Quantifying effects of soil heterogeneity on groundwater pollution in four sites in the USA

Four sites located in the north-eastern region of the United States of America have been chosen to investigate the impacts of soil heterogeneity in the transport of solutes (bromide and chloride) through the vadose zone (the zone in the soil that lies below the root zone and above the permanent saturated groundwater). A recently proposed mathematical model based on the cumulative beta distribution has been deployed to compare and contrast the regions' heterogeneity from multiple sample percolation experiments. Significant differences in patterns of solute leaching were observed even over a small spatial scale, indicating that traditional sampling methods for solute transport, for example the gravity pan or suction lysimeters, or more recent inventions such as the multiple sample percolation systems may not be effective in estimating solute fluxes in soils when a significant degree of soil heterogeneity is present. Consequently, ignoring soil heterogeneity in solute transport studies will likely result in under- or overprediction of leached fluxes and potentially lead to serious pollution of soils and/or groundwater. The cumulative beta distribution technique is found to be a versatile and simple technique of gaining valuable information regarding soil heterogeneity effects on solute transport. It is also an excellent tool for guiding future decisions of experimental designs particularly in regard to the number of samples within one site and the number of sampling locations between sites required to obtain a representative estimate of field solute or drainage flux.

Pollination of Australian Macrozamia cycads (Zamiaceae): Effectiveness and behavior of specialist vectors in a dependent mutualism

Complementary field and laboratory tests confirmed and quantified the pollination abilities of Tranes sp. weevils and Cycadothrips chadwicki thrips, specialist insects of their respective cycad hosts, Macrozamia machinii and M. lucida. No agamospermous seeds were produced when both wind and insects were excluded from female cones; and the exclusion of wind-vectored pollen alone did not eliminate seed set, because insects were able to reach the cone. Based on enclosure pollination tests, each weevil pollinates an average 26.2 ovules per cone and each thrips 2.4 ovules per cone. These pollinators visited similar numbers of ovules per cone in fluorescent dye tests that traced insect movement through cones. Fluorescent dye granules deposited by Cycadothrips were concentrated around the micropyle of each visited ovule, the site of pollen droplet release, where pollen must be deposited to achieve pollination. In contrast, Tranes weevils left dye scattered on different areas of each visited ovule, indicating that chance plays a greater role in this system. Each weevil and 25 thrips delivered 6.2 and 5.2 pollen grains, respectively, on average, to each visited ovule per cone, based on examination of dissected pollen canals. In sum, the pollination potential of 25 Cycadothrips approximates that of one Tranes weevil.

The effect of high temperature on the insecticidal properties of Bt Cotton

Bt transgenic cotton has not shown the same level of resistance to bollworm in China, as in other major Bt cotton growing areas of the world. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of high temperature on the CryIA insecticidal protein content and nitrogen metabolism, in the leaf of Bt transgenic cotton. The study was undertaken on two transgenic cotton cultivars, one conventional (Xinyang 822) and the other a hybrid (Kumian No. 1), during the 2001 and 2002 growing seasons at the Yangzhou University Farm, Yangzhou, China. In the 2001 study, potted cotton plants were exposed to 37 C for 24 h under glasshouse conditions at three growth stages peak square, peak flowering and peak boll developing periods. Based on the 2001 results, in 2002 the same two cultivars were exposed to the same temperature for 48 h at two growth stages-peak flowering and boll developing periods. The results of the study indicated that the insecticidal protein content of the leaf was not significantly affected by the stress during the square and flowering periods. However, exposure to high temperature for 24h during the boll period reduced the CryIA protein content by approximately 51% in the cultivar Kumian No 1, and 30% in Xinyang 822 in the 2001 study, and by approximately 73 and 63% for 48 h with the same cultivars, respectively, in the 2002 study. Glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity, total free amino acid and soluble protein content, and the activity of protease in the leaf, showed relatively little change in response to high temperature in the flowering period. However, exposure to high temperature in the boll period resulted in the following changes - a reduction of GPT activity, a sharp increase in free amino acid content, a significant decrease in soluble protein content, and significant increases in the activity of protease. The results suggest that high temperature may result in the degradation of soluble protein in the leaf, with a resulting decline in the level of the toxin CryIA. It is believed that this may be the cause of the reduced efficacy of Bt cotton in growing conditions in China, where temperatures during the boll period often reach 36-40° C. © 2004 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Biological response of broiler chickens fed peas (Pisum sativum L.) expressing the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) alpha-amylase inhibitor transgene

The nutritive value of transgenic peas expressing an a-amylase inhibitor (alpha-Ail) was evaluated with broiler chickens. The effects of feeding transgenic peas on the development of visceral organs associated with digestion and nutrient absorption were also examined. The chemical composition of the conventional and the transgenic peas used in this study were similar. In the two feeding trials, that were conducted normal and transgenic peas were incorporated into a maize-soybean diet at concentrations up to 500 g kg(-1). The diets were balanced to contain similar levels of apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and amino acids. In the first trial, the birds were fed the diets from 3 to 17days post-hatching and with levels of transgenic peas at 250 g kg(-1) or greater there was a significant reduction in body weight but an increase in feed intake resulting in deceased feed conversion efficiency. In the second trial, in which the birds were fed diets containing 300 g kg(-1) transgenic peas until 40 days of age, growth performance was significantly reduced. It was also demonstrated that the ileal starch digestibility coefficient (0.80 vs 0.42) was significantly reduced in the birds fed transgenic peas. Determination of AME and ileal digestibility of amino acids in 5-week-old broilers demonstrated a significant reduction in AME (12.12 vs 5.08 MJ kg(-1) DM) in the birds fed the transgenic peas. The AME value recorded for transgenic peas reflected the lower starch digestibility of this line. Real digestion of protein and amino acids was unaffected by treatment. Expression of a-Ail in peas did not appear to affect bird health or the utilisation of dietary protein. However, the significant reduction in ileal digestion of starch in transgenic peas does reduce the utility of this feedstuff in monogastric diets where efficient energy utilisation is required. (c) 2006 Society of Chemical Industry.

Une étude générique du metteur en scène au théâtre:son émergence et son rôle moderne et contemporain

The theatre director (metteur en scene in French) is a relatively new figure in theatre practice. It was not until the I820s that the term 'mise en scene' gained currency. The term 'director' was not in general use until the I880s. The emergence and the role of the director has been considered from a variety of perspectives, either through the history of theatre (Allevy, Jomaron, Sarrazac, Viala, Biet and Triau); the history of directing (Chinoy and Cole, Boll, Veinstein, Roubine); semiotic approaches to directing (Whitmore, Miller, Pavis); the semiotics of performance (De Marinis); generic approaches to the mise en scene (Thomasseau, Banu); post-dramatic approaches to theatre (Lehmann); approaches to performance process and the specifics of rehearsal methodology (Bradby and Williams, Giannachi and Luckhurst, Picon-Vallin, Styan). What the scholarly literature has not done so far is to map the parameters necessarily involved in the directing process, and to incorporate an analysis of the emergence of the theatre director during the modem period and consider its impact on contemporary performance practice. Directing relates primarily to the making of the performance guided by a director, a single figure charged with the authority to make binding artistic decisions. Each director may have her/his own personal approaches to the process of preparation prior to a show. This is exemplified, for example, by the variety of terms now used to describe the role and function of directing, from producer, to facilitator or outside eye. However, it is essential at the outset to make two observations, each of which contributes to a justification for a generic analysis (as opposed to a genetic approach). Firstly, a director does not work alone, and cooperation with others is involved at all stages of the process. Secondly, beyond individual variation, the role of the director remains twofold. The first is to guide the actors (meneur de jeu, directeur d'acteurs, coach); the second is to make a visual representation in the performance space (set designer, stage designer, costume designer, lighting designer, scenographe). The increasing place of scenography has brought contemporary theatre directors such as Wilson, Castellucci, Fabre to produce performances where the performance space becomes a semiotic dimension that displaces the primacy of the text. The play is not, therefore, the sole artistic vehicle for directing. This definition of directing obviously calls for a definition of what the making of the performance might be. The thesis defines the making of the performance as the activity of bringing a social event, by at least one performer, providing visual and/or textual meaning in a performance space. This definition enables us to evaluate four consistent parameters throughout theatre history: first, the social aspect associated to the performance event; second, the devising process which may be based on visual and/or textual elements; third, the presence of at least one performer in the show; fourth, the performance space (which is not simply related to the theatre stage). Although the thesis focuses primarily on theatre practice, such definition blurs the boundaries between theatre and other collaborative artistic disciplines (cinema, opera, music and dance). These parameters illustrate the possibility to undertake a generic analysis of directing, and resonate with the historical, political and artistic dimensions considered. Such a generic perspective on the role of the director addresses three significant questions: an historical question: how/why has the director emerged?; a sociopolitical question: how/why was the director a catalyst for the politicisation of theatre, and subsequently contributed to the rise of State-funded theatre policy?; and an artistic one: how/why the director has changed theatre practice and theory in the twentieth-century? Directing for the theatre as an artistic activity is a historically situated phenomenon. It would seem only natural from a contemporary perspective to associate the activity of directing to the function of the director. This is relativised, however, by the question of how the performance was produced before the modern period. The thesis demonstrates that the rise of the director is a progressive and historical phenomenon (Dort) rather than a mere invention (Viala, Sarrazac). A chronological analysis of the making of the performance throughout theatre history is the most useful way to open the study. In order to understand the emergence of the director, the research methodology assesses the interconnection of the four parameters above throughout four main periods of theatre history: the beginning of the Renaissance (meneur de jeu), the classical age (actor-manager and stage designer-manager), the modern period (director) and the contemporary period (director-facilitator, performer). This allows us properly to appraise the progressive emergence of the director, as well as to make an analysis of her/his modern and contemporary role. The first chapter argues that the physical separation between the performance space and its audience, which appeared in the early fifteenth-century, has been a crucial feature in the scenographic, aesthetic, political and social organisation of the performance. At the end of the Middle Ages, French farces which raised socio-political issues (see Bakhtin) made a clear division on a single outdoor stage (treteau) between the actors and the spectators, while religious plays (drame fiturgique, mystere) were mostly performed on various outdoor and opened multispaces. As long as the performance was liturgical or religious, and therefore confined within an acceptable framework, it was allowed. At the time, the French ecclesiastical and civil authorities tried, on several occasions, to prohibit staged performances. As a result, practitioners developed non-official indoor spaces, the Theatre de fa Trinite (1398) being the first French indoor theatre recognized by scholars. This self-exclusion from the open public space involved breaking the accepted rules by practitioners (e.g. Les Confreres de fa Passion), in terms of themes but also through individual input into a secular performance rather than the repetition of commonly known religious canvases. These developments heralded the authorised theatres that began to emerge from the mid-sixteenth century, which in some cases were subsidised in their construction. The construction of authorised indoor theatres associated with the development of printing led to a considerable increase in the production of dramatic texts for the stage. Profoundly affecting the reception of the dramatic text by the audience, the distance between the stage and the auditorium accompanied the changing relationship between practitioners and spectators. This distance gave rise to a major development of the role of the actor and of the stage designer. The second chapter looks at the significance of both the actor and set designer in the devising process of the performance from the sixteenth-century to the end of the nineteenth-century. The actor underwent an important shift in function in this period from the delivery of an unwritten text that is learned in the medieval oral tradition to a structured improvisation produced by the commedia dell 'arte. In this new form of theatre, a chef de troupe or an experienced actor shaped the story, but the text existed only through the improvisation of the actors. The preparation of those performances was, moreover, centred on acting technique and the individual skills of the actor. From this point, there is clear evidence that acting began to be the subject of a number of studies in the mid-sixteenth-century, and more significantly in the seventeenth-century, in Italy and France. This is revealed through the implementation of a system of notes written by the playwright to the actors (stage directions) in a range of plays (Gerard de Vivier, Comedie de la Fidelite Nuptiale, 1577). The thesis also focuses on Leoni de' Sommi (Quatro dialoghi, 1556 or 1565) who wrote about actors' techniques and introduced the meneur de jeu in Italy. The actor-manager (meneur de jeu), a professional actor, who scholars have compared to the director (see Strihan), trained the actors. Nothing, however, indicates that the actor-manager was directing the visual representation of the text in the performance space. From the end of the sixteenth-century, the dramatic text began to dominate the process of the performance and led to an expansion of acting techniques, such as the declamation. Stage designers carne from outside the theatre tradition and played a decisive role in the staging of religious celebrations (e.g. Actes des Apotres, 1536). In the sixteenth-century, both the proscenium arch and the borders, incorporated in the architecture of the new indoor theatres (theatre a l'italienne), contributed to create all kinds of illusions on the stage, principally the revival of perspective. This chapter shows ongoing audience demands for more elaborate visual effects on the stage. This led, throughout the classical age, and even more so during the eighteenth-century, to grant the stage design practitioner a major role in the making of the performance (see Ciceri). The second chapter demonstrates that the guidance of the actors and the scenographic conception, which are the artistic components of the role of the director, appear to have developed independently from one another until the nineteenth-century. The third chapter investigates the emergence of the director per se. The causes for this have been considered by a number of scholars, who have mainly identified two: the influence of Naturalism (illustrated by the Meiningen Company, Antoine, and Stanislavski) and the invention of electric lighting. The influence of the Naturalist movement on the emergence of the modem director in the late nineteenth-century is often considered as a radical factor in the history of theatre practice. Naturalism undoubtedly contributed to changes in staging, costume and lighting design, and to a more rigorous commitment to the harmonisation and visualisation of the overall production of the play. Although the art of theatre was dependent on the dramatic text, scholars (Osborne) demonstrate that the Naturalist directors did not strictly follow the playwright's indications written in the play in the late nineteenth-century. On the other hand, the main characteristic of directing in Naturalism at that time depended on a comprehensive understanding of the scenography, which had to respond to the requirements of verisimilitude. Electric lighting contributed to this by allowing for the construction of a visual narrative on stage. However, it was a master technician, rather than an emergent director, who was responsible for key operational decisions over how to use this emerging technology in venues such as the new Bayreuth theatre in 1876. Electric lighting reflects a normal technological evolution and cannot be considered as one of the main causes of the emergence of the director. Two further causes of the emergence of the director, not considered in previous studies, are the invention of cinema and the Symbolist movement (Lugne-Poe, Meyerhold). Cinema had an important technological influence on the practitioners of the Naturalist movement. In order to achieve a photographic truth on the stage (tableau, image), Naturalist directors strove to decorate the stage with the detailed elements that would be expected to be found if the situation were happening in reality. Film production had an influence on the work of actors (Walter). The filmmaker took over a primary role in the making of the film, as the source of the script, the filming process and the editing of the film. This role influenced the conception that theatre directors had of their own work. It is this concept of the director which influenced the development of the theatre director. As for the Symbolist movement, the director's approach was to dematerialise the text of the playwright, trying to expose the spirit, movement, colour and rhythm of the text. Therefore, the Symbolists disengaged themselves from the material aspect of the production, and contributed to give greater artistic autonomy to the role of the director. Although the emergence of the director finds its roots amongst the Naturalist practitioners (through a rigorous attempt to provide a strict visual interpretation of the text on stage), the Symbolist director heralded the modem perspective of the making of performance. The emergence of the director significantly changed theatre practice and theory. For instance, the rehearsal period became a clear work in progress, a platform for both developing practitioners' techniques and staging the show. This chapter explores and contrasts several practitioners' methods based on the two aspects proposed for the definition of the director (guidance of the actors and materialisation of a visual space). The fourth chapter argues that the role of the director became stronger, more prominent, and more hierarchical, through a more political and didactic approach to theatre as exemplified by the cases of France and Germany at the end of the nineteenth-century and through the First World War. This didactic perspective to theatre defines the notion of political theatre. Political theatre is often approached by the literature (Esslin, Willett) through a Marxist interpretation of the great German directors' productions (Reinhardt, Piscator, Brecht). These directors certainly had a great influence on many directors after the Second World War, such as Jean Vilar, Judith Molina, Jean-Louis Barrault, Roger Planchon, Augusto Boal, and others. This chapter demonstrates, moreover, that the director was confirmed through both ontological and educational approaches to the process of making the performance, and consequently became a central and paternal figure in the organisational and structural processes practiced within her/his theatre company. In this way, the stance taken by the director influenced the State authorities in establishing theatrical policy. This is an entirely novel scholarly contribution to the study of the director. The German and French States were not indifferent to the development of political theatre. A network of public theatres was thus developed in the inter-war period, and more significantly after the Second World War. The fifth chapter shows how State theatre policies establish its sources in the development of political theatre, and more specifically in the German theatre trade union movement (Volksbiihne) and the great directors at the end of the nineteenth-century. French political theatre was more influenced by playwrights and actors (Romain Rolland, Louise Michel, Louis Lumet, Emile Berny). French theatre policy was based primarily on theatre directors who decentralised their activities in France during both the inter-war period and the German occupation. After the Second World War, the government established, through directors, a strong network of public theatres. Directors became both the artistic director and the executive director of those institutionalised theatres. The institution was, however, seriously shaken by the social and political upheaval of 1968. It is the link between the State and the institution in which established directors were entangled that was challenged by the young emerging directors who rejected institutionalised responsibility in favour of the autonomy of the artist in the 1960s. This process is elucidated in chapter five. The final chapter defines the contemporary role of the director in contrasting thework of a number of significant young theatre practitioners in the 1960s such as Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine, The Living Theater, Jerzy Grotowski, Augusto Boal, Eugenio Barba, all of whom decided early on to detach their companies from any form of public funding. This chapter also demonstrates how they promoted new forms of performance such as the performance of the self. First, these practitioners explored new performance spaces outside the traditional theatre building. Producing performances in a non-dedicated theatre place (warehouse, street, etc.) was a more frequent practice in the 1960s than before. However, the recent development of cybertheatre questions both the separation of the audience and the practitioners and the place of the director's role since the 1990s. Secondly, the role of the director has been multifaceted since the 1960s. On the one hand, those directors, despite all their different working methods, explored western and non-western acting techniques based on both personal input and collective creation. They challenged theatrical conventions of both the character and the process of making the performance. On the other hand, recent observations and studies distinguish the two main functions of the director, the acting coach and the scenographe, both having found new developments in cinema, television, and in various others events. Thirdly, the contemporary director challenges the performance of the text. In this sense, Antonin Artaud was a visionary. His theatre illustrates the need for the consideration of the totality of the text, as well as that of theatrical production. By contrasting the theories of Artaud, based on a non-dramatic form of theatre, with one of his plays (Le Jet de Sang), this chapter demonstrates how Artaud examined the process of making the performance as a performance. Live art and autobiographical performance, both taken as directing the se(f, reinforce this suggestion. Finally, since the 1990s, autobiographical performance or the performance of the self is a growing practical and theoretical perspective in both performance studies and psychology-related studies. This relates to the premise that each individual is making a representation (through memory, interpretation, etc.) of her/his own life (performativity). This last section explores the links between the place of the director in contemporary theatre and performers in autobiographical practices. The role of the traditional actor is challenged through non-identification of the character in the play, while performers (such as Chris Burden, Ron Athey, Orlan, Franko B, Sterlac) have, likewise, explored their own story/life as a performance. The thesis demonstrates the validity of the four parameters (performer, performance space, devising process, social event) defining a generic approach to the director. A generic perspective on the role of the director would encompass: a historical dimension relative to the reasons for and stages of the 'emergence' of the director; a socio-political analysis concerning the relationship between the director, her/his institutionalisation, and the political realm; and the relationship between performance theory, practice and the contemporary role of the director. Such a generic approach is a new departure in theatre research and might resonate in the study of other collaborative artistic practices.

