Mapping quantitative trait loci for flag leave senescence as a yield determinant in winter wheat under optimal and drought stressed environments

The timing of flag leaf senescence (FLS) is an important determinant of yield under stress and optimal environments. A doubled haploid population derived from crossing the photo period-sensitive variety Beaver,with the photo period-insensitive variety Soissons, varied significantly for this trait, measured as the percent green flag leaf area remaining at 14 days and 35 days after anthesis. This trait also showed a significantly positive correlation with yield under variable environmental regimes. QTL analysis based on a genetic map derived from 48 doubled haploid lines using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, revealed the genetic control of this trait. The coincidence of QTL for senescence on chromosomes 2B and 2D under drought-stressed and optimal environments, respectively, indicate a complex genetic mechanism of this trait involving the re-mobilisation of resources from the source to the sink during senescence.

Learning across business sectors: facets of innovation in aerospace and construction

Innovation is notoriously difficult to define and is invariably intertwined with issues of knowledge creation, continuous improvement and organisational change. An extensive literature classifies numerous types of innovation and militates against any simplistic attempt at definition. It is widely accepted that innovation is at least partly dependent upon the surrounding environment. Industry recipes and institutionally embedded practices shape the environment within which innovation occurs. Recent research directions have addressed the diffusion of innovation and its dependence upon social and institutional structures. In this respect, it is highly pertinent to compare the way that innovation is interpreted and enacted in different industrial sectors. The comparison between UK aerospace and construction is especially revealing because the two sectors are so different and therefore constitute radically different climates for innovation. Empirical research is reported based on semi-structured interviews with practitioners from both sectors. Interpretations of innovation are found to differ dramatically between aerospace and construction. Within the context of an ongoing struggle to define innovation, both industries are striving to become more innovative. The aerospace sector is found to emphasise technical innovation whereas the construction sector emphasises process innovation. An overriding cultural bias in Western economies towards technological innovation results in the common perception that aerospace is much more innovative than construction. The experienced realities of practitioners in the two sectors are much more complex.

Managing governance, risk and compliance for post-crisis regulatory change: a model of IS capabilities for financial organizations

The 2008-2009 financial crisis and related organizational and economic failures have meant that financial organizations are faced with a ‘tsunami’ of new regulatory obligations. This environment provides new managerial challenges as organizations are forced to engage in complex and costly remediation projects with short deadlines. Drawing from a longitudinal study conducted with nine financial institutions over twelve years, this paper identifies nine IS capabilities which underpin activities for managing regulatory themed governance, risk and compliance efforts. The research shows that many firms are now focused on meeting the Regulators’ deadlines at the expense of developing a strategic, enterprise-wide connected approach to compliance. Consequently, executives are in danger of implementing siloed compliance solutions within business functions. By evaluating the maturity of their IS capabilities which underpin regulatory adherence, managers have an opportunity to develop robust operational architectures and so are better positioned to face the challenges derived from shifting regulatory landscapes.

Decimal growth stages for precision wheat production in changing environments?

The utility of the decimal growth stage (DGS) scoring system for cereals is reviewed. The DGS is the most widely used scale in academic and commercial applications because of its comprehensive coverage of cereal developmental stages, the ease of use and definition provided and adoption by official agencies. The DGS has demonstrable and established value in helping to optimise the timing of agronomic inputs, particularly with regard to plant growth regulators, herbicides, fungicides and soluble nitrogen fertilisers. In addition, the DGS is used to help parameterise crop models, and also in understanding the response and adaptation of crops to the environment. The value of the DGS for increasing precision relies on it indicating, to some degree, the various stages in the development of the stem apex and spike. Coincidence of specific growth stage scores with the transition of the apical meristem from a vegetative to a reproductive state, and also with the period of meiosis, is unreliable. Nonetheless, in pot experiments it is shown that the broad period of booting (DGS 41–49) appears adequate for covering the duration when the vulnerability of meiosis to drought and heat stress is exposed. Similarly, the duration of anthesis (61–69) is particularly susceptible to abiotic stresses: initially from a fertility perspective, but increasingly from a mean grain weight perspective as flowering progresses to DGS 69 and then milk development. These associations with DGS can have value at the crop level of organisation: for interpreting environmental effects, and in crop modelling. However, genetic, biochemical and physiological analysis to develop greater understanding of stress acclimation during the vegetative state, and tolerance at meiosis, does require more precision than DGS can provide. Similarly, individual floret analysis is needed to further understand the genetic basis of stress tolerance during anthesis.

