Performance of different drying methods and their effects on the physiological quality of grain sorghum seeds (S. bicolor (L.) Moench)

This experiment viewed to evaluate the physiological quality of grain sorghum seeds as well as to determine the respective drying curve of each of three drying methods. The seeds harvested at 18.9%, 18.1%, and 18.2% of moisture content were submitted to the following drying methods : a) under natural conditions, b) an intermittent dryer in which the combustion of firewood was the source of caloric energy, and c) a stationary dryer in which the source of caloric energy was the burning of liquefied petroleum gas. The experimental design was a completely randomized one with 25 repetitions of one hundred seeds each. The water contents and weight of one thousand seeds were evaluated. Seeds physiological quality was evaluated by germination and vigor tests. Seed drying rates were of 0.11, 1.25, and 0.55 percent points per hour (pph -1) for the natural, intermittent and stationary drying methods, respectively. The intermittent treatment permits the highest loss of water in the shortest period of time, and germination and vigor remaining unchanged.

Performance of lowland rice seeds coated with dolomitic limestone and aluminum silicate

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of seeds of two cultivars of lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.), coated with dolomitic limestone and aluminum silicate. It was used a completely randomized experimental design, with the treatments arranged in a 4 X 2 factorial scheme [4 treatments: dolomitic limestone; dolomitic limestone + aluminum silicate; aluminum silicate, at the dosages of 50 g/100 kg of seeds; and control (without the products) X 2 cultivars: IRGA424 and IRGA 422 CL], totaling eight treatments with four replications each. The variables analyzed were: fresh and dry weights of aerial biomass; plant height; leaf area at 10, 20, and 30 days after emergence (DAE). The physiological quality of seeds was also assessed using tests of: seed emergence; first count of germination; emergence speed index; and field emergence. It was concluded that the coating of rice seeds with dolomitic limestone and aluminum silicate does not affect seed germination and field seedling emergence. Aluminum silicate used via seed coating on cultivar IRGA 424 promoted greater leaf area, after 20 DAE. The dolomitic limestone and the aluminum silicate used via seed coating generated plants with larger dry biomass, after 20 DAE, for the cultivar IRGA 422 CL.

Performance of value and momentum strategies in the Swedish stock market

This thesis investigates the performance of value and momentum strategies in the Swedish stock market during the 2000-2015 sample period. In addition the performance of some value and value-momentum combination is examined. The data consists of all the publicly traded companies in the Swedish stock market between 2000-2015. P/E, P/B, P/S, EV/EBITDA, EV/S ratios and 3, 6 and 12 months value criteria are used in the portfolio formation. In addition to single selection criteria, combination of P/E and P/B (aka. Graham number), the average ranking of the five value criteria and EV/EBIT – 3 month momentum combination is used as a portfolio-formation criterion. The stocks are divided into quintile portfolios based on each selection criterion. The portfolios are reformed once a year using the April’s price information and previous year’s financial information. The performance of the portfolios is examined based on average annual return, the Sharpe ratio and the Jensen alpha. The results show that the value-momentum combination is the best-performing portfolio both during the whole sample period and during the sub-period that started after the 2007-financial crisis.

A year after Crimea: continuity and change of Finnish-Russian relations reflected in the views of the government officials of Finland and Russia

This thesis discusses the dynamism of bilateral relations between Finland and Russia and their interconnection with wider EU-Russia relations in the sight of the recent conflict in Ukraine. In particular, incorporation of Crimea in the territory of Russia in March 2014 is believed to have triggered a series of disputes between the European Union and Russia and thus, have impacted the course of the bilateral Finnish-Russian relations. The study leans on a premise that there are some historical traditions and regularities in the Finnish foreign policy course towards Russia which make the bilateral Finnish-Russian relations special. These traditions are distinguished and described in the book “Russia Forever? Towards Pragmatism in Finnish/Russian relations” (2008) edited by H. Rytövuori-Apunen. Assuming that the featured traditions take place in modern relations between Finland and Russia, the aim of the thesis is to find out how these traditions reappear during the year shaped by the events in Ukraine. In order to do that, author follows the timeline of happenings around the Ukraine crisis starting with Crimea’s referendum on independence, and exams the way these events were commented on and evaluated by the key government officials and political institutions of Finland and Russia. The main focus is given to the Finnish official discourse on Russia during the study period. The data collection, consisting of mostly primary sources (ministerial press releases and comments, statements, speeches and blog posts of individual policy makers) is processed using the thematic analysis supported by the content analysis. The study reveals that the consequences of the Ukraine crisis have brought, among others, complications to the economic cooperation between Finland and Russia, and have stimulated the increased attention of the Finnish decision makers to the country’s security questions. As a result, the character and importance of some historical regularities of the Finnish foreign policies on Russia, like the Continental Dilemma, have taken new shape.

Investigation of the fatigue performance of welded duplex stainless steel

Diplomityössä tutkitaan hitsatun duplex-teräksen, laatu: EN 1.4462 (Outokumpu laatu 2205) väsymislujuutta. Tutkimusmetodologia noudattaa sekä kokeellisia että laskennallisia menetelmiä. Kokeelliset menetelmät sisältävät hitsatun teräksen väsytystestaukset laboratoriossa, hitsausten jälkikäsittelyt (HiFIT) sekä perusaineelle ja hitseille tehtävät metallurgiset tutkimukset. Väsytyskokeista saatavia tuloksia verrataan kansainvälisen hitsausinstituutin (IIW) vahvistamiin rakennekohtaisiin standardeihin sekä kirjallisuudessa esiintyviin tutkimustuloksiin. Laskennalliset menetelmät sisältävät vertailulaskelmia tehollisen lovijännityksen (ENS) menetelmää hyödyntäen. Tehollisen lovijännityksen menetelmässä liitoksissa vaikuttavat teholliset lovijännitykset selvitetään elementtimenetelmän (FEM) avulla. Tulokset vahvistavat, että hitsauksella ja hitsausten jälkikäsittelyllä on suuri merkitys rakenteen kestoikään. Suurin osa väsytyskokeiden tuloksista osoitti parempia väsymiskestävyyden arvoja kuin rakennekohtaiset standardit, mutta liitosten liitosvirheiden todettiin heikentävän väsytyskestävyyttä. Jälkikäsittelyiden todettiin parantavan liitosten väsymiskestävyyden tuloksia ja todettiin tulosten olevan hyödynnettävissä mitoituksessa.

Openness and privacy in Ontario: an evaluation of the implementation of FIPPA : (The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987, Chapter 25 and Ontario Regulation 532/87) /

Since the early 1970's, Canadians have expressed many concerns about the growth of government and its impact on their daily lives. The public has requested increased access to government documents and improved protection of the personal information which is held in government files and data banks. At the same time, both academics and practitioners in the field of public administration have become more interested in the values that public servants bring to their decisions and recommendations. Certain administrative values, such as accountability and integrity, have taken on greater relative importance. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the implementation of Ontario's access and privacy law. It centres on the question of whether or not the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987, (FIPPA) has answered the demand for open access to government while at the same time protecting the personal privacy of individual citizens. It also assesses the extent to which this relatively new piece of legislation has made a difference to the people of Ontario. The thesis presents an overview of the issues of freedom of information and protection of privacy in Ontario. It begins with the evolution of the legislation and a description of the law itself. It focuses on the structures and processes which have been established to meet the procedural and administrative demands of the Act. These structures and processes are evaluated in two ways. First, the thesis evaluates how open the Ontario government has become and, second, it determines how Ill carefully the privacy rights of individuals are safeguarded. An analytical framework of administrative values is used to evaluate the overall performance of the government in these two areas. The conclusion is drawn that, overall, the Ontario government has effectively implemented the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, particularly by providing access to most government-held documents. The protection of individual privacy has proved to be not only more difficult to achieve, but more difficult to evaluate. However, the administrative culture of the Ontario bureaucracy is shown to be committed to ensuring that the access and privacy rights of citizens are respected.