A Corrupção burocrática inibe o empreendedorismo? uma análise empírica dos estados brasileiros

This work aims to investigate the relationship between the entrepreneurship and the incidence of bureaucratic corruption in the states of Brazil and Federal District. The main hypothesis of this study is that the opening of a business in Brazilian states is negatively affected by the incidence of corruption. The theoretical reference is divided into Entrepreneurship and bureaucratic corruption, with an emphasis on materialistic perspective (objectivist) of entrepreneurship and the effects of bureaucratic corruption on entrepreneurial activity. By the regression method with panel data, we estimated the models with pooled data and fixed and random effects. To measure corruption, I used the General Index of Corruption for the Brazilian states (BOLL, 2010), and to represent entrepreneurship, firm entry per capita by state. Tests (Chow, Hausman and Breusch-Pagan) indicate that the random effects model is more appropriate, and the preliminary results indicate a positive impact of bureaucratic corruption on entrepreneurial activity, contradicting the hypothesis expected and found in previous articles to Brazil, and corroborating the proposition of Dreher and Gassebner (2011) that, in countries with high regulation, bureaucratic corruption can be grease in the wheels of entrepreneurship

Delivering Regional Extension in Qld Farming Systems - Central Queensland

The CQ Cotton Regional Extension project has been a key to the delivery of emerging, cutting edge research information and knowledge to the Central Queensland cotton industry. The direct relevance of southern research to cotton production under the conditions experienced in CQ always has been an issue which could be addressed through regional assessment and adaptation. The project links the national research to the region through development and extension, with a strong focus on the major industry production issues including but not limited to disease, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), soils, nutrition and integrated weed management. Susan Mass has supported the implementation of national industry-wide programs particularly the industry Best Management Practices program (myBMP). This project has successfully transitioned to a focus on delivering national outcomes in target lead areas as part of National Development and Delivery Team established by Cotton CRC, CRDC and Cotton Australia, while maintaining a regional extension presence for Central Queensland cotton & grain farming systems. Susan Mass has very effectively merged and integrated strong regional extension support to cotton growers in Central Queensland with delivery of industry extension priorities across the entire industry in the Development and Delivery Team model. Susan is the target lead for disease and farm hygiene. Recognising the challenges of having regionally relevant research in Central Queensland, this project has facilitated locally based research including boll rot, Bt cotton resistance management, and mealybug biology through strong collaborations. This collaborative approach has included linkage to Department of Environment and Resource Managmeent (DERM) groups and myBMP programs resulting in a high uptake in CQ.

