-containing compounds are an attractive synthetic target, given their widespread abundance in nature, with many displaying potent antimalarial and antimicrobial properties. This review summarises the many developments in the synthesis of acyclic peroxides, with a particular focus on the past 20 years, and seeks to update organic chemists about these new approaches. The synthetic methodologies have been subdivided into metal-catalysed reactions, organocatalytic reactions, direct oxidation reactions, miscellaneous reactions and enzymatic routes to acyclic peroxides

An in vivo root hair assay for determining rates of apoptotic-like programmed cell death in plants

In Arabidopsis thaliana we demonstrate that dying root hairs provide an easy and rapid in vivo model for the morphological identification of apoptotic-like programmed cell death (AL-PCD) in plants. The model described here is transferable between species, can be used to investigate rates of AL-PCD in response to various treatments and to identify modulation of AL-PCD rates in mutant/transgenic plant lines facilitating rapid screening of mutant populations in order to identify genes involved in AL-PCD regulation

High Pressure Processing of Dairy Foods

End of Project ReportThe term High Pressure Processing (HPP) is used to describe the technology whereby products are exposed to very high pressures in the region of 50 - 800 MPa (500 - 8000 Atmospheres). The potential application of HPP in the food industry has gained popularity in recent years, due to developments in the construction of HPP equipment which makes the technology more affordable. Applying HPP to food products results in modifications to interactions between individual components, rates of enzymatic reactions and inactivation of micro-organisms. The first commercial HPP products appeared on the market in 1991 in Japan, where HPP is now being used commercially for products such as jams, sauces, fruit juices, rice cakes and desserts. The pioneering research into the application of HPP to milk dates back to the end of the 19th century. Application of HPP to milk has been shown to modify its gel forming characteristics as well as reducing its microbial load. HPP offers the potential to induce similar effects to those generated by heat on milk protein. Recent reports have also indicated that HPP could accelerate the ripening of cheese. Much of the Irish cheese industry is based on the production of Cheddar cheese, the ripening time for which can vary from 4 - 12 months or more, depending on grade. A substantial portion of the cost associated with Cheddar manufacture is therefore attributed to storage under controlled conditions during ripening. Thus, any technology which may accelerate the ripening of Cheddar cheese while maintaining a balanced flavour and texture is of major economic significance. While food safety is a dominant concern, consumers are increasingly demanding foods that maintain their natural appearance and flavour, while free of chemical preservatives. HPP offers the food industry the possibility of achieving these twin goals as this technology can lead to reduced microbial loads without detrimentally effecting the nutritional or sensory qualities of the product. The development of food ingredients with novel functional properties offers the dairy industry an opportunity to revitalise existing markets and develop new ones. HPP can lead to modifications in the structure of milk components, in particular protein, which may provide interesting possibilities for the development of high value nutritional and functional ingredients. Hence these projects set out to investigate the potential of HPP in the dairy industry and to identify products and processes to which it could be applied.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin