Development of a genetic transformation method for seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.)

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a dioecious plant with berries containing highamounts of several bioactive compounds with nutritional and medicinal traits. It is also planted tocontrol soil erosion. A genetic transformation procedure will facilitate studies of the control ofplant development and interactions with symbionts and pathogens, and will provide a tool forplant breeding. Here, we present a particle bombardment method for transforming seabuckthorn.The early stages of induced adventitious shoots from roots were chosen as a novel target tissue forthe transformation procedure. The root system was bombarded with gold particles coated withplasmid pRT99gus containing genes for plant kanamycin resistance and for β-glucuronidase expression,and shoots were regenerated under kanamycin selection. PCR analysis of the regeneratedtransformed lines confirmed the presence of a 603 bp gus (uidA) gene fragment and a 1.5 kbfragment from the 35S promoter in three shoots from independent transformation events

LEAFSE – Lernen durch (Studenten-)Austausch – Landwirtschaft-Nahrungskette-Umwelt

The LEAFSE project is the first EU sponsored joint venture project between four European and four Australian universities. It is funded for three years (2003 to 2005) and enables the exchange of 36 students from each continent. The umbrella subject of the project covers agriculture-food systems-environment. Experiential learning is the special focus for all students that are linked together through video-conference tools

An evaluation of a novel method for the inhibition of sulphide stress corrosion cracking in steel

Sulphide stress corrosion cracking, (SSCC) is one of the major problems encountered by the petroleum industry throughout the world. The problem is likely to increase in severity for the North Sea oil and gas industries as the fields get older and platforms are moved to deeper waters. This is because the hydrogen sulphide concentration increases as the fields get older and deeper water explorations require higher strength steels. The protective measures taken at present to combat SSCC are not adequate. Therefore a novel method was developed to inhibit SSCC in steel. This method is based on using an active hydrogen evolution sulphide electro-catalyst, more active than steel, as a coat on the surface of the steel, such that the hydrogen evolution will take place on the catalyst surface, instead of on the corroding steel surface. Therefore, the amount of hydrogen diffusing through the steel is greatly reduced. Hence, SSCC in the steel is effectively inhibited. Electrochemical and mechanical experimental studies were carried out to confirm the validity of this method A computer-aided literature survey on SSCC and its prevention in oil- and gas-well equipment is presented. The viability of three sulphide electro-catalysts, NiCo₂S₄, MoS₂ and WS₂ for this method were studied in various experiments, namely, electrochemical polarization, hydrogen diffusion studies and corrosion weight loss measurements. The experimental studies carried out in NACE solution, consisting of a 5 percent (mass/volume) NaCl and 0.5 percent (volume/volume) acetic acid, with a continuous flow of H₂S at 1 atmospheric pressure, indicated that hydrogen evolution performances are in the following order: in the absence of H₂S, NiCo₂, S₄ > WS₂ , > MoS₂> EN 42 steel in the presence of H₂S, MoS₂> WS₂> NiCo₂S₄> EN 42 steel MoS₂was found to be the most stable catalyst in the sour corrosive environment. Evans diagrams, constructed to predict corrosion rates, indicate that the corrosion current ratio of the MoS₂ - EN 42 steel couple and EN 42 steel did not change significantly when the catalyst loading was reduced. The hydrogen diffusion studies confirmed that an MoS₂/ FEP (fluoro ethylene polymer) adherent coat with higher catalyst to FEP ratio was the most effective of three adherent coats. The corrosion weight loss measurements showed that the corrosion rates of steel coupons partially coated with MoS₂/ FEP coat were higher than those of uncoated coupons for up to 50 hours but thereafter they reduced significantly below those of uncoated coupons. Mechanical studies carried out to eväluate the effectiveness of this method were helped by a literature survey on stress corrosion test methods and interpretation of results. Slower straining/loading rate tests and sustained load tests were selected to study the changes in various mechanical parameters on different types of specimens when protected with MoS₂ / FEP coat. In addition to these tests, Charpy impact tests were also carried out. The mechanical parameters measured on the specimens are: a) for compact tension specimens - stress intensity factor at failure - total energy required for fracturing the specimen - average energy consumed for unit length of crack extension - crack opening displacement - crack growth rate - time to failure b) for three-point bend specimens - crack opening displacement c) for Charpy V-notch impact test specimens - fracture energy All these mechanical parameters confirm the effectiveness of the MoS₂ / FEP coat to inhibit SSCC in steel. Scanning electron microscopic examinations of the specimens also confirmed the viability of the novel protective method. The sour-corrosion fatigue tests showed that the MoS₂ / FEP coat could be used effectively in environments where a cyclic loading pattern is inevitable. These studies confirm that the proposed protective technique could be used effectively in the oil and gas industries to inhibit SSCC

Minimizing makespan in flowshops with pallet requirements: computational complexity

Studies the minimization in flowshops with pallet requirements. Importance of pallets in automated or flexible manufacturing environments; Mounting and dismounting of work pieces; Planning problems involved

‘They Called Them Communists Then … What D'You Call ‘Em Now? … Insurgents?’. Narratives of British Military Expatriates in the Context of the New Imperialism

This paper addresses the question of the extent to which the colonial past provides material for contemporary actors' understanding of difference. The research from which the paper is drawn involved interview and ethnographic work in three largely white working-class estates in an English provincial city. For this paper we focus on ten life-history interviews with older participants who had spent some time abroad in the British military. Our analysis adopts a postcolonial framework because research participants' current constructions of an amorphous 'Other' (labelled variously as black people, immigrants, foreigners, asylum-seekers or Muslims) reveal strong continuities with discourses deployed by the same individuals to narrate their past experiences of living and working as either military expatriates or spouses during British colonial rule. Theoretically, the paper engages with the work of Frantz Fanon and Edward Said. In keeping with a postcolonial approach, we work against essentialised notions of identity based on 'race' or class. Although we establish continuity between white working-class military emigration in the past and contemporary racialised discourses, we argue that the latter are not class-specific, being as much the creations of the middle-class media and political elite

Groundwater mapping and locally engaged water governance in a small island terrain: Case study of Karainagar island, Northern Sri Lanka

Groundwater is a vital resource under threat in island communities. Karainagar, a 22 km2 island, is one of seven islands off the coast of Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka, with its population of just about 11,000 persons, experiences seasonal water shortage, and salinity in groundwater as twin threats impacting on their lives. This paper reports on a 3-year study (October 2019 to September 2022) to map groundwater dynamics of Karainagar island spatially and seasonally and discusses the patterns revealed in terms of community needs, policy implications, and governance ideas that could already be considered by relevant authorities and citizens jointly. Thirty-six dug wells used for drinking, domestic, agricultural, and public purposes were selected, and water level, salinity, and pH changes recorded along with daily rainfall. This paper offers a thorough description of the geography, land use, distribution of wells, and water bodies, followed by discussion of the current status of the groundwater in Karainagar island. Year-to-year differences in rainfall pattern resulted in different rates of change and range in water level with a corresponding reverse pattern seen in salinity with some exceptions across the island. Cumulative rainfall required to reach full capacity of wells ranged from 652 to 892 mm over the 3 years with an average figure of 739 mm of rain. This implies that any further rainfall during early phase of the main rainy season is potential surface water for storage and runoff. Practices such as unregulated pumping and construction of tube wells are argued to be contributing to increase in salinity levels with health implications for residents. A participatory governance approach that overcomes limitations of the existing institutional approach is proposed. Its success based on broad stakeholder engagement, improved equity, and transparency when supported by adequate policies and village level aquifer monitoring will enable sustainability of groundwater resources in Karainagar

In re K-Dur Antitrust Litigation: Reopening the Door for Pharmaceutical Competition

One of the most controversial legal questions in the pharmaceutical industry today concerns settlements of patent infringement suits between branded and generic drug companies. These settlements, which are by-products of the Hatch-Waxman Act, involve payments from the branded manufacturer to the generic drug company in exchange for the generic company staying off the market for a period of time. For nearly a decade, courts considering this issue applied a scope of the patent test to determine the validity of these settlements. Over time, increasing deference was given to a presumption of patent validity, and almost all challenged settlements were deemed valid. In June 2012, the Third Circuit applied a quick look rule of reason test and found the settlement in question invalid. The Third Circuit’s departure from the prevailing approach taken by its sister circuits marked a shift towards stricter scrutiny and created a circuit split. After almost a decade of effort by the Federal Trade Commission to get this issue before the Supreme Court, certiorari was granted to a patent settlement case out of the Eleventh Circuit, Actavis. It was the Third Circuit’s decision in favor of the FTC’s position that clinched the effort this time. Following Actavis, reverse-payment settlements are not categorically immune from the antitrust laws even when within the scope of the patent. Lower courts must now weigh the settlement’s possible pro-competitive benefits against its potential anticompetitive effects. As a result, the doors have been reopened for pharmaceutical competition

The two Torontos: Young people navigating the core-inner suburb socio-spatial divide

In 2014 Toronto was named ‘Youthful City of the Year’ by the global Youthful Cities initiative. The ranking was supposed to be indicative of Toronto’s progressiveness and as a place where youth are equipped to thrive. Toronto also ranked number one for diversity. Much of Toronto’s celebrated diversity exists in the inner suburbs of the city. The homogenous framing of Toronto as captured by the Youthful Cities initiative neglects the lived realities of young people who live on the fringes of the city. This is heightened in a context of increasing socio-economic inequalities that is spatially concentrated. In this paper I examine how divergences in the city are spatially produced and navigated by young people that live both symbolically and geographically on the fringes. I argue that Toronto is differentiated along lines of race and socio-economic status that is reified through the socio-spatial division between the core of the city and the inner suburbs.En l’an 2014, Toronto a fut nommé « Ville jeune de l’année » par l’initiative mondiale Youthful Cities. Le classementétait censé être révélateur de la progressivité de Toronto et comme un endroit où les jeunes sont équipés pour s’épanouir. Toronto s’est également classée numéro un pour la diversité. Une grande partie de la célèbre diversité de Toronto existe dans les banlieues intérieures de la ville. Le cadrage homogène de Toronto tel que capturé par l’initiativede Youthful Cities néglige les réalités vécues des jeunes qui vivent en marge de la ville. Celle-ci sont accentuées dans un contexte d’inégalités socio-économiques croissantes et concentrées spatialement. Cet article explore comment les divergences dans la ville sont spatialement produites et naviguées par des jeunes qui vivent à la fois symboliquement et géographiquement en marge. L’auteur soutient que Toronto est différenciée selon des critères de race et de statut socio-économique entre le coeur de la ville et les banlieues intérieures