Use of sulfuryl fluoride in the management of strongly phosphine-resistant insect pest populations in bulk grain storages in Australia

Sulfuryl fluoride (SF), an effective structural fumigant, is registered recently as Profume™ for controlling insect pests of stored grains and processed commodities. Information on its effectiveness in disinfestation of bulk grain, however, is limited. The ongoing problem with the strong level of resistance to phosphine has been addressed recently through deployment of SF as a ‘resistance breaker’ in bulk storages in Australia. This paper discusses important results on the efficacy of SF against key phosphine- resistant insect pests, lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominca, red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae and the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus. We have established CT (g-hm3) profiles for SF against these insect pests at two temperature regimes 25 and 30°C, that showed that both temperature and exposure period (t) has significant influence on the effectiveness of SF than the concentration. Over a seven days fumigation period, CTs of 800 and 400 g-hm3 achieved complete control of all the target pests, including the most strongly phosphine - resistant species, C. ferrugineus at 25 and 30°C, respectively. Results from four industry scale field trials involving currently registered rate of SF (1500 g-hm3) over 2–14 d exposure period, confirmed its effectiveness in achieving complete control of the target pest species. The assessment of postfumigation grain samples across all the test storages indicated that the reinfestation occurs after three months. Monitoring resistance to phosphine in C. ferrugineus over a six year period (2009–2015), showed a significant reduction in resistant populations after the introduction of SF into the fumigation strategy at problematic storage sites. Overall our research concludes that SF is a good candidate to be used as a ‘resistance breaker’ where phosphine resistance is prevalent.

The importance of cotton disease surveys in Queensland for monitoring endemic diseases and detecting new pathogens and pests

The cotton industry in Australia funds biannual disease surveys conducted by plant pathologists. The objective of these surveys is to monitor the distribution and importance of key endemic pests and record the presence or absence of new or exotic diseases. Surveys have been conducted in Queensland since 2002/03, with surveillance undertaken by experienced plant pathologists. Monitoring of endemic diseases indicates the impact of farming practices on disease incidence and severity. The information collected gives direction to cotton disease research. Routine diagnostics has provided early detection of new disease problems which include 1) the identification of Nematospora coryli, a pathogenic yeast associated with seed and internal boll rot; and 2) Rotylenchulus reniformis, a plant-parasitic nematode. This finding established the need for an intensive survey of the Theodore district revealing that reniform was prevalent across the district at populations causing up to 30% yield loss. Surveys have identified an exotic defoliating strain (VCG 1A) and non-defoliating strains of Verticillium dahliae, which cause Verticillium wilt. An intensive study of the diversity of V. dahliae and the impact these strains have on cotton are underway. Results demonstrate the necessity of general multi-pest surveillance systems in broad acre agriculture in providing (1) an ongoing evaluation of current integrated disease management practices and (2) early detection for a suite of exotic pests and previously unknown pests.

Purificação, caracterização e atividade bioinseticida de um inibidor de tripsina de sementes de Crotalaria pallida

A proteinaceous trypsin inhibitor was purified from Crotalaria pallida seeds by ammonium sulphate fractionation, affinity chromatography on immobilized Trypsin-Sepharose and TCA precipitation. The trypsin inhibitor, named ITC, had Mr of 32.5 kDa by SDS-PAGE and was composed by two subunits with 27.7 and 5.6 kDa linked by disulphide bridges, a typical characteristic of Kunitz-Inhibitor family. ITC was stable until 50°C, and at 100°C its residual activity was of about 60%. Also, ITC was stable at pHs 2 to 12. The inhibition of trypsin by ITC was non-competitive, with a Ki of 8,8 x 10-7M. ITC inhibits weakly other serine proteinases such as chymotrypsin and elastase. The inhibition of papain (44% of inhibition), a cysteine proteinase was an indicative of the bi-functionality of ITC. In vitro assays against digestive proteinases from several Lepdoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera pests were made. ITC inhibited in 100% digestive enzymes of Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly), Spodoptera frugiperda and Alabama argillacea, the last one being a cotton pest. It also inhibited in 74.4% Callosobruchus maculatus (bean weevil) digestive enzymes, a Coleoptera pest. ITC, when added in artificial diet models, affected weakly the development of C. capitata larvae and it had a WD50 of 2.65% to C. maculatus larvae