Completing the picture: the effects of video game practice on verbal and performance I.Q. scores in high functioning children

The strength and nature of the video game practice effect on tests of visual and perceptual skills were examined using high functioning Grades Four and Five students who had been tested with the WISC-R .for the purpose of gifted identification and placement. The control group, who did not own and .play video games on a sustained basis, and the experimental group, who did own a video game system and had some mastery of video games, including the -Nintendo game, "Tetris", were each composed of 18 juniorg:r;-ade students and were chosen from pre-existing conditions. The experimental group corresponded to the control group in terms of age, sex, and community. Data on the Verbal and Performance I.Q. Scores were· collected for both groups and the author was interested in the difference between the Verbal and Performance Scores within each group, anticipating a P > V outcome for the experimental group. The results showed a significant P > V difference in the experimental, video game playing group, as expected, but no significant difference between the Performance $cores of the control and experimental groups. The results, thus, indicated lower Verbal I.Q. Scores in the experimental group relat'ive to 'the control group.' The study conclu~ed that information about a sUbject's video game experience and "learhing style pref~rence is important for a clear interpretation of the Verbal and Performance I.Q. Scores of the WISC-R. Although the time spent on video game play may, 'indeed, increase P~rformance Scores relative to Verbal Scores for an individual, the possibilities exist that the time borrowed and spent away from language based activities may retard verbal growth and/or that the cognitive style associated with some Performance I.Q.subtests may have a negative effect on the approach to the tasks on the Verbal I.Q. Scale. The study also discussed the possibility that exposure to ,the video game experience, in pre-puberty, can provide spatial instruction which will result in improved spatial skills. strong spatial skills have been linked to improved performance and preference in mathematics, science, and engineering and it was suggested that appropriate video game play might be a way to involve girls more in the fields of mathematics and science.

Spelling performance of third grade students : a comparison of whole-language-plus-strategy instruction, strategy instruction only, and the whole language approach

This study investigated three methods for teaching children how to spell. Third grade students were divided into three conditions for a one-week training period consisting of 15- to 20-minute lessons. One of the two experimental conditions used a whole language approach along with explicit strategy instruction. The second condition used strategy instruction within a traditional setting. The control used strictly a whole language approach to le~ing hO\\l to spell. The spelling perfonnance of all three conditions improved after the one-week training period. However, students in the strategy instruction groups did significantly better on the study "'7ords than the whole language only group. The students in whole-Ianguage-plusstrateg)! instruction outperformed both other groups. Significantly better spelling perfonnance was observed even at the nine-week posttest. This study frrst supported the hypothesis that children can make significantly greater improven1ents in their spelling when explicitly taught how to use spelling strategies. Secondl)', this study indicated that whole language provided a relevant context for the study words, clearly giving the students in the whole-Ianguage-plus-strategy condition an additional advantage.

Strategies for economic development in the Commonwealth Caribbean: a comparative study of the foreign economic policy strategies adopted by the Manley government in Jamaica and the Williams government in Trinidad and Tobago

This thesis compares the foreign economic poUcy dimension of the development strategies adopted by the governments of two Commonwealth caribbean countries: The Hardey government In Jamaica, and the· Williams government in Trlnidad and T ooago, The foreign economic policIes adopted by these governments appeared, on the surface~ to be markedly dissimilar. The Jamakan strategv on the one hand, emphasised self-reliance and national autonomy; and featured the espousal of radical oonaHgnment together with attempts to re-deftne the terms of the Islands externaa economIc relaUoos. The Trinidadian strategy 00 the other hand, featured Uberal externaUy-oriented growth poUctes, and close relatjoos with Western governments and financial institutions. Th1s study attempts to identify the explanatory factors that account for the apparent dlssimUarUy 1n the foreign economic policies of these two govemnents. The study is based on a comparison of how the structural bases of an underdeveloped ecooomYg and the foreign penetration and vulnerabUUy to external pressures asSOCiated wUh dependence, shape and influence foreign economic poUcy strategy. The framework views fore1gn ecooom1c strategy as an adaptive response on the part of the decision makers of a state to the coostralnts and opportunities provided by a particular situation. The · situat i 00' in this case being the events, conditions, structures and processes, associated wUh dependente and underdevelopment. The results indicate that the similarities and dissimHarities in the foreign economic policies of the governments of Jamaica and Trinidad were a reflecUon of the simHarities and dissimilarities in their respective situations. The conclusion derived suggests that If the foreign pol1cy field as an arena of choice, Is indeed one of opportunities and constraints for each and every state, then poHcy makers of smaU, weak, hlghW penetrated and vulnerable states enter thlS arena with constraints outweighing opportunities. This places effective limits 00 their decisional latitude and the range of policy options avaUable. Policy makers thus have to decide critical issues with few estabUshed precedents, in the face of domestic social and political cleavages, as wen as serious foreign pressures. This is a reflection not only of the trappings of dependence, but also of the Umned capabilities arising from the sman size of the state, and the Impact of the resource-gap In an underdeveloped economy. The Trinidadian strategy 1s UlustraUve of a development strategy made viable through a combination of a fortuitous circumstance, a confluence of the interests of influential groups» and accurate perception on the part of poUcy makers. These factors enabled policy makers to minimise some of the constraints of dependence. The faUure of Manlets strategy on the other hand, 15 iHustraUve of the problems involved tn the adoption of poUcles that work against the interest of internal and external political and economic forces. It is also tUustraUve of the consequences of the faUure 00 the part of policy makers to clarify goals, and to reconcile the values of rapid economic growth with increased self-reliance and national autonomy. These values tend to be mutuany Incompatible given the existing patterns of relations in the jnternational economy.

The effect of age on the structure and compostition of the cell walls of Choanephora cucurbitarum

The effect of age on the structure and composition of isolated and purified cell walls from cultures of Choanephora cucurbitarum was investigated by microchemical analyses, visible and infrared spectrophotometry, x-ray diffractometry and electron microscopy. Qualitative evaluation revealed the presence of lipids, proteins, neutral sugars, strong alkali soluble sugars, chitin, chitosan and uronic acids in the cell walls of both the 1 and 7 day old cultures. As the mycelium aged, there was a slight but statistically significant increase in the protein content, and a pronounced rise in the chitin and neutral sugar constituents of the cell walls. Conversely, the decrease in the chitosan content during this period had the net effect of altering the chitin: chitosan ratio from near unity in the younger cultures, to a 2:1 ratio in the 7 day old cell wall samples. Glutaraldehyde-osmium fixed thin sections of the 1 day old vegetative hyphae of £. curbitarum revealed the presence of a monolayered cell wall, which upon aging became bilayered. Replicas of acid hydrolysed cell walls demonstrated that both the 1 and 7 day old samples possessed an outer layer which was composed of finely granular amorphous material and randomly distributed microfibrils. The deposition of an inner secondary layer composed of parallel oriented microfibrils in the older hypha was correlated with an increase in the chitin content in the cell wall. The significance of these results with respect to the intimate relationship between composition and structure is discussed.

The performance and strategies of adolescents in learning to read artificial words /

The present study explored processing strategies used by individuals when they begin to read c;l script. Stimuli were artificial words created from symbols and based on an alphabetic system. The words were.presented to Grade Nine and Ten students, with variations included in the difficulty of orthography and word familiarity, and then scores were recorded on the mean number of trials for defined learning variables. Qualitative findings revealed that subjects 1 earned parts of the visual a'nd auditory features of words prior to hooking up the visual stimulus to the word's name. Performance measures-which appear to affect the rate of learning were as follows: auditory short-term memory, auditory delayed short-term memory, visual delayed short- term memory, and word attack or decod~ng skills. Qualitative data emerging in verbal reports by the subjects revealed that strategies they pefceived to use were, graphic, phonetic decoding and word .reading.

The role of water in determining structure and function of macromolecules and macromolecular assemblies /

The interaction of biological molecules with water is an important determinant of structural properties both in molecular assemblies, and in conformation of individual macromolecules. By observing the effects of manipulating the activity of water (which can be accomplished by limiting its concentration or by adding additional solutes, "osmotic stress"), one can learn something about intrinsic physical properties of biological molecules as well as measure an energetic contribution of closely associated water molecules to overall equilibria in biological reactions. Here two such studies are reported. The first of these examines several species of lysolipid which, while present in relatively low concentrations in biomembranes, have been shown to affect many cellular processes involving membrane-protein or membrane-membrane interactions. Monolayer elastic constants were determined by combining X-ray diffraction and the osmotic stress technique. Spontaneous radii of curvature of lysophosphatidylcholines were determined to be positive and in the range +30A to +70A, while lysophosphatidylethanolamines proved to be essentially flat. Neither lysolipid significantly affected the bending modulus of the monolayer in which it was incorporated. The second study examines the role of water in theprocess of polymerization of actin into filaments. Water activity was manipulated by adding osmolytes and the effect on the equilibrium dissociation constant (measured as the criticalmonomer concentration) was determined. As water activity was decreased, the critical concentration was reduced for Ca-actin but not for Mg-actin, suggesting that 10-12 fewer water molecules are associated with Ca-actin in the polymerized state. Thisunexpectedly small amount of water is discussed in the context of the common structural motif of a nucleotide binding cleft.

