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

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

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

William Arbuthnot Lane (1856-1943): Surgical Innovator and His Theory of Autointoxication.

William Arbuthnot Lane contributed to the advancement of many fields of orthopedics, otolaryngology, and general surgery. He is credited for his no-touch technique and the invention of long-handled instruments, some of which are still in use today, to minimize tissue handling. He is most well known for his hypothesis that slowing of gastric contents could cause a variety of ailments and this became known as Lane\u27s disease. Although his surgical treatment of Lane\u27s disease is now defunct, it advanced the surgical technique in colorectal surgery. It seems likely that some of Lane\u27s autointoxication patients would be classified today as patients with colonic inertia, diverticulitis, colonic volvulus, and megacolon or, which are all treated with colectomy. Lane was a pioneer in multiple fields and a true general surgeon. He advanced colorectal surgery immensely and propelled the field of surgery into a new era

Emotion processing and social participation following stroke : study protocol

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A trajectory approach to two-state kinetics of single particles on sculpted energy landscapes

We study the trajectories of a single colloidal particle as it hops between two energy wells A and B, which are sculpted using adjacent optical traps by controlling their respective power levels and separation. Whereas the dynamical behaviors of such systems are often treated by master-equation methods that focus on particles as actors, we analyze them here instead using a trajectory-based variational method called Maximum Caliber, which utilizes a dynamical partition function. We show that the Caliber strategy accurately predicts the full dynamics that we observe in the experiments: from the observed averages, it predicts second and third moments and covariances, with no free parameters. The covariances are the dynamical equivalents of Maxwell-like equilibrium reciprocal relations and Onsager-like dynamical relations. In short, this work describes an experimental model system for exploring full trajectory distributions in one-particle two-state systems, and it validates the Caliber approach as a useful way to understand trajectory-based dynamical distribution functions in this system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Intelligence-Led Policing and Forces of Organizational Change in the United States

The intent of this study is to explore organisational factors that, both conceptually and operationally, facilitate or inhibit a police agency from adopting intelligence-led policing (ILP). Research to date is yet to explore organisational factors related to ILP among American law enforcement agencies. Drawing from original survey data of national law enforcement agencies as part of a 2009 US Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice-funded project, the present study incorporates force field analysis to explore factors of ILP adoption in the USA. Findings suggest state and local agencies' familiarity with the intelligence-led concept and utilisation of open source and received information appear to be driving adoption. Conversely, formal policies, lack of sufficient personnel, training and a lack of intelligence-led decision-making appear to be inhibiting change towards the ILP paradigm. It appears agency size has minimal influence on an agency's shift towards ILP. Access to necessary resources and training appear to pose a significant challenge to law enforcement. Limited resources to develop an intelligence-led approach may result in the capability going underdeveloped or taking the form of other policing practices related to available resources – such as homeland security preparedness. This research is one of the first empirical explorations of ILP adoption, especially with a national sample of state and local agencies. Further conceptual clarity of the ILP paradigm is provided and organisational factors are discussed

Active Material Properties of the Myocardium: Correlation With Left Ventricular Function in Man

Author Institution: Department of Engineering and Physiology, Wright State UniversityThe effects of anisotrophy and nonhomogeneity of the ventricular myocardium as represented by a linear increase in the midwall effective modulus of elasticity were investigated in the present study, specifically as they effect the circumferential stress distribution. Various studies are presented suggesting a linear increase in the effective modulus of elasticity from endocardium to epicardium. In our study, this increase in the effective modulus was constrained by the approximation that stress per unit sarcomere length is constant. We evaluated 12 functionally normal cases and 9 functionally abnormal cases. The stress distribution for the 9 functionally abnormal cases was calculated, first with the normal and secondly with the abnormal variation in the modulus of elasticity. Assuming the myocardium has constant material properties that do not change with functional decomposition, the stress distributions in the first calculations indicated higher stresses through the inner half of the myocardium and lower stresses through the outer half of the myocardium as compared to the second. This finding suggests that the inner fibers are overloaded and the outer fibers are underloaded in left ventricular decompensation. The difference between the first and second stress distributions averaged 26% (range: 11% to 48%). A useful, clinical, and quantitative measure of stress loading of the sarcomeres in functionally normal and abnormal left ventricles is proposed

Implementing Intelligence-Led Policing: An Application of Loose-Coupling Theory

Author's manuscript made available in accordance with the publisher's policy.Purpose: This research is intended to inform a knowledge gap in the literature and present the first national findings related to intelligence-led policing adoption among state and local agencies. Specific practices are identified to inform scholars and practitioners regarding intelligence-led policing behaviors. Methods: Original survey research from a federally-funded project is gleaned to explore intelligence-led policing adoption through a loose-coupling theoretical perspective. Negative binomial and logistic regression models are employed to identify predictive relationships. Results: Agencies nationwide appear to be closely following the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan recommendations to enhance information sharing. Consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s Target Capabilities List is also observed. Agency size appears to have a significant effect on key organizational information sharing behaviors. The findings are tempered due to limitations in the research design. Conclusions: Local agencies appear to be tightly-coupled with the recommendations put forth in the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan in their efforts to adopt intelligence-led policing. Agency size appears to enhance adoption across most dependent metrics. This research progresses the limited evidence base and progress regarding this emerging policing philosophy