Vicilina de sementes da leguminosa selvagem Anadenanthera macrocarpa: purificação, caracterização, efeito deletério e mecanismo de ação para Callosobruchus maculatus

Grains and legume seeds are foods that form the basis of the diets of many cultures around the world, winch contritbute to the daily nutrient requirements of humans. Vicilins (7S globulin) are storage proteins found in legume seeds, and may have an additional function constitutive defense of the embryo against pests and pathogens. In this work the vicilin from Anadenanthera macrocarpa - AmV (red-angico), was purified and partially characterized, its effect on development and larval survival and adult emergence of Callosobruchus maculatus was evaluated by determination of LD50, WD50 and ED50 in system bioassay. Purification of vicilin was initiated by the chitin affinity chromatography and then gel filtration (Superdex 75 Tricorn 10x300 mm) FPLC system followed by reverse phase chromatography (C8 phenomenex) on HPLC system. Bioassays WD50 and LD50 for larvae were 0.32% and 0.33% (w:w) respectively, since the ED50 for adults was 0.096%. The probable mechanism of action was evaluated by testing digestibility of AmV in vitro, and observed for the involvement of two fragments vicilins immunoreactive against polyclonal Anti-vicilin from Erythrina velutina (Anti-EvV) about of 22 and 13 kDa chitin binding. The AmV in its native form has been recognized by the anti-EvV, indicating that there is a conserved region in the vicilin and is probably corresponding to the chitin binding domains. These results point to a new vicilin chitin binding that can subsequently be used as a possible biopesticide protein source, in order to control insect pest C. maculatus and confirm literature findings that demonstrate vicilin in the presence of different kinds of ligands to conserved regions chitin not yet characterized

A Corrupção burocrática inibe o empreendedorismo? uma análise empírica dos estados brasileiros

This work aims to investigate the relationship between the entrepreneurship and the incidence of bureaucratic corruption in the states of Brazil and Federal District. The main hypothesis of this study is that the opening of a business in Brazilian states is negatively affected by the incidence of corruption. The theoretical reference is divided into Entrepreneurship and bureaucratic corruption, with an emphasis on materialistic perspective (objectivist) of entrepreneurship and the effects of bureaucratic corruption on entrepreneurial activity. By the regression method with panel data, we estimated the models with pooled data and fixed and random effects. To measure corruption, I used the General Index of Corruption for the Brazilian states (BOLL, 2010), and to represent entrepreneurship, firm entry per capita by state. Tests (Chow, Hausman and Breusch-Pagan) indicate that the random effects model is more appropriate, and the preliminary results indicate a positive impact of bureaucratic corruption on entrepreneurial activity, contradicting the hypothesis expected and found in previous articles to Brazil, and corroborating the proposition of Dreher and Gassebner (2011) that, in countries with high regulation, bureaucratic corruption can be grease in the wheels of entrepreneurship

EFFECT OF BAP, NAA AND GA3, EITHER ALONE OR IN COMBINATION, ON MERISTEM CULTURE AND PLANTLET ESTABLISHMENT IN SWEET POTATO (CV BRONDAL)

In Zimbabwe, the average sweet potato yield (6 t/ha) is relatively low when compared to Asian counterparts (17 t/ha). These low crop yields have been blamed on weevil infestations and viral infections which account for 60-90% of sweet potato yield losses in Africa. Meristem tip culture, a Centre for Potato Improvement (CIP) initiated tissue culture technique, has been widely used to eradicate viruses from clonally propagated crops and has been noted to be one of the instrumental techniques that helped China to increase sweet potato yields. In an effort to adopt the meristem tip culture technique for the production of virus-free planting material of a local sweet potato (cv Brondal), a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Benzylamino purine (BAP), 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and Gibberellic acid (GA3) (either alone or in combination) on cultured Brondal meristems. The different hormonal treatments were assessed on the following parameters: plantlet regenerative capacity, multiple plantlet production, shoot height, average leaf number per shoot and average node number per shoot, ten weeks after meristem culture. All treatments containing a combination of BAP (1 mg-L) and GA3 (at either 5 mg-L, 10 mg-L, or 20 mg-L) had a significantly (p<0.01) higher plantlet regenerative capacity of 33-66% when compared to other treatment combinations. Only treatments, 10 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP and 20 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP were capable of inducing multiple plantlet formation, producing an average of three plantlets/meristem and two plantlets/meristem respectively. Overall, treatment 10 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP gave rise to significantly (p<0.01) taller shoots (20 mm) compared to the rest of the treatments used. For average leaf number per shoot, all GA3 treatments (5 mg-L, 10 mg-L, or 20 mg-L) supplemented with 1 mg-L BAP gave significantly (p<0.01) higher numbers of leaves (six leaves/shoot) than the rest of the treatments. Treatments 10 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP and 20 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP gave rise to the highest number of nodes per shoot, producing an average of three nodes per shoot. In sharp contrast to treatments containing a combination of BAP and GA3, all treatments containing a combination of BAP and NAA performed poorly in all parameters tested for plant regeneration of Brondal sweet potato variety. In conclusion, the best hormonal treatment for culturing Brondal meristems proved to be 10 mg-L GA3 + 1 mg-L BAP.