A study of selected factors influencing the reproductive performance of the common tern (Sterna hirundo) at Port Colborne, Ontario in 1973 and 1974

Several study areas were investigated at two Port Colborne terneries during the summers of 1973 and 1974 in an attempt to determine the influence of clutch size, time of clutch initiation, position in the colony, proximity to Ring-billed Gulls, vegetation and nesting substrate on the reproductive performance of the Common Tern. Hatching success and reproductive success (the number of chicks fledged per egg laid) were generally higher for 3-egg than 2-egg clutches but fledging (the number of chicks fledged per egg hatched) success was usually independant of clutch size. Hatching, fledging and reproductive success declined as a function of time of clutch initiation. Mean clutch sizes also generally declined as a function of time. Nests located in the center of the colony exhibited higher fledging success than those on the periphery. Rock-based clutches had a lower hatching success than clutches initiated on sand or dried vegetation. Reproductive performance did not appear to be related to proximity to Ring-billed Gulls or vegetation within the study area.

A multidimensional measurement approach and analysis of children's motivation for reading, attributional style, and reading achievement

The present study investigates the usefulness of a multi-method approach to the measurement of reading motivation and achievement. A sample of 127 elementary and middle-school children aged 10 to 14 responded to measures of motivation, attributions, and achievement both longitudinally and in a challenging reading context. Novel measures of motivation and attributions were constructed, validated, and utilized to examine the relationship between ~ motivation, attributions, and achievement over a one-year period (Study I). The impact of classroom contexts and instructional practices was also explored through a study of the influence of topic interest and challenge on motivation, attributions, and persistence (Study II), as well as through interviews with children regarding motivation and reading in the classroom (Study III). Creation and validation of novel measures of motivation and attributions supported the use of a self-report measure of motivation in situation-specific contexts, and confirmed a three-factor structure of attributions for reading performance in both hypothetical and situation-specific contexts. A one-year follow up study of children's motivation and reading achievement demonstrated declines in all components of motivation beginning at age 10 through 12, and particularly strong decreases in motivation with the transition to middle school. Past perceived competence for reading predicted current achievement after controlling for past achievement, and showed the strongest relationships with reading-related skills in both elementary and middle school. Motivation and attributions were strongly related, and children with higher motivation Fulmer III displayed more adaptive attributions for reading success and failure. In the context of a developmentally inappropriate challenging reading task, children's motivation for reading, especially in terms of perceived competence, was threatened. However, interest in the story buffered some ofthe negative impacts of challenge, sustaining children's motivation, adaptive attributions, and reading persistence. Finally, children's responses during interviews outlined several emotions, perceptions, and aspects of reading tasks and contexts that influence reading motivation and achievement. Findings revealed that children with comparable motivation and achievement profiles respond in a similar way to particular reading situations, such as excessive challenge, but also that motivation is dynamic and individualistic and can change over time and across contexts. Overall, the present study outlines the importance of motivation and adaptive attributions for reading success, and the necessity of integrating various methodologies to study the dynamic construct of achievement motivation.

An analysis of the relationship between self-efficacy and performance in a continuous gymnastic routine

Research has shown a consistent correlation between efficacy and sport performance (Moritz, et aI., 2000). This relationship has been shown to be dynamic and reciprocal over seasons (e.g., Myers, Payment, et aI., 2004), within games (e.g., Butt, et aI., 2003), and across trials (e.g., Feltz, 1982). The purpose of the present study was to examine selfefficacy and performance simultaneously within one continuous routine. Forty-seven undergraduate students performed a gymnastic sequence while using an efficacy measure. Results indicated that the efficacy-performance relationship was not reciprocal; previous performance was a significant predictor of subsequent performance (p < .01; f3s ranged from .44 to .67). Results further revealed significant differences in efficacy beliefs between groups with high and low levels of performance [F (1,571) = 7.16,p < .01]. Findings suggest that high levels of performance within a continuous physical activity task result in higher performance scores and higher efficacy beliefs.