Thermodynamic Stabillity of Hydrogen-Bonded Systems in Polar and Nonpolar Environments

The thermodynamic properties of a selected set of benchmark hydrogen-bonded systems (acetic acid dimer and the complexes of acetic acid with acetamide and methanol) was studied with the goal of obtaining detailed information on solvent effects on the hydrogen-bonded interactions using water, chloroform, and n-heptane as representatives for a wide range in the dielectric constant. Solvent effects were investigated using both explicit and implicit solvation models. For the explicit description of the solvent, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations in the isothermal isobaric (NpT) ensemble combined with the free energy perturbation technique were performed to determine solvation free energies. Within the implicit solvation approach, the polarizable continuum model and the conductor-like screening model were applied. Combination of gas phase results with the results obtained from the different solvation models through an appropriate thermodynamic cycle allows estimation of complexation free energies, enthalpies, and the respective entropic contributions in solution. Owing to the strong solvation effects of water the cyclic acetic acid dimer is not stable in aqueous solution. In less polar solvents the double hydrogen bond structure of the acetic acid dimer remains stable. This finding is in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental results. A similar trend as for the acetic acid dimer is also observed for the acetamide complex. The methanol complex was found to be thermodynamically unstable in gas phase as well as in any of the three solvents. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 31: 2046-2055, 2010

Information asymmetry and transaction costs in a cross-cultural business transaction

The intent of this paper is to provide a practitioners insight into the present and foreseeable future of problem of transaction cost economics related to culture and business etiquette that may increase the of complexity of business communication. We will also explore whether it impacts participant's mindsets regarding opportunistic or passive aggressive behavior. We will study the role of culture, ethics, information asymmetry, and legal systems regarding their importance towards the business contracts and lack of knowledge in local environments. We will make connections to contract theory strategies and objectives and recommend business practices. Furthermore, economic theory explores the role of the impossibility of the perfect contract. Historical and present day operational factors are examined for the determination of forward-looking contract law indications worldwide. This paper is intended provide a practitioners view with a global perspective of a multinational, mid-sized and small corporations giving consideration in a non-partisan and non-nationalistic view, yet examines the individual characteristics of the operational necessities and obligations of any corporation. The study will be general, yet cite specific articles to each argument and give adequate consideration to the intricacies of the global asymmetry of information. This paper defends that corporations of any kind and size should be aware of the risk of international business etiquette and cultural barriers that might jeopardize the savings you could obtain from engaging international suppliers.

Factors structuring Fucus communities at open and complex coastlines in the Baltic Sea

This thesis deals with physical factors and biological interactions affecting the distribution of two fucoid species, Fucus vesiculosus and F. serratus, in the Baltic Sea. Studies have been carried out in two quite different environments: an archipelago, and an open rocky coast. The archipelago has an extremely long coastline with a heterogeneous submerged landscape of different substrate types, slopes, water qualities, and degrees of wave exposure. The factors influencing F. vesiculosus distribution, morphology and epiphyte composition were studied in the Stockholm archipelago using field surveys and spatial modelling in Geographic information systems (GIS). A GIS-method to estimate wave exposure was developed and validated by comparing the result to an index based on vertical zonation of lichens. Wave exposure was considered an important factor for predicting the distribution of F. vesiculosus by its ability to clean hard surfaces from silt, and a predictive model was constructed based on the information of wave exposure and slope of the shore. It is suggested that the lower distribution boundary of attached F. vesiculosus is set by sediment in sheltered parts of the archipelago, and by light availability in highly wave exposed parts. The morphology of F. vesiculosus was studied over a wave exposure gradient, and several characters responded in accordance with earlier studies. However, when separating effects of wave exposure from effects of other confounding water property parameters, only thallus width was significantly different. Several water property parameters were shown to be correlated with wave exposure in the Stockholm archipelago, and the mechanism responsible for the effects on F. vesiculosus morphology is discussed. The composition of epiphytes on F. vesiculosus varied over a wave exposure gradient with a positive correlation to Elachista fucicola, and a negative to Chorda filum. At an open coast the physical environment is much less heterogeneous compared to an archipelago. The distributions of F. vesiculosus, F. serratus, turf-forming algae, and the seafloor substrate, were surveyed along the open coasts of Öland and Gotland. Turf-forming algae dominated all hard substrates in the area, and Polysiphonia fucoides was most abundant. At the Gotland coast F. vesiculosus was less abundant than at the Öland coast, and F. serratus occurred only in the southern-most part. Fucus serratus was increasingly more common towards south which was interpreted as an effect mainly of the Baltic salinity gradient, or the variation of salinity that has occurred in the past. The effects of turf-forming algae and sediment on F. serratus recruitment at 7 m depth off the Öland east coast were studied in the field, and by laboratory experiments. Almost no recruits were found in the algal turf outside the F. serratus patches. More fine sediment was found in the turf than in the F. serratus patches, suggesting that the turf accumulates sediment by decreasing resuspension. Both filamentous algae and sediment decreased the attachment ability of F. serratus zygotes and survival of recruits, and sediment had the strongest effect. It is therefore suggested that F. serratus has difficulties recruiting outside its patches, and that these difficulties are enforced by the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, which has favoured growth of filamentous algae and increased sedimentation. An overall conclusion is that Fucus distribution is affected by large-scale-factors, such as the eutrophication and salinity changes of the Baltic Sea, as well as by small-scale variation in wave exposure, substrate and slope, and by surface competition with neighbouring species.

Applicability of Process Mining Techniques in Business Environments

This thesis analyses problems related to the applicability, in business environments, of Process Mining tools and techniques. The first contribution is a presentation of the state of the art of Process Mining and a characterization of companies, in terms of their "process awareness". The work continues identifying circumstance where problems can emerge: data preparation; actual mining; and results interpretation. Other problems are the configuration of parameters by not-expert users and computational complexity. We concentrate on two possible scenarios: "batch" and "on-line" Process Mining. Concerning the batch Process Mining, we first investigated the data preparation problem and we proposed a solution for the identification of the "case-ids" whenever this field is not explicitly indicated. After that, we concentrated on problems at mining time and we propose the generalization of a well-known control-flow discovery algorithm in order to exploit non instantaneous events. The usage of interval-based recording leads to an important improvement of performance. Later on, we report our work on the parameters configuration for not-expert users. We present two approaches to select the "best" parameters configuration: one is completely autonomous; the other requires human interaction to navigate a hierarchy of candidate models. Concerning the data interpretation and results evaluation, we propose two metrics: a model-to-model and a model-to-log. Finally, we present an automatic approach for the extension of a control-flow model with social information, in order to simplify the analysis of these perspectives. The second part of this thesis deals with control-flow discovery algorithms in on-line settings. We propose a formal definition of the problem, and two baseline approaches. The actual mining algorithms proposed are two: the first is the adaptation, to the control-flow discovery problem, of a frequency counting algorithm; the second constitutes a framework of models which can be used for different kinds of streams (stationary versus evolving).

The scaling of genetic diversity in a changing and fragmented world

Most species do not live in a constant environment over space or time. Their environment is often heterogeneous with a huge variability in resource availability and exposure to pathogens or predators, which may affect the local densities of the species. Moreover, the habitat might be fragmented, preventing free and isotropic migrations between local sub-populations (demes) of a species, making some demes more isolated than others. For example, during the last ice age populations of many species migrated towards refuge areas from which re-colonization originated when conditions improved. However, populations that could not move fast enough or could not adapt to the new environmental conditions faced extinctions. Populations living in these types of dynamic environments are often referred to as metapopulations and modeled as an array of subdivisions (or demes) that exchange migrants with their neighbors. Several studies have focused on the description of their demography, probability of extinction and expected patterns of diversity at different scales. Importantly, all these evolutionary processes may affect genetic diversity, which can affect the chance of populations to persist. In this chapter we provide an overview on the consequences of fragmentation, long-distance dispersal, range contractions and range shifts on genetic diversity. In addition, we describe new methods to detect and quantify underlying evolutionary processes from sampled genetic data.

A study of nutrition promotion in and consumer nutrition environments of hospitals

Dietary intake is a complex, health-related behavior, and although individual-level theoretical models explain some variation in dietary intake, comprehensive theoretical models such as the ecological framework describe the multiple levels which influence diet-related behaviors. Thus, the ecological framework is a preferred model for designing comprehensive nutrition interventions. While ecological-based nutrition interventions have been described, little work has focused on interventions in the hospital setting. Because hospitals are considered the hallmarks of health, it might seem that hospitals would regularly engage in worksite nutrition promotion; however, recent publications and other anecdotal evidence have indicated otherwise. The first paper of this dissertation systematically reviewed the scientific literature between 1996 and 2012 and identified 13 outcome evaluation trials for hospital-based worksite nutrition interventions. Of these 13 interventions, only one intervention targeted three of the four levels of the ecological framework and no intervention targeted all four levels. Only half of the interventions targeted the physical environment of hospitals, thus warranting more investigation into this specific level of the ecological framework in this setting. ^ A critical type of nutrition-related physical environments is the consumer nutrition environment. Although other tools measure the consumer nutrition environments of stores and restaurants, no tool specifically measured the consumer nutrition environments of hospitals until the CDC developed the Healthy Hospital Environment Scan for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops (HHES-CVG). The HHES-CVG, a tool which measures the consumer nutrition environments of hospital cafeterias, vending machines, and gifts shops, was released in November 2011, and in the second paper of this dissertation, the reliability of this tool was investigated. Two trained raters visited 39 hospitals across Southern California between February and May 2012, and based on analyses of the raters' findings, the HHES-CVG exhibited strong reliability metrics (inter-observer agreement between 74 and 100%, and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.961 for the overall nutrition composite score). Because the HHES-CVG was found to be a reliable tool, the third paper of this dissertation presented HHES-CVG results from the 39 hospitals. Overall, hospitals only scored about one-fourth of the total possible points for the nutrition composite score, indicating that most facilities do not have acceptable consumer nutrition environments. Some of the best practices observed in cafeterias were significantly associated with having a large facility and with having a contracted foodservice operation, but overall nutrition composite score was not associated with any specific facility or operation type. ^ The dissertation concluded that much work is needed in order to improve the consumer nutrition environments of hospitals. Practitioners and healthcare administrators should consider starting with ecological-based interventions addressing all levels including the physical environment.^

Building International CSR on Solid Foundations: Location and Network Aspects of Nonmarket Environments in Europe and Non-Europe Markets. ACES Working Papers, 2011

Multinational companies' (MNCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs frequently comprise a portfolio of disconnected country-level programs or, alternatively, consist of blanket corporate policies that apply in the same way across the geographies where the company operates. Yet, the international nonmarket environment in which CSR programs operate is neither a completely fragmented nor a perfectly homogeneous one. Building on the concept of stakeholder-issue-networks, we develop a model that explicitly takes into consideration the role of geography in the characterization of a firm's nonmarket environment. This allows us to develop a taxonomy of nonmarket environments on the basis of their geographic spread and their degree of cross-border connectedness. We then explore the strategic and organizational implications that different ideal types of (cross-border) nonmarket environments have for the development of international CSR policies.

Linking surficial geomorphology with vertical structure in high and low energy marine environments

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

Pollen transport and deposition in riverine and marine environments within the humid tropics of northeastern Australia

Mechanisms of pollen transport in the humid tropics region of northeastern Australia were investigated to support the interpretation of a long Quaternary pollen record from ODP Site 820 located on the adjacent continental slope. Pollen analysis of surface sediment samples from the channels of two major river catchments demonstrated internal consistency in pollen spectra and little fluvial pollen sorting in relation to sediment variation. Differences in modem pollen spectra between catchments reflect existing variation in vegetation cover that, in turn, reflects climatic differences between catchments. Recent pollen spectra from top samples of the ODP core have sufficient in common with the riverine samples to suggest that the rivers are contributing a major pollen component to the offshore sediments, but these have been size sorted by marine action. Recent pollen samples from core tops taken from the Grafton Passage on the continental shelf that was thought to be the major passage for pollen transport to ODP Site 820 show significant differences to both riverine and ODP samples and suggest that pollen are dispersed across the continental shelf and through the outer Great Barrier Reef system in a more complex way than anticipated. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing the conditions for small business and entrepreneurship in Sweden and Australia: Lessons for the European Charter for Small Enterprises

A growing body of literature is concerned with explaining cross-national performance of small business and entrepreneurs in advanced economies. This literature has considered a range of policy and institutional variables which create an environment supportive of small firms and entrepreneurial activities including macroeconomic variables such as taxation, labour market regulation, social security and income policy; regulatory factors such as establishment legislation, bankruptcy policy, administrative burdens, compliance costs, deregulation and competition policy; and cultural factors such as social and cultural norms that support entrepreneurship. However, this literature has not always distinguished between the policy environment of small firms operating in different industry sectors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the institutional and policy environment of small firms in knowledge intensive sectors. The characteristics of the business environment of particular relevance to knowledge intensive firms are somewhat different from the conditions for entrepreneurship and small business success more generally. This paper compares the science, technology and industry infrastructure of Australia, Denmark, Sweden with other OECD countries. The purpose of the paper is to identify cross-national differences in the business environment of small knowledge intensive firms. The paper seeks to explore whether particular institutional environments appear to be more supportive of small firms in knowledge intensive sectors.