Reforestation challenges in Scandinavia

In the keynote, major reforestation challenges in Scandinavia will be highlighted. The following countries make up Scandinavia: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. For Iceland, with only a forest cover of 2%, a major reforestation challenge is the deforestation and overgrazing in combination with land degradation and extensive soil erosion. The challenges include the conflicts with livestock farmers. For centuries the commons were used for sheep and horse grazing. However, more and more of farmer grazing land have been fenced up, allowing the regeneration of birch and plantations of other species to increase. With a forest cover of 37% and 69% respectively, for decades a major reforestation challenge in Norway and Sweden has been the risk of seedling damages from the pine weevil. Unprotected seedlings can have a survival rate of less than 25% after being planted. Pine weevils feed on the bark of planted young seedlings at regeneration sites. If the seedling is girdled, it will not survive. In Sweden, and soon in Norway, pesticides have been forbidden. In the keynote, new methods and technology will be presented based on non-chemical protection. In Finland, with a forest cover of 75%, a major reforestation challenge is linked to the forest structure. The structure of Finnish forestry includes many private forests in combination with small regeneration sites. This implies a situation where logistics and methods for lifting and field storage provide a major challenge in order to preserve seedling quality until the planting date. Due to this situation, new logistic systems and technologies are being developed in Finland, including new seedling cultivation programs (including cultivation under Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)) to match the access of fresh planting stock to different planting dates. In Denmark, with a forest cover of 13%, a major reforestation challenge is the possibility of future plantations based on a wide range of relevant species. For this to become a realistic option, new methods and technology have to be developed in reforestation activities that support this possibility. These methods and technology should make it possible to not be limited to certain species due to problems and restrictions during field establishment. This due to the prospect of establishing stable, healthy, and productive stands of various forest species that can be adapted to future climate change.

Predicamento de seguridad yemení

Con el inicio del periodo Post-Guerra Fría el Sistema Internacional comienza a experimentar un incremento en el fortalecimiento de su componente social; la Sociedad de Estados alcanza un mayor nivel de homogenización, el estado, unidad predominante de esta, comienzan atravesar una serie de transformaciones que obedecerán a una serie de cambios y continuidades respecto al periodo anterior. Desde la perspectiva del Realismo Subalterno de las Relaciones Internacionales se destacan el proceso de construcción de estado e inserción al sistema como las variables que determinan el sentimiento de inseguridad experimentado por las elites estatales del Tercer Mundo; procesos que en el contexto de un nuevo y turbulento periodo en el sistema, tomara algunas características particulares que darán un sentido especifico al sentimiento de inseguridad y las acciones a través de las cuales las elites buscan disminuirlo. La dimensión externa del sentimiento de inseguridad, el nuevo papel que toma la resistencia popular como factor determinante del sentimiento de inseguridad y de la cooperación, así como del conflicto, entre los miembros de la Sociedad Internacional, la inserción como promotor de estrategias de construcción de Estado, son alguno de los temas puntuales, que desde la perspectiva subalterna, parecen salir a flote tras el análisis del sistema en lo que se ha considerado como el periodo Post-Guerra Fría. En este sentido Yemen, se muestra como un caso adecuado no solo para poner a prueba las postulados de la teoría subalterna, veinte años después de su obra más prominente (The third world security Predicament), escrita por M. Ayoob, sino como un caso pertinente que permite acercarse más a la comprensión del papel del Tercer Mundo al interior de la Sociedad Internacional de Estados.